CHAPTER TWENTY
Impending War
"Who are you?" Derek asked. She turned around; she had two small triangles tattooed on her golden cheeks, one on either side of her mouth, then another underneath that one.
"I am the Wind Elemental." She spoke softly.
Jacob took a couple of steps forward, about to speak, but was silenced by the wave of the Elemental's hand.
"Do not speak, only listen." She looked to each one; her silver eyes met Jacob's, Derek's, then Sarah's.
"Your quest is almost over, but far from complete. Due to your actions, a war is brewing in Hyrule. Ten years after the Imprisoning War, Ganondorf raises an army and raids the Castle of Hyrule, and releases Naraku, our sister. It is your obligation to stop it." She looked to Jacob, "Come forth, Jacob Swanson." Jacob stepped forward. "With this shard, the Master Sword, blessed by our mothers, the ancient Goddesses, will be complete." Jacob unsheathed the Master Sword and watched as the final shard appeared, creating the tip of the blade. The blade then grew in brightness as its power was restored.
"Be warned, the blade of evil's bane it may be, but it is also the key to evil."
Jacob nodded, sheathed the restored Master Sword and stepped back to join his companions. The Wind Elemental walked up to Sarah, "For your quest, I will grant each of you a gift." From nowhere, she produced a quiver of arrows. Each arrow had golden feathers on the shaft. "For you, Sarah, the mystical Light Arrows, able to shine the holy light on the darkest evil." Sarah nodded. The Wind Elemental stepped to Derek, "For you, the fire of our mother, Din. Call upon her strength in times of dire need." She then looked to Jacob, "And you..." she stepped over to him. "You already possess that which I can offer, but you may call upon me and my sisters to aid you in battle." The Wind Elemental stepped back.
"At this point, you three are ready for your final challenge." She waved her hand and an image formed behind her; it wavered as if it were a reflection in water. It was an image of a small Hylian army marching with civilians behind it.
"They are going to Castle Hyrule to escape the Gerudo. You are to go and aid them." As she finished her sentence, within the image, a troop of lizard-men attacked from a cliff wall above them, the civilians retreated with a few of the militia troops, the rest stayed and fought.
The Wind Elemental turned around and saw this. Her face grew long, "Oh no, it has begun sooner than I had expected." She waved a hand, and with that motion, the three teens vanished in blue light. The Wind Elemental's voice echoed in each of their minds: "Protect Hyrule!"
* * *
Arrows flew through the air. An arrow soared right passed Sarah's head as she appeared. She instantly drew an arrow, and returned fire. She dove behind a rock and fired again, the arrow impaled into a lizard-man.
Derek appeared swinging, and as he materialized, his axe was imbedded into the chest of the lizard-man.
Jacob appeared next to the Hylian Kin, the Master Sword in hand. The Shining blade cut through several enemies before he turned to the king.
"I've been expecting you, Hero. You are our only hope in this dark time."
As the battle raged on, more troops were falling, as were the lizard-men. Jacob suddenly became aware of a young man in only a green tunic on horseback. He wielded a long sword and was brandishing it expertly, beheading and dismembering enemies as he rode past.
Suddenly, one of the lizard-men bounded from the ground and knocked the young man off, taking the horse for himself. Jacob took this opportunity and as the horse galloped past, he took hold of the saddle with on hand and with the other hand, tucked the Master Sword in his belt. He climbed up behind the creature and with a powerful shove, pushed the creature off the horse. But in a last ditch effort the creature caught hold of Jacob and pulled him down too. As Jacob fell, his hand caught in the reins of the horse and he was stuck, dragging along the ground. Jacob panicked when he saw the horse was galloping madly towards a cliff. Then, Jacob was falling, he watched in horror and dread anticipation as the ground rushed up to meet him.
* * *
The battle had ended; the Hylian soldiers were cleaning up the surviving lizard-men.
"Jacob!" Sarah cried, she looked around, then reluctantly journeyed to the cliff edge, and when she leaned over to look, she saw the broken body of a horse, and laying next to it, Jacob's lifeless body, contorted in an unnatural position. She began to scream and sob. Derek ran over and pulled her up from climbing down, she flopped on the ground in a fetal position and screamed. Derek looked down, and then turned away to the King.
One of the King's lieutenants walked up to them. The King turned to him, "get the wounded onto horses," he took a deep breath, "leave the dead." At these words, Derek looked to him and stared at him with murderous eyes. "I'm sorry," the King said, avoiding eye contact with the youth. The King then walked away.
Derek turned and lifted Sarah up, "C'mon, we've got to go." Sarah reached out to the cliff screaming, "Jacob! JACOB!!"
* * *
Sarah sat upon the outer wall of Castle Hyrule. She watched as the Hylian soldiers were reinforcing the wall. A single tear rolled down her cheek, she assumed she had ran out of tears to shed. The noonday sun burned down upon her. When she entered the castle, she noticed a peculiar pedestal, backed by a large black door, behind the King's throne in the main throne room. She reflected upon this for a moment then her thoughts returned to Jacob and his fall.
* * *
Derek helped with reinforcing the walls of the castle. He had shed his armour and axe earlier that day; all he wore was his leather tunic.
He had noticed the King wandering around, inspecting the work. Derek stopped working for a moment and looked up the wall at Sarah. When she looked at him, he gave her a reassuring smile, one that she did not return, she only turned away and looked to the horizon.
Sarah sighed and Jacob floated back to her mind. " I can't believe he's dead. He was supposed to protect this land." She began to wonder if he was even the "Hero" everyone thought him to be.
