Ah, how I missed doing this...yeah, RIGHT. I don't own Zelda. Happy? And...holy crap! I haven't updated in forever! I'm SO SORRY! But...here you go...
##
Ch. 29: Test of Heart in the Game of War
##
Sunlight was falling onto her face like fresh, clear raindrops. The clouds were finally breaking and the sun, triumphant, broke shining through with a smiling face. Standing there with the warmth on her face was the most relaxing thing she had done in a long, long time. Peace was with her, through her, in her, releasing into the world. She knew her task was finally done. It was gone. She was free. Wanting to celebrate, she turned around to wave at her comrades, to see their smiling, happy faces.
What she saw made the clouds return again to block the sunlight in a second darkness.
And out across Hyrule Field, spreading like a virus for eternity lay the dead, mangled bodies of thousands. Her mother was lying there as a mutilated corpse...her father...Roh...
And the flowing blood mingled with the agonized screams of the dead.
##
Airaen awoke with a shaky start only to realize she was falling off the tree. But perhaps falling off the tree, however unpleasant the end result, may have saved her life after all. Even as she hit the ground, she heard the familiar whir of an arrow and the thunk as it chose the tree as its victim instead of its intended target. Rubbing at the bump on her side, she got shakily to her feet to stare rather dumbly through the gloomy pre-dawn darkness at the slender arrow that still quivered from its journey. Still tied to the nightmare existence of mere seconds in the past, she found herself at a sudden loss of what to do. The arrow ceased to quiver, and still she stood there with an odd feeling in her stomach.
Another arrow that came sinking into the mud near her brought her finally to her senses. Even as she had done those two years before, she ran off into the Market to warn its inhabitants of the attack.
##
"What in Nayru's name are you doing out here in the cold?" Link inquired, placing a hand on Zelda's shoulder so as to steer her back through the Market and into the Castle. He found it rather unpleasant for the Queen of Hyrule to be standing among the stench of horses and the sweat of fighters. A few grunted as they pulled yet another bowstring taught to let fly over the Gate; some were satisfied by the short cry of a dying enemy.
Zelda wormed herself out of his firm grasp, then looked around. "Where is Airaen?"
"I don't...know," he replied quietly. "Did you check in the Market? That's where the second group is firing from the rooftops."
"I checked it, and I know she's not at the Castle," Zelda replied with another worried glance around.
"Go on back to the Castle," Link pressed, fear for her safety clear in his voice as a volley of arrows came sailing over the Gate to kill. He pushed her back to avoid a few rather bold shots, shielding her. "Get back to the Castle!"
"I won't just be some cowardly ruler who hides behind her walls and lets others do her work for her," she replied indignantly, her blue eyes flashing. "I need to find her."
Sighing, he took her by the arm. "I'll help you find her."
##
"How many is that?!" Airaen yelled over the roar.
"We've got twenty down in the front, but he's got his second row of archers hidden behind long-shields! We can't penetrate 'em!" Roh yelled back as he notched another arrow.
"Dammit," Airaen hissed. A smart tactic. "At least the rooftops are helping, huh?"
Roh nodded as he let his arrow fly, smiling as he saw an archer fall back with an arrow in his throat. As he reached for another arrow, he whispered, "We can't keep this up against them for long."
"I know, but dawn is coming," Airaen said with a shrug as she notched an arrow. "That's got to help us with something."
It was true; light was just starting to stretch its warm, reaching fingers along the horizon. As it began to slowly touch their faces, they were filled with a new hope.
"As long as the Gate holds," Roh said with a nod, "we'll be fine inside."
Somebody called out, pointing to Hyrule Field. A figure clad in a red cloak was striding rather confidently to the Gate, ignoring the fact that arrows of death were following everywhere about him as he sidestepped each one with nothing but a smirk on his face.
"What's he doing?" Roh hissed, loosing his hold on his bow.
The man was pointing at the Gate.
"Oh, Goddess," Airaen whispered. Grabbing Roh by the arm, she pulled him down, yelling, "Get down!"
There was a loud explosion as a beam of light hit the Gate, tearing a huge hole big enough for three men to fit through shoulder to shoulder. Bodies near the Gate were flown spinning into the air to land unpleasantly on the ground with a sickening crunch. Dust and debris blew through the air to come raining down on the screaming inhabitants of Hyrule Castle Market.
