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The Legend of Zelda is property of Nintendo.
Author's Notes:
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The Legend of Zelda: The War of Power
Chapter 15: City of the Dwarves
"They are coming," Halberd said as Kard held a sword against his throat. The general quickly turned to see an immense army charging into Hyrule Field from the Gerudo fortress. The soldiers poured into the expanse rapidly, their numbers seemingly having no end.
"If you kill me," the Solatian King said, "Then you will give them yet another reason to destroy you."
"They're going to fight us no matter what happens," Kard said, glaring at the man, "You will die here, and there is no escaping your fate." The general pressed his sword harder against the man's neck just as the Solatian vanished in a flash of light. The king quickly reappeared off to Kard's left, standing next to the sorcerer, Gahoch.
"You," the general growled, "It was you who killed King Harkinian."
"And you're responsible for my master's death," Gahoch said back, "I regret that I don't have time to finish you now, but I'm sure that the Hoshenans will take care of that. They outnumber you more than one hundred to one, did you know that?" The sorcerer smiled as the general looked again to see the tide of soldiers rushing towards the battle. Kard looked back toward Gahoch and the king only to see that they had vanished entirely.
"Retreat!" he yelled, "Get inside the city! We must fall back!" The Hylians quickly fought their way through the Solatian ranks that were barring their path to the city. Amir supported the weakened Alria and the two made their way to the city, Kard with them.
"Raise the bridge!" he shouted once the Hylians had passed through the gate. Arrows flew toward the general and his men as the drawbridge was raised and the Hoshenans and Solatians were shut outside of the city walls. Kard looked up to see flaming arrows descending on the town from above. The projectiles soon set fire to houses and buildings nearest wall.
"Take their archers down!" Kard yelled as the Hylians atop the wall returned fire. His men were soon met by a barrage of arrows, though, and were forced to seek cover. The general suddenly realized that the enemy was not attempting to enter the city. The bridge had not been attacked yet, and no attempts had been made to scale the wall.
"They're waiting for their reinforcements," Kard said to himself before turning to the guards at the gate, "Where's Impa?"
"She was last seen riding toward the castle, sir," a soldier answered, "She had the wizard with her."
"Don't let them through!" the general yelled, "Use whatever means necessary to protect the city!" He then turned and angrily walked down the road to Hyrule Castle.
***
"Whoa," Link said, in awe of the beauty of the amazing city.
"I don't think that quite describes it," Zelda said, staring at the glittering walls of Aldoren.
"There's been many an elven poet who tried to describe Aldoren," Rousha said, "None could find adequate words. But enough gawking. You three are our prisoners, and you're not just going to stand around all day. Let's get moving."
The company of dwarves and elves set off once again and shortly arrived at the gate to the massive city.
"I have returned from my scouting mission with three prisoners," Rousha told the guard on the other side of the iron bars, "They are being taken to be examined by His Majesty." The guard nodded and opened the large gate. Link, Dek, and Zelda soon found themselves hurrying through the many streets of the city. The houses of the dwarves were made completely of stone, and they lined the narrow roads of the city as did the shops and other buildings. Link counted at least three blacksmith shops as the group winded through the enormous place. He also noticed that every dwarf he laid eyes upon had an enormous, sometimes colored, beard that nearly reached the ground they walked upon. The group soon arrived at the gates to the second and third levels and were immediately let through.
"Here we are," Rousha said, causing Link to turn away from yet another blacksmith shop and focus his gaze straight ahead. What he saw amazed him even further. He looked upon a massive palace of stone, built into the mountain wall, and lined with tall spires and small windows. The place dwarfed Hyrule Castle and the very exterior of the castle seemed to be covered with gold so that it reflected the light of the sun. Rousha led them up to a massive door guarded by two rather burly dwarfs.
"Welcome back, Rousha," one of them said in a deep voice, "I see you have brought some prisoners. No doubt spies from some foreign land. Trying to cause trouble, are we?" He asked, looking directly at Link. The boy managed to keep himself from answering the question as the dwarf looked over him and his companions.
"They don't look like they could do much harm, though," he said, "A couple little boys and a girl is all they are. Why'd you even bother bringing them here, Rousha?"
"If I had my sword you'd see what a 'little boy' could do," Link muttered.
"What was that?" the guard asked.
