Disclaimer:

The Legend of Zelda is property of Nintendo.

Author's Notes:

The Legend of Zelda: The War of Power

Chapter 8: Attack on the Castle

"The time has come," Gahoch said to the twenty spies seated before him in the room of the inn, "The assassination of King Harkinian will take place tonight. Harkinian will stand before the people to talk to the people, and we will strike. There will be many guards, but my magic will take care of nearly all of them. Our main priority is the king, but the princess should be taken out if you get the chance. With a dead king, the nation of Hyrule will be leaderless and will easily fall to the wrath of Solatia. I know some of you had been told not to do anything too drastic on this mission, but I am changing the plans. Anyone who wants to argue with me step forward now." The Solatians all remained quiet.

"Good," the sorcerer said, smiling, "You have until sunset to prepare. Do whatever you need to do." The men left the room.

"This plan is foolproof," Gahoch thought, "After I used my magic to disguise us as Hylians, not a single person suspects that the enemy had infiltrated the town. And when the king is dead I will be honored by Solatia and will become a hero to the people. Even my master will have to respect me." The sorcerer laughed as he awaited the setting of the sun.

***

Amir opened his eyes slowly, adjusting to the dim light. "Where am I?" the Calatian thought, confused, "What happened? The last thing I remember I was caught in a wave and I went under the water. I should be dead." He briefly surveyed his surroundings and discovered he was in some kind of a house. The wooden walls were lit with a dull glow, and Amir could see a tapestry hanging on the wall and some jars and crates piled up in a corner. The man sat up slowly, realizing he was on a bed. He fell back down, however, when pain flowed through his body and his muscles burned.

"Don't try to move just yet," a sweet sounding voice said from across the room, "You barely survived your little incident; I really don't think you should push it." Amir painfully turned his head sideways to see a woman cooking something in a pot over the small fireplace.

"What happened," he asked slowly, his words slurring as his jaw moved painfully.

"I found you nearly dead on some rocks right off the coast," the stranger said, "I was alone, but I managed to drag you back here. You're really heavy, you know that?" Amir tried to laugh, but only succeeded in making a gurgling noise from the back of his throat.

"Anyways," the woman continued, "I got you back here, laid you down in the bed, and gave you a little bit of red potion my father had left over from something. I really wished I had more since you were in pretty bad shape, but I guess it worked. Just don't try to do anything yet; I don't want you reverting on me." The Calatian was amazed at the kindness this woman had shown him.

"Thank you," Amir managed to say.

"Oh, you're welcome," the woman said, obviously delighted that she had been thanked for her efforts, "But it would take someone pretty heartless to just leave you for dead." The woman walked over to the bedside, carrying a steaming bowl of something that Amir thought smelled delicious after not eating anything but bread for over a week. "This is my special herb soup," she said as she sat down in a chair next to the Calatian, "It should help get you feeling better and at least able to move around." Amir managed to lean himself up against the back of the bed so that he could eat. He attempted to reach for the bowl, but found he couldn't move his arms. The woman smiled a lifted a spoonful of the soup up to the man's mouth. Amir graciously sipped it down.

"It's very good," he said as he took another spoonful, "Again, thank you."

"It's my pleasure," the woman said, "Not many people like this soup, so it's nice to get a compliment every so often."

"Where am I?" Amir asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"You mean to tell me you don't even know where you are?" the woman asked as Amir shook his head, "You're in Hyrule. But just how did you end up out in the Great Sea?"

"It's a really long story," the Calatian said, "But I think I should introduce myself first. I am Amir son of Haldamir, of Calatia."

"Oh, I can't believe I forgot my manners," the woman said, blushing, "Please to meet you, Amir. I am Hawehn, of Hyrule."

"It's a pleasure, Miss Hawehn," Amir said, nodding. As he looked at the woman, he could tell she was around his same age, most likely about twenty-five summers old. She had fiery red hair that cascaded down her back to her waist, and a slim build, and she wore a simple one piece brown dress and small work boots. All in all, the Calatian thought she was rather beautiful.

"Something bothering you?" Hawehn asked, smiling.

"Um, no, sorry," Amir stammered, embarrassed. Silence followed for a brief time as the man finished the soup.

"You still hungry?" the woman asked, walking away, "There's some more."

"No, I'm fine," the Calatian answered, "Sorry to bother you further, but do you think you could give me some directions? I don't really know my way around, but I've got to get someplace very fast."

