Rin gulped and talked quietly. "I…I can't do it."
There was a rage-filled pause of silence, and then the voice from inside the waters responded. "You…won't do it?"
"No!" Rin hissed. "Not that I won't. I meant…. I can't do it. It's not possible."
"What are you talking about?"
"He's too powerful," he breathed nervously. "He's…he's way too strong. Yesterday, he-he moved so fast. You should have seen his eyes… There's no way I can…"
"Falarin," the voice said falsely soothing tone. "Do you think I spent all that time on you so that you could become so cowardly?"
Rin shook his head violently and glared into the bowl. "You don't understand! I'm telling you it's not possible! I'll be killed, and all of your planning would have gone to waste. Try to listen!"
"Falarin, I think you've forgotten what's at stake here." Rin could hear fingers snap, and the sounds of a door opening, and something dragging.
"What…what are you-"
Then he heard it, a high-pitched wail of pain that pierced him through his heart and threatened to destroy him right then and there. He held the bowl so hard as it emitted that scream, that his arms shook and water spilled all around him.
"NO! STOP IT!" wailed Rin, before checking himself. "Please! I'm begging you, stop hurting her," he whispered.
"Hmph," the voice said. "Somehow I think you've gotten your spine back. Am I right?"
Rin hung his head and bit hard on his lip. With his eyes squeezed shut, a tear dropped down and splashed into the bowl, distorting the image it held. "…Yes…you are…"
************
The Legend of Zelda: Her Story
Chapter 9: End of an Era
By: The Kirby Kid
Disclaimer:
The Legend of Zelda™ is good tasting AND good for you. It's also property of Nintendo.
Long Authors Notes:
Hey how is everyone? First I'd like to thank you for your feedback. I'm really glad and happy you guys are interested in my characters. First, Dinadan, thanks for pointing out my errors. It's the only way I'll learn. :). And Snowsilver, thanks for your interest and don't worry, I have a lot of plans for those other Knights. (Bixenta, Don and Rocco). Thanks to everyone who reviewed so far, including idiotbx and DarkDragon :).
Now enough with this disgusting display of appreciation. Now I've got to warn you loyal readers, that this chapter is about twice as long as my normal chapters. I actually considered cutting it in two…and if you think I should I will…but I decided that the impact of the chapter is better as a whole. Whoo boy it's kinda long though.
Oh and this chapter fills out my 'action quota' for about 3 chapters worth. Don't expect to see a lot of action for a few chapters after this one. It was fun writing though. I hope it's fun readin'. Oh and I'm sorry I kept switching perspectives during the Big Fight.
Now! On with the story!
************
Destiny. That was what he called it.
Zelda sat holding him, cradling his head in her hands, and tears streaked uncontrollably down her face. A bitter wind blew across the bare plain, wafting her short hair across her eyes, sending droplets of sorrow across the air.
Invincible, the Hero of the Triforce, Hero of Hyrule and of the Gerudo Keepsake, her own personal hero and more, lay still in her arms. Blood continued to seep from his horrendous wounds and into her leather riding clothes, soaking even further into the dirty ground. Despite this, a look of utter contentment graced his serene face. Zelda didn't get this. She couldn't get anything at that moment.
His last words to her were fathomless. Could it be true?
None if it made any sense. Hurt and aching in her heart, she began to rock back and forth and she pulled him closer to her chest. The knights stood well behind her, watching her with shock and anguish. At their feet lay an unconscious and battered Rin, who was bound completely in iron chains.
"Why did this happen?"
The Queen was next to her, and she fell silently to her knees at Zelda's sides. With a shaking hand, she brushed graceful fingers across Invincible's…no…Link's brow. She too knew that there was nothing that could be done.
Zelda looked into her mother's face, and saw a look beyond sorrow. Beyond regret.
"Mommy!" Zelda wailed, and she fell sobbing into her mother's arms. The Queen held her, and her eyes closed.
************
6 hours earlier:
"Don't you think it's weird?" Bixenta said in the Knight's Tavern, a popular hangout in Castle Town for Knights and guards. She sat on a stool at a bar near the end of the Tavern, a mug of mead resting untouched between her hands. Her friend and fellow Knight Donnelly sat next to her and shrugged.
"Don't I think what's weird?"
Busy sniffed at her ale and pushed it away. For some reason she had no appetite for it right then, mentally or physically. "Don't you think away that whenever we get near, they disappear so suddenly?"
Donnelly understood. She was talking about the Ghanim raids they've been executing. "Yeah, well…they've got quick-escape systems in play. Didn't you listen at the briefings?"
