"Let go of it, Groose!" Link yelled, his anger rising as the larger boy held his necklace just out of his reach.
"What? Pretty boy wants his jewelry back?" Groose said with a laugh, Cawlin and Strich following suit.
Link scowled, the necklace was the only thing he had left that belonged to his parents, the only reminder he had of the mother and father he never knew. "I'm not going to ask again Groose." he warned, taking up a subtle, but not unseen fighting stance.
"Groose, I think he wants to fight you!" Strich mocked.
"He's twice your size!" Cawlin said, Link narrowing his eyes in response.
Groose held the necklace as high as he could, far above Link's reach. "What are you gonna do Link? Come on? Attack me!" He laughed, his lackeys doing the same.
Link instead relaxed his posture, a smirk edging it's way onto his face. "You're just jealous." Link said, restraining his anger, if he could get to Groose mentally, the older boy might submit, or so he thought.
"Jealous? Of you?!" Groose shouted as he charged at Link, taking a firm hold of his collar.
"You're just jealous that Zelda is fond of me, but not so much of you." Link said, smiling broad. Before he knew it though he was on his back, he looked up to see Groose quickly approaching, his enormous arms tensed. Link darted out of the way as he stood up, narrowly dodging one of Groose's fists.
"Fine, you're gonna run? Guess you don't want this back, then?" Groose said. He grabbed a hold of Link's necklace with both hands, beginning to pull on the fragile chain that held the small triangular ornament on the end.
"No!" Link yelled, charging Groose. Link wrapped both arms around the bully's mid section, and to his surprise, picked him up for a moment, forcing him back, and ultimately, knocking him to the ground. "Give it back, Groose." Link requested once more, standing over his stunned rival.
Groose stood up, his breathing heavy.
"Hey Groose, maybe we should just let him have it, this isn't fun anymore." Cawlin said quietly, keeping his distance from the larger boy.
Without even acknowledging his friend, Groose ran forward, meeting Link halfway. Link made a grab for his necklace, but Groose kept it out of reach with his longer arm. Being so focused on trying to capture his belonging, Link had forgotten to guard himself, being struck by one of Groose's enormous fists right in his stomach. The force of the punch lifted Link into the air, throwing him at least three paces from where he last stood.
Link closed his eyes tight as he recomposed himself, the impact was painful, but he refused to give up. As he lay on the ground with his eyes shut tight, he felt something reaching out to him, and even though it felt far, it still found him. Link's vision was filled with a bright gold glow, replacing the black that filled the minuscule space between his eyelids and his eyes. Link began to rise, whatever this was inside him would help him easily best Groose. Link rose to his feet, beginning to turn when he was halted by the door opening.
"Groose! What are you doing?!" a feminine voice called, sounding shocked.
Link turned quickly as Zelda ran to him, helping him regain his footing.
Zelda looked back and forth between the two as Cawlin and Strich made a quick exit, not wanting to make it onto her father's bad side.
"Were you two fighting?" she asked in disbelief, "I thought you were more mature than that." She began, turning her back on both of them.
"Zelda...Link and I...we were just...messin' around, y'know?" Groose said as he walked over to Link, forcing a rather nervous smile, onto his face, and giving Link a playful punch to the shoulder, but with a enough force to make the smaller boy stumble.
Ever since Zelda's entrance the strange force that gripped him slipped away, Link paid little mind to it though, feeling embarrassed and ashamed.
"Zelda, it's just, I was trying to get my parent's necklace back." Link explained, hoping she'd understand.
Before Zelda turned, Groose shoved the necklace into his back pocket, beginning to laugh as she came to face him. "Necklace? What necklace? This guy! Right?" Groose continued, giving Link another playful looking, but not entirely well meaning punch to the shoulder.
Link lowered his gaze, he'd have to get the necklace back later, for now he had to salvage his reputation with Zelda.
Before he could respond though, Zelda spoke up, "I think Link's referring to the necklace you just pocketed." she said, a threatening tone to her voice.
Groose closed his eyes as his nervous laughing began again, "What are you talking about? I wouldn't steal anything from him."
Zelda remained silent, shooting Groose an anger filled glare.
The larger boy shifted uncomfortably, his nervous laughing stopping as he looked from side to side. "Fine." he said quietly, removing the necklace from his pocket, extending his arm towards Zelda, Link's necklace hanging off his fingers.
Zelda raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, "It's not my necklace, Groose." she said, agitation in her voice.
Groose sighed as he turned to Link, extending his arm. "Here you go...I'm sorry."
"Thanks." Link said as he took the necklace, gently placing it back around his neck.
Link and Zelda exchanged glances as a dejected looking Groose stood before them.