"I said," Link talked louder, "That if I had my sword-" Rousha suddenly cleared his throat violently and Link saw Zelda glaring at him from the corner of his eye.
"They're being taken to the king," Rousha said, "He will find out what they're up to."
"Whatever you say," the guard said, eyeing Link suspiciously. The two guards pulled open the heavy doors with a grunt and Rousha ordered his men to stay behind, instructing them to hold on to the elves' weapons for the time being. The four entered the castle and the doors were shut behind them.
"Link," Zelda said, "You are the biggest moron I have ever met."
"I admire your bravery, kid," Rousha said as they walked down the corridor, "But talk like that'll get you killed around here. Not everyone's as nice as me. You're lucky Croub didn't chop your head off."
"Aren't you going to scold me too?" Link asked, looking at Dek.
"Nope," the elf said, smiling, "I would've said the same thing to that guard, but you beat me to it. I've always hated being looked down upon."
"Well both of you better keep your mouths shut in the future," Rousha said in his gravely voice, "You say anything that hints at a threat in the presence of King Bwarrow and you'll be shot right then and there." The group traveled down many long corridors until they reached a large door.
"This is it," Rousha said, "The king awaits." The dwarf pushed open the doors and entered the large room with his three prisoners.
"My lord," he said, bowing, as the king looked over the group.
"Greetings, Rousha," a dwarf said, rising from the large throne he had been seated upon. Link felt Zelda grab his hand and pull him down into a bowing position beside her. Link looked up briefly to study the dwarf he assumed was the king. King Bwarrow was heavily built, yet not as tall as the guard at the gate, and his grey beard extended to his knees. He looked old, and Link realized there was much wisdom in his eyes.
"Who are these people?" King Bwarrow asked, gesturing to the three kneeling elves. Rousha rose to his feet before speaking.
"I discovered them trekking through the forest outside the city," he said, "My men and I followed them for some time, and it became apparent that they were heading for Aldoren. I had their weapons taken and I lead them here to be questioned as you ordered."
"Did I?" the king asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, my lord," Rousha answered, "You instructed me to bring any prisoners before you."
"And did you have their eyes covered?" King Bwarrow asked. Rousha suddenly looked abashed.
"No, my lord," he said, looking down, "I did not."
"So they now know the location of our city?" the king continued.
"Yes, my lord," Rousha answered, ashamed. The king smiled.
"Do not worry, Rousha," he said, "I am not angry. These three do not look like trouble to me. You may all get up now." Link quickly stood to his feet as did Zelda and Dek.
"So," Bwarrow began, "What brings you to the City of the Dwarves?" Link opened his mouth to respond but Zelda spoke before he could.
"We come from Hyrule," she said, "We left the country to escape the new war and are currently heading to Calatia to seek out the country's aid in Hyrule's time of trouble. We were forced to enter the forest when we were attacked in the village of Rok just over the mountain. We had hoped to be able to restock our supplies in your city after discovering we had no food."
"And your names?" the king said.
"This is Lunari," Dek said, lying about Zelda's name, "This is Link of the Hylians and I am Dek of the Elven."
"Ah," King Bwarrow said, "A member of the secretive High Elven. I have not looked upon one of your kind for centuries."
"Just how old is this guy?" Link whispered to Zelda.
"Five-hundred and twenty-four winters," the king said, overhearing Link's question, "I'm quite proud of my age. My father lived to be only five-hundred exactly. Few of us live past half a century anymore. It's really quite sad." The king studied the three friends for a brief period of time before speaking. "I grant you three permission to stay in Aldoren," he said, smiling, "You may stay for as long as you like and load up on supplies or whatever you need to do. Rousha, please escort our guests to the inn."
"Yes, my lord," the dwarf said before bowing and turning to leave. Link, Zelda, and Dek followed suit and the four were soon traveling through the palace corridors once again.
"It seems you made a good impression," Rousha said, "I'll take you to the inn. There's only one in the entire city since we don't get visitors too often. The family that owns the place is nice, though, and they shouldn't have any problem giving you a room."
"Why haven't we seen any stairs?" Link asked suddenly, "I forgot to ask you before. The castle back in Hyrule is littered with flights of stairs."
