Chapter 109 is here! This time it's a showdown between the Gerudo King Link and the mysterious rebel leader Mother Eclipsis. Who will emerge victorious? Read and find out!
Link stood in the arena of Gerudo Fortress, being confronted by the Ebony Sisterhood's leader, Mother Eclipsis.
Nabooru was standing by guarding three rebel prisoners who she had been forced to fight before Link showed up. Reirousa herself was bashing her warhammer against the body of a lifeless stone monster to try and get it off the sewer grate that could help them escape the arena. Laying some distance away was Ganondorf's 'son' Prince Ghilmarelm, of whom Link had just defeated and exposed 'his' identity as a woman at the same time.
"So you're Mother Eclipsis." Link spoke looking up at the leader, "Been wanting a chance to finally meet you."
Eclipsis nodded, "As have I, False King Link... You have committed many crimes against the Gerudo. Naturally the first being you becoming the illegitimate heir to the Gerudo King's throne and working with the traitorous Lady Nabooru. You have also impeded our efforts in war preparation; causing the death of our sister Boss Faurugo, destroying our research facility, striking down a number of Gerudo warbeasts like our Molderm and Hinox specimens, and as of two days ago attempting to declare preemptive war with the Hylians."
"..." Link stared up at the mysterious leader of the rebellion. He could hear some booing and taunting from the audience but tried to ignore it.
"So do you have something to say for yourself, false king?" Eclipsis asked.
"Actually yes, there is something I've been meaning to say for a long time." Link spoke.
With that he set down his sword and shield, and bowed his head down at her.
"I wish to say, I apologize to you all."
"Huh?" "What?!" "What's he talking about?" spoke the rebels in confusion.
"Back when I was ten, Ganondorf took the life of the Great Deku Tree in an attempt to steal the Kokiri Emerald it held. I vowed to defeat him in the forest guardian's name. When I came to learn that Ganondorf planned to enter the Sacred Realm and take the Triforce, I told the royal family of what was going to happen, and they had him captured. I thought that was the end of it, but I didn't realize it would eventually lead to that horrible war between you and the Hylians."
"..." Eclipsis continued to stare down at Link, while the rebels all whispered to each other.
"I have no regrets of Ganondorf being foiled and captured, but I acknowledge that I brought you all a great deal of pain and loss. I became the Gerudo King not for the pleasure and luxury I've been given, but to help Nabooru in her goal to fix things for her people and do what I can to atone for what I did, albeit inadvertently, to you all and your loved ones."
Reirousa gasped out from hammering against the stone monster to speed up it's disintegration, but took a moment to look over at Link as he spoke out to them. He seemed so brave to be able to confess all this to the rebels before him, when she herself couldn't work up the courage to tell anyone about her involvement in the Gerudo losing the war. She had never even told Sovan and the Vipers for fear they might have abandoned her. Reirousa found herself thinking of the executioner Kieleru that she had fought earlier in the sewers, and how much of a grudge she had held against her...
Link continued, "Maybe there's some here who believe the only atonement I can give you is death, but I can't bring myself to do that. I've come to love and cherish the Gerudo people I live with, and I want all of you to have the chance to become a part of that life. I'm going to work with the Hylian Royal Family as well as the Parliament to abolish the Gerudo Banishment Law and allow your people to come and go through Hyrule as you please, so that all of you can be free and happy. It's the least I can do for you."
The young king bowed at the waist as he spoke out,
"So to everyone here, including you Mother Eclipsis, I won't ask for your forgiveness, but I will continue to fight for you."
The rebels in the audience all sat there silently, looking in surprise at the words of the man they had been told before was nothing but a power-hungry monster. Mother Eclipsis continued to remain still, staring down at Link.
"Heh, nice." Nabooru smirked at how much her friend had grown.
"... ...ahra-ara-ara... If the false king thinks he can win us over with those flowery words then he's a fool." the mushroom scientist Kiraila chuckled, sporting an eerie gaze from under the brim of her hat, "Soon we'll have his head on a stick in the middle of a blood-soaked battlefield."
"Uhhh..." Hetoma stared at Link, having a strange feeling in the back of her mind, but forced herself to ignore it, "T-That's right! We sure ain't gonna take his empty apology, right girls?"
"Vonkierma! Bodemo Link sie domeso vin tendo!" the wrestler Lae Sahvasu nodded, putting a rock on her left bicep and flexing it so hard that it actually crushed the rock, "Un borgeso deas mutono!"
"He's... so..." the child princess Niani sitting beside Sahvasu was staring down trembling, before throwing up her head so quickly that her hair flew back exposing her large forehead, "So handsome and sweeeet!" she squealed out, putting her hands to her cheeks and blushing bright red, "I want him to take me and make me his priiiiinceeeess!"
