Midweek update! So turns out I'm a right idiot... I JUST found out there is an app for this and it would have made writing and posting this story on my iPad SO much easier and faster. I feel ancient for not even thinking to try that :/ Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter. I know it was short but I was still happy with it! LINK FINALLY KISSED HER! Only took him 17 chapters... Here's the next one and another short one but together, these two chapters make a regular length chapter so maybe that makes up for it? As always, don't forget to leave a like and review! I love the feedback! Enjoy!

The clashing of swords on the metal hulls of the guardians surrounded Link as he rushed into the battle field. Men lay dead around him, scorched marks on their chests and faces where they had been hit by the deadly lasers. The smell of burnt flesh nearly overwhelmed him as he ran past them and into the fray.

In the chaos of the fighting, he managed to get to the first of the guardians and stabbed the Master Sword into its eye just as it was about to fire another laser. It beeped and flashed erratically as it deactivated and dropped to the ground. Link pulled the sword free and rushed toward the next one as the first exploded and the magenta smoke inside it dissipated.

The next nearest guardian had spotted him and was taking aim at his chest. The red indicator shone dead center on his chest and as the eye began to blink indicating that it was about to fire, Link jumped to the side, rolling safely out of the blast zone.

A soldier lay dead next to where Link rose again and he picked up the shield that was still attached to the dead man's arm. He attached it to his own arm just in time to use it to deflect a shot from another guardian as he had done with the pot lid at the ball so long ago. The deflected shot crashed back directly into the eye of the guardian, disabling it long enough for a few surviving soldiers to stab their swords into the machine's sensitive eye and destroy it.

Link looked around for Rusl. They need to fall back! They can't win this!

He spotted the older knight and ran towards him. He leaped over another deactivated guardian and hit the ground running when the wind was knocked out of him and a searing pain shot through his right shoulder. He skidded across the ground, wincing in pain when he came to a stop. He coughed a few times as he gasped to get the air back into his lungs. The red dot on his chest showed that the guardian was already taking aim to finish him off but he rolled out of the way at the last second, ignoring the pain in his shoulder as adrenaline pumped through him.

He stood and the red dot was on him again and he held his shield up to block the laser. The pain in his shoulder stopped him from being able to time the deflection properly and the shot obliterated the shield, forcing him to shake the burning leather straps off his arm.

The guardian was walking towards him again on its spider-like legs and Link raced towards it head on. The guardian stopped and took aim again. Link leaped into the air and yelled as he stabbed his sword into the machine's eye before it had a chance to shoot again. He pulled the sword out again as the machine crumpled and deactivated.

He ran towards Rusl and tackled him out of the way just as another guardian shot at the older knight. They hit the ground hard and took a second to get oriented again. When they did, another guardian was upon them. The other soldiers swarmed it and took out its legs as another soldier stabbed his own sword into its eye. It beeped and flickered as it collapsed and deactivated.

Link turned to the older knight, "You have to call them back. There are too many guardians. Fall back to the fort and defend from there! It's a slaughter out here."

Rusl looked around at the dying men around him and the handful of remaining soldiers then nodded at Link. "Fall back to the fort!" He yelled and the soldiers who could grabbed their injured comrades and helped them head back toward the fort.

Link saw one of the younger boys fall and ran to him to help him up. Another guardian was heading toward them and Link realized he wouldn't make it in time to help the soldier.

"HEY!" He yelled, waving his arms to get the machine's attention. It swivelled it's bulbous body toward him pointing that red eye at his chest. The boy looked up and saw that Link was drawing the guardian away and got up and started running.

Link turned all of his attention to the guardian and started running to draw it away and give the boy a head start. A laser hit the ground in front of where Link was about to step and his foot hit the crater left by the blast. Link stumbled and fell into the mud just as another laser shot just above him where he had been running a split second before.

He groaned against the pain in his shoulder as he pushed himself to his feet, grabbing the sword he had dropped in the fall. He turned as the guardian caught up to him and lifted his sword. As the laser flashed at him, he dodged to the left and felt the heat of the laser singe the hairs on his arm. He ran toward the guardian and drove his sword into the eye up to the hilt with a yell.

He heard another yell behind him and saw the boy he had rescued take down a guardian that had been about to fire on Link. He nodded to the boy in gratitude then looked toward the duelling peaks where the guardians continued to pour through towards them.

His stomach sank into the ground at the sight. There are too many!

He turned toward the fort and saw that the first few soldiers were making it back through the gate but the guardians were right on their tails. The archers were shooting at the machines but the arrows were mostly being deflected by the metal hulls.

Link glanced around but the only other soldiers out here were beyond saving. He ran toward the fort, trying to catch up to the guardians and buy the soldiers enough time to get through the gate.

