Kyou's War – Part 9


-Royal Palace, Kanyou-

Ganondorf knocked a Qin's shield out of the way and beat down on the man with his swords. The sword dented his armor and crushed bone, but could not cut through. The man grunted in pain, but zealously kept fighting. Straining with effort, Ganondorf shoved a fist into the man's armored chest and released a burst of flame. The small explosion sent the man flying back, and he did not stand back up.

Ganondorf huffed. Sweat poured down his body. His vision grew blurry for brief moments. All around him he saw his fellow Majora were also sweating like rain. They were growing smaller in number quickly now, exhausted as they were in their unrestrained mindset, and even the Fae were not enough. The Fae took the brunt of the battle, true, but the Qin was adaptable. They grouped up on the Fae, used spears and shield to hold them back, and gave ample targets for their archers. The archers coated their arrows in oil, and lit them aflame.

Coated in flaming oil, the Fae had to flee their wooden forms. Fire was not an element, and while they could shape oil as easily as water, touching it would expose their frail bodies to lethal flame.

Simply the Qin had figured out how to fight Fae much quicker than they had hoped. To make matters worse, their tactics were something foreign to Ganon. Every minute or so Ganon heard a high pitched whistle. As soon as the whistle rung out, another Qin would rush forward at him while his target would flee. At first Ganon thought this meant they were winning as the Qin fled.

How wrong he was. The Qin commander had trained his formation well. Every whistle meant for half of his men to rush forward into the fray while the other half stepped back to take a breather. So while the Majora grew exhausted, the Qin did not. Ganon had picked up on it too late.

Ganon smiled gleefully. If he lived this day, he wanted to share a drink with the Qin commander. He had completely underestimated the man. It was a worthy battle.

Ganon saw another shape charge forward, and expected another warrior to charge him, but something felt off. No whistle blew. And as the shape stepped into the clear he realized it was but a young boy... a child. Ganon lowered his blades, however the boy was not watching where he was going, as his attention was behind him, and ran face first into Ganon. The boy fell on his butt, and was about to give Ganon a tongue lashing, but gasped in fear. Ganon breathed heavily, his red eyes poured down through the horrific mask, his flaming hair flowed tangled down his back, his skin was black, and his large swords were jagged. To the child, Ganon was the visual depiction of a demon.

"Prince Kyou!?" Ganon heard the Qin commander yell. The commander tried to rally his nearby men to go after the boy. Ganon could only raise an eyebrow. This was the prince? This youngling that was about to wet himself?

Ganon grabbed the boy by the shoulder. The boy found his strength and resisted, but he was weak.

"Stay back..." The boy whispered. "Stay away! You mongrels, barbarians! You dare to touch a king!?"

Ganon grabbed the boy's jaw tightly while holding him to himself. It was at this point the boy got the message and stopped screaming. The Qin commander stopped moving at the silent threat to his prince, and all around the battle slowly ended. The Qin did not move, lest the Majora leader kill their king. In turn the Majora took a moment to breath. They were on the verge of collapse.

"Release him." Zelda forced herself through the crowd into the open. "He is my problem."

"Princess?!" The Qin commander stammered in shock. His eyes drifted in the distance toward Midna's barely conceivable corpse, but it was still there.

Ganon kept his tongue, and simply nodded. This was her domain, her home. He would respect his role as guest and be at least somewhat compliant. It grated at him, but she had respected his home. He would do the same. He released Kyou.

Kyou tried to make a run for it, but Zelda was quicker than him this time. She punched him solidly in the face.

"Kyou." Zelda said. "You are nothing more than a fool. A fool who believes that the fortune one is born with equates to their total value. A fool like you, who can't even see the people beneath his feet, is unworthy of king."

Kyou stumbled and tried to fight back, but it was immediately apparent how different they were. Kyou was a nine-year old boy who had been spoon fed his whole life to believe he was special, that he was better than the humans beneath his feet. He had maids, butlers, guards, servants at his every command and come a few years he would have concubines and wives and the kingdom might have been his without him ever once having to lift a finger. Zelda was a twelve-year old girl who had been hostage in a hostile land, beaten to within an inch of her life on a regular basis, starved, betrayed by the people who should have loved her most, and survived through strength of will and cunning while fighting dogs for scraps and stealing. Even with her mind almost gone and no hope in her life, some shred held on until finally hope found her, and she refused to let go of that hope. She hadn't then, and she wouldn't now.

"What kind of warped education did you receive, Kyou?! The people are not as simple as you think! Nor are we, as royals, so much loved as we would like." Zelda briefly glanced to Link. "While you were staring at your throne and the heavens you believed you sat on, you lost sight of the people. You know only how to trample them! You know nothing of it! You know nothing of the people!"