"Niani broken again." the wild woman Zuzoc pointed out, "Can Meokuro fix?"
"..." the engineer Meokuro just looked down at Link, thinking deeply about his words.
"...now with that said," Link continued, looking up and narrowing his eyes at Eclipsis, "I've seen what despicable things you've done to your people in pursuit of your goals; treating them like slaves, subjecting them to cruel experiments, killing those who don't bow to you, plotting to go to war against Hyrule in order to free that bastard Ganondorf and conquer the land... that I can't forgive you for."
He picked up his sword and shield and pointed up at her, "I'm going to take you down Eclipsis, and put a stop to your sick war!"
"... … …hmph, so be it." spoke Mother Eclipsis, she took a step forward and leaped into the air through the gaping hole in the fence Ghilmarelm had made earlier. She landed down to the ground before Link and stared him down, "If you wish to challenge me, then I'll demonstrate the power that I intend to use to do away with the Hyrule King and his wretched royal parliament."
"..." Link stared at Mother Eclipsis, namely at the pure white porcelain mask that stood out from her dark clothing.
"Is there something wrong False King?" Eclipsis asked.
Something about the mask looked somewhat familiar to Link, until it finally came to him,
"Tell me something, that mask you wear... is that a Couple's Mask?"
"Huh? A Couple's Mask?" Nabooru spoke, looking closely at Eclipsis, "Wait a minute, I've seen that before...!"
The rebels meanwhile all looked to each other in confusion of what Link was talking about now.
Eclipsis slowly reached up a gloved hand from under her cloak and felt at the delicate frame of the mask, "...indeed it is, how do you know about it?"
"I was given one years ago, by some newly-wed friends of mine," Link explained, recalling a certain young blue haired man and red-headed woman, "During the Festival of Masks, in a land far away."
"The Festival of... but given your age, that should have been impossible for you. Unless..." Eclipsis pondered, "...you were in the land of Termina?!"
"That's right, what about it?" Link asked.
"How... could you have possibly found that place? King Ganondorf spent years trying to-" Eclipsis spoke, before shaking her head, "No matter, either way I shall put an end to you with my own hands."
As the two of them prepared themselves for battle, the rebels in the stands started cheering out for Mother Eclipsis,
"Go Mother!" "Death to the false king!" "We love you Mother Eclipsis!" "Crush him into the dirt!"
Link watched carefully as Mother Eclipsis took a breath, before pulling out a sword from under her robe and holding it out. Link observed the strange weapon and it's design. At first glance it appeared to just be a long broadsword, but the blade itself was crimson red and had very faint symbols lined on it, and it was starting to give off an eerie red glow, while the hilt of it was colored black.
"What kind of sword is that?" Link spoke.
"In the name of the great King Ganondorf, I shall strike you down once and for all false king. Prepare yourself for the great beyond!"
With that, Mother Eclipsis shot herself out at Link with her sword.
Link charged forward at Eclipsis with his own sword and the two clashed against each other. Link swung his sword left, then right then jumped forward spinning it to try and repel Eclipsis back. The rebel leader used her red blade to block off each attack Link came at her with. It was difficult for Link to be able to read an opponent like her due to the mask and clothes she wore, but he managed to hold his own well enough. As Eclipsis drove him back and brought down her sword at him, Link brought up the Shield of Hotaig to block it.
"You hold our war goddess' shield..." muttered Eclipsis as she tried to push Link back, "How dare you mock us by protecting your weak self with her divine strength! How could you even claim it?!"
"We Gerudo gave him that shield as a symbol of his place with us." Nabooru explained.
"Yeah, this was a gift that Hotaig allowed me to have with her blessing. It's helped me out a lot in my past battles to keep the peace of our people." Link spoke, "She trusts me to use it in her name, and I'm not going let her down!"
The two clashed heavily with a wave of swing and slashes. Nabooru and the rebels all watched on in awe of the mighty battle between Link and Mother Eclipsis. Link swung out his sword to parry an attack by Eclipsis then delivered a spin attack to drive her back. She recovered and lunged forward striking at him again. Link quickly swung out his sword from the side, but Eclipsis blocked it by holding her sword upwards. She forced Link back and slashed him across his body, causing him out shout out in pain.
He jumped back and fired off some fire arrows, but Eclipsis swung her sword, causing three tall streaks of crimson energy to fly out from it and come at him across the ground. The energy shot through the arrows making them explode in mid air, before they impacted and slashed at Link's body.
"This power..." Link gasped out in a bit of pain, "Just what kind of sword is that?"
Eclipsis lowered her blade and spoke, "If you must know false king, this is called the Soulbinder. It is a weapon crafted by the ancient ones in a war eons ago. Obviously from it's name, it has the ability to feed from the spiritual energy of it's holder's soul and transmutes that energy into power in battle."