And Ganon's army began to advance slowly forward.
Coughing and wiping dust from her eyes, Airaen pulled herself to her feet, slipping her dirty cloak off to let it fall to the ground. Shaking dust from her pulled-back hair, she reached down to help Roh up, then glanced towards the Gate. Swearing profusely, she pointed to the archers as they pulled themselves up, crying, "Half of you stay here. The other half will come with me! We have to keep Ganon from getting in!"
Nodding, several stood.
Not looking back, Airaen ran to the edge of the roof and jumped off, landing gracefully on her feet. Turning right, she ran to the Gate, all the while yelling, "To the Gate! Get to the Gate!"
As she came upon it, she thought she spied something small scurrying among the fighters, but when she looked again, there was nothing there.
Running closer, she glanced through the hole in the Gate to see the enemy horde coming slowly towards them. Grabbing a soldier near her, she cried, "How long until this can be boarded up again?"
"I don't know...we can just pile the debris up for now until we have more time to fix it," he replied shakily.
"Good...I want you and five others on that immediately," she replied. Quickly, she looked about the area to survey a large group of fighters running towards the Gate, swords drawn. As they came, she yelled, "We'll have to charge them for now. Archers can't hold them off for long."
"Are you damn crazy?!" one cried, followed by a chorus of agreement. "We can't charge that. We have, what, maybe five hundred....against six thousand or more? We can't beat them!"
"We can hold them at bay," Roh said, coming up behind the one who had spoken. "Airaen, my fighters are ready. I have faith in you."
"We have to try at least," she said with a shrug. "Once the temporary fix is almost done on the Gate, we'll come straight back in. We just need to keep them at bay long enough to fix the Gate."
"It's still crazy, but I'll do it," a soldier said, crossing his arms.
"Well? Come on, you slugs! Let's get going!"
##
It was quite a thing for Ganon to see a band of fighters, little more than a hundred, come pouring out of the Gate, swords drawn, yelling out challenges to his horde as they charged. He was quite happy to see Airaen running at the head of them, a wooden staff held in her right hand as she yelled out a battle cry. Hot-headed, girl-child.
"Boys!" he called. "Give them pain!"
##
A rush of energy was flowing through her as she had never felt before in a long time. The wind was howling in her ears and the sun was glinting on the horizon. Her staff felt light in her hand as her feet seemed to glide across the Field.
Before the first lizalfos in front of her could even raise its blade, she crouched down low and drove her weapon into its jaw with a sickening crunch, throwing the creature's head back, snapping its neck. Even as it fell to the ground, she swung parallel to the ground, allowing her staff to crash into another victim.
By this time, the others joined in with her to the fray.
There was a ring of steel and sudden cries. All they had to do, Airaen knew as she beheaded a stalfos with pure force from her staff, was push this army back long enough to have the Gate fixed temporarily. It's all we need.
Roh was a bit farther off, but holding his own as he fought alongside Icarn.
As Airaen leaped into the air to swing her staff down in her father's classic move, she caught a familiar face out of the corner of her eye. As her opponent's scull was crushed, she pushed off from the ground at a run. She would finally end it all with this one final death! Once Ganon dies, it would all end, even as he stood there with his arms crossed, a smirk on his face.
She grinned. It was finally going to end!
Come on, girl-child...
A high-pitched scream slowed her down as she glanced to her right, then stopped dead in her tracks. "Taila!" Airaen yelled. She took a step towards the terrified young girl, who stood some fifty feet away. The child's face was white with terror, her stolen sword long-forgotten at her side as a grinning fighter came up in front of her, sword raised.
Airaen glanced back at Ganon. I could...end it...right here....right here...
"Shut up," she told herself as she took off towards Taila. "Hang on, brat!"
Spinning her staff, she kicked off from the ground, rolled in front of Taila's assailant, then drove her staff into the man's gut, boring a bloody hole. As the dead man fell to the ground, she turned angrily to the terrified child. "What the fuck are you doing here?! You're gonna get killed!"
"I...I wanted...to...to help," the child stuttered, sitting down on the floor. Whacking another enemy to the ground, Airaen leaned down and picked the young girl up, holding her tightly.
