Before the beginning of the Gerudo desert campaign Link had to obtain a new sword. His gilded blade proved too short in the fight with Ganondorf, and now that he was a member of the royal court money was no object, which was good, because the smith he had in mind did not come cheap.
Biggoron was a rather picky swordsmith. If he didn't owe you something he normally wouldn't make a custom order. But since he had the money and a letter from Zelda he convinced the giant Gorgon to make something to his specifications.
"You sure you want something so small"? The giant's words reverberated through eh mountains.
"Link nodded. "I prefer one handed swords." Biggoron was known for his giant swords, so big a large man could barely use one. He rarely made anything smaller.
Biggoron scratched his head. "Fine but it will cost you. Five thousand rubies."
"That's ridiculous" Link complained.
"You want a rush job, and I don't like making short swords. It's that or nothin."
"Fine…" Link grumbled. But make it quick, the army leaves in less than a week."
"I can finish in four days but I don't know how you're going to get to Castle Town in three."
"It will be fine. Just leave it to me." Link was still making use of the magical songs he learned in the other timeline, but other than Zelda he hadn't explained them to anyone. He actually had already scouted out the area around the desert colossus in preparation for the invasion. Fortunately Ganondorf's forces were not camped at the sacred shrine, though his foster mothers were still lurking about.
True to his word, Biggoron produced a sword in four days. The blade was a little disappointing to Link. It was similar in shape and length to the master sword, however despite weighing less than the blade of evil's bane, it felt heavier. The mastersword itself was incredibly tip heavy which gave it great cutting power but felt to Link like part of his body. Biggorons work was actually better balanced but still felt like a sword, a very well made sword but a sword nonetheless.
Still, the new sword was an improvement over his gilded sword. It had the length and cutting power suitable for an adult, and Link was pretty sure it would be even less likely to break or chip. No mortal made blade could hope to compare to the master sword, but this one handed Biggoron was about as close as they could come. At least when he went on campaign he would be suitably armed
….
Zelda was quite sad when the time came for Link and Impa to set off. More than her friends they were also her closest allies at court.
"You needn't worry Impa. I am more than capable of dealing with a few politicians in your absence." Zelda said confidently.
"You must watch yourself." Impa cautioned. "I've made sure all the important officers in the castle are loyal, you already know which consolers you can trust."
Zelda nodded. "I am perfectly capable of defending myself."
Link chuckled under his breath. Zelda was nowhere near as skilled as she was in the other timeline and even then she was not as skilled as him or Impa.
"Is something funny Sir Link?" Zelda said in a very passive aggressive voice.
N-nothing your highness!" Link answered a little too quickly.
Zelda shook her head. "Oh Link you're a leader now, you can't afford to be immature."
"Sorry…." Link apologized. He didn't exactly want to be a leader, but for Zelda's sake he would take up the mantle.
"I will pray for your safe return. Link, Impa, stay safe and return quickly, and then…." Zelda paused.
"then?" Link asked.
Zelda shook her head. "Never mind." Then she kissed him.
Link's world seemed to freeze. Zelda was hugging him and pressing her lips on his mouth. It occurred to him this this was the first mouth to mouth kiss they had despite his long history with her in the other timeline. It was…not as soft as he had imagined.
Zelda broke the kiss as suddenly as she made it. "That…doesn't leave this room." She said, breathing heavily."
Link nodded.
Zelda smiled. "Please look after each other. You two are the closest thing I have to family."
"We will your highness." Impa replied. "Come Link, we have preparations to see to:
"I…. yes preparations. I'll see you Zelda." Link gave a sloppy bow before following Impa.
…..
On the fifth day of the month of Naryu, ten thousand men gathered in the castle's court yard. Outfitted with armor and weapons they stood at a attention and saluted the regent, Princess Zelda who looked down on them from the balcony. Led by officers on horseback they marched from the castle's through the main street of castles town where the people cheered them. Marching across the draw bridge that protected the city, they crossed into Hyrule Field and marched toward Gerudo canyon.
Link found that traveling with an army was much slower than traveling alone. The army moved at the rate of its slowest component; the wagon train. It also had to stay in a defensible formation which made moving even slower. Scouts had to be sent out ahead whenever they moved, and until they reported back the army would stay in place or move at a crawl. The army couldn't stop to rest over night without setting up a camp and minor fortifications to protect it, which took a few hours at least.
One thing Link did like about the trip was he was able to form relations with some of the knights and officers. Many of the men were skeptical of Link because of his age, but after they saw a few sparring matches in camp they quickly changed their tune and accepted him as an elite warrior, though they did keep making fun of his age. They also expected him to drink with them, a vice he had never indulged in. Getting up in the morning after drinking with the other officers was one of the hardest things Link had to do.
The army encountered little opposition through Hyrule field. The small parties of Bokublin they encountered chose to run rather than fight. Once they reached Gerudo canyon however a small army met them at the canyon head.
The Bokublins had taken up a position in the narrow pass, blocking the army's way. But the Bokublin lacked the discipline of human soldiers. Under a barrage of arrows they sallied out to engage the Hylian army directly and were slaughtered.
"There must have been less than a thousand of them" Impa commented. "They were measuring our strength."
"They also slowed us down." Link commented. "There is a good chance the bridges up ahead have been destroyed."
"We can build a new bridge." Impa said. "The real problem is the fort you mentioned."
