For those of you who have been waiting so patiently for this, I want to send a sincere thank-you. This chapter has taken me a little over a month to write, and looking at the word count I think you may understand why. You may want to make a sandwich or something; you're going to be here for a while. Well, without further stalling, I give you: Chapter 7!
Zelda
Ordan Village
9:36 a.m.
13 days before Declaration
Rusl offered his hand to Zelda as she came off of the wagon. She was thankful for the help, and used his weight to support her fall to the soft earth below. The dirt road of the village was much more accustomed to the hooves of goats than the wheels of wagons, and the princess could feel her shoes getting lost in the ground. Hiding her disgust, she pulled herself free and followed the blacksmith to his home.
Compared to Castle Town, Ordan Village was a completely different world. It was barely a spot on the map, and had only the most basic luxuries; up until a few days ago Zelda would have thought the place primitive and beneath her. Yet it was the lack of human cultivation that gave the village its unfathomable beauty. There was a hint of paradise in the sound of the local creek flowing, and in the sunlight covered by thousands of leaves. It was a world that was naturally beautiful, and the villagers were wise to live with this beauty rather than destroy it.
Rusl's home was by far the smallest of the village. While some houses grew out of trees and had multiple floors, Rusl and his family lived in a small shack in a corner of the village. Despite the size of the home, it was welcoming nonetheless; at least it would not shake her awake like the wagon.
As Zelda stepped inside and met Rusl's wife and two sons, the princess could not take her mind off of Hyrule Castle, and the friends she had asked to put their lives on the line...
-
Attics
Hyrule Castle Courtyard
2:53 a.m.
13 days before Declaration
The shackles were on too tight: that was the only thought that occupied the captain's head as Donphes paced back and forth, silent and furious. He knew the design of the restraints well; from firsthand experience no less. Two thick semicircles of iron were hammered into place around the captive's wrists, and then chained together through a small number of metal links, usually no more than three. They were meant to prevent the prisoner's hands from being used, but still keep him portable. In his opinion they beat being in the stocks any day.
Attics briefly watched his friend walk back and forth, "You gonna say something or are you just trying to make me dizzy?"
"You should be dead right now." Donphes said without breaking his pace.
"Then why am I here talking to you?"
Donphes rushed in and glared at Attics dead in the eye, "Because I cannot kill two dozen seasoned soldiers in one night."
"Sure you could. You're the king aren't you?"
"Do not mock me Attics!" his friend roared. "Do you have any idea what you have done?"
"Yeah. I did the right thing."
"You committed treason!"
"Look in the fucking mirror Donphes! You overthrew the monarch and took her place. If anyone's the traitor here, it's you!"
"I AM HELPING THIS KINGDOM!" the general shouted. "Zelda was driving Hyrule into the ground, and I must bring it back to its feet! No one else can do this Attics!"
"No one else but her!"
Attics suddenly felt the cool touch of metal on his face, coupled with an incredible amount of pain. Donphes had punched him!
The captain stumbled backwards before regaining his balance. He smirked and spoke in a sarcastic tone, "I'm sorry Donny, did I hit a nerve?"
Donphes approached him once again, this time keeping his voice under a weak restraint. "I cannot kill all of the traitors, but neither can I allow them to plot against me. You are one of my closest friends, Attics. I do not want to kill you, but if you continue acting like this I will have no choice. You have one last chance: stop this and tell your conspirators to accept me as King, or it will be your head on the chopping block."
Attics looked over at the well-lit gallows. The stone slab on the top was smooth and quiet; a serene and welcoming sight, like the smoke of a chimney. He could not help but let out a small smile while looking at the little house of death.
"You're my best friend too, Donphes." he finally said. "And if you weren't I'd be supporting you to the end right now. But it's because you're so close to me that I have to put my foot down. You've made a huge mistake, and you're too Gods-damn stubborn to realize it. I've lived a good life, so who knows; maybe my bloody head'll finally wake you up."
Attics knew his words struck home. He also knew that Donphes would never admit how hurt he was, and that the usurper king would force himself to take his best friend up to that block, and watch as his head was chopped off. Crimson memories would drown the stone, but Donphes' eyes would remain dry. That was just who he was.
