Part Four: Ascension
The scout's face is a stony grey and his lips are almost as blue as the fabric around his neck. He froze to death, someone suggests. He ran out of food, says another. Wishful words; the truth is soaking his tunic just above his gut. An arrow juts from his chest, snapped to try to hide the attack.
The Gerudo Chief glares down at his underlings and they scatter like ants under a boot; he's been murdered, he barks. The Yiga Secretary looks on in silence, grey eyes gleaming out from between bark-brown locks.
At the edge of Hebra, where the tundra has permanence, where the snow is always falling somewhere; this is where the murdered man lays. His eyes are open; one of his former compatriots closes them. A fallen brother. One less Successor.
And then they all see; there are feathers at his feet. Scattered by the wind but clinging to the mud on his boots. The assailant was Rito; their informant lied.
The Chief and the Secretary exchange a glance as heavy as granite. The realisation sinks between them. They've been caught by a trap so simple they didn't even see it. And struggling to maintain composure, twitching against the panic, they mouth two words in unison.
Oh, fuck.
The air in the Hyrule Castle Docks was warm and brackish, as beyond, dawn began to encroach on the starless sky. Aurelia with her white-gold hair and off-white bandages stood on the edge of one of the rotting jetties, silhouetted by the dawn break, cutting a lean and lithe figure that betrayed no hint of doubt or apprehension. Stance a little wide. Hands tense. Ready to move; to act. She could have been a Knight, Link thought.
But now she was leaving. Link caught the disappointment on Inglis' face when she had told them, and realised that it was mirrored on his own. Aurelia of Karusa Valley laughed loud and drank hard, and was a burst of brightness and wit against the decay of Hyrule Castle. The lingering awkwardness between them had disappeared with her right eye, as had her allegiance to Cinelgen. For the past two days she had helped Link and Inglis coax Rhoamet out of his catatonic state following the incident with Cinelgen, softly cooing, it's okay, Rhoamet, Link is here, and Inglis, and me, we're your friends. By sunset of the second day the Guardian had finally crept out of the shadowed corner within that Gatehouse where it hid.
It was all the talk of escape that did it, Aurelia had explained, and the ochre brown of the dusk sky that made her think of home. It had made her ask the question that she was surprised hadn't occurred to her earlier: why stay?
Just half a dozen Yiga agreed to accompany her on her flight from Hyrule Castle - her younger sister Hana included. They had crowded in a tiny paddle boat, only two oars between them, their hoods drawn around their unmasked, youthful faces. They were not bladed ones; just acolytes and stewards, caught up in a war they didn't ask for and pining for home. With wide eyes, they watched as Link and Inglis bid Aurelia farewell.
"Waste no time," she advised, her remaining eye percussive in its insistence. "Go get your boy, fix his eye, and leave."
"Where will you go now, Aury?" Link questioned, the rest unsaid: what will you do? Despite her plain clothes and humbled appearance, Link had not forgotten what Aurelia was. Without her armour, her wrists were bare, and tattooed in a fading red was the telltale inverted eye of the Yiga.
Aurelia was quick to understand, and made no attempt to soften her words; "There are those among my people who still want to fight you, Link, no matter what Cinelgen thinks, and no matter that Ganon is dead."
Link's tone was hopeful. "And what about you?"
She hesitated, opening her mouth to speak only to sigh. Her companions behind her shifted with impatience.
"I lived a quiet life in Karusa, with my sisters," Aurelia eventually said. "Hana and I were not bladed as Cassiah was. Home and some peace are all I want."
Inglis burst into a laugh that reverberated off of the cavern walls. "A quiet life for you?" he chortled.
Aurelia shot him a withering look. "Better than your existence," she gibbed, and his laughter quickly faded.
"Anyway, um," he muttered. "Safe travel."
With a curt nod, she turned on a determined heel towards the paddle boat. Link bit down his own hesitation - the ruminating apprehension at the idea he had held in his head for a few days now.
He caught a glimpse of rust coloured blood on her bandages and made his decision, reaching out to catch her by the shoulder. He owed her for getting Cinelgen out of the way. It wouldn't be right, to do nothing.
Before Aurelia could protest, Link held a hand up to her face - to where the wrapped bandages were beginning to yellow. She jolted away from him, but Link held her shoulder firm. "What are you doing--"
The soft blue light in his palm silenced her; Link closed his eyes as the wave of compassion washed over him, and the images of younger days, and happier times, flooded his senses. Inglis, and the other Yiga, watched with eyes of glass.
When the healing was done, Aurelia yanked herself from his grip. "What was that?" she demanded.
Link said nothing, but silently motioned for her to unwrap her bandages. Gingerly, hands shaking with uncertainty, Aurelia unravelled the cotton bandages, and touched her healed face in disbelief. Her eye was still missing, the eyelid hanging limply over the empty socket. But the gashes on her cheek and brow had closed, leaving clean, white scars.
"This is what our alliance could look like, Aury," Link said with a smile. And then, aware of the half dozen pairs of eyes staring at him in amazement, he added: "The Princess isn't the only mage left." And it's all thanks to you, he thought, remembering Mipha, and the other Champions too. Thanks to all of you.
Aurelia's lip was trembling as though she might sob, but unexpectedly, she laughed, weak and cynical.
"Well, my mother always said I was too pretty," she wheezed, but her smile broke again when her fingers padded around the socket of the missing eye, and a single tear ran down her cheek.
"You look fine, Aury," Inglis assured her, giving her a solidary pat on the shoulder. For a moment, her lips twitched, betraying the relief that crossed her features. But then she recoiled.
"Stop smiling at me! Both of you!" she snapped, her scarred face reddening. She turned from them, all but running away from the friendship that had been extended to her. "Dammit," she cursed under her breath.
The trio exchanged not another word as the Yiga paddled out from the docks. When they approached the mouth of the cavern, Aurelia turned and gave Link and Inglis one last, rueful glare, and the shortest of waves. Link didn't even have time to wave back; another moment later, and Aurelia was gone. He expected some snide remark from the Akkalan, but Inglis simply stared in silence, eyes hooded and mouth downturned, at the place where she had stood.
The sun was up by the time Link and Inglis made it to the First Gatehouse, having retrieved the diamond from Cinelgen's study. The windows and archways of the Gatehouse were still boarded up, letting in only thin slivers of light; Link held the jewel up to one of the beams, and was pleased to see a concentrated ray landing in a pinpoint on the dirt.
Fitting the diamond had not been their only order of business. Before she had left, Aurelia had also helped Link inspect Rhoamet's damaged leg. The savage cut Cinna had made was not completely clean; twisted metal and ancient wiring hung loose from the severed limb. Eventually, with some patience and a lot of transcribed blinking, Link figured what was wrong. Damage, the automaton had repeated over and over.
And so, armed with little more than a wrench, Robbie's bronze Sheikah goggles and his own will, Link had sought to alleviate some of that pain. He sent Rhoamet to sleep, coaxing him with promises of restoring his laser beam, and he, Aurelia and Inglis propped his enormous shell up against a wooden box that Aurelia had brought in from the storage cellar.
"He's a big boy," Inglis grunted as they lifted lowered the shell against the crate. "Though smaller than some I remember in Akkala."
Aurelia corroborated the observation. "Aye, smaller by a half, now that you mention it."
Smaller? Link was surprised to find that his companions were right; Rhoamet was smaller than the Guardians he had fought in the wild. But why?
