"So, he knows where we are?" Auru muttered as he, Daltus, both their guards, Zelda, Link, Finn, and Ashei stood huddled over an unfortunately small map of Hyrule Field. "We can use that to our advantage. Without surprise, we can rely solely on force and strength."
"He'll have his creatures in the first wave," Link muttered. "Dinofols will be the ones to keep an eye on. They're fast, armored, smart, and dangerous. Unlike with his human troops, any of those creatures he sends will have a higher pain tolerance, so simply injuring them and moving on is not an option. Force alone isn't going to work. We'll be massively overwhelmed and tired before reaching the castle. The archers have to go first."
"Watch it, soldier!" Auru balked.
But Zelda leaned forward to block Auru's glare. "He's my soldier, King Auru, and he speaks for me here. This is my first battle, but it is not his, so I trust him and Ashei to be my voices. Do not chastise either of them for disagreeing with a plan that is apparently flawed."
"Flawed?" he scoffed, more to himself. "Of course, Princess. Do as you wish with my army."
Zelda shook the conversation from her mind and tried to forget the hateful look Auru had given her. She'd made an enemy, and there was no doubt about that.
But it had been hours, and there was nothing more from him.
"You alright?" Link called over to her from where he rode.
Finn turned to look at her, understanding the looks that passed between them a little better when she turned back to Link, shaking her head.
Both Finn and Link could both see that she was shaking. She felt unsafe as they marched closer to the castle, despite being surrounded by all six of her guards: Link, Finn, Bardo, Leon, Kasuto and Ezlo.
Of the three royal leaders, she was the only one who had never had to command an army before, and the thought of it made her sick with anxiety. While she wished the battle would never come, she also wanted it to be underway.
And that wish would soon be granted.
She sat on Epona, looking out over the hill with everyone beside her as they stared at a force of thousands of troops prepared to fight, and eager to die just outside the castle. It took every ounce of willpower she had to tear her eyes away from Ganondorf's troops and ride back to the camp where every soldier prepared for battle. But she rode past them all, offering nods of acknowledgement to anyone she made eye contact with.
Hopping off Epona when she reached her destination, she pushed the flap of the large tent open and watched Shad struggle to strap on some armor.
"Here, let me," Zelda offered, grabbing the buckle and moving it so it was in the correct position over his arm, rather than how he'd managed to tangle under it. "How are you doing? Are you ready?"
Shad hesitated as he wiped sweat from his brow. "Yes. Ashei gave me my own guards to defend me while I work on anyone. I have some volunteers for the field, but mostly they'll be running the injured back up here to Owl. Your friend, Oton, is a volunteer with me. Maryse and her daughter are staying here, though."
Zelda rested her hand on Shad's shoulder when she'd finished securing him in. "If I were anyone else, I'd be out there with you."
He nodded and placed his hand over hers, offering a comforting squeeze. "I know you would be, Princess."
"Stay as safe as you can out there, Shad," she said, moving past him as he finished packing his things.
She tiptoed past several people praying to the gods and goddesses, and spotted Ellie staring at a pile of equipment, muttering something to herself. As Zelda got closer, she could hear the words.
"Bandages, scissors, clamp, sutures, red potion in a blue bottle, blue potion in a dark blue bottle…"
Zelda felt a small smile on her face, remembering her early days, doing something similar to remember the names of everything. "Ellie," she said as the young girl broke from her trance and looked at Zelda expectantly. "You'll do fine. If you can, just getting water for a thirsty soldier will make the world of a difference."
"You should be getting ready to leave," Owl interrupted as he rounded the corner, eyeing Zelda. "We've got things handled here. I've done this before, and you and Shad prepared everyone well."
"I know," she whispered, feeling a nervous chill through her. "I just wanted to say goodbye."
Owl smiled and grabbed her hand, placing a reverent kiss on the back of her hand before bowing. "I'll say to you what I say to the soldiers: do not look back, and do not die."
Zelda crossed her arms. "That's what you said to me the last time I left you."
"And here you are to hear it again. Do not look back, Princess. We'll be safe."
Zelda sat atop Epona, staring into the black mass of shadows that loomed in front of the castle, and in front of her. It was Ganondorf's army, just a short gallop away. Her six guards surrounded her, but she couldn't stop her shaking.
Daltus and his guards, as well as Auru and his were all lined up beside her, the three on equal footing. She turned to them and was met by Daltus' determined expression. Auru looked ready for this war, and he turned away to head towards his troops. Daltus gave Zelda a brief nod and headed to his people. And Zelda turned around to hers.
Ashei rode up beside her and looked back at their soldiers before turning her attention to Zelda. "It's time. You might want to inspire them with a speech, Princess. I'll finish it and take our first wave down immediately. Everyone else is stationed and waiting for our signal. Are you ready?"