"What? The Soulbinder?!" spoke up Nabooru with wide horrified eyes, a drop of sweat ran down her head as she spoke out, "Please tell me Mother Eclipsis, d-did Ganondorf once wield that blade?!"
"...indeed he did." nodded Eclipsis, "This sword was lost to him long ago, but it still contains his soul power. Through my contacts, I was able to track it down to being held by the black market, and I obtained it from them through the help of a desert slaver organization."
"Slaver...?" Link spoke, "Wait, do you mean the Wyvern Keepers?!"
The Wyvern Keepers were a slave trading organization run by a man named Master Rassan, as well as Nemisa's former 'boyfriend' Jayde. They were tied to the black market and had been in possession of many illegally obtained artifacts and weapons. Link, Nabooru and Nemisa were able to take down the organization, free the slaves, and recover a number of black market artifacts they were shipping.
"Yes, those are the ones. We obtained many artifacts through them that my Elite Rebels used to defeat and overthrow your weak people the other day." Eclipsis said, "Including Lady Nabooru herself."
Nabooru narrowed her eyes, as she looked up at the Elite Rebel Asaeku, who was still wearing the brace around her body. The large woman looked down to Nabooru and smirked.
"So that's how Asaeku got that power..." whispered Nabooru, she looked over at Link's shield, recalling how she needed to get the help of Kesuta and Korume's mystic mother to give it to him, "But how could she have managed to control it without Hotaig's blessing...?"
Eclipsis ran her hand along the side of the blade, "As long as I hold this sword, it feels as if King Ganondorf is always by my side, giving me the power to accomplish our dreams..." she pointed it at Link, "...and now I shall finally finish you, with his power!"
The rebel leader shot out and swung her sword wildly, releasing a wave of red crimson blades at Link. The young king jumped, rolled and blocked each slash that she was swung, but the unrelenting force of each attack was affecting him even if it didn't make direct contact with him. Eclipsis sent a ground wave of crimson energy at him, but Link brought up the Quake Medallion and slammed it to the ground, created a shockwave that shot across the ground and blasted through Eclipsis' attack and knocked the rebel leader away a bit. Link gasped out from the exertion he felt from using the medallion, but Eclipsis quickly recovered and stood up.
"That Quake Medallion is powerful, but it seems to take a great amount of energy from you." Eclipsis said, "I've trained with this sword for quite a long time now to resist the draining effect it can have. One who cannot control the power they hold is better off without it at all."
"..." Link paused, he felt a strange voice calling out to him in the back of his mind, a taunting arrogant voice that had been bothering him for years now since he came to Gerudo Town... he recognized it to be the Fierce Deity,
'Hey, how about letting me take over buddy? I can handle this broad real easy!' he laughed out in the back of Link's mind.
"No..." Link whispered, recalling what happened back at the canyon after he thought Esolu had been killed, "No I won't give in to you... not again...!"
Link quickly got back up and shot forward, swinging and slashing his sword at Eclipsis. The rebel leader did her best to block the attacks, while parrying the rest of his moves. Link took a few slashes, but was able to block some with his shield. He leaped back and fired off some fire arrows, to which Eclipsis blasted through with a crimson blade streak. But when the energy vanished she saw Link was missing, she turned to her side just in time to see Link dart out and fire a shock arrow which impacted into the rebel leader, electrocuting her.
"Gryyyaaaahhh!" screamed out Eclipsis from the voltage coursing through her, giving Link the chance to run up and slash at her body. She recovered and swung her sword down at the ground, causing a great crimson blast which sent him flying and hitting the ground again.
Link gasped out and looked up at Eclipsis sprinting right at him with her blade again, going so fast it didn't even look like her feet were touching the ground. Link narrowed his eyes, studying the motions Eclipsis made as she ran at him, before he quickly brought up his sword to deflect her attack just as she swung it. Having an opening, he brought up the Quake Medallion and slammed it into her body, causing the seismic force to blast through her.
Mother Eclipsis gasped out and backed away shaking, then looked up just in time to see Link bring down his sword at her, she blocked it and swung at him again, but Link was able to dodge it in time and swing his own sword, managing to get a strong slash across her mask.
"AAAAH!"
Everyone looked in surprise as about half of the right side of the Couple's Mask broke off of Eclipsis' face and shattered against the ground into tiny pieces.
"M-My mask!" Eclipsis exclaimed, jumping backwards away from Link and covering her face with her free hand. With the mask damaged, the hood she wore slipped off showing her hair. The rebel leader trembled as she slowly slid her hand down, exposing her face, "You bastard false king... haven't you already taken enough from me as it is?! I'll stain this arena with your wretched blood!"
