Chapter 41: First Confrontation
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Zelda
In the morning Zelda felt stiff from laying on the ground, but otherwise refreshed. She could smell something cooking and heard the crackling of logs on a fire, mingling with hushed, anxious voices. Immediately thinking of Link, she crawled out from the blankets with a shiver and emerged into the gray morning.
Inpa stood talking with Skasha by the fire, Zah Tori and a couple of other Sheikah with them. Link was also there, Zelda noted with great relief, but there were dark circles under his eyes and his face was flushed under the markings of the Skeldrite. He was sitting, not standing, by the flames, huddled in a thick fur cloak. Underneath, she saw with great relief, he was wearing his gambeson.
"How are you feeling?" she asked, approaching him before the others. His expression, which had been quite miserable before, instantly brightened when he saw her.
"Better," he answered, his voice gravel from sickness. "I heard y'got my armor back. Thank you – I didn't feel right without it."
Zelda smiled, her face heating self-consciously. "You're quite welcome," she said earnestly. "Beira missed playing 'Find Bonk.'"
Link smirked at that and chuckled, but it turned into a serious of painful-sounding coughs, and he put a hand over the wound on his side with a grimace. Zelda bit her lip, her heart aching for him; she opened her mouth to speak.
Inpa interrupted, coming up from behind and putting a hand on her shoulder. "There's something you need to know," she said gravely. "Yagamura's forces have met up with a small entourage – not a war party, by any means, but plenty large enough to be problematic, especially combined with the Sheikah – coming towards us from Castle Town." Her tone darkened. "They carry Khanot's banners."
Zelda felt a terrible chill rush through her body, and her spine tingled uneasily. She looked at Skasha, her eyes wide. "You're sure?" she said, her voice hardly more than a tremulous whisper. The Rito nodded gravely. Zelda closed her eyes, feeling at once as if the weight of the world had dropped onto her shoulders.
Khanot… once, her beloved ally, her friend, someone she looked up to. Now… now he had taken over the kingdom. He had destroyed the Temple of Time. He… he was the foretold Calamity.
And he's coming here. Either to kill us, or to… She shivered, pressing a hand against her cheek as her pulse raced faster.
"How many, all told?" Link asked, and Zelda opened her eyes, drawn back to the present.
"More than a hundred," Skasha answered despairingly. "I didn't get a good count; I flew back here as soon as I saw Khanot's crest."
"What's going on?" Dorphos's voice. Zelda turned, finding him coming down from the ridge where his comrades had been keeping watch. She felt all at once sick to her stomach.
"Enemies approach from the east," she answered solemnly. "Khanot's with them. They outnumber us." She took a moment to consider the Zora prince's silvery armor and wondered how his people had managed to craft useful armor that could stand getting wet while not impeding their ability to swim. A sudden idea struck her mind, as sharp as sunlight gleaming off of scales – or perhaps ice. "I need you and your men to retreat to the river at once. If we are to get out of this, you must remain hidden from Khanot and his forces."
Dorphos nodded, a determined steely glint in his eye.
The Zora had all vanished in the river within only a few minutes. The rest of them had the camp packed up in less than an hour, the horses saddled and bridled, ready to leave. But then Khanot's own messenger Rito flew towards them, Skasha providing a skeptical escort.
"Lord Khanot sends his greetings, and is most pleased that you are alive," the messenger began cordially. "He would like to counsel with you about the fate of Hyrule, moving forward, and wishes to convey his sincerest hopes for your continued safety."
There was silence among Zelda and her companions. Disbelief, on her part. Inpa looked wary, and Link nearly openly hostile, one hand on the Master Sword's hilt and his other holding Zelda's tightly. She couldn't see the Order of the Sword's reactions, of course, but a silent breeze seemed to sweep through them all, and they stiffened, unsettled and untrusting.
"By 'safe' does he mean safe in a tomb?" Link growled.
"He… merely wishes to speak with you," the bird continued politely, blinking as if in confusion.
Inpa's lip curled, and she muttered under her breath, "Why show up with an army, then?"
The Rito glanced at her unhappily. "As Steward of Hyrule, Lord Khanot must travel with a sizable force to ensure his protection," he said, clearly uncomfortable now with their hostility as he shifted his weight from one clawed foot to the other. "I assure you, his intentions are genuine!"
Zah Tori coughed at that, a sound suspiciously similar to a derisive snort.