Donphes did not disappoint him. The general summoned a guard to seize Attics, before looking at his treasonous friend one last time.
"You had your chance, Attics. As the executioner raises his axe, just remember that you brought this upon yourself."
"As did you Donny. As did you."
The guard yanked Attics away, but the captain shook his arm free, "I can walk on my own, jackass."
And so the captain walked to his doom. It would take at least an hour for the executioner to be ready, and Donphes would be busy with his new duties in that time span. Attics would be kept underneath the gallows' shadow with the other rebels, guarded by practically half the army. None of this surprised the seasoned soldier though. What shocked him was how bright the gallows were. It seemed impossible for the torches at each corner to make the structure shine so much. From the shadowy area where Donphes was, the place where Attics would die was a welcoming home. There was no unknown darkness here. Not in this...
The guard pushed him into one of the wooden beams holding the gallows up. Attics felt the blood drip from his broken nose, and turned to face the man.
"You're gonna regret that."
The guard only had time to spit in the captain's face before shouts could be heard from a soldier running into the courtyard.
"She's been found! The princess! She's been found!"
Attics felt his heart drop to the ground. It was all for nothing. He had thrown his life away in hopes that the princess could escape, but those hopes were dead now; he and Zelda would be soon to follow them.
Some of the guards left their posts to check on the frantic soldier. The poor man hardly had a chance to breathe before he was bombarded with questions. When? Where? How? The frail man adjusted something falling down his nose, and beckoned the guards to follow him.
"This...way..." he panted. "We need...help!"
The guards who listened followed the man as he stumbled to a run towards town. Many soldiers still remained though; confident in their comrades, yet cautious of the prisoners.
Clanking armor decrescendoed in the dark night, and just when Attics could no longer hear them, a roar of thunder took its place. The shockwave shook the ground, forcing many prisoners to lean on the gallows for support. The guards stared in shock at the large flames bursting from behind the courtyard walls. Many ran towards the explosion to investigate, but most stood where they were; either afraid of the explosion or afraid of leaving the prisoners alone.
Attics was fortunate to be looking at the guards when a young woman with a bow appeared from the opposite direction. She pulled an arrow and shot it at the closest guard her plain eyes could find. The weapon found its mark straight through the poor guard's throat, gurgling out of him in a weak cry for help. It remained unanswered; the others were too focused on the smoky column to notice.
The next shot however was quickly noticed, and a dozen soldiers charged at the archer. The young woman prepared another arrow in an attempt to take one of her attackers out, but the shield the guard raised prevented it. Attics considered turning away; the girl was as good as dead.
As the first guard raised his axe to strike her down, he was suddenly greeted by a metal shield to his face. He dropped the weapon as tears mixed with blood. Before he could open his eyes to realize what had happened, he was slapped on the side of the head by the same shield. He fell on the ground clutching his pounding head.
The other guards stopped to see this new attacker: a young man in Ordonian clothing with a sword and shield. His eyes intensified the wolf's growl on his face, as if to dare the next soldier to step forward and fight.
Two of the guards answered the call. They lunged at the stranger from both sides with their swords, planning to catch the man in between them. What they did not expect was for the intruder to roll forward out of harm's way and attack one of their unprepared comrades. The intruder came out of his roll to leap up high in the air, delivering a powerful blow to the unsuspecting guard's sword shoulder. As he landed quietly on his feet, the intruder pushed the wounded guard into one that was ready to charge. They both fell down to the ground unable to get up.
The distraction the stranger made gave the archer enough time to draw her rapier and stab the nearest guard through the back. It was much harder to get the blade back out again; it was not designed to completely impale. As she struggled to release her sword from the dying soldier, another guard came up behind her and went to slit her throat. Before he could do so the guard felt his left leg buckle as the muscles were struck by the young man's pommel. As he fell to the ground the intruder hit the guard's skull with the Triforce on his shield. The soldier fell on the ground unconscious; the Holy Triangles stamped on the side of his head.
As the woman finally freed her blade from the dead man's back, her companion walked in front of her to face the remaining guards. He turned his head to the woman with a playful smile; "Now we're even." he seemed to say.