One of the guardians nearby had a visibly weaker spot in one of the legs and as he reached it, he swung the Master Sword, severing the leg and making the guardian stumble. The eye swivelled toward him but it didn't have time to take aim at him before he'd driven the sword into the eye and the guardian fell.

He pulled the blade free and continued to the next one. His shoulder protested painfully as he lifted the blade with both arms and slashed at one of the legs of the next nearest guardian. The sword bounced off the metal armour and Link cried out in pain, clutching his shoulder. The guardian turned toward him and the red dot lit up on his chest.

He launched toward it and drove his sword into the eye but the blade didn't go deep enough to deactivate the guardian. Only the laser was deactivated but the rest of the machine still worked and Link realized too late that the legs made for effective weapons as well. One leg swung and struck him in the gut sending him flying. The guardian was upon him before he'd even come to a full stop trying to stomp him to death. He rolled out of the way of the first leg and barely dodged the next, rolling under the guardian to escape the legs. It tried to move back into stomping range but Link drove the sword up into the underside of the guardian. It flickered and beeped wildly, top spinning as Link tried to pull his blade free. Once he did, the full weight of the massive machine dropped. He tried to leap out of the way but was trapped by the legs of the guardian and ended up with his own legs stuck under the body of the machine.

Link cried out in pain and tried to pull himself free but the guardian wouldn't budge. He fell back and lay facing the sky as the rain poured down on the battlefield. The pain in his legs was now masking the pain in his shoulder.

The world started to go out of focus as he looked around at the carnage left from the battle. The soldiers had taken out a lot of the guardians but there had just been too many. They had been overwhelmed from the start.

"Damn…" he choked out and then coughed, noticing the taste of blood in his mouth for the first time. Ganon had bested them. After everything they had done to prepare… it just wasn't enough.

Sound started to fade away from him as his brain pounded against his skull. When did I hit my head?

Battle cries went from quiet to deafening as the approach of the other soldiers brought him back to reality.

Link watched them approach, a group defending and another group running towards him. They came back for me?

The men reached him and all but two of them took hold of the side of the guardian while the other two took Link by the arms. He cried out in pain as his shoulder was yanked on. The man on his right, adjusted his grip and the pain subsided somewhat.

The men holding the guardian lifted and slowly, the pressure on his legs lessened. Once the machine was lifted enough, the two men holding him up pulled him out from under the guardian and positioned themselves under his arms to help get him back to the fort.

The guardians pushed against the defending soldiers and the ones who had lifted the guardian joined in to help fight back so they could all retreat. The two men carrying Link were the only ones who didn't join the fray.

Link moved his legs. They hurt but they weren't broken and after a moment was able to bear weight on them and carry himself.

He shook the men off him and looked around, "Where is my sword?" He looked back the way he'd come and saw it lying in the mud. He turned back to the men, "Get back to the fort!" Again, ignoring the pain in his legs, he raced back to grab the Master Sword.

The guardians were distracted with the soldiers long enough for him to reach his sword. He bent to pick it up and felt searing pain in his side as he flew through the air upon impact. He landed on his back against another guardian and groaned against the pain coursing through his body. He opened his eyes and saw double of the guardian headed toward him.

He pushed himself to his feet again and every part of his body ached in protest. He stumbled and steadied himself, lifting his sword to face the guardian. It aimed at him and he forced his body to jump out of the way as it fired. He dodged the shot but he stumbled and fell. He righted himself and dodged again just in time to avoid the next shot.

He glanced toward the fort and saw that the soldiers had all made it behind the gate and he sighed in relief. The guardian was taking aim again and he mustered all of his strength to launch forward and drive his sword into the machine's eye deep enough to destroy it. He tried to pull his sword free but his hand slipped off the hilt and he stumbled backwards.

Link reached up again to pull the sword free and the guardian exploded sending Link flying backwards. He landed on his back and the world spun around him. He coughed and rolled to his side, spitting out blood.

The Master Sword lay a few feet away from him and Link rolled over onto his belly and pulled himself over to the sword. He pushed himself up slowly so he supported himself on his hands and knees.

The world was shaking out of focus and he blinked a few times to try to steady himself. Ahead, he saw a figure in white running toward him.

"Link!" The voice seemed faded and he wasn't even really sure he heard it at first.

"Link!" Her voice was clearer now as she reached his side. She knelt beside him, "Link! We need to get out of here! Stand up!"

Link stabbed his sword into the ground and Zelda stood, moving behind him. He used the sword to steady himself and put one foot under him so he was kneeling. He looked ahead of him and saw the red lights of the guardians moving through the grass amongst the deactivated guardians and the human dead.

"Link, save yourself! Go!" Zelda begged him but her voice didn't reach him.

Why did you come for me? He thought, unable to voice the question.

"I'll be fine! Don't worry about me! Run!" She pleaded.

I have to protect you… He pushed himself onto his feet and stumbled backwards.

