Chapter Nine: The Calm Before The Storm
A ruined temple, somewhere in Hyrule…
The two witch sisters known as the Twinrova despaired as they felt the severing of Demise's spirit from the earth, hidden away in a secret lair.
"It can't be, sister!" Koume cried, hiding her face in her wizened hands. "How could we have failed our lord so utterly?!"
"Peace, my sister," Kotake replied, having an easier time controlling her dismay.
"Peace? Peace?!" Koume shrieked. "How can there be peace?! Demise has been completely annihilated, and our son, our son, has turned on us! Our life's work is gone, Kotake! Three hundred years of plotting and planning, all for nothing! What do we have left?!"
Kotake put her hands on her twin sister's shoulders, and looked her square in the eye. "We have each other, Koume! And more importantly…we have a desire for vengeance."
"How can we salvage this disaster, Kotake?" Koume asked.
Kotake cackled wickedly. "As the brains between the two of us, I've already come up with a plan!"
Koume lightly shoved her sister on the shoulder. "You, the smart one?!"
"We will make them all pay, my dear sister. We will have our revenge, even if we must serve another to do it."
Koume's bulbous eyes widened. "Are you thinking what I think you're thinking, sister?"
Kotake grinned, flashing her yellowed, rotting teeth. "I think it's time we paid this 'Lord Sauron' a visit, sister…"
XXXXXX
Hyrule Castle...
Never before had Zelda imagined in her lifetime that she would permit Ganondorf in her private, personal quarters. Link, perhaps, in a few years, once he was old enough to fully inherit the noble titles left behind by his father as a Knight of Hyrule, but certainly not the man who, up until recently, had been her greatest nemesis.
Oh, how our world has changed, the Princess thought to herself as she and Link silently watched Ganondorf stand on her balcony.
The Gerudo King's arms were folded as he observed a large flock of guays circling the courtyard before him, the raucous din of their squawking cries hideous to Hylian ears. Yet Ganondorf's eyes were narrowed in concentration as he seemed to be listening intently to the horde of large-beaked birds and their awful noise. Finally, he dipped his head, seemingly satisfied, before a wave of his hand prompted the flock of Guays to disperse, scattering to the four winds to return to their duties.
Seated at a small table, Link and Zelda's gaze followed Ganondorf as he sauntered over and seated himself at the table as well. Due to his height, the table and chair were both a poor fit for him, to the point of almost being comical, were the situation less serious.
"What news?" Zelda asked, getting straight to the point.
Shifting uncomfortably in his too-small chair, Ganondorf replied, "The Lizalfos tribes appear to be rising around the Death Mountain Range. The Darknut Legion appeared near the Desert Colossus and are in the process of seeking out the ruins of their cities to try and restore their base of operations. Contact with them will have to wait until we can rely on them to strike the enemy forces from the rear. The Blin tribes are materializing all across the Lost Woods, and the Deku Tree seems to be guiding them through the forest towards the northern borders to reach Hyrule Field. I've also received reports of Keatons, Wosu, Goriyas, and other beast-men emerging across the wider lands. It will take time to bring them all together."
Zelda sighed heavily, looking down at the table. "Do we even have that time?"
"In my battle with that demon of Sauron's, I took out the bridge, if you'll recall," Ganondorf pointed out. "Though I do not know what forms of magic our enemy may possess that could expedite its recovery, its destruction still bought us at least some time."
Link chose this moment to speak up. "You might not like it, Zelda, but...we can cover more ground and get more done if we split up."
"There's another complication," Zelda interjected. "We need every man we can get for this fight, especially if we're going to strike at the Witch-king's main base of operations. There are still Hylians, Gorons, Zoras, Kokiri, and Gerudo in reserve throughout the land we need in order to fill our ranks. We need to get word out to them somehow."
"Splitting up seems to be the best idea," Ganondorf noted. "Although I advise we keep our troops here to defend the city in our absence, we and the Sages can still go where we are needed and gather reinforcements. In fact, traveling without our forces will cut down on time."
"I can go to the forest with Saria and Nabooru," Link offered.
"I'll go to Death Mountain with the Fire Sage and rally the Lizalfos under our banner," Ganondorf added.
Resolve flickered back onto Zelda's countenance. "That leaves me to accompany Ruto to Zora's Domain with Impa to try and convince King De Bon to fully commit to the war effort. I can leave the defense of the city to our generals in the meantime."
The three of them stood up as one, their goals firmly cemented in their minds.
"Good luck to all of you," Zelda bade them. "Be careful on your way."
With that in mind, the three Triforce Guardians set out to accomplish their mission, the clarity of the road ahead filling them with newfound hope and determination.
