"Why do I have to do everything!" complained Zelda. She was the only one who could take the lantern away from Link and she also had to explain the new situation to her army before things got worse. And as if that wasn't enough, the princess had to wait for Link to wake up to break the mirror he created to set free the four light spirits.
"Rusl, go tell our army that the enemy commander has been defeated! Spread those words so our enemy can hear it!" ordered Zelda. "I'll join you soon."
"As you wish, princess," agreed the man.
Zelda returned her attention back to Link. She carefully detached the lantern from his waist. She then kicked it away from him. As soon as the lantern was at a decent distance from the hero, Link transformed into a wolf. Zelda removed the arrow she shot earlier from the beast's shoulder. She then looked at Link's horse. Epona was losing blood, too much blood. Zelda approached the poor animal and tried her best to close the wound. After a moment, the horse seemed out of danger. She turned to the wolf and healed the small wound. Zelda shook Link to wake him up. It took a few minutes for the hero to open his eyes. He looked up and saw Zelda looking sadly down at him. He tried to speak but only growls came out of his mouth. He looked down at his feet to see paws. With a sigh, he realized he was no longer Hylian. He looked at Zelda and growled at her. "Oh don't make such a scene! There's no time for that. I've taken the lantern away from you and you will go destroy your mirror and stop this battle quickly!" she explained. As she said this, Link could almost see Midna in her mannerisms and the tone of her voice. It made his back feel cold despite the fur covering him. The wolf looked away, where the war was still raging. Then he looked at his horse. Epona seemed to be asleep. "Thank God she's out of danger," thought Link. He looked back at the battle. Zelda could tell that he was sighing. "How can I stop this? I'm a wolf! A worthless wolf!" he thought. And as if Zelda read his thoughts, she added right away: "You can't do much in your current form so I'll send you to your mirror which, I guess, is in the Mirror Chamber," she deduced. The wolf nodded. The princess concentrated but before she could do anything, Link began to run away from her. "What are you doing? Come back here!" she screamed. The beast was searching for the lantern so he could warp by himself. Also he needed it to break the mirror. Once found, he disappeared from Zelda's sight.
--
Link arrived in the arid sand covering the floor of the Mirror Chamber. He began to walk slowly towards the podium where his creation was still standing. Having the lantern caused him to regain his true form. Link was now well aware of his soul being drained. But he needed the lantern to set free the spirits. He held it up and concentrated as much as he could. Link felt his arm go down against his will. It was probably the part of him that didn't want to be cut from the Twilight realm forever again. "I must destroy it, I must save Midna!" he told himself. The lantern glowed and extracted the spirits from the mirror. As soon as they were back into the lantern, the mirror shattered into a million shards. This brought back painful memories to Link. But he shoved them away and deposited the wicked lantern on the podium. The spirits got freed from their prison and took back their original form. They all looked down at the Hero without saying anything. "I… I am so sorry for what I've done," he said, ashamed. The light spirits smiled, as much as a light spirit could, and started to turn around Link.
"May you find peace. Farewell."
All of the spirits returned to their respective spring. The light returned upon the world and the sun warmed Link's skin. He couldn't help but smile. Though he liked the twilight for the simple fact that it was Midna's environment, Link was quite attached to the sun. He let it warm his skin for a moment. He also looked at the blue sky and took a deep breath of fresh air. Eyes closed, Link felt the warmth of the sun on his face as well as someone putting its hand on his shoulder…
--
Zelda's plans
to discourage the enemies didn't work at all. Their commander was
gone, why the need to fight? But those fiends didn't care. All that
ran through their pig headed minds was to follow the strongest side.
They wanted nothing more than to kill or be killed. And right now, it
was obvious that they were the superior force so why stop for a
leader that can't even hold on to his life? If anything, they became
more savage. With no leader to control their attacks, their barbaric
instincts came to the forefront. They charged in in many small groups
slashing to great effect and ignoring the Hylian's feeble counter
attacks.
Guillaume's younger brother, Patrick, charged the
advancing enemy and dove from his mount onto one of the enemy Bulbos
and slit the throat of the rider. He turned it into the enemy and
rolled off the back, slapping the beast with the flat of his sword.
The enraged beast charged riderless through its former allies.
Despite the chaos created by the young hero to be, retribution was to
be swift. In mere moments, the young man was surrounded by numerous
infantry Bulblins. He fought valiantly and took many with him before
a Bulblin king charged through trampling both the young brother of
the captain of the army and his own infantry. Guillaume let out a cry
of sorrow that rang out across the battlefield. His men needed no
orders. They launched an arrowstorm at the monster who just crushed
the poor captain's spirit. The sound of the incoming arrows blotted
out Guillaume's cries of anguish. Beast and mount fell to the ground.