Link, Nabooru and Reirousa all took that chance to see what they could of Eclipsis' face. Her skin had the traditional tan of a Gerudo, but it had a gray tint to it as well. Her face was wrinkled, and her short hair was white with silver streaks. Her exposed golden eye was bloodshot with bags hanging under it.
"Oh my goddesses, Mother Eclipsis' face!" gasped out a rebel, as they all crowded around to try and get a good look at it.
"I knew it." Nabooru spoke with a scowl, "Everything makes so much sense about you now..."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Link asked Nabooru.
"It-it can't be..." Reirousa spoke, bearing a shocked expression at the sight of Eclipsis' face,
"Commander Imono?!"
"Wait, Imono?!" Link spoke, "Your army leader from the war?!"
"Huh? Mother...?" Ghilmarelm groaned out in a daze as her harem girls were trying to help her recover. She looked weakly to Mother Eclipsis, but could barely make out what was going on.
"..." the supposed 'Mother Eclipsis' glanced at Reirousa for a brief moment, before looking away.
"Now I understand; your obsessive devotion to Ganondorf, your ruthless and stubborn attitude, your carelessness towards the lives of your people..." Nabooru spoke, narrowing her eyes coldly, "It was you Imono, you're the one behind all of this!"
"...I suppose the truth has been laid bare." said the rebel leader, "Yes, I am the Grand War Commander Imono Dragmire, first-in-command of the Gerudo army, and the first wife of King Ganondorf."
"But how can that be possible, you were killed in the war nine years ago!" Reirousa exclaimed,
Flashback - the Hyrule vs Gerudo war
"You Hylian bastards!" shouted Commander Imono, clutching her side which was bleeding. "We'll take back our king, and I'll have your head!"
"Hmph, then let's see what you can do." smirked Captain Gereminus of the Hyrule army, pulling out his own sword.
The two clashed heavily, blade against blade. Reirousa herself could only watch helplessly as Gereminus quickly gained the upper-hand. He deflected Imono's right sword out of her hand, before going forward and impaling her through the stomach.
"N-No... Ganondorf..." Imono groaned out, staggering back, her injuries from the past battles were too much for her, and her body had become too weak, "My husband... please... forgive me..."
And with that, Imono collapsed onto the battleground and rolled down the hill, joining the bodies strewn about on the battlefield...
End Flashback
"Ah, fate is strange." spoke Imono, looking up into the night sky through the steel cage, "I had fallen unconscious from the pain of my wound by that despicable captain. I thought I was to travel to the world of spirits that night, but when I regained consciousness I found out I had been saved by some of the survivors of the war. They said by a twist of fate the blades hadn't hit any of my vital organs."
"And then you formed the Ebony Sisterhood?" Link asked.
"Indeed, I knew that my survival could only be a blessing from the Desert Goddess Aifet, and that I was chosen to rise and led the Gerudo to save our true king." Imono said, "Now I shall prove that tonight by killing you both. Prepare yourself False King Link!"
She took her Soulbinder sword and brought it up with great force, causing a wave of red energy blades to come right at Link. He brought up Hotaig's Shield to block off the attacks, but the powerful energy managed to sweep around the shield and brush against his body, causing him a great amount of pain.
'This is bad...' Link gasped trying to endure the energy, 'She's just too powerful...'
Imono quickly lunged out and smacked away Link's shield from his grasp. She brought down her blade at Link, and while he tried to defend himself with his sword, the powerful crimson energy emitting from the Soulbinder was getting to be far too much for even him. He then heard a small cracking sound, and looked up only see his sword was starting to chip away, just before it shattered to pieces.
"M-My sword..." Link spoke in shock, seconds before Imono swung her sword again to blast Link away with a crimson slash.
"LINK!" Nabooru exclaimed.
"ARGH!" Link shouted out as he was thrown backwards and rolled across the ground. He looked over to see he had landed by Hotaig's Shield and snatched it up. He panted and gasped out, sweat was rolling down his head and body, as he looked up at Commander Imono glaring down at him with her now exposed bloodshot eye.
"You fought well false king, I'll give you that. But you're powerless against me. Nothing can save you or Lady Nabooru now." Imono said with her sword by her side, "Prepare yourself for the death goddess Nerif to carry your tainted soul to the world of spirits."
"..." the rebels all watched silently, at first most of them were rooting for 'Mother Eclipsis', but now there was at least some who were feeling concern for the one they knew as the false king.
The Elite Rebels themselves were all watching intently, some anxious for Link's death, while two or three of them felt twinge of worry for him as well. Hetoma clenched at her hat, wondering if she'd need to remove it for Link's death. Niani was hugging her stuffed bear tightly, she admired 'Mother Eclipsis' for her strength and authority, but found herself smitten with Link all of a sudden, and wasn't sure who to root for anymore.
"Come on you bastard." whispered Meokuro, "Please prove to me what you meant before."