He had put the thought out of his mind to focus on removing the rest of Rhoamet's damaged leg, the goggles proving invaluable as he navigated the Guardian's underbelly. They were even more novel than he had been expecting; the eye pieces moved, rotated and zoomed independently, allowing Link a dizzying range of vision at a detail that had him marvelling. When he'd first put them on, he spent almost an hour just gazing at the snaking contours and hidden valleys on the skin of his palms.
The goggles would prove even more useful today however, when at last the time had come to fit the new diamond.
Rhoamet sat with his remaining legs splayed out against the ground, having already been convinced to power himself down, his domed head cap unlatched and left on the ground beside his body. His beady eye was dark, and his shell pulsed with a dim cerulean hue. It reminded Link of his old tunic; I wonder where that is. Still in the Sheikah Slate, perhaps?
"Anything I can do?" Inglis called. He was inspecting the Gatehouse's main cast-iron doors. They had since been chained shut following Rhoamet's outburst the week prior. With the butt of his halberd, Inglis poked at the enormous lock, and the heavy chains tinkled as they shifted across the iron.
"Other than praying? No," Link answered, eyeing the iron doors. He climbed Rhoamet's shell with the diamond in hand, kneeling by the housing component that sat just behind the Guardian's eye.
He honed in on the housing component. As with the underbelly, it was a weave of interlocking components that slid and shifted under the slightest touch when Link attempted to adjust them. And beneath that, another network of gears and levers and locks whirred lazily, keeping Rhoamet ticking along in idle - the belly of the beast. It seemed unfathomable that amongst all the ancient metal and parts, there was something resembling a being in there; but Link was convinced now that perhaps Rhoamet had at least a mimicry of a soul.
Focusing on the interlock, Link lowered the diamond into the clasps that would hold it in place, adjusting the gears ever so slightly, fingers lightening their grip, but not too fast, just enough so that it would…
Fit. The clasps snapped into place, and as innate and organic as the heart in Link's chest, the diamond sat snug in the interlock. Cautiously, afraid that any lax movement would ruin his work, Link called for Inglis to help him reposition Rhoamet's domed headcap back onto his body.
"Time to wake him up?" Inglis asked.
Link held out an arm in front of him. "Just give it a second-"
The air shook. A long, brassy horn blast boomed across the Castle. In an instant, Inglis raced over to the side entrance of the Gatehouse. He threw open the heavy wooden door, and a blinding light streamed in through the archway. "Hylia help us," he said fearfully. "He's back."
Link scurried over to where Inglis stood, squinting as he peered down along the Western Passage towards the enormous gates of Hyrule Castle. And sure enough, there he was - on his sand coloured mount, flanked by his party of bandits, Cinelgen rode through the Gates with menacing purpose. He stopped to dismount, handing his mount to a nearby Stablehand. Behind, Milagre and the rest of the party trotted through the gates as another horn blast cut through the air.
Link and Inglis turned to each other in a panic. "You said he'd be gone a whole week," Link said incredulously. "It's been two days!"
"Something must have happened," Inglis determined. "Maybe he figured out the lie." His eyes were seeking, clouded by confusion. "Why do you think the Rito told him that? To catch him in the wild?"
Link looked to the west, to where Vah Medoh flew above the mountains of Hebra. It had not landed since its cleansing, tracing low circles around the rock spire of Lake Totori. As though mobilised for battle.
Ah. That's exactly what has happened.
He shook his head at Inglis' suggestion. "Not to catch him. To cut him off. They're coming here, Inglis."
The Akkalan boy stared westwards in shock, and a third and final horn blast rang out.
"Three blasts," he said. "A call to action." Their suspicions were confirmed. Below, Cinelgen was riding along the Western Passage towards the Gatehouse. Inglis' face hardened, and he tensed.
"He'll want Rhoamet, if there's to be fighting." He stepped through the threshold, his gaze locked on the Gerudo. "Link, you need to go, now."
"W-what?" Link stammered. "What about you?" He followed Inglis through the door.
"I'll delay Cinna," Inglis answered. There was a strength in his voice Link hadn't heard before; silhouetted by the morning light, Inglis seemed taller. "I'll… I'll lie. Like you. And give you time to wake Rhoamet and escape."
"No." Not without you. Link reached out, pleading, pulling him back by the arm. "Inglis-"
The Akkalan wrenched himself free. "It's fine," he said, turning back to give him a sad smile. "Let me be the hero for once, Link."
Link reeled, strung up by a sudden indecisiveness. They had been so close. The promise had almost been kept, Inglis had almost been free. He was speechless, unable to move, until Inglis stepped forward and seized him by the back of the head, pressing his forehead against Link's, brown eyes meeting blue.
"I'll see you soon," he assured him. "Just get yourself out of here, okay?"
Link nodded, bolstered. No time, and no choice. Inglis' selflessness had taken the decision from him. "I'll see you soon," he affirmed, and with a quick, brotherly embrace the pair parted; Inglis down the Western Passage, and Link back to his Guardian.
Fighting the shiver of his nerves, Link tapped Rhoamet's shell, whispering, "Wake up now." And, slowly, the colours on his shell intensifying, Rhoamet arose.
"Diagnostic?"
A thin red beam appeared from the Guardian's eye, the familiar beeping sending a shock through Link's spine. Rhoamet focused on the cast iron doors of the Gatehouse, the crimson laser honing in on where the chains held the door closed. He looked back down to Link;
TB OK
"Good, good," Link said, balling his fists to keep them from shaking. His mind was racing, clambering for the scraps of his escape plan that he had figured out the evening prior. Holding his face still to mask his fear, he looked back up to his Guardian. "Alright, buddy, I think we're ready. We're not going out through the front. Too dangerous. But I've got my powers back, I just need you to go where I say." Link looked into Rhoamet's quiet eye, a hand to the back of his neck. "Do you trust me?"
After a pause, Rhoamet spelt out the answer;
Today.
Link smiled, relieved. "Today," he nodded and he climbed onto Rhoamet's shell, gripping one of the handles atop his head. Once he had settled into position, he reached down to tap the side of the Guardian's head and pointed towards the cast-iron doors. The red honing beam appeared again, locking onto the chains, and Link found that his once visceral reaction of terror was replaced by a thrill.
"No need to be afraid," he said, to both himself and his Guardian. "They captured you for what you can do. For your power."
Shouts had erupted from the Castle Gates, and then, a swan song for this chapter in his life, an otherworldly screech of a divine bird sounded across Hyrule. Link's smile broadened, the fear gone.
He tightened his grip. "C'mon, then. Let's give them what they want."
From the gates of Hyrule Castle, Inglis of Akkala watched the commotion unfold with a mask of solemnity, hiding the excitement underneath. He had been feigning concern over dilapidated camps in the Castle Town ruins, trying to distract Cinelgen and Milagre from entering the Gatehouse, when an arc of light emerged from the trees surrounding the Sacred Grounds.
Next was the call of the Divine Beast, high and strident, signalling Vah Medoh's advance from the mountains of Hebra. Inglis could feel the beat of propellers in his chest. And then - as Cinelgen's bandits scrambled - a beam of energy blasted down the doors of the First Gatehouse, sending a shower of broken metal and debris into the courtyard beyond. From the plume of dust that followed, Link and Rhoamet emerged, unhindered; boy and beast on their final flight at last.