"I'm sorry, I was just...just." Groose stammered, attempting to come up with a good excuse for his theft of Link's necklace, and his subsequent attack on him.
"Just go, please." Zelda asked.
Groose scowled at Link before adopting a sullen look, quickly making his way out the door, presumably back to his home.
"Sorry for rushing to judgement like that...I didn't know he stole your necklace, I thought you were fighting over..." Zelda said, trailing off.
Link smiled broadly, taking Zelda's hand. "Over you?" he asked.
Zelda pulled back on Link's grasp with a laugh, "When you see it that way it makes me sound arrogant."
"Oh but you are, like a Goddess among men." Link replied, not knowing how accurate his statement was.
"Quit it!" Zelda called with a laugh as they exited the small school room hand-in-hand.
Link wouldn't show it, but he felt somewhat nervous, this was the first time he had held her hand, only feeling as if he were welcome to do so after how she stood up for him against Groose. He had expected her to pull her hand away, but she didn't. Link locked eyes with her, her warm smile greeting him.
"You know, if you want to know more about your parents, I'm sure most of the adults knew them, I'm sure my father and the others would be happy to tell you all about them." Zelda said with a sincere smile, with Link not being able to help but smile in return.
Zelda and Link's eyes locked, the two beginning to move closer, until they were interrupted that is.
Karane sprinted towards them, nearly falling over as she came to halt not even two paces in front of the two. "Cawlin told me you and Groose got into a fight, he was worried you were going to hurt each other, what's going on? Where's Groose, and why is Zelda here?" Karane asked hurriedly, trying to get an idea of what was going on.
"I broke it up, keeping the peace does not entirely rest on your shoulders, Karane." Zelda answered, flashing her bright smile to reassure the other girl.
"What happened, exactly?" Karane asked Link, a slightly demanding tone to her voice.
"It was nothing, Groose just snatched my necklace...he gave it back though." Link answered, looking to Zelda in thanks.
"He stole your necklace?" Karane asked, the expression on her face communicating he fact she knew of it's importance to Link.
"Yeah, but there's no sense in making more trouble of it." Link responded, trying to calm her.
"You know what? I'll tell Pipit what happened! He'll put Groose in his place!" Karane proclaimed proudly.
Before Link could respond, the girl turned and broke into a run in the opposite direction, supposedly to inform Pipit of the events that has just transpired.
Link closed his eyes, lowering his head in exasperation, "Why she thinks Pipit can help is beyond me."
"When you have feelings for someone, you tend to think highly of them." Zelda answered, causing Link to straighten his posture, enabling himself to turn and look at her. She always looked exquisite in the sunlight, Link wondered how it could be that he was the lucky one who attracted her attention, but shoved the thought away, wanting to focus on the moment.
"Zelda." Link said with a smile.
"Link." Zelda said, returning the smile.
Link tightened his grip on her hand, once again drawing nearer, when suddenly all went black.
"Link!"
"Link!"
Link's eyes flew open as he extended an arm to keep from falling over. Stunned he looked around, slowly recounting the day's events. Looking up, he found Elgon standing over him, looking concerned.
"Yes?" Link said, sounding slightly disoriented.
"Sorry to wake you, it's just, that's the third time you've lost consciousness." Elgon answered, looking down at Link.
"I probably keep losing consciousness because I'm exhausted." Link replied.
"I was afraid if you weren't awake to keep yourself going, your body would fail you while you slept, you've fought a Demon Lord, and took on the power of not just your own Triforce, but Zelda's too, to be honest I can't imagine the strain that must have put on your body." Elgon responded.
Link decided not mention Zelda's spirit aiding him as he made one last stand against Mahlik, thinking it to be unnecessary to make the older man more concerned...and confused. His thoughts turned to Zelda, it was often they reminisced about their time in Skyloft together, it was as far back as they could remember, and was when they first developed feelings for each other, creating a strong love that still lasts to this day, nearly two thousand years later. His thoughts turned to Groose, it wasn't often he'd thought about him, but when it came down to it, Groose was the first adversary Link ever had, although after the adventure they shared he and Groose became the closest of friends, a bond that lasted their entire lives.
"I'm sure you'd like to get back to the Castle soon, to see the Princess." Elgon said, his voice sounding somewhat serious.
Link, still being in the process of waking up, had yet to assess his surroundings, he was surprised to find himself once again in the Great Deku Tree's Meadow, being able to hear the yells of officers giving orders to soldiers in the Village. "Elgon, what are we doing here?...Did you...carry me here?" Link asked, feeling uncomfortable as he posed the question.
"No, not just me, some of the men helped me take you back here, the Great Deku Tree has promised to heal you." Elgon replied, still seeming as if he were hiding something.
"Elgon, why am I actually here...with you and the Great Deku tree?" Link asked, feeling the tension in the air.