Busy sniffed again. "I couldn't smell them."
"Say again?"
"I said, 'I couldn't smell them'," Busy barked. "It was as if they weren't there in the first place."
Donnelly took a swig of ale, let out a breath and slammed it down hard on the bench. "I dunno Busy, those arrows they shot sure felt like they were real." He began to rub on his leg, where he sustained an earlier injury in a previous raid.
"Yeah. Still, wolf-girl has a point."
Busy turned, to her left then to her right. At her right was Rocco, who was leaning against the bar with his Halberd at hand. Busy growled and eyed him dangerously. She didn't like how this Shadow Knight could sneak up on her so easily. It made her angry…yet at the same time strangely aroused.
Rocco continued nonchalantly. "Don't you get the feeling that something strange is happening with those Ghanim? They just don't…feel right…like they're not really there. I doubt all those Ghanims have my abilities."
Donnelly shook his head again. "Yeah, but there could be reasons for that. Besides they fight back, and that's real enough."
"Something strange is going on," Busy said, blushing as she turned back to her untouched ale. The Shadow Knight turned her on; there was no doubt about that with his broody good looks, his tall frame and his sneaky abilities. But he was taken…and it was pretty serious by all accounts.
Looking back and forth at Busy and Rocco, Donnelly leaned forward and poked at both of them. "Hey…hey, you guys aren't doubting that guy's information, are you?"
Busy smiled and shook her head. Rocco also denied that allegation. They both trusted the boy's…Rin's…information. It was solid and completely trustworthy. Busy didn't even smell a hint of deception on him.
At that thought, her eyes widened and looked at Rocco. He was thinking the same thing; he might not have been able to sense it the same way as she could, but he could sense it.
Donnelly spoke their thoughts aloud. "Yeah…Rin's very trustworthy. Almost too trustworthy."
But how could somebody be too trustworthy?
Sir Fastis and Sir Rocky walked into the tavern, which caused silence from all around. Busy, Don and Rocco stood at full attention. They were still pretty green, and even though they were First Rank, and by all accounts probably the strongest of the new First Rank in Hyrule, Adrel Fastis and Rocky still outranked them. The senior knights always laughed at how the three of them were so stiff and formal when it came to the routines of Knighthood. The other new First Rank, a young man named Paris, was less talented but much more unfettered around the Knights.
Looking around the room with his trademark look of disgust, the self-proclaimed hard-ass Sir Rocky said, "We'll be moving in six hours, so get your ass ready. If Invincible's not happy with your performance, I'll personally cut off your scrotums and feed them too you!" He then glanced around nervously. "And…for you ladies without the aforementioned body part…I'll…I'll…make you scrub the latrines of the training barracks!"
That brought out a gasp of horror from even the men in the room.
"Bastard," Busy growled.
As the Knights and guards began to mill around, Sir Fastis walked up to the three by the bar. "You three."
Don, Busy and Rocco stood even straighter at attention, if that were even possible. "Sir! Yes Sir!?" they blasted in unison.
Adrel waved them off and gestured to them. "You're coming with me. You guys get a special assignment.
************
"So your idea is that they've not been hiding from our raids, but they've been actively on the move?" The Queen asked of Rin as he, Invincible, Impa and the Princess stood around her.
Rin nodded nervously. "Y-Y…Yes, your high-um…Royal Immanence, ma'am," he stammered.
"'Highness' will do just fine, Rin," the Queen said with a slight smile. "So then, according to this, they've all congregated here?" The spot on the map she pointed to was several miles away from Hyrule, between the Gerudo Desert and the Kingdom. It was a place where the green fields began to waste away into a dry ground filled with pebbles and other small rocks. It was a No Man's Land as the ground was so sterile and useless no one could make a home their. Even the desert was far more hospitable to life.
So hearing that Ghanims had gone there to create a base made the logical part of Queen Zelda say 'no…it makes no sense.' However, the information was coming from Rin, and the Queen trusted him implicitly. Everyone did.
This made her shudder for a moment. Everyone did trust the boy…and yet they hardly knew him. Something wasn't right. She reached out with her Wisdom, scanned the boy with every method she had available, and found nothing amiss. There was no reason not to trust him.
Turning to Invincible, who stood leaning against a wall with his arms crossed, she sought counsel. Invincible nodded.
"Sounds good. I've already organized an attack force. We'll be going in with ten knights and ten First Rank."
Impa blinked and turned on him. "Ten First Rank? Isn't that a bit much?"
The Silver Knight shook his head and glanced at her. "I'm going to finish this, once and for all, and this time I'm not letting any run away."
