A/N: Here it is, my beloved fans! I present to you the final chapter in my story! I hope you enjoy and read the next story in the continuing HA Saga! Well, read on and review!
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Chapter Fourty-One - One Last Charge... For Zelda
In the middle of the town he stood, ready and waiting. At an invisible signal, he took off, vaulting over the low-roofed buildings. He quickly approached and passed the gate, weaving his way across Hyrule Field. He scrambled up the walls to Hyrule Castle Town and landed silently inside the walls. Shooting through the Market, he steered himself toward the large castle. Passing undetected, he arrived at the gate,which he jumped easily over. He scaled these walls as well and came to the top. He ran along the top of the wall, stopping whenever he saw life. Twice he stopped and hid in the darkness while guards passed. Once, right above the courtyard, he stopped as well.
He saw the two figures sleeping underneath the ancient rowan tree. On any other day, he would just assume that they were two star-crossed lovers napping under an old tree, lost in each other, but he knew better this time. One was none other than the legendary Hero of Time, Rescuer of Hyrule, and the other was the Princess of Destiny, although she was not known by that name anymore. He watched for a moment as they slept, blissfully unaware of his presence at the wall.
He continued his journey. Running along the wall for a few more yards, he dropped onto a small hut that was obscured by the garden's numerous trees. He opened the door and walked in, closing it behind him and obscuring the room in darkness.
"You came," a feminine voice noted.
"Of course," he replied. "Now, what is it you want?"
"Your Queen there has set the wheels in motion, but has neglected to finish it off. We need you to do that."
"Sounds simple enough. What do I need to do?"
There was a rustling of paper. "Here, take this to the head guard."
"Gotcha. That's it, though? Just drop it off?"
"You have to put it inside the station house."
"I see." He opened the door, allowing the slim light to fill the room, revealing a small desk with a Gerudo thief standing in front of it. She wore the customary outfit of the Gerudo thieves, but instead of the twin blades, she wore two large sheathed armlets strapped to her wrists. In the moonlight, she examined the fastenings on one of the armlets.
He stepped out of the hut and launched himself up the wall. He quietly but quickly dashed along the wall, not stopping until he reached the station house, the 'home base' of the guards. He opened the door, walked in and sat the scroll on the large table.
"Hey, who are you?" a guard demanded, walking in.
"Me? Just a helpful friend." He backed up and hurled a Deku Nut to the ground, vanishing in the bright light.
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Link awoke to the sound of a fist banging on his door. He sat up, ignoring the fact that he was in his bed and had not fallen asleep there, and shouted for the person to come in. The door swung open and one of the countless guards stepped in.
"Ser Link, you have been called."
"Called? By who?"
"By the Queen, sir. She wishes you at the forefront."
"The forefront? Come on, give me something I can understand."
"The battle has begun. The great battle of Hyrule."
Instantly awake, Link jumped from his bed. "Tell her I'm on my way."
The guard nodded and left the room. Link scrambled to get dressed and ready. He grabbed his sword and bolted from the room.
As he left the castle, he found the area around the castle deserted. The Market was almost as bad; the only living things in the area were soldiers. He ran out the drawbridge and found himself in the middle of what was obviously a war camp. Link saw Zelda near a group of soldiers. He ran over to her.
"You have done well," she told one of the soldiers. "Keep it up. The fate of Hyrule may come to lay on your shoulders, and I believe that we may be well off, for now. Ah, Link," she said, noticing him. "I see you were still asleep?"
"And what makes you think that?"
"You've got your tunic on backwards."
Link chuckled, embarrassed, as he righted his tunic. "There. That better?"
"Much. Now, you know our situation, right?"
Link nodded. "Yeah, I think. Ganon's forces are right in front of us. They outnumber us almost two to one. The Gorons are not here yet and there's been no word from the Zoras, which leaves us as well off as a fish out of water."
Zelda nodded. "That about sums it up. As we speak, our forces are amassing at the front line, where they await my command to charge. Mount up, because you're coming with me."
"Sure, just lead the way."
