Disclaimer:
The Legend of Zelda is property of Nintendo.
Author's Notes:
This story's up to four review now! That's awesome, and I have Ruby-sama 4.5 and Ani1 to thank for that. Thanks to their support, and to make up for the last chapter taking like 5 days or something, I got this extra long (over 5000 words) chapter done in just two days! This chapter's also got a lot of action (just look at the title) to satisfy those who probably thought the story was kind of slow moving. The plot kind of starts to expand in this chapter, and I hope everyone likes it.
Oh, and I now ACCEPT ANONYMOUS REVIEWS! I had my settings so that you couldn't review unless you're a member of this site, but I changed it when I realized it was stupid. So, EVERYONE PLEASE REVIEW!
New Note(10/29/03): I just finished editing this chapter and now I've updated it. I decided that I better go through and edit all my chapters after I found a lot of mistakes in the first chapter. From now on, I'll edit before I upload a new chapter, and my apologies to those of you who had to suffer through the many mistakes in the first few chapters.
The Legend of Zelda: The War of Power
Chapter 3: The Assassin
Zelda was overjoyed that she was finally getting to spend the day with Link. Malon was also a very good friend of Zelda's, so her presence did not bother the princess at all.
After Zelda and Impa had saved Link and Malon from the angry crowd, Link had wanted to know when the princess had become so quick on her feet. Zelda had told him that she had always been fast and agile, and that Impa had trained her so that she could hone these skills. The princess spoke nothing of her fighting skills, wanting to keep them a secret for the time being, though she knew not why.
Throughout the rest of the afternoon, the group had wandered around the festival, choosing different games to try their luck at, and stopping to examine some of the more unique items on sale. Malon decided to spend her well earned rupees and bought a new bow to replace her old, decrepit one. Even Link had to admit the bow was nice, made out of soft, flexible wood, weighted to perfectly suit the farm girl. Link had looked at some of the various weapons, and he had managed to find an interesting looking shield. The shield was round, unlike a Hylian shield, and was studded with many diamonds and gems. The rim of the shield was plated with gold, and its design caused the defensive weapon to be very expensive. Link wasn't planning to buy it anyway; he didn't use a shield in battle nearly as much as he used to, and chose not to even carry one around anymore. He could always don it again if the need arose, but for everyday travel the bulky shield tended to get in the way of things. As a result, Link now carried just his sword with him everywhere he went. He still had his bow and other weapons he had retained from his travels, but he decided that he would just carry a sword for protection, though he hadn't used the sword in a real battle for quite a long time. When Link had returned from the land of Termina, an alternate dimension, about four years ago, he had stopped using his gilded sword. He thought the gold covered sword to be too heavy, and instead had opted to have a new one made. The weapon that Link carried now was merely an average longsword, for he needed nothing special after Ganon had been defeated. The sword hung in a sheath at his waist, and was the sole form of defense the boy had with him at all times.
After Malon had bought the bow and Link had finished gazing at weapons, the group had moved away from the merchants section to find another game to try. They had won many different prizes from various games, since one of them usually had the skills required to excel at various challenges.
Now they moved towards the knife-tossing game, which was set up much like the archery game. Knives were thrown at extremely fast moving targets from about a fifty foot distance. Malon decided she wouldn't even be good enough to warrant a try, but pushed Link forward and told him to go first. Link had taken the knives, a little nervous about how well he would do, although he still told the man running the game that he wanted to try on the hardest difficulty. The target operator pulled a lever, and Link heard a loud click, signifying the start of the game. The targets became blurs as they moved, and Link threw his knives rapidly, trying to hit something. As the targets slowed and the score was revealed, Link was appalled when he saw only a single knife barely in the edge of a wooden target. The boy didn't receive anything for his efforts, and Zelda stepped up next to the platform.
Link turned to see how the princess would do, and was surprised when she asked for the hardest difficulty level; the same one Link had it on.
"Zelda," Link started cautiously, "didn't you see how fast those things were moving? What are you doing?"
"Just watch, boy," Impa said, letting a small smile slip, "and maybe you'll learn a few things."