"Us dwarves don't like heights much," Rousha said, "We've always preferred going deeper into the earth rather than further away from it. The spires you saw when we were outside are just for decoration; there's actually nothing in them." Link pondered this fact as the group arrived at the castle doors. Rousha pushed the heavy doors open, though it took some effort, and they emerged into the outside air. Link was surprised to see that the day had turned to night during the time they had spent in the castle. The moon shone brightly on the palace, and the gold-covered walls shone dimly in the light.
"So," Croub said when he saw Rousha, "The king decided to let them stay, did he?" Rousha nodded as Link looked at the burly guard. Croub was large for a dwarf, coming up to Link's shoulders, and he had a short black beard which reached his chest. The guard held an immense war axe in his fists, and a thick helmet as well as armor covered his body. Overall, he seemed to be trying to look as intimidating as possible, Link thought.
"Yeah," Rousha said, answering the question, "He believes they're not going to cause us any trouble."
"King Bwarrow's too trustworthy," Croub said, frowning, "It seems like they're up to something."
"I don't want you causing any trouble, Croub," Rousha said grimly, "The king said they're okay, so leave them alone."
"Don't get so worried," the guard said, "I would never go against the king's orders." Rousha grunted and led the elves away from the palace after retrieving their weapons from one of his dwarves.
"I think I'll sleep with an eye open tonight," Link stated when they were out of earshot of the palace guards.
"I don't think he'll do anything," Rousha told the boy as they walked down the streets, "I don't know why he would. You haven't done anything against him. But you should probably stay off of the streets until morning." They wound their way through the roads back down to the middle level of the massive city. Link soon found himself standing outside of a stone building decorated with a sign that read 'Aldoren Inn'. Rousha knocked on the door and a small dwarf appeared in the entryway. Link was surprised to see that the figure had no facial air, and he assumed that the dwarf must be female.
"Hello," she said in a friendly voice, "Please, come in." The four stepped into the interior of the inn. A larger, male dwarf was seated on a stone stool at the other end of the room next to the large fireplace. He rose when he saw the guests enter the building.
"Hello," he said, shaking Rousha's hand, "My name's Hould, and this is my wife, Touka. What can I do for you?"
"These three will be in need of some rooms," Rousha said, gesturing to the three elves at his side.
"Ah, outsiders," Hould said cheerfully, "We haven't seen elves around here for many years. It's good to have you." The brown bearded dwarf shook the hands of the three companions.
"Welcome to our inn," Touka said, smiling, "We hope you like it here."
"How many rooms you want?" Hould asked, "One room's got three beds in it."
"I guess we'll just take one," Link said to his companions, "I don't think we should leave you alone, Zelda."
"Sounds good," Dek said, "We don't have many rupees anyways. We'll be here two nights at the most."
"You're paying in rupees?" the innkeeper asked.
"Yeah," Link answered, confused at the odd question.
"You'll have to get them exchanged for silver coins," Hould explained, "There's a place down at the front of the city that takes care of that. I won't make you pay until tomorrow so you don't have to go out there tonight."
"Thanks," Dek said.
"No problem," Touka stated, "I'll take you to your rooms."
"Well," Rousha started, "Good luck on your journey. I better be getting back to the palace now."
"Thanks, Rousha," Dek said as the three walked away, "Bye." Link and Zelda said goodbye to the kind dwarf and followed Touka out of the room. The dwarf opened the door to a rather large room and gave Dek the key to the lock.
"Goodnight," she said as she exited and closed the door.
"I'm glad we there's no window in here," Zelda said as she seated herself upon a bed, "I get a bad feeling around that Croub guy. Like he's plotting against us or something."
"Don't worry Zelda," Dek said, smiling, "Big strong Link over here will protect you. It was sure nice of him to think about your safety and decide to share a room. Isn't that right, Link?"
"Shut up, Dek," Link grunted as he threw himself onto a bed. Dek laughed and sat down.
"I guess we'll have to get our rupees exchanged right away tomorrow," he said, "Then we'll have to search around for someplace to buy food and some bottles for water. We'll also have to get you a sword, Zelda."
"We don't need to spend money so I can have a sword," Zelda said, "We're low on resources as it is."
"Don't argue," Link said, "Besides, I think Dek misses his little blade." Zelda laughed as Dek extinguished the candle in the room and the companions drifted into sleep.
***
"Good morning," Touka said cheerfully as Zelda entered the main room of the inn. The dwarf was kneeling by the fireplace, cooking some meat over the flames.
"Good morning," Zelda replied, yawning.
"Your companions aren't awake yet?" the dwarf asked.