Zelda considered Khanot's message, her lips tightly pressed together. She could feel Link's hand in hers, could feel the tension throughout his body, down to his fingertips. She glanced at him, and he gave his head a slight warning shake, his gaze filled with concern. Don't agree to it, he was clearly saying.
Zelda exhaled heavily, tears prickling in her eyes. If there was any chance, any at all, that Khanot could fight the evil within him, that he could turn around, be the great man she knew him to be… she had to know. And this might be my only chance, before we set out to destroy what he could become. If it fails, we have our escape plans ready in place.
She met the messenger's gaze and nodded confidently. "We will hear what he has to say, as long as he comes to us," she declared. "He may choose seven people to accompany him, but no more. I am certain he sees the disadvantage we have here."
Khanot's Rito nodded and took to the sky, followed closely by Skasha. As he became a distant speck in the sky, Link let out a harsh breath, shaking his head slowly.
"I never did get t'finish telling y'what happened at Skeldon," he said quietly. "Th'warriors there took me, bound, t'th'top f'th'Grafensted. They had a massive fire burning there on an altar – th'same color as th'other evil flames. They spoke t'it. And his – Khanot's – voice came from it, housed in th'form f'a massive boar shaped by th'flames. It told them t'kill me. That's how I was injured."
Zelda went completely still. Boar… the symbol of the Zonai tribe that was corrupted.
Link sighed heavily, coughing a little, covering his mouth with one hand. "I just mean t'say," he said when he had recovered, his voice gentle with concern, "that th'ally you had, th'friend, or whatever he was… He's gone now. Calamity is all that's left."
Zelda closed her eyes tightly, fighting back tears. "I – I have to see for myself," she insisted, unable to keep her voice from shaking.
Link watched her carefully for a moment, then nodded slowly, accepting her decision. She felt Inpa's hand on her other side, gently squeezing her shoulder, promising the same. We will stand by you, even if we don't agree, their actions told her. "Thank you," she whispered.
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Khanot
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Khanot's apprehension had been growing all morning. Each time his enormous red and black horse's hooves punched through the snow's icy crust, it seemed to increase. Every moment that passed brought him closer to the fateful moment that he saw Zelda again. Something deep within his chest told him that this would be a point of no return.
What would he do? What would he say? Conflict tore at him. He did not know how to resolve it. Instead, he relied on distractions to delay the decision, and when the sun first rose over the snow-blanketed plains of Central Hyrule, he had plenty.
First and foremost was the issue of Yagamura. Khanot initially decided to let him squirm before delivering his punishment. He cut Yagamura off from all communication with the small army the Phantom had stolen, letting the him wonder in dread how their desperate nighttime raid on Zelda's camp had gone. Had they succeeded? Had they failed? The anxiety of this alone cracked Yagamura's well-practiced emotionless mask.
Then, Khanot ordered the soldiers to fall in line behind Yagamura's retinue during the morning march. Their report about being unable to complete their objective further tormented Yagamura, but with Khanot just feet away from him, he did not dare say more. Somehow, the Sheikah still believed he had a chance to deceive his king.
It wasn't until Khanot stopped to send a Rtio to Zelda's camp requesting an audience that Khanot's discovery was revealed.
"Deliver this message to Princess Zelda," Khanot began.
Yagamura's breath caught, and what little color the cold morning left in his face vanished. His red Sheikah eyes widened. Khanot only smiled and finished his dictation while staring directly at Yagamura. It was only once his Rito departed that Khanot allowed himself the pleasure of confronting him directly.
"Oh, yes, Yagamura, I know," Khanot said, his tone slow and malicious. "I know everything. Yesterday, I gave you the chance to be honest and save yourself. You did not take it. You thought you were once again wiser than your King. Now, today, you get to learn your lesson."
"I…" Yagamura croaked, still stiff as a corpse.
"Don't worry. You get a bit more time to ponder your mistakes. I won't deal with you until after I've met with Zelda and reestablished the proper order of Hyrule. But make no mistake, you will suffer for your insubordination."
"I… insubordination? I am the one with an army out here!" Yagamura said, his confusion giving way to anger. "You only have your twelve Gerudo guardswomen against my three hundred soldiers! And I have guardians! Even if you join with Zelda, you are severely outmatched! We have been allies since the Temple of Time fell, but if today is where that ends, you will not get your will so easily! You are not my king, Khanot!"
"I am King of all Hyrule!" Khanot growled, his eyes ablaze. "And once more, you have displeased me. You have an army, you say?"