Desperate, Kyou grabbed a sword lying on the ground. He swung at Zelda. She leaned back enough to avoid being hurt, but his wild slash still cut her stomach. It was a shallow cut, she barely felt it. Instead of flinching she reached in and stabbed him clean through his arm.

Kyou screamed bloody murder and fell clutching his bleeding arm. "M-my arm! I'm bleeding!"

"... so what? Its red. So many people have died spilling the same blood, all because of you. The very fact that you cannot see that is why you are alone. I have an army at my back. The royal guards defended you, but now are merely watching. Your very chancellor has left you behind. But do you see now? Can you comprehend pain?"

"YOU BITCH! YOU WILL NEVER GET AWAY WITH THIS, YOU HALF-BREED, BORN FROM A WHORE WOMA-" Zelda hit him in the face so hard his jaw dislocated.

Before, she had restrained herself to see if he could give some proper answer, to see if he was remotely repentant. But to hear him refer to her mother...

Zelda said ominously, raising a fist above his head as she lifted him up by his hair, "Kyou, allow me to teach you the people's pain..." She pummeled into his face.

None could say how long it lasted. How many times she beat her fists into his face. Ganon watched stoically. At most he felt the girl was a bit unhinged as when the boy mentioned her mother the look in her eye was... not right. Link felt physically ill as the blows rained down and blood splattered from the boy's lips. The Majora did not move, the Fae hardly cared, and the Royal Guard, though wanting to defend their prince, would not attack their princess to do so.

"Can you feel it?" Zelda demanded angrily. "Can you feel pain? Can you begin to understand what you have done? You murdered an innocent girl thinking she was me. You slaughtered entire villages you should have sworn to protect to chase after my image. You burned crops that would have fed the hungry. You turned our own army into traitors. You nearly made brother to fight brother in a civil war! You murdered our servants in the palace, and put our royal guard in a position to have to choose between us! You have nearly given Ketsu the throne, because whether you realize it or not you are nothing but a puppet to him! If not Ketsu, then Ryo would have taken the throne from both of you, easily! In the instability you have caused, Qin would have been torn apart by the surrounding kingdoms, the vengeance of the Majora would have been meted out on innocent people-" Ganon nodded grimly. "And at the end of it all the only thing you can think about is a chair and one girl!"

Zelda would have continued to beat him angrily in the face, but a hand grabbed hold of her wrist in mid-swing. She snarled at whoever it was, and saw it was Link. She stopped. Something about him made her stop.

He was afraid... He was afraid of her.

"Look at your hands." Link whispered. "If you keep going you may kill him."

Zelda glanced at her fist in his grip. Her knuckles were bloody and the skin was torn open. Odd, she didn't feel a thing. She didn't feel the cut on her stomach; she didn't feel how bruised and bloodied her hands were.

"So what?" She whispered back harshly. "What do you care? You're just here for revenge."

"You're right. I did. But I've found revenge... isn't all it's cracked up to be. I think enough blood has been spilled by all of this, don't you think?" Link replied. "Look at him. You've won."

Zelda looked at Kyou. Kyou's face was swollen beyond recognition. His eyes were sealed shut by the inflammation, but tears of pain still poured from his eyes. He shook violently and whimpered apologies to whatever would listen with a dislocated jaw. His arm was still bleeding. He hadn't bled out because the sword still lodged in it was keeping the blood from flowing freely, but it would need to be tended to immediately.

He was right. If she hit him perhaps even one more time, she might crack his skull and kill him.

Zelda recognized the feeling inside her, this numbness. It kept her from feeling pain herself. It was something she had shoved away, so she should be able to feel some pain, but she didn't. She also knew the cause. It happened when her mother was brought to mind or mentioned.

"Despite how sick I feel from having to say this: I agree with the boy." Ganon said. ("Hey!" Link barked.) "Whatever your brother did, he is still royal blood. That has value. If you want to execute him, if you want to spare him, it's up to you. But the middle of a road is not the place for it in a fit of anger when you have already won. It demeans both of you. A proper show of power is also power over yourself."

Zelda closed her eyes. They were right. Dindamn them, they were right. She knew it. Having to admit it was hard, but she would anyway. The madness had taken hold briefly, and she knew if she was in her right mind she wouldn't have gone this far to begin with.

Zelda stood. She looked to the Qin commander. "Will you contest my return to the throne now that the prince is defeated?"

The man shook his head.

"Good. Then stand down. I want this rebellion to end with the fewest deaths possible, so I will spare your lives."