Inglis almost cheered, his blood suddenly abuzz, as beside him Cinelgen cried out with a mixture of rage and terror, kicking the sand-speckled mount into a gallop down the Western Passage. Milagre moved to follow, but Inglis pulled himself up onto her saddle, giving the reigns a cracking whip. He didn't turn, didn't apologise for the intrusion, and together they sped along the passage after Cinelgen.
The Successors that had not fled converged on Link and Rhoamet in the courtyard between the twin Gatehouses. They blocked both paths where the courtyard split - the left leading to the second Gatehouse, and the right a small alley path down to the Dining Hall.
A few brave ones leapt onto the Guardian's shell, recklessly attempting to secure it, only to be knocked back by a gale that erupted from between Link's hands. And any that came at him with spears or arrows were rebuffed by a glowing, angular sphere of red light that appeared around the Knight. His powers, Inglis realised, watching with a subdued glee. The Guardian reeled and spun, his Knight riding atop his head, knocking back assailant after assailant, his blonde hair whipping about his face in the wind and his blue eyes caught fire. Inglis saw, and he knew; this is what he was born for.
"What are you doing?" Cinelgen bellowed, watching the chaos from the first Gatehouse. "Stop them!" He whipped his horse again, bearing down on the Guardian, but with almost casual ease, Link turned and snapped his fingers, raining a barrage of lightning down around the Gerudo and his mount, the thunder so loud that Inglis felt the air around him crackle. Cinna's horse reared, throwing the Gerudo to the ground.
Wasting no time, Link and Rhoamet powered towards the alley path, a bursting beam of energy scattering any who stood in their way.
Inglis kicked the horse forward, keeping up if only to bear witness. Behind him, Cinelgen had remounted his horse in fleet footed pursuit. Undeterred by his pursuers, Link pointed forwards as Rhoamet neared the outpost at the edge of island, where the Castle kissed the mainland and the moat was narrow. Compliant, remaining legs frantic, Rhoamet scaled the aging brick outpost with fervour. His domed head whirred and locked, passing a final look at the Castle, and his captors, until Link gave the order to move. Let's go, buddy, Inglis heard him say, and allowed himself at last to smile.
The Successors could not catch them. Even Cinelgen had slowed. The shimmering sphere of protection grew to encompass the entire Guardian itself, and another gale of rushing air launched Link and Rhoamet from the parapets. Inglis' smile became a roaring laugh. It didn't matter who heard, who saw; the Akkalan watched and laughed as, victorious and free at last, Link and Rhoamet flew.
Bronze light all around; a protection. Fearsome pink lights below; a Guardian. Link could not fight the urge to scream as he and Rhoamet plunged down from Hyrule Castle. His nails scraped automaton's ancient stone, fighting for grip, for focus, the rush of the fall threatening to take both as the cold waters below sat ready for a battering embrace.
The world lurched, the bronze shield shattering, and pain tore through Link's skull in a splintering burst. He felt his bones crunch, and saw the blue of the sky, a flash of pink and five splayed out legs - a luminous shell bouncing and rolling behind him, and then tasted dirt as his vision went black.
Dirt, he realised. Dirt! They had landed on solid ground!
Link pulled himself to his feet, and was met with the banks of the far side of the Hyrule Castle Moat. One of the towering Sheikah Pillars pulsed beside him, spiking back towards the Castle. And on Link's other side, seeming somewhat dazed, Rhoamet had recovered, padding shakily along the slippery grass. But he was not hurt. The Guardian was intact.
There was nothing to do but cheer. Thirty feet of still waters, a mountain of rock and high walls separated now Link from Hyrule Castle. He had escaped; Rhoamet had escaped. He leapt onto the Guardian's shell and wrapped his hands around its head, laughing as Rhoamet stumbled backwards beneath him.
Before them lay the ruins of the Hyrule Cathedral, with the camp at Castle Town nestled below the noll just beyond. Up above, watching from the parapets, the remainder of Cinelgen's bandits gazed down with angry, disbelieving eyes. Even Cinelgen was among them, face blackened with rage, Inglis and Milagre patiently at his side. Link blew them a kiss, gloating. But the celebration was short lived; Cinelgen was shouting for someone to chase after them. Good luck with that. Link and his Guardian disappeared into the rolling hills and steppes, crossing over to Crenal Peak.
They sped along the muddy ground together as a light rain began to drizzle around them, towards a small forest of trees that were budding with the first flowers of spring. Behind them, the Divine Beast of the Rito was nearing the Castle, soon circling the fortress in an almost lazy paced holding pattern.
It would start soon, he knew. The Rito would attack. Link wanted to be there. Whether it be a siege or an assault, he flexed his sword hand and felt the need return. The hunger that had been lost to him these past months, taken by a fever, returned by Cinelgen's cruelty and the memory of a Princess.
Link gave himself a once over; he was uninjured, if a little muddy, but he had no gear and no weapons save his hobbled together clothes and Robbie's mechanical goggles. Inglis was meant to equip him with a sword before their escape, but Cinelgen's return had left no time for that. Rhoamet sat huddled amongst the trees, patient as always. He had one weapon, Link decided. But he would not risk exposing Rhoamet to yet more fighting. You're just too big of a target, and I can't always protect you, he concluded, casting a long gaze towards the Castle Town ruins.
A small camp lay there, he remembered, sifting through his mental catalogue. They had passed it on their way to and from Eldin; no more than a dozen bandits living amongst the ruin to act as watchers. Had they sounded the alarm? It didn't matter; they would have weapons. He told Rhoamet to power down, to wake himself for no one but Link, and set off for Castle Town. When he looked back, his Guardian had become part of the landscape, indistinguishable from the decayed and dead automatons dotted throughout the fields.
The drizzle was persistent, quickly soaking through Link's meagre clothes and softening the ground beneath his feet. A good omen. The wetted ground would mask his footsteps. Link moved with purposeful gait, eyes tunneled on the camp ahead, every sense alert as he listened for movement, for noises, for chatter and orders in the rain.
He stalked along the western outskirts of town ruins, spying a huddle of wind-battered lean-tos, counting the dozen Successors that he had expected. Mostly Hylian, some Gerudo, some Rito. He pressed further inwards, keeping close to what remained of the walls, watching and listening to the scurrying of the bandits through the camp as they attempted to ready themselves for the attack. In an empty tent he found a sturdy wooden shield, its face marked and dented. Not quite his Hylian Shield, but it would do. To his disappointment, there was nothing else to find.
Collapsed houses, puddles and spikes of gurgling Malice and the crumbling remains of the town passed by until Link was not far from the centre. Peering across the camp, Link spied the Sacred Grounds, shielded by heavy evergreens. He caught a rustle, a movement, and squinted at a shift in colour - or perhaps the absence of it. Something white. Link reached for the goggles and pulled them down over his eyes, and had to bite it his lip to keep from crying out.
Aimed square in his direction, cold and unfeeling in intent, was an arrow nocked into the bow of a white Rito warrior. Beside him stood a broad-shouldered green-feather, and another, smaller blue-feather. They held their bows all raised, hidden by the shrubbery of the Sacred Grounds. An ambush. Wait! I know you, Link almost cried, but a shout came from his left flank - a bandit, burly and well-built, demanding to know who he was.
Link flinched backwards, and moved just in time to catch the white Rito's arrow with the sturdy wood of his shield. A cacophony of hissing arrows soon followed, whistling through the ruins. Link tore the goggles from his face and turned towards the burly Hylian bandit.