Seven guards remained, and they quickly formed a circle around the swordsman as he walked forward. They had their shields up at the ready, and prepared to attack from all sides. Even if one or two of them perished, there was no way the wolf-eyed man could take them all down.
How wrong they were. As soon as the yell for the charge was given the swordsman spun around with his sword extended. Fire appeared to dance off the blade as each of the soldiers were struck by powerful energy. The attack was over before it began; with each guard lying on the ground in pain.
The soldiers remaining with the prisoners were paralyzed. Their legs turned to jelly as the two intruders made their way to the captive Loyalists.
Attics was the first to act: he went over to the guard who had broken his nose, and casually tapped him on the shoulder. The guard turned around just in time for his face to meet the captain's chained fists. As the disorientated guard stumbled backwards, Attics grabbed tightly onto his chainmail suit and thrust his knee into the cruel soldier's solar plexus. Before the guard had time to gasp for breath Attics had smashed his skull with the same knee.
The captain looked down at the crumpled guard, "Told ya you'd regret that." he smirked.
The other captives soon followed Attics' example. They tackled the guards to the ground, surrounded them and beat them with shackled hands, or stole the guards' weapons and fought with those. With the battle won, the prisoners went up to the chopping block with the executioner's axe, and used it to break the chains on their shackles.
Attics went over to meet the young man and woman as soon as his arms were free.
"I'm sure as Hell glad you got here when you did" he chuckled. "Just saved me from getting the shortest haircut of my life."
He extended his arm and shook the young man's hand. "Name's Attics."
"I'm Link." the young man smiled. The woman simply looked at Attics indifferently and sighed "Ashei."
"I'm sorry, I've only got one ear to hear out of. Did you say your name was Link? As in the 'Hero of Hyrule' Link? The guy who single-handedly saved the entire kingdom from goin' down the shit-hole? That Link?"
"They really say all that?" the lad asked awkwardly. Attics swore he saw the young man's cheeks burn red.
"We can talk about your fan club later, yeah?" Ashei butted in. "Right now we've got to get the Hell outta here before the other guards come back."
"We'd be as good as dead if we all just ran out into the city." Attics noted. "The guards could just block the gates and kill us like caged animals."
"We've got a pretty good way around that." Link replied. "You and half of your men'll go with Ashei and our other friends, while I take the other half through the waterways that're still intact. I've been down there a number of times, and know my way pretty well. We'll all meet up outside the western gate and head to the Faron woods together."
Attics lifted his eyebrows, "Not a bad plan. Fewer people running through the city means fewer noises for the guards to hear. I'll let the others know and spilt 'em up for you."
Walking to the other prisoners, the captain suddenly stopped; one of the guards Link had fought was still alive, his moaning was weak but still noticeable. When he looked closer Attics realized all the soldiers Link had fought were still breathing.
He turned back to the Hero, "You do that on purpose?"
Link looked down at the guards with sympathetic eyes. "It's not their fault. They don't deserve to die for just doing their job."
"Tell that to Donphes." the captain scoffed. "He was about to kill me for doing my job, you know. You can't show sympathy like that. The enemy sure as Hell won't show it to you."
"I don't kill people." Link said assertively.
Attics stared at the young Hero. Was this kid for real? How could someone with the strength to beat a dozen men at once stick to such non-violent ideals? Was he really so naïve to think the enemy would simply give up if he spared their lives?
The captain shook his head. The boy was a natural at combat, but part of serious fighting was taking the enemy's life. One day he would have to accept that.
Once the parties were divided, the Hero made his way towards the dungeons, where the closest link to the waterways lied. Attics could hardly believe he had spoken to a living legend. How could he? The boy was barely an adult, and still held onto such a childish sense of morality. But he had to believe it; his skill with the sword and shield was evidence enough. He was a one-man army, and Attics was thankful he and the boy were on the same side.
The prisoners took whatever weapons they could from the guards, but thanks to the distractions there were not enough swords and axes to go around. While Attics seized a claymore from the guard who had pushed him, he knew that it would slow him down greatly. In a time like this, speed was everything; being the slowest of the pack could seriously endanger his life.
