Author's Notes:

While I stick very closely to the HTTYD movie/TV show lore, I take liberties with the LoZ elements. Please read with an open mind, as if this were a new game.

New chapters on Wednesdays. The whole thing, 30 chapters plus Prologue, is written and will be posted!

*** If you're jumping in here and you like what you're reading, I highly recommend going back to the beginning because things are ramping up, and it will make a lot more sense with full context. :P

The black blade was slicing towards him. Hiccup had milliseconds to react before the impact. One desperate idea came to mind. Summoning the power of the bracer, he squeezed his fist, looked away. As the black sword came down, the second gem on the bracer blazed and shattered with a blast that sent the Yiga flying in all directions.

\\\

Ganon clutched his chest, doubled over on the throne. The Captain lay sprawled on the steps of the dais, and the rest of the Yiga were similarly scattered around. But the boy was nowhere to be seen.

"Find him," Ganon wheezed. With the snap of the Captain's fingers, the Yiga sprang across the broken stonework. The Captain wearily got to his feet and went to retrieve his sword from where the blast had thrown it.

The Desert King released a sigh as the Triforce on his hand returned to its normal glow. He took a deep breath, energy restored, and sat up. The Yiga would find the boy soon enough, and then the Triforce of Power would again be his alone. The first thing he was going to do was transform into his glorified form and burn this entire place to the ground. Then, he would hunt down the last two. The cowards, they wouldn't even face him in a proper battle.

As if reading his thoughts, the Witch scuttled from the shadows behind the throne, her bony fingers clutching the wooden backboard like the claws of a vulture. "Do not lose focus now," she admonished. Ganon nodded and squeezed his left hand, the Triforce glowing brightly.

As the Captain returned to his post by Ganon's side, he felt a fresh wind breathe through the castle. Something drifting from the ceiling caught his eye. He gripped the black sword in its sheath. Leaves, hundreds of them, were slipping through the cracks in the roof and floating all around the neglected hall. The Captain knit his brows and picked one up. It was large, a little bigger than his hand. Then, it winked at him.

"Hello!" it squeaked. Before Kogah could react, a blast of wind like a hurricane pinned him against the face of the pillar. The craggy surface of hardened mud, rock, and whatever else the monsters had mixed into it, dug into his back, but that was the least of his worries. In a moment, scores of leaves plastered his body, effectively immobilizing him.

The rest of the Yiga, scouring the ruins on the far side of the room, turned to see the heavy fall of leaves and two figures flying in from the roof on giant cuccos. The clansmen glanced at each other, then together abandoned the search for the boy and started attacking the intruders.

\\\

Saria and the Princess swept in on their giant cucco, the valiant kokiri keeping the Wind Waker leveled on the Yiga Captain. They swept low, and Makar leapt from the dusty ground to Saria's shoulder.

"Did I do good?" he squeaked.

Saria beamed. "You did great. Hold on." They dodged the slice of a Yiga sickle and flew back into the blustery chaos of the room. Saria, with the Princess clinging to her waist, kept the cucco as steady as she could while aiming the Wind Waker at the Captain and avoiding Yiga attacks. It took all her concentration. Any lapse would result in her slipping or the cucco wandering off course, and she couldn't afford any mistakes; she had precious cargo, the very heir to the throne. Her heart swelled with pride.

She felt a tap on her shoulder. The princess's satin-gloved finger pointed to a shadow in the rubble. Saria squinted through the tumult of leaves. She couldn't see what the princess was pointing at, but she didn't question as she guided the cucco out of the fray and landed.

"Thank you, Saria," the princess whispered and slipped off the cucco.

She said my name! A thrill ran through the kokiri as it did every time the princess recognized her. Her, little Saria of the Lost Woods.

"Good luck, Princess!" Saria urged the cucco into the air before the Yiga could cut her off.

\\\

Zelda climbed across the rubble to where Hiccup was hiding. The Shiekah armor lived up to its reputation. Even with her keen eyes, he'd been nearly invisible. Good thing, too. There were Yiga swarming everywhere.

Hiccup was clutching and rolling out his shoulder as he peered over the broken statue of her great-great-grandfather. Gently, she tapped his hand. He whirled around, wild eyed and fists at the ready.

"Shh! It's just me," Zelda reassured.

The shock on his face melted into relief. "You got here just in time." He turned his attention back to the battle, still rubbing his shoulder. His brows furrowed with more than determination, and she didn't need the Triforce of Wisdom to read the disappointment in his eyes.

"I'm sorry it didn't go as planned," she said.

Hiccup tilted his head as if about to shake it, then resumed focusing on the chaos ahead. "Did you set the bombs?"

"All six."

"Will that be enough to bring down the foyer?"

"I hope so. I—" Zelda gasped. "You're missing a gem!"

