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Chapter twenty-one: A mission in the night

Link's POV

The gate was slowly opening, inch per inch, squeaking loudly, as if it was protesting. The sight of what was on the other side made my heart leap up in my throat.

They could have been about three hundred, or more – I couldn't really tell. The sun was now approaching its zenith, and the sunlight was gleaming in hundreds of scimitars, spears and other awful weapons, some of which I didn't know the name. Unlike the Hylian army, the Gerudos were not wearing any kind of armor, which gave us a fair advantage. The Gerudo tribe was known as a tribe of warriors, skilled, strong and fearless…

Trying to remain calm, I observed the enemy. No one was moving. Everything was silent, and we waited. We waited, but eventually, someone had to make the first move. I heard a sudden sound, and saw the streak of another arrow being shot from somewhere above. A man three ranks behind me gave a scream, however cut short by the arrow that hit his throat. That was the signal we had been waiting for. Impa, riding in the front, raised her weapon, a dagger of the same kind as Sheik's, and on cue, we all began to move forward, slowly at first, then faster.

"I guess it begins now", I heard Navi's voice in my ear.

"I guess."

"Good luck, Link."

"Thank you, Navi…" I said, and I couldn't help my voice was shaky.

If you have never been to war, you can impossibly understand what it's like. Everything you've read about heroes in war and how brave they acted – it's just a lie. When you're in the middle of a fierce battle, you can't think. Your mind stops working and you don't know what to do. Everything around you is a blur, a chaos of men (and in this case, women) and horses. You think the noise around you will make you deaf. You think you will die any minute. But you are not scared, because you can't be.

I caught a brief glimpse of Roy on my left side. The boy didn't look scared at all – I watched as he raised his sword and made a horizontal slash against a Gerudo, but I couldn't see what happened next, since Epona neighed wildly and reared on her hind legs, and I nearly lost my grip on the reins. Trying not to lose my balance, I saw that Epona was bleeding badly, having received a deep cut across her flank. Her hooves hit a Gerudo, and I finished it all with my sword.

I would never get used to killing people. The red blade of my sword was scaring me. That was someone else's blood, someone else had died because of me… but thinking that way in the middle of a violent battle was not a very good idea. So I continued, goading Epona through the chaos, slashing, cutting, slicing and thrusting my way through. I don't know how I managed not to get hurt. It was impossible to look in all directions at the same time, and if I was attacked from behind, I didn't know if anyone would lunge at me from the front. The sword training had not been in vain, though, I could easily block sword attacks aimed at me.

The battle was taking place in a small passage between two steep cliffs outside the fortress. But our army slowly forced the Gerudos backwards, until we were facing the ancient fortress, built beneath an overhanging rock. I noticed that archers were standing on the rooftops of the houses, maybe the first arrow had been shot from there. The archers made the Hylian soldiers nervous and we all had to concentrate not only on the battle, but also on arrows being released from above. I guess the smell and the noise made Epona nervous as well, and the fact made it harder for me to keep my control on the horseback. Epona made a sudden turn, and although I tugged at the reins with all my might, I could not stop her. Neither could I stop what was about to happen.

The first thing I felt was something touching my left side briefly. The second thing was a white-hot pain, erupting from my stomach and spreading all through my body. I nearly lost both my firm grasp of the reins, and my sword. I looked down. It was an arrow, protruding from my left side, just below my last rib. I had never felt a pain like that. I didn't know what to do. The pain made my body go numb, I couldn't really think anymore. My arms and legs felt limb and cold, and I felt the sword slip from my grip, but I didn't hear the metallic sound it made when it hit the ground. The noise around me became more distant, like the battle had been going on some hundred yards away and not all around me.

I slowly slid off Epona, but my firm grasp on the reins remained. Perhaps my mind told me not to lose the connection with my horse. She dragged me along a few yards, but then I couldn't hold on anymore, and I let go. My vision was somewhat hazed when I watched Epona disappear. I closed my eyes. It had not been more than some minutes, before I felt a pair of strong arms carefully wrap themselves around me and lift me.

When dusk arrived that day, the battle had ceased. Both parts needed to rest, and take care of the wounded. The Hylian army had retired to the valley, where a temporary camp had been set up, on each side of the river.

Sheik was helping Impa to take care of some of the wounded. There were five makeshift stretchers in their tent, all of them made of wood and pieces of cloth tied together. Sheik wiped the sweat off his forehead and went to check on Link again. The young man was still unmoving, his face looking deadly pale in the flickering light from the small campfire. His tunic was gone, and instead a large, white bandage was wrapped tightly around his torso.

The Sheikah youth sat down slowly by the stretcher, taking Link's hand. It felt warm, and Link was breathing steadily. He seemed to just be asleep peacefully, but Sheik knew that was not the case. He knew Impa too well, he saw the fear in her eyes when she looked at Link and Sheik wondered why she wasn't telling him anything.