Now the captain knew regardless of which side won, the monster that
had killed his brother would not be at the
party.
--
As soon as Link felt the hand on his shoulder, his sword rapidly flew up from his sheath to greet the stranger's neck.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," said a voice.
"Why shouldn't I?" asked Link.
"Because too much blood has already spilt because of you… and also because it's not like you," answered the voice.
Link had to agree with that stranger so he sheathed his sword back and took a better look at the person standing in front of him. A black cloak was covering its entire body and a hood shielded its face. The voice was feminine and strangely familiar.
"Have we met before?" he asked, suspiciously.
"Not in a way you would understand. I came here to give you this. A Hero is nothing without his blade to guide him,"
She opened her cloak slightly and revealed a sword. The Master Sword. Link also noticed that her wrists had bandages. He took the sword, still looking at the woman's wrists.
"Are you hurt?" he asked, listening to his kindness
"No and it wouldn't matter. Just take the sword and stop the horror that you cast upon your land. Don't let memories of joyful days be forsaken for power. See you later…" said the girl as she disappeared.
Link looked at the Master Sword. He wondered what could be the difference between killing his army with the Master sword and the one he had. "Did Zelda send that woman to me?" he wondered. "And why is even this person reminding me of her! Is everybody against me or what? Anyway, I better get going. This is the last I'll use of the lantern," he promised to himself. As soon as he touched it, the Master Sword started to burn his hand. The Hero retained a curse as he dropped the Master Sword. Link sighed as he understood that the lantern was still trying to make him evil. He also understood that he'd have to endure the burn or walk the long way which was kind of crazy. "It's too far!" he complained. "Even with Epona…" Link decided that this price was nothing compared to what he had done. He took the Master Sword in his left hand so his right one wouldn't get more damaged. "It's just for a little warp…" he told himself.
--
After the near fiasco involving one of their kin, the Bulblin kings decided that enough was enough, they would retake control of the battle and their troops. They screamed orders to the bokoblins and Bulblins to form the front line followed by the ones mounting the Bulbos and then themselves as the back line. One of the kings blew in a kind of trumpet and they charged. Zelda ordered to her soldiers to do the same. Both armies were dashing with each other when something odd happened. In between the armies, multiple circles started to appear. From the princess's army's view, it looked like the air was tearing apart. From the other side however, it looked the same but a person was standing in each "hole". They were all covered by black cloaks, face hidden by their hood. Their sudden apparition made both armies stop in shock. The 8 black cloaked strangers jumped out of their hole and began to run towards the monsters. "Reinforcements?" wondered Zelda. "Would Link be behind this? Hmm…" she continued to wonder. "Your majesty! The strangers are going to get killed!" panicked Guillaume. "Look, they are running blindly towards our enemy. I suggest we help… what?" As the captain of the soldiers said that, the strangers slowly merged into the ground to reappear behind some of the Bulblin kings. They all jumped and slashed the monsters throat with a mighty looking sword. The wounded kings fell from their mounts and the now riderless Bulbos ran amuck, causing the Bulbos from the second line to do the same and thus, creating chaos amid the enemies. Satisfied, the strangers created the same strange hole they appeared from and jumped into it to vanish. At the same time, a bit away from the battle, Link appeared with both hands smoldering. Link threw the lantern away and ran towards Zelda.
"What did I miss?" he asked with a hint of amusement in his voice.
"Not much. Thanks to the strange looking strangers you sent, the enemy is down 8 Bulblin kings," answered the princess.
"The strangers I sent? I did no such thing. Wait a minute… were they wrapped in a black cloak?" he queried.
"Yes, why?" she puzzled.
"The same person visited me in the Mirror Chamber. Only one though and it was a woman. She gave me the Master Sword. She spoke very strangely yet so familiar. I thought maybe you sent her to me," explained Link.
"I see. Well I did
not send her. Anyway, whoever those persons were, they seemed to be
on our side. That's good news. Well, shall we?" smiled Zelda,
raising her sword. Link smiled back and raised his sword to meet
hers.
The chaos that the strangers caused gave some time for Zelda
to reorganize her army. The Gorons reformed the front line, followed
by the Zoras and then the humans. Having the Hero with them gave a
new hope to this battle. They felt like they could overcome any
obstacle. The princess and the Hero started the march for
victory.