"I can tell you how to get to where you want to go," Hawehn responded, "But I think you should rest for a while longer. You were beat up pretty bad when I found you. You must have gotten scraped up on the rocks, because you had some nasty wounds on you." Amir looked down at himself to see his bare torso and arms, covered in red gashes. He now realized where all the pain had come from.

"I put some ointment on those cuts to help them heal," Hawehn continued, "But you're still probably pretty sore."

"Did I have any weapons with me?" Amir asked, realizing he had forgotten about his sword.

"Yes, you did," the woman answered, "A knife and a real big sword. I had to leave the sword where I found you because I couldn't pull the both of you, but I went back and got it yesterday."

"Yesterday?" Amir said, relieved and confused at the same time, "How long have I been out for?"

"Not very long, considering your injuries," Hawehn answered, "It's been about three days. You recovered really fast, you must be pretty strong."

"Um," Amir said, not knowing how to respond, "I guess." Hawehn laughed, and Amir realized he enjoyed her melodious voice as it floated around the room.

"Where are you trying to go so fast?" she asked.

"You really want to hear?" the Calatian asked as Hawehn nodded, "Alright, then, here it goes." Amir began his story, starting from his time in Solatia.

***

"Good people of Hyrule!" King Harkinian bellowed, eager to get this done quickly. He had decided to personally talk to the people of Hyrule and make a statement regarding the safety of the royal family. He had realized that it would be wise to stop the rumors circulating around Castle Town and to comfort the people at the same time.

"Many of you believe that Hyrule is no longer safe from enemies," the king continued, as the sun set in the sky, "However, this is not true! Although there have been numerous assassination attempts in the last month, you have nothing to fear! The guard force around the castle and the city has been tripled! There has not been a single outsider allowed in the city for the last many weeks! Nothing will happen to the royal family or to anyone else living in this town! And we will not rest until we have uncovered the plot against the monarchy, so do not fear, people of Hyrule! I will protect you!"

As the king finished saying this, exactly twenty royal guards surrounding the king removed hidden crossbows from their belts. Although King Harkinian was unaware of this, General Kard and Impa both noticed the strange action.

"Your Highness, watch out!" both screamed at the same time as the guards fired on the king in unison. Impa moved faster than one would have thought possible and smashed into the king in an attempt to push him out of the path of the projectiles. Despite her efforts, King Harkinian received an arrow in his right shoulder as well as his stomach and left thigh. Impa was also hit by an arrow in the back of her left shoulder and her left calf. The king and the Sheikah both fell to the ground in pain as the citizens of Castle Town exploded in panic. The people began running around wildly, trying to get out of the city square and to safety.

Kard had immediately charged the guards and struck one of them down as he was concentrating on shooting the king. As the first wave of arrows passed, the veil of magic was removed from the 'guards' and they once again looked like the Solatian spies they were. The men were garbed in black, but were distinguishable because their shorter ears were no longer hidden, and both Kard and Impa recognized them as Solatians because they tended to have a smaller build than the larger, similar Calatians. Kard cursed loudly as he charged another man.

"Attack!" the general shouted to the few guards who were Hylian, "Don't just stand there, you morons!" The guards came out the trance they had seemed to be in and began to attack the spies. Kard charged another spy who turned just in time to see the enraged general. The spy fired an arrow at Kard who managed to dodge it just enough to avoid a fatal shot. The projectile lodged itself in the general's shoulder but he continued his assault and killed the spy before the Solatian could reload.

Impa had picked up the king despite her injuries and had leapt behind a large pile of crates. The Sheikah used her unharmed arm to throw her knives with deadly precision at the assassins. The spies had managed to dodge most of the knives, but a few had been wounded or killed. Impa realized that with only her, Kard, and a few royal guards, they were fighting a losing battle. She decided what she would have to do as General Kard approached her.

"Get the king out of here," Kard said as he ducked behind the crates.

"My thoughts exactly," the Sheikah said, "but can you hold them off long enough?"

"I can if I have to," the general answered, "Just go!" Impa lifted the king over her shoulder and left the cover of the crates. As she was about to duck into the alleyway, she heard someone laughing loudly from behind her. Turning to look despite her better judgment telling her to run, the Sheikah saw a man clothed in black robes standing atop a rooftop. The man's head was covered by a hood and he held a black staff, giving Impa the impression that he was another sorcerer.

