Just heads up: this chapter mentions blood a few times so I've changed the rating from T to M, not because it's written very much in detail or that it's grotesque, but more just to be sure I'm following the guidelines.
The trip to and from Rito Village went relatively fine apart from the bokoblins and lizalfoses in the open fields who interrupted their paths. Not much had changed since their last visit, the cool winds still made their cheeks rosy and Rito children observed the Hylians with curiosity. Not even Revali had changed much since Link's last encounter but he didn't mock him this time. Maybe he didn't because Princess Zelda was nearby, Link couldn't tell, but he was grateful that Revali let him be and hoped that the monologue from months ago was a one-time only thing.
The Princess kept practicing with her horse and Link came with small comments for improvement whenever necessary. She was slowly becoming better but she was still too eager sometimes and could tire out her horse if she wasn't paying attention, and then it would become irritated which resulted in the Princess getting irritated. "Be sure to take time to soothe your mount, your Highness," he reminded her, "that's the only way it will know how you truly feel." At first, she almost looked hurt for being reminded again but then her face softened because she knew that her knight was right. Just like how she was with her research, she could get too carried away while getting to know her beautiful white horse. The difference was just that this was a living creature and not paper or machinery and she had to give it time for rest.
Death Mountain and Goron City were next on their list to visit, just like the Princess had written in her note to her appointed knight. Horses were left at a stable at the foot of the mountain and fire proof elixirs were consumed, just like last time, and they began to follow the road up to the Gorons' home. But, if Rito Village had been the same as last time, Death Mountain wasn't. Sure, they had been ambushed by monsters the previous time they had been standing on the mountain's red cliffs but it was different this time. This time, the monsters didn't seem to end and kept popping up. Princess Zelda took cover behind a large rock, hoping that she wouldn't be found, and watched her knight swing the legendary blade and cry out in fury as he took down one, two, five bokoblins and a fire chuchu before they could continue. She carefully but hurriedly tiptoed from her hideout to Link and tried her best to not look down at the slayed monsters around her feet. She noticed that he didn't bother to sheathe the sword and figured that it might be for the best since the monsters seemed to keep appearing.
The duo continued up the mountain, mostly in silence. Princess Zelda could tell that Link's attention was on the road before them, ready for more enemies, and she didn't want to disturb him. He suddenly came to a stop when he noticed something that seemed to be a nest of various bokoblins up the road. And as if that wasn't enough, there was a lynel with them too and he could hear the roar of another one in the distance, echoing between the mountains' rocks and cliffs. He looked over his shoulder and at the Princess who mumbled "I'll stay behind that cliff" before she stepped away. He didn't move before he was sure that she was safe and hidden from their enemies, and he returned his focus on the monsters. He thought how to face them, which approach that would be strategically the best. There were six bokoblins of various skin colors and one lynel. The lynel would be the fastest and strongest of them but if he chose to take it down first, the bokoblins would surely get in his way and the battle would go on longer than necessary. However, if he could manage to dodge the lynel's attacks while beating the bokoblins, its roar might attract the other lynel to come and the fight would lengthy anyway.
He stood there for a few minutes in thoughts of which strategy to go for when he remembered that he still had a few ice arrows with him. He checked and found two and mentally scolded himself for not stocking up more at the castle when he knew that they were heading towards Death Mountain. Two were better than none he assumed, and he was glad that none of the monsters had seen him, or the Princess, yet.
Knowing that lynels have great vision and hearing, Link slowly climbed and crept closer all the while making sure that he still was unseen and only stopped when he was within range for his bow to hit the enemies with an arrow. He held the arrow between his fingers, raised the bow and took aim for the lynel. He let the arrow go and watched it hit the giant beast. Quickly, he left the bow next to him and ran with the Master Sword in his right hand towards the bokoblins standing next to the frozen lynel. They had immediately turned their heads towards the direction the arrow had come from and saw within seconds a Hylian knight dressed in a turquoise tunic run towards them. Link knew that he had little time before the lynel would begin to move again, perhaps even lesser than he'd like to due to the heat from the magma pools scattered around the mountain, and he quickly swung his blade just after one of the bokoblins had picked up a weapon. One hit seemed to be enough and Link spun around to take on the next one. Two charged at him at simultaneously and he had to parry their strikes with his sword. He soon found an opening and thrust the sword forward without hesitation, momentarily staining the blade with unnatural blood that wouldn't properly stick to it and then wielded it again, hitting the bokoblin twice before dealing with the next one. Focusing on what he saw before him, Link didn't notice one of the bokoblins sneaking behind him until he was hit hard on his head. Link's knees buckled for only a second in surprise and pain. His unoccupied hand reached up to the back of his head by reflex before he swung the sword around him in a half circle, only making the bokoblin take a step away from him. His head throbbed but he didn't stop. Grabbing the hilt of his sword with both hands, he struck it down forcefully at the bokoblins around him. There were only two of them left when he could hear the cracking of ice, and Link knew that the lynel would soon go after him, too.