Elgon turned to Link, started toward him as he began a sentence, but hesitated and stopped.
"The situation has changed, we face a dire threat, our secrets must be revealed." the Great Deku Tree said, it's powerful voice booming throughout the meadow.
Link struggled to his feet, his body barely complying, "What secrets?" he demanded, growing impatient all the while.
"Link, do you remember when you regained you memories for the first time...ever?" Elgon asked.
"Of course I do, during the Mythical age my memories returned during my seven year sleep, since then I've been able to recall all of my lives, even those that came after the Mythical age...why do you ask?" Link questioned, growing more confused as by the minute.
"You and Zelda aren't alone in your cycles of rebirth." Elgon said, gaze interlocking with Link's.
"You speak of Ganondorf." Link stated, dropping his gave to the ground as he leaned back against the Great Deku Tree.
"No Link, the Goddesses have known from the start that you would need guidance, just as I did when I was the Chosen Hero." Elgon answered, his expression hardening.
Link looked up quickly, his eyes opening wide, his mind being too busy with processing it's disbelief to find words.
"Before Skyloft, before you, before Hylia was Zelda, I was the Hero, fighting Demise and other Demons as you fight Ganon, it was only when Hylia took our people to Skyloft that my cycle ended, I was given the options of rest, or continuing on to guide my successor, you." Elgon explained, his eyes maintaining contact with Link's.
"That's...impossible." Link said, his stunned expression remaining on his face.
"It's true, Link." the Great Deku Tree spoke, "The Goddesses wanted to give you what the first hero did not have, a mentor in every life and guidance, even before you recalled your destiny."
"If this is true, then who are you, I mean...who have you been?" Link pressed, his curiosity overpowering.
"You've known me by many names, Gaepora, Mayor Bo, and I believe I gave you your sword so you could begin your quest in one life" Elgon said with a smile before his facial expression once again turned into a more serious look. "But most importantly, you know me as Rauru, the Light Sage of the Mythical Age."
Link walked forward, turning his attention to the Great Deku Tree, "Is...is this true?" he asked the Forest Deity, his voice quiet.
"All that he has told you is the truth, I assure you of this." the Great Deku Tree answered.
Link turned to Elgon, his emotion showing on his face, Link extended his arm, with Elgon returning the gesture, gripping each other's hands tightly. "It's good to see you again, old friend." Link said, still in partial disbelief.
"It's truly been a gift watching you come as far as you have." Elgon answered, a smile growing on his face.
"Why didn't you reveal this sooner?" Link asked.
"It never was necessary, until now." Elgon answered, his eyes communicating the severity of the situation.
"You speak of Erris, and the demon that possesses him...and that disturbing perversion of the Triforce he carries." Link responded, crossing his arms.
"Not just that, like Erris said, the Anteforce can only be active when at least two of it's pieces are present at the same time, which would mean either Ganondorf or Majora is here, alive." Elgon stated, his tone serious.
"I think I know which one it is." Link answered, looking up at Elgon.
"Either way, it would seem they plan to unite the Anteforce, for that, they'll need the third piece, we can't let all three Demon Lord's rise at once, that could shatter our land and the lands beyond it forever." Elgon replied.
"We must find the other Sages quickly." Link said, looking to Elgon.
"The Sage of Shadow is already among our ranks...Impa." The older man replied.
"Is she..?" Link began to ask before trailing off.
"The original Impa, the one you met during the age of Skyloft? Indeed she is."
Link thought back to the Battle of Kakariko, Impa had told him she was merely a descendant of the original Impa, something he was now shocked to find was untrue.
oOo
Audrik had positioned himself between King Laorik, Evan and Mikau, Mayor Met, Cheif Darbrakus, Chief Darmani V, and the representatives from Gamelon and Labrynna's Goron tribes, seeing as their leaders weren't in attendance.
The Prince turned to the Mayor of Clock Town, the older man looking quite worn down in his heavy armor. "I apologize for getting you mixed up in this most dreadful affair." Audrik said, bowling his head to the man.
"No, no, it's fine!" Mayor Met said between breaths, "Can you imagine how my people would react to finding out their Mayor took part in a battle against the Bulblin empire, Moblin hordes, the traitorous Labrynnians, and the undead? My reelection is assured." He said with a laugh.
Audrik returned the laugh, while laughing internally, as he found election based politics strange.
King Laorik stepped forward, so far he had been the most outspoken of the gathered leaders, and judging by the look on his face that wasn't something that would be ending soon. "Prince, I say we quit speaking of such trivial things and talk about the matter at hand!" he shouted.
"What is this matter? As you can see, there are many matters that one might consider "at hand"." Audrik responded, looking over the mostly ruined village beyond them.
