Chapter 5:
Link raced north across Hyrule Field, the wind whipping his face with every stride Epona took. He rode hard and brutal, wanting with every fiber of his being to be back at Hyrule Castle. He harbored a dreadful feeling in the pit of his stomach. He began to regret his decision to go to Ordona, remembering the last words that Rusl spoke to him.
"I know not why the monsters carried the symbol of an old smith, but it is of little matter," he had said. "Baylin has not been here for many years. You will find no answers in Ordon. You must return to Hyrule, with all due haste. I smell a ruse. It may be that your enemies simply sought to lead you away from the princess by planting this sword."
The wisdom of those words had stirred him, made him angry. Perhaps there was more to the crest than he could know, or perhaps he had been played for a fool. He had paused only briefly to say farewell to the children, and hug Ilia, who held back tears but said nothing. Then he had departed like a fish downstream a raging river, making his way north as fast as his horse could take him.
The journey to the castle was marginally shorter than the trip from Kakariko to Ordona, and he had ridden faster than he thought possible, so he knew that he should be arriving earlier than the castle would anticipate him. But even these comforting thoughts could not quell the feeling of impending doom which gnawed at his gut. Why was he so uneasy? Were Rusl's words taking root and twisting his mind towards pessimism, or was there something else? If Link had learned nothing else from his adventure with the Twili, it was to trust his instincts… and so he pressed on even harder, not daring to rest or break for anything.
As dawn broke on what he knew to be the final day of his voyage, his worst fears came to fruition. The sun rose and bathed southern Hyrule Field in light, revealing a sinister secret that Link had not noticed when he had first entered the region. He quickly drew up the reins and leapt from Epona's saddle. He knelt to the ground and inspected the wild blades of green grass in the expansive field. They were mashed, and trodden. Some muddier spots sported deep tracks, but not the tracks of man.
An army of foul beasts, Link thought wistfully. A large army. They marched across this land less than a day ago. They shall reach the castle before I will…
It was plain to see that they headed north, but where they came from was less simple to discern. Link hastily tore a large parchment from his saddlebag and spread it on the ground, smoothing the edges. It was a scaled map of all the lands of Hyrule, in addition to all the surrounding lands. He allowed himself only a minute of study, and could not find the answer to his question. His sharp Hylian eyes surveyed the land, and he knew from the expanse of the tracks and the trails that the monsters left that this was no mere band of villains, like his men had felled at Kakariko. This was a large, savage army on a mission. They moved quickly and took no care to hide themselves or the evidence of their presence.
But from where?! Link's mind raced. There is nowhere for them to have hid, no emergence point. They must have been magicked here. Perhaps from the Gerudo Desert? But who could have the power and skill to move so many with such sorcery?
Link had no time to ponder these questions. He stuffed his map back into the saddlebag and remounted his horse. She seemed to sense the urgency of the situation, and she darted off without so much as a word from Link. He gripped the reins and steeled himself for what he knew was coming. He said a silent prayer to himself… a plea to the Goddesses, to be good and righteous, and protect his princess until he could arrive.
* * *
As twilight fell over the world later that same day, Link was rapidly approaching Hyrule Castle Town and preparing himself for what may come. A few leagues from the city, he spied smoke on the horizon and cursed under his breath. Epona was ragged and exhausted, but still she pushed on. Link was stern faced and saddle sore from the long days of constant riding, but the thought of his kingdom burning drove all the pain from his mind. As he drew closer, he could hear the screams and smell the sulfur in the air. The scene slowly came into his view; he saw the Hylian Guard, soldiers and Knights, battling all manner of vile creatures. He saw common men, farmers and merchants and barkeeps and tradesmen, fleeing or fighting back. He saw women and children run and scream, and be cut down in the streets. He heard rotten wood burn and fall to the ground as buildings and stands collapsed. He smelled blood.
