"What is the meaning of this!" demanded King Hyrule as he pushed through the gathered crowds accompanied on either side by his Royal Guard. "Who are you! What do you want!"
The only response the king received was a loud hissing noise as of a sharp intake of breath that came from the robed figure. The twelve warriors behind him remained silent, the only noise coming from their direction that of their horses snorting. Silence reigned over all those gathered, and was broken only by small, low murmurs as the people tried to figure out what was going on.
"I am the king of Hyrule, and I refuse to be ignored like this!" shouted the now enraged king. "I demand an answer!"
"Foolish mortal," the robed figure finally responded in a familiar, yet sinister voice. "You dare to speak to me with such insolence. You will soon learn your place, you all will."
"Whoever you are, I will not stand for this!"
"I am death incarnate, the bringer of sorrows, the herald of shadows, the sower of deception, the harbinger of Hyrule's demise. My Master's will shall be done, and none shall stand in my way. All who attempt to do so will face certain doom."
"That does it! Guards, arrest that man and his companions!"
Two nearby knights lowered their pikes and slowly walked over to the robed figure. The man just turned his hidden face towards the knights and laughed. He then pulled a magical staff out from under his robes and pointed it at the knights. Before anyone could react, the staff emitted a bright flash which incinerated the two knights, their armor and pikes, which were seemingly unharmed, collapsing down onto the piles of dust that the knights had now become. Cries of shock and outrage erupted among the people of Hyrule.
"Do not tempt the power of my Master," laughed the robed figure. "His power knows no limits."
"You son of a bitch," was all King Hyrule could manage to say as he stared at the remains of his knights.
"Ah, the three heroes of the War of the Triforce," the robed figure now said ignoring King Hyrule and turning to where Link, Zelda, Malon, and Navi stood. "The legendary Hero of Time Link, the seventh sage Zelda, and the mystical Guardian of the Triforce Navi. Tell me, do you really consider what you accomplished one year ago a victory?"
Link, Navi, and Zelda just stood there silently as they stared at the robed figure. They didn't know how to respond. Zelda stared at the robed figure half-mindedly, a look of shock on her face. Navi meanwhile, was staring at him with a look of complete contempt, and it was evident at how she hovered her hand over the hilt of her sword that she wanted a piece of him. Link had turned away from the figure to look at the still smoking piles of dust that had once been knights. Anger was welling up within him, but Link was fighting to suppress it.
"I take it by your silence that you know I am correct," the figure continued with a tinge of laughter. "Hyrule is but a ghost of its former glory. The land remains scarred, and those lost can never be replaced. Fear and despair, the kingdom is rank with it. It feeds my Master. It would have been far better for you to just surrender to Lord Arcana one year ago. Maybe then you'd have a least had a chance, but now all that you've succeeded in doing is handing the entire kingdom over to my Master."
"If you think the people of Hyrule will just stand by and let you conquer us, then you're in for a rude awakening," proclaimed King Hyrule with pride. "We defeated an army that was over ten times our size last year, and we are more prepared now then we've ever been. I will see Hyrule burnt to the ground and it's people dead long before I let someone conquer it!"
"Just the reaction I was expecting. In fact, I'd prefer it if you put up a fight. It'll make our victory all the more sweeter. Of course, every war needs a martyr."
In a lightening fast move, the robed figure reached into his robes and then tossed a dagger straight for King Hyrule. It happened so quickly and the dagger was flying through the air so fast that no one could respond in time. Just before the dagger reached King Hyrule, Impa teleported out of nowhere directly in front of the king in a puff of smoke. Her sword was out and in midair where the dagger was flying, but she was a split second too late. The dagger had already passed by her and it slammed right into King Hyrule's left shoulder.
The king cried out in pain before falling to the ground in extreme agony. Impa quickly turned around and knelt beside him, as did his Royal Guards. The people of Hyrule were silent as they looked on. Impa immediately reached out and pulled the dagger free from his shoulder. The dagger was serrated and dug into his shoulder quite deeply, so removing it was not an easy task. When Impa removed the dagger and looked at it, her eyes went wide and mouth dropped open. She just sat there dumbstruck as she stared at the blade of the dagger which was covered in the king's blood, as well as something else.
"KILL THEM!" shouted Impa in a fit of rage, her face filled with bloodlust. "KILL THEM ALL!"
All over Hyrule Field Hylian knights and Gerudo warriors drew their swords and charged toward the robed figure and his twelve lackeys while Gorons and Zoras, whose natural bodies were their weapons, just charged forward. Meanwhile, Impa along with the Royal Guards started carrying a now unconscious King Hyrule back to the castle. The robed figure just sat atop his skeletal horse laughing as he watched them. When he felt that they had come close enough, he took the magic staff that was still in his hands and tossed it to the ground before the charging horde.