"I speak of Prince Erris's attacks on our land, we must retaliate, strike at Labrynna!" the Zora King responded as he moved closer to Audrik.
"No, that's what started all this, we won't end it like that." Link said as he and Elgon approached.
"I agree." Elgon said, "Besides, Prince Erris could be ready for that, by now we know those Garo soldiers he commands are something unnatural, one of their number is capable of taking down up to ten soldiers, not to mention the fact that the Prince displayed the ability to raise the dead. For all we know we could be charging into an army of undead soldiers." Elgon continued, his expression communicating the severity of the matter.
"I second that notion, if we defeat Erris while he attacks us here, the forces in Labrynna will have no leader, without the demonically possessed Erris on the throne I'm sure the people will rise up and take command from whoever tries to grab it next, and end this pointless bloodshed and drain on their country's resources." Mikau said as he stepped forward.
"What about our brothers?" Chief Darmani asked as he looked across the assembled group.
"Yeah! We Gorons have brothers in Labrynna, they'd help us attack, we'd get 'em from both sides!" Chief Darbrakus shouted enthusiastically, raising his hammer up and down.
"That's an interesting strategy, we could use that if we do manage to topple Erris, and someone does try to take control." Sir Ginthorne added as he strode up to the group.
"Ah, Admiral Ginthorne, I was just about to send for you, your military expertise would be greatly appreciated during a conversation such as-" Audrik said, stopping short as a thundering sound emerged from the Lost Woods, a large Knight clad in black armor emerging, the Moblins and Bulblins that had run away earlier at his back, Link recognizing it, as it was very similar to the opponent he faced in Hyrule Castle, during his visit to the flooded alternate Hyrule.
"I also wanted to tell you, our scouts saw that on it's way." Ginthorne said, gritting his teeth as he pulled his sword off of his back.
Audrik walked forward, Oren keeping close behind, resisting the urge to pull him back. "Mr...Black Knight, may I call you that?" Audrik asked, receiving no answer as the Knight halted, the Moblins and Bulblins stopping behind him. "We have defeated your leader and his forces, no more bloodshed has to occur, please, both of our forces can walk away from here, no one has to die." Audrik said, his voice was confident, but his body's fidgeting gave away his desperation.
The Black Knight looked over the forces assembled in front of it, Link doing the same, noticing they had been reduced to a quarter of what they came with. The Knight finally raised it's head, resting it's gaze on Audrik.
"You did not defeat MY Master." it said, it's voice deep and intimidating.
"Please, we can both go our separate ways and-" Audrik was cut off as Oren pulled him back behind their now gathered allied forces as the Black Knight and the large Bulblin-Moblin force came down on them.
Link braced himself as the Moblins rammed through the allied forces, easily tossing aside the smaller Hylians and Zoras, their only opposition being the Gorons...and Sir Ginthorne of course. Link lowered his shield to find himself face to face with a Bulblin. Link reached for his sword, but remembered he hadn't one, Mahlik having had destroyed the White Sword earlier. The Hero dodged a downwards strike from a club as the Bulblin moved in, deflecting another blow with his shield as the Bulblin increased the frequency of it's attacks, emboldened by it's opponents lack of a weapon. Link faded back, avoiding a diagonal strike from the creature, then, to his opponent's surprise, leapt forward, striking the Bulblin in the torso with his shield, knocking it over. Link dropped his knee into the Bulblin's stomach, the creature letting out roar of pain as he did so. As the monster clawed at him as Link reached down, gripping the Bulbin's head tightly, then, with one swift movement he cracked the Bulblin's neck, the creature falling motionless beneath him. Link picked up it's club as he stood up, figuring it was better then proceeding unarmed.
Audrik ran, every now and then slicing his way through a Bulblin that stood in his way, Oren off to the side, striking down any Moblin that came close, yet no matter where Audrik went, the Black Knight stalked him in pursuit, easily striking down any who challenged it. Audrik dodged a strike from a Bulblin's sword, then dove in, stabbing it through the chest, while to his right Oren locked his great sword with the spear of a Moblin, forcing it into the air, sending himself spinning into range of the monster's unguarded stomach, his blade cleaving through it, the Moblin falling to the ground. Oren spun around, and to his horror, found the Black Knight upon the Prince. Audrik walked backwards as the Knight approached, slowly readying it's large black blade.
"I've heard of your kind before, only appearing when a great evil has descended upon the land." Audrik said, knowing well that if the stories were true, he stood no chance.
The Prince raised his sword as the Knight brought it's blade down on him, praying he'd be able to hold the massive warrior's blade at bay.