Link nodded. "The main Gerudo fortress is on the other side of the canyon. It has only one entrance big enough for an army to pass and it controls access to the rest of their lands."
"You mentioned a pass before." Impa questioned.
"There is a small pass through the mountains that leads behind and into the fortress. It's far too small for an army, barely big enough for a man, and it involves a lot of climbing."
"If we sent you with a small detachment of knights, could you sneak into the fortress?"
"It's hard to know without getting a look at what defenses the enemy has there, but it's possible, provided the men are up for the climb."
"If you can sneak in and stir up enough chaos like you did at Ganondorf's camp, we can attack their main gate with the rest of the army and break through." Impa stated.
Link sighed. "That's probably our best bet." Link hadn't been looking forward to assaulting this base. He actually knew some of the women there in the other timeline. Though horribly misguided they were kind to him, after he broke out of their prison and took down most of their guards.
"Then it's decided." Impa declared. "I'll make sure to pick the knights with the best climbing skills."
….
The fight through the canyon was not easy. The Hylians had to fight through several raids. While rebuilding the bridge they had to deal with a constant stream of arrows.
Once the army crossed the canyon it was Link's turn. Together with a team of knights picked by Impa they scaled the mountain side and arrived at a narrow pathway. From there it took several more climbs and hikes to reach the hills above the fortress.
"I heard the women there kidnap men and use them too…you know." Captain Gonzo said in a low voice.
"I doubt they'll be in the mood to take prisoners tonight." Link said, rolling his eyes. "Besides, the men they take don't exactly live well."
"Well yeah but…" Gonzo said defensively as the other knights snickered. Gonzo's bad luck with women was a source of laughs during drinking parties.
"We have to climb down the cliff over there and we will be in the camp." Link said.
"What about those guard posts?" another kight pointed out.
"I'm going to climb over to that widow's peak and shoot some fire arrows into the fortifications, then I'll climb down over there. We should meet up at that guard post which will be on fire."
"Sounds like a plan". Gonzo nodded.
"Make sure to hold your fire till were on top of them kid." Another knight remarked.
"I'm not an idiot, I'll make sure to cover you." Link said.
The knights agreed and went about their task. Link went in the other direction and scaled the much more dangerous climb down to the widow's peak. By the time he was in place the knights were on the ground and carefully sneaking towards the enemy fortifications.
Normally the Gerudo wouldn't have had so many flammable targets, but tonight the fortress was filled with Bokublins and their camps, and they were nowhere near as careful.
Link shot several fire arrows into the camp. His first target was the watch tower nearest his men, then the camps. Bundles of straw quickly lit up the night as they burned and the Bokublin began panicking. The Gerudo were less stupid however. They began swarming out of their fireproof base, searching for enemies.
Link raised his arm and shot a Din's fire spell into the air; a signal for the main army. Then he quickly climbed down and joined the other knights who were already fighting Gerudo and Bokublins.
"Glad you could join us!" a knight said as Link cut down his enemy from behind.
"Wouldn't miss it." Link said. In truth he hated fighting anyone but monsters.
"There are a lot of people heading towards us!" Gonzo warned.
"I suggest we loop around to the other side of the fort!" Link said.
"Why not?" one of the knights responded.
By the time they had circled around Link could see a battle had broken out near the front gate. Their raid had done its work, with many of the Bokublin fighting the fire and thinking an attack was coming to the rear, the enemy was not in place to repel the attack at the front, however while the main force was having a relatively easy time, Link and his companions were barely able to fight off the hordes of enemies behind the lines.
"I don't think we an deal with this for long." One of the knights warned while cutting down another Bokublin.
As Link thought the Hylians were about two hundred meters away. They had already broken several holes in the enemy lines. The trouble would be reaching those lines through all the enemies in the way. There was one way, however.
"Everyone! Get in close!" Link called out. The knights didn't know what he had planned but trusted him enough to do it anyway.
Link was not a mage, but he had been granted several powerful spells during his travels. Drawing on one of them he enveloped himself and his men in a blue light.
"What the hell?" Gonzo asked.
"Don't worry about defense! The spell will protect you, just make for our lines!" Link ordered.
Running forward the knights followed after Link, while many tried to attack them, true to Link's word the attacks were deflected by an unseen force. They soon stopped trying to fight and just ran though the enemies, swinging their swords to clear the way. Upon reaching the front lines they had to cut down several Bokublins and Gerudo to reach the Hylian lines. Once the Bokublins figured out they couldn't really hurt them they cleared the way. The Hylains, once they realized what was happening, opened a gap to allow the knights into their lines.
With the magic worn off and the knight absolutely exhausted, they made their way through the Hylian lines to Impa, who was directing the battle from an outcropping of rock overlooking the battle.
"I see you all made it back in one piece." Impa commented, not really looking at them.
"More or less M'lady." Gonzo said.
"Your plan worked Link, The enemy is confused and disorganized. There are still teams looking for you on the fair side of the base."
"I'm just glad we all made it." Link said, walking up to join Impa.
"The battle isn't over. After you rest I will need all of you back on the lines. WE still haven't even reached the main base."
….
The fighting continued through the night and most of the next day. By the end the Hylians had lost over eight hundred men, but thousands of Bokublin and Gerudo lay dead. When news of the victory reached castle town there was a public celebration. Ironic, considered the turned the war was about to take.
And here we are, another chapter finished. I really don't have a lot to say other than I struggled to find where to end this chapter. I hope it's up to the standards I've set.
-Gedaemon