"Epona is waiting for you." Zelda started walking, Link following close behind her. She stopped at the stables and opened the door. As if waiting for them, Epona and Zelda's warhorse walked out to them. Link mounted Epona and drew his sword. He waited until Zelda had done the same before following her down a small path.
At the end of the path was a large group of soldiers spanning out across Hyrule Field. Some were on horseback, but for the most part, they were pikemen or swordsmen. Four of the horsemen rode up to Zelda.
"My liege, we await your order."
Zelda nodded and turned to the hundreds of soldiers that were readying for their march.
"Men of Hyrule, each and every one of you have answered the call to arms against the foul invader Ganondorf. You have proven your loyalty to the Crown today, and soon, you will prove your loyalty to me. The foul King of the Gerudo has attacked our lands and even now marches on Hyrule Castle. He thinks that he will overrun us. He thinks that we are weak. But he is wrong! He will not overrun us because we are strong! We will show him the true might of Hyrule! He thinks he is powerful and do you know why? He has surrounded himself with people from across the sea and he holds the Triforce of Power. But you know what? We are stronger than these warmongering seamen! And he may have a third of the Triforce, but I hold a third of the same and Link holds the other piece! He has more troops, I admit this to you. Do you see them, over there?" She pointed to the far army that was steadily getting closer. "They wish to eradicate us from our fair Hyrule! But this is our land we fight for! Our homes! Our very way of life! We fight to protect the ones we know and love! This makes us strong! We must stem the tide of battle and throw their advantages in their faces! Now, I have one question for you all! Are you with me?"
There was a deafening roar and a cheer went up. Zelda nodded, satisfied. "Good! Now, let us show Ganon what a Hyrulean does when provoked!" She watched as the army before her shouted and started marching toward the army before them.
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"Ganon! You have called us out in force! You march your army to us and yet you do not show your face to me! Have you no honor?"
The army before her slowly spread, allowing the great Gerudo King to ride forward. "My Queen, you ask if I have no honor? To be honest, no, I do not. However, just this once, I come to meet your call. Well, it's a surprise to see you, Link," Ganon said as Link came into view.
"What, didn't think I'd live?"
"At first, no, but no death is without its doubts."
"So, your minion couldn't do me in; you think you can?"
"It's evident he's trying," Dark Link said, riding up on a horse darker even than Ganon's midnight black horse. Both rider and steed seemed slightly translucent, the army behind them barely visible.
"So, come to fight for your boss, have you?" Link growled.
"Pitiful, really. Such skill in swords is wasted on heroes."
"I'll make you eat those words!" Link shouted, drawing his sword.
"Is that a challenge?" Dark Link demanded, drawing his own blade.
"Boys, now, save the fighting for the battle," Ganon chimed. Link came so close to lobbing the Gerudo's head off right then and there...
"Link, respect the traditions," Zelda reminded him. Link grumbled and sheathed his sword, prompting Dark Link to do the same.
Ganon started to turn his horse around. "I don't see the point of continuing this discussion. I'm not going to turn back and you're not going to surrender." Zelda nodded and she and Ganon rode to their respective armies. Link and Dark Link, however, stayed.
"You might as well give up. Ganon's got superior forces, the Triforce of Power, and me."
"Well, that may be, but this is our homes, Zelda's got the Triforce of Wisdom, and I'm here. You'd just do better turning around and leaving."
"I don't retreat. It's dishonorable."
"You're talking about honor? To me?"
"Yes. I'm just as honorable as you, but I see it in a different light. If you don't believe me, think about it. All those times you'd end our fights almost dead, I could have easily slaughtered you afterwards. However, killing the wounded is low even for me. Of course, Ganon has no problem with it, but that's why I'm not him."
"Well then, we shall do this the honorable way - death on the field of battle. I shall see you soon." Dark Link nodded and Link turned away from Dark Link, approaching Zelda.
"I thought you said never turn your back on your enemy," Zelda said as he arrived.
"Just watch." Link turned to face Dark Link by Zelda's side. Dark Link nodded and did the same, turning completely around and not looking back until he arrived at Ganon's side.
