7
Linking heaven and earth
The night Link left Hyrule, he sent a message to general Fallder, this read: "Most respectable General Fallder, by my own mind-set I wish that you inform Princess Zelda about my quest in one week's time. Before that she must not know. I trust in your discretion. The highest rules upheld. May all of us be wise with our share of time."
Zelda gathered all of the fleet as well as the foreign armies in a few weeks. Her true power as leader and sage had emerged. Not anger was her stimulation rather it was love, indeed the greatest power in the world.
Ganon could not believe his eyes as he saw the large navy through his entrance. He turned to Link and thrust his sword into his chest and drew it out full of blood.
Outside the remains of the evil army protected the coast for little and became overwhelmed in less than a quarter of an hour. The troops landed and went straight for inside the tower. Zelda took the master sword incrusted in the land. The rest of the sages followed her into the tower. Ganon fought with his magic yet no creature came to his aid. The power of the sages and the soldiers took him; they exhausted him until he fell on his knees. Zelda took the master sword and lopped the evil king's head. She ordered to burn the corpse outside and kill every monster on island.
Almost at the top, inside Jarlon's quarters laid Link's dead body soaked in his own blood. His clothes torn off with the blade, his neck missing the diamond and his bare hands held fast to the ground indicating his agony.
Zelda's dry face contemplated his body so brutally injured and changed not. She returned his stained sword to his hands and pressed them against it. "this is my last gift. Take it, it is your spoil of war." She muttered. "captain, bring a sheet to cover him. bring him out carrying him over your shoulders as it should." The captain approached and with his own cape covered the body. "also, send notice of his demise to the kingdom for due funeral preparations."
Without saying more she left to her own ship and sailed to Hyrule. Throughout the entire journey she spoke to no one, left not the cabin. Neither did she shed one tear. Deep inside her, emptiness expanded consuming her feelings as well as her thoughts. She felt as though the sea of numerous memories drained into an ever-deep abyss.
The funerals were gloom; they were held inside the temple of time, great crowds attended and heard a speech given by Lord Radiant and princess Zelda.
One talked about the duties all of us held, that we are valuable to our own. It was his duty to protect, moreover his life was guided by the sword, it was only fair to perish by it in due time.
But not Zelda, she talked not about a duty rather about his responsibility to the people. She expressed Link's lack of feelings; he could not feel pride for his own glory nor patriotism. He felt nothing for the people he protected; still he defended them with his life.
One man knew the value of leadership, of family and kingdom. Yet he did not feel it.
"set your heads up high, smell the clean air. A man who cared about you not in the smallest fraction has just bought your freedom with his own blood. Remember him for what he was. Be true to the facts and enlarge them not. And also remember that I loved him for what he was." That was the part of the speech everyone would always remember.
Once the speech was over, Link's coffin was loaded into a wagon. He would be buried next to his mother inside the kokiri forest, to dwell with the dead Deku tree.
Zelda took the wagon and went to the kokiri forest where Sariah would be waiting. As a sage, the princess could go inside the forest without fear of danger. To get the coffin past the entrance, he pulled it with wheels set on the base.
Sariah waited standing on the other side of the tunnel, holding her tears as much as she could. When both met, a feeling of compassion came over them and for the first time considered themselves friends.
They walked towards the Deku tree's grove in a great silence, even the crickets dared not to talk. noticing that the princess felt awkward by the silence Sariah explained.
"they remain inside their homes for they mourn."
"Do they consider Link as their kind?"
"No, they thank Link and wish they had been kind to him."
Even Mido stayed indoors as he joined the mourn of the whole forest.
A grave was dug already, and with their powers they laid the box inside and covered it with dust. The once childish and lively kokiri girl kept a straight face; avoided loosing serenity while they finished burying. As their tradition followed, they marked not the gravesite.
"Nid goel lin." Said Sariah once they finished.
"what does it mean?"
"May his soul rest." She replied but her cry became obvious, she continued to speak clenching her teeth. " I warned him not to go, yet he did not listen. He would not listen." she sobbed and then looked up to the princess, the tall figure looked back at her with dry eyes. Sariah hid her wet face behind dirt-filled hands. "What will become of me? How am I to see the world and tell it Link has left?"
Sariah cried out loud, ashamed she ran to her house and locked herself in.
