Disclaimer:
The Legend of Zelda is property of Nintendo.
Author's Notes:
Sorry this chapter took so long. I went back and edited all my previous chapters and changed some stuff and fixed the mistakes. That process took a while, so I couldn't start on the chapter right away.
I decided to once again thank my reviewers, Ani1, Ruby-sama 4.5, Ri2, Sareth, and cab (a new reviewer). Thanks for taking the time to write a good review. I'd also like to respond to Sareth's review because it addresses some good points.
In my story, I'm going with the approach that after Link defeated Ganon everything went back to the way it was before Link began his quest. The Triforce pieces returned to Zelda, Link, and Ganondorf, and the only thing that remained in effect from the alternate future was Ganondorf still being sealed in the sacred realm. Link, Zelda, the sages, and those connected deeply with Link, such as Malon, still remember the alternate timeline. Most people don't, however, and that is why Link is not really known as the Hero of Time by many. It's never really completely clear how Miyamoto (sorry if I didn't spell that right) wanted it to be, and if I remember right Zelda never said Link would lose his memories, so I'm going with that approach. As for the magic thing, Link will be able to use some magic as the story progresses, but it will come from his Triforce piece and will be a different type of magic. I hope this answers some of your questions and clears stuff up for everybody.
Well that's it for the author's notes, so everybody please review!
The Legend of Zelda: The War of Power
Chapter 7: Betrayal
King Halberd of Solatia walked proudly through the dimly lit hall, his trusted advisor Gahmig at his heel. The king reached two large oak doors and swung them open violently. He stepped out into the outer hallway with a broad smile on his face. The king traversed the walkway and emerged onto a majestic balcony, the sunlight streaming onto his face. King Halberd walked to the front of the balcony and put his hands on the railing, looking down at the nation of Solatia. He looked over his many loyal subjects gathered at the foot of the castle, eagerly watching their king and waiting for him to speak. The king held his hands up, gathering every last person's attention, before speaking.
"People of Solatia!" King Halberd boomed in his deepest and loudest voice, "These last few weeks I have shown you the poverty that has stricken our land! You have seen with your own eyes the disease and famine that is threatening to overtake our great nation! Your children are dying! You and your loved ones are suffering! You have been shown how we have been so greatly wronged! You have been shown the cause of all this! The nation of Hyrule has been using us! They befriended us only so that they could steal all that they can and watch our nation crumble into dust! But I am here to say this: That will not happen!" A cheer erupted from the crowd; the king's carefully planned words sparking something within the peoples' hearts.
"Up until now, there has been nothing you could do about it!" the king continued, pleased at receiving such a response, "But I will now provide you with a way to save your families and your great nation! To protect this land, we will launch an assault on Hyrule! We will take the traitorous nation by surprise! Every able man will join the ranks of our knights, and will be honored to defend our nation! We will take Hyrule by storm, we will sweep over them like a raging hurricane of force, and they will realize too late that they should never have betrayed us! And above all, remember this: Solatia will not fall!" The entire realm of Solatia cheered violently, the people greatly desiring to attack the nation they thought had tried to destroy them. Halberd ignited the light of patriotism in every man's heart, and the people were more than willing to join the Solatian army.
King Halberd surveyed his people with pride. Although Gahmig had told him the plan would work, he had not suspected such a reaction. This plan had done more than recruit strong men for the Solatian forces; it had strengthened Halberd's position as king tremendously. The king turned to look at his High Advisor. Gahmig wore a smile on his weathered face nearly as broad as the king's. The advisor nodded, and Halberd turned back to the crowd.
The king had been unsure of Gahmig's plan at first, for it consisted of many lies and deceit. The advisor had come up with so much false proof, though, that King Halberd was almost persuaded to believe the lies himself. Halberd had shown the people this false evidence of Hyrule's crimes, and to his surprise the entire nation believed him. The people had developed an incredible rage against the Hylians, and greatly desired to see the nation burned into ashes.
Despite the fact that the entire people of Solatia backed the king, Halberd was still unsure if he would emerge from this war victorious. The Hylian army was extremely powerful and well trained, and Solatia was a relatively small nation. Gahmig had realized this also, though, and said that he would be leaving for a few weeks to journey to nearby lands. He would attempt to persuade other poverty stricken nations to come to the aid of Solatia, and he seemed to firmly believe that many people would support King Halberd.
Halberd smiled. Gahmig was leaving in a day, and every piece of the plan was falling into place. The King of Solatia took one last look at his people before leaving the balcony, the noise of many cheering citizens accompanying him.
