Author´s note: Hello all! I have been playing BOTW and waiting impatiently for more news of the sequel, so to calm my spirits, I´ve decided to write this story.
I have the general layout planned, but I will take my time to ensure I make as little mistakes and typos as I can!
Hopefully I won´t abandon this story!
Enjoy!
Chapter I
Reunion
"... Courage ...remembered... forgotten"
The muffled words echoed in every fiber of his being, he felt something in his chest growing, something inside his very soul. In his mind this something had the form of a light; golden and ever-growing. Every word Zelda whispered to him made him stronger, faster and determined.
He could hear his horse neigh nervously, but never wavering from the path link directed her to, muttering comforting words to her ear while feeling the thick and long mane gracing his face made him chuckle. The smile did not leave his face even as he lifted his gaze directly towards the demon in front of them both. Suddenly, as if afronted by his overconfident smile, the Calamity let out a thundrous roar that made Sonne neigh in a way that almost seemed like a war cry inresponse to that of the Calamity.
Clicking his tongue and patting Sonne on her neck he almost stood on the stirrups, while drawing his bow. Arrow knocked, and steeling his mind, clearing it from fear and doubt he aimed for the beast´s foul mouth. A second roar erupted from that gigantic cavity and a light was begining to creep from the insides of the monster. Just as this happened he let loose and the arrow flew straight for it´s throat.
But... nothing happened.
The pinkish light continued to build upt inside the demonic boar´s throat and he knew what that meant.
"Come on beautiful, faster!", Sonne ran like the wind, and even then it felt as if they were still at the monster´s foul breath reach. An earthshattering shockwave broke through Hyrule Field and seconds afterthat an earsplitting sound reached both Hylian and Horse.
Sonne suddenly reared on her hind legs and started to neigh uncontrolably, while the golden-haired hylian tried to soothe his companion, admittedly shouting, because he couldn´t hear anything. He noticed something warm drip from his ears all the way to his neck.
"Don´t let me down Sonne, we´ve been through so much. Hold on just a bit longer", the hylian said after glancing back and noticing that his equine friend´s tail was singed on some parts. They barely escaped the beast´s beam of dark energy. He did not want to push his luck again and started to circle the beast, looking for a weak point.
There was none. The only logical weak spot he had thought of was its insides and even that did nothing. He thought of using shock or ice arrows, there was no harm in trying. So when he completed a lap around the beast, he knocked a shock arrow and aimed for it´s throat. This time Sonne was describing a circle that made him let go of the reigns so he could laterally face the beast and take aim. Surely enough, the beast was preparing another attack and he took his chance. Iit was as if a thunder had struck his throat, and yet. The beast remained unflinched. He was starting to worry now. His legs started to feel sore and his eyes watered now in protest, he couldn´t see properly where he was going so he had to guess his general trajectory.
What do I do now, Princess?
He reached out to the nothingness that was praying. And no answer came to him. Big fat beads of sweat were now running across his forehead and some of them found their home inside his eyes, making it impossible to keep them open. Quickly latching the bow string to the saddle hook he wiped all the sweat, only to hear an all too familiar crunch beneath the hooves of Sonne a fraction of a second later.
His bow, his only bow lay in the scorched grass, broken.
Princess, Urbosa, Daruk... Mipha. REVALI. Help me, what do I do?!
"I might have to fight this one with my sword too, what do you think?" he asked. A neigh is all the response he got.
"I thought so too", replied the bowless boy.
An idea came to him, he could try and venture inside the forest, just east of Hyrule Field and fetch one of the now abbandoned Bokoblin camps. It was more than nothing. Worth a shot.
"You need to be brave again, friend. We have to egg him on in order for this to work!", Sonne shook her head in response and galloped even faster, mirroring the Champion´s determination. Courage and Power locked in a violent gaze, resulting in another roar that carried something else inside, almost sentient. He half smiled and waited.
"Open up, demon, I know you can´t shoot your energy faster than an Octorok!" He shouted malliciously to his nemesis. Just as the last words left his mouth, the beast started to charge it´s wicked energy while eyeing it´s sowrn enemy.
As soon as he saw the light starting to form on the insides of the boar he pulled Sonne´s reins to the right, towards Rebonnae Bridge and to the Lanayru Wetlands. He could hear the same ear-splitting explosion as before. It would not be long before the beast took aim at him again and burn the whole area to a crisp. He needed a bow fast. Luckily he found an abandoned Boko tower with some weapons laying around. To his surprise, two lizalbows lay there, in apparent good shape. He took them both, as well as a bunch of arrows and jumped back on Sonne, who was kicking the ground with one of her forehooves, waiting for his friend, impatient. For a split second they looked eachother in the eye, and the Hylian Champion could see his own reflection on her mare´s eye. His expression talked of frustration, fear and hidden somewhere, determination and courage. Jumping on her back, he clicked his tongue and on they went, across the bridge and the open field.