Zelda remained alone next to the grave, seeing the little girl four times her age crying for the loss and then wondered the same. Nothing else to be done, but for that day, and only for that day to question about the present and perhaps fear the future.
" I do not know what will become of me either." She said to the heap of dirt. "today the heavens mourn, joining are the trees and the fairies, Impa told me. I care neither of them nor the people inside the walls of the city. For far too long I have heeded to other voices than my own. For far too long I have thought of others and have nothing in return. For far too long I loved you without certainty of your true self. Nonetheless nothing shall change; I have made my decision and will follow your example. Today my heart broke for the last time and will die as this great tree: from the inside. Empty inside, I shall be named thus your example I follow. To act without feeling, to speak without voice."
She walked back to her horse slower than usual, her head low and hooded. "nobody could understand your speech, yet everyone knew your heart."
She returned to the castle and greeted sombrely to the mourners. King Kafei of Termina arrived as well as the prince Rundarck of Pershiom, Sirion of Urikia, princess Ruto of the Zoras, Darunia of the Gorons and Hatboro from the Gerudos. Other royalty as well as nobles came from near and distant lands to mourn with princess Zelda the loss of the hero of time.
By nightfall she requested not to be disturbed again. She ordered the soldiers to clear the floor from the west wing. She walked the stoned walls alone, in the dark. Her soft shoes dragged creating a small rubbing echo only she could hear.
The night was clear, still cool different from the nights she spent in the warmer seas past the yimtag keys and the lower westward sea. The wind blew strongly almost violently, and then ceased so a howl could be heard. She remembered the last night they were together, the very similar night. She remembered how the moon was their only witness; it was the only one that saw Link grasping feelings. Heartache was coming; she could feel this but did not want it.
The wind blew again, stronger this time and a bird called. Zelda bore it no more as she felt her chest aching. Crying, covering her face she fell to the ground defeated by her emotions.
"why?" she wondered. "where is the fairness in this?" she found no comfort in her religion, no comfort in tomorrow and particularly no comfort from the other sages.
Well intentioned, they all were nevertheless useless when all she ever loved in life was taken from her so violently. She failed as a ruler, as a sage and as a lover. He failed in keeping his promise. Nothing could be more ill than that. Everything but that, the princess could bear.
As the cry went on, a voice from the roof was heard, a man's voice.
" Is something the matter?" Zelda knew that voice. She looked up and to her surprise saw general Black Mask.
"what are you doing here?" she stood up and stepped back.
" I have come to pay my respects. I apologize for the irruption but your soldiers would have never let me past the city gates." He leapt down to the ground.
" Leave at once or I shall call my guards."
" Did you know that I could kill you before you do that?"
"Move, and I shall kill you first."
" I will not do such thing. I wanted to pay my respects because contrary of what you think, I cared very much for my boy."
"he hated you."
" Yes, he also tried to kill me several times. And when he made no attempt he wished I were dead. None of that matters to me, he was flesh of my own flesh and the only thing left from my late and dearest wife."
Zelda did not believe his words; she was ready to use her powers and call for her guards as she kept a safe distance. Black mask approached the balcony attracted by the glow therefore viewed the city and the lights of the thousand candles representing Link's departure. "The special oils from the green branches." The general thought. "This is worthy of a king." He exhaled and the princess watched closely. "I cannot believe he is dead." He said out loud. "He walked the right path of the warrior. They tell me he could not feel but I know his extended arm had his sword facing the enemies and his heart facing his cause." A glitter in her eyes could be seen with the pale light.
"Did you teach Link that?"
"Yes, when we both left searching for my army at the mountains."
"He taught it to my soldiers."
Underneath the mask, the general hid a tear. His chest swelled for one moment only. He said nothing to the princess but in secret he smiled.
"Tell me about him. I beg of you, for only this night, forget I have threatened your kingdom." And bowing he closed his eyes hoping for an assenting word. Zelda could not believe her eyes. The man who once had a blade to her neck now bowed to know about a son who hated him.
"Join me for tea. Tonight we talk; tomorrow we deny this ever happened." Both of them went for the library where a pot would always be ready by the fire. They sat in opposing chairs away from the fire. Zelda treated Black Mask kindly knowing it would be over the following day.