Link turned his eyes towards Zelda as she grabbed the six knives, three in each hand. The princess closed her eyes and waited for the click that would start the game. The sound came, and the targets whirred into action. Zelda continued standing with her eyes closed, arms crossed in front of her chest, for a brief second. The princess then flicked her arms forward with inhumane speed, opening her eyes at the same time, and the knives flew viciously at the six targets. The sound of metal hitting wood was heard, and as the targets slowed to show the score, Link and Malon gasped. Zelda had imbedded every knife into the absolute center of each target, each weapon buried in the wood down to the hilt. Link stood and gawked at the spectacle as the princess gracefully stepped off of the platform and walked over to him, a smile on her face, though not visible through the bandages.
"Are you okay, Link," Zelda asked the boy as she neared him.
Link quickly regained his composure when he realized he was staring at the princess. "Uh…" Link stammered, "yeah, I'm all right, but how did you that."
"I'll tell you some other time," Zelda said as she walked away, "let's go find some more stuff to do."
Link quickly followed after the princess. "Zelda, could you please not ever throw anything at me?" the boy said, "I feel it would be in my best interest."
Zelda laughed as she shoved Link off to the side.
***
Siluk continued to watch the group of four as they made their way through the festival.
"She is quite skilled," the man thought, "She must have been trained by that Sheikah. If the apprentice has such skills, the master's will be far greater. I fear I cannot attempt this while the woman is protecting the princess, and the lady never leaves her side. Perhaps at the dinner tonight would be the best opportunity to strike, when everyone has let their guard down."
The strange man continued to watch the group move through the crowds, looking for any opportunity to strike.
***
Zelda gasped as the dinner bell was heard.
"I need to get back to my father!" she yelled as the crowd headed towards the eating area, "I cannot miss dinner, or he'll be furious."
"I'm sorry, princess," Impa the Sheikah said, "I forgot to keep track of the time. We better hurry." Zelda turned to go but then turned back to Link and Malon.
"You guys have to come with me," Zelda said to the two, "I don't have time to explain why, so please come."
"Well," Malon started, "I guess we could. Dad and Ingo will probably be too busy cleaning up their stall to sit down and eat much."
"Hold it," Link said, "I thought your father would never let me eat at the royal table."
"He won't," the princess responded, "And he'll probably be furious because I'm supposed to be paying attention to some snobby prince, but I'll deal with that later. Let's go!" The princess grabbed Link by the hand and took off running, Malon and Impa right beside her. As soon as they were close to the dinner area, Zelda once again magically changed into her normal attire, startling Link and causing him to stumble.
"I need to learn how to do that," the boy said while running, "It would sure save a lot of time in the morning." Zelda merely laughed and continued running.
The group arrived at the table in a few minutes and saw the Royal Family of Hyrule, the royals of Salatia, the leaders of the Gorons, Gerudos, and Zoras, and every other person of major importance in Hyrule seated around the rectangular table.
The King of Hyrule glared at his daughter as she took an empty seat near the head of the table and politely asked Nabooru of the Gerudos and Darunia the Goron to move down one seat on either side of her. She then ushered a nervous Link and Malon over to sit next to her, one on each side, with Link next to Darunia and Malon adjacent to Nabooru. Darunia gave Link a friendly glance and patted him on the back, but made his actions quick, since it was clear that the king was annoyed. The king was still glaring at Zelda as she sweetly smiled back and Impa took the seat across from the princess.
"Your highness," Impa said to the king, "It is time to start the meal."
The king shot Impa an angry look before rising from his seat. His eyes surveyed the people of Hyrule, seated at many tables before him. Many races were present; Hylian, Zora, Goron, and even Gerudo.
"People of Hyrule!" the king boomed in a thunderous voice, "Let us eat!" With that, plates were brought out by a multitude of waiters as each table was provided with delicious food. The royal chefs had gone to a lot of trouble, this year especially, to make the greatest and grandest meals they had ever concocted. Of course, the table of the royals was treated with the best food, but that was not weighing on the average person's mind as they raced to grab as many of the tantalizing dishes as they could.