The arena was completely silent as Imono slowly walked up to Link, and brought up the Soulbinder, ready to finish him off. But just when she swung down her sword someone jumped out in front of Link and blocked off the attack. It was both Nabooru and Reirousa, wielding their scimitars and warhammer respectively.
"You think we were just going to let you kill Link like this?" Nabooru said with a smirk.
"Ya gotta get through us first!" Reirousa nodded.
"Hmph... how dare you both interfere with this battle." Imono spoke, "He was too weak to win by himself, and now he has been defeated. If you truly care for him you'd allow him to die with grace. Yet you insist he continue to live, as weak as he is, how shameful."
As Link knelled on the ground, he stared out at Nabooru and Reirousa both defending him from Commander Imono. He wanted to try and get up to help them, but was too badly injured.
In that moment, Link was reminded of another time he was on a war-torn battlefield, facing off against a nearly unbeatable opponent, but he had been saved by Ruto, Darunia, and a third person... he recalled how even they were struggling against that force, as he had hesitatingly reached back behind him and put something over his face...
"Our king is anything but weak." Nabooru spoke up, narrowing her eyes coldly at Imono, "There's no shame or weakness in him relaying on the help of his friends."
"That's right, now back off Commander!" Reirousa shouted, taking a bomb and shoving it into her Bombos Warhammer, causing a concentrated explosion that sent Imono flying backwards.
"GRAAAHHH!"
"Nice one!" Nabooru grinned.
Imono landed down and skidded to a stop, gasping out. She stood back up straight and held out her sword at Nabooru and Reirousa, "You fools... you'll both pay with your lives for this..."
"Commander wait, there's something I gotta know!" Reirousa shouted out, "My mother enlisted in that war nine years ago... you didn't force her into doing it did you?!"
"... …" Imono stared at Reirousa with her exposed eye, "Back then, I had heard great things about your aggression and strength Sister Reirousa. I felt you were best suited to assist us in the war. When I approached your mother about you enlisting, she said she would not allow you to participate. The fool actually didn't agree with freeing our great king... so I made a compelling bargaining deal with her, and she accepted with no argument."
"You..." Reirousa muttered, squeezing the handle of her warhammer, recalling the words Imono had said to inspire her to join the war and avenge her mother's death, only to now realize it had all been a ploy to use her.
"Don't be angry, she enlisted into the war out of love for you. She was willing to give her life so you wouldn't have to." Imono spoke with a slight smirk, "But once she was slain, the deal was over, and you were so eager to help."
"D-Damn you...!" muttered Reirousa, before she shouted out, "GRAAAAAAHHHH!" she charged with absolute fury right at Imono with her warhammer ready to swing, but Imono blocked her off and flung her away with a counter attack. The hulking Gerudo slid across the ground to Link's side.
"Reirousa!" Link exclaimed, checking to see if she was okay.
"Ugh... sorry Link..." Reirousa groaned out.
"I should have known it was you all this time Imono." Nabooru stepped up to the rebel leader and spoke angerly, "Even before the war you would flaunt that ego of yours and treat our people as disposable tools for you and Ganondorf. I see your loss to the Hylians hasn't humbled you in the slightest."
"You're still blind to the truth after all these years Nabooru." Imono said as they smacked and slashed at each other with their blades, "As long as the Royal Family rules this land, we Gerudo will continue to suffer."
"You must be blind if you think we'll live in prosperity under Ganondorf. He doesn't care about us, and he never cared about you!" Nabooru shouted, "He only desires power and control!"
"Hmph, you said those same things all those years ago. And they still ring hollow today. " Imono spoke, "I attempted to reasn with the royals and ask for Ganondorf to be released from prison all that time ago. I was merely met with laughter. "
"For good reason." Nabooru said, "He can never be freed, or it will mean the death of Hyrule!"
"And that's why the time for peace and negotiations ended long ago. Now is the time we bring a full force of destruction and death to the Hylians." she held out the Soulbinder,
"Soon their blood shall join yours on this blade..." she sported a devilish smirk, "...as well as join with 'their' blood too."
Nabooru's eyes widened, her body became stiff as she recalled a memory from long ago.
"You damn monster..." Nabooru squeezed her scimitar handles tightly, "I'll never forgive you both!" as she charged at at Imono.
Nabooru tried her best to fight off the rebel leader, but despite her immense strength, even she was starting to weaken thanks to the battles she had experienced that day, and was soon knocked away, skidding over beside Link and Reirousa. Imono slowly walked towards the three, holding out her red sword and staring down at them with her bloodshot eye.
"And now, it is time to finally end the reign of you traitors and the false king." Imono spoke, bringing up her sword, "Farewell."