"You will?" The royal guard wondered. They whispered amongst themselves and wanted to cry in relief. They had feared their lives were forfeit.

"I will want to speak with you later, as you bear responsibility for them." Zelda told the commander of the royal guard. The man gulped, but bowed and saluted himself.

The Royal guard as a whole dropped their weapons. In turn Ganon sheathed his own, and the Majora followed his example. Link sighed in relief. "It's over."

"Not quite... Someone take Kyou to the doctors, and place him under armed guard. He is under house arrest." Zelda replied. She cast her eyes toward the distance. "Elder, how fast can you run?"

"Fast. Why?"

"Then let's go! Quick as you can! We have not a moment to lose!" Zelda ran down the road away from the palace. Confused, Elder followed, picked her up, and ran as her steed temporarily.

This left Ganon, Link, and everyone else standing there wondering what to do with themselves. The Qin commander gulped nervously at the barbarian and the walking tree-horse-man-things.

"So..." The Qin commander muttered. "Um... Who are you?"

"Best we attend to the wounded." Ganon cut him off. Ganon barked orders to his people in their language, and they set to work doing what they could. They inspected the living and dead to set to account who they could save. Ganon asked, "Do you have enough doctors? How do they treat outsiders?"

"Right. Um... normally they wouldn't want to associate with enemies, but I think technically you're allies now... since Zelda has taken the throne."

Ganon stared at him.

The man took a step back nervously. "Why don't I go fetch them?"

"Yes... Why don't you do that?" He acknowledged.

The man raced away. The other Royal guard tended to the wounded as best they could. However there was still a great deal of tension in the air. Both sides were relieved it was over, but it was still... odd... being next to people who had just been trying to kill you just minutes ago.

"Awkward..." Link whispered.

"Mmhmmm." Ganon grunted. "Why don't you make yourself useful and let everyone know they can stop stabbing each other?"

"Oh! Shit!" Link raced off to the palace.

-Genyuu Pass, Zelda-

For the Fae Elder, leaving Kanyou was a simple matter. He could scale walls quickly and the soldiers scattered across the city were too shocked by the sudden appearance of a giant wooden spider being ridden by a young girl to react in time. Zelda could do nothing but hold on tight as she could as the Fae traversed the top of buildings, up walls, and back down. She could breathe easily again and loosen her grip once they were traversing the open field.

Ahead in the distance, it was as Zelda feared. Ryo's chosen general was much more skilled than Ketsu's. While Zelda did not know of Ouki's game with them, she knew Ryo would have the overwhelming advantage. Ryo's general was reported to be one of the few men in all of Qin who could fight Ouki in a contest of strength; and this was but one of Ryo's assets. The Chancellor surrounded himself in powerful tools and champions of all fields. Ketsu... did not.

Ketsu's army was forced back into a full retreat from Genyuu Pass, and Ryo's army was giving chase. It was a small army made up of horsemen that gave chase, as the Pass forced the army to funnel through.

"Go right in between them!" Zelda yelled. "We have to stop them!"

Elder chuckled. "You want to fly directly between two clashing armies? You sure that is wise?"

"Perhaps not, but until all sides are stopped this won't be over. Kyou has been removed from the throne, but Ketsu is the source of the problem. I don't know what Kyou would have been like without Ketsu, but I do know he is partially how he is from Ketsu's whispering and tutelage. Kyou was the puppet, and the most obvious problem, but he was incompetent. Ketsu is the one pulling the strings and has most likely been the one to do the things Kyou will inherit responsibility for."

"What do you mean?"

"Does that child strike you as the type to know how to employ armies? To know where to send them, what tactics to use, what their objective is and how to accomplish it? Kyou's desire, knowledge, and ambition are narrow and direct. He wants the throne, and so long as he sits on it then details mean nothing to him. He knows nothing about managing anything, giving specific orders. The kid barely knows the geography of Qin. I greatly doubt Kyou has ordered most of what Ketsu has done in his name, but lets his 'teacher' use his princely power freely because Ketsu ensures he sits on the throne."

Zelda sighed. "I pity Kyou. He had the power of a king, and rather than use it responsibly, he gave it all to that man. Now all of Ketsu's actions will be on my brother's head."

"Then are we to kill Ketsu here and now?"

"No. Ganon spoke of a 'show of power'. It's a bit outside of context, but Ketsu's treason is worthy of public execution." Zelda pulled her bow from her back and prepared an arrow. Elder slowed his pace ever so slightly. She carefully stood. "Ketsu will be the man in the caravan box. Can you capture him?"