Khanot turned his mount around and faced the fatigued Sheikah soldiers marching behind Yagamura. At the same moment, he brought the Phantom out of the clouds where it had been hiding for exactly this kind of moment. While it took a position over the soldiers, orbs of lightning in its hands, Khanot conjured his own. The men that had witnessed the creature's invulnerability and destructive force the night before immediately broke ranks and cowered before it. The soldiers that Yagamura brought with him that morning alone caught the fear in their comrades' eyes, knowing that hundreds did not cower before two without good reason.
"Sheikah! Hear me!" Khanot bellowed, his voice magnified by magic. "Are any of you willing to rise against me? Are any of you willing to stand against your King?"
The cowering soldiers looked between each other, communicating without speaking. Terror grew in the host like a plague taking hold of a city.
"No? Then show your loyalty! Bow before your lord!" Khanot commanded.
A few soldiers obeyed at once. They set off a chain reaction. Within a minute, the entire army had bowed or prostrated themselves before Khanot. Yagamura watched the scene unfold dumbfounded.
"Now, then, Yagamura," Khanot said, his voice returning to its natural volume. "What was that about how I'm not your king?"
Yagamura didn't reply, but Khanot could see the unbridled panic in his face. That day was perhaps the first time in the treacherous Sheikah's life that he had been so completely outplayed.
"Then listen well," Khanot continued. "I am your King, and as of this day, your soldiers, your house, and everything you own belongs to me. Your only choices are to fall in line or endure a fate much worse than death. Choose well."
Yagamura nodded.
Khanot did not have to wait long after that for Zelda's reply to arrive, and once it did, there was nothing more to distract him. About a mile further down the frozen road, he ordered his new army to stop and take up favorable positions in case Link and his allies decided to attack Khanot. To keep them in line and prevent Yagamura from trying anything, he stationed the Phantom over their heads. With that done, he trimmed his personal guard to seven to abide by the Princess's terms and made the final march.
Though Khanot had been watching events all morning through the Phantom's eyes, there was something different about seeing Zelda's camp in person. Before then, there could theoretically have been some magic interfering with the Phantom. There could have been some scheme by the Order of the Sword to find a Zelda lookalike in the countryside and raise her as a false figure to oppose him. Those possibilities collapsed as he closed the final yards between him and the young woman he had once worked alongside to bless Hyrule. Step by step, it was clear that it was indeed Zelda there, her faithful mount Storm carrying her and leading her motley assembly of allies towards him.
As the paces between them shrank, and Khanot could clearly see the familiar determination in the Princess's eyes, he felt his resolve waver. It had only been twenty five days since the catastrophe at the Temple of Time, since the last time Khanot had seen her. Yet, in those few weeks, everything had changed. Khanot destroyed the Temple of Time, killed many, drove Zelda into exile, and shattered the peace she'd fought for. Then, Khanot had joined with Yagamura, perhaps her greatest foe, to set her Castle Town ablaze, inspire her people to rise up against each other, and murder her parents. He had usurped her throne with fire and bloodshed. How could he even face her?
The guilt swelled, tearing at Khanot, filling him with doubt and despair. He wondered as he hadn't in weeks what would have happened if he had been strong enough to preserve his people without the Gift of Din, as his dear daughter Nabouri wanted.
Do not forget what you have learned! Do not embrace their lies again! The lineage of Wisdom was not meant to rule. You were born to be King!
Khanot felt the Gift of Din's rebuke like a physical blow. In its wake, he pushed past the confusion within and found comfort in the fire. Yes, mistakes had been made, and many tragedies were born that never needed to be. That was exactly why Khanot had needed to take the throne. The rightful structure of Hyrule had been disrupted when Zelda's ancestors usurped the throne, cast down the great Ganondorf, and established their dynasty. Chaos and misery was the only possible outcome of such deceit. Khanot had been blessed to see through the lies of centuries past and restore their world. In that proper order, Power was King, and Wisdom advised.
With that, Khanot understood what he needed to do. Two steps later, the parties stopped, and the eight Gerudo faced the Princess, Link, and their eight Sheikah allies. At the sight of the grim Zonai warrior, the intense hatred that had overwhelmed Khanot at the Temple of Time swelled again. This time, he was strong enough to acknowledge it and move on to the task at hand.
"Princess Zelda, it is so good to see you again. I am greatly relieved to know that you survived the catastrophe at the Temple of Time," Khanot began.