"What's going on!?" the man shouted, "Who-" And then he disappeared, a barrelling blur knocking him to the ground, followed by another, and another; great rolling boulders that thundered through the ruins. No, not boulders, he realised, his mouth hung open in disbelief. Gorons!
And then a flash of red sped past him, atop a well-armored mount; a Gerudo woman in bronze, wielding a shining claymore. With a clean swing she sent one of the Successors flying, crashing into the ruined water fountain. A duo of riders were at her flank, golden weapons raised, howling as they rode. On the other side of the ruins, a towering, crimson Zora warrior leapt into the fray, wielding a silver spear which he buried into the chest of a retaliating bandit. Another two Zora followed, their silver weapons and jewels catching the light as they moved.
Above, the trio of Rito had taken to the sky; white, blue, and green, all with their bows angled towards the ruins. Link ducked under his shield again as a second hail of arrows hit, and the bandits went down.
There was a cry behind him - another bandit, cut down by an golden arrow - as well as the tremor of horse's hooves. Link was almost bowled over by the white mare that tore along the now path towards the gates of Hyrule Castle. Link spun around towards them, Don't!, on his lips, and he froze.
The rider was a short-haired woman, in a navy coat with Rito pauldrons, a bow in hand and a sword at her back. She raised her right palm to the sky, staring down the bandits that watched from the walls of the Castle, a shining barrier her shield, and the golden mark on her hand.
Zelda.
Link wasn't sure if he had shouted it, or only imagined that he had. He could not move. She won't recognise me, she won't know me. He began to back away, the old doubts swarming him in a flurry that made his stomach churn. She doesn't need me.
Familiar faces appeared around him. The white Rito landed beside the fountain, his yellow eyes wide and harsh, face drawn. And then the crimson Zora turned, his toothy grin fading into shock. The Gerudo atop their horses watched with steeled faces, betraying no reaction, and even the Gorons had seen. I know you, their faces said. If they spoke Link couldn't know. He was paralyzed; he was underwater; a thousand miles away from himself, unable to process what he saw. They were all here. All of Hyrule had come for the Castle.
The Rito spoke first; the girl had not noticed their silence. Perhaps it was the rain. Perhaps this was a dream. Zelda, he said, and Link shuddered at the name. He wasn't ready.
But the girl turned. Her hand dropped. The ruins were forgotten, her horse abandoned, and she began to run.
"Link!" she shouted, sprinting across the crumbling path, rendered in gold, and blue, and every colour he could imagine, and as he ran towards her all he could think was, Yes, that's my name, that's who I am, and his doubts were gone.
Zelda hit him like wave, breaking against his chest, so hard that he almost didn't catch her. They spun together, tangled in a clinging embrace, chest to chest and arm around arm. She was warm, so warm, and he trembled against her, the sound of his name in her voice the only thing he could hear. Against his palms he felt the thick wool of her coat. He buried his face in it, feeling the dew from the rain against his face. He was shaking, whining, they both were, and he realised they were both laughing too. His cheeks ached. He tasted salt.
Link felt her unravel herself from him, pulling away, and then there she was. Nose to nose, forehead to forehead, her face next to his. Hylia help me. She was so beautiful, so sudden - familiar and foreign, novel and known. He placed a hand at the back of her head, fingers pawing, searching.
"Your hair!" he cried.
Zelda had done the same. "Your hair!" she laughed, a hand where his ponytail would have been.
They were laughing again, on their knees, huddled together on the wetted ground. When did that happen? She had a hand to his face, thumbing away the water, resting against his cheek, warm fingers tracing the cuts and bruises. "You're hurt," she murmured.
"Just a little," Link chuckled. A corner of blue caught his eye and he looked down to see his tunic, hidden amongst the warm coat and downy Rito armour that she wore. "You're… this is…" he was speechless.
Her fingers traced over his ear, pushing the wet hair from his face. She whispered, "I needed it. Needed you with me," and Link all but broke.
The relief was a flood, hitting him harder than any blow, shattering him into a dozen, dozen pieces. He seized her for support, bracketing her, holding her so tight that he couldn't see, only faintly aware of the staring faces around them. He didn't care. Zelda was here. She was wearing his tunic. She needed him. He tried to speak and all he said was her name. And she had her hand in his hair, soothing him, letting him fold into her, and the way she smelled of wet wool and old leather and earth and grass and rain.
"It's okay, it's okay," she was saying. "I've got you, I'm here. And so are you - you're alive and you're here." Her hands were on his face then, green eyes filling his vision. "We made it home."
Introductions - or re-introductions - were made. A clean slate; the rain washed away the blood from the fight. Link made a mental note of Zelda's small force. He couldn't help it now. Always counting, always observing. He tallied them as they exchanged pleasantries, congratulations, joyful hugs - the new Champions, Link surmised.
Sidon with his three Zora warriors burst forward, seizing Link in a crushing hug; "My friend!" he cried. "You live!" A familiar, pacifying voice then called for the Prince to let go, and Link was breathlessly reunited with Ambassador Larella. She was adorned in jewels once more, finer than he had ever seen her wear, the colour returned to her cheeks, her eyes. The Ambassador reported happily that Robbie and Granté had likely made it home safe.
"And where is Rhoamet?" she asked, but there was no time to reply, as Yunobo brought a solid hand across Link's back.
"Hey!" the Goron smiled. "You're here! I'm sorry about what happened, on the mountain."
"No hard feelings," Link assured him, and Yunobo laughed, clasping his belly, his whole body shaking. Because we're rocks, he told his brawlers, and a chuckle rumbled through the group.
Buliara came next with her riders, and later Chief Riju, who had waited out the fighting at the edge of the town. The little Gerudo was almost his height now, her regal attire swapped out for riding pants and leather armour embroidered in golden flecks. Her nails were blackened, but she was not yet a warrior like her bodyguard, it seemed.
"Greetings, Link," she said with a smile. "Let's hope the fighting here is short, we've our own battles to fight in Gerudo."
And then came Teba. He stood at Zelda's side, watching the reunions in silence. At last he simply nodded and said, "Good to see that you live," his eyes guarded, almost sceptical. That's just Teba, Link decided. With Link caught up, Zelda stepped forward, unbuckling the Master Sword from her back. She held it out to him, silent hesitation written on her features, mouth downturned in a sorry frown.
Link took the Sword firmly in hand. He strapped it over his shoulder, and smiled inwardly at the familiar weight. The pull of the buckles against his chest was a warm embrace; making him feel stronger, making him feel whole. Good to have you back, he thought, and he felt the reply,
And to you, Master.
All in all, he counted thirty fighters, including the Rito Warriors that apparently waited from within Vah Medoh. Not quite all of Hyrule. And outnumbered by Cinelgen's force two to one.
The party plied him for an explanation, asking, why are you here? Link could have asked them the same thing, how being the more apt question. But he couldn't find the energy to answer. And in any case, there was only one person he wished to speak to, and one thing he wished to speak to her about.
Zelda left Teba in charge of the small envoy while Link lead her east towards the forest where he had left Rhoamet. They walked in silence, exchanging pleasantries and apprehensive observations;
"That's a nice coat."
"Thank you, it was a gift."
"It suits you."
"I can't say that for your clothes."
"Prisoners can't be choosers."
And then silence. Three months apart, this moment played out in his head a hundred times, and no words to say. Zelda hadn't even asked where they were going - she simply followed, quiet and complacent, pressed in close by Link's side as he lead them through dewed grasses of Hyrule Field.