Hiccup kept his eyes peeled for danger. "I had to use it to escape. But"—he paused, turned his head toward her—"when I did, Ganon got weaker. I think somehow, they're connected."

Zelda sighed. "That would have been helpful to know earlier."

She stood up. Wearing her mother's fitted mulberry top over her own white dress and with the royal golden pauldrons adorning her shoulders, she faced the battle before her. This was her home. He was sitting on her father's throne, her throne. She was ready to take back her kingdom. Their situation was difficult but not beyond salvaging. She knit her brows as she came to a decision.

"You can't lose that last gem. Stay in the shadows; the Sheikah armor will keep you hidden."

Hiccup jumped to his feet. "What? I'm sidelined now?"

"If you want to get home, then yes."

The princess was already moving away when Hiccup grabbed her satin-gloved arm. "I want to help." She hesitated. "I'll be careful," he assured.

She closed her eyes and sought the spirit of Hylia. Though she felt the Triforce tingle on her hand and the comfort of Her presence, there was no Voice to guide this decision. This was up to her. She pursed her lips as she opened her eyes. "Alright, then help me look. We need to find that fountain."

Hiccup blinked twice. "No offense, isn't there something more relevant we could be doing?" Hiccup gestured to the flying leaves and sickles beyond.

"Possibly, but …" Her eyes flashed white for a moment, and she sensed a familiar conviction. "I have a feeling." She honestly had no idea what the Sage was talking about; she had lived in Castle her whole life and never even heard the mention of the Goddess Fountain let alone seen it. But she knew deep in her bones that finding it was critical not only in getting Hiccup home but also to defeating Ganon. Hylia had never led her astray. Not once.

Hiccup gave her a thoughtful look, then nodded.

Zelda's eyes suddenly went wide. She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him down. Two Yiga clansmen were wandering in their direction. Zelda and Hiccup held their breaths as the Yiga stopped just above them. All they needed to do was look down. Zelda grasped Hiccup's hand and whispered a prayer under her breath. At that moment, there was a muffled cry followed by a flurry of cards.

Zelda peeked up to see the second clansman jump back, looking to where the deadly arrow had flown from. About a hundred yards away lay an overturned table. Zelda and Hiccup peeked over the rubble as the clansman inched towards the suspicious table, sickle at the ready. Just as he peered over, his body was yanked forward, replaced by a flutter of cards.

"What was that?" Hiccup asked.

"That … was a Sheikah," Zelda replied. There was a mixture of admiration and tragedy in her tone. She shook her head as if shaking away the thoughts. "Come on, Impa's doing her job. We need to do ours."

\\\

Impa sheathed her knife as she knelt behind the overturned table. She needed to move. Six clansmen had noticed and were converging on her location. She tossed a flashbang. The moment it detonated she ran for cover behind one of the balcony staircases.

Grabbing one of the many discarded bows and quivers off the ground, she took stock of their current situation. So the first plan failed. No surprise there. Hiccup was convinced after one conversation with Kogah that he knew him better than she did. She ducked as a tattered banner nearly whipped her in the face. We're off to a great start. Saria, on the other hand, was doing an admirable job keeping the Yiga distracted with her gusts of swirling koroks. She had to hand it to the little Kokiri; she knew what she was doing.

Impa readied an arrow. Now it was up to her. The plan had been a compromise: Impa had only agreed to Hiccup's outlandish proposal of enlisting the Yiga if Link agreed to stay out until Impa gave the signal that enough enemies had been eliminated. Without potions and with only one fairy, Link's chances of defeating Ganon were slim at best. There was no need to test fate further by putting him in needless danger.

She assured them she could handle the threat; she had bested them just two nights ago. But that wasn't entirely true. The night she battled the Yiga in Coccolan Forest, the Captain was suddenly, urgently called away, leaving the clansmen with orders to bring her in alive. Exhausted from her sprint from Kakariko, injured, and hopelessly outnumbered, she was a pathetically easy target. Three fell to her blade before they disarmed and subdued her. Just as they were about to teleport to the Fortress, a roar shook the forest. The Yiga abandoned their prisoner and fled into the fog. Whatever the threat was, it was apparently more frightening than failing Ganon himself. The last thing Impa heard before falling unconscious was a deep singing, awakening hours later on the front steps of Tanelope Shrine.

Two nights ago she needed to be saved, but this battle was not like before. This time she was rested and focused with allies and the element of surprise on her side. Still, there were nearly thirty Yiga, each trained killers as dangerous as herself; she had to remain vigilant.

A pair of crimson Yiga suits were climbing over the wreckage to where the Princess's cucco had landed moments before. Impa aimed at one and fired. The arrow lodged just below the mask, and the clansman disappeared in a billow of cards like so many before him. The second clansman fell to another arrow a moment later.