"I see my plan has worked," the man said, laughing once again, "I'm surprised it was this easy. A little spell to make my men look like royal guards and another one to have them switch places with the real guards, and the king's nearly dead. I'm surprised at your lack of protection."

"Who are you, coward!" Kard yelled from across the marketplace.

"For now, all you need to know is that I am Gahoch, apprentice to the great Gahmig, whom I assume you have dealt with before," the sorcerer said arrogantly. Kard smiled broadly, much to the man's dismay.

"Thank you for your help," the general said, still smiling, "In your arrogance you have revealed to us the name of both you and your master. Young, proud fools such as yourself have lost all sense."

"You will pay for that!" Gahoch yelled, infuriated, "And my master's name will not matter if you are all dead! Attack!" The assassins resumed their barrage of arrows as Kard led the royal guards in an attack. The general and his men charged the spies, barely dodging the many projectiles, and slewed a number of the Solatians before they could reload their arrows. Kard ducked immediately after cutting down a spy and an arrow flew over his head. The assassins were desperately trying to move away from the swordsman so that they would have the advantage with their long distance weaponry, but the Hylians would not let them. In a matter of minutes, the Solatians were dead, and Kard and five royal guards remained with only minor injuries.

"It looks like your plan wasn't as good as you thought it to be," General Kard said smugly, "I would think assassins would be better trained than these failures."

"You may think you have the upper hand, Hylian scum," Gahoch said, smiling, "But I have just received word from my master telepathically and he is planning on sending reinforcements. They should be here any second." As the sorcerer finished saying this, a large violet-colored portal appeared above the marketplace. Kard looked up into the swirling vortex as almost two-hundred more assassins, armed with swords, fell from the hole onto the ground below, surrounding the general and his men. Kard snarled and looked at the sorcerer.

"I think they will keep you busy while I finish the king," Gahoch said, "Attack!" Kard charged into the mess of Solatians, angered that the sorcerer had been aware of Impa leaving with the king.

"Fight your way through to the alleyway!" the general yelled, "We must protect the king at all costs!" Kard led his men in a brutal onslaught against the Solatians in a desperate attempt to defend the land of Hyrule.

***

Impa limped towards Hyrule Castle with King Harkinian over her shoulders, looking back often to make sure they weren't being followed.

"Put me down, Impa," the king said quietly, "I can walk."

"I'm sorry, Your Highness," the Sheikah started, "But you've lost too much blood. You could fall unconscious at any moment."

"I'm slowing you down," he said, stronger this time, "We have a better chance of making it to safety if I walk."

"I'm sorry, but your chance to reach safety has passed, Harkinian," a voice said from behind Impa. The Sheikah turned slowly to see the man who had revealed himself as Gahoch standing on the dirt road. The Sheikah laid the injured king on the ground and prepared to defend him with her life.

"You will have to kill me first," Impa growled, "And I assure you it will not be easy."

"On the contrary," the sorcerer said, leveling his staff at the brave woman, "You are no match for me." The Sheikah leapt into the air, brandishing her daggers, as Gahoch twirled his staff in an arc. A tornado-like blast of flame connected with Impa in midair, and she was sent careening over the king and onto the ground. The woman painfully lifted herself to her feet as she saw Kard and only two royal guards, all badly cut and bruised, run towards the sorcerer from behind. Gahoch sensed this, however, and slammed his staff into the ground, creating a powerful tremor that knocked the men to the ground.

"You will not defeat me," the sorcerer said, "And I think I will kill the princess next now that you have caused me so much trouble."

"No!" Impa screamed, "I will not let you!"

"Impa," the king called out weakly, attempting to raise himself from the ground, "You must go. Protect my daughter at all costs. That is an order." Impa nodded and ran towards the castle as fast as her injured limbs would allow her. King Harkinian then stood shakily and drew his sword after pulling the arrows from his body.

"You will not win!" the King of Hyrule said, "Let's finish this!"

"Gladly," Gahoch growled as Kard, the guards, and King Harkinian charged the sorcerer simultaneously.

***

Impa briefly glanced behind her to see the many remaining assassins charging out of the marketplace. Gahoch signaled to the men and they ignored the battle taking place and ran towards the castle. The Sheikah willed her aching body to move faster, desperately trying to get to the castle and warn Zelda. As she neared the castle gate, the woman yelled to the four guards protecting the gate.