***
Amir looked at the people of Solatia fearfully. The twenty-six winters old, brown-haired man knew that the people had been fed lies, for Hyrule was in no way responsible for Solatia's troubles. The nation would not be poverty stricken if the king did not put an immense amount of money into luxuries for himself. The construction of King Halberd's Castle had required so much monetary funding that many people were deprived of food for over a year. The people either did not know this or had forgotten it.
Amir knew of the king's frequent spending, however, because he was from Calatia, and the man could not comprehend that the Solatians so readily believed lies. Although Calatians and Solatians were both of the race of men and were very similar, Amir had a difficult time believing that his people would let themselves be manipulated so.
Amir had ended up stuck on Solatia accidentally when he boarded the wrong ship. Since Calatia and Hyrule were both located on the same continent, the man was attempting to get to Hyrule by traveling along the coast of the continent, wanting to experience the famous Harvest Week Festival, but had instead ended up stranded on Solatia. Amir had used most of his money to find a temporary abode at an inn, and was currently looking for a job so he could save up enough money for the journey back to Calatia.
The man's plight was even more desperate now, he realized. Both Calatia and Hyrule needed to be informed of King Halberd's plans before Solatia had a chance for a surprise attack. Amir was sure that Calatia would back Hyrule in its struggle, for the two nations had always been very closely allied. Although Calatia was far south of the land of the Hylians, elves and men traveled freely from one land to the other, and the nations were like brothers.
Amir also realized that King Halberd would attempt to rally other nations to his cause. Using the same techniques used on the people of Solatia, Halberd could convince other countries that Hyrule was the cause of their many troubles. The Calatian briefly thought about trying to end this himself by exposing the king, but he realized he could not do it alone. He needed to get out of here, and quickly.
Amir walked back to the inn he had been staying at. He hoped he had not looked too suspicious, him being the first to leave the gathering. The man used his key on the back door of the inn and ascended a flight of stairs. He unlocked his room and gathered what little belongings he had brought with him. Amir filled his pack with a small amount of leftover bread and draped a hooded cloak over his shoulders. He tightened his belt around his waist and inserted a dagger into the sheath at his side.
Amir was a very large man, only a few inches under seven feet tall, and he was incredibly strong. Because of this, his weapon of choice was an immense sword that he carried with him always. Amir's broadsword was about five and a half feet in length, and the blade was almost a foot thick. The sword was overall rather plain, but he liked it that way, and he picked up the blade fondly. Many of his friends in Calatia were amazed at the weight of the thick sword, and further amazed that Amir could manage to use it in battle. Amir looked for a second longer at the sword before putting his sheath on his back and shoving the broadsword into it. He slung his pack over his shoulder and exited the inn, throwing his keys on the front desk as he did so.
"Now to find a ship," he thought as he headed down the road in the direction of the docks.
***
It had been a month since the strange sorcerer had appeared at the castle and engaged in battle with Link, Kard, and Impa. During the last four weeks, General Kard, Impa, and King Harkinian had been furiously attempting to find the location of the sorcerer. Impa had immediately conducted a census of every person currently living in the land of Hyrule, and she could find no trace of the strange man or of anybody that knew of him. The census had spanned over three weeks and every living being in Hyrule had been accounted for. The Sheikah grew incredibly frustrated when her efforts turned out to be in vain.
Kard had joined a group of his best spies, and they had scoured every inch of the land, looking for any lead that might direct them to the strange man. Although a number of anarchist and terrorist groups had been disbanded by the general and his men, still nothing was found concerning the sorcerer. After a four week search, Kard had finally returned to Hyrule Castle, though his spies still roamed the land.
The king had commanded a number of Kard's spies to travel to other nations in the hopes of uncovering a plot against the Hylian monarchy. A small team was sent to every known nation, but only a few had reported so far. The spies stationed in the nearest countries had reported and stated that they had discovered nothing. The spies from Calatia had reported near the end of the third week and had said that Calatia was just as loyal as ever. The team heading to Solatia had not reported yet, however, and King Harkinian assumed that they had not yet arrived at their destination.
The spies all reported via a special gossip stone piece that had been given to the leader of each team. The king held the center piece, and through it the spies and King Harkinian could communicate with each other for short periods of time. The stone glowed green when being used, and a vague picture of the person talking through it was shown on the rock face. This way, the spies needed not to waste time sending messengers to the king and could report any news discovered directly to the king. In King Harkinian's opinion, it was quite a proficient system.