Wasting no more time, nor breath he cocked the arrow and took aim for one of the Malice´s eyes. This bow was not as good as the Great Eagle bow, but nothing could be done about that now.
The arrow shot straight to Ganon´s eye, and got sucked, as if the beast was not of a solid form. As is it were pure energy. But it drew it´s attention to him and slowly started to turn, shaking its head and roaring with fury.
He shot arrow after arrow at the demon, but to no avail. All the arrows did was increase the monster´s rage, and soon the entirety of Hyrule Field lay ablaze. It was providence that no living being called this place home anymore. Nonetheless, the Golden-locked Hylian kept trying, circling the beast closer and closer, aiming for it´s eyes, snout, throat, even it´s sides. Nothing seemed to work.
"What the HELL am I supposed to do now?" He screamed at no-one and everyone. He was desperate. Despair was the only feeling he could identify right now. His heart beat faster and his stomach was doing backflips with every lap around the beast. It was, quite literally, like running in circles.
He would have to duel with this thing on foot, and slash away the dark energy with his sword. There was no other option now. But how could he defeat a thing that was just as big as a mountain?! He found no answer, but he had no other option now, both lizalbows had broken, the last one he remembered too well, as its string lashed out and cut his brow.
"Okay, girl. There is no other way, I´m going to have to kill it with my sword, and I wont risk your life", Sonne neighed nervously, and turned her head sideways, as if to look at him. For some reason he felt she was not going to agree to that. Sonne started to run towards the beast, letting out what could only be described as neighs of rage, like a soldier leting out his last cry before battle. The Hylian was not in control of her mare now.
"Not giving up so easily, huh?" He muttered.
The hilt of the sword felt like touching a living being, warm and gentle. He felt it´s pulse of energy flow through him. Unseathing his sword he kissed the rainguard and muttered "Hylia give me the courage to meet my death, if it brings life to this land yet again".
Locked gaze, his sword hand gripping firmly, and his mind strangely blank; he thought of nothing but slaying this monstruous demon. This damned Calamity. He had to kill it, if he wanted to free all, to free her.
Do not fear Zelda, I will save you.
Just as he let out something between a roar, a cry and a wail. He could feel warm tears starting to swell over his eyelids, only to be drawn to his temples with every gust of wind that billowed past his face. It was near sunset, and he could see the edge of the sword shine bright against the impending darkness.
The beast oppened its mouth yet again, but this time Horse and Hylian did not slow down. Sword forward and letting out more yells and cries he stood on the stirrups again, for the last time, he thought. He could feel the air getting warmer as his enemy drew breath and prepared to end him.
At the same time, several things happened: An orb of bright golden light erupted from inside the beast, accompained by a soothing, and yet powerful sound, it was like the goddess herself was fighting now. He felt the very same courage fill his soul again. The orb of light pronounced something he could not hear, and from it, a smaller, yet just as bright, orb of light shot upwards and described a very narrow arch, as it shot downwards at an incredible speed, sending an enormous golden shockwave that drove the beast back, rearing on its hind legs and roaring in pain.
Link... Link...
LINK
He heard the voice very muffled at first, growing clearer each time. The all too familiar voice of his princess. He heard her voice inside of him, but he could also hear it filling all of the land, echoing what the golden light was doing at that precise time.
Link, you must fight this beast, you must defeat Ganon, but you mustn´t do it alone!
Link! You may not yet be at a point where you have fully recovered your poweror all of your memories, but Courage need not be remembered, for it is never forgotten!
Something inside his very soul unhinged and he felt like he could take on Ganon with his bare fists.
Look! There, at the beast´s feet it is one last gift bestowed to you by the Goddess across space and time. I will try and hold the beast a little longer!
Link, that was his name. That was the name his father had chosen for him. He had heard his name pronounced with that familiarity only once in this lifetime, but hearing it now from the source of his devotion was like being reborn again.
As soon as he could, he shook the reins and Sonne ran faster than before, her breath was ragged and heavy, she was tired. But they couldn´t falter now, not now that she was there, looking after him. Locking his eyes on the small orb of light on the ground, he let go of the reins with his left hand and leaned to the ground, ready to retrieve whatever this last gift was.
It felt...Odd, he could feel his fingers wrapping around something, yet, he could not say what he was holding, nonetheless he didn´t linger there for long, as the golden light emanating from the beast waned.
While Sonne galloped away from it, he took in what he was seeing. It was a bow, but not any bow, this one was made of...light.
"But I haven´t any arrows, Princess!"
You have fought valiantly, O Champion of Hylia. This beast holds no weakpoints as it is, but after my hundred year-long battle I have devised a way to expose it´s most vulnerable points. Aim truthfully and the arrow will find it´s true path!