The Queen was almost stunned by his resolve. It was almost as if he took the Ghanim affront personally. She supposed he did. Link always felt responsible for the well being of his family, her own, and the Kingdom. He'd always felt as if it was his duty, his Destiny, as the Hero of the Triforce.
"Zelda," he said all of a sudden. "We've got reason to believe that the Ghanim are using some form of magic to hide themselves. If we're going to get them, I'll need your help." He looked then at the princess and Impa. "I'll need all of your help."
Impa shook her head sternly. "Unacceptable. Link, you should know better than to put both Zelda's in danger like that!"
Invincible smiled. "Both Zelda's are capable of taking care of themselves."
"But you never know what can happen! You saw what happened to Zelly only a few days ago, when that…thing tried to assassinate her."
The princess's face blushed angrily, but Invincible ignored it. "I'm not going to have them accompany us without suitable protection. Ah, here they come now."
As he said it, Sir Adrel entered the room, along with three of the First Rank. When Busy Rocco and Don saw the company in the War Room, they immediately stiffened. They seemed to be stuck between wanting to salute and wanting to kneel.
Inexplicably, Zelda started forward with a huge smile. "Hey you guys! How are y…" she trailed off when she saw their confused looks. The Queen didn't understand; Zelly only knew Rocco intimately enough to warrant such a greeting. What was that all about? Zelda just blushed and looked to the ground.
Invincible chuckled and he turned to the queen and gestured towards them. "These three will be guarding you."
"Bah," Impa huffed, causing Busy to bristle angrily. "They're rookies."
"Yes…" Invincible said with a slow nod, "but they're extremely talented. I'll assure you they'll do the job."
Don saluted and grinned happily. "We sure will, sir. Uh…" he saw the others staring at him and he shrugged. "Well we will, won't we?"
"Okay, then we'd better get ready." The Queen turned to Impa. "We'll need the horses outfitted. See to it, will you please?"
Nodding, Impa replied, "I'll send the word."
Invincible leaned off of the wall and took a hard look at everyone in the room. "Get ready. We leave in five hours."
************
The trip to No Man's Land was quiet and uneventful. While Invincible lead the pack, with his First Rank flanking both sides of the line, Zelda, her mother, Impa, Rin and their three bodyguards were huddled in the center. Zelda knew they did it this way because it was the safest method, but it still unnerved her, being surrounded by all of those knights and their nervous eyes.
"Rocco," she began suddenly. "Did you get a chance to see to Talon before we went?"
He patted his steed on the neck and turned sideways to the princess. "Yeah, Invincible and I met with Mrs. Malon, Talon and Romani before we went. We ate, talked, it was nice."
"Uh huh," Zelda smirked. "You know, I'm talking about your private meeting with Talon. Give me all the salacious details."
Rocco gulped and looked away stiffly. "Why do you always do this to me?" he choked out inaudibly.
"What was that?"
Zelda's outburst caused him to sit upright in his saddle. "Sorry, princess…that's kinda private."
"I can order you too, you know."
"Zelda," her mother called out telepathically, "for Nayru's sake, leave the poor boy alone."
Zelda frowned and glanced over to Rin, who rode at her other side. "Can you believe this injustice, Rin?" She got no response; he was too deep in thought. Though he was around her age, Rin often acted like someone much younger around them. He was shy, nervous and didn't seem to have confidence in himself, even though he had great ability. "Rin?" she called again.
He ignored her, staring ahead on the ever-darkening grass and fields. According to the change in the environment, they were nearing the No Man's Land. "RIN!" she shouted finally.
He finally turned to her and smiled a small smile. "Princess, I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention."
"Rupee for your thoughts, Rin," Zelda offered, but Rin shook his head.
"They're not worth that much," he said, half-joking. "Don't worry about it."
"Princess," Bixenta called out. She walked with the others, and kept up with them effortlessly. For some reason she refused to take up on a horse and she preferred using her feet instead. "We're here."
The line had stopped, and Zelda craned her neck to see. Ahead was a strange valley; it was as if a giant had taken a shovel and scooped up a part of the earth. The valley was forty meters deep, and it sloped downward from the level ground. In this valley were a sparse number of houses and other buildings. Above the valley on either side were listening posts and other small towers. There was no sign of life anywhere.
Zelda glanced over at Rin, who shook his head slowly. "This…this isn't right. There should be people here."
Bixenta went ahead of the line, and when she returned to report to the Queen, her look was grave. "Invincible says to proceed with caution. He and a third of our number will head into the valley. We and the rest will stay up on either side, where it's safer."