Link nearly began to drool as the sweet smell of the food found its way to his nostrils. Link watched as magnificent dishes were set on the table. All variety of meats were present; pig, beef, even cucco, and they were all cooked with care and in the best way possible so as to bring out the most flavors from the meat.
As Link looked over the food, the thought of manners registered in his mind and he patiently waited for food to be passed to him, although it took much effort. The boy fit as much as possible on his dish but still found that he needed more room for the delicious food.
"We need bigger plates," Link whispered to Zelda, who barely stopped herself from laughing. The king shot an angry glance in their direction.
"That's the way to think!" Darunia boomed, overhearing Link, "The more you eat, the bigger you get." Darunia was happily eating rare stones that the king had managed to collect, since the Gorons diet consisted only of rocks.
"After all this time, that's still weird," Link muttered as he looked at the strangely colored rocks in front of the Goron on the table.
Malon had been talking with Nabooru throughout the meal, the two hitting it off quite well, Nabooru being only five or so winters older than Malon. The farm girl had always been interested in Gerudo life, since it was so unique, and Nabooru had been happy to give her insight into the world of the desert dwellers.
Despite the different races present at the table, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and getting along fine, except the king. Every time he got the chance, King Harkinian would look over at his daughter and Link and become angrier than he presently was.
"She had no right to disobey me and let that boy sit with her," the King of Hyrule thought angrily, "How dare she! She should be sitting with Prince Halberd, no matter how unfriendly he is!"
Link noticed Zelda's father staring once again. "You're going to be in a lot of trouble when this is over," the boy whispered to Zelda, "are you sure it's worth it just to have me sit here? I'm going to feel guilty if you get in trouble."
"Of course it's worth it. It's either that or sit next to Halberd," the princess whispered, acknowledging the prince with a wave of her hand, "And don't feel bad, I knew it was coming."
Halberd had been seated across from Zelda. Impa had taken the seat was going to be for Zelda, and he had been furious that the princess had ignored him and now sat with some blonde peasant boy.
Halberd's parents were seated on one side of the king, and were discussing the situation, in hushed tones on the King of Hyrule's part. The two rulers of Salatia were furious that the princess was not seated next to their son, and made their thoughts known by talking loudly.
"I can't believe you're letting a peasant take the place of our son!" Halberd's father yelled, "It's a disgrace!"
Link heard the uproar and looked over at the upset ruler, trying to keep himself from laughing. The ruler of Salatia was a small, scrawny man, compared to the bulky King of Hyrule, and here he was yelling at the larger man. Malon saw Link and shot him a look that said 'behave yourself, it's bad enough already', and Link immediately looked away.
"Zelda!" the king shouted, tired of arguing with the rulers of Salatia, "I demand that you take your seat next to Prince Halberd right now! This has gone far enough!"
"Father!" Zelda shouted back, "I'm seated next to Link, and I will stay here for the remainder of the meal!"
"Your Highness," Impa said calmly, "I was with Zelda today, and the prince did nothing but insult her. I think she should be able to sit with someone who respects her."
Link was ignoring the fighting taking place at the table, his elf eyes having seen a flicker of movement in a large tree located on the other side of the table.
"How dare you say such lies about our honorable son!" the King of Salatia bellowed, "I'll have you arrested!"
"You will do no such thing!" the King of Hyrule shot back, Impa being a family friend, "She is the protector of the princess and is only doing her duty. Though you should not say such things without absolute proof, Impa."
"Father!" Zelda cried, "The prince insulted and disrespected me all day!"
"Quiet child!" it was the Salatian Queen's turn to yell.
Link continued to stare at the tree, attempting to pick up any sort of abnormality.
"Everyone calm yourselves!" Darunia boomed in his incredibly loud voice, "Arguing should not be taking place among the Royals!"
"Darunia is right," Nabooru said calmly, "This is no way to set an example for your people."
"We need no input from you, thief!" the ruler of Salatia yelled.