"We are under attack!" Impa yelled, "They are coming from the marketplace! We don't have much time! One of you, take me to the princess, and somebody sound the alarm!" The guards readily complied, not wanting to disobey the powerful Sheikah woman, and one of the larger men lifted Impa over his shoulder and ran towards the castle. The many castle guards could be heard yelling to the others, and the call of a horn was sounded promptly. The horn could be heard throughout the town, and everybody listened to what they knew as the sound signaling an attack. Now informed that the situation with the assassins had become extreme, people held their families close and huddled in the corners of their houses, afraid of what might come.

***

King Harkinian heard the alarm as he was thrown to the ground by yet another lighting attack. The spirits of the Hylians were lifted by the call of the horn, and they attacked the sorcerer again. A royal guard by the name of Jahn leapt into the air to attack Gahoch, but was pushed back by a ball of magic. Kard and the other guard, Mouree, ducked under a magic sphere and came in low to attack the man. Gahoch was ready, however, and swung his staff horizontally downwards. A fissure appeared in the ground and flames erupted from it, burning Kard and Mouree and barring their way to the sorcerer. King Harkinian had managed to get within a foot of Gahoch and was in the process of delivering the blow that would severe the man's head, but the sorcerer formed a magic field around himself and expanded it rapidly, throwing all the men back once again.

"We cannot let him win!" King Harkinian yelled, "For Hyrule!"

"For Hyrule!" the men repeated as they converged on the sorcerer. Nightfall came and rain began to fall heavily as Gahoch blocked blow after blow with either his staff or his magic.

"I grow tired of this!" he shouted, closing his eyes and raising his staff towards the dark, cloudy sky. The sorcerer poured an incredible amount of power into his staff as a bolt of lightning struck the crystal on the end of the rod. The electricity traveled through the staff and swirled around Gahoch. He opened his eyes, now shining white, to glare at the king.

"This ends now!" the sorcerer screamed as he stretched his arms outwards. The magic exploded from his body in the form of electricity, and a tidal wave of raw power poured forth. King Harkinian, Kard, Jahn, and Mouree felt the white light sweep over them. Their clothes were torn, swords flew from their hands, armor was stripped off their bodies, and their feet were lifted off of the ground as the four flew backwards into the air. They landed in the mud, each a good distance from where they had been standing just seconds before. The two guards were unconscious before they hit the ground, and Kard barely managed to lift his head to see Gahoch walking over to the king.

"No…" the general said, desperately trying to stand, "King Harkinian…I must not fail you…"

***

The King of Hyrule looked up to see Gahoch towering over him.

"You have caused me far too much trouble," the sorcerer said, "And your life ends now. How does it feel to be helpless to protect your daughter. You won't even be there to witness her demise. It's almost a pity."

"No…Zelda…" King Harkinian said, coughing.

"Goodbye, King of Hyrule," Gahoch said mockingly. The sorcerer pointed his staff point blank at the king's head. The crystal at the end of the rod glowed as King Harkinian waited for the inevitable. As Gahoch prepared to end the king's life, he felt a sharp stabbing pain in his abdomen. The sorcerer looked down to see the blade of a sword jutting forth from his stomach.

"What…" the man gurgled as he fell forward and into the mud. The king looked no longer upon the sorcerer, but upon his general. Kard was standing above the fallen form of Gahoch, supporting himself on his sword. The general smiled.

"It is over, Your Highness," Kard said as the king smiled graciously back.

"Not quite," the fallen sorcerer said as he thrust his staff upwards into the general's chest. Kard felt his ribs shatter as the jagged crystal on the staff stabbed through his skin. Energy exploded from the crystal and Kard felt his insides ripped to shreds. He was thrown back off of the end of the staff. The brave General Kard hit the ground and lay still.

"Now, let's finish this," Gahoch said as the King looked at the fallen form of his most trusted general, and friend, in horror.

"You may kill me, sorcerer," King Harkinian said, using his last ounce of strength to form words, "But Hyrule will live on." The king said his last words as the sorcerer slammed the crystal on his staff into the man's heart. In the same way as Kard, the king's insides were shredded. There was an immense flash of light and the form of the sorcerer could be seen standing over the still form of King Harkinian, Ruler of Hyrule.

***

Zelda clutched her heart in pain as Link ran over to her. The two had been running to the front doors of the castle after they heard the alarm sounded.

"Zelda!" the boy cried, worried, "What's wrong!"

"Father…" the princess choked out, "Father…what happened?"

"What happened!?" Link asked, putting an arm around Zelda to support her so she didn't fall to the ground.