"No," the princess replied, "Link will sleep forever if I let him. I'll probably get them up soon."
"Would you like some bacon?" Touka asked, indicating the strips of meat turning crisp over the fire.
"Sure," Zelda said, realizing how hungry she was, "Thanks."
"No problem," the female dwarf said, "I don't cook food often, so tell me if its good or not. Us dwarves usually eat the meat raw. We like it that way, but I figured that you elves would probably prefer it cooked. Have a seat." Zelda seated herself in a small wooden chair as Touka handed her a huge plate of bacon. The princess stared at the massive amount of meat set before her for a second before picking up a piece.
"Don't worry," the dwarf said, "You don't have to eat it all. I forget how little you elves eat. Just finish what you can."
"Thanks," Zelda said, taking a bite out of the meat, "It's really good."
"Your welcome," Touka said happily as she sat in a chair across from Zelda, "I'm sure your friends will want some."
"Link will probably eat the entire batch," the princess sighed.
"Do you mind telling me what three elves are doing way out here?" Touka asked, "I've been kind of curious."
"No, I don't mind," Zelda said, smiling, "It's the least I can do to thank you for your hospitality." The princess proceeded to tell the dwarf the same story that had been told to King Bwarrow. The tale conveniently left out the key parts of the journey and the true identity of Zelda, whom Dek had named Lunari before the king.
"So, Lunari," Touka said when the princess had finished, "Did you by chance meet a large dwarf named Croub at the castle gates?"
"Yes," Zelda answered, "Why?"
"Nothing, really," the dwarf said, "I was just wondering if he was still working at the castle. I haven't seen him in a long time." She stopped there, but Zelda's silence encouraged her to continue.
"You see," she started, "Croub used to be friends with my husband, Hould, before I was wed. According to Hould, something strange happened one day and Croub was never the same. Croub told my husband that he met an odd man when he was wandering the streets. The man was 'clothed in darkness', as Croub put it, and he offered him a vast amount of riches if he would join him. I don't know what the crazy man meant by 'join', but Croub agreed and tried to talk Hould into joining also. Croub took Hould to meet the man, and the two tried to persuade my husband to join them. Hould's always been very sensible, for as long as I can remember, so he denied the offer when he got a queer feeling from the man. He never really told me the details of that meeting; he gets really shaken up when he tries to talk about it. Then the next week Hould had to go out at night to buy some food for some guests that were staying here. Croub appeared out of the darkness and tried to murder him, and Hould barely escaped intact. That was about a year ago, and we haven't seen Croub since."
"That's strange," Zelda said.
"It sure is," Touka said, "Anyways, Croub didn't say nothing threatening to you, did he?"
"No," the princess said, "He couldn't threaten us since Rousha was there. Rousha seemed to think he might be planning something, though, and he told us to be careful and not wander around in the city at night. But what would Croub want with us?"
"I don't know," the dwarf said, "I just told you the story so you'd be careful. I don't trust that dwarf at all. Aldoren was relatively peaceful until a year ago. Ever since that day that Croub tried to kill my husband several attacks or robberies have been reported, and they all happened at night. The robber was never discovered, but several witnesses have said that the culprit was abnormally large for a dwarf. Hould thinks it was Croub, since he's the biggest dwarf there is, and I tend to agree with him. Dwarves don't even wander the streets at night anymore because of the fear of the attacker. Many of them have developed a fear of outsiders as well, thinking that the thief was a man or an elf because of his large size."
"I noticed that," Zelda said, "We got a lot of glares when Rousha led us here."
"Just ignore them," Touka said, "You'll probably get more when you go out today. Anyway, just watch your backs during your stay here. I don't think you have anything to worry about, I'm just warning you in case." Zelda suddenly flinched as the two heard a loud crash emanating from the elves' room.
"That would be Link," she sighed. As if to prove her point, she heard the door to the bedroom thrown open and Link came running into the main room, sword drawn, Dek stumbling after him. Link sighed heavily in relief as Zelda rose from her chair to glare at him.
"What are you doing?" she asked, crossing her arms.
"Um," the boy began, "Well…I thought that…um…"
"This moron thought you'd been kidnapped in the middle of the night," Dek answered for him, punching the boy rather hard in the shoulder. Link looked down at the ground, and Zelda thought she could see a faint hint of red in his cheeks.