The city gates were flung wide open with no guards or sentries left to bar the way. The portal to the city looked to Link like a gateway to Hell. Large, three storied buildings were ablaze and crumbling while battles raged on their roofs. Monsters and men savaged each other and the streets ran with blood. Link wasted no more time and threw himself into the chaos. He drew his Ordon Sword and began gracefully chopping at bokoblins, lizalfos, bulblins, stalfos, armies of stalkins, kargaroks, and keese. A large swarm of aeralfos, armed with sword and shield, encircled the city hundreds of feet in the air, dipping in periodically to bite and swing at the townsfolk. Some of these beasts harbored riders, and were dropping them in from the sky. There was seemingly no end to the torrent of enemies that crawled all over the city. Link tried desperately to save as many civilians as he could, but this battle was larger than him. It was dozens of Knights and hundreds of soldiers against over a thousand monsters. The good people of Hyrule, Knights and townsfolk alike, were dying at every moment.
A shout rent the air. "Our Lord Commander! Our Lord Commander has returned!" bellowed one soldier when he spied Link in the fray. A tumult of cries rose in reply. The men found renewed vigor in the emergence of their leader, and word quickly spread throughout the entirety of Hyrule Castle Town.
"My lord!" yelled a Hylian Knight. "The city burns and the monsters are endless! What would you have us do!?"
"Protect them any way you can!" shouted Link over the sounds of battle. "The buildings and structures are lost to us! They will be rebuilt in time! Now our only priority is the citizens of Hyrule! Route the beasts and bring the people to safety!"
"Lord Commander!" yelled a familiar voice. Link turned to see Kingsley sprinting towards him, his sword and garb red with blood. "You've returned! Thank the Goddesses!"
"Aye, but a bit too late, I fear," Link said forcefully as he split the skull of one bulblin. "What news of the castle? Is the princess safe?"
"When last I left her, she was guarded by Ser Hectur and the Royal Guard," Kingsley said, out of breath. "Our enemy's primary host came from the south, and they have not yet breached the castle walls. Unless they launched some surprise attack from the north, she should be safe," he finished.
Link was not appeased. "These last months have seen multiple attempts to kill her," he said. "This battle is most likely just a distraction. I will not leave her life to chance and probability. I must reach the castle."
"My lord, it may prove very difficult to reach the castle. We are besieged, and barely holding onto the perimeter. Let me come with you," Kingsley pleaded as he choked briefly on the smoke from the burning building behind him.
"No," Link said. "You are needed here. You are still in command. Rejoin the battle. I can reach the castle much more quickly on my own."
He didn't wait for a reply. He and Kingsley cut a swath through a mob of stalkins that scuttled towards them, and then Link darted off towards the direction of the highest structure in the city. He found the Hylian Sovereign Treasury in the center of town, at the heart of the conflict. Windows were smashed and doors were broken, and the battle raged even inside the cavernous halls and spaces of the building. A few fires leapt and hissed from the bottom floor of the towering ten storied bank, but for the most part it still seemed stable. Link quickly produced his Double Clawshot and began his ascension. He deftly fired the chains at wooden vantage points on the structure and pulled himself upward. Before long, he reached the roof and pulled himself up over the edge. He took a brief moment to look back down over the expanse of the city. What he saw filled his heart with sorrow.
He grit his teeth and turned his eyes towards the heavens. The fate of the Hyrulians of Castle Town was left in the hands of the brave Knights and soldiers who remained loyal to Zelda. He had only one course of action. He quickly scanned the skies for a likely target; he found it in the form of an aeralfos who had no rider on his back. The monster was speeding downward, homing in on a target, only a few paces from the roof where Link stood. Link had no time to delay; he took aim with his Clawshot and let fly the chain. The claw found its mark on the winged lizard's shield, and Link was violently launched downward off the roof. He landed gracefully on the monster's back and quickly grabbed him by the neck. The beast screeched and tried desperately to shake him off, but Link held true. The aeralfos then tried to blindly swing his blade at Link behind his back, but Link was ready and easily knocked the blade from his claw. They were almost at the ground and risked crashing at a blazing speed. The monster screeched and shuddered some more, but Link wrestled with him and pulled up harshly on his neck. The beast succumbed and averted his path upwards, back up into the smoky sky, narrowly missing a fruit stand. He whimpered, but offered no more resistance. When Link knew he was finally in control, he pulled on the beast's neck and steered him north through the darkening sky towards Hyrule Castle.