"The rumours are strange and inaccurate. I am his father yet I know so little of him. How did Link come to be what he once was?"
"Only Link knows for sure. Mysteriously, even when he had never used a sword, the grip came easy for him. Pressing on against an overwhelming foe is not done easily; you and I know that. Every time I saw him, he was different. He was stronger but less a person. "
"He travelled the world for eight years. Why did he do this?"
"Premonitions. He knows when someone is in danger, for that reason he left and continued searching those in need. "
"That is how we met then."
"Not quite, Termina sent for him." a question came to mind. "Speaking of which, what did Link tell you to leave the kingdom?" Black Mask sipped his tea and stared at the princess wondering why she was not aware of it.
"You never spoke to Link about it?"
"He refused to mention anything about the matter."
"He told me he fought for love."
The words stroke Zelda deeply. Her dead heart overwhelmed at the fact that perhaps Link could feel. Her mind flashed to that day, their first kiss, the morning after he returned from Urikia and finally their last night together. As she recalled, not agony but cheer she felt.
The feeling broke through her sad expression; barely had it done though a great achievement.
"And you felt sympathy?" Black Mask chuckled before sipping tea again.
"Odd, Link said the same thing. Has sympathy become very common in Hyrule since I left? No, that is not it. Sympathy is a brotherly feeling, it is mutual; I feel not such thing for I love no more. What I felt was fear for he held the most powerful force in the world."
"The triforce?"
"Love, princess. That makes the warrior invincible. The lust for power or greed cannot compare to the passion emerging from a loving heart, especially if he defends what his heart desires. Have you seen a city in flames? Have you seen a melting mountain erupt? How do you shield against such powers? The final destination for a warrior is home, you see. We are prepared to die for anything necessary, yet deep within ourselves we secretly long for setting aside our weapons and embrace life. To embrace what we love." Zelda could not believe that such romantic words could Black Mask express, in such a casual manner as if they were war strategies. But his speech was not bejewelled by pretty words. The strict truth he spoke, only that it has been long forgotten.
Zelda felt it again but it stayed briefly. One thought struck her.
"If that is true he wouldn't have died."
"Yet you are still alive. Maybe love is what kept you. Perhaps even that was Link's choice that you prevailed and not he. Many suppose that we walk a path of our own choosing. I think that we all walk together and we go different directions to keep a balance. It is possible that he brought to an end his path so that yours could go beyond."
"I do not think so. I think he made a terrible mistake by going there alone. He planned to kill the evil king, Impa told me so. And he did not even scratch him. He went there out-manned, out-posted and under geared."
"There is that possibility as well. It does not matter anymore. To honour him, I shall kill the man who slew my son."
"There is no need for that." Princess Zelda drank her warm tea. "He is dead already."
It took her some time to realize that Black Mask had become surprised enormously at her words.
"How do you know that? Who told you so?"
"My own eyes. It was I who took his life and his head."
"When?"
"A week after he left, one of my generals told me this, Link sailed with a ship that could only leave port with royal permission or notice. I discovered where he had gone through searching the dungeon island by the Yimtag keys. In four weeks time I gathered my fleet, the foreign armies and the seven sages. An island we found under the circle of eternal beams. A rock cave and a passage to the other world where that island was. We found the docks still smoking. That very same day that Link arrived, several hours later we did.
He knew he couldn't do it by himself and still he went first alone.
That is why I say he did the wrong thing. Why are you surprised? Do you think I can only order?"
Black Mask answered after a while. Before that he scratched his head ban became uneasy.
"Unless my own eyes were cheated by some spell as they have before, Gannondorf lives. He was seen throughout the skies with his foul monsters. Even I have seen such host."
Zelda did not believe his words. She thought maybe he had been cheated again. But one dark and heavy thought came to her mind. It was actually a memory, recalling the day she sailed into Sendrh Uchia. The master sword did not glow amidst the darkness. Sendrh Uchia, or rather what she thought was the evil dominion was nothing but a creation. Everything was false including the man she killed.
Her stomach felt uneasy as her sight revolved around that small detail. Suddenly she heard the wind outside the window. Too strong and too constant it felt; with the force, the window opened and she heard wings fluttering. Black Mask drew his weapon and reached the open window. Outside he saw a dragon and Gannon riding him. "Zelda!" he yelled. Black mask threw his bombs towards the dragon yet the fire from the beast's mouth consumed them. The strong wind from its wings threw the mask off the general's face. Zelda came to the window to presence her failure.