Nabooru shot up from her seat at the table, followed shortly by Darunia and Princess Ruto of the Zoras. Link continued to focus on the tree.
The Gerudo leader was towering above the man seated across from her, looking as menacing as possible. "We take what we need from rich fools like you," she growled before walking away from the table.
"You see!" the Queen of Salatia yelled in a high-pitched whine, "She insults us, the royalty!"
"It has become clear to me that you are not fit to be named royalty!" Darunia boomed.
"You care only for yourselves," Princess Ruto said to the fuming rulers, "That is no way for leaders to behave. You ought to be ashamed." The Zora finished her small verbal barrage and sat down at the table once more.
Link continued to look at the tree, scanning for any sign of movement as the rulers continued arguing. Malon looked over and saw Link staring at the large tree.
"Link," Malon whispered, "Link are you okay?"
Malon screamed as Link saw the movement he was waiting for. The boy grabbed the bowl of potatoes in front of him faster than one would have thought possible and threw it, spinning, into the air in front of Princess Zelda. It was Zelda's turn to scream as the bowl shattered in midair, small sharp metal stars jutting out from all directions of the broken glass. Before the princess could think, Link had leapt at her from the side and pushed her down onto the ground as a multitude of the ninja type stars flew over her head. The princess gulped. Her brow had been there a few seconds before.
Before anyone could recover from the initial shock of the attack, Link had leapt onto the table and drew his sword. Turning to look, everyone saw a dark figure jump down from a large tree. Link wasted no time and leapt off of the table, hit the ground, and began chasing the man. The man paused frequently to turn around and throw a few stars Link's direction, but the boy expertly dodged them or hit them away with a swipe of his sword.
After recovering from shock, the king ordered his royal guards to capture the intruder. King Harkinian then rose from his seat and went to check on his daughter, already being comforted by Malon.
"Zelda," the king said softly, "are you okay, precious? You didn't get hurt did you?"
The princess could see the worry in her father's eyes and immediately threw away all contempt she currently held for him.
"Yes," Zelda replied, "I'm fine. Where's Link? Is he alright?"
"He went to chase the guy who attacked you," Malon answered, "But don't worry, he'll get him, we both know he can fight plenty well."
Impa had also moved over to the princess, not pursuing the attacker but rather staying behind incase another threat was nearby.
"I'm sorry, Princess," the Sheikah said, "I should have been protecting you. The fighting was distracting."
"No, it's not your fault," Zelda said, standing on her feet, "and I am okay."
***
"Man this guy is fast," Link thought as he batted away more of the metal stars with his longsword. The Hylian refused to give up, however, and his anger at this strange man attacking the princess drove him on.
The silent chase continued in the dark of night, Link being careful to not trip or stumble, knowing that every lost step was a precious second lost also. Link was aware of his surroundings, and he knew that they were still in the castle grounds. The assassin probably thought that he could lose Link in the trees or gardens of the palace, and that many guards were most likely blocking the entrance to the town. A huge wall encircled the entire town and castle, so the assassin could not run straight into Hyrule field, and Link could easily spot him in the open grasslands anyway.
"This isn't working," Link thought as he ran, "He's just as fast as me, and I'm not gaining any distance. It's probably been a good twenty minutes, and I can't keep this up forever. This is one of those times I wish I had my other weapons."
Link suddenly put on a tremendous burst of speed, surprising his enemy when the assassin turned to attempt to hit him with more stars. Link leapt at his opponent and attempted to tackle him, but the assassin barely sidestepped the attack and threw more stars at the boy. Link spun on his heel, dodging the stars, and continued the chase, losing valuable distance. He could see now that they were nearing the tremendous wall that encircled the town.
"What's this guy thinking," Link wondered, "Man, I hope he doesn't have a grappling hook or something."
As the assassin neared the wall, Link could see him pull a coil of rope out of his black cloak. The rope had a hook at one end, and the assassin began twirling it in an arc. As he reached the base of the wall, the assassin threw the hook up into the air and was relieved when it went over the wall and snagged onto a loose brick. The man quickly began to pull himself up the rope.