* * *
In the throne room of Hyrule Castle, a fierce battle raged among men and monsters. At the epicenter was Ser Hectur, clad in radiant gilded mail and wielding his ornate great axe. He fought one opponent, and one opponent only; a tall and slender yet voluptuous woman with long, pure white hair and piercing red eyes. She was garbed in a skin-tight ensemble, red, black, and white. She was truly beautiful, yet even more deadly. She fought with a short, silver blade which gleamed in the reflection of the bountiful torches strewn about the throne room.
Ser Hectur was large and very muscular, yet for all his size and girth, he was quicker than most men. Even so, he was having a terrible time keeping pace with the deadly female assassin. She moved with a speed and finesse which even a seasoned warrior like Ser Hectur had never encountered. His axe swung down and around in deadly arcs, yet she dodged every stroke, agilely weaving in and out of his attacks and countering with her own. They had waged their battle for over ten minutes, neither of them tiring or retreating. Around them, the other members of the Royal Guard did battle with the band of hideous fiends which had accompanied their leader into the castle.
More than ten minutes before, without warning, a multitude of trap doors and secret passages had sprung open and the beasts had poured forth. Zelda and the Royal Guard had been huddled in the throne room, anticipating news of the bloodshed in Castle Town, where almost the entire castle garrison had gone to fight the large army. When the lesser group of monsters had suddenly descended on the princess and her guards, they had found them alone, outnumbered, and completely outwitted. The castles interior halls were littered with enemies and all their escape routes had been blocked.
And so it was that Zelda stood helpless on the steps leading to her throne, while men fought and died for her all around her. She silently prayed for Ser Hectur and her kingdom, yet she knew that the Goddesses were not listening. All she could do was watch while the love of her life fought a losing battle. Even if he somehow managed to gain the upper hand on the mysterious woman, they were still greatly outnumbered. If only I could use my abilities… she thought. I should have told Link… my magic is gone. I wish he were here.
Hectur delivered a mighty blow aimed at the assassin's head, but she easily dodged and kicked him in the gut. He staggered, but recovered in time to block her sword from cleaving his head in two. He twisted his axe and shoved downward, slamming her sword into the marble floor and trapping it. He quickly connected with a jab to her temple, and then fully elbowed her in the face. She lurched back and clutched at her nose, which bled slightly. A look of fury clouded her eyes and she darted in, screaming in rage and trying to overpower him. Hectur took a few blows, and then knocked her back again. Physically, she was no match for him.
She stopped then, and panted while looking him in the eye. He took the opportunity to reach down and dislodge his axe from the ground. She smiled a wicked smile, and laughed softly. He stood his ground, waiting for her to rush again.
But the rush never came.
Quick as a snake, she produced a long and deadly sharp needle and flung it at Hectur. Before he could react, it pierced him in the chest, striking through his gilded breastplate and stabbing him. For a moment he was stunned. He looked disbelievingly at the weapon stuck in his chest, and a trickle of blood dripped from the wound.
"Princess… Zelda…" he said quietly. He looked back to the beautiful assassin, raised his great axe above his head, and then fell to the ground.
All other fighting in the throne room stopped. The woman cackled loudly and raised her fists in triumph. She sauntered over to where Hectur lay on the ground and kicked him harshly in the stomach. He made no movement. She bent down and picked up her silver blade, and then began casually making her way towards the princess.
A few of the remaining members of the Royal Guard rushed her, shouting their battle cries, but they were quickly silenced in smooth, easy motions from her blade. She never broke stride. When she was but a few feet from the princess, she stopped to savor the moment.