Link backed up, increasing the distance between the lynel and him, and batted with his sword a few times and managed to defeat one of the bokoblins before the lynel broke free from the ice. With a furious and almost deafening roar, the lynel shook off the last pieces of remaining ice from its body, scraped with its hooves to the ground and held its sword and shield firmly. It didn't take more than a few seconds for the lynel's eyes to find Link and the Hylian knight was forced to look up and meets its gaze. Ignoring the remaining bokoblin the best he could, Link felt a rush of adrenaline run through his veins when the giant beast charged. Link managed to jump sideways right before the lynel stood before him and he ignored the dust the beast's hooves had brushed up and wielded his sword upwards. He couldn't see properly for the dust but he felt it when his sword met the flesh and he definitely heard that he had hit it based on the growl coming from the lynel. Link smirked and aimed for the lynel again but didn't have enough time to injure it more than a scratch before it rose with its front hooves in the air and with its sword raised high above its head, ready to swing it down.
Link flipped backwards and didn't hesitate to take this opportunity now when the lynel had missed him and was regaining balance. The lynel lifted it swords upwards again, Link leaped and jumped onto the lynel, and grunted when it tried to shake him off. Link held onto its mane tightly and tried to get onto its back – it reminded him a bit of calming down frightened horses at the ranch he used to work at all those years ago, but this was much bigger and much stronger than a normal horse and it didn't deserve any mercy.
With all his might, Link struck down the mighty beast and heard it give a final roar before its knees buckled. Link struggled to keep his balance on the back of the lynel, not wanting it to crush him underneath its massive body once it hit the ground and was greeted with a cloud of stony dust when the beast landed. He coughed lightly and stood up on the beast instead of getting off it, thinking that he would find the last bokoblin better with the view from the large lynel's back instead of stepping down to the ground. Link searched with his eyes and turned his head around, fearing for a moment that the monster had found the Princess before he finally saw it. It seemed to wait for him to get closer and didn't look affected at all that the lynel was now lying dead before it.
Link jumped down from the lynel's back and ran towards the bokoblin, noticing that it was red and would therefore be easy to take down. The bokoblin was within reach if he just took a few more steps, but Link immediately stopped when he felt a sharp sting on his right arm. He hissed at the sudden pain and noticed an arrow on the ground right next to him. Looking up, he saw a lynel a bit farther away, presumably the one he had heard in the distance earlier. Clenching his teeth and ignoring his ripped, white sleeve getting stained with his blood, Link focused once more on the bokoblin before him, determined to defeat it quickly before he would have to take on the lynel. The red monster was easily slayed and Link had just enough time to take cover behind a rock before the second arrow flew towards him. Link took a moment to catch his breath, leaned against the hot rock and glanced at his lower right arm. It stung but didn't seem to be badly hurt since his shirt hadn't gotten too red. He figured that it couldn't be much deeper than a scratch. He had been lucky, lynels rarely missed their targets. If the arrow had pierced his arm, he couldn't be certain that he would ever be able to hold a sword again. Who would then face the Calamity and free the kingdom from its cruel fate?
Link pushed the thoughts away and cleared his mind. He peeked behind the rock and glared at the beast for a few seconds to estimate how far away it was. He wouldn't be able to get to it fast enough before it would send another arrow towards him but it was in perfect range for Link to shoot an arrow back. He began to pat with his left hand on his back and then around him, looking for his bow when he remembered… he had left the bow when he first began to attack the bokoblins!
Silently mumbling curses, he realized that his bow was too far away. He began to look around him, hoping to find another bow and slowly accepted the fact that he would have to run to the lynel when he could find none. But then he saw something that caught his interest: the lynel's shield. The lynel he had defeated had held a sword and a shield and they were now lying next to its still body. Link sheathed his legendary sword and didn't hesitate to dash to the shield and grab it. It was heavy, perhaps it felt heavier than what it really was since Link's arms were getting tired from the battle, but he slipped his left arm through the strap on the shields inside and held the handle firmly. It was a little too large for his size but it would do.
Princess Zelda watched her knight advance towards the lynel who was standing on a cliff above them with a bow and arrow in its hands. It took a little while and many parried arrows until he got close enough to hit it. The fight looked violent to her but she could tell that her knight had the upper hand, if ever so slightly. The fight went on for several minutes and she hoped that Link wasn't getting too hurt. With a determined cry, her knight struck his sword at the beast one final time and watched it become still as he panted. His arms felt heavy, sweat dripped from his temples, from his back and down his arm, making his wound sting even more and he let the shield go with a clang. The fire proof elixir ensured that he didn't burn up and cooled down his body but, at the moment, he felt really hot, as if he was standing in Gerudo Desert or next to a fire. He sheathed the Master Sword and sat down with an exhausted sigh, dragging his legs closer and letting his arms rest on his knees. He just needed to rest a little and then he would feel fine again, he told himself.