Oren ran at full speed as the Black Knight's blade descended onto the Prince. "NO!" Oren yelled as he arrived in time, intercepting the Knight's blade with his, the Sheikah man then drew his sword back as the Knight did the same. The Black Knight brought it's sword down, with Oren countering the strike, raising his blade into the air horizontally, one hand on the broad side of his sword for support, the moment the Knight's sword came down on his, Oren tossed his blade to the left, still maintaining his right hand's grip on the blade's hilt. The Knight fell to the side, it's massive blade getting stuck in the ground, Oren charged it, slashing it diagonally downwards across the chest, knocking it back. The Black Knight had managed to free it's sword, but wasn't able to guard itself quick enough as Oren darted in stabbing at it rapidly three times, then performing a spin attack, sending the Knight skidding back on it's heels. A Bulblin ran at Oren, the latter swiftly removing a dagger from his belt, jamming it into the creatures neck, removing and re-sheathing the dagger as the creature fell behind him, Oren approached the Black Knight as it stood up, green blood dripping from a small wound to it's chest. The Knight started forward as Oren dug his feet into the ground beneath him, charging forward as the Knight lurched at him, sword high in the air. Oren brought his sword up to counter, but was thrown back as the Knight delivered a kick to his abdomen, sending the Sheikah man sprawling.
"Oren! Oren!" Audrik yelled as his bodyguard lay on the ground, breathing heavily, clutching at his stomach.
"Run, don't let it catch you!" Oren said as he attempted to right himself, wincing in pain as he got to one knee.
"No, I won't run from him." Audrik said as he stepped in front of his injured guardian, Moblins and Bulblins gathering around, waiting for their champion to strike down the Prince and his bodyguard. Audrik ran, quickly leaping out of the Knight's path as it brought down it's sword. The Prince charged, rapier at the ready, but was forced back as the Black Knight adjusted it's stance and swung it's left arm at him, Audrik avoiding the strike by a finger's length. The Prince stepped back as the Knight drew closer, looking around him, he could see the Bulblins and Moblins holding back those who would aid him, the Prince realizing that in this dark hour, darkness may be his salvation. The Royal Family had many magical attributes, but Audrik was the first in the lineage to be granted the element he held, his father had told him never to use it, to pretend as if he had no magical ability, but now that was not an option, the Prince no longer cared if his father once worried about what others would think if they saw his talent, he just cared about surviving. As the Knight walked forward, Audrik extended his arms outwards, leaving his chest wide open, he could hear Oren objecting in the background, but blocked it out as he focused on the magical energies within him he hadn't used in years.
oOo
Link had since traded the club for a sword, having taken it from a felled Bulblin. Link noted that the sword was large, mostly blunt, and poorly balanced, but it mattered not as he found it easy to adapt to new weapons. He performed a back flip over the spear of a Moblin, rushing forward, dodging to the side, and lunging in as the Moblin's spear passed him yet again, running his unwieldy blade through it's chest. Link resumed his search for the Black Knight the moment the Moblin fell, giving the heavy sword a twirl before moving on, he noticed something strange up ahead, the enemy force had created a circle, repelling every warrior that tried to break through, he started towards it, coming to halt as a wave of dark energy blew the circle apart. Link barely noticed the Bulblin creeping up on him, turning to face it, a blade suddenly pierced it's head, Elgon stepping out from behind the creature as it fell.
"What the hell was that?" Elgon asked, pointing his blade to where the burst of shadow energy had appeared from.
"Let's find out." Link replied.
oOo
Audrik stood in the middle of what was the circle of the Moblins and Bulblins, instead it was now a circle of terrified warriors from all species and lands, watching him closely, not knowing what to think. The Prince gazed downward, an aura of dark energy swelling around him, his father was terrified that their subjects would think the Royal Family had been corrupted if they witnessed the fact that their Prince wielded darkness as his element, so Audrik hid it, keeping his energies under lock and key for years, finally releasing them in one massive blast. The Prince dropped to one knee as the aura dissipated, Oren running to catch him, seemingly recovered from his injuries.
"Do they fear me, Oren?" Audrik asked as he was helped to his feet by his guardian.
Oren looked out over the stunned crowd, in the distance fighting could be heard, but in the immediate vicinity seemingly all opposition had been cleared by Audrik's assault. "They're just confused, we Sheikah are darknesss dwellers, but we are accepted into society, you're their Prince, if they do not fear us, they will not fear you." Oren reassured Audrik. Oren turned towards the Black Knight, it laid motionless on the ground, seemingly dead, but something stuck out to Oren, the abrasions on it's armor he had left had vanished, the realization hit Oren hard, while the concussive force of Audrik's attack had done the Knight damage, the dark energy had healed it, as these strange creatures were said to be constructed of said energy. Oren began moving away as fast as he could, sensing the Knight stirring behind him.