He paused, expecting Zelda to respond. Instead, she clutched her reins tighter and held his gaze.
"…At the time, I believed the lie that this kingdom was sold about your death," he proceeded. "It was without a doubt my darkest day. Not only had you been taken away from the kingdom on the eve of the war's end, but we were about to face decades of your father's incompetent reign without an end in sight. All our hopes of you taking the throne and saving us from his idiocy shattered. Then, once his descent into madness began with the declaration of war against the Zonai, the prospects seemed even more bleak. How would Hyrule survive an escalation of the already costly and pointless war? How would Hyrule recover from cannibalizing its own people and what little wealth it had left? How would Hyrule survive Pelaris?"
Khanot waited again, measuring Zelda's reaction. Beside her, Link had clenched his fists even tighter, hate radiating from his fierce blue eyes. The chief monk – assumedly Zah Tori – glanced uneasily between the king and the princess. Yet Zelda did nothing.
"It was at this point I immersed myself in the history of our kingdom, seeking answers," Khanot went on, forcing confidence. "My advisor Kotake knew what I sought. She told me the history of the Gerudo, about a time long before either of us, generations back, when the world was broken. The Golden Goddesses created this world, and before they departed, they established irrevocable rules by which it would run. To achieve their order, they created three gifts for us mortals and intended that the three would work together in harmony. They gave us Courage to protect and defend. They gave us Wisdom to advise and guide. And they gave us Power to rule.
"Yet, in time, this order was disrupted and denied. Your ancestors, though the inheritors of Wisdom, determined that they wanted to rule in place of Power. They usurped the Goddesses' design, waged a terrible war against the rightful king, and rebuilt Hyrule in their image. In their order, harmony was cast aside, and conflict defined the world. They taught that all creation was locked in a perpetual struggle of good versus evil, of order versus chaos, of Hyrule versus Calamity."
Zelda's eyes widened at that, and she exchanged a look with Zah Tori, who muttered scornfully something that sounded like, "Where is that history written?"
She quickly turned her gaze back to Khanot, and said in a voice carefully controlled and calm, "Please, continue."
Khanot directed a glare at the monk. Why was it always Sheikah that displayed such insubordination? Perhaps the original lie was their design as well.
"Calamity isn't real," the Gerudo said, returning to his explanation. "There is no such demon in this world. There is no apocalypse threatening our children. It is a myth, invented to bind us to their power-hungry vision, and it worked. Only the Gerudo, upon whom Power was bestowed, dared to oppose this twisted order, but they were defeated and reduced to scavengers. Now, all believe the lie, and all suffer because of it. Our kingdom is torn by war, besought by deception and lies. It was ruled by a fool who had neither wisdom nor power."
"My father was a fool," Zelda agreed quietly, her eyes glistening. She was moved by his words – he could only hope that she was moved in the right direction.
Encouraged, Khanot went on. "But, by studying these things, I realized that we are the solution! We can fix Hyrule! I have been blessed with the gift of Power. I know you bear Wisdom, and I'd bet that your Zonai warrior bears Courage. Together, we can restore the Goddesses' design for this world and establish the Hyrule they intended for us. We can do more than end a war; we can create a world where there is no such thing as war! Return to Castle Town with me. Serve as my advisor, and we can undo the wrongs your father and his fathers forced upon this kingdom. Then, we shall have peace."
Zelda raised her gaze to the heavens and sighed deeply, almost mournfully. She met his gaze firmly. "Is there no other way to peace?" she asked him. "Is there no other, better, solution you might consider?"
Khanot's heart sank. But he knew the truth.
"What else is there to consider?" he pressed. "What could be better than what the Golden Goddesses themselves decreed?"
The Princess shook her head slowly, brushing a tear from her eye. "I will not join you, Khanot," she said, quiet but resolute. "You have been deceived, and you will destroy this kingdom – my kingdom. I will not allow that to happen." She drew herself straight and tall in her saddle. "This meeting is concluded."
No. No! This couldn't be happening. Zelda had been saved from Yagamura for a reason. She had to accept this! If not, the kingdom would collapse into civil war, and after what he had learned, Khanot could not be the first to step down.
"I will save this kingdom and I will do it with you. You must learn to see past the deception of your forefathers, and for that, you must return to Hyrule Castle. If you refuse to do so willingly, I have no choice but to take you by force."
In a swift, fluid motion the Zonai warrior raised his musket to his shoulder and leveled the barrel at Khanot's face. "Try it," Link snarled.