At last they approached the trees, and Link held his arm out in front of her. "Promise me, you won't do anything."
She scrunched up her nose at him. "What do you mean do anything?"
"Just…" Link could not even begin to explain. "He's good. Like they used to be."
"He…?" Zelda echoed, face blank with confusion. Link kept his arm in front of her, and turned towards the trees.
"HOIIIIII-!" he called. "WAAKE UP!"
Zelda started backwards at his sudden shout. "What-?"
Blue light flickered through the trees, and her face dropped. Dutifully, ready to serve, Rhoamet marched out from the copse, sitting himself down contentedly in front of them.
Hello, he said, domed head rotating and juttering, back and forth as he looked between the two Hylians before him.
Zelda was statuesque - eyes wide as saucers, her mouth open and round. "W-was that... was that Shiekah Code?" she whispered. "Did it just-"
Link nodded, "Sure did." He walked over to Rhoamet, and said, "This is Zelda."
Rhoamet lifted one of his legs in a short, stilted wave. Hello, he said again, spelling out her name. Z-E-L-D-A
A strangled, whining sound escaped Zelda's lips. "W-what…?"
Link turned back to Zelda with a wide grin on his face, hands on his hips, speaking as though he were a proud parent. "Cinelgen had me working on him," he explained. "Figuring out how to control him. Robbie taught me the code, and even gave me his goggles." He gave Rhoamet's shell two genial taps. "I even convinced Cinna to take me to Eldin, to get a new diamond for him. Might be useful breaking into that Castle of yours."
"And you… you tamed him?" Zelda asked. Mystified, she stepped towards the Guardian with a hand outstretched. Hello, Zelda, Rhoamet said again.
"I wouldn't say tamed… I befriended him," he told her as she placed a hand on Rhoamet's shell. "And… I named him Rhoamet."
She snatched her hand away, and gave him a crestfallen look. Link stumbled over himself to apologise, muttering, sorry, sorry no, I shouldn't have, but her lips twitched into a smile, leaving Link breathless as he waited for her to speak.
"You… this is amazing, Link," Zelda marvelled, her breath catching. She clasped her hands at her chest and beamed. "This is… a living Guardian! And… and he trusts you! He listens to you! And you gained Cinelgen's trust?"
"Only because he wanted to give it," Link said. "He's… Cinna is something else. His whole operation is a mess."
"Any information you gathered on them is invaluable. I… I can't tell you how proud I am!"
Link scratched the nape of his neck. "Yeah, well, it's nothing you couldn't have done."
"No, I could never-" Zelda shook her head, her eyes never leaving Rhoamet. "No, he trusts you because you are kind to him. I'd have been… too analytical. Too focused. And I'd have never broken out of Hyrule Castle, that's for sure."
"You?" Link laughed. He pointed to Vah Medoh, still flying low over Hyrule Castle. "You cleansed Medoh, alone! I thought it needed us both!"
"It did. It does!" Zelda corrected him, rushing to his side to place an apologetic hand on his arm. "You are the Sword's Master, it should only answer to you. But I think it knew that allowing the Ritual to proceed was how it would be returned to you."
"And your army? Was that all the Sword as well?"
"No, it wasn't." Zelda conceded. "But they came for you, Link."
"And they followed you all the way here," Link countered. Zelda opened her mouth to reply, furrowed lines appearing on her brow, though still she smiled - she was unreadable, changed somehow. Was it something I said?
Link bowed his head. "I'm sorry… I shouldn't argue, I know."
"No!" Zelda blurted, her grip on his arm tightening. "Say anything you want. Argue with me, please."
Perhaps this was a dream. He gaped down at her, trying to understand. "That's… that's what you want?"
"I want you to be you," Zelda smiled, taking his hands into hers, her conviction wrenching in his chest. "Back with me as my friend, and my partner, even if I don't deserve you-"
Link could not help but laugh; giddy, dizzy, the warmth of her hands like a hearthfire. "Don't deserve…? Look at what you've done! The Rito and Medoh and your army-"
"And look at what you've done!" Zelda beamed, gesturing towards Rhoamet. "This Guardian, befriending Cinna… I should have seen what you're capable of now. I should have understood..."
The admission was easy, the words rolling hot off his tongue, frustration laced in between. "Well it was all for you. All of it," He gripped her hands tighter. "All the lies I told and all the things I did. All in the hope that I'd live long enough to see you again."
A heavy silence fell. Zelda gazed up at him in shock, and Link wondered if he'd said too much. Said too much! Him!? But he didn't care. She was here, her hands in his and somehow they were still fighting. "Maybe I'm different, but I never stopped wanting you," he told her. "I tried to forget you, for three months, tried to be me without you and I didn't work and-"
She kissed him.
Hands on his face, the gentle prick of her nails scraping his jaw, she was kissing him, lips warm and solid and real against his. He had no time to be shocked, no time to pull away - but, Goddess, had he the choice, he never would. She had him, encapsulated, enraptured, and Link seized her around the waist to pull her closer as they fell into each other with everything they were, and had ever been.
"I'm sorry," she whispered between kisses. "What I said, at Hyrule Castle, I never should have…"
"It's okay, it's okay," he soothed, running his fingers through her hair.
"No." She broke away, and he chased her, afraid she would slip through his fingers. "It was cruel. To compare you to-" Their lips met again; he breathed her words.
"I don't care," Link told her. "Be cruel." He kissed her again, and again, breaking away to find her cheek, her neck, salted skin on his lips and golden hair between his hands. "Just don't stop."
She giggled, gasping, giving him one last, lingering kiss before untangling herself from him. "You're incorrigible."
"You started it."
"I did not. You did." Zelda poked him square in the chest, and he feigned great offense; shot through the heart, wounded. She ignored him. "In Lanayru. You kissed me."
"And I've waited three months to kiss you again - come here!" He reached for her, but Zelda darted away from him, squealing as she tried to evade his needing arms. Soon enough he had her again, bundling her close, afraid to let go lest he lose her all over again. More kisses; he had to keep kissing her, to make up for those lost months, but it would never be enough. It was a flood now, threatening to break banks.
"Stop, stop!" Zelda laughed, squirming from his grip. "Link, we have Castle to take back. We can continue this after."
He had a hand at her waist. "Is that a promi-ow!" She'd reached up to pinch his ear, ignoring his pouty whine.
"Shush. I take it you can still fight?"
Recovering, Link brought a hand to the hilt of his sword. Well? He asked, but he needn't wait for the answer. The blade already felt warm in his grip. He met her eyes with a broad smile. "Is that even a question?"
A cleared bench became their war table, the map drawn in chalk on the splintered wood. Hyrule Castle lay ready for taking, even with their meagre force. But the Castle was not the goal.
"Cinelgen is," Zelda explained to the envoy.
"And Milagre," Link added. "She controls his forces. Without her, he has nothing."
He stood at her side, his Guardian waiting patiently behind him, and stood with arms crossed and features hard as he studied the map. As he spoke, Zelda feigned pensive intent, listening to his words as he explained Cinelgen's number and the state of the Castle. But her eyes lingered on his features, on his broad chest and muscled arms. She had given him his Hylian Soldier armour to wear and now couldn't help but stare, take ownership. He's mine, she thought. Link caught her staring and his lips flickered into a smile.
"We're ready when you are," Teba said, pulling her from her daydream. "Unless there are other matters to attend to."