The King of Hyrule also was burdened with the task of calming the Hylian people. The people of Castle Town had become increasingly nervous after the near death experiences of Princess Zelda. Many, the Hylian nobles especially, now held the belief that King Harkinian himself would be the next target. Because of this, the nobles were moving for the princess to get married as soon as possible, in the hopes that an able prince would be able to rule the country if the present king was killed. King Harkinian was daily bombarded with suggestions from the nobles regarding suitors for Princess Zelda. The king knew that his daughter was perfectly capable of ruling alone without the aid of a man, but the nobility still held beliefs that men were more capable rulers than women. A strongly suggested suitor was Prince Tawahn of Calatia, as a marriage between Hyrule and Calatia would further strengthen the ties between the two nations. Although the king felt that a marriage with a strong young man would protect the princess and relieve the king of some stress, he still somewhat believed that Zelda was a bit young to be married off, the princess being only sixteen winters old.
Between fighting off the nobility and attempting to find the powerful sorcerer, King Harkinian was overwhelmed by the demands placed on him. The king found little time to spend with his daughter, and only took a small amount of comfort in knowing that her friend, Link, was with her.
***
"This is boring," Link said decisively as he and Zelda sat on the grass in the inner courtyard.
"You say that every day," Zelda replied, sighing. In truth, the princess was also bored. She had not been allowed out of the castle for the first three weeks after the assassination attempts, and only a week ago she had finally been permitted to walk in the inner gardens. After Link had been appointed as Zelda's bodyguard, he had been forced to suffer through the long days with her.
"How can you stand this all the time?" Link asked, groaning.
"Well," Zelda replied, "sometimes there's stuff to do, and a lot of times I'm forced to study and things like that?"
"Study?" Link asked confused, "How is there that much stuff to study to keep you busy?"
"I have to learn a lot about politics and about being a princess and stuff," Zelda answered, "It's really boring."
"Isn't there some way we can get out of here and find something to do?" Link continued his barrage of questions, "Anything?"
Zelda shook her head. "You make it sound like you don't like spending time with me," Zelda said, acting hurt.
"Well, in all honesty," Link started, "I-"
"Shut up," Zelda said before Link could finish.
"That doesn't sound like the flowery language of a princess, Princess," the boy said, smiling.
"You know I hate it when you call me that," Zelda said.
"I beg your pardon, Your Majesty," Link said with mock humbleness.
"Shut up," Zelda said again, causing Link to laugh. The princess just glared at him.
"Sorry," Link said, "I needed to do something entertaining."
"And making fun of me is entertaining?" Zelda asked. Link opened his mouth to respond, but Zelda stopped him. "Don't," the princess said. The two sat quietly for a while until Zelda broke the silence.
"Link," the girl started, serious this time, "Do you think my dad would really marry me off?"
"I don't know," Link answered after a minute of silence, "It probably seems like a good idea to a lot of people. They seem to think a prince would be able to protect you."
"But I don't need protection," Zelda said, "I have you here. You can protect me better than anyone."
"I don't think that argument will get far," Link said almost bitterly.
"I'm worried, Link," the princess said sadly, "I'm worried about Hyrule, and I'm worried about my father, and I'm worried about everything." Link and Zelda sat silently for a while, staring at the blue sky dotted with clouds.
"I wish I could say that everything would turn out okay," Link finally said, "But I can't believe it myself just yet. All I can say is this: I will protect you, Zelda, with my life and everything I am."
Zelda was surprised at the seriousness in the boy's words, and was amazed when Link put an arm around her shoulder. The princess and the hero sat for a while in that way, each hoping that the future would be as bright as the sunlight reflecting off of the garden river.
"You're a lot better at comforting people then you give yourself credit for," Zelda said, smiling up at Link.
***
"People of Solatia!" King Halberd boomed from atop the castle balcony, "We have found spies in our midst! These Hylians have been sent to our land in order to uncover our plans for Hyrule's demise! These five will be executed on the spot and we will show our hatred of Hyrule through this act!" The king gestured to a wooden platform as five Hylians, their heads covered in black, cloth bags, were shoved up the steps of the platform. The spies had been found immediately after they had arrived on the island. Because the Hylians did not expect to be betrayed by Solatia, the spies had taken no precautions to hide their long ears, thus standing out among the Solatians. The king had the five elves arrested and thrown into the dungeons. Over the past week, they had been tortured and beaten, and had been near death numerous times. Throughout it all, the spies would not reveal a single secret that could aid the Solatians in the coming war. The elves remained loyal to their king, and this made Halberd furious. As a result, the King of Solatia had decided to have them publicly executed in front of his castle.
The spies were forced to kneel down as their heads were placed in the guillotine. Five Solatians, garbed in black with dark hoods, each held a rope connecting to a massive blade. When the king gave the order, the ropes would be released as one and the blades would drop and severe the head of each Hylian.