So they continued forward, Invincible and a few Knights headed into the valley and the rest flanked them on either risen side. Zelda watched as Busy looked around nervously, sniffing here and there. Don looked rather calm. She sighed inwardly as she regarded them. They didn't know her as the princess of Hyrule, but they knew her as Sheik. She wished she could talk to them like she did during that time in Training…but she couldn't drop that bombshell on her mother just yet. She almost blew it in the War Room.
Busy sniffed again, and then neared the princess. She looked at her quizzically, and then shook her head slightly. Was she catching on to her? Zelda perfected her Glamour back then so that even her natural aroma was erased. Having someone training with her with absolutely no smell must have been very disorienting for the half-Wolfos Bixenta.
Suddenly, Bixenta stiffened, and her eyes widened. "Get off the horse!" she yelled. It was just before the attack began. Ghanims, as many of them as there were Knights, appeared out of nowhere and began to strike with arrows and swords. They struck first at the Royal Family.
Busy lashed out with her arms and deflected an attack with arrows, and Don held up his shield and intercepted as many as possible. Rocco roared and leapt up at an attacking Ghanim, and he ripped his halberd through his body. Immediately, the Ghanim exploded into a cloud of smoke, and as it did another Ghanim materialized and attacked the shocked Knight. Rocco spun around, letting his attackers sword slam into the ground, and finished him off with a hard stab. Again, it exploded.
Zelda, the Queen and Impa threw their hands up and erected a shield of Wisdom, harmlessly deflecting away a hail of arrows. The queen looked around angrily. "What the hell is going on?" she growled. A drop of water dropped from the sky and hit her nose.
The Ghanims had stopped attacking with arrows and were now moving in for close combat, and even though all the Knights engaged as many as possible, there were still plenty enough to go around. The three sorceresses dropped their shields as the rain began to pour down. They got off of their horses and huddled close together, just as Busy, panting heavily, came up on them.
"Stay close and don't move!" she gasped. "We'll surround you. What the hell is going on…I can't smell any of them. It's like they're not here."
Zelda opened her mouth to respond, but Busy was already gone. She felt the weight of her hair increase as it soaked up the rain that was pouring down heavily now. Suddenly she realized one of them was missing. Where was Rin?
Turning to her mother, she wanted to ask if she could sense him, but instead saw the queen staring back at her in shock. Impa was staring hard at her too. "What?"
"Zelly," Impa said "…what did you do to your hair?"
Her eyes widened, and she raised a hand to her dirty blonde locks. They were short, cut just above the nape of the neck. Her Glamour was gone! But that wasn't possible; she tied it off so that it would sustain itself.
"Something's wrong," the Queen growled. "I'm going to contact Link." With that, she raised her hand to her temple. Zelda watched the mist of the rain rise up from the ground, and she ran a hand through her damp hair again.
"The rain!"
"Mother!" she shouted, but too late. As soon as the Queen gathered her Wisdom to contact Invincible, blue arcs of electricity ran up and down her body. Her body shook horribly, and her eyes became fixed and wide, before she finally slumped to the ground.
"Mother!" Zelda cried again. She ran to her, but Impa was already there, cradling the Queen in her arms.
She touched her face, and then looked at the princess. "She's out. Zelly, don't use your magic." She looked around, her face blackened in rage. "This is a trap!"
One horrible thought came to Zelda's mind. "Rin!"
************
Invincible stood alone in the valley, and saw the fighting take place above him. The rain came down hard, seemingly out of nowhere, and raised a mist from the ground. When he thought about it, the rain came down so suddenly it couldn't have been real. There was no warning, no cloud build-up, no dampness in the air, nothing. Invincible realized it was an artificial rain, which meant this was a trap, and he was concerned for Zelda and the others.
"If you're worrying about the Queen and the others, don't." Invincible recognized the voice that was coming from behind him, and he turned around slowly.
"They'll be fine. This wasn't meant for them," Rin said. "It's meant for you."
"Me?" Invincible asked. "What are you playing at Rin?"
Slowly, Rin drew his blade, and he faced Invincible evenly. Invincible looked at him quizzically. "What do you think you're doing?"
"This," the young man repeated, "was meant for you."
Understanding dawned on Invincible's face. "You mean to kill me," he said silently. "Ah…you're with them…aren't you? The Ghanim. You planned this all along." He then grinned and began to chuckle. "I don't think I can believe that."
"Of course you can't," Rin gulped. "Her spell is still affecting you, but it won't be for long."
"Spell?"
Rin nodded. "The spell that she wrapped around me. It affected everyone around me. Think about it, you trusted me…so completely. You didn't even know me! But the spell wouldn't let you think about it."