As Link drew closer to the wall, he could see the assassin would be out of reach by the time he got there. Thinking quickly, Link grabbed his sword and flung it at the assassin, barely having time to aim for the rope. The sword hit the thick rope and sliced it easily, sending the assassin plummeting to the ground. The assassin stood up slowly, only to be hit in the stomach by a flying kick from Link. The boy did not have his sword, but was determined to stop the madman.
The assassin quickly reached for more stars, but found none. He grabbed for his two large daggers hanging from his waste but was nailed in the jaw by Link's fist before he could react. The boy did not relent and continued with his barrage of punches; first one to the gut, then to the chest, and he followed up with a kick to the chin. The dazed assassin barely had time to draw his knives and dodge the next kick aimed at his head.
Confident now that he had his daggers and Link was defenseless, the assassin rushed the boy. Link was prepared, though, and he ducked under the initial swipe and sidestepped the second. Link then grabbed the assassin under the arm and squeezed tightly on a nerve, causing the assassin to drop one of his knives. The boy, now having control, flipped the assassin over his head with tremendous strength and slammed him into the cold, hard ground. The assassin turned around on the ground only to find his other dagger pointed at his throat.
"I think you lose," Link said, smiling, as the Royal Guards arrived and escorted the new prisoner back to the castle.
***
Zelda and Malon looked off into the distance just in time to see a tired looking Link stumble into view.
"Link!" Malon yelled, as she and Zelda ran over to the boy, "You're actually okay."
"Of course I am," Link said proudly, "I'm always okay."
"You know that's not true," Zelda said, thinking of his battles in the alternate future, "You didn't get hurt or anything did you?"
"No," Link replied, "That guy wasn't much, but he was really fast. I must have run for a good thirty minutes. Man, am I tired." The boy finished, yawning, and turned to see Zelda's father standing a few feet away.
"He's not mad, is he?" Link whispered to the princess.
"No," she replied, "he's not. He just doesn't really know what to think, you did just save my life."
After a moment, the King of Hyrule walked over to where Link was standing with Malon and Zelda.
"Boy," the king started, "What is your name?"
"My name is Link, your majesty," the boy answered back, trying to be as polite as possible.
"Link," the king said, trying out the name, "It is my honor to thank you for saving my daughter's life. To show my gratitude, you are to be knighted. Down on your knees, Link."
Link could find no words to describe the surprise he felt, and obeyed the king, sinking to his knees on the ground. The king drew his sword and held it on Link's left shoulder.
"I knight you, Sir Link, in the name of the Royal Family of Hyrule," the king said before switching the blade to hover over Link's right shoulder, "You will always protect the Princess of Hyrule and the power of the Triforce." The king finished, putting his sword away, as Link stood shakily from his bowing position.
"Um," the boy stammered, "Thank you."
"It is my pleasure, Link," the king said to the new knight, "I am sorry I have treated you so badly in the past. You are now an official knight of the princess, and you are free to come to the castle when you please." The king then walked away.
"Wow," was all Link could manage to say before Zelda grabbed him in a hug.
"Link," the princess said in his ear, "This is incredible; you can finally come to the castle whenever you want." The princess kept him in the embrace a little longer before pulling away and looking into his eyes.
"And thank you for saving my life," Zelda said sweetly, causing Link to blush a little.
***
"Your highness," General Kard said as the King and a number of his royal guards traveled a path leading to the dungeons in a small prison near the castle, "We have the prisoner locked up securely, should we interrogate him?"
"Yes, General Kard," the king replied, "You must find out who hired him for this job and anything else he knows that may aid us in eliminating the threat of these terrorists."
"Yes, your highness," the general answered, "I will begin the interrogation when we reach the dungeons."
The group arrived at the prison a short while later and they were greeted by the dark and gloomy sight of the dungeons. This particular prison was small and temporary, used only until the prisoners could be transported to a larger prison complex located in a branch of the Gerudo canyon. This small prison was badly maintained, and a strong odor was present in the air. The king and the guards walked to a cell located farthest from the front door, where two guards were standing watch over the prisoner.