"It's okay, boy," Touka said, laughing, "She's lucky she's got such a good protector."
"Link," Zelda said, "I'm glad you're trying so hard to make sure I'm safe, but I can defend myself."
"I know," the boy finally spoke, "I just didn't really have time to think. I woke up, didn't see you in your bed, and did the first thing that came to mind."
"Which was; knock over a dresser, trip over himself, nearly take my head off with his sword, and drag me out here with him," Dek said sarcastically.
"Yeah, sorry about the mess," Link said, scratching his head absently, "I'll get everything cleaned up."
"That can wait for now," Touka said, smiling, "Right now you two could probably use some breakfast." Link and Dek sat down and began eating ravenously.
***
"We don't have any defense against an army of this size," Impa said after hearing of the arrival of Solatia's allies.
"They could easily take the city whenever they wanted," Kard said, "They're just waiting for Lohen and Coshrak. They don't just want to take over, they want to utterly destroy us. Halberd's mad. He's going to slaughter every last Hylian if we don't stop him."
"We could evacuate," Impa said thoughtfully, "Though I'm not sure how far we'd get."
"They would continue to hunt us even if a good portion of the city escaped," Kard argued, "All we can do is fight, but even that will end in destruction. My men are slowly loosing hope, knowing that it is only a matter of time before we are overwhelmed. The people are scared, not knowing what will become of them, and their faith in Hyrule is weakening."
"What about Kakariko?" Impa asked, changing the subject, "Did the Solatians pass through there?"
"Yes," the general answered, "A group came from the east out of Kakariko. They must have traveled over death mountain and defeated the Gorons. A strange power is definitely at work here if Mahalda and his men were destroyed. My guess it that the citizens of Kakariko have also been slaughtered." Impa's eyes betrayed a look of hurt to the general when she thought of her home being mercilessly destroyed.
"What about the Zora?" the Sheikah asked, "Have we received any news from them?"
"No," Kard said, "But one of the Solatian squads came at us from the south. That can only mean that the Zora were deferred from guarding our southern borders. Mikau would never abandon his responsibility unless something severe was to afflict his people."
"It seems we are nearly out of options," Impa said, "The only thing that we can do is wait for Calatia to come to our aid."
"I hate to say this," Kard said, "But we don't even know if the princess is still alive. Link apparently led her over the mountain to escape the Solatians at Rok, but Amir has returned to Hyrule after having to lead the villagers of Rok to safety. The Calatian was to be a guide to the boy and Princess Zelda, and without him I am not sure if the two will get very far. They do not know the path to Calatia, and there are treacherous lands to cross on the way. The dwarves in the Emerald Mountains have been said to be rather unfriendly to outsiders."
"I can only hope that Princess Zelda is alive," Impa said sadly, "Without her, Hyrule has no future."
***
"We are nearly there, Your Highness," Mikau said as the remaining Zora trekked across Hyrule Field, attempting to reach Lake Hylia. The general had decided that they could not use the water routes that led to the lake for fear of being poisoned by the deadly toxin he suspected had contaminated the water. Jabu-Jabu, the Zora's fish god, had died within a day of the first Zora deaths, and Mikau's suspicions of a poison seemed more likely than ever. The Zora had left their home two days ago, and already several more deaths had occurred. The population had been reduced to a mere fourth of what it had been just a week ago.
"Do you really think that the scientist can find an antidote?" Ruto asked, unsure.
"I don't know," Mikau answered, "But I have heard that he is one of the leading Hylian experts in medicine. He should be able to devise something, though I am not sure how soon the antidote will come. We may lose many more Zora as time progresses." Ruto turned her head and looked at the small mass of Zora following her, all of them pale from lack of water.
"If the poison doesn't finish us," Ruto thought aloud, "Then dehydration will."
***
"I need them dead," the shadowy figure said to the dwarf, "If you complete this task, your reward will come immediately after."
"No more waiting?" Croub asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No," the man said, "No more waiting. When they are disposed of I will come to you and you will receive your reward."
"You've got a deal, then," Croub said, "Destroying a few kids will be easy." The dwarf turned and made his way out of the dark alley, leaving the flickering image of the man alone.
"I didn't plan on killing them," the figure said, "It will make things more complicated, but I grow impatient with these children. Their end will have to come sooner than planned." The man stared at something on the back of his hand before disappearing in a plume of smoke.