The staff hit the ground with a corresponding shockwave accompanying it. The shockwave wasn't enough to knock anyone down, but it did stop them from charging. The ground then began to shake and open up all over Hyrule Field. From where the ground split, pairs of skeletal hands emerged clutching the edges of the cracks. The skeletal warriors that emerged closely resembled Stalfos, but Link knew that they were different.
The warriors that now stood before them were regular sized skeletons unlike the huge and unnatural sized bodies of the Stalfos. No clothing or armor, torn or otherwise, adorned their bodies. Metal helmets that covered the entire head save for the face was all they wore. In one hand they held a round shield that had spikes lining the edge, and in the other was a long, extremely sharp, crooked shaped sword. Their eyes were black coals that were literally on fire. They gave a malicious grin before raising their swords and beginning the attack.
The skeletal warriors were scattered all over Hyrule Field making the unarmed and defenseless citizens of Hyrule easy prey. The skeletons didn't bother going after anyone armed. They immediately began cutting down helpless men, women, children, and even the elderly mercilessly. In fact, they even seemed to be reveling in the screams of the people as they sliced them open spilling their blood and guts all over Hyrule Field. Not a person was safe from their onslaught, and the more handicapped a person seemed to be the more they were a target.
Hylian knights quickly rushed forward to protect their citizens, but only enough knights had been on duty at the festival to prevent minor skirmishes. They weren't prepared for a full-scale battle. Even the Gerudo were helpless. Only those Gerudo warriors that were to help as guards of the festival brought any sort of weapon with them. The rest were unarmed, but they were skilled in at least some hand-to-hand combat to protect themselves, no matter how futile, with.
Since the Gorons used their brute strength in battle, they didn't need weapons. Also, since their bodies were impervious to sword attacks every Goron gathered charged straight at the skeletal warriors. Since the Zora's fins were their weapons, all of the Zora gathered joined the fight as well. They weren't impervious to attacks like the Gorons were however, so they stayed away from the fighting using their fins as ranged weapons.
Everyone soon realized though, that it didn't matter whether you had a weapon or not. It only allowed you to defend yourself. No matter how many times the skeletons were chopped up or pulverized by the Gorons, their bodies immediately reformed afterwards. Some skeletal warriors had every bone removed from their bodies only to have the bones fly up into the air afterwards and come back together. Some Gorons tried a new tactic by crushing the bones into dust, but the dust would just fly up into the air, solidify into the bone it had once been, and reattach itself to the warrior.
Zelda, Malon, and Navi immediately entered the fray as soon as the battle had begun. Malon fired arrow after arrow at the skeletons aiming directly at their skulls. She had no better luck than anyone else. When the arrows hit they would cause the enemy they hit to flinch, but other than that it remained unharmed. Zelda was using every magical spell in her arsenal. She threw fire spells, ice spells, wind spells, and earth spells; all of them with no success. The fire brushed off harmlessly, the wind slowed them, the earth broke them only to have them reform, and the ice stopped them in their tracks for only a few measly seconds. Navi was using a combination of her magic and sword to no avail.
Link was glued to the same spot he had been standing in when the robed figure first arrived. He was completely unarmed since he felt that there would be no need for any weapons. As he stood there listening to the cries of terror of innocent civilians running for their lives and the gurgling of bloody demises, the anger continued to well up within Link. He continued to keep it in check, but he could no longer stand by and do nothing. Searching around him, Link picked up the pike of a fallen knight and charged into the fray.
He ran with furious speed straight for the closest skeleton. He swung the pike down low sweeping the skeleton off its feet. Link didn't stay and watch as the skeleton fell to pieces upon hitting the ground and then immediately reform. He had already seen that conventional means were not killing them, and to wait for the skeleton to reform while so many more needed his help would be foolish. He just headed for the next one taking it's head right off it's shoulders with a strong swing of the pike.
The sounds of bells could now be heard in the distance. The alarm had now been raised and soon reinforcements would be arriving from the castle. In the long run it was pointless since they couldn't kill the skeletal warriors, but if they could hold them off long enough to allow the civilians to escape that would be enough. Link now brought his pike down hard upon the skull of another warrior, cracking the skull but also smashing the pike asunder in the process. Weaponless once again, Link performed a number of rolls and jumps to avoid being killed as he searched for another weapon.
Link soon spotted several bows and quivers of arrows thrown carelessly around where the archery contest had been taking place. Since conventional means weren't working, Link decided to try some unconventional by means of his magic arrows. Link sidestepped a strike meant to cleave his head in two and then bolted toward the bows and arrows. By this time the reinforcements had arrived and joined the fighting. The metal upon metal of swords clashing filled the entire area. It brought terrible memories to many, but it was certainly better than hearing the cries of innocents being slaughtered.