Impa was reaching for another arrow when a sudden punch to her lower back made her gasp and choke. Immediately, her energy level dropped. She was no rookie—that was not a punch; it was a stab wound, and if she knew her attacker— Ducking just in time, the second knife whizzed over her head and crashed into distant debris. Her limbs were growing heavy, but she couldn't rest yet.

Impa pulled the knife from her side, wheeled around, and caught the attacking Yiga by the wrist, spinning her around so she took the next slash and thrust. A familiar cry from the one she clutched in front of her made her catch her breath. Hylia! Why did it have to be Hayo?! The last time Impa had heard this cry was when she had set Hayo's broken leg after the two of them had held back a rampant squad of bulblins.

Three Yiga backed them toward the frail remains of the balcony. Impa could see each of them under their masks: Kollee, and the twins, Telil and Juklil.

Hayo's body began to shimmer. Impa held the knife to her throat. "Don't." The shimmer subsided, and Impa felt Hayo's breathing quicken.

Impa jabbed the blade at the three Yiga in front of her before returning it Hayo's throat. "Don't any of you think of trying that trick, either." They stopped advancing but did not retreat.

Impa listed to the side, the edges of her vision growing dark.

Hayo's voice trembled. "Im?"

"Quiet!" Impa's emotions raced like a herd of stampeding water buffalo. How many times had they sparred together? Chased bandits away together? Stood back-to-back fighting for their lives? For Hyrule?

Hot tears burned the Shiekah's eyes, and she felt the frantic breathing against her chest.

Hayo wheezed, "Im, I'm sorry about the ravine. We didn't want to—"

"Save it!"

A sickle caught Impa in the upper arm, and she hissed. Had one appeared behind her? A quick glance disproved that guess. He must be up on the balcony.

That moment of distraction was all the Yiga needed. Telil lunged forward; Impa recognized the feint. She ignored him and dodged the real attack from Juklil. Kollee pounced. Impa raised the knife to block a slice to the neck, but his sickle twisted her weapon from her grasp.

"Surrender!" Kollee ordered. Telil and Juklil brandished their sickles.

Impa clutched Hayo, her last defense, and adjusted her grip around her neck, ready to snap it at a moment's notice.

"Im," Hayo choked out. "Stop. Come with us."

The worst part was that she wanted to. She wanted to fight alongside her brothers and sisters again.

Impa exhaled. The only way she could succeed was to dissociate, the way she had in the forest. These weren't her friends. She swallowed the last of her humanity and faced the enemy with steely resolve.

Still clutching the gasping Yiga, she took a staggering step backwards under the safety of the balcony—out of range of the one above—and lured the others forward. The world spun around her; she could barely keep her balance. Just a little longer.

When they were all under the balcony, she shoved the clansman forward, turned to the frail support beam, and kicked it with all her might. The entire section of ancient timbers came crashing down on them all.

\\\

Saria dug her fingers deeper into the feathers and leaned forward. The air whipped through her hair. Her green eyes sparkled despite the danger, or maybe because of the danger. If only Link could see me now. He would; as soon Impa gave the signal, he would be able to see her fighting for their home.

She touched her pocket. Her fingers closed around the small round lump, and she beamed. She couldn't wait to tell him the news. She could already imagine him lighting up and— Wait, she shouldn't get ahead of herself. First, they needed to defeat an evil maniac and the Yiga and an army of bulblins. That's all. No big deal, she told herself. Link does this all the time, she reasoned, but that didn't stop her from biting her lip.

Just then, she noticed several crimson suits converging on a point. Her heart began to race. Who had they cornered? Then the balcony collapsed on them. She screamed. Keeping the Wind Waker on the Captain, she swerved toward the collapsed area and saw Impa limp out of the wreckage and then fall. Saria couldn't leave the Captain; Impa had warned her that he was more deadly than all the Yiga put together, and if Hiccup's plan failed, it was up to her to keep the rest of them safe from him. There were still at least a dozen Yiga left. But the Sheikah hadn't moved, not an inch.

\\\

Impa tasted savory spices and rich roasted vegetables, and her eyes fluttered open. Hiccup and the Princess, who were both leaning over her, breathed a sigh of relief. The Princess mouthed "thank you" to the sky. Though her head ached her leg still throbbed from being crushed by the collapsing staircase, the pain from the stab wound was gone.

Impa quickly sat up and wiped her mouth. "A fairy? A potion?"

Hiccup glanced at the Princess. "Just … soup," he said and held up the now empty jar from that ridiculous pair of salesmen. "Guess they were right."

Impa rolled her eyes and pushed herself off the ground. "If we survive this, remind me to give them a good review. So," the warrior pressed, "what's your plan?"

The Princess rolled her shoulders back. "Find the Fountain." Impa rolled her eyes. Why did she even bother to ask? "We're close. I can feel it." The Princess touched her arm with her delicate, gloved hands. Impa flinched away.