Link looked to his left and right at Nabooru and Reirousa who were both in a daze. He closed his eyes, as he felt that sinister voice calling out to him again. He wanted to resist it, but his choices were running out...
But before he could come to a decision, suddenly a large force of energy came up and blocked off Imono's attack.
"What?" exclaimed the rebel leader.
Link looked up weakly to see the strange barrier in-between him and Imono. She brought up her sword and struck fiercely against it, causing it to crackle a little but hold firmly.
"Where did that come from...?" Link whispered.
He then faintly saw what appeared to be someone new in front of the barrier; their form was transparent and was fading in and out of existence. It appeared to be an elderly man with dark skin, had a hunched back, and wearing a tan robe. He had his hands out seeming to be keeping the barrier up. One thing that stood out to Link though was a certain emblem embroidered on the back of the robe.
'It seems I've arrived just in time.' Link heard an echoed voice speak in his head, though it definitely wasn't the Fierce Deity.
"Wait a minute, you're one of the-" Link spoke up, but was cut off by the man.
'You've tasted this fiend's strength, now you must understand what you need to stop her.' the old man seemed to be communicating to him through telepathy, 'I will keep this barrier up for as long as I am able, but you must flee chosen one, and seek the power needed to stop her. The power that dwells in 'that' place.'
"..." Link stared down at his shattered sword, and then to Nabooru, "Listen, I'm not sure if you know... but if I do try to claim that power, the path will open and-!"
'Don't concern yourself about that. For now you must go and save yourself. The future of Hyrule depends on you!' the man said as Imono clashed against the barrier with the Soulbinder.
"What's goin' on...?" Reirousa groaned as she regained conscious, "My head's dizzy..."
"Ugh, same here..." Nabooru said, "What happened, did Link stop Imono or-?"
But then Nabooru looked up at the barrier in front of them. For a brief second, she could have sworn she saw the faint image of the same man Link had seen, and a strange unnerving feeling was rising up within her...
"Nabooru, Reirousa, we gotta get going!" Link shouted, snapping her out of her thoughts, as he helped them both get up.
"R-Right." Nabooru spoke, she looked over at the grate to see the Eox had finally disintegrated thanks to Reirousa's effort of breaking it down earlier, "Let's move!"
"Gotcha!" Reirousa said, she grabbed up one of the rebel prisoners and ran for the grate as Link, Nabooru and the two other prisoners leaped down into the sewer passage. Reirousa grabbed the metal grate and pulled it over the hole before she went down the ladder, giving it a firm yank to bend the bars and get it stuck in the hole in order to block off the rebels.
"Just what kind of power is this?!" Imono shouted out in frustration as she brought her sword down once again against the strange barrier before her. Suddenly the barrier shattered and disappeared, but she saw Link, Nabooru, Reirousa and the three rebels were all gone.
"Huh? What the heck just happened?" Hetoma asked looking around, "How did the false king do that?!"
"Woah, he really pulled it off..." Meokuro spoke in awe.
"Find them!" Aseaku shouted out to the solders, "Search everywhere!"
Imono silently stood in the center of the arena, squeezing at the handle of her sword. She could faintly hear the rebel Gerudo all scrambling around and shouting out as they were beginning their search of the false king and Nabooru.
"That barrier... it couldn't have been..." she muttered, "Damn him..."
"We managed to get away." Link sighed out as he, Nabooru, Reirousa, their backup guards, and the freed rebel prisoners stood looking out at Gerudo Fortress from a safe distance.
They heard all kinds of shouting and screaming as the lights of torches could be seen moving around. It was clear the rebels were all in a frenzy trying to find them, unaware of Link and his friends having escaped through the sewers via Reirousa's secret hideout.
"Link, I can't thank you enough." Nabooru said, giving him a kiss on the cheek, "I don't know what would had happened if you and Reirousa hadn't shown up."
"I couldn't help myself, you mean too much to me." Link said, patting one of the rebel prisoners on the head as she was hugging him in gratitude as well, "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you again."
"Again?" Nabooru asked raising an eyebrow.
"Uh, I mean-" Link realized he impulsively said that last word. He would have normally claimed it was a slip of the tongue, but he stopped himself and shook his head, "No, once we get back and things have settled down, I promise I'll tell you and the others everything I've been meaning to say."
"...very well." Nabooru nodded, "In that case, let's go home."
"You sure we can go with you?" asked a worried rebel prisoner, "You're sure you're not gong to execute us for defying you or something?"
"Nah. You might have to spend some time in rehabilitation, but just like I told you all in the arena, we want you to become a part of our society." Link sported a goofy grin, "Our goal isn't to strike down the rebels, but to save them like we just did with you."
The two rebel girls blushed lightly, before they suddenly both embraced Link tightly, giving him affectionate kisses all over his face, thanking him for freeing them.