"This is your last chance!" King Halberd yelled at the prisoners, "You have one more opportunity to reveal any useful information to us before your heads are separated from your body! What is your choice?"
"You will not have the pleasure of seeing us break down before you!" a prisoner, whom Halberd assumed to be the leader, yelled.
"So you will not speak of Hyrule's secrets?" the king asked, one last time.
"Never!" the leader yelled coldly.
"Then you shall die!" King Halberd yelled as he raised his hand and gave the order for the blade to be dropped.
"Long live Hyrule!" the Hylians shouted as one as the ropes were released and the blades descended upon the loyal spies.
***
Amir had heard of the execution of the spies, but he sadly knew there was nothing he could do to prevent it. He knew that one man, however good he might be, had a minute chance of taking on the entire Solatian people and freeing the prisoners. Amir might have taken this chance and attempted to free the Hylians, however, but he knew that the fate of Hyrule was dependent on him reaching either Calatia or Hyrule in time.
So the man had reluctantly used the public execution as a chance to sneak onto a ship heading for the coast of Ahras, the continent upon which both Hyrule and Calatia were located. He had overheard that the ship was being used to transport a team of Solatian spies to Hyrule. He hoped he would have the chance to stop the men before they could cause any damage, but realized he also needed to survive in the process.
Amir shifted around in the crate he had chosen to hide in, attempting to get comfortable. The Calatian greatly hoped he would arrive in time.
***
Gahoch stood at the front of the ship, smiling, as he watched the water flow past the large vessel. They were making good time, and they should arrive in Hyrule in about an hour, he thought. They had been sailing for four days already, and Gahoch was growing anxious. He had been appointed by his master, Gahmig, to accompany the king's team of spies on this voyage to Hyrule. Gahoch was to lead the spies and attempt to cause as much trouble as possible from within Hyrule. To strengthen Solatia's chances, the apprentice was going to create distrust within the castle itself. Gahmig had also told him that if he found the chance he was to destroy the boy that had foiled the previous assassination attempts. The young sorcerer had been shown an image of the boy in his master's crystal, so he knew who he was looking for.
The man gazed at the Ahras coastline through the fog. Satisfied that they would arrive at Hyrule within the hour, Gahoch walked below deck. As the sorcerer was walking past a pile of crates in the small storage room, he briefly sensed something. He gripped his black iron staff and pointed it at one of the many boxes. Gahoch channeled his power into the crystal at the end of his staff and launched a magic sphere towards the crate. The ball impacted the crate and the wood splintered, leaving a crouching man in its place.
"Well," Gahoch said, smiling, "It looks like I've found myself an extra passenger. No doubt heading for Hyrule to warn them. I'm sorry, but I can't let you do that. It would just ruin my master's plans, after all." The man, Amir, merely stared at the sorcerer and pulled his sword out of its sheath. Gahoch launched another bolt of magic at the Calatian, but he swung his sword powerfully and deflected the ball. Amir then charged the sorcerer and attempted to strike him down. Gahoch blocked with his staff, but the force of the attack knocked the staff from his hands. The Calatian raised his sword to finish the sorcerer, but Gahoch thrust his hands forward and black lighting exploded from his fingertips. Amir attempted to dodge the attack, but the magic bolts followed him around the small room. The attack impacted the man and he was thrown out of the open door and onto the deck. Gahoch emerged out of the storage room as the Calatian was picking himself up off the deck. The sorcerer once again attacked with his lighting, and Amir was pushed to the edge of the ship. Ignoring the pain, he attempted to run straight through the lightning and attack. Gahoch saw that the lightning was not stopping the man and increased the power of his attack. However, Amir kept pushing through towards the terrified sorcerer. As the Calatian raised his blade to kill the apprentice, he was suddenly hit in the chest by a flying kick from one of the spies. Amir lost his footing and the lightning sent him careening off of the ship and into the ocean waves. Gahoch ran to the edge of the ship and laughed as the Calatian disappeared under the murky waters.
Although the man had been defeated, Gahoch walked back to his cabin worried. He wondered what kind of a man could withstand his magic so easily. The sorcerer decided that he would need to become more powerful soon if he was to survive this war. He would ask his master to increase his training when he returned to Solatia.
***
Amir exploded from underneath the salty water and breathed in the fresh air rapidly. He had waited until the ship had gone far enough ahead of him so that he would not be seen before emerging from the water. The Calatian hoped he was close enough to the coast to be able to swim there. He couldn't see the coastline through the fog, but he knew they had been traveling for a long time and that Ahras couldn't be much further. After checking the position of the sun and calculating which direction was north, Amir began to swim steadily towards Hyrule.