"Stupid girl, when we get back, you're in so much trouble!" Airaen growled as she took off at a run, dodging any blow that came to her. Seeing Roh, she ran quickly towards him, rolling forward to avoid a parallel slice from a stalfos' sword. Growling, she kicked it along the side of its neck, severing the head, then took off at a run again.
"Roh," she said quickly as she came up behind him, "how are we doing?"
"You brought a child out here?!" he yelled.
"I did not! She came on her own!" Airaen retorted.
"Oh, I'm sure," Roh said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
"Can we save this for later?" Icarn hissed. "We have a problem!"
"What? Oh...that...is a problem," Airaen said quietly as she quickly realized that they were being surrounded. "Oops."
"Oops?! That's all you have to say?" Icarn howled.
"Are we going to die, Airaen?" Taila whispered in her ear. "I don't want to die."
"Of course not. You just close your eyes, we'll be fine," Airaen said, running her hands through the young girl's hair. "We'll be fine."
"Any bright ideas?" Roh whispered as the large host of fighters began to circle them. Airaen glanced down at her bandaged hand. Desperate times...
"But the others...might get hurt," Airaen whispered. She bit her lip.
"Did you say something?" Roh asked.
"What? Oh, no, I didn't."
What are we going to do?
##
"They're WHAT?!"
The soldier cringed, shrinking back from her. Zelda's temper was legendary, a trademark of her father.
"Um...Airaen and some fighters...went out there...while we try to fix the Gate, my Lady," he stuttered.
Link stepped forward. "And who's idea was it?" he asked, trying to come between the soldier and Zelda.
"Um...Airaen's idea, sir," he replied, shaking tremendously.
"That's IT! She is in so much trouble!" Zelda roared. She moved forward, trying to get past the Gate. Link grabbed her hand.
"No, you don't!" he cried, pulling her back.
##
Airaen remained silent and brooding as the horde closed in around them. She sighed. I will not die a coward.
She set Taila down, ignoring the girl's sudden cry of fear. Taila tried to clutch Airaen's hand, but she brushed her away. "It'll be alright, Taila," she whispered.
"Got a plan, Airaen?" Roh asked, turning to her.
Drawing her sword, she replied, "Nope. None."
"Oh," he replied, adjusting his own grip on his sword.
Airaen stepped forward, her eyes narrowed.
I will not die a coward. I will not.
She twirled the green blade in her hand and smiled. "I won't die a coward!" she yelled. She ran forward, her blade raised. "Break the line!" she cried to those behind her.
They yelled and followed after her. Taila felt both terrified and useless at the same time. Nothing but a nuisance...I'll never be able to help my father now. She stood, picking up a rock, and ran forward with a cry. "I'm not a coward either, Airaen!"
Airaen swung her sword parallel to the ground, beheading a man. A horse came upon her, bearing a rider she couldn't see through the blinding light of the sun. With a cry, she made to hack at the horse, when the rider yelled out, "Wait, Fidaya!"
She nearly toppled over. Shielding her eyes, she laughed aloud. "Master!"
The old man returned the smile, then rose his staff in the air, yelling, "Forward, Sidarians!"
From within Ganon's horde erupted thousands of fighters decked out in Sidar's armor. With a roar of Rohkensagen, they leapt into the fray, hacking and slashing at every enemy in their path.
"Back to camp, boys!" one of Ganon's captains roared. With a cry, they retreated.
Leaping down off his horse, Ahrima smiled. "You won't die a coward, eh, Fidaya?"
Airaen laughed. "I can't...believe it! What are you doing here, Master?"
"Later on, Fidaya. Let's get your friends back to the Gate, eh?"
She nodded.
##
"Hiiiiya! Take that, and that, you stupid lizalfos!" Taila cried as she slammed her rock down on a lizalfos head.
"Um...Taila, that's enough, I think," Airaen said, placing her hand on the little child's shoulder.
"Oh," Taila said, looking up at her. "Did I get him good?"
Airaen laughed. "Yeah, you got him. Come on, let's get back, okay?"
$%$$%
I'M REALLY, REALLY, REALLY SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG FOR ME TO UPDATE! I HAD WRITER'S BLOCK, AND I HAD TO REALLY GO BACK AND PONDER THIS STORY...I'm worried it's going MAJORLY downhill...please review and tell me what you think. Thank you for being so patient!