Though chaos roamed among the fiends, the footed Bulblins raised their little maces and ran to fight the Gorons. However, the rock creature's hide proved too thick for their weak attack. Unfortunately, before the Zoras could strike down all the attackers, the mounted ones noticed their plight. They formed up for a charge and let loose a mighty war cry. Link looked at what the kings were doing. The wheels of war were turning in his mind. "This battle is the result of my insanity. If I must end it the same way then I must make sure the princess does not comprehend the gravity of my actions," he resolved. Link looked for the group and Zelda. They were reasonably close to each other so Link didn't have to gather them.
"Zelda, Rusl, Ashei, Shad, Rauru! I've got a plan but we must act fast!" screamed Link.
"Just tell us and we'll do it!" replied Ashei.
Link told everyone what they would have to do. Link made sure to reserve the "insane" idea for himself. He didn't care much for his own safety now. Only the idea of bringing back peace to this land and thus, saving the woman he loves were the two priorities.
"So, everybody understands what they have to do?" asked Link.
"Yes!" they all answered.
"Then let's do it!" proclaimed Link.
--
"Who knew that he was going to go this far?"
"It doesn't matter now. He's back and we must make sure he stays,"
"Maybe the lantern was too much for him. We should have tried another path,"
"Another path wouldn't have worked, sister. It had to be something terrible,"
"I still wonder if this is the right thing to do,"
"You know it is. We have no choice. Unless you prefer that the world never finds peace? We are the ones to blame for these bloodsheds,"
The three sisters remained silent and continued to watch over the world they created.
--
"Zelda will kill me for doing this. If I don't get killed before…" thought Link, slightly amused. He went to the place where he intended to do his part of the plan. Rusl and Ashei went behind him, on his left and Rauru followed by Shad, went to the right. As Link told her, Zelda prepared her Light arrows, waiting for the best opportunity to strike.
Link took out his double clawshots and fired at the nearest tree on each side of him. Rusl and Ashei were in front of him as his cover. The remaining Bulblin kings as well as the riding Bulblins were dashing towards Link's trap. The shock was brutal. Link screamed in pain but didn't give up. It's only when he saw the faces of his two comrades that he finally looked at what happened. The surprise was so great that it made him lose consciousness.
Zelda, being near there, heard Link's lamentations. Her bow slipped from her hand as she put the other one on her mouth, in shock. "By the Goddesses… he's armless!" The princess was so in shock that she forgot to do her part. It was two hands that shook her that made her regain her senses. "Princess! Now!" screamed Ashei. Zelda took back her fallen bow and started to run towards all the fiends that fell from the chains of Link's weapon. On her way, she saw Rusl grabbing Link's arms, still holding the chained weapons. She also saw Link on the grass, now unconscious. She prayed the Goddesses that he would make it despite the angriness she was beginning to feel.
At the speed of light, Zelda shot as many Light arrows as she could on all the fallen enemies. The princess was most effective. Each shot was finding its target, the head, ending instantly the life of the monsters. Her task kept her blind to everything else for a good moment. She didn't see Link regaining consciousness and heading towards were he left the lantern. Rusl was running behind him, wondering where he was going. The disarmed Hero had only told him to follow and to not lose his arms. The old warrior carried his gruesome load, repressing the bile that was forming at the back of his throat. Despite the veteran's many years of experience on many battlefields, never had he seen something like this. Once the lantern found, he grabbed it with his mouth and told Rusl to drop his two bloody arms in front of him. He did so and waited for Link to do whatever he was up to. But before Link could reattach his arms with the power of the lantern, Zelda appeared in front of him.
"No! Don't do this Link! You know what'll happen if you do," she protested.
"So? I have nothing to live for anymore. I nearly killed everybody I love! You can't possibly imagine how I feel inside. The least I can do is use this thing to put an end to all this. Use this thing to bring back peace! The world will find another Hero, it always has," he said.
"Link, I will admit it, I've been very disappointed with you, whatever were the reasons for you to do this. But it doesn't mean you have to throw away your life to save us. We'll find another way, there's always one," said Rusl.
"That's what a Hero is meant for. Give his life for the good of all. Now, don't try to stop me, my mind is set," finished Link.
He concentrated and the lantern started to glow like the other times. Link's arms lifted, on their own, and flew to their owner's shoulders. It took a few minutes for Link to be whole again. Then, he took the lantern in his hands, in part because his mouth was getting sore, and concentrated even more. The lantern glowed all the more and the light expanded and took aim at the enemies. Some tried to run away, some tried to fight it but it was in vain. As soon as the light touched a fiend, the life within it was no more. "This is for you Midna!" Soon enough, an almost frightening silence settled itself over the field. The light disappeared and so did Link's soul. He fell slowly on the grass, his face completely stripped of expression. Zelda kneeled beside him and caressed his hair.
"No…" she cried.
"Is he… dead?" gulped Rusl.