Nabooru snickered at how quickly attached they had gotten to Link. Reirousa meanwhile looked away, feeling a little jealous at the attention the girls were giving him. She then noticed the third rebel prisoner Amela, looking out at the fortress with a pained look in her eyes.
"Sis..." spoke Amela, whose sister was in the arena stands and had been watching helplessly as 'Mother Eclipsis' had forced her to battle Nabooru. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Nabooru, Link and Reirousa all looking to her reassuringly.
"Don't worry." Nabooru spoke, "We intend to save everyone, including your sister."
Amela took one last look at the fortress, before she nodded and the group went off on their way, Nabooru holding an arm over Amela's shoulder for comfort.
"How is Prince Ghilamrelm, is he okay?" asked a pleading member of the Gerudo 'prince's' harem from outside the Gerudo Fortress medical room.
"The prince's injuries are healing quickly, though something else does seem to be bothering her." a rebel doctor said looking over at the prince, "Ugh, I wish Dr. Eifou was here. Even with half a foot in the grave, she's way better at managing things around here then I am."
"So, the prince really is a woman...?" spoke one of the harem girls, put off by the mention of 'her'.
"Yes, I confirmed it during my examination." nodded the doctor, spinning a syringe in her hand, "Apparently Dr. Eifou was Prince Ghilmarelm's primary physician and she was ordered by Mother Eclipsis not to tell anyone about the prince's true gender."
"I wonder why she said that?" pondered a harem member.
"Not sure, though frankly I've been hearing people around here talking more about our leader's decision-making as of late." said the doctor, "Especially now we know she's actually War Commander Imono."
"Look, either way we just need to see him, or her, whatever!" said the harem girl at the front. Despite the doctor's attempts to leave her be, the girls all barged into the treatment room to see Prince Ghilmarelm sitting up on a bed, staring at the ceiling. She didn't even seem to have touched the food she was given.
"Prince Ghilmarelm! We missed you!" said one harem girl hugging her.
"We're so glad you're okay!"
"Yeah, don't worry! We're sure you'll get your rematch against the false king Link soon enough!"
Their words didn't seem to get through to her at all though, as her thoughts were focused on something...
"That bastard Link..." muttered Ghilmarelm as she leaned forward on her elbow, with her features darkened, "He..."
"H-Hey, are you okay, our Prince...?" asked another with concern.
"..." Prince Ghilmarelm was in deep thought about what had happened back at the arena. For the longest time she couldn't stop thinking about the intense battle she had with Link. The way he swung his weapon, his unrelenting bravery, the compassionate words he spoke to the rebels, and there was the fact he apparently went around without a shirt, showing off that strong chest of his...
"...Prince Ghilmarelm?" asked a harem girl, waving her hand in front of her face.
"He... was... so cool..."
Ghilmarelm said with glazed over eyes and sporting a dopey grin on her face, as drool hung from her mouth.
"HUH?!" was the harem girls' reaction.
"We're sorry Mother, we couldn't find any of them. They've completely eluded us."
A rebel spoke to Imono some time later that night, having failed to track down Link and the others.
"..."
Imono said nothing as she sat on her throne, but pointed her finger away to gesture the rebel to leave immediately. The rebel nervously nodded and ran off.
There was a heavy silence in the Gerudo Fortress throne room as Imono scrapped her fingertips against the armrest of her seat. She reached up and felt at her face that was now half exposed by her mask being destroyed by Link.
"Termina... Not even King Ganondorf ever figured out a way to reach that place... just who is that damned false king?"
Imono was growing angrier by the second, her patience was already wearing thin before; but after experiencing failure after failure in her rebellion against Nabooru and Link she was practically at her breaking point.
In her attempt to torture Nabooru by sending out monsters to kill her in the arena, the traitorous woman instead had proved to be more powerful than she estimated by destroying them all, and now thanks to that there was a shortage of war beasts. The monster tamers were having to work overtime to try and recuperate their losses.
There was also the matter of Princess Ghimarelm. She was raised through her early years by her father Ganondorf in his own image. After Ganondorf's imprisonment, Imono had intended on her to stand as an emblem of hope for the future of the Gerudo people. As long as they believed there was a male heir to the throne it gave them confidence to keep the flames of rebellion going and eventually free Ganondorf. But now that Ghilmarelm's true gender was revealed by the false king, the people were falling back into that despair once again.
And now that her own true face and identity was revealed to her people, the rebels were gossiping about this new information, including that the false king escaped her when she finally had him at her mercy. There was talk about the people doubting Imono's ability to lead them, and some even planning to defect from the Ebony Sisterhood. She would normally have had them executed in the past just for thinking that, but that would only cause even more doubt in the people who still followed her.
Imono closed her eyes, as she recalled the words of the prophet who told her of her destiny, and the ritual that must happen to free Ganondorf from the great power keeping him sealed away in Hyrule Castle's prison...
