Through a Nightmare Darkly

Chapter 4: Only the Beginning

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Zantorian stood over the entrance to the Gerudo Kingdom. In front of him was the path to Hyrule and the twenty foot long gorge that was between the entrance to his city and Hyrule Field, with a bridge spanning it. He was standing on one of the two cliffs that lined the entrance to his home. Each wall stood thirty feet high and prevented more than five men, standing shoulder-to-shoulder, from squeezing into his kingdom through the narrow passage. Namura, his second-in-command, was standing by him.

"We should destroy the bridge," she suggested.

Zantorian nodded. He put up his right arm, with an open palm facing the bridge. His hand twitched slightly and the bridge burst into flames, most of it disintegrating in seconds. What was left of the bridge fell down into the ravine below.

Namura laughed silently, "Neat trick."

"It comes in handy sometimes," Zantorian replied and smiled. Most people forgot that a fifteen year old was leading a country, let alone leading a country to war. His six foot stature, shoulder length hair, and his Gerudo masculine features made him look like he was mid-20.

Over, at the entrance to Gerudo Valley, the first Hyrulian soldiers were passing into the Valley. "It looks like our guests are here," Zantorian commented. "What do say we prepare a welcoming gift?" he said mincingly, causing Namura smile.

They both turned around and began walking towards the Gerudo Kingdom, but Zantorian whipped around as soon as he began walking away. "What the hell is Garboll doing here?!" Zantorian asked, enraged. He jumped off the side of the cliff and walked to the edge of the chasm.

"Garboll!" he yelled. "What the hell are you doing!?"

The Hyrulians, who had begun to take out supplies and materials to build tents stopped and started at Zantorian. A Goron walked up to the opposite edge of the cliff, with two other Gorons behind him. The Goron in front was slightly bigger than the two behind him and had spiked hair. As well as two white strips under both his eyes and a necklace of blue, circular rocks.

"I'm with the Hyrulians," the Goron called Garboll coolly replied.

"Obviously! Why have you betrayed us Garboll? Are you like that excuse-for-a-man Dactus?"

"King Dactus," Garboll corrected him. "We are here because no matter what treaty or alliance we make, we always stay true to the king of Hyrule."

"You coulda told me this when we made the treaty four years ago!"

"Yes, and for that, I apologize Zantorian. We weren't thinking that this war would happen."

"No, it's my fault. I guess shouldn't of thought that a talking rock could think! How stupid of me!" All of the shouting that Zantorian had been doing was drawing out the Gerudos. By now, there were at least a two-hundred standing on the cliffs behind Zantorian.

Frustration and anger passed over Garboll's face, but he quickly pushed it aside. "Yes, well…having this alliance with Hyrule benefits my son and people –"

"Darunia would've been fine if you stayed allied to us!" Zantorian said while interrupting Garboll. "By doing this, you've doomed your whole race!" He paused. "Who knows," he said in a calmer voice, "I may even bring back an old friend to join you on your little…escapade with Hyrule.

Garboll cocked an eyebrow, obviously not catching on to what Zantorian was saying. "You don't know who I'm talking about?" Zantorian asked, sounding hurt and offended. "Oh…I'm sure Volvagia would be very disappointed."

At the mere mention of the dragon's name, the two Gorons behind Garboll shuddered, but Garboll didn't even flinch. Instead, he laughed. "You can't possibly revive him. That would take power equivalent to that of the Goddesses'. You don't have that much power Zantorian, you barely have enough power to light a bridge on fire." Garboll smirked at his comment.

Zantorian's eye twitched in anger and he was about to lash out, but he soon regained his self-control. "Maybe Garboll…maybe. But then again, no one is certain on what will happen in ten or fifteen years. I just hope you stay alive long enough to see it." Zantorian turned around and walked towards his city.

"I hope you see the error in your ways Zantorian and forfeit this Civil War," Garboll called out.