##
Ch. 29: Test of Heart in the Game of War
##
Sunlight was falling onto her face like fresh, clear raindrops. The clouds were finally breaking and the sun, triumphant, broke shining through with a smiling face. Standing there with the warmth on her face was the most relaxing thing she had done in a long, long time. Peace was with her, through her, in her, releasing into the world. She knew her task was finally done. It was gone. She was free. Wanting to celebrate, she turned around to wave at her comrades, to see their smiling, happy faces.
What she saw made the clouds return again to block the sunlight in a second darkness.
And out across Hyrule Field, spreading like a virus for eternity lay the dead, mangled bodies of thousands. Her mother was lying there as a mutilated corpse...her father...Roh...
And the flowing blood mingled with the agonized screams of the dead.
##
Airaen awoke with a shaky start only to realize she was falling off the tree. But perhaps falling off the tree, however unpleasant the end result, may have saved her life after all. Even as she hit the ground, she heard the familiar whir of an arrow and the thunk as it chose the tree as its victim instead of its intended target. Rubbing at the bump on her side, she got shakily to her feet to stare rather dumbly through the gloomy pre-dawn darkness at the slender arrow that still quivered from its journey. Still tied to the nightmare existence of mere seconds in the past, she found herself at a sudden loss of what to do. The arrow ceased to quiver, and still she stood there with an odd feeling in her stomach.
Another arrow that came sinking into the mud near her brought her finally to her senses. Even as she had done those two years before, she ran off into the Market to warn its inhabitants of the attack.
##
"What in Nayru's name are you doing out here in the cold?" Link inquired, placing a hand on Zelda's shoulder so as to steer her back through the Market and into the Castle. He found it rather unpleasant for the Queen of Hyrule to be standing among the stench of horses and the sweat of fighters. A few grunted as they pulled yet another bowstring taught to let fly over the Gate; some were satisfied by the short cry of a dying enemy.
Zelda wormed herself out of his firm grasp, then looked around. "Where is Airaen?"
"I don't...know," he replied quietly. "Did you check in the Market? That's where the second group is firing from the rooftops."
"I checked it, and I know she's not at the Castle," Zelda replied with another worried glance around.
"Go on back to the Castle," Link pressed, fear for her safety clear in his voice as a volley of arrows came sailing over the Gate to kill. He pushed her back to avoid a few rather bold shots, shielding her. "Get back to the Castle!"
"I won't just be some cowardly ruler who hides behind her walls and lets others do her work for her," she replied indignantly, her blue eyes flashing. "I need to find her."
Sighing, he took her by the arm. "I'll help you find her."
##
"How many is that?!" Airaen yelled over the roar.
"We've got twenty down in the front, but he's got his second row of archers hidden behind long-shields! We can't penetrate 'em!" Roh yelled back as he notched another arrow.
"Dammit," Airaen hissed. A smart tactic. "At least the rooftops are helping, huh?"
Roh nodded as he let his arrow fly, smiling as he saw an archer fall back with an arrow in his throat. As he reached for another arrow, he whispered, "We can't keep this up against them for long."
"I know, but dawn is coming," Airaen said with a shrug as she notched an arrow. "That's got to help us with something."
It was true; light was just starting to stretch its warm, reaching fingers along the horizon. As it began to slowly touch their faces, they were filled with a new hope.
"As long as the Gate holds," Roh said with a nod, "we'll be fine inside."
Somebody called out, pointing to Hyrule Field. A figure clad in a red cloak was striding rather confidently to the Gate, ignoring the fact that arrows of death were following everywhere about him as he sidestepped each one with nothing but a smirk on his face.
"What's he doing?" Roh hissed, loosing his hold on his bow.
The man was pointing at the Gate.
"Oh, Goddess," Airaen whispered. Grabbing Roh by the arm, she pulled him down, yelling, "Get down!"
There was a loud explosion as a beam of light hit the Gate, tearing a huge hole big enough for three men to fit through shoulder to shoulder. Bodies near the Gate were flown spinning into the air to land unpleasantly on the ground with a sickening crunch. Dust and debris blew through the air to come raining down on the screaming inhabitants of Hyrule Castle Market.