Even as Rin spoke, Invincible began to understand more and more. A great weight was lifted from his mind as the downpour continued. It must have been the rain; it must have negated magic. As he looked at him, the veil of unconditional trust was lifted, and Invincible saw Rin for the first time.
Still, he smiled.
"Rin…" he begged. "Don't do this. Don't throw your life away." He spread his arms out to the boy. "Come on Rin, I let you eat at my table."
The boy was grinding his teeth and trembling, his hair mopped over his eyes, hiding them in a shadow. "I…I know…" he gasped. He then looked up and his eyes flashed open. "…And I'm sorry!!!" he blasted, before taking off towards him.
Invincible unsheathed his sword and easily parried Rin's first attack. The boy bounded away from him, placed his weapon in his scabbard, and flashed out his right hand.
"Halef!" he shouted, and when he did a fire burst from his hand. It spurted and whipped around, unaffected by the magic rain, before coalescing and forming a flaming blade.
Invincible saw the blade and was stunned. "It was you," he realized. "You're the one who attacked Zelly that night."
Again, Rin gritted his teeth and then burst forward towards Invincible. He struck out with a fast downward vertical strike. Invincible parried it with a stiff arm, and brought his flaming sword down with his own and pinned it to the ground, before nailing Rin with a quick punch to the face.
Rin stumbled back and spun around with a horizontal swing. Invincible parried it, and blocked another quick strike from the half-Gerudo. Rin struck again by bending at his knees and whirling his blade around, but Invincible wasn't in front of him anymore.
He ducked and spun around; dodging Invincible's choke hold, and stabbed at him. Invincible hit the stab at its side, pinned his sword down again, and hit him in the face with a flattened palm. As Rin stumbled back, Invincible rained down on him with several punches to his face and gut before nailing him with a devastating uppercut.
Rin flew back several feet and hit the ground hard. Invincible straightened and looked down on him with a look of pity.
"You should know that even though you fooled me with that spell, I look at you now, and I want to help you."
As he spoke, Rin trembled, placed his hands on the wet ground and got up to his knees, hacking out a glob of blood in the process.
"You remind me of me when I was younger, the way you wandered around like that, homeless, alone. When I found you that work with Zelly…the look I saw on your face…it reminded me of when I found Lon Lon Ranch…Malon…my purpose."
Rin struggled to his feet, but fell back to one knee.
"I like you, Rin. Despite all of this, I know you're a good person. That's why I'm telling you to stay down."
Rin rose, his shoulders slumped, his lungs heaving.
"Stay down," Invincible continued, "or I'll have to kill you."
***
Zelda looked down in the valley, as fighting continued around her, and her hand clasped at her mouth. What was Rin doing, attacking Invincible? What did he think he would accomplish?
A sudden horror came to her mind. Was Rin involved in this? But…but…why couldn't she see it before? All of the mind scans, all of the interrogations, and there was no hint of deceit from within Rin's mind.
Then Zelda understood. There was no hint of deceit. Not even the normal amount of deceit that people usually held. Someone must have cast a spell on him, and with this rain, she was only now seeing it.
Goddess! How far did go? How far back did the deceit reach?
A Ghanim warrior suddenly appeared in front of her, and this time Zelda reacted. Gram flashed to life in her right hand, and she swiped once, twice, and then stabbed the attacker in the chest. He exploded into a cloud of smoke. Another one appeared to her side, but Bixenta was on him quickly. She ducked an initial attack, struck him hard against the side of his face with a palm, and then finished him with a palm uppercut. He burst into smoke when he hit the ground.
"Nice work, Princess," she breathed, "Please keep paying attention." She then moved off to attack another Ghanim.
Zelda glanced down again below the valley. As far as she was concerned, she was.
*************
What Rin wanted more than anything else at that point, was to be able to stay down. He almost did.
And why not? This was suicide!
He squeezed his eyes shut, and let the rain fall over him. There was nothing…it was suicide. Even with the power of Halef at his side, what could he do against the Invincible?
The truth was, he didn't even want to do anything to the Knight. He was innocent; he didn't deserve it. All Invincible had ever done was encourage him, and help him with his confidence and abilities. He trusted him with the princess, and now, even knowing he was betrayed, he wanted to save him.
But there was no saving to be had for Rin. He'd die or he'd give up here, and the result would be the same.
That's right! The result would be the same!
"Fala!"
Her voice shot through his mind like fire through the air. Rin thought of her, in that place, with that person, and he gritted his teeth in pain.
"Nubarin," he breathed.