Zantorian immediately stopped walking and clenched his fists so hard that they started bleeding. "CIVIL WAR?!" Zantorian roared and spun back around. "I hope, for your sake Garboll, that your little mountain dwelling creatures can stop me! If not, no army, no divine power…not even the Goddesses' themselves will stop me from tearing you and your race apart! There is no 'Civil War!' We are completely independent from Hyrule and anyone else! As long as a Gerudo draws breath, no one controls us…not even in death!"

Upon saying these words, the Gerudos let out a triumphant cry. All raised their weapons in the air, shook them, and cheered, with each one never being more proud to call Zantorian their leader than now. The Gerudos began shouting taunts at the Hyrulians and Gorons. They were now more certain than ever that they would win this war behind their leader.

As Zantorian walked down the narrow corridor, the Gerudos followed in suit, each one with their head held up high.

--

"Sire," Namura said while bowing, "the Hyrulians have almost completed their bridge."

"How much longer?"

"They'll be done within the hour."

Zantorian stood up from his throne. "Tell the soldiers to get into position and order the non-soldiers and children to stay inside their homes and not to come out…for anything."

Namura bowed again and left. That's the last thing I want, Zantorian thought. The death of innocents.

Hyrule was well-known for it's brilliant and cunning army, but they were also known for other things as well. Most of the Hyrulian soldiers followed the Unofficial Rule of War: never attack and innocent or child, in any way, shape, or form. But, as in most armies, if the men broke this law, it went unpunished. Zantorian knew there would be innocent deaths tonight, but he wanted the causalities to remain low.

Zantorian stepped out into the dusk of the night. The sun had set, but it was still bright out enough to see clearly. He looked at his home, seeing non-soldiers and children being ushered into their homes, while the soldiers got into position.

Most of the soldiers were scattered throughout the city, in ambush positions, but a few were in the open, tricking the Hyrulian soldiers into thinking that there were only a small number of defenders. He walked towards the front lines.

--

"Are we ready?" he asked Namura.

"Yes, sire. Half of the Elite Soldiers are placed on the cliffs to jump out and ambush the Hyrulians, cutting of their escape route, while the rest are in ambush positions throughout the city. The regular soldiers are placed in the open, as you can see. Thirty women were placed at the entrance to the city, which is our first line of defense. The adrenaline crazed Hyrulian soldiers won't be able to stop in time, plus, the pushing strength of the soldiers behind them will force them to be skewered by the pikes. The second line of defense is in the middle of the city and the last is at the palace, but it won't come to that. Just a safety precaution."

Zantorian nodded. A loud crash resonated throughout the city, signifying the falling of the makeshift bridge. "So it begins," Zantorian muttered while drawing his scimitar. Namura drew two daggers, with each blade facing the ground.

Soon, the sounds of the Hyrulian charge met their ears, followed by the soldiers themselves. As predicted, the soldiers in front tried to stop, but couldn't because of the men behind them. A heap of bodies soon covered the entrance way. The Hyrulians, seeing the futility in their attack retreated back.

"Archers, forward!" a Hyrulian commander shouted. Ten archers appeared in the passage, five on their knees and five standing. Each let loose their arrows. Six Gerudo soldiers fell, with the rest backing up.

The Hyrulians charged again with a renewed fervor. Upon entering the city the Gerudos charged the Hyrulians, with Zantorian leading the charge.

Zantorian saw his first victim. He ran towards him and swung his sword upwards, parrying the Hyrulians soldiers' sword. Zantorian spun his sword around, put his palm on the butt of the sword, and thrust it through the man's chest. He yanked the sword out of the man and decapitated the man next to him.

The outcome of the battle was already favoring the Gerudos. With most of the Hyrulian soldiers dead, the Gerudos were quickly pushing them back out of the city. "Keep this up!" Zantorian shouted over the roar of the battle. "Only a little bit –"

"GORONS!" a Gerudo soldier shouted.