And yet there was one last thing on Link's mind that he couldn't shake. He had always been a perceptive sort, and right now something in his gut told him he needed to talk to Zelda privately before they all went their separate ways. So as Ganondorf left the room, seeming to not notice this, Link hesitated where he stood, watching as Zelda slowly meandered towards her vanity cabinet, likely to prepare herself for her journey.
However, noticing Link's continued presence from the corner of her eye, Zelda looked up at him. "Is there something else, Link?"
Link thought for a moment, pondering how exactly he could word what he wanted to say. "Well…not really, but…well…are you okay?" he finally stammered out.
Zelda blinked owlishly. "…I don't understand."
Link sighed, rubbing his arm awkwardly as he looked down at the floor. "Look…a lot's happened recently. This war…Ganondorf…your father…so much is going on and I'm…I'm worried about you."
He noticed her pluck at the hem of her dress even as she schooled her features to be plain and unreadable as stone. He knew better. The eyes were the one part of a person's face that could not lie. Zelda herself had taught him that. And her glistening eyes betrayed every ounce of pain, heartache, and pent-up emotion she wasn't allowing herself to feel.
"I thank you for your concern, Link. But I will get through this. As Hyrule's princess, I have to."
Her "royal" tone of voice. Professional and dispassionate. Much like a mask. And Link knew all too well the consequences of hiding one's pain behind a mask.
But even so, he wasn't certain how he could broach such a subject for her. Even though he knew how she felt, he wasn't sure how he could possibly convey that to her. He never had been the best at words. A weary sigh escaped Link's lips as he headed towards the door, but as he cracked it open, he looked over his shoulder one last time.
"I know what it's like to lose a father, Zelda. I know what it's like to feel like you can't afford to let yourself be vulnerable because so much…so many depend on you. Please…don't keep it to yourself forever. We have a job to do now, but…when you're ready, I'll be there for you. And I will listen. I promise."
Zelda swallowed thickly as she stared at her mirror, but otherwise did not react.
Without another word, Link left Zelda's room and walked slowly through the halls of Hyrule Castle, noting all the tired guardsmen and soldiers he passed. He had seen such faces before, felt the pain and weariness behind them. Without thinking he found his hand fingering the Ocarina of Time he always kept on his person. Its smooth, cool surface always reassured him when his thoughts were at their darkest.
Stopping in his tracks, Link took the ocarina out of his pocket, inspecting it as he weighed all the thoughts and worries on his mind. He ran his fingers across the holes, thinking. So many had been hurt already by this war. So much death…so much pain…so much uncertainty and fear.
All those heavy hearts deserved a moment of peace and healing.
He put the ocarina to his lips, quietly filled his lungs, and began to play.
The notes drifted through the air, echoing throughout the stone walls of the castle. As Link walked the halls, the ancient, ambient magic of the ocarina lent an ethereal quality that reached every ear in the castle and touched every heart within its walls.
A song of healing.
Ganondorf and Darunia were in the stables as they heard it. Although it was not a tune either of them had heard before, both could not resist the calming effect it had on their souls. Darunia's boisterous grin softened as he felt his secret worry for his people fade. Ganondorf fastened his saddle before closing his eyes, quietly praying to Din to watch over his sisters. The weight he carried in his heart for all that he had once done and what had been done to him ebbed away, and the King of the Gerudo's posture straightened just a bit more, as if there were less on his broad shoulders.
Saria looked up as she recognized the instrument she was hearing. All the fear and worry clawing at her heart for the Kokiri and the forest at large seemed to melt away, and something told her that, despite the darkness before them all, everything would be alright. There was always hope.
Impa had been speaking with Princess Ruto, offering her a moment of maternal support, when they both heard it. Impa allowed a smile to grace her otherwise stern features, while Ruto blinked in wonder at the strange tune that seemed to put her roiling mind at ease.
Nabooru let out a soft "hmm?" to herself as she heard the gentle tune echo throughout the halls as she prepared to leave. She had been worrying so much about how the Gerudo were faring within the Lost Woods, whether they would be able to stay or whether they could find a new home within Hyrule less harsh than the desert. But as the song touched her soul, she felt her mind ease. The Deku Tree would protect them, as they would protect his children. The daughters of the desert and the children of the woods. They would get through this.
Zelda's breath hitched as she heard the unmistakable voice of the Ocarina of Time drifting through the castle. She had heard him play this song for her once before, after he had returned from his travels abroad. He had called it the Song of Healing. Putting a hand to her chest, Zelda bowed her head, unable to stop the tears that flowed from her eyes. In the privacy of her room, the princess allowed herself a moment to release all the pain and heartbreak from her soul, letting her hero heal her heart even if just for a moment.