"Mind explaining what that was about?"
"Well, when I turned from him, he could have easily killed me with either sword or bow. It's the mark of a true opponent that doesn't take advantage of that. By doing the same, he showed that he respects me enough not to take a cheap shot, and I the same."
Zelda nodded thoughtfully. "That's one of those complicated 'Knight's Code of Honor' things."
Link shrugged. "More or less."
The two armies didn't have to wait long for something to happen. Ganon pointed his large sword forward and the entire army charged. Zelda, surrounded by her troops, did not give the command to charge.
"Wait for it... Wait..." Suddenly, as they were almost on them, she shouted, "Now!" The army shoved forward, smashing into the startled army.
Link saw Zelda ride forward, a fire in her eyes that he had never seen before. In fact, Link could've sworn that they seemed to be crimson for a half a second. He ignored it, however, and rushed to catch up with her, swinging his sword, killing any who would get near the Queen.
The battle soon became a blur. Link fought and fought and fought, but no matter how many seamen or monsters he felled, there were two more to take their place. He could only charge forward, ignore the cuts and slashes, and hope that the Goddesses would grant him the power to ebb the flow of troops. He was on Epona, he was off Epona, he was on the grass, he was on the walls, he was clean, he was bloodstained, everything became mixed together. He watched as those around him, both friend and foe, were struck down. Soon he could not even tell the difference between Moblin and human, between Gerudo and ReDead, everything blended together. The only thing he did know was that he had to keep swinging, his sword must keep flying, that if he succumbed to the ache he would die and when he died, Hyrule would fall. So he kept swinging, he ignored the horrid smell of battle, he embraced the small bursts of adrenaline, ignored the long periods of pain, he did not feel the slices into his flesh. He did not know whose blood he had on him, nor whose was taking up most of it.
He felt someone pull him off of the ground onto a horse. Zelda's voice rang true, asking him if he was alright. He nodded and she dropped him off where Epona was. She was a sight to behold. There was an assortment of monsters surrounding Epona. As Link ran over, he saw Epona's front hoof lash out at one of the creatures, then another. Link laughed and jumped onto Epona's back. She whinnied and rose up on her hind legs while Link brandished his sword in the air.
"Fear the wrath of the Hero of Time!" he shouted as Epona landed and dashed forward. Link brought his sword to meet as many enemy troops head on as he possibly could.
Five times Ganon's forces broke through their lines, and five times he was pushed back by Link and the surrounding troops. The battle raged on for hours, neither side giving in. Link charged forward and attacked at one of the weak points in the enemy lines, pushing through Ganon's forces. Once in, Link set about to do as much damage as he possibly could do, leading his troops around small chunks of the enemy, leaving small pockets everywhere. Soon word reached all of Ganon's troops of the man on the fiery red horse, brandishing a sword red as blood. He left a swath of death behind him as he went. He was fearless, as it seemed.
In truth, Link was weakening. His reserves were almost extinguished, he could barely lift his arms, his strength was sapped. In short, the Hero of Time was almost spent. He used what little energy he had in him to charge once more, a desperate push into the fight.
As he charged, he noticed a rumbling in the ground. "Pull back! Now!" he shouted, retreating. As soon as they were out of the way, the ground erupted in a large plume of dust and fire. From the hole in the ground, Gorons flooded onto the field. Link heard several more explosions and knew that they were going to be okay.
At the same time, there were joyous shouts from the river as Link saw dozens of Zora warriors appear out of the water. He saw Ruto at the head of the column, riding a strange blue animal that was similar to a horse. She rode up to him.
"Perfect timing!" Link shouted.
"Well, we couldn't leave you hanging, eh, Brother?" Darunia said from behind him.
Link laughed. "Goddesses bless you both! Somehow, Ganon's supplementing his troops from somewhere. For every one I kill, two more take its place! And trust me, I've killed a whole lot of 'em."
"Well, we're here to help!" Ruto responded. "Zoras! Charge! For the Crown! For Hyrule!" She pulled what looked like an extraordinarily large fish bone from a sheath by her side. Link saw that both sides of this strange bone sword were deadly sharp.