Of course it would have to end like this.
Immediately, Khanot's Gerudo guardswomen raised their spears, ready to defend their king. They were not as easily frightened as Sheikah. Preparing for battle, Khanot ordered the Phantom to move his Sheikah army and return to the skies to locate the Zora. While they jumped to obey, Khanot gave the princess's allies one final chance.
"Don't be a fool, boy," the Gerudo spat. "You've only got one shot, a few Sheikah monks, and a handful of Zora. And yes, I know about them. What chance do you think you have against hundreds of Sheikah, guardians, and the bearer of the Triforce of Power?"
To accent his point, Khanot conjured an orb of magenta lighting in his hand, letting its chaotic arcs dance between his outstretched fingertips.
Link's lip curled. "It only takes one shot t'kill a man," he growled.
Khanot grinned. If he could survive the entire Temple of Time falling on him, he could survive a musket ball.
"Then do it. My army is coming. You have nowhere to go. If you want to die like –"
He didn't get to finish. Thunder rang deafeningly out over the plain, and in the next instant Khanot's horse was screaming and he was falling from the saddle as thick smoke clouded the air. He heard Zelda's cry for retreat and then a thundering of hoofbeats.
Jumping to his feet, Khanot looked for his horse, only to find that it had sprinted off into the wastelands, a thick trail of blood splattering the snow behind it.
Clever, he thought bitterly, fresh hate for the Zonai warrior surging through him.
Realizing he had no hope of catching the rapidly retreating party without a horse, he signaled the Gerudo warriors not to give chase. Lightning returned to his fingertips, crying for blood. Khanot focused on the Zonai's back. It was time for the chase to end.
The orb flew towards its target, seeming to scream and howl as it tore through the frigid air. But with a flash of silver, Link held up the Master Sword to block or parry –
And the lightning reversed its direction, deflected by the cursed blade harmlessly into the snow between them. The plume of snow and earth kicked up by the explosion told the tale of what would have happened to the boy if the shot had struck true.
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Link
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Link's heart hammered wildly, his limbs feeling shaky and weak with relief as Hofthrean continued racing for the river.
Dragons above – it worked! He stared at the Master Sword in awe, the sacred blade seeming almost to glow in the sun.
"Great job, Link," Zelda called over the wind, smiling from Storm's back behind him, although her brow was creased with anxiety. He managed half a grin back –
And then his ears caught the sound of another orb whistling towards them and he raised the Master Sword again, but he could see from its trajectory that it wasn't actually going to reach him. It struck the ground just behind him, and his heart lurched in horror as Zelda's horse stumbled with a terrible high-pitched scream, and Zelda and Inpa were falling, half-obscured by flying snow kicked up by the blast.
He yanked Hofthrean back around, Zah Tori doing the same. His shoulders slumped in relief when he saw movement – Inpa helping Zelda up from the snow where they had landed. "Take her," the Sheikah guard said tersely, and Link pulled a white-faced Zelda onto the saddle behind him. He noticed worriedly that Inpa was clutching at her ribs, but then Zah Tori was helping her onto his horse, and they were galloping again, down towards the river.
"I think he's out of range," Skasha called down from above, diving lower to ensure she was heard. "But his army's moving closer to the river, to block it off – if they reach it before we do…"
"Then we'll go to my backup plan," Zelda said tersely, her arms tightening around Link's waist. He winced at the pressure on his wound but didn't say anything. "The Zora will break the river if Khanot's forces reach it first. We'll leave the animals behind and the Zora will carry us downstream –"
"You're joking!" Zah Tori exclaimed in horror. "That cold will kill us in less than half an hour!"
"Then we won't be in the water for half an hour," Zelda said shakily. Link could feel her trembling, and wondered if she felt as sickened by the idea as he did. "I spoke with Dorphos. The Zora have great skill with medicines. He assured me that his people will be able to cure us of any sickness we would get if we have to enact this plan."
"We won't," Link said, feeling colder at the mere thought. The river was already in sight, a stretch of almost perfectly flat snow-blanketed ice. We will get there first!
The horses cantered down the gently-sloping hill towards the shore, a few of them slipping and skidding and whickering nervously. But they made it to the ice without any sign of Khanot's forces on the river.