As the song ended, Link sighed to himself, feeling a little better and hoping he had brought a little peace to his friends. Without further ado, he strode towards the exit with purpose and determination in his soul.
XXXXXX
Gerudo's Fortress...
The Witch-king was impatient.
Even with more reinforcements, the Nazgûl Lord was at a loss for how to proceed next. He needed more information, but it seemed the crebain were running into trouble. The crows were apparently being intercepted by native birds in large numbers, thus giving him the alarming realization that the enemy had caught on to his information-gathering and deployed their own countermeasures, starving him of much needed information about troop movements and enemy strongholds. And with the bridge still out, he couldn't send any more Haradrim or Easterling scouts out to collect information as well, and their rounded ears might make them stand out anyway.
He needed a new advantage, and he needed it quickly.
"My Lord."
The Witch-king looked up, his mood souring even further at the lowly Haradrim peon that had the audacity to interrupt his train of thought. Clearly discomforted, the man continued. "M-My Lord, a visitor has arrived, and...is requesting an audience with Him."
That was not what he had been expecting. "Why was this visitor not captured and brought to me immediately?"
The Haradrim was clearly growing frightened for his life as he stammered out, "I-I...do not t-think it w-would be p-p-possible to, M-My Lord..."
Before the Witch-king could cut this fool down for his impudence, another voice cut in for him, a lilting, female voice that strangely seemed to radiate some form of power. "That will do, little voe."
The Lord of the Nazgûl watched in frank amazement as a Gerudo woman floated, not walked, floated, into his chambers. She was nearly the size of a cave troll, busty and seductive like all others of her race. Her headdress branched out in two directions, one wreathed in flames and the other encased in eldritch ice. The strange enchantress regarded the Witch-king with a wicked smirk.
"If you're this 'Dark Lord' I've heard so much about, I must admit I find you to be rather...underwhelming," she spoke with a taunting edge to her voice.
Sensing that this was not an individual to be taken lightly, the Nazgûl Lord decided to play her little game. For now.
"Who are you to request an audience with Sauron the Great?" the Witch-king spoke. "What have you to offer the King of Men and Lord of the World what he does not already have?"
The sorceress chuckled, resting a hand on her chin. "You may call me...Twinrova. And I have the information you need to take this world, and the Triforce, for your Master."
The offer was tempting. But the Witch-king was no fool. "And what would you stand to gain by betraying your people, witch?"
Twinrova "hmm"ed as she pretended to consider. "The Gerudo are no people of mine. I once served another Dark Lord, you know. Groomed him from birth to take up his mantle as the Demon King reborn and take this world for his own in the glorious name of darkness! But he betrayed us...denied his true birthright and embraced the paltry birthright of his people. But I will see the darkness claim this world, little phantom, even if I must serve another Dark Lord to see it through."
The cold hatred in her voice resonated within the Witch-king, confirming the truth of her words. They had a common enemy, and she was willing to bend the knee to the Dark Lord if it meant having her revenge.
But he would make her work for it.
"If you wish to bend your knee, you must first prove your worthiness to stand before him, Sorceress Twinrova," the Witch-king declared. "Give me all the information you have!"
Twinrova pursed her lips in distaste, but seemed to decide against arguing the point further. "Very well, little Witch-king," she purred, her smile widening as the Nazgûl visibly bristled at the casual disrespect. "Your enemies are attempting to gather reinforcements even as we speak. The three guardians of the Triforce and the Sages that guard them are on their way to these three destinations: Death Mountain, Zora's Domain, and the Lost Woods. Should they successfully rally these reinforcements, they will have the strength of arms to face you in open field with a real chance of winning."
As she spoke, Twinrova twirled a single finger on her right hand, the blood-red nails on it glistening as she burned circles into the indicated areas of the map of Hyrule the Witch-king had secured. "Each is a difficult stronghold to assault in its own way. To reach Death Mountain, you must first conquer the village of Kakariko at its summit. Then you must traverse the narrow pass of Death Mountain Trail to reach the Goron City, and the lengthy bottleneck will limit your numbers advantage while also exposing your troops to the dangers of a rather temperamental volcano. Zora's Domain is the source of much of the land's freshwater supply, and as such is nearly unassailable. The only terrestrial way in is a small entryway hidden behind a waterfall, making it nearly impossible for large armies to enter unless, by some miracle, you tear down the cliff face to expose it. And the Lost Woods are named so for a reason. The magic of that place causes those who enter to wander lost until they become little more than skeletons searching for a way out that does not exist. A great deity of the forest protects it; destroying him is essential for forcing the woods to submit."