The Black Knight rose to it's feet, completely revitalized, it began towards the Sheikah man and his Royal charge, walking slowly as was it always did, something that, strangely enough, made it all the more menacing.
"Time to take on someone your own size!" Sir Ginthorne roared as he charged forward, giant blade held in front of him. He came within an arms reach of the Knight, bringing his sword down onto it's head, with a quick motion, the Knight caught his sword with it's armored hand. "What...how?" Ginthorne questioned as the Knight's strength proved slightly greater than his, being able to move his sword away. Sir Ginthorne released his right hand from the blade, and while still pulling with his left, slammed his enormous fist into the Knight's helmet, but to his dismay, the Knight was unfazed.
The dark warrior swung it's sword out to it's right, preparing to bring it vertically through the Admiral's chest, when suddenly it's movement began to slow, ceasing completely as frost spread across it's armor, growing into a thick coat of ice that bound it in place. Sir Ginthorne pulled his sword from the frozen Knight's grasp to find Sir Trystane standing opposite him, hand extended.
"Ice magic, picked it up while I was stationed at Snowpeak Fortress." he said, eyeing the frozen Knight as he walked by.
Elgon and Link came upon the scene, having fought their way through a rather impressive number of opponents to reach it.
"What the hell's going on here?" Elgon asked, taking in the strange sight.
"My soldier here defeated the Knight single-handedly!" Sir Ginthorne proclaimed, delivering a pat to Sir Trystane's back that almost knocked the Knight over completely.
"We saw a wave of dark energy appear from this very spot." Link said, "From where did it originate?" he continued.
"I believe it originated from me." Audrik answered, locking eyes with the Hero.
"But that's impossible, the Royal Family is descended from the Goddess of Light, you cannot wield darkness." Link pressed, profoundly confused."
"You sound like my father." Audrik said with a laugh, before falling back, Oren helping him to the ground.
Link started towards the Prince, determined to find out more when the air was pierced by the sound of something shattering...ice.
"Watch out!" a soldier yelled as the Knight ran full speed at the Link, the sight of the Hero seemingly sending it into a rage.
Link rolled out of the way, the Black Knight slamming it's sword down repeatedly on the spots where Link stood, the Hero barely moving in time before the strikes hit the ground. Link brought out the Bulblin sword he carried, bringing it up to guard himself against the Knight's next assault. Link's knees buckled as it's massive, strong blade crashed down onto his Bulblin sword. Link pushed back, being forced to jump backwards as the poorly crafted blade gave way underneath the tremendous force of the Knight's blow. Link almost fell back as the Knight's sword came down next to him, once again weaponless he dodged repeatedly, not knowing how to get around the Black Knight's defenses. A beam of light shot through the air, striking the Knight in the chest, Link turning to see Elgon focusing the attack on the Knight as it staggered back, attempting to defend itself as smoke rose from it's chest. Sir Ginthorne charged it from the side, the Knight raising it's sword to intercept his, but as it did so, Elgon increased the intensity of the beam of light. The Black Knight stumbled backwards, as it was assailed from all sides by soldiers.
Link used this opportunity to re-arm himself with a quality weapon, he ran over to one of the fallen soldiers, reciting a prayer to the Goddesses for the man as he claimed the blade. Calling on the Triforce he ran passed Elgon, passed Ginthorne, passed Trystane, and finally made it to the Knight. The Knight stood head, shoulders, and chest taller than him, but this didn't intimidate him, as he'd faced larger in his multiple lifetimes. Charging full speed at the Knight, Link leapt into the air as it performed a spin attack, knocking away the soldiers attacking it, Link called forth the Triforce, infusing the golden energy into his new blade. The Knight looked up just in time to see Link descending towards it, but not in time to stop him, Link plunged his Triforce infused blade into the Black Knight's head, the dark warrior releasing a gasp of pain as he did so. Link drew his sword, it's golden glow diminishing as he did so, the Knight falling as Link leapt off. Turning to the crowd, he was surprised when the soldiers in the area began cheering, the leader of the enemy force finally having fallen by his hand. This was short lived though as the Moblin-Bulblin force had fought through the lines in the eastern part of the Village, their feet pounding against the ground as they charged uphill, being spurred on by their leader's demise.
Link and the other warriors around him took up a fighting stance, making one last stand against the gathered force. The Gorons curled into their rolling forms, beginning to race towards the front lines of the advancing army, hoping to at least break down the first few lines of enemies. Link exchanged glances with the soldiers around him, they were exhausted, but still stood firm, Link admired that, knowing that he and his comrades may not make it out of this. The Goron forces were almost upon the joint Moblin-Bulblin force when something unexpected, and by all counts, amazing happened. Dozens of small figures, clad in green tunics poured forth from the Lost Woods, launching Deku Nuts from their slingshots, each making it's mark, taking down the creatures they hit and stunning those around them.
