Chapter 7: The Land Hylia and the Great War
Zelda lost track of the time she spent in slumber. There was no day, no night, only pitch black. After some time, memories played themselves over and over again in her mind like a never-ending movie. Hylia's memories were the strongest and played themselves more often in Zelda's unconscious mind.
Hylia stood in a grand temple, addressing her loyal patrons. "My children, what dost thou wish?"
A knight bowed before Hylia. He then pulled twelve pieces of silver into her offering stone. "Oh Great Goddess, please hear my prayer."
"What weighs heavily on your heart Good Knight?" Hylia asked.
"My loving Goddess, it's my daughter. She's my only child. She has succumbed to a terrible illness. I pray that she will be cured. Please cure her" The knight begged. Hylia smiled. She closed her eyes and cupped some magic in her hands. In a few moments, a blinding light flashed and a crystal bottle was in Hylia's hands.
"Give this to your daughter. Have her drink it and she will be cured." The knight bowed before her once more and graciously took the bottle from her hand. He thanked her again and left the temple. After him, a lovely couple of peasants came in. They placed all the copper pieces they had into the offering stone. "What burden weighs heavy on your hearts my dear children?"
"Great Goddess of love, we humbly ask that you bless us with a child." The man pleaded. The wife placed an extra trinket in the offering stone; it had belonged to her mother's family for generations. Hylia paused the wife's hand over the plate.
"That will not be necessary dear child." The Goddess inhaled, pressed her palms together, and lifted them skyward. "When the time is right, you will be blessed with a beautiful, healthy child."
"Oh thank you Great Goddess." The wife began to cry tears of joy as she and her husband left. A farmer came in with a bundle of his finest crop and placed it in the offering stone.
"Great Goddess Hylia, I come to you today to ask you for a good and successful harvest year."
Hylia smiled warmly. She raised her arms as if to embrace the normal farmer and a black cloud burst through the temple doors. The knights armed themselves at the door, standing ready. The people began to panic, screaming frantically and running in no particular direction. For some, it was too late. Demonic creatures slipped through the shadows and over powered defenseless humans. Hylia gazed in horror as she watched her precious children being consumed alive.
She was about to intercede when she saw him. He was immense; his body was covered in scaly, black evil. His hair was nothing but a blaze of fire, burning bright with fury. His sword was also black. It was as black as a moonless night. And his eyes; his eyes burned hotter than the sun. His gaze set on Hylia and he smirked as if he knew a secret she did not.
"Hylia. Hand over the Triforce to me." Demise demanded. "That is if you don't want more of your precious humans to be sacrificed."
Hylia gazed around the room, looking at each of her children. They cowered in the corners of the temple, trembling in fear. Hylia's heart broke for her frightened people; she knew she could not allow Demise to have the Triforce but not at the expense of others. "I will not sacrifice my people but I cannot allow you to take the Triforce for yourself."
Demise smirked again. He waved his sword toward one of his demons. It cackled and devoured three more villagers. Hylia gasped in horror as she watched those three innocent villagers die. "If you will not give me the Triforce, I will take it. This means war Hylia." Demise walked out of the temple, calling his demons to go with him. Once he was out of site, Hylia requested her people to make burial markers for those that lost their lives during that encounter. They mourned for three days and placed the markers in a separate grove where they would remain undisturbed.
A few days later, the land of Hylia was still preparing for the upcoming battle. The knights trained harder than ever before. Squires were split amongst as many knights as they could. The lords were forced to recruit villagers to train as knights for they feared the upcoming battle and the numbers the Demon King would bring down upon their sacred kingdom. Lord Dagianis was the highest ranked knight in the whole kingdom; he would be chosen to rally the troops and lead them against the army of the Demon King. And he was going to prove it to Hylia if that was the last thing he did.
Hylia was torn; she wanted to defeat Demise but war was a nasty and cruel mess. She most certainly did not want her followers to be sacrificed but she could not defeat Demise alone. She walked past the knights training in sword combat. She smiled at their devotion and spirits. She proceeded down the path to the stables to check on the prize horses. As she walked by the door, she noticed Link, the stable boy, practicing with a handmade dummy. Link had combined old rotting wood from the stable and empty barrels. For the head, Link placed a sack of hay where it should be. "You are quite skilled Link." Hylia complimented.
Link turned around in surprise and bowed before her. "Forgive me Great Goddess. I will tend to the horses immediately."
"Just a moment dear one." Hylia walked over to the dummy. She stroked the fine wood work and the etches from the sword. "You are not a knight are you?"
"No. I am not." Link avoided her gaze. "I am just a stable boy."
"That is not true, young one. Please, show me more of your skills."
"Right away, Goddess." Link resumed his demonstration while Hylia looked on proudly. Lord Dagianis walked around the training field, overlooking the newest soldiers' progress. He was overjoyed to see them willing to die for their homeland and their Goddess. Lord Dagianis decided to check on his prized horse Nova when he came upon a sight most unpleasant. Lord Dagianis had to admit, if only to himself, that Link was very skilled with a sword. Lord Dagianis was the highest rank knight of the realm and he was going to be Goddess Hylia's champion and he wasn't about to let anyone get in the way of that, especially not a lowly stable boy.
The first battle began just after dawn; fifteen hundred demons descended upon the soldiers and citizens of Hylia. Some of the villagers began to quiver in fear, overwhelmed by the mass of the Demon King's army. The general reassured them that they will fight nobly and do Goddess Hylia proud. The demons were advancing upon the Hylia army; they ran faster and faster until the armies at last clashed. Dagianis took the front of the army, ready to lead his troops into battle. Link stayed in the back of the army with Hylia.
"Goddess, I will do as you have asked of me. I only pray you will guide me along your chosen path."