"Oh, sweet princess… what rotten luck you have," the assassin whimpered. Her waist length white hair was frizzy and mussed from battle, erratically waving in all directions, giving her the appearance of a madwoman. "After all you suffered from the Twili, defeating your enemy and rebuilding your kingdom, only to watch your precious lover be killed and stand by helplessly as you await your turn." Her voice was silky and sweet, but her tone betrayed the malice in her heart. Zelda said nothing.
"Nothing to say, poor princess? No final words or requests, princess of fools? Princess of cowards? Would you like to know a secret before I kill you? It was your own people's fault. There are traitors in your midst."
"I've known there are people, even in my own court, who wish to see me removed for some time," Zelda finally spoke. "And I find it curious that you harbor such hate for me, though we've never even met."
"One does not need to meet a person to ruin her life," answered the mysterious woman. "Simply ask your subjects!"
"And yet, it is in your blood to protect the royal family," Zelda said. "You dishonor your ancestors and your people with these acts of war. You bring shame to Hyrule—" The assassin gave her a vicious backhand slap, sending Zelda to her knees.
"It is YOU who brings shame to Hyrule! YOUR ancestors who betrayed mine! How DARE you speak to me of dishonor!" She hit the princess again. "In my blood? What do you know of what's in my blood? My blood was spilled millennia ago when the royal family betrayed my people! When YOU betrayed my people!" She kicked the princess and sent her sprawling to her back. "What happens today is justice. These 'acts of war' are the results of the arrogance of the royal family, long overdue."
Princess Zelda clambered back to her feet. She wiped a spot of blood from her lip. "I know well what my ancestors did to yours. I have studied the history of Hyrule long and well. What happened was unforgivable. But you cannot hold me responsible for the sins of my fathers."
The assassin spat in Zelda's face. "You wear the sins of your fathers every time you don that royal insignia. You've made your choice, as I've made mine. We must all live with the consequences. Or shall I say… die with them?" She laughed evilly, hysterically, and raised her sword. Zelda bravely stood her ground, powerless to do anything.
"Nooooo!" shouted a soldier.
"My princess!" cried another.
The sword came down…
Thwip!
An arrow appeared like a bolt of lightning, striking the deadly assassin's hand and tearing flesh from bone. Her sword fell and clanged loudly to the ground. Blood gushed from the wound, and the assassin crouched and screamed in pain and rage. All eyes in the room looked toward the source of the arrow, and saw a hero clad in green hat and tunic, standing on an upper ledge of the throne room, just inside a high window close to the entrance. Link stepped onto his Spinner and descended into the room, landing gracefully and speeding towards the throne. A few foolish monsters tried to bar his way, and found their heads detached from their necks for their efforts.
Link stopped beside the princess and looked down at the assassin, who had grabbed her blade with her good hand and taken some steps back.
"Good timing, as always, Lord Commander," said Princess Zelda with a wry smile.
"You may thank Epona," Link replied earnestly. "Now, what have we here? Someone who wishes to do harm to my princess?"
"Be careful, Link," Zelda said cautiously. "You'll find she is no ordinary opponent."
"I should say not, if she was able to defeat Ser Hectur," Link said in a tone of mixed anger and admiration. Zelda looked away.
"Another bug to squash," said the assassin as she conquered the pain in her hand and regained her composure. "It makes no difference. Come then, and let us end this. My master awaits results."
"I'm sure he does," said Link. "But before we begin, might I have your name, beautiful warrior? I must know who was able to get the best of Ser Hectur of Ostia, the most able soldier in Hyrule."
"Hah!" she snapped in reply. "If that oaf was your most able soldier, I allowed your pitiable kingdom more credit than I should have." She sneered. Link's expression remained plain. "Oh fine, it makes no difference since you'll be dead in a minute. If you must know, my name is Faida."
"Faida," Link repeated. "A good name. Well, Faida," he brandished his Ordon Sword. "I will be your opponent now." His expression suddenly grew angry. "And you will pay for the death and despair you have brought to these people today. I will avenge Ser Hectur personally."