Looking up in disbelief, the assembled allied force below watched as the opposing force slowly fell apart, some Moblins and Bulblins stopping to see what was going on, others tripping over their fallen comrades. The Gorons easily swept through the now scattered enemy force, Link ran forward, releasing a battle cry as the soldiers around him followed suit, tearing through the disorganized Bulbins and Moblins with ease, the Kokiri having saved them from certain death. Link leapt onto a Moblin, driving his blade into it's chest, flipping off of it and looking up to the ledge where the Kokriri stood, silently thanking them as he aided his comrades finishing off their opponents, a process that, with the Kokiri's aid, didn't take long.
oOo
Link walked towards the ledge his former people stood on, they were still on the defense, not knowing whether the allied forces were friend or foe.
"Link! I heard you bested the Black Knight!" Kallil said as he ran up from behind him.
"Not without a decent amount of help." Link replied with a laugh, he thought back to the last time he had fought one, even with the White Sword it was a losing battle, Link requiring the Master Sword's power to best the Knight. Link reached down and placed his hand on the hilt of his new sword, it was a decent blade, created with iron harvested from the mines in Death Mountain, but while it would do him well, it was about time he retrieved the Master Sword, having tired of the various placeholders he wielded.
"They were your people once...right?" Kallil said, looking up at the child like beings talking amongst themselves on the ridge.
"Indeed." Link answered as he walked towards them, extending his hand out, stopping Kallil from following.
The small beings readied their slingshots and small blades as Link drew near, the Hero raising his hands in response. "Who are you?" one of the Kokiri asked, a demanding tone to his voice.
"A friend...my name's Link." he said, smiling at the small beings as they slowly realized who he was, dropping their weapons in order to welcome an old friend back home.
oOo
Erris walked through the alley slowly, stumbling slightly, taking time to regain his balance, he hated that he had to do things like this himself, he was the ruler of Labrynna after all, but he figured the only way the individual he looked for would come with him was if he was invited by the Prince himself. Erris clutched at his side as he continued his way down the narrow street, his field healers had done well helping him recover, even using a rare blue potion to heal his wounds and replenish his magic, but in the end, most of the healing had to be left to time.
"Look at this." he heard from his right as a large balding man stepped out from a connected alleyway, two men at his back. "Rich boy's out for an evening walk, eh?" one of the men said.
"And how would you know I'm rich?" Erris asked, a smile edging across his face.
"You look like one of those rich little cads that runs around the market during the day spending their parent's rupees on pointless shit while me and my boys here live in the slums." the balding man said, drawing a large serrated knife.
"Funny, growing up I heard so many grandeur-esque stories of Hyrule's Capital, the great Castle Town, but it has slums and degenerates just like any other large city, so much for the Goddesses chosen land." Erris said with a laugh.
The man standing to the balding man's left came forward, brandishing a sharp dagger. "Just give us all the money you've got, pretty boy!" he shouted, pointing his weapon at Erris.
"Everything I have?" Erris asked, a broad smile on his face.
"Yes everything, you little prick!" the bald man shouted before advancing on Erris.
The two men on either side of the balding man raised their arms in front of their face in defense as something flew by them, lowering their defenses as soon as they were sure it had passed.
"What the 'ell was that?" One asked. Looking up, their intended victim had vanished. "...Where'd he go?" he asked his friend, perplexed by their victims sudden disappearance, only to have his question answered by a scream of terror. Turning to the side, he locked eyes with his terrified friend, only to find that their friend who stood between them was still standing, sans his head.
The man on the left echoed his friend, screaming at the discovery, falling silent as he turned his attention forward, their intended target stood, the torches barely illuminating his form as he stood motionless, holding the balding man's head, staring into it's eyes.
"How does it feel to have everything taken from you...oh...silly me, I shouldn't have killed you before asking that." Erris said with a laugh.
He approached the two terrified men, the balding man's body falling over as he did so. Slowly Erris knelt, gritting his teeth as he did so, the soreness partially from the battle, but mostly from his transformation into Mahlik not yet alleviated. He gently placed the balding man's head on his body's chest before turning his attention to the other men.
"Do with his remains what you may, personally I'd use them as a lesson as to why you don't mess with strangers." Erris said with a laugh, rain beginning to fall, causing the torches to flicker.
One of the men turned to run, only to encounter the Prince directly behind him. He gasped, swinging his dagger at Erris, only to have the Prince catch his wrist, twisting it around until the dagger faced it's owner. "I am Prince Erris of Labrynna, and you will understand why I am feared." Erris said, slowly forcing the man to drive his own dagger into his shoulder.