"When the blood moon is cast over the field of battle, the blood of Hylian and Gerudo alike shall be spilled, and only then when the false king is struck down, shall the true Gerudo King rise to power again."
In the past, Imono had been uncertain about following through on the ritual. She felt if she could kill the false king immediately, then all the Gerudo people would rise up against Hyrule. After finding out the news of Link being appointed as the king of Gerudo Town by the rebel mole Nilonu, she sent an assassin known as The Slicer to kill him, but that ended in failure.
"That prophet said we were the chosen ones." Imono spoke softly, "The ones that shall strike down the corrupt Hyrule royals, save our king, and rule over all of Hyrule. That is supposed to be our destiny... so why do I keep facing such hardships?"
The guards in the room were already intimidated enough by the sight of the masked woman 'Mother Eclipsis', but they were even more nervous of the sight of the true face of their leader Commander Imono. They did what they could to hide that fear, and focused on guarding her.
Just then, the doors burst open as some guards were trying to hold back a familiar person. It was the beast tamer and freestyle singer 'Big G' Jousak, covered in injuries and trying to hold herself up with a stick.
"Yo, I said I don't need any treatment right now ya bitch!" Jousak protested to one guard, "I gotta report to the Big Momma about what happened!"
"Sister Jousak, is something the matter? You're supposed to be stationed in Gerudo Town." Imono spoke.
Jousak gulped a bit nervously at the sight of the rebel leader. Like the other rebels, she had no idea Mother Eclipsis was actually the war commander Imono. Seeing the cold scowl of the aging woman's face intimidated her, but she stepped up and took a deep breath.
"Mot- erm, Commander Imono?" Jousak started, "Somethin's up big time over in Gerudo Town!"
"... … ...do tell me." Imono spoke, her nails scratching against the armrest.
The guards backed up nervously as Jousak gulped, "T-The truth is I just hurried back here from town... A bunch of the false king's brides managed to sneak in somehow and lay the beat-down on us! They even captured all the rebels we stationed there!"
The guards all gasped out in shock from this bad news. Imono just sat on her throne silently.
"...and what of Sister 'MAGIS'?" Imono asked, referring to the automation maid rebel who usually served by her side.
"... ...looks like she lost and got captured too." Jousak said hanging her head down in shame, "The others got thrown into the crowbar hotel, and I'm the only one who managed to escape."
"... … ..." Imono slowly stood up from her throne and walked down the small staircase towards Jousak, standing a respectable distance from her. "...I see you don't have the mystical Four Bracelet I trusted you with either." she pointed out.
"Y-Yeah, one of the false king's brides snatched it..." muttered Jousak, recalling how she lost to Nemisa. She then rose her head up, "B-But you don't have to worry about a thing Big Momma! We can take it and the town back again! We just need to round up some more posse, and we can give those bitches the smackdown for reals, yo!"
Imono just stared down at Jousak silently for a few moments, before she spoke out to the rebel.
"No... I've decided to give up on that sandpit they call a town, it is a lost cause. We shall take back King Ganondorf without it or it's resources."
"But Momma-!" Jousak started taking a step forward, but was cut off in her words as she suddenly felt a strange warm sensation through her body. She was in stunned silence as Imono lowered her hand, showing she was holding the Soulbinder sword.
"And as you Sister Jousak..." Imono spoke with a cold, eerie scowl in her unmasked eye, "You have failed me for the third and final time."
"Mo-mo-mma..." muttered the freestyle singer rebel Big G Jousak, as she started to feel intense pain throughout her body.
Imono turned and walked away as the guards were treated to the sickening sight of Jousak literally falling to pieces, having been slashed through her weakened body by the full power of the Soulbinder. Imono's crimson sword was dripping with Jousak's blood momentarily, but the energy coursing through the blade vaporized it off cleanly.
"Call the custodial staff to come clean up this mess." Imono spoke, walking off towards the back exit of the throne room, "I must prepare for the war of Hyrule, and there's little time left..."
The rebel leader clenched her fist at her chest, thinking about her beloved husband and king Ganondorf. Remembering her resolve, she went through the door and down the hallway.
"Finally, when the blood moon rises, our true king shall stand tall over this land."
And that ends the chapter. Our heroes have escaped with their lives, but Link has come to a realization and has to be honest with his friends and his people. Next time though, we're going to take a light relief from all the action, as our heroes celebrate their victory. While a certain training general has something she needs to confess of her own.
I hope people aren't TOO disappointed that Link didn't win the battle, but this all important to what I have already planned for the story. I can assure you though, that he'll get his time soon enough.
A big thank you all for reading! Leave a like, follow, comment, or just send me a PM if you desire. Your feedback is always encouraged!