Darunia needed no weapon. Each punch sent enemies flying back into the rest, each body slam cracked even the ground. He and the Gorons decimated the ranks using some sort of explode-and-flood strategy. Link watched as Darunia went left and Ruto went right. He took the middle.
He charged, swinging the Master Sword left and right. He pushed into one of the knots of troops and, as usual, shattered it. He rushed recklessly forward when he heard the one noise he had hoped never to hear: Zelda shouting for help.
He jerked Epona around and saw Zelda fending off about ten or twelve extraordinarily large Moblins. Link charged forward and dispatched four with one swing. He took care of the others while he pulled Zelda onto Epona. As he tried to kill the last one, it hurled the spear at Link, which he dodged. However, he heard the sickening squelch of it tearing through skin and muscle and heard Zelda gasp. Instantly, Link turned to Zelda, urging Epona to the back of the lines while he looked at the wound. Deciding that it had cut through several muscles, although nothing that would cause permanent damage, he started to pull back. Zelda, however, stopped him.
"No. For my people, I must fight."
Link nodded and rode over to her horse, which was holding up quite a decent fight. Zelda jumped to her horse and the two charged forward again, determined to take back lost territory.
The two fought and charged, leaving a trail of death and destruction behind them. Together, they were unstoppable, a veritable tank. Link soon lost count of how many fell under their blades. Link saw a spear whiz past him and he chased down the Moblin who had thrown it. He jumped to the ground as the creatures piled in around him.
Perfect. He brought his hands to his side, then stepped forward, slamming them into the ground. "Din's Fire!" A wave of fire erupted from him, evaporating the monsters surrounding him. He then heard Zelda call out his name.
He, along with most of the army turned to their Queen. She was surrounded by large bear-monsters. Link jumped on Epona as one of the bear-things slammed Zelda across the chest with the handle of his large spear, sending her flying off of her horse. Link and Epona charged over to where she was and lifted her onto Epona.
She was barely breathing, knocked unconscious. Epona took off toward the castle in the distance. Link watched as the troops followed his movements sadly.
They dashed across the drawbridge and up to the castle. Link dismounted and lifted Zelda off of Epona. He walked up the stairs to her room. As he placed her on her bed, she groaned.
"L-Link?"
"It's alright, Zelda, you're safe."
"Wh-where am I?"
"The castle. You got slammed bad down there."
She forced herself to stand, each and every wound sending spasms of pain through her. "N-no. I, I have to fight."
"You'll get yourself killed!"
"I am the Queen and as Queen, I must protect my people." She started to walk to the door, but Link blocked her way.
"No. I won't let you get yourself killed."
"Link, I have to do this. The fate of Hyrule lies on this fight!"
"I don't want to lose you again!" Link shouted suddenly. "You've almost died once already, and I'm not going to let you ride off to your death!"
"Link..." she started but Link cut her off.
"Listen. Everyone has their own talents, their own hidden abilities, if you will. It's how we use them that makes us who we are."
Zelda nodded as Link opened the door.
"I will return for you, Zelda, this I swear."
Link looked at the battlefield before him. The armies had pulled apart, allowing a short time to recuperate. He looked first at Darunia, who seemed to have started riding a rather familiar red Dodongo, and Ruto on her fish-horse mount. Each nodded to the other, and Link stopped in front of the weary army. Each soldier, no, each person looked back at Link with a look of defeat in their eyes. They had lost all hope when Zelda had fallen. Link turned to face them. Instead of giving a speech to motivate the troops as Zelda did, he merely drew his sword. He turned to face the opposing army, which had actually shrunk by a considerable amount. He pointed the Master Sword directly at Ganon in the distance.
"For Zelda!" he shouted, charging forward.
"For Zelda!" rang every voice in the army that was to save Hyrule. Beaten and battered, each and every person carried the cry until it reached as far as it would go. The full force of Hyrule marched toward a hopeless battle, Link's battle cry still ringing in their ears.
"For Zelda."