"You first – get the Princess across," Zah Tori said grimly, and Link nodded, taking a deep breath that wanted to turn into a cough. He switched the Master Sword to his left hand and sent spirit magic through his right, lightly rubbing Hofthrean's shoulder. He could feel the horse's trepidation about setting foot on ice – something he had likely never done before, something he had every right to fear. The rivers in Faron froze, but not thick enough to permit a horse's weight. He tried to comfort the animal, despite his own fear, and they set out across the river at a fast walk. Link glimpsed the shapes of the Zora swimming underneath and felt some reassurance – if he and Zelda fell through, they would at least be rescued swiftly.
They made it to the opposite shore and Hofthrean let out a heavy breath, stamping at the ground. Link patted his shoulder, feeling at least some of the anxiety ease from his chest.
"I knew the ice would hold," Zelda said in relief, the tremor in her voice betraying her fear. "It – it always freezes hard around the castle…"
They waited as the others began to cross. Link found his gaze torn between watching his comrades to ensure they made it safely, and eyeing the mass of Khanot's forces appearing at the crest of the hill, beginning the descent towards them. And something… something dark, flying in the air above them. Not a Rito, although it was similar in size. It seemed to carry its own cloud of darkness with it – a cloud that seemed to glow magenta from within. Some wicked manifestation of Khanot's power.
"Skasha!" Link shouted, waving the Rito down from her watch in the sky. "What is that?"
He felt Zelda leaning forward against his shoulder to look in the direction he was pointing. She went rigid. "That's the creature that attacked Inpa and I in Faron," she gasped. "Khanot's Phantom!"
Link watched as it dived down towards them, impossibly fast, clearly driven by magic. The remaining three Order of the Sword members drove their horses in a gallop across the river to get away from the shadowy creature, hooves pounding hard against the ice. Link flinched as the ice creaked ominously beneath them. He slipped from Hofthrean's saddle despite Zelda's panicked shout and rushed back onto the ice, raising his hands high. "Stop!" he shouted desperately. "Slow down – I'll distract it! You're going too –"
There was a great thunderous crackling of ice and tremendous splashes, and the monks and their horses disappeared in a hole in the river. Link's heart jumped to his throat. By th'Dragons…!
He saw a rush of white beneath his feet and hurried back to the shore in time for the Zora to crack their own hole in the ice from below, carrying the three sodden and shivering monks onto shore. "We'll send someone ahead to fetch medicine from Zora's Domain," one of them said solemnly as the other monks helped their companions onto their own horses. "They'll have to make it until then."
Link grit his teeth, nodding tersely. He turned back to Hofthrean, only to hear the haunting whistle of one of Khanot's orbs of lightning. Whirling around, he scanned the opposite shore – but it was the Phantom that had fired, hovering now above the river. Link swung the Master Sword as the orb reached, deflecting it back up into the sky, where the Phantom easily dodged. There was a twang of a bowstring's release, and an arrow streaked from Skasha's bow –
And passed harmlessly through the Phantom, as if it was truly a ghost. As did the second arrow, and then the Phantom was preparing another lightning orb.
There came a cry from the opposite shore – Khanot's force had reached the river and began to cross a decent distance from the hole created by the monks that fell in. Most of them didn't have horses. The river could hold them easily, though it had collapsed with several multi-ton creatures.
The Phantom fired. Link deflected again, this time trying to send the lightning across the river towards Khanot's forces. It rocketed away in the right direction, but too high – it passed well above the soldiers' heads, disappearing into the sky over the top of the hill.
"Link, we have to keep going! Get back over here!" Zelda said desperately, alone on Hofthrean's back.
With the Phantom above us, I need maneuverability. Stuck on the back of a horse, I can't do anything f'it shoots at anyone out f'my reach. "Skasha!" he shouted again, waving the Rito down. She swooped down from the Phantom's elevation and landed in front of him.
"You've got an idea?" she asked hopefully, and he nodded.
"Can y'get me up there?" he asked, jerking his head towards the Phantom.
Her eyes flashed with grim determination, and she crouched down low, spreading her wings. "Get on."
"Link?" Zelda exclaimed in horror as he sheathed the Master Sword and climbed onto the Rito's back.
"We'll catch up," he promised. "Go!"
And then his stomach gave an unpleasant jolt as Skasha brought her wings down and leapt into the sky, and suddenly he felt entirely weightless, air rushing all around him, the ground getting farther and farther away. Link clutched the back of Skasha's vest very tightly, his head spinning, trying to force himself to breathe. "Dragons," he gulped, his heart hammering hard. It was much colder up here, he noticed as well – his already chilled lungs burned with each breath he took, and he fought back a harsh cough.