"We are here to question the prisoner," General Kard told the guards, "Open the cell." The guards did so, and dragged out a badly bruised man in a black tunic.
"I assume you checked him thoroughly for weapons," Kard asked the guards, receiving two nervous nods in response. Kard was the head of security for the castle, and was feared by many of the lower guards, partly due to his tendency to lose his temper, and partly because he did not tolerate mistakes.
"Bring him to the interrogating chamber," Kard told the two prison guards before walking off in the direction of the chamber. Kard reached the room, and swung open the large door that stood in front of him. The interrogation chamber was merely a small brick room with a round oak table in the center of it. The room was lit by only one candle which stood in the corner of the room. There was also a small slit in the wall so that the king and other observers could look in on the interrogation, but the slit was positioned in the shadows of the room so as to be almost invisible to the naked eye. Kard sat down at the table, and waited for the prisoner to be dragged in, while the king and royal guards went into the adjacent room to observe the interrogation. The general was slightly annoyed when the prisoner's eyes flicked straight to the slit in the wall as he was brought in; displaying the fact that he could indeed see the small slit.
"Why did you attempt to assassinate the Princess of Hyrule?" Kard said in a menacing voice, after the door to the room had been closed off. The prisoner gave no answer.
"Who told you to kill the princess?" the general continued, "How much money were you paid? Who hired you? What organization are you working for? Terrorists? Separatists? How did you get into the festival and past the guard? Answer me and your punishment will be more endurable." The would-be assassin remained quiet for a moment before deciding he had no loyalty to the man who had hired him.
"The man came to me shrouded in shadow," the prisoner said, "and said he would pay me a large sum of money if I was to kill the princess. He gave me the money when I agreed and threatened me with death if I should refuse to hold up my end of the bargain. Then he disappeared."
"He said nothing else?" Kard asked, "He didn't say what organization he was with or why he wanted the princess dead? Could you describe his physical appearance?"
"No," the prisoner answered, "there is nothing else, and I could not see him well in the darkness."
"That is not enough information!" Kard yelled, trying to intimidate the prisoner, "You will tell me everything you know about the man, from the way he dressed to the way he smelled! If you refuse you will suffer greatly!"
"You cannot scare me," the prisoner replied calmly, "there was nothing else."
Kard slammed his hands down on the table in frustration, and mentally went over the information he had been given. He looked up, however, when he heard a strange voice in the room.
"You have failed," the voice said, permeating throughout the chamber.
"It was that boy," the prisoner answered back, "he somehow spotted me in the tree."
"That is an excuse!" the voice roared, sending a chill through the spine of both men.
"Who are you!?" Kard shouted, already knowing that this was the man who had hired the assassin.
The prisoner shot Kard a look that told him to keep his mouth shut, and this made the general's blood boil.
"If you get me out of here, I will finish the job!" the prisoner shouted into the air.
"Not if you're dead first," Kard shouted, drawing his sword and walking towards the prisoner, who had risen from his chair. The general didn't get even one foot before he was thrown back against the brick wall by an unseen force. His head hit the brick, and produced an ear-splitting crack as the general attempted to stay conscious.
"I have been watching you ever since the first time we met," the voice said to the prisoner, "by means of the small bit of magic I transferred into your body. You have completely and utterly failed, and you were defeated by a child."
"That was no ordinary kid!" the assassin shouted back, "He deflected all my stars! How can you expect me to beat someone that fast!"
"Quiet!" the voice ordered, and the prisoners body writhed in pain, "The magic I have planted inside of you was also a precaution incase you failed me. You have done so, and your end has now come!" The air around the prisoner glowed with an eerie green light as the assassin fell to the floor in pain, his body surging with the strange magic. The light surrounded him, sending electrical jolts through his body, and releasing the odor of burning flesh into the air. The prisoner cried out in pain one last time before an immensely powerful flash blinded the onlookers. When Kard's vision cleared, he forced himself off of the ground and walked over to the assassin's body.
"He's dead," Kard told the king.