"No, not exactly. He will remain in this state until his soul is back. If he gets it back, that is," she explained.
"How can he have it back?" asked the swordman.
"I… don't know," sighed the princess.
"There must be a way to reverse whatever that lantern did," insisted Rusl.
"For that I'd have to analyze it," said Zelda. "And I will…" she added, seeing the pleading look of Rusl.
The princess reached her hand out to Link's dangerous weapon and passed it left to right over it. Her Triforce glowed brightly. Zelda suddenly had a gasp.
"What? What is it?" asked Rusl.
"There's only one energy that powerful on Hyrule and I felt it just before the battle started…"
"Well, what is it!" Rusl asked, again.
Zelda turned her head to Rusl, looking seriously. "The power that is imbued within the lantern is from the Goddesses themselves!" revealed the princess. Rusl almost flipped over from the shock.
"The Goddesses?! How could they create something this evil?" wondered the warrior.
"I don't know. They must have something on their mind. I will take Link with me. I can't promise anything or determine how long it'll take," she said.
And Zelda disappeared on those words, leaving the mess to the army to clean.
--
Zelda appeared in her room. She deposited Link, with evident difficulty, on her bed. His look was something to see. Not that anyone would have liked to see it but it was rather unique. He looked like someone for whom time had stopped. His eyes were expressionless and empty. Though Zelda was saddened by all that had happened, she couldn't help but look away. She didn't really know what to feel anymore, actually. Anger from the fact that he didn't listen to her, happy that he sacrificed himself to save them all, mad at the goddesses for creating something this evil! It was probably all of it.
Talking about the Goddesses, Zelda had some questions to ask them. But she knew she'd never get any answer. "A mortal cannot understand, they would say," she thought. "Why do this to Link? Hadn't he had enough already? I know, I know, he chose what happened to him…" said the princess, as if she was talking to the Goddesses. "In any case, there must be some way to give Link back his soul," she continued. "I guess it's time for me to put my nose into these books," she sighed.
--
After burning all the dead bodies of the monsters, the army, with the help of everyone else, picked up the brave ones who kindly volunteered to help the battle. The next days where those of sadness, the graveyard grew as the many families cried their beloved family members who risked their life.
Rusl returned home with a troubled spirit. He didn't know how he was going to announce the terrible news to the village. He was thinking of his son and the other kids but mostly, he was thinking about Ilia. As he entered the village, his anxiety grew stronger. It's when he saw his son's bright face that he decided to lie. Just a little lie, for now.
"Where is Link, dad?" asked Collin.
"With princess Zelda," answered Rusl.
"Really? Wow, what an honour!" exclaimed the little boy.
"Yes, yes, an honour…"
Happy, Collin ran to the other kids to tell them what he had just heard. Rusl felt relieved that a child believes almost anything an adult said. But he knew Ilia wouldn't buy it. He had to think of something more. Something to add to that little lie. He didn't have time to think though, Ilia tapped his shoulder.
"Link's gone with princess Zelda eh? Come on Rusl, what really happened?"
"Oh he is with the princess alright. It's just…" he said as he turned to face her.
"Just what Rusl? What?" worried Ilia.
"I'm not sure if he's coming back," revealed the warrior.
Ilia stayed agape. Her eyes were blinking repeatedly. Rusl put his hands on the young woman's shoulder. "Now calm down. He is in good hands. Let give it some time, see how things go. Don't jump to conclusions yet, ok?" advised Rusl. Ilia nodded and retained her tears. She made herself believe that the princess wanted him to stay as a captain or something since he was such an awesome warrior. But the days passed and Link didn't come home.
--
"I give up! There's nothing I can do!" cried Zelda, discouraged. They say the pen is mightier than the sword, yet Zelda's swipe of frustration launched what had been writ by both from the table and across the room with a force that was stronger still. None of the books she's been reading for four days had any information about the lantern. "I'm sorry Link…," she cried, eyes closed yet looking at her feet. Then she got up to pick up the books she had just pitched so violently onto the floor. There was so many, so many that were useless to the princess's needs. Only one suddenly caught her attention. A small brown book surrounded by a golden binding. "Oh? I don't remember that one. Well, got nothing to lose checking it out," resolved the princess. "Prophecies" read Zelda, on the page cover. She unwrapped the gold binding and opened her new found book. "What? What kind of book is this? All the pages are the same!" wondered Zelda as she turned more than a page at the time. She finally stopped, near the end, and took a closer look at this strangely repetitive page. "This picture looks like the lantern! And this is… the Triforce! Oh and this is… hmm," said Zelda to herself.
"Well, this all looks interesting but how am I suppose to decipher it!"
"Perhaps I can help…"