"You think you killed me! But I live and hold these creatures. Merely a creation of mine you slew but he killed Link. I left that so I could go on and find these creatures. You shall die but not before you see your kingdom turned into ashes."
"Get down." the general fell over the princes dodging the fire from the dragon.
The rug and some furniture caught fire but across, the books were all burning. Both went outside and saw a great horde of these dragons attacking the city.
Commands were shouted, the soldiers shot against the monsters. Some dragons dropped skeletons to fight inside the castle walls. "Stop it!" she yelled towards the fading figure. Te princess ran downstairs as Black Mask followed. Once in the courtyard he realized it was not his duty to protect her, however he did not want her to perish in the hands of he who killed his son.
Some trees had caught the fire; most of the guards were about shooting to the dragons then from a distance a couple of soldiers yelled. Suddenly she dodged a blade from a skeleton but immediately black mask destroyed it with his sword. "Seek hide, you are not safe here." He said. But the Zelda did not waive rather she stepped forward and radiated light that turned the skeletons to a heap of litter and scared the dragons. But her powers did not keep them away. They left for they were called back. A raid and a taste this had been, of the greater damage there was to come.
Black Mask stood in awe as he had a look at the princess one more time. What he failed to see before was not clear. How she could wield such power was foreign to him.
"I would believe that Gannondorf left his dominion not to seek other creatures but to escape your powers. Had he been there I doubt not he would have perished." He said. "I trust you know how to deal with him."
"You leave." Zelda turned to see him.
"This is not my fight. If you fail, I shall see to avenge my son."
Without a reply, the general took his leave. Zelda stared at the flames from the dragon's breath illuminating the otherwise dark courtyard. As the soldiers brought waters to quench the blazing fire, she took a time to think about what had happened. She thought about Link giving up his life so she could have peace once again and how useless the campaign had been. "You died in vain." She thought. "I told you to think of me. Everyone told you so."
The next day, the servants were picking the ashes and the spoiled furniture to take them out. In the tower, king Hark wondered about what to do and if his daughter could bear such burdens on her young shoulders in spite of her wise head.
She reunited the council of war to its full faculty which had twelve men, joining were the sages. Around the table inside the secret quarters, they all listened to Zelda.
"We must make our stand; now that Link is gone, sparing no one. Every able man must take up arms and fight. Too young or too old is of no importance." She said.
"I believe all the sages should come to the walled city and protect you." Said Naburoo of the Gerudos.
"And leave my own kingdom?" said Ruto of the Zoras. "You might not have responsibility to your people but I need to seek the safety of my own before anyone else.
"Link was my brother." Darunia of the Gorons stood. "He would have disapproved your choice."
"He was my husband-to-be and I lost him to her." She pointed to Zelda. " Should I loose my kin for her also?"
"Quiet all of you." Sariah stood and as never seen before she spoke her mind in a state of agitation. "Link has nothing to do with this. He is dead for he was rash. Ganon on the other hand will attack the walled city. His numbers are great; his ranks swell by the hour. An army shall march to these gates and after taking this, he will want to kill the rest of our kin. I say if he wants to fight, we should meet him here gather all the armies and fight."
" One moment child." Said general Harpion of the cavalry. "why would we take heed to you? You are no military strategist, and what you said is hardly a counsel I would follow."
"careful who you call child, general." She replied. " I am 83 years old and a sage. Do not mistake me for an ignorant who speaks her ignorance. And, Madame Nabooroo? I support your idea."
The rest of the sages agreed at once. Ruto had no choice but to be in agreeing with the rest.
As they went on talking another raid started. The ground shook and dust emerged into the air. "boom, doom, doom." Was heard as a giant drum beating. But no drum was used, it was simply the paws of another creature sent by Gannon, this one was inside the city.
All of the soldiers and sages came out of the room and went into the outside gate; beyond it they saw a serpent-like monster using brute strength to rip apart the houses and the stones.
Crowds and crowds piled against the roads screaming for their lives away from the roaring and unknown beast. Many of the skeleton soldiers emerged from its back and a great host of dragons over flew the skies breathing fire to anything that moved.