Faida laughed maniacally. "Come then, warrior in green. We shall see who wins the day."
They met each other on the steps to the throne, and instantly began a grueling, heated exchange of blades. They both swung, spun, thrust and parried with unparalleled skill, meeting each blow and keeping in step. The onlookers watched in awe at the hurricane of blades which sped around the room. Finally, the Royal Guard resumed their battle and the room turned to chaos again.
Link and Faida continued to cut and stab at each other with no success for many long minutes. While they were distracted, Zelda quickly and quietly crept down the small set of stairs and made her way to where Hectur lay motionless on the ground. She was oblivious to the battle being waged all around her as she raised his head and examined him. His slick blue hair fell in waves around his shoulder, thick with sweat. His breathing was so shallow it could scarce be noticed, and his eyes were nonresponsive. Zelda knew that it wasn't the needle itself which had injured him so; the needle was surrounded by dark magic, which had easily pierced his gilded armor and poisoned him. He didn't respond to her whispers and prods. She put her ear to his chest and listened intently. Eventually, she heard a faint heartbeat.
"Nayru be praised," she whispered. She quickly reached up the sleeve of her royal gown and fished around in a hidden pocket. She pulled out a bottle with a tiny fairy enclosed. She pointed the bottle downward and yanked the cork from the neck. The fairy immediately flew out and began circling Hectur, sparkling and glittering a beautiful ring of red light around his body.
Meanwhile, Link and Faida were beginning to wear each other down. Link's left leg was bleeding from a cut she had landed, and Faida's hand wound was beginning to grate on her once again. It bled freely and throbbed obnoxiously with every heartbeat. She growled in anger and ran in for another round of swordplay. Link anticipated her move and knocked her blade away, and then aimed a stab at her stomach. His leg shuddered, he stumbled, and he landed a shallow blow on her hip instead. She screamed and leapt back, outraged and blinded momentarily by pain.
Link retreated a few steps as well and tried to catch his breath. "So, it seems I'm not the bug you thought I was," he said between breaths. "Do you wish to retreat now? This may be the only chance you get."
She sneered, and without warning pulled a needle from nowhere and in one smooth motion, flung it at Link. No one else in the room saw it, but Link gave a sharp flick of his blade and knocked the needle from the air.
"That's a nice technique. It might have worked if I didn't know to expect it," Link said casually.
Faida seethed with anger, but she knew she was being slowly beaten. She looked at her hand, raw and bloody, and felt the pain in her hip. She grew momentarily dizzy. This cannot be! she thought angrily. I cannot fail! It is my destiny to help my master achieve total power by destroying the royal family! My master…!
"My lord Darkhava!" she screamed into the air. "My master! Please help me! I have need of your great and omnipotent power! I beg you!"
All was still and silent for a few agonizing moments, and then the ground began to rumble and shake, and the torches ensconced on the wall began to flicker and dim, and then turn blue. The sudden change in shade brought darkness to the throne room. Link and Zelda looked at each other, surprised. Before either of them could move, a fiery black apparition zoomed into the room in a blaze of blue flame. It was a gigantic head, with blue-grey skin and insane yellow eyes, shrouded in black flame. Faida dropped to her knees as the insane yellow eyes rested on her.
"My master… I beg of you, aid me in this task. The hero is back. We didn't think he would be here. Please, master…"
"Oh, Faida…" the apparition said sinisterly. "You know that right now, my power is limited from afar. My talents are being spent elsewhere at the moment. I have many wide area encompassing spells I must maintain. And you deign to beg me for a portion of my power when you know what is at stake?"
"I… I beg your forgiveness, master… I ask only that you… that you aid me in any small way you can. I'm sure that if you lend me even the tiniest fraction of your limitless power, I can finish this… if it please you…"
The fiery face in the apparition was silent for a moment. Finally, it spoke once more. "Very well. You have served me faithfully all these long years, Faida. A failure from you is not common. For now, I shall accept that there were extenuating circumstances. I shall remove the hero for you from here, and then you will finish the extermination of the royal family and return to me."