"I can. Ready yourself, Princess."

Elder sped toward the gap between the two armies. The horsemen of Ryo were closing in with Ketsu's back flank of soldiers. Zelda saw a number of Fae leave Elder's wooden form and swim in the ground at their feet. Immediately the ground around them shook violently. Zelda briefly closed her eyes to pray.

It would be close, but she had faith. Something she had been taught is that all authority is passed down from the gods. That all leaders are there for a purpose, and that they have power over man because the Goddesses wish it.

Zelda was here for a purpose. She had to believe in that. Otherwise... what was the point? Was it Nayru's will that she retake the throne? Was she to be the champion of Naryu from her dream? Zelda did not know the answer, but she wanted to place one last gamble. This time she wouldn't gamble with other people's lives, but on her Goddess alone. If Naryu will it, then Zelda would win. But if it were Nayru's will, then failure in this final moment would result in Zelda being torn apart in between the teeth of two entire armies.

Sensing it was time; Zelda opened her eyes and let loose an arrow.

As if in answer the arrow exploded into light and a shockwave rippled in its wake. The shockwave tore the ground between the armies. In the explosion of light, sound, air, and shaking earth, the horses panicked and halted their charge and stumbled over themselves. The fleeing army stumbled over themselves or scattered.

The ground beneath Elder's feet rose suddenly, and from the earth erupted massive vines. The vines knitted themselves tightly. Elder's feet landed on the vines, and he merged into them like a diver in water. Zelda landed roughly on them, but the vines continued to reach and roll across the ground. In moments a vine wall had exploded across the ground between the two armies in the wake of her light arrow.

Just as quickly as it appeared, Zelda felt it stop. A vine gripped her hips tightly and kept her from flying off, before releasing her. Breathing heavily, and a little shocked by the power of the Fae, Zelda stood on unsteady feet. Reaching up, she climbed out of the vine wall she had gotten encased in. She reached the surface, and stood on top the wall. On one side was Ketsu's army, and on the other side was Ryo's army. Both armies had halted in the shock of what happened.

Elder took advantage of the shock to infiltrate Ketsu's army, ride toward the caravan box, and throw himself into it. Immediately the box moved seemingly of its own accord and sealed itself shut. Ketsu yelled frantically and tried to escape, but to no avail. With his prize taken, Elder ran for the capital.

A caravan box running on little legs across an open field with a screaming man inside is rather comical in hindsight.

"Enough!" She yelled loud as she could in the silence to follow. "I am alive! The rebellion is over!"

Ryo's eyes widened at the sight of her. He and his captains had been enjoying a glass of water under the hot sun when it all happened. Abhdan spit out his drink in shock, and Ryo felt his cup fall from his loosened grip. He was entirely frozen at the sight.

"Ryo?" His captains asked. "Is that really her?! Could the princess be alive?"

Abhdan chuckled madly, "Oh-ho! Oh-ho! I don't know how! But she fooled the entire country! Oh-ho! Oh-ho!"

Ryo's lips slowly curled into a smile, he released one chuckle, then a second, and before long he bellowed in laughter. He clapped his hands together happily. "Good show! Wonderful!"

"Even though it means you have lost your chance at the throne?" Abhdan wondered.

"Lost my chance? No." Ryo smirked. "I couldn't be happier. She fooled everyone, even I! I was disappointed she amounted to so little, but it seems I underestimated her. I have been completely beaten, and I love it! I haven't lost my chance, old man... I merely get to enjoy the game a bit longer."

Ryo looked to his captains and took their attention. "You heard the princess! This rebellion is over! Pull all forces back, and send them back to their homes with word: The princess lives! Prince Kyou has been defeated!"

Meanwhile on the gate of Genyuu Pass, Ouki and his first-in-command stood on the gate watching. Ouki chuckled at the sight, especially enjoyed the sight of the caravan box running of its own will, and eyed the princess critically.

There was something about the sight of the princess standing alone between the armies... no! Not between! She stood against both armies! By her power alone she stopped two entire armies in their tracks! She did not stand merely as a princess, but for a brief moment, as a conqueror. It stirred memories in Ouki, and for a moment he remembered King Shorlin more clearly than he had in years. He felt his heart ache.

"Interesting..." Ouki muttered. "I thought nothing of the prince. The boy was a child incapable of growth. He would have been little more than a child even through his elder years. But this girl... she's something different. What was her name?"

"High Princess Zelda, sir."

Ouki nodded. Before, he never bothered remembering. He had been there for the rise and fall of the last four of Qin's kings, and dozens (if not hundreds) of princes and nobles. Remembering the names became a chore.