He gave her a knowing look. Shit. Was it that obvious? Zelda blinked away her wandering thoughts and refocused on the expectant faces around her.
"We keep to our plans," she said. "The Rito will wait for our signal, as will the Zora. The Gorons and Gerudo will stay with myself and Link. Larella and Riju will stay with Rhoamet. The rest of you; take no risks and hold nothing back. I'd burn this Castle down if it meant capturing Cinelgen."
Link shook his head. "No, we cannot be brash. There's too many of them, and we do nothing for your cause by killing more Hylians." His words cautious and measured, but commanding all the same, reminding her and everyone else at the table of the Knight he once was. Zelda took the advice in her stride; there was truth in his words, and it would not do to argue - not now.
"As you say. We only engage if we absolutely must," Zelda affirmed. "We're a dagger, not a hammer. Make yourselves effective, despite any weakness."
A murmur of agreement rolled through the envoy. Teba nodded; Sidon balled his hand into a fist, the Gorons thumped their chests and Buliara and Riju both bowed their heads.
Zelda took a deep breath; of all she had done, the assault set her heart racing the fastest. She had an army - the smallest of armies - but now that meant she had people to protect. Link placed a steadying hand at her back. "We await your orders," he said, gesturing to Rhoamet.
"If he's ready, then so are we."
Link appraised the automaton warmly. "Oh, he's ready," he said.
They walked as a trio, with their force of Gorons and Gerudo behind them; Princess, Knight, Guardian. A flash of white caught her eye above; a Rito warrior returning to his Beast.
The arrows had ceased, though Zelda held her hand ready lest they need a barrier. Silent eyes watched from the walls of the Castle, bows held ready, threatening; any further and you die. Zelda smiled up at them; the Yiga and the bandits, who held her Castle. She smiled to keep her features soft, to hide the rage. If she could throw them all into Hylia River, she would.
"We wish to speak with Cinelgen," Zelda announced, addressing the watchers. They turned to one another in confusion. "Give us free passage and we will not attack."
There was shouting from within the walls; barked orders, confused questions, what did you just say?
"They expect a fight," Zelda said.
"Then give them one," Link returned, and they exchanged a smile.
Zelda raised her hand skywards, sending a lance of energy up towards Vah Medoh. The clouds had opened, the rain falling in thick and heavy droplets. The sky flashed; thunder groaning above. Winter's break; the first storm of Spring.
Three taps on Rhoamet's shell from Link and without warning, without mercy, the Guardian fired off a barrage of energy into the gates of Hyrule Castle. They splintered and twisted and the watchers cried out, some ducking and some fleeing. Zelda heard screaming from within the Castle. Good, she thought. Let them run. Once the debris settled, the path into Hyrule Castle was clear.
"WITH ME!" Link roared, his cries echoed by the fighters behind him. Unhindered, the envoy stormed into the Castle, as above, the Rito cascaded down from Vah Medoh.
Arrows rained down around them. Some from the Rito. Some from the bandits, joining the storm all the same. The Gorons streamed past, barrelling through the gates, with the Gerudo following not far behind. Zelda held her barrier high, protecting them all. The rain was in her eyes, her hair, her face, as she sprinted into it along the Western Passage, with Link at her side. The way it should be. The watchers on the wall fell one by one as the Rito swooped and dived, cawing and calling, their battle cries a song.
A wall of shields met them in front of the first Gatehouse, crumpling like paper as the Gorons rolled on through. Metal met stone; the Gorons and Successors threw themselves at each other, Yunobo leading the charge, his Champion scarf a whip in the harsh winds. Link wrapped his hand around Zelda's and together they weaved through the chaos, stumbling into First Gatehouse. The Gerudo were already in the courtyard ahead, riding down bandits that waited for them, horses rearing, screaming, blood on the dirt as one caught an arrow through the neck, its rider toppling.
More archers descended from within the Gatehouse. Too many to catch. Zelda fired arrow after arrow as Link dodged those that were sent their way. The windows were bordered, and she could barely see. Pain blossomed on her arm, a slice through her Rito coat as an arrow grazed her skin. Zelda let the pain pass and soon felt nothing at all. One archer fell, and then another, and then another, until Zelda looked around and realised the arrows were coming from the opposite side of the Gatehouse.
"Teba!" she cried, relief washing through her. The Rito warrior stood in the far doorway, his Falcon bow drawn, and eyes narrow, only stopping to give her a cursory nod before returning his attention to the bandits.
"Go!" he told them. "Cinelgen is just beyond the other Gatehouse!"
Link and Zelda bolted forward, hand in hand once again, bursting out into the courtyard only to be intercepted by two bandits - a Hylian and Zora, both bloodied and frenzied, swords glinting in the sudden sun. The Zora lunged for her and Zelda dodged, shifting towards Link. He spun on his heel, elbowing the Zora in the stomach and raising his sword to block the incoming blow from the Hylian. The Zora was staggered just long enough; Zelda scrambled for her bow, drawing a light arrow and burying it in the Zora's chest. She pivoted, drew her bow again, exhaled and fired, knocking down the Hylian attacker just as Link had raised his sword again to strike.
"Nicely done," he breathed, his smile almost proud. She could have kissed him right then and there until she spotted a tuft of red hair among the fray in the courtyard ahead. Cinelgen.
"There!" she shouted. He was toe to toe with Buliara; she fought hard, but Cinelgen was quick, wielding a feathered Rito sword was dizzying ease. The spear-wielder Milagre was at his side. Zelda raised her bow towards them, but a bolt of lightning cracked the gathering twilight, illuminating the Castle in a shock of white. For a moment she was staggered, blinded, and the Gerudo was gone, fleeing into the second Gatehouse. To her left the Zora were speeding up along the alley path, waving her down.
Sidon met them at the centre of the courtyard, shouting, "He has a boat! At the waterfalls!"
But Zelda was not listening. "It doesn't matter! He will not escape." And she waved her forces into the Second Gatehouse. Sidon and Buliara followed close behind, with Teba and the Gorons - who had finally dispatched the first wave of bandits - closing in behind them.
They spilled into the Second Gatehouse with weapons ready, and Cinelgen met them from the balcony with little more than a laugh. All too late, Zelda realised that the doors had been closed behind them.
"It's a trap!" Teba shouted, echoing her thoughts. "We need to go," he wrapped a wingtip around Zelda's arm as the more bandits appeared in the balconies.
"Wait, don't!" Sidon cried, pointed to the archers, "Look! You go and they shoot you down!"
"Ohhh, man!" Yunobo whined. Buliara silently brought her claymore to bear. The party formed a circle, back to back, weapons ready; Teba with his bow, Buliara with her claymore, Sidon with his trident, and Yunobo with his crusher. Zelda drew her bow, and beside her, Link held the Master Sword ready. They stood in solidarity, ready to meet Cinelgen's onslaught.
Down from the parapets a ring of attackers surrounded them; long spears in hand, angled forwards, tower shields held in a clean circle, only broken where a spear was threaded through. A crush.
Zelda raised a hand, erecting a shielding dome around the party. She felt the force of the bandit's spears against her palm, trying in vain to break the barrier.
"I can't hold forever," she called. "Are we ready!?"
"Ready!" echoed the others. Link intertwined his hand in hers for just a moment, and together turned towards their attackers. She dropped the shield.
Arrows whistled past; one lodged in Link's shield, another bouncing ineffectually off of Yunobo's thick chest; one catching Prince Sidon in the leg, only managing to scrape his scales. Zelda returned fire as quickly as she could.