"Hang on," Skasha said as they neared the Phantom, which was zooming backwards away from them, readying another lightning orb. It seemed content with focusing its attention on the two of them – on Link – which was just as well; it would give the others a clean escape.
The Phantom fired, and Skasha swooped suddenly low. Link couldn't keep back a sharp cry, his stomach feeling as though it had dropped entirely out of his body. He coughed violently, his body shaking.
"Okay," Skasha said nervously. "You're up here – what's your plan? I can dodge its attacks all day…"
A sudden great crashing from below drew their attention. Link looked down and – after his mind stopped swirling upon realizing just how high up off the ground he was – saw Khanot's forces plunging into bloodied frozen water. From above, he could see the Zora filed into tidy ranks below the ice. They plunged their spears upward in unison, destroying the ice while impaling the soldiers above them and dragging them to a frigid death. And once the ice was sufficiently destroyed there, they split off into two groups, one heading up and the other down the river, moving at speeds that Gerudo and Sheikah could not hope to match, shattering the ice above and making it impossible for them to cross there.
They'll have t'find a bridge, Link thought, a satisfied grin stretching across his numb lips. F'th'Zora don't destroy th'nearest bridge first.
Skasha gave a startled squawk and dropped suddenly to dodge an attack from the Phantom. Link yelped, nearly losing his grip. His heart hammered furiously, and he quickly refocused. "I – I need y't'get me as close t'it as y'can," he said shakily, coughing painfully. Arrows didn't work – but I have t'see f'th'Master Sword can do something!
"Got it," Skasha said grimly, beating her wings hard and rushing closer to the Phantom. Frozen winds pushed at them, and Link shivered violently, holding tight to Skasha's vest with both hands. Gritting his teeth, he mustered the courage to let go with his right hand, feeling at once off balance. He drew the Master Sword, and as they passed the Phantom, slashed wildly at its insubstantial form.
He knew at once that it was a weak swing – he was freezing and anxious and afraid of falling thousands of feet to his death, and hadn't put his full might into it. The Phantom dodged backwards untouched, hurling another lightning orb down at them. Skasha swooped upwards and Link couldn't help but slam his eyes shut, gripping her vest rigidly in his left hand as he felt gravity tugging forcefully at his body, threatening to pull him down, and then they leveled out again and Skasha was diving rapidly towards the Phantom again, her wings pulled close to her body.
Link exhaled forcefully, tightening his grip on the Master Sword. I won't miss this time!
He swung again, and felt his sword make contact even as the Phantom tried to dodge, slashing shallowly across its side. Yes!
It screeched, a terrible high-pitched sound that made his ears ring. Something like magenta smoke rippled from its wound instead of blood. It hovered in midair for a moment as if stunned, and Link's heart leapt as Skasha angled back around for another pass. Now's our chance!
But then all at once it rushed away from them, much too fast, down to the mess of Khanot's forces on the riverbank. Link stared, stunned at its rapid retreat.
"Do… do we pursue?" Skasha asked uncertainly.
Slowly Link shook his head. "It's pulled away for now," he said. "I'll take that as a victory. F'it comes back, we can deal with it then – but I'd rather not get in range f'Khanot himself right now. Let's get back t'th'others."
~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~
Khanot
~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~
In mere moments, Khanot's ambitions burst into flame before his eyes and collapsed. His Boar tribe Zonai warriors had already turned back for Skeldon. Yagamura's army was immobilized, separated from his prey by the Zora-broken river. While the troops marched eastward along the bank, it would be some time yet before they reached a bridge. Without the ability to fight the Zora in the water, Link and his party would be long gone before the soldiers were able to cross the river. Yagamura's Sheikah could not bring him victory.
Then, as the Phantom shrieked with pain, bleeding smoke from the wretched sword's cursed blade, he was forced to accept that it could not deliver him either. Khanot wracked his mind, desperately searching for a path to victory. None was revealed. There was nothing he could do. Khanot was forced to endure his defeat like a nightmare.
At first, he was beyond emotion, the shock of being so soundly outmaneuvered leaving him stunned.
Then, the fog over his mind dispersed, unveiling a furious furnace of rage. He roared, his voice magically warped into something more beast than man. Fire burst from him, melting the snow beneath his feet and leaving him in a muddy crater. When the outburst concluded, he knew what he needed to do.