"Sheik? I need to speak with you for a moment." Impa seemed to be under stress, her face was covered in sweat and her eyes looked dark and glossy. She glanced at Link before she started to speak.

"We need something", she said slowly, as if making sure that Sheik was understanding her. "A fairy. And not just any fairy – a healing one."

Sheik guessed that Impa would ask him to get one, but it was in the middle of the night, he had no idea where to look for a fairy and he didn't want to leave Link… But he told Impa nothing of that. "I see", he simply said.

"I cannot leave the camp now, Sheik, and you're the only one I can entrust with such a mission. I suggest you to look for a fairy fountain in the Lost Woods—"

"The Lost Woods? I'm not sure if I can… it's a long way."

"There are instruments made for such purposes, Sheik", Impa said with a tiny smile. Sheik thought about the golden harp Impa had given him, but she handed him an instrument much smaller than a harp; t was blue, and had the Triforce mark engraved in the surface.

"The Ocarina of Time", Sheik breathed. "I almost forgot about it… I haven't seen it since I was a child."

"It has been hidden", Impa explained. "It has been kept away from the Queen. Take it with you tonight, Sheik. Leave now, and don't be gone too long. And take this", she added, handing him a glass bottle. "Catch the fairy in it – and be careful."

The night was cold, and the sky was dark and covered with clouds. Not a single star could be seen. The other tents in the camp were barely discernible, but the roaring waterfall told Sheik in which direction the river was. He was glad he still knew the magical songs Impa had taught him by heart. He began playing the Menuet of Forest, but was interrupted by a voice in his ear.

"I'm going with you!"

Sheik smiled. "Thank you, Tatl, I'd rather not be alone tonight."

The little fairy settled herself down on his shoulder, and so he played the song again, and soon the camp, the sound of the waterfall and the dark night were all gone.

Neither Sheik nor Tatl had been in the forest in years, but the clearing where the ancient Temple was situated still seemed very familiar. The door to the Forest Temple looked like a single, black eye, peering out over the Sacred Forest Meadow.

"Do you know where to find the fairy fountain?" Sheik asked Tatl.

Her tiny wings fluttered up and down in excitement, and she began glowing a bright green. "Yes, I know, come on!"

Sheik smiled and followed the fairy. He felt grateful that she was shining so brightly – her glow made it easy for him to see where he was going. The sky was still dark, and no stars could be seen. The forest was so quiet, not a sound was heard, and Sheik was glad he was accompanied by Tatl.

"It's right here", Tatl said, when they were eventually standing in front of a hole in the ground, so deep Sheik couldn't see its bottom. "Down there!"

"Are you really sure we should go down there?" asked Sheik nervously. "I don't think—"

"I am sure, Sheik", said Tatl impatiently. Then she flew down, her glow clearly visible for a moment, and then she disappeared, leaving Sheik standing in total darkness. He had no choice, he had to follow her. He took a hesitant step forward, and felt no firm ground under his feet. He fell in darkness for a moment, but soon found himself laying on some kind of platform. The cave was surprisingly light, but Sheik soon saw from where the white, glaring light was coming. Uncountable fairies were suspended in mid-air above what looked like a small, shallow pond. It was such a beautiful sight, and Sheik just stood there for a moment, watching the fairy fountain with his mouth hanging open. Then Tatl reminded him of what he had to do.

"You have to catch one of them", she said. "You must do it fast; they're quick!"

Sheik nodded, uncorking the bottle Impa had given him. He took a step forward and tried to catch one of the healing fairies, but missed terribly. Three attempts later, he finally managed to catch one and quickly corked the bottle up before the fairy could fly away. It tried desperately to get out, its tiny body bouncing against the glass of the bottle, the wings fluttering wildly.

"Now I feel bad", Sheik sighed, watching the healing fairy closely.

"It's worth it if this one can save Link's life, isn't it?" Tatl said.

"Yes, you're right. Come on, let's go."

The camp was dark and quiet by the time Sheik and Tatl got back, and almost everybody seemed to be asleep. But in the tent furthest from the river, the campfire was still lit and the tentflaps were untied.

Tatl flew ahead to tell Impa that they were back. Sheik rushed his steps, since he didn't want to be left behind. When he was almost there, however, something made him stop and stare at something in the direction of the fortress. It was obscure, but darker than the night itself, and it was moving. Sheik stood still for about a minute before he eventually realized what was going on. That made him speed up a little, running as fast as he could to the tent.

"Impa?" The Sheikah woman, sitting by the campfire, shot him a glare, telling him to shut up, or he might disturb the wounded, but Sheik couldn't have cared less about it right then.

"Impa", he said again, "we are—"

"Lower your voice, Sheik!" Impa hissed. "What is it?"

"—under attack."

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There's chapter 21! I hope you liked it, if you did, I'll write the next chapter as well. School's almost out, and I'll have a lot of time to write! Please review!

-HH