He stared at the finely crafted blade and nodded. "Yup. Totally worth it."
Castle Town
3:32 a.m.
The group was well on their way through the city when Ashei suddenly gave the signal to stop. In the empty alleyways of Castle Town, the quiet screech of metal against stone echoed. Attics and the other soldiers hid where they could: in the gaps between buildings, over fences, even quietly hiding behind unlocked doors. Attics was one of the unfortunate soldiers who could not find a place to hide, so he simply tried to act inconspicuously; a skill that the captain was by no means gifted in.
The scraping grew quieter as well as slower, as if the thing making it had slowed down considerably. He knew the sound well: it was the scrape of a guard's metal boots against the road. One of Donphes' soldiers was in the alleyway, and by the sound of the screeching, he was getting closer.
Attics held his breath, his mind rushing with the possible outcomes. The captain was out in the open, armed, and outside in the middle of the night. No matter which way he sliced it he looked suspicious. He could try to attack the guard, pretending to be a mugger, but what if the soldier called for help? Donphes' soldiers would be there in minutes, and Attics would be at the gallows within the hour; right back where he started.
The captain heard Ashei's whisper coming from a nearby house. "Hey, what's going on out there, yeah?"
"It's a guard. He's coming this way." Attics whispered back.
As the soldier's outline came into view, Attics made out the sound of heavy panting. Perhaps they were in luck; if the guard was exhausted then maybe Attics could take him down without incident. They would have to hide the body of course, but once that was taken care of they could continue making their way to the gates of the city.
"...Ash...ei...you...out...here...?" the guard heaved. In one shallow breath he spoke as loud as his closed up throat would let him, "OhbytheGodspleasebehere!"
Ashei must have recognized the voice, because she immediately left her hiding spot and went to meet the exhausted man.
"About time you showed up, Shad. You lost 'em, yeah?"
The poor guard barely had enough breath to speak. "I...think...so...you...have...water?"
The woman shrugged. "Sorry bud. Maybe you can dump your head in the fountain or somethin', yeah?"
The guard tried to exclaim in protest, but his voice had given out.
The short soldier seemed familiar to Attics, but it was not until he fixed something under his helmet when the captain realized where he knew him: the man in front of him was the same soldier who had run into the courtyard not even an hour ago shouting that Zelda had been captured.
The guard threw off his helmet and sat down. His red hair clinging closely to his skull, soaked in sweat. His dark glasses were bent after being pressed back by the helmet, yet even at their thinner angle they were still too large for the man's nose. With a heavy hand he pushed the glasses up back to the bridge.
More clanging could be heard down the alleyway, coming closer.
"Damn it Shad!" Ashei hissed. "I thought you said you lost 'em all!"
Shad was speechless. He tried to explain himself to the angry woman but all that came out was heavy breathing.
"Hey! You there!" one of the three silhouettes shouted to the group. "Stay where you are! We've got some questions for you!"
Out of nowhere a fourth figure rounded the corner. Attics was not sure if the shadows were playing tricks on him, but this newcomer appeared to be some sort of giant. It walked surprisingly quietly for its size, and carried what appeared to be a massive club on its shoulders.
The guards did not get ten steps closer before the giant swung his club and smashed the soldiers all in a row. The guards hit each other like the balls in Newton's cradle, and were dashed to the side of a nearby building, either dead or unconscious.
Attics readied his blade out of caution, but Ashei pushed the sword away. "He's a friend, genius."
With each massive step the giant took Attics got a better look at him. He could see a valley of baldness between mountains of hair, a brown and pink jumpsuit with the Holy Triforce stamped in the middle of the chest, and a metal cannon-not a club-over the Goliath's shoulders. A gentle smile curled over a familiar face.
"Good to see you again, Attics." Auru's voice broke the silence of the dark.
"Major Auru!" the captain laughed. "And here I was thinking you'd kicked the bucket while we were away at war!"
"I still have some fight left in these old bones." the old veteran said, looking over his shoulder to see the pile of guards behind him. "Those poor fools found that out the hard way."