"Who are you?" Derek asked. She turned around; she had two small triangles tattooed on her golden cheeks, one on either side of her mouth, then another underneath that one.
"I am the Wind Elemental." She spoke softly.
Jacob took a couple of steps forward, about to speak, but was silenced by the wave of the Elemental's hand.
"Do not speak, only listen." She looked to each one; her silver eyes met Jacob's, Derek's, then Sarah's.
"Your quest is almost over, but far from complete. Due to your actions, a war is brewing in Hyrule. Ten years after the Imprisoning War, Ganondorf raises an army and raids the Castle of Hyrule, and releases Naraku, our sister. It is your obligation to stop it." She looked to Jacob, "Come forth, Jacob Swanson." Jacob stepped forward. "With this shard, the Master Sword, blessed by our mothers, the ancient Goddesses, will be complete." Jacob unsheathed the Master Sword and watched as the final shard appeared, creating the tip of the blade. The blade then grew in brightness as its power was restored.
"Be warned, the blade of evil's bane it may be, but it is also the key to evil."
Jacob nodded, sheathed the restored Master Sword and stepped back to join his companions. The Wind Elemental walked up to Sarah, "For your quest, I will grant each of you a gift." From nowhere, she produced a quiver of arrows. Each arrow had golden feathers on the shaft. "For you, Sarah, the mystical Light Arrows, able to shine the holy light on the darkest evil." Sarah nodded. The Wind Elemental stepped to Derek, "For you, the fire of our mother, Din. Call upon her strength in times of dire need." She then looked to Jacob, "And you..." she stepped over to him. "You already possess that which I can offer, but you may call upon me and my sisters to aid you in battle." The Wind Elemental stepped back.
"At this point, you three are ready for your final challenge." She waved her hand and an image formed behind her; it wavered as if it were a reflection in water. It was an image of a small Hylian army marching with civilians behind it.
"They are going to Castle Hyrule to escape the Gerudo. You are to go and aid them." As she finished her sentence, within the image, a troop of lizard-men attacked from a cliff wall above them, the civilians retreated with a few of the militia troops, the rest stayed and fought.
The Wind Elemental turned around and saw this. Her face grew long, "Oh no, it has begun sooner than I had expected." She waved a hand, and with that motion, the three teens vanished in blue light. The Wind Elemental's voice echoed in each of their minds: "Protect Hyrule!"
* * *
Arrows flew through the air. An arrow soared right passed Sarah's head as she appeared. She instantly drew an arrow, and returned fire. She dove behind a rock and fired again, the arrow impaled into a lizard-man.
Derek appeared swinging, and as he materialized, his axe was imbedded into the chest of the lizard-man.
Jacob appeared next to the Hylian Kin, the Master Sword in hand. The Shining blade cut through several enemies before he turned to the king.
"I've been expecting you, Hero. You are our only hope in this dark time."
As the battle raged on, more troops were falling, as were the lizard-men. Jacob suddenly became aware of a young man in only a green tunic on horseback. He wielded a long sword and was brandishing it expertly, beheading and dismembering enemies as he rode past.
Suddenly, one of the lizard-men bounded from the ground and knocked the young man off, taking the horse for himself. Jacob took this opportunity and as the horse galloped past, he took hold of the saddle with on hand and with the other hand, tucked the Master Sword in his belt. He climbed up behind the creature and with a powerful shove, pushed the creature off the horse. But in a last ditch effort the creature caught hold of Jacob and pulled him down too. As Jacob fell, his hand caught in the reins of the horse and he was stuck, dragging along the ground. Jacob panicked when he saw the horse was galloping madly towards a cliff. Then, Jacob was falling, he watched in horror and dread anticipation as the ground rushed up to meet him.
* * *
The battle had ended; the Hylian soldiers were cleaning up the surviving lizard-men.
"Jacob!" Sarah cried, she looked around, then reluctantly journeyed to the cliff edge, and when she leaned over to look, she saw the broken body of a horse, and laying next to it, Jacob's lifeless body, contorted in an unnatural position. She began to scream and sob. Derek ran over and pulled her up from climbing down, she flopped on the ground in a fetal position and screamed. Derek looked down, and then turned away to the King.
One of the King's lieutenants walked up to them. The King turned to him, "get the wounded onto horses," he took a deep breath, "leave the dead." At these words, Derek looked to him and stared at him with murderous eyes. "I'm sorry," the King said, avoiding eye contact with the youth. The King then walked away.
Derek turned and lifted Sarah up, "C'mon, we've got to go." Sarah reached out to the cliff screaming, "Jacob! JACOB!!"
* * *
Sarah sat upon the outer wall of Castle Hyrule. She watched as the Hylian soldiers were reinforcing the wall. A single tear rolled down her cheek, she assumed she had ran out of tears to shed. The noonday sun burned down upon her. When she entered the castle, she noticed a peculiar pedestal, backed by a large black door, behind the King's throne in the main throne room. She reflected upon this for a moment then her thoughts returned to Jacob and his fall.
* * *
Derek helped with reinforcing the walls of the castle. He had shed his armour and axe earlier that day; all he wore was his leather tunic.
He had noticed the King wandering around, inspecting the work. Derek stopped working for a moment and looked up the wall at Sarah. When she looked at him, he gave her a reassuring smile, one that she did not return, she only turned away and looked to the horizon.
Sarah sighed and Jacob floated back to her mind. " I can't believe he's dead. He was supposed to protect this land." She began to wonder if he was even the "Hero" everyone thought him to be.