Just as Link was about to reach his destination, a skeleton reformed directly in front of him. Link was forced to stop short and quickly back flip as the skeleton swung its blade at him. Unfortunately, he didn't escape unscathed. The tip of the sword nicked him straight across the stomach. Luckily though, it didn't pierce deep enough into the skin. All Link was left with was a thin slice across his stomach, but it stung like hell and bled profusely despite its size.
Clutching his stomach to ensure he doesn't tear the wound wider, Link was forced to sidestep left and right as the skeleton swung at him over and over. Being pushed slowly back and unable to perform any fancy maneuvers, Link wondered how much time he had before another skeletal warrior stabbed him in the back. As Link inched closer and closer to the main battle, his desperation began to grow more and more.
An idea soon crept it's way into Link's head, but he feared the damage he might do to his wound by performing it. Knowing the only other alternative was death, Link quickly ducked underneath a sword swing, and immediately afterward performed a leg sweep. The skeleton was caught in its heel and tumbled backwards breaking into it's individual bones upon impact. Link's wound stung worse than before, but he bit through the pain and stood up. As he did so he picked up the shield of the warrior he just felled and tossed it at a skeletal warrior that was making its way over toward him. The shield cleaved the skeleton's head in half horizontally.
Before the two warriors could reform their bodies, Link made a dash to the archery contest. Since he didn't have time to be picky, he picked up the first bow he came across and a quiver of arrows. He quickly notched an arrow and aimed it at the two newly reformed skeletons he had just gotten away from. As they made there way over to Link, he transformed the arrow into a Fire Arrow and let it fly. The arrow hit its target square in the head causing it to stumble backwards slightly, but afterward it continued its advance.
Link quickly notched another arrow, this time transforming it into an Ice Arrow. He fired it at the second skeleton, and upon impacting on the skeleton's skull it became encased in a block of ice. Link's victory was short lived as the ice shattered seconds later leaving an unharmed skeletal warrior free to continue its advance. With only one option left, and the two skeletal warriors nearly upon him, Link notched one final arrow into his bow.
Transforming the arrow into a Light Arrow, Link released the arrow into the skull of the nearest of the two. The skeletal warrior emitted a deep, guttural sound upon being hit and froze in its tracks. It's hands opened up releasing the sword and shield in them. The warrior then became engulfed in a bright light and vaporized into a cloud of dust that didn't reform. The second warrior was close enough to be caught within the light and he vaporized as well. Link stared at the two piles of dust waiting for them to reform, but when they didn't an exasperated smile crossed his face.
"Zelda, Navi," he called out to them in joy, "use holy attacks. It kills them for good."
With Zelda and Navi more than capable enough to eliminate dozens of the skeletons with just a single attack now that they knew what to use, Link was free to pursue other matters. He notched another arrow, this time keeping it as just a regular arrow, and quickly turned to where the robed figure and twelve knights were only to find them gone. The area where they had stood was completely vacant, and not a trace of them having been there could be seen. All that remained was the staff that the robed figure had used to summon the skeletons, but as soon as the last skeletal warrior had been vanquished the staff disintegrated into thin air.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Link dropped the bow down next to the quiver of arrows and started making his way slowly toward the survivors. He once again clutched the open wound across his stomach as he walked with a slight limp. It didn't take long for his hand to once again become slick with his warm, free flowing blood. The wound already felt wider to him, and as he walked he could feel the skin tearing. Not wanting his stomach to split open, Link slowed his pace and began taking each step as carefully as he could.
As he looked about the still shadowed ground of Hyrule, a sense of dread and foreboding of things to come overcame him. Dead bodies littered the landscape. The old and the young, male or female, they were all cut down without prejudice. They were slaughtered like animals with no hint of remorse. They were sliced open with no compassion given. Many of them seemed to have bled to death from their wounds upon the ground rather than being felled by a clean blow.
Link stopped walking before the body of a dead woman. In her arms was what had to be her seven or eight year old son clutched in her arms. From the way the bodies were sprawled out, the mother had been running when stabbed. The point of entry appeared to be her back, and it went clean through her body, piercing her heart, and into the body of her son. She would've died instantly, but he would've still been alive though seriously injured. Unfortunately, the mother's body fell on top of her son crushing him and preventing him from escaping and getting help. Whatever the case, they were both dead now.
Lying several feet away from the pair was a little girl, a crooked, diagonal slice going from her shoulder all the way down to her waist. She was apparently alone since no other bodies save for the mother and son were near her, but whether they were related there was no way to tell. An elderly couple lay stricken nearby as well. The old man had apparently tried to fend the skeletal warriors off to protect his wife even though his better days were long behind him, but he had been knocked down onto a table and stabbed through the chest. The old woman then appeared to have thrown her body over her husband's and wept only to have been uncompassionately killed directly on top of him.