"Don't miss!" Teba shouted, taking aim for Cinelgen. The arrow missed, snapping against the roof of the Gatehouse.
"Take your own advice!" Zelda called back, and the Gatehouse was filled with the Rito's raucous laughter.
Further inwards the bandits pressed, and closer together the party drew. Link dove and cut one of the bandits down, but the circle only pressed in tighter. A spear jutted towards Zelda's side, but Teba shoved her out of the way, the tip piecing his wing, blood trailing down his feathers. With a scream, Zelda raised her hand and blasted the bandit in front of them, sending him careening into the Gatehouse wall. The circle of shields was not broken.
And just as they seemed caught, the doors of the Gatehouse were suddenly blasted open, the smell of molten and smoke filling the air. Zelda covered her eyes, ducking under the debris that was launched through the arena. The bandits around them had scrambled, spears forgotten, and when she opened her eyes she saw a silhouette in the doorway, and the source of their panic.
"Rhoamet!" Link cried, shoving his way through the bandits towards his Guardian.
"Get down!" Buliara shouted, and they all dropped to the floor. Another energy beam tore through the Gatehouse, destroying the second door on the far side of the arena. Zelda looked up to where Cinelgen had been; but he was already gone.
"Retreat, retreat!" came the call from the bandits. They fled in all directions - towards the courtyard, towards the Eastern Passage, and Zelda knew the scales were tipping. The assault became a chase as Rhoamet bore down on the bandits, with Link riding tandem, extending a hand down to Zelda to pull her onto the Guardian. What remained of her forces ran behind them, pursuing the bandits all the way to the throne room. The Gorons battered down the doors, and Zelda caught sight of Cinelgen within.
"Protect Rhoamet!" she shouted at the party as she and Link bolted into the Sanctum.
Cinelgen waited at the throne, arms wide. "Welcome home, Princess! Or should I say, Rito Princess!" he boomed down at them. Milagre stood to his left, on one of the curved stairwells, while the Hylian named Inglis stood off to the right, near a side entrance that led to another open courtyard beyond. His face was bloodied, though his weapon - a traveller's longsword -was clean. The remainder of the bandits had either fled entirely, or were huddled around the edges of the room.
"It's over, Cinna," Link said.
"No! No it isn't!" The Gerudo laughed. "Come, fight a little more with me."
"We're not here to fight!" Zelda shouted up at him. Her own forces were filing into the room then; no bandits remained beyond the throne room walls.
"If you want Cinna you will go through us," Milagre warned.
My thoughts exactly. Zelda turned to Link, motioning towards Inglis. "He's yours," she said, and she sprinted towards the stairs to where Milagre stood.
The room was at once abuzz. The last scraps of her army clashed with Cinelgen's - their plans for a pointed attack forgotten. A bandit cut her off as she reached the stairs, but Zelda blocked his blind stab, turning to send a surge of energy into his chest, and wrenching his spear free from his hands. You should be able to do this in your sleep. Teba's drills and Link's water dance came back to her in a heartbeat and she thrust the spear towards Milagre. The Yiga woman blocked, bringing her own spear in a long arc towards Zelda's neck. She dodged, reeling backwards, and together they stepped across the stairs. Two steps forward, two steps back, they traded blows and shouts, drawing blood here and there, in an arm, nails across the face, a nick in the neck.
"Better and better," Milagre teased, and Zelda roared, pushing her harder, fighting, and fighting, Cinelgen forgotten, her fury all she could see.
Below, Link and the Inglis were engaged in their own tussle, blows hesitant, strangely light. Steel rang against steel, slower than the rest of the fighters around them.
"Let me pass!" Link shouted. "Please!"
But Inglis would not let up. "I won't let you kill him!"
"I won't!"
The Akkalan would not listen; with both hands he swung his sword wildly, but Link caught the blow, redirecting his weight backwards, seizing Inglis by the arm and tossing him against the planks. Regaining his balance Link leapt up the curved stairway towards Cinelgen, the Master Sword raised and ready to strike. "Don't - please!" Inglis begged, scrambling to his feet, but Link had no choice.
The Gerudo caught his first strike easily, cackling, taunting, "So this is the Hero at last!"
Link's attention split. As he parried a curt stab from Cinelgen's Rito sword, he saw the Akkalan turn in his periphery, facing an advancing Zora attacker. One of Sidon's. But Inglis had moved too slow. The silver spear glanced off of his temple, and the throne room was filled with his screams. Both Link and Cinelgen cried out at once, turning in unison towards the Akkalan. Blood was streaming down his left side, his hands to his face, to the side of his head. To where his ear had been.
"Milagre!" the Gerudo shouted. "Inglis!"
At once the Yiga woman turned and, understanding what had happened, lobbed her spear towards the Zora. The tip lodged clean in his neck, sending him tumbling backwards across the wooden floor.
"Let's go!" Cinna shouted, tearing away from Link and leaping from the balcony. Milagre followed, with Zelda in pursuit, meeting Inglis and Cinelgen at the centre of the room. Together they fled to through the eastern side entrance, out to the open courtyard beyond and its cliffside bluffs.
The waterfall! Link realised. He vaulted from the balcony, breathless as he sprinted after the trio. He Zelda at the edge of the courtyard. She had her bow drawn but was unmoving, unable to advance, and then he saw.
Cinelgen was stood at the edge of the cliff, his arm around Inglis' neck, and a knife to the Akkalan's bloodied face.
"Any movement, and he dies," Cinelgen said calmly. "You wouldn't do that to a friend, would you?"
"He's going to escape! Link!" Zelda cried, arms trembling under the weight of her bow.
Inglis' eyes met Link's; deep pools of solemn brown. He shook his head, and mouthed something Link could not read, eyes were glistening; tears from the pain, of every kind.
"Let him," Link said resignedly. "He's won."
Ahead, Cinelgen erupted into a shrill, gleeful laughter. He blew them a kiss, and threw the dagger to the ground. Zelda loosed her arrow, but it was not fast enough; a single step took Cinelgen and Inglis over the edge of the cliff.
The shout rang in his ears; "No!"
They bolted forward, reaching the cliff's edge in time to see Cinelgen and Inglis plunge into the waterfalls below. Beyond, he saw the boat Sidon had been referring too - hardly bigger than Aurelia's paddle boat, but equipped with a dozen oars. It rolled and banked against the winds of the storm, and soon disappeared from sight.
Zelda surged forward, as if ready to leap after them, but Link seized her and her back, though every ounce of his being wanted to leap as well. Let me go, she was shouting, pounding at his hands, but he gripped her tight, shaking, overcome; weeping for his friend, as around them the rain continued to fall.
It was Teba that found them, still huddled together. He listened with a clenched beak as Zelda explained. She had been quick to understand; the Hylian Inglis was an ally. And now he could be as good as dead. With soothing words and gentle hands, Zelda ushered Link to his feet.
Behind them, the throne room was empty. They walked inside together.
The others were waiting for them; Sidon, Yunobo and Buliara. Their people had rounded up the rest of the bandits, though few remained, and they waited outside at Teba's behest. Let her have this, he had told them. Let her have some peace.
As they walked into the throne room, Zelda cast her eyes over the broken marble, the bloodstained floor, the torn banners. So this is my Castle. She climbed the stairs once again, one at a time, and stood before the throne.