He couldn't let her down like this. He had to save her.
"Nubarin. Nubarin."
He said her name like a mantra, and it wouldn't let him give up. It wouldn't let him stay down.
"Nubarin. Nubarin. Nubarin! Nubarin!"
The fire sword Halef flared from his right hand, and his eyes flashed open with a new determination. Even if he had to die, even if he had to take the life of this innocent man, he'd save her.
"Nubarin!!"
With Halef burning at his hand, he burst forward with several quick steps, and then vanished, only to appear at Invincible's feet. He struck at the Silver Knight with three quick jabs. Invincible dodged them all and swung with a counterattack, but Rin was already gone. He ran around him, and jumped into the air towards a house wall. As he soared upwards, he turned back at Invincible and swung three times with Halef, flinging three arcs of fire at him.
Invincible cut each of the arcs apart with his sword, and as he did Rin ricocheted off the house wall and zoomed towards the Knight. Their swords clashed, and Rin flipped head over heels over him and landed a few feet away. As soon as he did, he ran again at Invincible. The Knight met his attack head on.
Rin swung, Invincible parried and countered with a horizontal swing, which Rin dodged. Rin swung again three times, Invincible parrying all of the strikes, and the boy struck again. Invincible moved his head to the side, taking a small slash at his cheek, and jabbed at him. Rin ducked and felt a sting near his temple and blood spurted furtively, but he countered with his own downward slash. Invincible sidestepped it but took a slash down the side of his silver tunic. Finally he leapt into the air and landed behind Rin, but as Rin turned, Invincible vanished from his sight. A small cloud of dust whirled where he once was.
"What's going on here," Invincible huffed as he ran to the side. Not since with Knataghanim had he been in a battle this intense. He decided if he were going to end it quickly, he'd have to pull out all the stops.
With a burst of speed others might would inhuman; he circled Rin, over and over again. Rin looked back and forth, Halef burning brightly in his right hand, and then he saw Invincible right in front of him, with his own sword pulled to the side.
But Invincible was also behind him to his left, and behind him to his right. Three of the Silver Knight's surrounded him, forming a perfect triangle.
"Hero's Blade!" the Invincible's shouted. "Triforce Slash!" With a mighty clash, all three of the Invincible's converged on Rin.
************
"Can you see the Queen?" Don shouted as he jabbed his sword into the head of a Ghanim. As it exploded, he heard an answer shout back from the chaos.
"No!"
Donnelly froze for a moment in terror. The Royal Family! They had to be protected, and they couldn't use magic in this rain. Ducking an attack from another Ghanim, he countered by thrusting the tip of his sword upwards into its chest. These guys were quite easy to defeat…but they were endless…and if they got lucky they could do some damage.
There was definitely magic at play…but how come the bad guys could use magic in this rain and the good guys couldn't?
As Don sidestepped a stab from another Ghanim, he realized the answer and wore a big grin on his face. It was because the good guys were the good guys.
He finished off his attacker with a backhanded slash to the face, and as he stepped back he bumped into something. He whirled on the person and found himself face to face with Bixenta. "How ya doing, Busy?" the black elf said with a smile.
"What are you doing, you idiot! Stay focused!" Busy turned and planted her back against Don's as she fended off Ghanims with hard kicks and slashing fists.
"You see any cuts on me?" Don spat between attacks.
Busy seized the head and neck of an attacker and wrenched it with a sickening snap. "Pure luck," she countered. "What's with these guys?"
"Baby Ghosts," Don laughed. "They're not quite real, but not quite ghosts yet. Sort of like when you do that trick and split into copies."
"I wish I could do that now," Busy growled.
"Have you tried?"
Busy turned towards him and quickly ducked a Ghanim arrow. She struck back with a roundhouse kick that sent it flying, and then turned back to Don. "I can't…not with this rain."
"I don't know if this rain affects all magic, Busy. I mean these guys keep popping out of mid-air."
Busy considered it for a moment.
"Come on, come on," Don said charmingly. "It can really turn the tide. Besides, if you pass out, I'll protect you." He finished off with a suggestive wink.
"That sounds promising," Busy said under her breath. She did however think it was worth the risk. She clasped her hands together, and then brought her index fingers up touching each other to her face. "Farore! Din!"
Fire and wind converged in the air, and at Busy's command, became solid copies of her. No less than twenty of them were created, and all of her copies struck out at the Ghanims that attacked her fellow Knights, as well as the queen's party.
Don winked and stuck out a congratulatory thumbs up. He then took on a serious look and clasped his own hands together. "Now let me try," he blasted.