"Forward! Infantry see to the skeletons. Get the archers up the towers and the sages follow me!" cried Zelda. "Quickly, if we must, we die this day!" they all ran towards the monster even before the soldiers could follow the orders given.
Darunia braced himself and rolled against the one of the leg, the smash did not do much. Impa, Naburoo and Ruto climbed up the back of the creature and with their weapons started cutting the flesh. Their knives and scale bounced as they had hit a fresh tree with a dull blade. The monster shook trying to be freed of the trespassers from its back. Rauru put his hands up high and shouted in great voice. "Behold the light!" his person radiated a clean light, brighter than the sun of noon over their heads. The white light not only paralysed the creature's eyes, it also burned its green face. The scolded flesh made Impa run to the head and drive her sword down the eye-lids. The splatter of blood fell over many, and then Darunia pulled something from a satchel and opening the monster's mouth he threw it inside. The bomb was big enough to destroy the brain inside the hard skull. The archers could not kill the dragons but kept them away form the castle until they were summoned back to the evil king.
The seven sages panted next to the corpse of the lizard that terrorized the city. Many of the people gathered around it but the princess asked them to step back, in case there could be off-spring or foul smell.
"What is Gannon doing with these raids?" princess Ruto asked.
"he is testing our strength." Said Rauru. "I wouldn't be surprised if any of your kingdoms are under some kind of attack."
None of the sages confirmed any battles against some monster, at least none they knew about. Ruto, Darunia, Naburoo and Sariah decided to go back to their kingdoms and be sure they had everything under control. Zelda, Rauru, Impa decided to stay inside the castle.
As they went back, Zelda ordered the soldiers to inspect the area for any skeletons wandering around the city, to man the walls, arm the reserves and in any possible means, to take away the carcass of that monster laying at the square.
Once inside the castle court-yard, a soldier came to her. He had no helm on and seemed to be agitated.
"your highness, I need to speak to you." He said bowing.
"what is it?"
"it is about last night, the raid." Before he could carry on, the captain of the guard intervened.
"what are you doing? I told you not to bother milady with that!" he dragged the soldier away but Zelda stopped him.
"I wish to know what he has to say."
"but milady, this man… you shall not like what he will say.
"let me be the judge of that, captain." She said. The captain let the soldier go and from a few steps he looked down to the ground and went on with his story.
"you see, milady I am new to the guard but learned quickly everything about the soldier's duty. I took the teachings of master Link as a sacred command. That night I felt that I was invincible. However when the dragons came, we could not kill them, their scales were as hard as steel. We tried everything but their flight and fire breaths made it impossible for us to kill them. We did not. Yet if you go to the west wing garden site you shall see three dead dragons. That is because… because….." Zelda did not say a thing neither did the captain. "what I saw was a figure, a shadow. I heard a chain and a very familiar clanking sound. The dragons fell on the ground. I was hurt and my eyes were covered with blood, but I know that I saw…. I saw master Link.
Silence. The captain shook his head fearing the worst for that soldier. Princess Zelda approached the soldier while he knelt on the ground. She asked him to stand up and when doing so she slapped him as hard as she could.
"Did you not hear my speech? Did you fail to understand? Do you know what enlarge means?" she looked at his eyes, even though he tried not to look, he was both scared and fascinated by them. "Forget that far-fetched story and never say that again."
"But it is true…"
"Stand down, or you shall go to the dungeon."
"I say this because I care about you."
"Captain" she hollered and the man came swiftly behind the soldier. "Lock this man in the dungeon; see that he learns a lesson."
The captain was quick to follow her command. The poor soldier resisted but only to continue with his story. "Please believe me." Was the last thing she heard from him. Impa and Rauru wondered why a man would believe such things for someone else. They could believe if that man had lost someone close to him, of his own kin; therefore he would have the burning desire to think he was still alive.
They returned to the castle both to be safe and make sure all the soldiers would bear arms. Impa, however did not go to make sure any of that, her curiosity fed inside as starving strayed cat they compared her to. She wanted to see with her own eyes what she witnessed before. Of course she had no expectations; her hopes were not high for the loss was not great. Nevertheless, she did see something.