Zelda gasped behind him, "No!" A guardian spotted them and climbed over two deactivated machines in front of them and pointed it's eye at Link's chest.

I have to protect you… He stood, prepared to die so that Zelda could escape. He couldn't even lift his sword in defence but so long as the red dot was aimed at him, she had time to run.

"No!" She pushed in front of him, shoving him back. He staggered but remained upright. She raised her hand up in defence at the guardian.

NO! RUN! He reached up feebly but his hands didn't reach her before a blinding holy light shot out from her hand, expanding around them to illuminate the entire field.

Everything seemed to slow down. As the dome of light expanded and touched each of the guardians it stopped them in their tracks.

The guardian before them shuddered and the same magenta smoke that had come from the castle shot out of the machine and dissipated as the guardian collapsed, deactivated.

Link looked around as the other guardians did the same. She did it… She is safe… Then the world went dark.

Light shot out from her hand and enveloped the field. The malice from inside the guardians was expelled and vanished as the ancient machines crumpled around the field.

Zelda looked at her hand, "Was… Was that…? The power…" She heard Link grunt as he crumpled to the ground behind her. She turned and saw him lying on the ground, sword in hand with his eyes closed. She ran to him, "No, no… Link! Get up!" She cried desperately, shaking him.

She lifted his torso so he could sit up and he coughed harshly before leaning back into her arm. "You're going to be just fine…"

Link looked into her eyes for a second then went limp, eyes closing and head rolling back.

Panic raced through her and she lowered her head to his chest, trying to listen to a heartbeat or to try to tell if he was still breathing. When she couldn't hear or feel any signs of life from him, despair overtook her and her body shook with sobs.

A strange sound distracted her. For a second, she feared it was another guardian taking aim at them but when she looked up, she saw the Master Sword. It was nearly destroyed. The edges were dulled and cracked. The life and splendour it had once held was all but gone. Then it flashed with blue light. Then it flashed again. And again.

"The sword…?" She whispered, trying to comprehend what was happening.

The two walked along the shores of the lake. Zelda walked in front with the Sheikah Slate held out in front of her and Link trailing silently behind her. She spoke about the Divine Beasts in an attempt to fill the silence and to distract herself from the feel of his eyes boring holes into her back.

"These Divine Beasts… so much we don't know… But if we want to turn back Calamity Ganon, they're our best hope." She paused, slowing and stopping. She lowered the Sheikah Slate and looked down. Her heart dropped. As much as she wanted the Divine Beasts to make up for her own ineptitude, she couldn't deny the reality that they were meant only to have supporting roles. It was up to her and the irritatingly stoic knight behind her to truly defeat Ganon.

Her frustrations directed at Link when she spoke, "Tell me the truth…How proficient are you right now, wielding that sword on your back?"

He remained silent as always.

Her irritation grew, "Legend says that an ancient voice resonates inside it." She paused, hoping for some reaction. None came. "Can you hear it yet… hero?"

The memory flashed through her mind as she realized that the sword – or rather, the ancient voice inside it – was trying to tell her something.

She watched it flash again, "So he can… He can still be saved?" She whispered.

A sliver of hope dared awaken inside her as she looked down at her brave knight who had been prepared to die to protect her. Oh, you fool! She thought at him, I would be lost without you! Don't you see? You have to live! Not just for Hyrule and not just to defeat Ganon… But because I need you!

"Princess!" A voice called out to her and she looked up to see Robbie and another Sheikah man – the court minstrel – heading toward them. They knelt in front of her. "Princess! Are you all right?!"

"Take Link to the Shrine of Resurrection." She commanded, ignoring their question. Her only concern was in saving the knight she held in her arms. She looked down at his face that looked so peaceful, he could have been sleeping. "If you don't get him there immediately, we are going to lose him forever! Is that clear?!" She looked back up at the two Sheikah men who nodded in response. "So make haste and go! His life is now in your hands!"

The two Sheikah tribesmen lifted Link gently and headed off toward the Duelling Peaks. Zelda watched them go and a piece of her own heart went with them. Please survive…

When they disappeared from her view, she picked up the Master Sword and turned up toward Kakariko Village. Now that her powers had finally been awakened, she had to speak to Impa.

She made her way across the Kakariko bridge and up the hill. The world around her was strangely quiet but her mind was racing. Somehow, in awakening her powers, she had immediately gained the knowledge of how to use them. Memories of past lives flooded her mind and even a faint memory of her existence as the Goddess Hylia before she had given up her divinity to be reborn as a Hylian princess so she could some day use the ancient power of the golden goddesses against the demon Demise and his reincarnations – Ganon.

Her memory stretched across an inconceivable amount of time and even across different timelines. She had lived through the hero's victory, his disappearance, his defeat… And yet in the end, good had always triumphed over evil… and it would again. At last, she was certain of that.