With long, determined strides, Khanot emerged from the steaming pit and closed on Yagamura. The Sheikah man had tried to follow his forces, but as if foreseeing his intentions, Khanot's Gerudo guardswomen had surrounded him and his horse and denied his escape. A group of Sheikah officers and dazed soldiers waited nearby, glancing between leaders for guidance.
"Yagamura!" Khanot bellowed as he neared, red lightning appearing in his left hand.
The Gerudo parted to let their King pass, their spears still raised at the mounted Sheikah. Yagamura, his face consumed by genuine terror, ferociously drove his stirrups into the sides of his horse, begging it to charge the gap and escape. However, staring at the glistening spearheads surrounding it, the creature instead decided to shy away and paw the ground anxiously with its front hooves. Yagamura swore several times but could not bring himself to abandon the horse and try his luck on foot.
In that moment of delay, the distance between them vanished. Grabbing the Sheikah by the collar with his right hand, Khanot yanked him cruelly from his saddle and threw him into the snow. Like a rodent, the man climbed onto his hands and knees and tried to crawl away. Before he could clear a single pace, Khanot kicked him as hard as he could and felt bones break beneath the sole of his boot. The Sheikah groaned in pain and fell onto his side.
"Yagamura! You have failed me once more, and worse, threatened the stability and order of all Hyrule!" Khanot roared. "Because of your selfish schemes and near-sightedness, you have betrayed me and allowed rebels and liars to steal the Princess's mind! She opposes the rightful order of the world, and it is your fault."
"K-Khanot, I – I – no! I didn't!" Yagamura babbled, holding his hands over his face protectively.
"I promised you dominions and powers to surpass everything you have ever known, if only you would serve me well," Khanot snarled, standing over the Sheikah, the red glow of his lightning reflecting off the snow with a ghastly radiance. "You had the opportunity to make the Yagamura house the greatest in all Hyrule, second only to your king! Yet you thought yourself the stronger force! Even after seeing my power destroy the Temple of Time and conquer Castle Town, you thought you could out-scheme me. You turned against the Goddess's chosen King, and now, as promised this morning, you will receive your punishment!"
"Please! No! I don't want to die! Let me live!" Yagamura sobbed, rolling onto his knees to prostrate himself before the towering Gerudo king. "I've learned my lesson! I'll do better! I'll serve you faithfully from now on! Please, Khanot! Give me one more chance!"
Khanot grinned with malice. After all their conflicts, after the pride and impunity with which the Sheikah lord had carried himself, there was something immeasurably pleasing about seeing the Sheikah reduced to a blubbering fool begging for his life. Truly, Khanot was King!
"Yes, you are right; you will serve me faithfully," Khanot sneered. "But first, as lord of Hyrule, I must see that justice has its due and that you pay for your crimes." Turning his attention to the whole host of Sheikah and Gerudo around him, Khanot magnified his voice once more. "As of this day, the Yagamura house ceases to exist! Instead, you all serve me, your rightful King! You will all leave your old ways behind and forge a new order, one designed to properly utilize your strengths for the good of all Hyrule! And this new order will be the Yiga Clan!"
With his declaration, Khanot reached towards the red and white Sheikah banners they brought that day. Every flag burst into flame, and the smoke and sparks above them warped into the symbol of the upside-down Sheikah eye. The soldiers saw it and gasped.
"Now, Yiga Clan, bow before your king!"
Without hesitation, the soldiers around him obeyed, fear and awe deeply embedded in their eyes. Their obedience pleased him. While it was true that this day, they were too weak to accomplish their lord's desires, that could be changed. Khanot saw during the taking of Castle Town just how effective the Sheikah could be, if directed properly. In time, he would shape his new Yiga Clan into a fearsome weapon of the Crown, an organization of spies and assassins so great, none would be beyond his reach. None would be left who could oppose him.
Then, he returned his attention to the confused and pained Yagamura at his feet.
"As for you," Khanot said, his tone seemingly calmer. "Just as the Yagamura house has been reformed in my image, so must its lord. When you rise from this snow, you will not be known as Lord Yagamura any longer. Instead, you will take the name Yiga, as lord of my new clan!"
"Gladly, my lord! Oh, thank you!" the Sheikah said, trembling, kissing Khanot's muddy boots.
"And to complement your new name and remind you of oaths and duties to me, I will also gift you with a new face," Khanot said, his lip curled.
Kicking the man onto his back, Khanot brought his orb of crimson hatred to touch Lord Yiga's face.