"There you are." The three spun around to see a pair of Yiga standing over them.

The taller one spoke again with a nasally voice. "All in one place. How—" He never finished his sentence. With frightening speed Impa lunged at him, slitting his throat before driving her blade into the younger man's chest. Both bodies disappeared in a poof of cards before they hit the ground. The Princess, who was clinging to a wide-eyed Hiccup, scooched away as the cards fluttered down around them.

The Viking pointed a shaky finger at the cards. "Again, is that normal?"

The Princess's wild eyes looked to Impa for an answer.

The Sheikah growled darkly, like a predator on the hunt. Wiping the flat of her sword on her leg, she limped to the edge of their hiding place. "Keep your wits about you. Monsters and Yiga don't really care about feelings." Impa swayed on her feet.

The Princess grabbed Impa's arm. Impa whirled around. Zelda caught herself, let go.

"You need help out there," the Princess said. "Call Link."

"I'm sorry, your Highness. That's a risk I can't take."

And with that, Impa vaulted over the rubble back into the fray.

\\\

Saria breathed a sigh of relief when Impa sat up. Hiccup was nearly invisible, but the Princess in her mulberry and white stood out like a wildflower among ashes. Thank Hylia she had found them and that they had gotten to Impa in time.

She watched as Hiccup and the Princess departed to continue their search. Really, the Fountain could be anywhere with all this rubble. Saria imagined what this hall must have looked like in its prime, the white and gold banners waving in the breeze, the rich mulberry carpets, timeless statues honoring the great kings and queens of old.

Her ears twitched and registered a tone so high and pure that only kokiri could hear it. Tooo—too—tooo. Impa's first signal. Apparently enough Yiga had been killed so that Saria didn't need to maintain her vulnerable position in mid-air. But from her vantage point, Saria could see how close the bulblins were to the windows. Many were halfway up the steep moat, using makeshift ladders or their own claws. She could do more good up here than hiding behind some broken statues. It's what Link would do.

She swept by one of the large windows and chucked a rock at the nearest bulblin. It bounced off his head, which made him tumble back, colliding with the twenty or so bulblins beneath him. Not bad, she thought with satisfaction and flew down to collect more rocks.

\\\

Bulblin calls reached Impa's ears. She craned her neck around the table to see through a broken window. The bulblin hoard which had been idling outside the castle had finally caught wind of the battle inside and were racing up the stairs. Not only that but three Yiga had figured out her new hiding place and were slowly surrounding her. Her shoulder was still bleeding badly—she hadn't had time to dress it—but she didn't even consider sounding the alarm. Link's success depended on her. She had to do better. Clutching her knife, she stood to face the Yiga and bulblins closing in on her position.

Then, the shrill squawk of a cucco sounded above. What? It was too soon; she hadn't given the signal! Impa leapt over the three distracted Yiga, dispatching two with her sword, and sprinted to the center of the room as behind her, the front door detonated. She stumbled to the ground. The ancient walls rippled, releasing a shower of dust and ashes from the rafters. With the foyer destroyed, the bulblins would need to scale the moat they themselves had dug around the castle. She saluted the cucco's rider as the green pointed hat flew past. He hadn't waited for her signal. Typical. Yet she smiled.

An explosion blasted her forward. She tumbled, hitting her back against a fallen pillar.

"Kogah tried to warn you. You're on the wrong side of history, Impa." The clansman swaggered forward. "You could never see the bigger picture." He leaned back on one foot, balancing the sickle on his finger. "You don't look so good, Impa. Should have thought twice before crossing blades with a Yiga."

Impa winced as she got to her feet, using a hand to steady herself. "Oath-breaker," she breathed darkly.

He shrugged. "What's the point of an oath if there's no one to keep the oath to?"

She raised her sword, leaned forward as if to lunge to the right. The Yiga's form twinkled, and he evaporated to dodge the attack. He rematerialized a few feet away, right in Impa's blade. She held him tight against her, felt him gasp for air. "Do you really want blasphemy to be your last words?" she hissed.

He coughed. "It's not blasphemy; it's true." He coughed again, and blood trickled from under his mask. "Look around, Impa. Hylia's abandoned us."

She jerked the blade upwards, and a pile of cards scattered to the floor.

Impa looked around her. The cards were everywhere, tossing over in the artificial wind like autumn leaves. Jayko, Risso, Deri, Kollee, Tellil and Juklil, Hayo, … They were gone. All that was left of them were cards, not bodies, a testament to the dark magic they had given themselves to. Any remorse for killing those closest to her evaporated, and her eyes turned toward the pillar where the last Yiga stood. He wasn't Sheikah anymore either, and he deserved everything that was coming for him.

Author's Notes:

I can't believe this is wrapping up in a month! Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to check out this story; I hope you're enjoying it.

Four more chapters to go!

Thanks to Ari Lewis and Luke for beta reading!