"Zelda..." Ouki repeated. "I think I'll test her."

-Royal Palace, Kanyou-

Following her victory, Zelda felt there was one final thing to do. It was impractical, yet symbolic; and being a princess the symbolic made it practical. The army of Ketsu surrendered to Zelda, and the officers in charge were imprisoned. Zelda ordered that messengers be sent out through the kingdom to inform the cities and forts that she was on the throne once more, and she sent messengers and heralds throughout the capital to restore the peace. The Majora were allowed entry all the way to the palace and were her honored guests for the time. Already as she returned to her palace she found the Majora and Royal Guard alike were celebrating the end of the conflict. It was something of an enigma to her.

"Something confuses you, princess?" Elder wondered. He stood by the palace gates once more as a wooden centaur.

"The Royal Guard and the Majora were killing each other earlier today. Now they are drinking together, laughing together, and trying to piece together broken dialogue when they clearly do not understand each other's language... and it isn't made any easier by the drink. Have they forgotten they were mortal enemies moments ago?"

"Why don't you ask them that question?"

She shook her head. "I am too busy. There is too much to do."

"Perhaps there is much to do, but much has already been done."

Zelda opened the door to the palace and entered the throne room. Blood was still on the floor, but the bodies had been moved. Link stood nearby with Matsubi and the Qin that followed her. The men were probing him to try a drink they handed him, and despite his distaste for the smell, he was bought by peer pressure. He coughed up everything he drank immediately to the men's laughter and cheers.

Elder continued, "Even a monarch must rest her head, princess. As you say, Kyou may have been lax. Perhaps he rested his head too much. But you, I see, rest your head too little. Enjoy the night for what it offers, high princess. The work will be waiting for you tomorrow. Look to yourself, you are weary enough."

As if to prove him right, Zelda stumbled over her own two feet and would have fallen had he not caught her arm. Blood covered her fists, her voice felt hoarse from yelling so much, her feet were raw, and her hair was soaked with sweat. Her vision blurred around the edges and she was shaky. He was right, she was weary. She had run all day on adrenaline, and now she was beginning to feel the pain of the cut from her stomach and her bleeding knuckles, as well as a large assortment of bruises.

"Then allow me one last thing," Zelda said. "Help me walk."

"Very well."

Gently, Zelda walked across the throne room. She took the steps one at a time until she reached the top. Releasing Elder's grip, she took hold of the throne's armrests, turned, and sat on it. Immediately a great weariness came over her, as she had not rested her feet a moment since they caught sight of Kanyou that morning. She hadn't rested properly even before then, in Majora's village, as the tension of what she knew was at stake plagued her mind. She hadn't properly rested in the Fae grove as the same stress rested on her mind, and the same could be said of her time in Midna's village. In fact, Zelda could not think of a time she could recall she had fully rested without a great burden on her mind.

Even now that burden was not gone. There was too much to do. But her body refused to listen and gave in. Feeling the throne under her allowed her body to realize she had won fully and utterly this day. Perhaps she could allow herself a moment to rest.

"You look like an old woman." Link chuckled.

"Shut up, monkey." Zelda mumbled.

Matsubi gave Link a look, and Link raised his arms. "What? She collapsed in the chair like an old weary woman!"

"Still is rude, though." The man replied.

The Qin's merriment went on for a time until Elder shushed them. "If you want to celebrate, then take it outside," he said.

"Your right. Let's take this outside." Matsubi agreed. He left the throne room with his men to look for more drink, but Link stayed behind a moment. He ran up to Zelda.

"You really shouldn't-" Elder reached out to stop him from ascending the steps, but Link was already by her side.

Zelda didn't open her eyes or move at his presence. Link whispered, "Want me to get ya something?... Princess? Hello?" He proceeded to poke her. But she did not so much as twitch. Realizing what it was, Link merely smiled and left quietly as he could.

Elder looked back as well. In the time he has known her he found her to be perhaps a bit paranoid about her personal boundaries. She was a light sleeper, if she allowed sleep at all. More so, she allowed no one near her. For her to fall asleep in their presence, and so deeply that she wouldn't stir when touched in the face... she was truly exhausted. She most likely would not stir for a day. Which was fine, with the way the men were drinking they wouldn't want to stir for a day either. Even Ganondorf Dragmire was participating, trying to outdrink everyone in a contest and was succeeding. Elder closed the doors and stood by, content to watch the men's merriment.

He never gave her the answer she wanted. The soldiers did not forget the bloodshed, but that knowledge and concern could wait. Later they could mourn the dead, today they celebrated the living.