Attics felt like he was with an old friend he had not seen in years. He and Auru had never officially fought together on the battlefield, but he had great respect for the former commanding officer of Hyrule's artillery. By the time war was declared and the army sailed for parts unknown, Major Auru was well into his retirement, and stayed behind in his home in the castle.
"So how have you been, old man?" Attics asked, completely forgetting the urgency of their situation.
Ashei rolled her eyes. "You can catch up later, yeah? Right now we gotta get the Hell out've here."
"Oh. Right." Attics said as he signaled for the other escapees to come out. "Lead the way."
-
Attics never thought the sound of his boots hitting the western bridge out of Castle Town could be so euphoric. It was a sound he never thought he would hear again, but it was more than that. It was a reward for his labor through the city, and a promise that he would make it through the field. It was the sound of freedom.
He looked around and noticed the other freed prisoners sensed it as well. Once off the bridge they were as good as free. Although there were two entire fields between them and Faron, there was also an entire city filled with hiding spaces for Donphes to search behind them. Once he has realized the prisoners were no longer in Castle Town, they would be well on their way to the forest.
An arrow struck the bridge right in front of the captain's feet. The group stopped and turned around to face dozens of guards with their weapons at the ready. A white horse walked onto the bridge with the soon-to-be King of Hyrule as its rider: Donphes.
Darkness covered the bridge like a blanket, but Attics knew his old friend was there to greet them. He did not need his eyes to see the red lion stamped on each guard's chest, nor the crossbows aimed at each of the prisoner's heads, and he certainly did not need his eyes to see the General's face.
"This has gone on long enough, Attics." the general's voice combined with the darkness.
"I agree." the captain's voice pierced the darkness. "Get off your high horse and we can end this like men."
Donphes' silhouette shook its head. "This is no time for games, Attics. You have chosen your side, my friend; and it is the wrong one. It seems that I must show the people that under my rule, treason will not be tolerated. You will be taken back to the gallows and beheaded, along with your conspirators."
A line of guards marched out to subdue the prisoners. Ashei quickly drew her bow and aimed an arrow at the man on the horse.
"I didn't stick my neck out for these guys just to have it chopped off, yeah? Take another step and the General gets an arrow through the head."
A battalion of crossbows aimed at the lone archer. Donphes stared through the abyss at her, "Make another move and you shall have a hundred arrows through the head. Surrender, child; and be grateful you still have a few moments left to be in this world."
The general signaled for the guards to continue the arrest. "Take them away."
An arrow flew through the air and zoomed by the ear of Donphes' horse. The animal was startled and rose up on its hind legs, throwing the general off its back and down to the wood's embrace. An officer quickly ran out to assist the general to his feet and brought him back inside the city walls.
Attics turned to Ashei, shocked that she had fired a shot that would certainly spell her doom; yet as he gazed at the bow, the captain realized that the arrow was still strung inside it. If she had not fired the shot, then who did?
The whinny of a horse reached the captain's ear. It was not the horse in front of him getting pulled back into Castle Town, but one farther away; one that was behind him.
"Get out of the way!" one of the prisoners shouted as a horse charged towards the bridge. Attics had just enough time to jump out of the steed's way as it continued its charge towards the line of guards. Whoever was riding the massive beast leapt off its back in a backflip and landed safely on the bridge; an empty bow in his hand. The horse continued moving forward and reared right in front of the guards, startling many of them and forcing the others to flee.
Attics saw his chance. With the horseman by his side he attacked the guards on the bridge, the other prisoners charging behind them. The captain swung his cleaver at the nearest opponent and forced him up against the wooden fence; the only structure standing between him and the endless abyss below. The captain grabbed the guard's head, tore off his helmet, bashed the man's head into the fence, then finished it off with a pommel strike to the guard's temple.
The captain turned around to brag about his small victory, but through the darkness he saw that the horseman had already subdued six guards in the time it took him to deal with one.
"Son of a..." Attics muttered as he rejoined the fray.
The fight was futile. Even with the horseman, the escaped convicts were outnumbered, out armed, and outmatched. Step by step Attics and the others were forced to retreat, as more and more guards marched onto the bridge.