And Ganon's army began to advance slowly forward.
Coughing and wiping dust from her eyes, Airaen pulled herself to her feet, slipping her dirty cloak off to let it fall to the ground. Shaking dust from her pulled-back hair, she reached down to help Roh up, then glanced towards the Gate. Swearing profusely, she pointed to the archers as they pulled themselves up, crying, "Half of you stay here. The other half will come with me! We have to keep Ganon from getting in!"
Nodding, several stood.
Not looking back, Airaen ran to the edge of the roof and jumped off, landing gracefully on her feet. Turning right, she ran to the Gate, all the while yelling, "To the Gate! Get to the Gate!"
As she came upon it, she thought she spied something small scurrying among the fighters, but when she looked again, there was nothing there.
Running closer, she glanced through the hole in the Gate to see the enemy horde coming slowly towards them. Grabbing a soldier near her, she cried, "How long until this can be boarded up again?"
"I don't know...we can just pile the debris up for now until we have more time to fix it," he replied shakily.
"Good...I want you and five others on that immediately," she replied. Quickly, she looked about the area to survey a large group of fighters running towards the Gate, swords drawn. As they came, she yelled, "We'll have to charge them for now. Archers can't hold them off for long."
"Are you damn crazy?!" one cried, followed by a chorus of agreement. "We can't charge that. We have, what, maybe five hundred....against six thousand or more? We can't beat them!"
"We can hold them at bay," Roh said, coming up behind the one who had spoken. "Airaen, my fighters are ready. I have faith in you."
"We have to try at least," she said with a shrug. "Once the temporary fix is almost done on the Gate, we'll come straight back in. We just need to keep them at bay long enough to fix the Gate."
"It's still crazy, but I'll do it," a soldier said, crossing his arms.
"Well? Come on, you slugs! Let's get going!"
##
It was quite a thing for Ganon to see a band of fighters, little more than a hundred, come pouring out of the Gate, swords drawn, yelling out challenges to his horde as they charged. He was quite happy to see Airaen running at the head of them, a wooden staff held in her right hand as she yelled out a battle cry. Hot-headed, girl-child.
"Boys!" he called. "Give them pain!"
##
A rush of energy was flowing through her as she had never felt before in a long time. The wind was howling in her ears and the sun was glinting on the horizon. Her staff felt light in her hand as her feet seemed to glide across the Field.
Before the first lizalfos in front of her could even raise its blade, she crouched down low and drove her weapon into its jaw with a sickening crunch, throwing the creature's head back, snapping its neck. Even as it fell to the ground, she swung parallel to the ground, allowing her staff to crash into another victim.
By this time, the others joined in with her to the fray.
There was a ring of steel and sudden cries. All they had to do, Airaen knew as she beheaded a stalfos with pure force from her staff, was push this army back long enough to have the Gate fixed temporarily. It's all we need.
Roh was a bit farther off, but holding his own as he fought alongside Icarn.
As Airaen leaped into the air to swing her staff down in her father's classic move, she caught a familiar face out of the corner of her eye. As her opponent's scull was crushed, she pushed off from the ground at a run. She would finally end it all with this one final death! Once Ganon dies, it would all end, even as he stood there with his arms crossed, a smirk on his face.
She grinned. It was finally going to end!
Come on, girl-child...
A high-pitched scream slowed her down as she glanced to her right, then stopped dead in her tracks. "Taila!" Airaen yelled. She took a step towards the terrified young girl, who stood some fifty feet away. The child's face was white with terror, her stolen sword long-forgotten at her side as a grinning fighter came up in front of her, sword raised.
Airaen glanced back at Ganon. I could...end it...right here....right here...
"Shut up," she told herself as she took off towards Taila. "Hang on, brat!"
Spinning her staff, she kicked off from the ground, rolled in front of Taila's assailant, then drove her staff into the man's gut, boring a bloody hole. As the dead man fell to the ground, she turned angrily to the terrified child. "What the fuck are you doing here?! You're gonna get killed!"
"I...I wanted...to...to help," the child stuttered, sitting down on the floor. Whacking another enemy to the ground, Airaen leaned down and picked the young girl up, holding her tightly.