He could hear footsteps to his right and snapped his head around before he realized that it was only the Princess. She looked worried and asked him "Are you badly hurt?" when she got closer and kneeled beside him. Link figured that she must have seen his bleeding arm and he shook his head slightly, too tired to do it properly, but then he saw that the sleeve was redder than before and he wasn't so sure anymore. "Let me see" she said and reached out to roll up the sleeve but hesitated slightly as soon as she touched the fabric and looked up to her knight's face to see if he would protest. She didn't want to cross a line and hurt his pride or something silly soldiers sometimes thought of. But he was focused on his arm and didn't notice her hesitation. He unstrapped his leather arm cuff, unwrapped the bands of fabric underneath it, also red from his blood, and lastly rolled his stained sleeve up and to inspect the wound. It was deeper than a scratch but not too bad, but it explained why it hurt so much.
"Here, let me roll it up all the way…" he heard the Princess say and she began to roll it up to his shoulder. He hadn't even noticed the wound on his tricep, probably because it was smaller and didn't hurt as much. Not until now when he was aware of it. He couldn't remember when he got it.
The Princess looked less worried when she saw that it wasn't as bad as his lower wound. "You should drink an elixir to heal your wounds, just let me clean them for you first. To avoid infections." Surprised that his Princess didn't back away to let him do the work himself, he watched her search for a clean cloth and a bottle of water in the bag around her waist and quickly poured the liquid over the cloth. Alcohol would normally have been a better choice but she wouldn't risk setting themselves on fire considering the extremely hot environment they currently were in.
"This will sting a little." She pressed the cloth over the wound on his lower arm, quickly before the heat would make the water evaporate, and he hissed when it stung but otherwise said nothing. The cloth became red and she poured some more water on it and tried to clean the edges the best she could. Satisfied, she put the cloth away and asked him if he had any elixirs. He found one of the hearty elixirs he was carrying and didn't protest when Princess Zelda took it from him to help him open the lid although he was perfectly capable of doing it himself. She gave the bottle to him and he swallowed its contents and tried to not grimace too much at the bitter aftertaste. He put the lid back and placed the empty bottle in his bag again.
She inspected his arm, glad to see that only a pink scar remained on his lower arm after a few minutes. A scar was all that seemed to remain from his upper wound too. She held his arm gently and Link tried to see the wound that had been on his triceps but couldn't properly. He could still feel a dull, slightly painful throbbing coming from the scars but at least his headache from the hit on the back of his head was gone and the elixir had re-energized him.
"Is it bad?" he asked her with a low voice, referring to his tricep scar.
She assured him that it looked fine and that he would be alright. But then it sounded as if she was lecturing him to not be so reckless and Link could partly agree with her. If he had remembered to pick up more ice arrows at the castle, this fight would have been a lot easier. And he wondered if she had perhaps… worried about him. And this was her way of telling him that.
Or she had just been worried that she'd be defenseless if her knight got too injured. Yeah, that was probably it. Why would the Princess worry about him, it's not as if they were friends. And this was his job after all. To protect the Princess. Think rationally, Link thought to himself. He better double check his inventory before he leaves the castle next time.
The Princess's blue eyes shifted from his green ones and looked out before them. All the monsters lied scattered and still and, funnily, their odd blood wasn't on the ground even though the cuts Link had given them were visible. It was proof of them not being normal creatures, that they were something unnatural that shouldn't be in Hyrule. Link followed her gaze. He couldn't remember ever defeating two lynels at the same time before. The large beasts usually roamed in solitude and he had never been in a situation with two of them nearby, until today. Something wasn't right.
As if Princess Zelda had read his mind, she commented how she had noticed, too, that the attacks from monsters were more common now than in the beginning of their travels to the Divine Beasts and that they came in larger groups as well. They sat still, both lost in their own thoughts, until the Princess looked worried again and confessed that she had a feeling that this wasn't normal. She feared that this increase of monsters was an indication that Ganon, the Calamity, would return.
That was something Link hadn't thought about. His Princess' theory had a point and made sense in a way. And if she was right, it would mean that it wouldn't be long until they would have to face the Calamity. And… she had said that Ganon would "return". Link remembered the stories he had heard as a child, stories of young boys who would save the kingdom from evil powers and become heroes, and thought that perhaps they weren't bedtime stories for children if the Princess of Hyrule believed in them. Because she must surely know more about these heroes and this ancient evil than what he could remember from what his father had told him before bed.
Link told himself that he would stop doubting himself then. If these heroes truly had existed ages ago, if the divine goddesses had chosen him, if they believed in him, he should too. He was going to do this, they were going to do this, together, and they would be successful in the end. There was no other option. Besides, how hard could it be, all the previous heroes had done it and succeeded?
And then Link remembered that he actually still wasn't completely sure what this Ganon was. A man? A pig? A shadow, a phantom? Something in between? A phantom man-pig sounded ridiculous, he couldn't even create an image in his mind of what that would look like. He was sure his memory was just mixing the stories up.
Princess Zelda suddenly stood up and Link looked up at her, thoughts and questions gone and his focus on her again. What she told him next sounded reassuring: if Ganon was to return soon, she would be ready to face their destiny, no matter how bad it would turn out to be. So they should continue with preparing the Divine Beasts for the inevitable battle. And with that being said, Link rose to stand too and together they continued to Goron City, both with the same spirit.
They would do this. Together. No matter how hard it would be.