Zantorian turned towards the entrance to see two Gerudo women fly over the mass of fighting soldiers. Zantorian cursed and thrust his sword through the side of an advancing soldier. That's just what we needed, he thought. Zantorian saw a lone Goron smashing away hordes of Gerudo soldiers. Already, the Gerudos began losing ground and were being pushed further back into the city. To top it off, a squad of Hyrule's Elite Guard were advancing, but before they could cross the makeshift bridge, the Elite Gerudo Guards jumped down and fended them off. At least that'll buy us a few minutes. Now, how do you kill a Goron?

Zantorian bull-rushed the Goron and dodged a swipe of his massive hand. Zantorian brought his fist up and punched the Goron. "OOOOWWWW!" Zantorian yelled as he shook his hand. The Goron swung at Zantorian again, but Zantorian narrowly dodged it. Zantorian spun around to the Goron's back and tried to slice it, but he was met with the sound of metal clashing against a rock.

The Goron laughed and picked Zantorian up by the neck. Zantorian struggled to free himself, but to no avail. The Goron hurled Zantorian across the battlefield and into a nearby building. Zantorian smashed into the building, but luckily his armor took most of the blow, but the impact knocked the wind out of him. Zantorian landed on the ground and was gasping for air. He slowly heard the pounding footsteps of the Goron approaching. The Goron reeled up his fist to finish Zantorian off, but Zantorian rolled out of the way, making the Goron punch the ground.

Zantorian conjured up a fireball in his hand pushed it into the Goron's face. The Goron, shocked by the sudden move, stumbled back a few steps. The Goron wiped the ash from his face and smiled a big, toothy, white grin. The Goron swept his hand and hit Zantorian on the side. Again, Zantorian smashed into a wall. Zantorian looked up from the ground. Blood was trickling down the from his mouth and a few scrapes were noticeable on his face. More than likely, his torso was bruised from being thrown around, but he ignored the pain.

The Gerudos were nearly three-quarters of the way to the second defense line. All of the Elite Gerudo Guards abandoned their ambush spots, seeing as how desperate the Gerudos were becoming. With the help of the Elite Gerudo Guard, the Gerudos were gaining a foothold in the battle, but the Goron prevented them from pushing the Hyrulians back any further.

But there was one thing that caught his eye: a group of Hyrulian soldiers ran into a house. THOSE BASTARDS! he mentally cursed. He struggled to stand up, but as soon as he did, he bolted to the house. The pain in his body seared more than ever, but the thought of what was going on in that house pushed him forward.

He shoved the curtain aside and ran into the house. He saw five Hyrulian soldiers; four were hooting and hollering, while the fifth was raping a woman. Zantorian took his scimitar and shoved into the nearest man's head. A sickening crack rang throughout the house, causing the men to look in his direction.

"GET OFF HER YOU BASTARD!" he roared. He pulled the sword out from the man's head and threw the body in the direction of the man raping the woman. He immediately jumped off and fell down, with the body on top of him.

The soldiers went to draw their swords, but before they even could, he grabbed the nearest one and stabbed him through the chest.

With their swords drawn, the three remaining men rushed Zantorian, but Zantorian side-stepped all of them, slicing one down the back in process. He now only faced the two men; the other was still in the corner, trying to get the body off him. One of the soldiers attacked Zantorian. Zantorian parried both of the man's attacks and kicked him knee in, making it stick out in a ninety degree angle. The man screamed in agony. Zantorian stabbed him through the chest, the other fled the house. He turned around to see the last man trying to escape the house.

He picked up one of the dead soldier's sword. "You know, you really shouldn't go to battle without a sword." Zantorian hurled the sword at the man. Just as he was about to leave the house, the sword struck him through the neck.

Zantorian looked to see if the woman was okay, but immediately turned away. One of the soldiers had stabbed her through the chest, probably when he was distracted with the others, he figured.

He turned to leave the house and join the battle was more. Something about this house is fami–…OH MY GODESSES! THIS IS MY HOUSE! He spun around and ran towards the woman. He dropped his scimitar as he reached her. "No…mother." He took a few steps back and nearly collapsed on the ground, only catching himself by another doorway. He walked back towards his mother, gently pulled the sword out of her with a sickening sound, and cradled her in his arms. The sounds of the battle faded from his reality. All that was there were him and his mother. He held her close to him. "I was here when you were still alive…I coulda saved you," he struggled to say. "I…I was so close. This couldn't have happened," he said in denial.