"Stupid girl, when we get back, you're in so much trouble!" Airaen growled as she took off at a run, dodging any blow that came to her. Seeing Roh, she ran quickly towards him, rolling forward to avoid a parallel slice from a stalfos' sword. Growling, she kicked it along the side of its neck, severing the head, then took off at a run again.
"Roh," she said quickly as she came up behind him, "how are we doing?"
"You brought a child out here?!" he yelled.
"I did not! She came on her own!" Airaen retorted.
"Oh, I'm sure," Roh said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
"Can we save this for later?" Icarn hissed. "We have a problem!"
"What? Oh...that...is a problem," Airaen said quietly as she quickly realized that they were being surrounded. "Oops."
"Oops?! That's all you have to say?" Icarn howled.
"Are we going to die, Airaen?" Taila whispered in her ear. "I don't want to die."
"Of course not. You just close your eyes, we'll be fine," Airaen said, running her hands through the young girl's hair. "We'll be fine."
"Any bright ideas?" Roh whispered as the large host of fighters began to circle them. Airaen glanced down at her bandaged hand. Desperate times...
"But the others...might get hurt," Airaen whispered. She bit her lip.
"Did you say something?" Roh asked.
"What? Oh, no, I didn't."
What are we going to do?
##
"They're WHAT?!"
The soldier cringed, shrinking back from her. Zelda's temper was legendary, a trademark of her father.
"Um...Airaen and some fighters...went out there...while we try to fix the Gate, my Lady," he stuttered.
Link stepped forward. "And who's idea was it?" he asked, trying to come between the soldier and Zelda.
"Um...Airaen's idea, sir," he replied, shaking tremendously.
"That's IT! She is in so much trouble!" Zelda roared. She moved forward, trying to get past the Gate. Link grabbed her hand.
"No, you don't!" he cried, pulling her back.
##
Airaen remained silent and brooding as the horde closed in around them. She sighed. I will not die a coward.
She set Taila down, ignoring the girl's sudden cry of fear. Taila tried to clutch Airaen's hand, but she brushed her away. "It'll be alright, Taila," she whispered.
"Got a plan, Airaen?" Roh asked, turning to her.
Drawing her sword, she replied, "Nope. None."
"Oh," he replied, adjusting his own grip on his sword.
Airaen stepped forward, her eyes narrowed.
I will not die a coward. I will not.
She twirled the green blade in her hand and smiled. "I won't die a coward!" she yelled. She ran forward, her blade raised. "Break the line!" she cried to those behind her.
They yelled and followed after her. Taila felt both terrified and useless at the same time. Nothing but a nuisance...I'll never be able to help my father now. She stood, picking up a rock, and ran forward with a cry. "I'm not a coward either, Airaen!"
Airaen swung her sword parallel to the ground, beheading a man. A horse came upon her, bearing a rider she couldn't see through the blinding light of the sun. With a cry, she made to hack at the horse, when the rider yelled out, "Wait, Fidaya!"
She nearly toppled over. Shielding her eyes, she laughed aloud. "Master!"
The old man returned the smile, then rose his staff in the air, yelling, "Forward, Sidarians!"
From within Ganon's horde erupted thousands of fighters decked out in Sidar's armor. With a roar of Rohkensagen, they leapt into the fray, hacking and slashing at every enemy in their path.
"Back to camp, boys!" one of Ganon's captains roared. With a cry, they retreated.
Leaping down off his horse, Ahrima smiled. "You won't die a coward, eh, Fidaya?"
Airaen laughed. "I can't...believe it! What are you doing here, Master?"
"Later on, Fidaya. Let's get your friends back to the Gate, eh?"
She nodded.
##
"Hiiiiya! Take that, and that, you stupid lizalfos!" Taila cried as she slammed her rock down on a lizalfos head.
"Um...Taila, that's enough, I think," Airaen said, placing her hand on the little child's shoulder.
"Oh," Taila said, looking up at her. "Did I get him good?"
Airaen laughed. "Yeah, you got him. Come on, let's get back, okay?"
$%$$%
I'M REALLY, REALLY, REALLY SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG FOR ME TO UPDATE! I HAD WRITER'S BLOCK, AND I HAD TO REALLY GO BACK AND PONDER THIS STORY...I'm worried it's going MAJORLY downhill...please review and tell me what you think. Thank you for being so patient!