It was hers. The musty velvet. The hard marble. Her inheritance at last. Her destiny. Zelda turned to the eyes gazing up at her, and sat down.
"Bring me those who remain," she said.
From the Castle the Rito flew, couriers again, dispatched to send word of what had happened in the Castle. Letters that read simply; The Princess has reclaimed the Castle. She declares herself Queen with the support of Hyrule.
Night had finally fallen when the remaining Successors and Yiga were brought into the throne room. Link stood at her side, while her envoy waited beneath the balcony.
There were barely more than a dozen. All bloodied and battered. Link ran the count in his head, and informed her that at least twenty had escaped. The bandits before her were young, she realised. Barely more than teenagers, perhaps some the same age as her. Hylians and Zora only, as well. The Gerudo had either fled or were killed, and the Rito that remained with Cinelgen were so few in number that it was possible they were all dead.
Zelda turned to her envoy, and to Link. "I would have them killed for their crimes. But what do you think?"
"For abetting Cinelgen, I agree. They are traitors," Buliara said.
"I agree," Riju echoed.
Sidon too was with her. "For the chaos they have caused, exile at least."
She did not expect Teba to object, nor Link. The Rito was firm. "They are children. Barely more than youths."
"And regardless, they are your people," Link added. "They deserve a second chance."
Zelda considered their words carefully. Some of the bandits were Yiga, she saw, dressed in the traditional red garb. They looked up at her with nothing more than fear. If they had masks, they were lost.
"You will stay and help us rebuild this place. Or else, you are free to return home to your families," Zelda decreed. Her voice felt so small in such a lofty room, but she was determined to be decisive. "Return to Cinelgen if that is what you wish - I will not keep you. But know that he is our enemy, and rejoining him makes you our enemy as well." She gestured around to the bodies that still littered the room. "And forget not what happened here."
"And don't forget that he abandoned you," Link told them. "Don't forget how he treated you - all of you."
In the end, all of the bandits elected to stay, pledging themselves into Zelda's service; with the exception of the pair of Yiga acolytes. Two young men, with wide faces. Brothers, perhaps.
"We want to go home," said one.
"Wherever that is now," said the other.
Link frowned at them. "You should have gone with Aurelia." His tone was scolding, and Zelda wondered who this Aurelia was. Such a pretty name; she wondered if it belonged to a pretty face.
The brothers protested in unison. "We were afraid!" they cried. Zelda heard Link sigh, but he kept his tone clipped. She knew there was more to this story; three months worth of tales and exploits that they would need to catch each other up on.
Link spoke gently, and calm as always. He needn't even raise his voice. The whole room listened. "If you want to go home, find Aurelia. Tell her what happened here."
Together, with reverence, the Yiga brothers bowed, and they went.
It was well into the night by the time Link and Zelda finally found some rest. The envoy of Zelda's forces too had decided to stay, if only for a few days, to close their wounds and prepare for the journey home. It was only after they had all supped - raiding the kitchens and feasting in the Dining Hall - that the realisation had hit her; she was home. Home as herself, home as the Princess. The Castle may be in pieces, crawling with Malice, more a ruin than anything else. But she was here. And Link was here. She'd watched him tuck fervently into his dinner with a hidden smile, pinching herself and running her fingers through her hair to make sure she was awake.
Midnight found them standing on the balcony between her old chambers and her study. Neither had been able to sleep. Zelda had knocked on Link's door to find him still awake and scribbling in a journal. He was making plans; unable to let himself rest while he knew there was work to do, and people to save.
Zelda coaxed him away from his desk with a kiss on the back of his neck, and the promise of more if they went for a walk. Ostensibly to clear their heads; in truth she just wanted to speak to him alone.
They stood side by side, looking down towards the Gatehouses and Castle walls beyond. Zelda caught sight of a flickering light in the distance - a camp in one of the Gatehouses. Teba most likely, needing his space and his isolation.
The storm had passed a few hours prior, the wind blowing low, and silent. Above the sky was clear and filled with stars. In the quiet, Zelda wrapped a hand around Link's.
"Promise me you'll rest," she said softly. "The war can wait one night."
"Can Inglis?" Link challenged. He sighed, slumping forwards. "Sorry. I guess I'm still upset."
She gave his hand a squeeze. "We'll find him, Link. And Cinelgen too. We'll end this war once and for all."
He sighed again, and Zelda wondered what it would be like to bring his hand to her lips. Would she find callouses there? Or scars? He must have so many scars. Uncountable as the stars above them.
Cutting through her idle thoughts Link spoke again, "I just can't believe the Rito had allied with Cinelgen. I should have known when I saw Yinli. I should have said."
"Is that why you sent me there?" Zelda asked.
He shook his head. "Providence. I wanted you out of his reach. I just… had a hunch, but I had no idea it would be that complex." He unravelled his fingers from hers and leant with both hands atop the wall of the balcony, his body taut, uneased. A cold wind blew between them, and Zelda shuddered. The last of winter still clung to the air.
"You gave me a fright, you know that?" she said with a laugh, rubbing small circles into his back to try to calm him.
Link flashed her a wry smile. "Oh, no problem, Princess," he teased. "I only saved your life."
Zelda pouted, giving him a gentle pinch. "I would have been fine."
"Yeah," Link smiled, sliding an arm around the small of her back. "I know you would have."
Leaning her head against his shoulder, Zelda realised then how tall he had grown. When she said as much, he simply said, "Didn't have you weighing me down," and he winced when she elbowed him in the ribs, muttering, another bruise! Zelda laughed, cheeks full with her smile as she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug. Bruises be damned; this was how it should be. Just the two of them, alone, save each other. Together, at last.
He smelt of cotton and salt, sesame oil and smoke; lingering scents like memories. And he was warm, warmer even than her Rito coat, and when he kissed her his breath was hot against her cheeks. There was a loneliness that pervaded him, she realised, a hollowness to his soul, the strength of his embrace betraying a desperation. What was it he had once told her? All I have is you.
Another gust of cold air; Zelda broke away, and the protest was immediate.
"Hey, hey," Link murmured needily. "Where do you think you're going?"
As if she had any intention of leaving now. Zelda took him by the hand, leading him towards her study. "Somewhere quiet," she said, realising what he needed. What they both wanted.
They closed the door behind them, and the room was lit only by the soft glow of her hand and the sapphire radiance of a single Silent Princess growing in the corner. She walked over to her desk, removing her heavy coat and straightening out her high chemise. Link leant against the door, watching, and when she turned she saw his eyes dart away from her. He was looking at me, she realised lewdly.
Zelda stood against her desk, but the knight did not move. Caught between present and past. Anticipation and apprehension. She nodded for him to join her again. "Don't you think we've waited long enough?"
"Is that an order?" Link asked.
"I am the Queen, aren't I?" she said with a laugh. "You should bow before me."
Link's eyes never left hers. Mischievous and wild, they were; calm waters caught fire. He raised a hand to the bolt on the door, and slid it shut.
Three long strides took him across the room to her, and he braced his hands at edge of her desk, leaning in close, capturing her with his mouth.
Something broke between them then; months of longing coming to a head, the swell of the storm. Being alone together no longer enough. The air was thick and heady between them, the cool supplanted where they connected. Link's hands quickly found her hips, lifting her onto the desk. She laughed again, drawing him in close, giggles turning to gasps as Link planted a row of feather-light kisses from her neck to her ear.
"As you wish," he whispered.
And he sank to his knees on the stone.