Busy stared at him. "What the-"
"Farore! Din!" With that shout a wave of air burst from Don's feet, and copies of him started popping out of mid-air. First ten, then twenty, then thirty, and they were all attacking with fierceness worthy of a First Rank.
Bixenta was busy staring at the real Donnelly. "H-H-How did you do that? I worked on that Seal for a solid year before I got it right!"
Don shrugged. "I'm a quick learner." He then looked down to the valley below, as did Busy, and their eyes grew wide.
"What the hell is going on there?"
************
With a mighty flare of fire and darkness, all three Invincibles were blasted off of Rin with a powerful swing from Halef. The three of them consolidating into one, hit the ground and rolled for a good few meters, before coming to a stop.
Rin lowered Halef to the ground, and glared hard at the Knight. Sweat was flowing freely from his forehead, and he was breathing heavily. There were small cuts and gashes all over his body.
Invincible wasn't much better off. Laboriously, he rose to his feet and glared back at the boy. "He…really means it." He thought between breaths. "He really means to kill me."
Rage began to well up within him. After everything he'd done for this boy, spell or no spell, he wouldn't allow himself to be killed like this! Malon, Talon and Romani needed him alive. Zelda…
"Rin!" he shouted suddenly. "You need to kill me, because you're being told to…isn't that right?"
Rin turned away from him. He seemed to be whispering something under his breath, over and over again. Invincible's long ears caught the words easily: Nubarin. Nubarin.
"We can help you, kid." He said quietly. "It's not too late."
"You don't understand. They'll kill her…they'll know if I don't do it." Rin looked at him with panic and fear. "She's watching us, even now…with this rain. I can't even say anything or she'll kill her…unless…unless she knows that I really tried."
Invincible understood. Somebody had to die, or else Rin's special somebody would be the one to lose a life. Invincible sheathed his blade in his scabbard and faced forward. No matter how sorry he felt for the boy, he was not going let up. He wasn't going to be the one.
Then he felt a searing pain in his left hand. He couldn't see it through his glove, but he knew the Triforce of Courage was burning. Suddenly he heard a voice, and he looked around to see where it's coming from.
Rin watched him look around frantically, and then stare him straight in the face. "You're telling me this is Destiny?" Invincible said suddenly.
"What?" Rin thought.
Invincible shook his head. "I…I guess I understand. It doesn't sound very fair though."
"What's he playing at?"
Invincible's right hand hovered over the handle of his blade; he bent at the knees and spread his legs slightly apart. "But I'm not going to make it easy. If it's going to be Destiny, let it be Destiny."
Rin's eyes widened. He didn't know what the Knight was babbling about, but he knew that stance. Any fighter worth his salt in Hyrule knew that stance. Invincible was about to use the Spin Slash…the most powerful technique in the land.
******
"The Spin Slash," Zelda thought suddenly. "He…He's going to kill Rin!"
This was insanity. She had to stop it.
Ignoring Impa's cries, Zelda started down the embankment, slashing apart any Ghanim's that got in her way.
She skid down a small slope and ran forward with a dreadful feeling in her heart. She had to act somehow. Something was about to happen!
Something horrendous!
***
For a moment, Rin froze, and he would have remained paralysed, if it weren't for the mantra that continued through his mind.
"Nubarin. Nubarin."
All the years of painful training, it all came down to this moment. He would withstand the Spin Slash, or he would die. It was that simple.
And he couldn't die! Not yet!
As Invincible burst forward, Rin drew out his metal blade and dug his feet into the ground. When the Silver Knight was in front of him, he slammed his right foot into the ground and slashed out his blade.
"Malon."
Rin swung hard and met Invincible's first strike with the Spin Slash with a slash from his metal sword. As soon as the two swords met, Rin's blade shattered into thousands of tiny pieces. The boy felt the wave travel up his left arm, and he knew at that moment it was broken. The force of Invincible's swing caused Rin to twirl back in the opposite direction, but the boy managed to use the extra time to dodge the attack.
"Talon, Romani."
Invincible swung 360 degrees.
When the Knight swung the second time, the tip of his blade clashed with the tip of Halef. The impact caused a shockwave to travel down the bodies of both fighters, and it caused Rin to spin around again, even faster this time. A small whirlwind of fire formed at his feet.
"Zelda."
Invincible swing 360 degrees.
Halef crashed hard against Invincible's blade and burned his hand. Rin whirled again and slashed hard into Invincible's arm. The whirlwind of flames grew larger and faster and Rin twirled around again and again, slashing hard into Invincible's chest over and over. Finally the plume of fire burned its way into the sky, and both Invincible and Rin were obscured in a wave of blood red flames.