"Oh Goddess," Zelda muttered. "Yes, yes." She clenched Epona's reins to avoid a visual of her hands trembling and caught the faint sound of Auru yelling something out in the distance, his own speech.
She rode to the front, clearing her throat and speaking as loudly as she could, trying not to let her nervous voice crack.
"People of Hyrule," she started, already wishing she could have started differently. It was a war speech, not a public announcement. "Our kingdom was invaded by a usurper. He sits on a throne awash with the blood of King Nohansen, Queen Llyan, Princess Aelia, and the countless soldiers who died to try and protect them. Hyrule Field has already been stained with the blood of your brothers and sisters. Tonight, we don't fight for ourselves. We fight to avenge the fallen. We fight to strike down the murderer who sits on the throne.
"The Goddess Hylia watches over her special people tonight. Hylians are favored by the Goddess, and we will expel Ganondorf and his minions from this land with their tails between their legs. Failure is not an option tonight. He is here to kill your families, your husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters… your children are not safe until Ganondorf is defeated.
"Take up your weapons—your swords, your axes, your spears—and do not let him forget how menacing we are! Tonight, Hyrule Field will be watered with the blood of her enemies. We only get one death; let's make it count!"
Ashei rode up beside Zelda, holding up her own spear. "For your families! For Queen Zelda! And for Hyrule!" With a roaring scream, she spurred her horse on, racing alone across the field until the thundering stampede of the horse riders from all three kingdoms followed. Arrows whooshed through the air, shot by the two large flanks of troops that were stationed much closer to the battle. Soldiers raced past Zelda on foot, a battle cry of their own on their lips.
Zelda watched as the horses disappeared into the mass, taking down the worst threat to the foot soldiers. The arrows moved back, closer to the walls of the castle rather than the edge of the battle. She realized that Finn had gone, and her remaining guards had moved in closer to her to fill his gap.
She waited, her eyes darting everywhere as she tried to make sense of what was happening in the distance. She watched for so long, but she didn't even notice the passing of time. And when she heard Link ride up beside her, her heart sank.
"Zelda," he simply said, dismounting his horse as another man took his place and rode back to the remaining troops.
"Gods," she muttered, feeling a tear in her eye before furiously wiping it away, refusing to let it fall.
"I love you," he said, just loud enough for her to hear before he went to head to his place in the lineup of troops.
Zelda watched him walk away, trying to maintain their secret, desperately holding herself back from screaming his name and running towards him for one last moment together.
But for all her attempts, something snapped, and that was exactly what she ended up doing.
Link turned around when he heard his name and gawked for a moment, watching Zelda come closer, unsure if he should believe his eyes or if he was imagining her. But she was moving fast, and he wasn't sure he had time to consider what was real. So, he jammed the tip of his sword down into the grass and looked back up just in time to catch her in his arms and meet her lips in a desperate final kiss.
It wasn't until later that he registered the different reactions from the troops watching them. For some, there were hushed whispers, confusion, gossip. For others, there were cheers, whistles, and applause. But with Zelda in his arms, her lips on his, he knew nothing else in that moment.
They pulled apart, only to meet again for several frantic, brief kisses until Zelda finally pulled away.
"I love you, too."
"Zelda," he muttered, though there was a wide smile on his face. "Half of your army just watched that. There's no taking that one back."
"I don't even care. I'd do it again."
He chuckled and ran the back of his hand along her cheek. "Be safe."
"You too."
He wrapped his hand behind her neck for a fleeting kiss goodbye before pulling his sword from the grass and taking his place.
Zelda walked back to Epona and caught a smug look from Bardo before she mounted her horse once more, her eyes locked on Link.
His commander raised a sword into the air. "For Queen Zelda and Hyrule!"
Link turned and gave her a final sharp nod before spinning his sword in his hand and waiting, eyes on his commander until they ran forward, shouting louder even than the first group had.
Zelda's eyes followed Link until he was too far, lost in the sea of soldiers that seemed to never end as they poured onto Hyrule Field.
When she looked around her, she realized that the only ones left with her were Daltus, Auru, and all of their guards. The ringing of metal against metal, screams of triumph, horror, and valor rang out. Snarls of dinofols, moblins, and other creatures broke through with their obnoxious volumes, howling, screeching, keening. And that's when Zelda truly realized that the battle for Hyrule had begun.
A/N: For the battle, I'm going to do what I did the last time when Link and Zelda were separated and give them chapters that are separate but happening mostly at the same time. So Link would have the next chapter, then Zelda (or vise versa).
ALSO! Here's the battle I warned about at the beginning of the fic. It's going to get violent and bloody and deadly, so if you're not here for it, this is the first warning that it's upcoming.