Link's focus returned to the mother and child and he slowly bent his body toward him. The little boy's hand was sticking out from underneath his mother as if he had been struggling to get free. Link picked up the small hand within his own and closed his hand around it. Already the body was beginning to grow cold.
"A grim sight, isn't it?" asked Navi morosely from behind him.
"I thought I had seen the worst that war had to offer during the War of the Triforce," Link started to say, sadness apparent in his voice, "but apparently I was wrong. Except for those drafted into the army, the civilians were kept far away from the fighting. The worst that happened to them was the loss of the homes. This . . . this is different though."
"They seemed to have been targeted specifically," Navi noted. "This wasn't a battle. It was a slaughter of innocent people; nothing more."
"Whoever we're dealing with is apparently one sick individual."
"Who, the robed figure or this mysterious "Master" that he works for?"
"Both," Link replied simply as he finally released the small boy's hand and stood up. "So where's Zelda?"
"She immediately headed up to the castle after the battle to go check on her father," Navi replied before seeing the dripping wound across Link's stomach. "Oh my god, you're wounded!"
"It's just a scratch," Link replied weakly and with a wince as he turned. "I have to go check on Zelda."
"Not before I heal that wound you're not. Now stand still; this will only take a second."
Navi removed Link's blood covered hand from his wound and bent down to examine it. She then placed the index finger of her right hand at the end of the wound and pressed firmly, causing Link to wince. The finger began to glow in a golden light as Navi slowly moved her finger across the length of the wound and although she was still pressing down upon the wound, Link felt no pain. The torn skin magically reformed in the wake of her finger leaving only a small thin line to indicate that there had ever been any sort of wound there.
"There you go," Navi said when she had finished, "all finished. That area will be a little tender for a few hours, but other than that you're back to normal. Now check on Zelda, and the king. I'm going to stay here and continue helping out."
Link just nodded before bolting across Hyrule Field and into Hyrule Market. Navi hadn't been kidding about the spot being tender, and although it didn't hurt him the area was sore which caused him to slow his pace a bit. Passing through Hyrule Market was like passing through a cemetery. There was no joy to be found anywhere. Sunken and sullen faces dominated the civilians who had escaped to the city for protection. Tears were being wept all over for the loved ones that they knew lay dead outside the city walls.
Link fought hard to ignore their suffering as he ran past. Just seeing the bodies themselves was trying enough for him, but to have to look upon the survivors who had lost someone was another story all together. He also had Zelda to worry about, and the king. Link had already seem too many friends and loved ones killed in battle, and King Hyrule was one person that he didn't want to see added to the list. He could also only imagine what sort of distress Zelda would go through if that happened.
When the Royal Guards posted outside the castle saw Link approaching, they knew exactly what he was up to and told him to head to the king's bedchamber as he ran past. Link thanked them without stopping and continued into the castle. The castle was still as deserted as it had been earlier that day, so it made it all the more easier for Link to reach the bedchamber.
When he got there he saw two Royal Guards posted outside the closed doors of the room and Zelda and Malon standing there before the doors expectantly. Zelda was standing there with a look of grave concern on her face. Her eyes looked as if they were about to burst into tears, but Link guessed that she was holding them back in case they were premature. Malon was standing next to her with her arm wrapped around Zelda's shoulders. She was apparently trying to comfort her in Link's absence.
Link now walked the remaining distance up to the bedchamber doors. His footsteps, though they were light, reverberated against the empty halls. Zelda turned to see Link, and upon spotting him ran at him with full speed. She collided with Link nearly spending him to the ground. She buried her head in his chest as Link wrapped his arms around her. She then looked up at him with worry in her eyes while Link looked down at her with a smile on his face.
Before either of them could say anything, the doors to the bedchamber opened slightly and Impa emerged quickly closing the doors behind her. Her head was hung low, and for the first time in his life Link could actually read real emotions on her face. She looked greatly saddened, but that was only an underlying emotion. On top of that was shock and concern, but it didn't look like it was concern for the king. When she finally looked up and saw Link and Zelda, she quickly made her way over to them, each step she took serious.
"How's my father?" asked Zelda anxiously as she released Link and turned toward Impa.
"I'm sorry Zelda," Impa replied. "The dagger was coated in a very rare, and very deadly poison. There is no cure. Not even magic can save your father now. I truly am sorry. I . . . I . . ."
It appeared as if Impa wanted to say something else, something important, but was unable to. Zelda meanwhile had broken down into tears at this point. She was now sitting on the ground a total wreck. Malon had run over and was now trying to console Zelda, but it was to no avail. Link knew that he should also be consoling Zelda, but he couldn't help but stand there and stare at Impa. By the way she stood Link could tell that she was hiding something. He then watched as Impa walked past them without another word and started walking down the hallway.
"Where are you going?" Link asked her.
"I have something I need to take care of," Impa replied absently as she took a Deku Nut out of her pocket, tossed it to the ground, and vanished.