Erris turned the corner, the other man had taken to curling up in the corner while his friend bled out through his fresh wound, something the Prince found quite amusing. He nearly fell as a cramp moved throughout his body. Engaging in activity that strenuous after the day's events was unwise, but at least he got some enjoyment out of it. Quickly he walked to a small home at the end of the street, it was hardly larger than a shed, and looked as if it had been through many severe storms. Erris looked up into the night sky, then back down as he approached the door. He attempted to knock, but when no answer came, he telekinetically opened the door, finding a sword at his throat immediately.
"Who are you?! What do you want?!" The man said, his long brown hair looking like it had gone unwashed for weeks.
"Are you Oreck, former Guardsmen and friend of the Hero of Legend?" Erris began, stopping when the man's sword came within a finger's length of his throat.
"I'm no friend of his, he abandoned me to associate with the Prince and lay with the Princess! If he sent you to retrieve me, you're going to go back empty handed, and while you're at it you can tell him to shove that Master's Sword or whatever up his ass." Oreck replied, keeping his sword at Erris's throat.
"Oh, I am no friend of his, on the contrary I am quite the enemy, do you wish to exact revenge on him? Show him who really deserves all that?" Erris asked, conviction in his voice.
Oreck lowered his sword, locking eyes with Erris. "...Yes...yes I do." he answered, quietly.
"Then come with me, and we'll discuss the matter with a...friend of mine." Erris said, extending his hand.
Oreck looked at the black haired man, extending his hand hesitantly, before taking it in one quick motion. With a bright flash of light the two were gone, off to parts unknown.
oOo
Elgon is Rauru, and Impa is...well Impa, but the same one! The Bulblins and Moblins decided not to be so cowardly, and would have almost accomplished what Erris failed to do if it wasn't for the Kokiri! And it would seem Erris has plans for Oreck...only time will tell what ends these all meet!
Hopefully there wasn't too much time between my last update and this one!
Let's see what you had to say!
Axcel: May I just say that I am very impressed with how fast you read up to the current point, and 9 reviews? Thank you so much! Audrik does seem genuine so far, sorry if you wanted a "palpatine"! I have thought that I moved the plot along too fast before, I just really wanted to get to the Link's quest to be reunited with Zelda, but thinking back on it, it would've been fun to write in more of Link being confused by his mind slowly remembering things as he got closer to remembering everything, and not to mention the internal struggle that could have occurred, with him wanting to sneak into the Castle, all the while debating with himself about how he may be wrong about her existence. They are a little clingy, but what do you expect from an immortal couple whose love has lasted centuries? :D Thank you for complimenting my fight scenes, writing them is always fun, and I believe it's one of my strong points, also, sorry for getting the Iron Knuckle's weak point wrong, I really haven't had the chance to fight one for a while, so I completely forgot what it was like, but now I know, thank you! On to your most recent review, Erris is kind of foolish, he's a young foreign royal who was somewhat sheltered, he's been driven to a point where his anger against the royal family and the demon inside of him have driven him somewhat insane, and shows it quite often, like when he killed the Noble Krin Gavan after informing him of his involvement in Golem incident, claiming that he needed to kill him because he could implicate him, even though he was just about to launch an attack he was very publicly going to take responsibility for. Also, I know it would seem Erris wants Hyrule's resources, but what he's really after is the vast magical power spread throughout the land, and not to mention the Triforce, the Anteforce is an object of pure evil, and would only hurt his land further, so he needs Hyrule's magic and the power of the Triforce to restore his land from the ruin his father brought upon it, also, in the end it wasn't being cut off from the other countries that brought Labrynna to it's knees, it was King Daltus's destructive vengeance campaign, that left his country in ruins, being cut off from the other countries just made it impossible to rebuild, in the end though, Erris plans to annex those countries too. Thanks for reading and reviewing! :D
Gerudospirit: I'm happy my fight scenes impress you, as you do well with those yourself! I'm glad you're liking the blending of original and established characters, some people see that as something bad, for some reason. When it comes to Zelda helping Link, I kinda took a page from "Spirit Tracks" in which Zelda's spirit kind of aids Link in his journey, I hope that wasn't too blatant! It means a lot that you'd say my work sounds professional, it's been a long time since I've seriously written anything, and this is by far the longest and largest writing project I've ever taken on, I'm happy that you like it! Thanks for reviewing! :)
Also! My story has finally surpassed 100,000 words! Thank you all for your ongoing support and help! You're all awesome!
As always, if you spot any grammar or syntax errors, please speak up, I do miss quite a bit during the editing process!
Thanks for reading, I hope you've enjoyed so far! Until next time,
Best of luck
-Prometheus17