The night before, she was about her own business since the princess requested to be left alone. She respected her wish; after all, the major threat in the worlds had been already annihilated. She wondered about what things might become and what tomorrow would bring. When she suddenly heard it: the fluttering. The wind tasted of smoke from the rooftop she climbed. She ran towards the courtyard to see and there they were: the skeletons and the dragons. For just one moment she gazed with amazement and almost in awe for the man who they thought dead was alive and cleverly tricked everyone in the kingdom.
She leapt into the space drawing her sword. She landed over a dragon and killed it breaking the neck. And falling she threw her weapon towards another one about to spit fire but the blade impaled its mouth and the monster fell. Then she heard another dragon falling behind her and running away steps. She left quickly to fight other skeletons and try to ward off the dragons. And while she ran she remembered: that last dragon was killed by someone skilled, yet there were almost no soldiers in the courtyard.
And this morning as she went to where the carcasses lied, she examined the wounds of the three of them. One had a wound direct to the heart, made by either a great spear or a harpoon. The discovery did not startle her. "I am confident there is an explanation." She thought. It did not matter that much. She learned over the years that the very things we cannot imagine are the most stupid ones; therefore we could not imagine them in the first place.
She got to the courtyard and saw the dragons lie down, their blood had been washed off and as for carcasses their wounds were obvious. The first one fell on its head and its neck was completely bent over. The second had the hole on the back of its head; the hole wasn't that visible yet so much dried blood gushed from there. Now the third one was strange, there was a wound directly to the chest, whatever made it was without a doubt amazing force to strike through such hard skin and the bones.
Inside, the wound went perfectly in and out, now the hole was big the weapon went in clean but was drawn out and tore the inside. Impa had seen this kind of wounds before, in many place actually, however she saw this often from one person or rather from one object: the hookshot. She shook her head in disbelief. There was no reason to believe this. The shadows were her living force; she knew so many things unbearable and those secrets were unveiled to her for that she knew them perfectly. "I refuse to believe this nonsense." She said out loud and left the courtyard. As she walked back to the main hall, she stumbled upon Rauru.
He stared at the dragons from a distance and returned to see Impa right in front of him.
"The soldier was right, there are three dragons dead here."
"That's right, but it was I who killed them."
"Then for what reason did you come here?"
She had no answer for that. Indeed the curiosity drove her there to examine the carcasses yet she did not know what she expected to find. Not that the tale turned to be true… no, impossible she thought. There is no way he could be alive. "I saw him die with my own eyes. He was not breathing; he had lost most of his blood. Nobody could have survived that."
Rauru on the other hand approached to see the strange wound on the dragon. He recognized, even when he had never held a sword that the wound was made by some other weapon; one specifically came to mind.
"Careful about your conclusions, sage of light, if you say the wrong thing it might be you going inside the dungeon." She said with her familiar smile.
"I was not about to say anything." He replied while he gazed at the wound and the flies around. "Actually, yes I was about to ask if you killed this one."
"I did not."
"Who did it?"
"I do not know."
"Strange, the soldier said they killed none."
"He did not see me either, perhaps the man responsible was another soldier that neither he o I saw."
"Is this the wound of a sword? Or maybe a spear? It certainly is not from a rock. I am no fool, Impa, this was made with the hookshot."
"You shall not torment my lady with such nonsense." Impa quickly intervened. "She has enough to worry about."
"I am saying nothing or implying that he might be alive. I simply see that this was made by the hookshot. Remember that Link found it, it was made by a craftsman and not especially for him. There might be another one that a soldier possesses."
Impa saw no reason to continue the conversation. She left without saying anything. Rauru's words troubled her; just uttering the same he said made her shiver.
Without anything further she left as the same for Rauru, minding about other business that did not include bringing back the dead.
The next morning, the sight of rain calmed the fire-fearing men patrolling around the walls. The castle was in an uproar, the halls swelled with soldiers getting ready. Many runners went to the villages and summon the reserves as well as conscripts. From every land the fleet gathered as many men as possible; they were to come to the Hyrule castle for Gannon wanted it for the prize. He cared not about the lands; he wanted to destroy the core of the kingdom. The castle, the temple, the royal family, the big market all had to go, and for that he spared no expense.