Faida's eyes lit up. "Yes, master! Oh, thank you, master! My lord, my exalted one! The grand and godly Darkhava! Your divine plans shall be fulfilled!"
"See that they are," said the apparition. As it spoke, a shiny black prism slipped from its mouth, sparking and crackling with dark energy. The prism materialized in the throne room and hovered in the air. Link stepped forward cautiously, but the princess grabbed his arm.
"Link, wait!" she said urgently. "That's a…"
Before she could finish her sentence, the black prism zoomed through the air and struck Link in the chest. His eyes bulged, and his limbs flailed as he rose into the air. He never uttered a sound.
"Link!" shouted the princess. The dark energy swirled around his body, illuminating the room and blinding all the onlookers for a brief moment. Then, the dark energy erupted into blue flame, and he disappeared. A second later, the flames dissolved and vanished as well. At the same time, the apparition let slip a slow, cryptic laugh and dissolved as well. The torches in the room returned to their normal fiery red glow, and Zelda was left with Faida staring her down with blade in hand. Link was gone.
Faida laughed loudly, obviously pleased with herself. "Let's see how you fare now without all your protectors," she said cruelly. "I am going to relish this. I only wish I could bring you with me to kill you at my leisure. I would grind your bones and bathe in your blood. Alas, my master wishes you dead right now."
"Don't count all her protectors out just yet," said a voice behind her. She quickly whipped around and found Ser Hectur standing behind her, axe in hand. The needle was gone, but the hole in his armor remained.
"You! How!?" Faida exclaimed angrily. "You should be dead!"
"And dead I almost was," he replied coolly. "But you'll find it takes more than some sorcerer's trickery to kill me. And of course, a well prepared princess on my side doesn't hurt." Zelda smiled faintly. "Now, might I suggest you give up and surrender yourself without any more bloodshed? It would be a shame to kill a warrior as skilled as yourself."
"And why should I submit myself to you? I killed you once, I'll kill you again, and again and again, until you stay dead!"
"Ah, but that was a lucky shot. It won't happen again now that I know about your little magical needles. What's more, I'm fully healed and rested, and you can barely stand straight with the wounds that Lord Link gave you. And, in case you haven't noticed…" he swept his hand around the room. "Your subordinates are all dead."
She looked around the room and realized it was true. The corpses of the beasts that were sent with her littered the floor, and the remaining Royal Guard members gathered around their Captain to confront her. At that moment, the great double doors burst open, and a group of people ran into the room. Zelda used the distraction to run around Faida and reunite with Hectur and the Royal Guard. They formed a perimeter around the princess and readied their weapons. Zelda peered around her guards and looked at the intruders. She recognized one of them.
"Renado! What are you doing here?"
"This man will explain everything," he motioned toward a short Hylian man with red hair. "Right now, it appears you could use some help." He turned towards the others in his group. "Soldiers of Kakariko! Defend your princess!" The group all drew their weapons and aligned themselves next to the Royal Guard, making it some forty men against Faida. She slowly backed up.
"You… princess… princess of ingrates, princess of liars, princess of murderers… this is not over. I shall return. Soon. And I shall finish what I started with your hero in green."
"Wait!" Zelda shouted. "What happened to Link?! What did you do to him?"
Faida only laughed softly in response, sheathed her blade, and disappeared in a cloud of black smoke. The soldiers scanned the room, but she was gone.
Zelda, exhausted, turned to her protectors. "Thank you… all of you. I owe you my life. I know you are tired and weary, but unfortunately, we cannot rest yet. There is much work to be done." She turned to Renado's group. "And my gratitude to you, people of Kakariko, for coming in my hour of need. But I must know… how did you know to come? What has transpired in Kakariko?"
Geras stepped forward, let his blade fall to the ground, and dropped to his knees. "Princess Zelda… Your Grace… I shall explain everything. And when I am finished, I pray you can forgive me for what I've done."