"It's…Father…" Zelda said, sobbing, "He's…dead…" At that instant a guard came running down the hallway towards the two, carrying a wounded Impa on his shoulder. The Sheikah was set down as the man reached Link and Zelda.

"Princess Zelda!" Impa cried, "You have to get out of here! There's another sorcerer and a team of Solatian assassins! You're in incredible danger!" The Sheikah woman continued until she noticed the tears on Zelda's face. "Zelda," the woman said, confused, "What happened?"

"It's King Harkinian," Link said slowly, "He's dead." Impa gasped and almost fell to the floor from shock. The guard supported her as her legs threatened to give out.

"What…" the Sheikah said, dazed, "that can't be…How could this happen…"

"I don't know," Link said, "But if Zelda's in danger, you have to snap out of this. Concentrate on who you can still protect."

"You're…right…" Impa said, "I'm sorry. We have to get you out of here, Princess. We'll go out the back way. The assassins are already converging on the castle. There's not much time." As she said this, screaming could be heard outside as the assassins battled with the palace guards. Impa took off running, and Link followed, supporting Zelda as he went. The group of three ran out of a back door of the castle. They began to run towards the town as they were spotted by a number of the assassins who had surrounded the castle.

"I think that's the princess!" one of them yelled when Link and Zelda were illuminated by a bolt of lightning, "Don't let them escape!" Link barely had time to think before nearly fifty of the assassins charged towards the three.

"Don't stop!" Impa yelled, turning to meet the oncoming challenge. Link chose not to argue and continued towards the city, dragging Zelda along by the hand.

"Impa!" the princess cried, watching as the Sheikah bravely attacked the many assassins.

"Zelda!" Link yelled, "I know you're in pain, but don't lose yourself in your emotions! Not now!" Zelda realized he was right, and she turned to look at the road ahead. In a split second, a group of five assassins emerged from the trees on the side of the road. Link reached for his sword although he knew it would be to late. The assassins raised their swords as they leapt through the air, only to be pushed back by a blast of yellow light. Link looked back to see Zelda holding her arms outstretched. He smiled, grabbed her hand, and continued on.

The two emerged into the marketplace only to see the assassins swarming the town, ransacking the buildings and fighting with a number of the gate guards. Link, realizing they could not escape through the drawbridge which was swarming with assassins, turned down an alleyway and slammed through the door to Diggs' house. He ran to his room on the upper floor, Zelda following closely behind.

"We're going to have to find another way out," Link said as he tossed the princess his bow and quiver, "I hope you know how to use those." Zelda nodded as Link clipped his hookshot to his belt. The boy looked fondly at his Hylian shield, knowing that he would have to leave it behind because its weight would slow him down. Link and Zelda left the room and were about to descend the stairs when three assassins entered the house, saw the two, and began to run up to the second floor. Link grabbed Zelda by the hand, turned, and ran back to his room, the assassins close behind. The boy picked Zelda up sideways in his arms, covered her with his arms as best he could, ran across the room, and leapt out the small window, shattering the glass. Link hit the ground, put Zelda down, and the two continued running as the assassins launched arrows at them from above. They emerged back into the marketplace and headed for the drawbridge. Unfortunately, a number of assassins noticed them and gave chase.

As the two approached the closed drawbridge the assassins pursuing them yelled ahead to their comrades who had just slain the guards at the bridge. The boy unclipped his hookshot from his belt as ten assassins on each side of him attacked simultaneously. Link grabbed Zelda around the waist with one arm and launched his hookshot into the stone near the top of the huge wall surrounding Castle Town. The two were pulled into the air a second before twenty swords sliced at the spot they had just been. They zipped over the heads of the assassins and crashed into the wall. Link pulled both himself and Zelda up onto the top of the wall only to see two assassins emerge from a door atop the wall on either side of them. Link attached his hookshot to his belt, whistled Epona's song, and leapt off the wall as he did so, still holding Zelda. The two barely cleared the moat and hit the ground, still running. Link looked around frantically as the drawbridge began to lower and a barrage of arrows was launched at the two. To his relief, Epona came galloping towards him. Link continued running as Epona pulled up alongside him. The boy lifted Zelda onto the horse before grabbing hold of the saddle and flipping up onto his trusted horse's back.

"Go, girl," Link said softly, as he patted Epona's mane, "Run fast." The horse immediately picked up speed and the hailstorm of arrows was left behind as the hero, the princess, and the horse flew across Hyrule field.