Zelda supervised everything personally, even when Impa and the council had their duties, the princess immersed herself into every detail. Catapults were brought; the scientists developed earlier a sort of acid that could peel the dragon's flesh and compressed it into very fragile rocks, some wizards even reproduced Link's arrow in a less accurate way for the archers.
The soldiers gave the people a sense of security, however Zelda worried it couldn't be enough. "Gannon's magic might be more than we can bear" she thought but quickly contradicted herself "no, he has done this before. He has made us believe we are doomed and all hope is lost. It is never true. Gannon is a liar; even his great force is a lie. He cannot win." This she hoped with all her might, which one may say is not little.
At the top of every tower, were two watchers in search of distant armies to come to prepare in case of an attack. They felt it was imminent, any moment now. At the same time they hoped and feared another quiet hour.
Rain poured heavily over the soldier's armours as tiny hammers sounding in hollow clanks. Not a single one of them rested their minds; it is imperative to be alert in order to make a stand.
The generals took the position of the captains, they agreed that in order to make a better defensive position they would have to actually make several positions, to make the city not one stronghold but many strongholds. At the centre of all of it the castle had round it many catapults, hidden archers, reserves and replicas of the message arrow, this to attack any other flying creature.
In the midst of the rain and the grey curtain it formed, one of the watchers noticed something moving in distance, first airborne very distantly but then he saw more dots barely noticeable. He pointed it to his comrade who immediately yelled: "air raid! Eastern wall!" But the yell was not alone; many more from their different positions yelled the same. From the east a big host of dragons, flying lizards approached, from the north a force of skeletons and ogres to smash the bridge gate along from a far came dodongos ready to eat the castle walls.
Zelda stood behind with the castle guards and Impa; Rauru had to return to the temple of light in case the temple would be breached again. Gannon might forget about the triforce, or he might just take it.
The catapults launched rocks and the crystals, most of them missed, the ones that hit took it's time to make the effect. A volley was ordered; the arrows did little damage. The princess saw everything from a distance; the men were enough to keep them busy for the moment. In any case if the walls needed reinforcement there was a signal for it, quite unmistakable also. If Zelda saw a green light that meant to reinforce there, a tactic often used during a siege, which is done save the troops until the precise moment.
The eastern wall kept firing upon the dragons, incoming in huge bands that circled around spitting fire to the houses and towards the soldiers. Fortunately for the soldiers an over roof was built to protect them from the corrosive fires. The catapults on the other hand were not so fortunate in spite of being guarded by the archers; they caught fire fast enough to become disabled.
The princess clenched her fists at the sight of her beloved city being attacked; but amidst the anger and anxiety she felt needed and in despair; she felt it once before and it had been terrible. She quickly gathered a company on horse and ordered a second company on foot to reinforce the gates. The first band rode towards the gates and found them ruined with the ogres inside the city going after the castle. Zelda leaped down from her horse and ordered the men to ride against the ogres. Ten of them tall, the size of three men and five around, with pieces of the wood they clubbed everything around; their thick skin made it almost impossible to inflict a proper wound. Five of them went straight for the castle; the company of riders was not nearly enough to keep them. Zelda attracted them hoping the foot soldiers would arrive. Only one followed and the rest were diverted by some archers. "Shoot the dragons!" She yelled. Then the reinforcements arrived being more since one of the archers had shot the green arrow; they tried to kill the ogres but the men were enough for only four of them, there was still one after the princess; unable to use her powers without the aid of weaponry, she dodged the swift clubbing of said monster. She was standing in front of the temple, then she thought of using her powers at least to escape, that is when out of the sudden, she saw the ogre dash through the air and into the temple, something hit it. She almost felt faint when she looked back and saw all of the ogres killed and the amazed men standing around the carcasses also looked up and saw the dragons leave. Zelda rushed inside and saw the ogre killed, the hookshot still hanging out its bleeding chest and the Kokiri sword stuck in the throat. Her eyes could not believe the pedestal empty, even at such distance was visible. Footsteps from wet boots, from the ogre to the end of the temple and outside the voice of the hero of time yelling in deep, deep anger "Gannondorf!"
The princess went outside and she could see it at the top, the man yelling being not an illusion or an impostor, simply a miracle.
"Gannondorf... Gannondorf… Gannondorf!" that was the last thing she heard before fainting under the heavy rain in the middle of a huge and amazed city that had just gazed someone from the dead.