With that, the golden light was no more and Ganon roared louder than ever before, through the corner of his eye he could see a flock of birds flying in anguish. Demonic fire spouted from it´s mouth yet again, but this time, he focused his aim for each of its limbs, aiming to disable him so he would not be able to aim anymore.
He took aim, and motioning just as he would with any bow he pulled the string, that started to glow with the same golden light as the Princess, and out of his curled up fingers, a single speck of light started to form what could only be described as an arrow made of light.
The arrow shot straight to the point he intended and as soon as it made contact, there was a flash of light and an ethereal sound filled the air. Light was literaly exploding and driving back the darkness. Thrice he repeated this, until the beast fell to the ground.
A single column of light erupted from its forehead, and so he heard the Princess beckoning him, encouraging him.
The beast was writhing on the ground, wailing, roaring and letting out bursts of energy from its mouth, leaving a trail of fire after them. There was no doubt in his mind now, the Princess was trapped there and this arrows were the only thing that could break Ganon´s spell.
Riding as fast as he could possibly could, he saw the demon spit yet another beam of malice, he jumped off of Sonne and as if time had stopped, he took out his rickety but trusty paraglider as to take advantage of the updrafts created by the hot air the flames created.
For a moment he saw the beast´s eyes one last time, feeling a mixture of hatred and pity, but voicing none of them, he aimed for the light, and the beast let out a yelp of pure pain and the column of light grew bigger, until out from it shot a minute figure. Zelda
As if hatred gave him new energy the beast found strenght to get up again and roared at the princess. Zelda did not move, her face was solemn and determined. The beast reared up, preparing another attack, just at the very moment she lifted her arm up and three golden triangles emanated from the back of her hand. She let out a shout and out of her hand, a golden ball of light erupted and swelled so fast he would have missed it if he had blinked. He could feel the warmth of her energy but the light did no harm to him. The light engulfed the foul demon, and he was no more.
Just as it had begun, it was over. Ganon had disappeared from the face of the Earth. Hopefully for good this time.
The Princess stood still for a while, her back to him, as if waiting for him to come to her.
When she spoke, her voice broke a little, "I´ve been keeping watch over you all this time..." He felt the last words trailing off... "I´ve witnessed your strugges as well as your trials in battle...", it was as if she was working her way around the thing she wanted to say... so he waited.
"I always thought-" she cut herself mid sentence, "-no, I always believed, that you would find a way to defeat Ganon...". She finally turned around and faced him. Her green eyes locking with his own blue pair.
"Thank you, Link", she said as if she was sorry for all that he had gone through. When in reality it was him that felt that way. Even all his strength all those years ago hadn´t ben enough... and yet, there she was... not meeting his gaze with these words.
"...the Hero of Hyrule", she finally said with a soft smile. But something still lingered on, he could feel it.
"May I ask...", she took a deep breath, "Do you really remember me?"
A barrage of words, questions and nonsense came to his mind at the same time. Making it impossible for him to speak. He felt a lump in his throat, he swallowed hard and smilled, letting a pair of tears roll down his cheeks. Zelda mirrored his smile and soon the duo was laughing. It was a laughter of joy, of reunion. He felt whole again.
They laughed and laughed until their stomaches both hurt and were gasping for breath. The had sat down on the grass. They spoke no words, but looked at eachother meaningfully. The northern air swept her golden hair to the winds and her face resembled a little sun.
Sonne nibbled merrily Link´s ear, as if asking for that same joy. He pet her head while whispering ´We did its´to her, his princess looked at the scene sweetly and simply sighed peacefully.
When their hearts were content, and their stomachs growled with hunger, they both shared a last laugh and stood up, ready to make their way to... wherever it was they were going. He did not care, as long as he was with her.
Just as they started to walk, a deep voice echoed through the land.
"My daughter..." Called a familiar voice, echoing through their minds, though not quite the way Zelda´s voice had echoed inside of him moments earlier.
"Father?" Croaked Zelda, "Father is that really you?", she said to the air, looking for the source of the sound.
"Princess, my dear..." trailed off a second voice, a very familiar female voice.
"You did well, both of you!" Boomed a third one.
"I guess you did alright, Link", chimed in another one, it sounded as if the owner of the third voice was mock-strangling the fourth under his arm. They both chuckled.
"I knew you could do it, Link... Princess", said the last voice, the youngest. A tinge of sadness could be heard on her.
They both looked at eachother in shock.
"Father? Urbosa? Daruk? Mipha?" Called Zelda.
"Still mad at me, Revali?" added Link. He didn´t know why but he got the feeling that the Rito champion was smiling the same way he was.
"We are inside the castle, come my children", said solemnly King Rhoam.