The captain met the face of someone's shield, and stumbled backwards to regain his balance by the fence. As he held the structure for support Attics could feel a smooth, cold, and thick object in his hand. He blindly ran his fingers down the structure's length and discovered it was just one of many loops connected together: a metal chain.
Attics pictured the bridge in the daylight. It was relatively narrow and sturdy, extending over one of many deep crevices created ages ago by the Zora River. The bridge did not have much support underneath it, and therefore had to be suspended with four massive chains meeting in the middle.
An idea struck the captain's brain as if by lightning. "Auru! Come over here; I need your help!"
The giant's black shape tossed one of Donphes' soldiers into a group of others like a sack of potatoes, before running over to where Attics stood.
"What is it?"
"I need you to use your cannon to destroy these chains," Attics explained pointing at each of the unseen lines, "preferably at the point where they begin in the stone arches."
"What for?"
"Just trust me on this. Once the lines break, get ready to run like Hell!"
Auru set his cannon down and obeyed the captain's order. With a spark of light and a puff of smoke the first chain to the bridge came crashing down; then another, and then another.
By the third shot Attics could feel the bridge beginning to give way. It was not sturdy enough to handle so much weight on it unassisted. The captain shouted out to his troops. "Everyone! Get off the bridge! Head to the cavern!"
As the last chain fell, so did the bridge. Its wooden planks cracked in the middle and collapsed, sending a dozen of Donphes' soldiers into the depths below. Attics ran to avoid sharing the same fate, as the far end of the bridge lifted up to nose dive into nothingness. The captain heard hooves behind him, and suddenly feared that Donphes had returned to drag him down to oblivion.
To his relief the warrior from earlier rode on his horse close by. The horseman leaned over and extended a hand for the captain to grab. Attics eagerly took the opportunity and jumped on the horse behind the shadow, just before the steed made the final leap from bridge to stone.
The horse landed heavily and slowed down, allowing Attics to get a glimpse of newly formed gap between the cavern and the city. He could feel Donphes glaring at him, but it brought no fear to the captain. He simply glared right back.
"I owe you one, friend." Attics said to the horseman.
"Don't mention it." the Hero of Hyrule replied.
The horse grunted and stomped its foot in protest.
"I guess Epona doesn't like the extra weight." Link chuckled. "Mind getting off?"
Attics slid off the beast and turned to face the young man. "Damn, that's one helluva way to make an entrance." the captain joked. "Timing couldn't be any better either. Very...heroic."
The young hero laughed, "Zelda said something like that when I rescued her today. The others are out in Hyrule field already. We should meet up with them there."
Attics nodded. "Then let's get moving. Sun'll be up any minute now, and it's gonna be a long day."
General Donphes
Western Castle Town Gate
6:37 a.m.
Donphes watched the bridge come falling down, a heavy heart beating wearily in his chest. It was always tragic to see his loyal troops perish; especially in fighting against their own brothers. It was a pointless waste of life, instigated by men who were too stubborn to give in to change.
The general turned his gaze from the newly made gap to the cavern on the other side. He could feel Attics glaring at him, but it brought no fear to the general. He simply glared right back.
A Lieutenant came up behind him, going down on one knee before speaking. "Your Majesty, permission to pursue the traitors?"
Donphes almost laughed at the title used to address him. 'Your Majesty': it was a phrase he would have to grow into, but there was no one else who could fit it.
"Permission denied, Saurus." Donphes replied. "Tend to the wounded first, then close off the bridge. We will have to pour some of the restoration resources into rebuilding it.
Part of him pitied the traitors; not for their current deeds but for their past ones. He could afford to look the other way for a few days. Attics deserved that much.
"Once that is done I want you to personally lead a platoon to find out where the traitors are, captain."
The Lieutenant looked up at him, "Captain, Your Majesty?"
Donphes turned to face the man before him with a small smile. "With Attics gone, I am in need of a new officer. Congratulations on your promotion, Saurus. Make me proud."
The general was not worried about the traitors. They were stubborn fools chasing the dark of night, while also fleeing the dawn of a new day. They feared the dawn because it brought change, but he would embrace it; the sun would soon be up to light his way.