He pulled back the body, only to be hit with the inevitable truth that it was his mother. He looked at her. His armor and hands were stained with her blood. "No…no." Zantorian's life, as he knew it, was crumbling around him. The ones he thought friends, are now enemies, he was a split second from saving his mother's life. He laid her back down on the bed.

"No," he muttered. "No! NO!" he cried in fury. "This couldn't have happened!" he screamed while punching a wall, leaving a few cracks. "I was so!…Dactus," he growled. "DAMN HIM! DAMN THE GORONS! DAMN ALL OF HYRULE! THEY WILL ALL SUFFER AND PAY! EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM!" Zantorian's rage kept building and building. A faint black aura glowed around him and then vanished as quickly as it came. He began pacing his house. "I WILL KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM!" The aura grew stronger with each passing word. "…starting…with Dactus!"

By now the aura was completely glowing around him. It wasn't a heavenly aura though. It came off him like a fire in slow motion and was as black as the night. He forgot all about his scimitar and stepped back into the battle.

He grabbed the nearest Hyrulian soldier and punched him in the stomach. The soldier flew across the battlefield and a loud crack was heard, telling that the man broke his spine.

"Back for more, little human?" the Goron asked while walking up to Zantorian, completely ignoring the fact the he was emitting a black radiance.

The Goron reeled up his fist and tried to punch Zantorian, but Zantorian caught the punch with one hand. The Goron let out a confused "Huh?" "Not today Goron," Zantorian said. Zantorian pulled back his own fist and punched the Goron in the stomach. This time, the Goron was sent flying back and smashed into a wall, with an ear-shattering boom.

All fighting stopped as the soldiers looked at the Goron. His stomach was completely cracked. The Goron tried to lift his head up, but it immediately fell back down; his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

The soldiers turned their eyes towards Zantorian, who still had his fist outstretched. He opened his hand and a whirling noise became audible. He then quickly closed his hand and a black beam shot out about three feet from his and stopped; he began walking.

All soldiers moved out of Zantorian's way, everyone was unsure and afraid of what to expect…even the Gerudos. He walked for a few seconds and stopped. With god-like speed, he swung his black sword ten times in ten different directions. A few seconds later, ten Hyrulian soldiers fell…dead. On the ground, a mortal wound came into focus on each of the soldiers. Seeing this, all of the remaining Hyrulian soldiers began to flee, with Zantorian slowly walking after them.

By the time Zantorian had reached the entrance to Gerudo Valley, most of the soldiers had gone, but there were a few left. He waved his hand in front of the soldiers. As soon as he did this, a black barrier came up, preventing the remaining fifteen soldiers from escaping. The soldiers tried to break the barrier, but to no avail. In a final act of desperation, they set the bridge on fire. Zantorian walked to the edge of the cliff and watched the remains of the bridge fall down into the abyss below.

All he did was laugh. A laugh that could make the hairs stand up on even the strongest of men. He continued to walk. Certain that he would fall off the edge, some Hyrulians let out a sigh of relief, but this didn't happen; he kept walking. For every footstep on open air, a black ring encompassed the bottom of his foot.

The Hyrulians began beating on the barrier again. Soon after, they heard foot connecting with rock and turned around to see Zantorian standing there, with his head to the ground. He looked up and, instead of seeing two normal eyes they saw two black eyes, emitting the same aura that was around his body. Again, he laughed.

In the night air, all that was heard were fifteen separate, bloodcurdling screams.

--

And so it begins. The final straw, if you will, was his mother. Of course, you didn't know that. That's the one thing about history that's bad: it's always written by the victors. The full story is never told. It told the way you know it to make our cause look justifiable, like he was a ruthless man from the day of birth. He was pushed to the breaking point…and we're the ones who pushed him off.

This…was the beginning of the end.

Disclaimer: I do not own any Zelda related characters / places / themes / etc.. Only original names, characters, themes, and places.