Hylia placed a reassuring hand on Link's shoulders and closed her eyes. She hummed a short tune and Link was encompassed in a brilliant, white light. "Go forth young one. You will make me proud, of that I have no doubt."
Lord Dagianis scoffed at Link and ordered the troops to charge. The armies met with clashing swords. Hylian soldiers fought back hard against the horrible monster with all their might. For some, they weren't so lucky; the monsters had a deafening shriek and when that horrible cry burst the ears of the soldiers, they fell to their knees. The monsters slayed several soldiers with that horrible cry.
Lord Dagianis struggled with several monsters himself. He slayed three monsters but two of the surrounding creatures forced him into a corner against a giant rock on the battle field. They were about to slice through the Lord when they were suddenly struck down from behind. Lord Dagianis could not believe his eyes; Link had struck down two ugly beasts with one swing of his sword. Link smiled and offered his hand to Lord Dagianis; he brushed Link's hand aside and stood on his own. With his sword and wounded pride, the lord dashed across the battlefield to kill the next monster in his path. Link brushed off the lord's abrasiveness and continued to fight.
Link took out two more monsters and suddenly found himself completely surrounded by terrible monsters. Their shrieks were broken and short almost as if they were taunting him. Hylia noticed Link was in terrible danger. As she closed her eyes, she willed her powers to go to him and aid him. Warm, white lights surrounded Link and embedded in his great sword. "Link, use the sword. It has now been granted my blessing and it shall destroy any monster it faces so long as it is in the hands of someone with great courage, wisdom, and power." Link spun around the circle of monsters with his sword outstretched. Lord Dagianis stared in astonishment as the blade made a single cut through the bellies of the monsters and they cried in pain for only a moment before falling before Link's feet. Link slashed his sword in the air and then placed it in its sheath. He smiled and the goddess and nodded her in thanks. As Lord Dagianis watched him with pure rage, he failed to notice the monster sneaking behind him with a club. He struck the lord over the head and Dagianis fell to the ground unconscious.
Link slayed one last monster and the field fell silent. Hylian soldiers cheered, foolishly believing they had won the battle. Link stood at the head of the mass, scanning the horizon. To his horror, a giant, red, obese monster waddled before Link. His body was as red as an apple; he had the skin of a leopard draped around his massive waist, and in its massive grip a giant, metal hammer. Link gauged the monster carefully, searching for a weak point in the monster's defense. Link and the monster shuffled in a circle around each other, waiting for the moment to strike. The lunged at Link first, but Link dodged it. Link rolled to the side of the monster, jumped to his feet, and slashed at the monster. The sword slit the monster's skin across the belly of the beast; it cried out in agony. It channeled that agony into rage as it raised his hammer, ready to smash Link and anyone in its path. As it raised his arms, Link plunged his sword through the monster's chest and into its heart. The monster's breath stopped and it groaned as it fell to the ground dead.
The Hylian soldiers cheered once more, raising Link into the answer and proclaiming him a hero. Lord Dagianis awoke to the noise and glared furiously at Link. A small group of his most loyal followers surrounded Dagianis and helped him to his feet; he demanded that they tell him why that little whelp stable boy was able to defeat that great monster all on his own. For this, they had no answer. Lord Dagianis let his rage build inside of him and he looked to his soldiers.
"Link has taken our glory, our victory, our rightful place by the side of the Goddess Hylia. And we will remain here, below a lowly stable boy. It must end. We must destroy Link once and for all and we will be rid of that insolent little whelp." Lord Dagianis dismissed his followers and tended to his wounds. As he sat against that very same boulder, a smoked figure appeared before him. The lord gasped in fear as the Demon King, Demise had appeared before him.
He said to him. "You really think killing him will suffice? The little whelp would have been made a hero if you order him to be killed. I suggest something that will be more suitable than immediate death." Demise grinned at the pitiful lord; humans were easily manipulated by the promise of power and fortune.
"What did you have in mind, Great Demon King?" Demise's grin widened and he pulled the lord in closer to whisper his plan.
Meanwhile, in the stables, Link was tending to the wounded horses. Luckily, most of them had retreated off the battlefield with a small scratch and no serious injuries. The soldier's wounds were being tended to in the castle by the royal family and teams of healers. Those who had lost their lives were collected off the field for proper burial. Hylia joined Link in the stables once more.
"Your compassion is greatly admired my Chosen Hero." Hylia told him.
"Me a Chosen Hero my Goddess? I am but a lowly stable boy not a knight of great valor. Surely there is another that will fulfill your duty better than I."
"Yet young one, your compassion and courage are the very qualities my Chosen Hero must possess to gain the true powers I behold. There is no other." Link smiled and thanked her. Then, Lord Dagianis cried and shrieked to call for the guards and to immediately find the goddess. The lord appeared in the stables and knelt before her.
"My goddess, I have horrible news."
"What is it my dear knight?" Hylia asked.
"The Triforce, my goddess, it is gone from its chambers." Hylia gasped in shock and disappeared in a great wall of light. Link offered his aid and stormed out of the stables. He ran into the castle as fast as he could. He did not notice the soldiers waiting behind the next corner until they forcibly grabbed him by his arms. Link demanded for them to release him but Lord Dagianis's men held firm.
They pulled Link through the halls of the castle to the chamber of the Goddess; she was nowhere to be seen. "Link, you have been brought before the knights of Hylia accused of stealing the Triforce for your own, selfish gain."
"This is a mistake! I have done no such thing." Link plead.
"Silence whelp! The Triforce was found in your bed chambers. You have committed high treason; the sentence is life in imprisonment and certain death. Take him to the dungeon." The soldiers pulled Link to the dungeon and Lord Dagianis looked on with great pride as he watched the Chosen Hero being carried to his death.