That would explain those foolish Warg-riders that dared not pursue the Gerudo into the woods, the Witch-king thought to himself in realization.
But he quickly cast that thought aside as he instead focused on the rest of the information Twinrova was providing. Drogoth would be perfect for razing the Lost Woods to the ground. Once its inhabitants were flushed out and crushed, the remainder of the forest would provide ample amounts of lumber, a resource that was in short supply here in the desert. Durin's Bane would certainly help to subdue those insufferable rock people. Volcanoes often were abundant with iron that could be mined for weapons and armor, providing another much-needed resource that the desert lacked. And as for Zora's Domain...controlling the land's water supply would not only compromise the enemy's access to it, but make it easier for his troops to access the most precious resource of all. Even Orcs needed water to drink. And as for sieging it...if it was a semi-aquatic environment that needed to be exposed before it could be assaulted, the Lord of Minas Morgûl knew what beast was perfect for the task.
Although he and his Master had not given a great deal of thought before to that giant squid living near Moria, it was no secret that, as a creature of Morgoth, the Kraken still was enthralled to the Dark Lord and would answer if called.
The Watcher in the Water would lead the assault on Zora's Domain.
Now with a course of action in mind, the Witch-king refocused on the waiting sorceress. "If your information proves useful, you will have your chance to prove your worth and loyalty to the Dark Lord himself. Until then, do as you will. I will send our forces to crush these three citadels with the mightiest beasts our lord commands after the bridge is repaired. Once they're ours, we will take Hyrule Castle and wrest the Triforce from its tomb."
Twinrova grinned. This was going far better than she had hoped. Lord Sauron had the resources to make all of Hyrule pay dearly for resisting the darkness. She would make certain of it. "Why wait, little wraith?"
Unseen eyes narrowed at the sorceress. "What do you mean, witch?"
Twinrova laughed wickedly. "I can fix your bridge for you in moments! You will be able to get all your fabulous little beasts across with no issue. Come out into the light of day and observe for yourself!"
Despite himself, the Witch-king's interest was piqued by Twinrova's offer as the sorceress headed outside. The Ringwraith went onto the balcony facing the canyon and watched as Twinrova floated towards the yawning chasm where Orc slaves were hard at work trying to rebuild the bridge. Her appearance caused quite the stir, and some nearby soldiers looked ready to attack the intruder, but the Witch-king caught their attention with a piercing cry, and they backed off. By now the whole encampment was watching intently, including a great armored Dragon that was leisurely resting atop the fortress, as well as the hulking, burning form of the Balrog.
With a commanding wave of her hand, Twinrova declared to the Orc slaves, "Stand aside, little vermin! Your services are no longer needed here!"
The cowardly snâga immediately scattered, leaving Twinrova to her work. Wielding her broomstick wands, the Gerudo sorceress cast her arms outward, calling upon ice and fire magic in equal measure. White and red energy coalesced around her, swirling with competing energies that nonetheless bent equally to her will. And then, with another wicked laugh, Twinrova unleashed the combined fire and ice energy from her wands, casting it all across the surface of the canyon. The skeletal framework the Orcs had just begun building was swept away by the magical energies and crashed into the river far below. All watched in fascination as a great sheet of what could only be described as crimson ice formed over the chasm, closing the gap completely and forming a thick, sturdy platform that could allow easy passage for hundreds of troops at once.
Folding her arms to smugly inspect her handiwork, Twinrova suddenly noticed the Witch-king appear at her side, transfixed on what he had just witnessed come into being before his own eyes. "What…is this?" the Nazgûl Lord hissed, kneeling and running an armored hand over the ice's surface.
He did not fail to notice how the ice felt warm to the touch. In all the years of his existence, before and after his fall into the shadow-world of Sauron, never before had he seen such magic.
"Red ice," Twinrova explained with a smug chuckle. "The complete opposite of normal ice in every way. It grows stronger in heat, and can only be melted by its counterpart, the blue flame of ice. In the swelter of this harsh desert, it shall never melt. Consider this a gesture of goodwill towards your master."
The Witch-king straightened, gaining a new respect for this sorceress and her powers. She had earned her audience with the Dark Lord. "Come with me," he spoke. "You will have your audience with the Dark Lord. He will be…pleased with your gift."
Twinrova grinned evilly. "I thought he might."
It was at this moment that the rest of the Nine reached their leader's side, visually inspecting the now-sealed chasm for themselves. The Witch-king turned and spoke to them. "Khamûl, Morgomír. I have a new battle plan. Gather our forces together whilst I confer with our Lord. Our newest ally may yet win this war for us…"