When the fires dissipated, a large burn crater smouldered beneath Rin's feet. Invincible hung in midair for a moment, and then slammed hard into the ground on his back. He didn't move again.
***
Halef vanished from Rin's grip, and he fell to his knees, just as Princess Zelda rushed by him. The rain began to let up into a small drizzle, and the 'Baby Ghost' Ghanims began to disappear.
"Nubarin…" he whispered.
He saw the shouts coming from the Knights and First Rank, and he saw them start to stampede into the valley. He also saw Zelda cry out and hold Invincible's head in her arms.
As the Knights came at him, he surrendered his arms into the air and smiled sadly. "Did you let up…just at the last moment?" he asked the fallen Hero. "Did you understand my plight?"
A Knight stood in front of him, rage and hatred dark on his face. His weapon twitched, as if trying to decide whether he should go against his code and kill an unarmed man. He wouldn't though…these Hylians were too kind…to loyal to their leader. They'd act as Invincible would act.
"Sir Link…" Rin whispered. "Thank you."
Those were his last thoughts before losing consciousness.
***
"Zelda…"
She was kneeling with him, his head on his lap, and she was trying to be brave. She was trying to hold back the tears, trying not to cry out like she wanted to so badly. Bust she had to be strong. She had to be strong for him.
"I'm here," she sniffed. "Don't say anything."
"Don't cry, Zelda… This is Destiny."
"What!?" she thought angrily. How could this, this insanity be Destiny?
Link smiled. "You're…so beautiful." He whispered and he raised a hand slowly to he hair. Zelda caught it with her hand and tried to keep her eyes on his, and away from the many ghastly wounds that perforated his chest.
"Don't…don't hide it Zelda…"
Zelda sniffed again. "I won't. Please hang on, please!"
Link's smile weakened, and the light in his brown eyes began to dim. "I was…always so pr-proud…of you Zelda." He gasped as blood leaked down his lips. "My…my…"
With her heart quickening, she leaned forward to better here his words. She moved his hand up to her cheek and lay her head next to his.
"My…little girl…" he breathed, before his hand became limp in her hands. Zelda's eyes widened, and she looked down in horror as Link exhaled for the last time.
"His…little…girl?" Zelda trembled and stared blankly ahead. It could have meant anything, the way they had been so close. But Zelda knew in her heart of hearts exactly what he meant.
"No!" Zelda cried. "No you can't tell me something like that, not now!" She wailed and pulled him close. "Not….not….Not now…."
Destiny. That was what he called it.
Zelda sat holding him, cradling his head in her hands, and tears streaked uncontrollably down her face. A bitter wind blew across the bare plain, wafting her short hair across her eyes, sending droplets of sorrow across the air.
Invincible, the Hero of the Triforce, Hero of Hyrule and of the Gerudo Keepsake, her own personal hero and more, lay still in her arms. Blood continued to seep from his horrendous wounds and into her leather riding clothes, soaking even further into the dirty ground. Despite this, a look of utter contentment graced his serene face. Zelda didn't get this. She couldn't get anything at that moment.
His last words to her were fathomless. Could it be true?
None if it made any sense. Hurt and aching in her heart, she began to rock back and forth and she pulled him closer to her chest. The Knights stood well behind her, watching her with shock and anguish. At their feet lay an unconscious and battered Rin, who was bound completely in iron chains.
"Why did this happen?"
Then the Queen was next to her, and she fell silently to her knees at Zelda's sides. With a shaking hand, she brushed graceful fingers across Invincible's…no…Link's brow. She too knew that there was nothing that could be done.
Zelda looked into her mother's face, and saw a look beyond sorrow. Beyond regret.
"Mommy!" Zelda wailed, and she fell sobbing into her mother's arms. The Queen held her, and she her eyes closed.
************
The Hero of the Ghanim Revolt, the beloved Invincible Knight Link is dead.
Everyone has their own method of grieving.
How will his immideate family deal with the death of their husband and father, and how will the Princess deal with both her grief and the shock of the deathbed revelation?
This was Destiny. The Trifroce is fractured, and it bids to be healed.
How will Zelda's answer to her grief put her on the road towards this Destiny?
Next Chapter
The Legend of Zelda: Her Story
Zelda's AnswerGoodbye Link. He was the hero of my first story, and I liked him. When he grew older in my second (unfinished) story, he became sort of a guru, a pillar of justice and power. He's gone now and it's really weird. But there was another Link in my second story. Will he replace the first one in my writing heart? Never…but still…