Hyrule under Fire

Oldenheart's Last Stand

Jenard, who had only staggered from the blast, leapt down the stone steps, great size and weight crushing rebels underfoot. Whirling his berdiche like a windmill, the mighty blade smashed through weapons and shields, cleaving several foes with each swing. Whenever his berdiche stopped, he headbutted and pushkicked enemies, creating the space he needed to gyrate his weapon.

The huge warrior held his berdiche sideways and rammed the shaft into the rebels, holding them all back. "You'll need to do better than that to get past me!"

A rebel slipped through and thrust a torch into Jenard's good eye. "AAARRR!" He stomped the rebel's knee, snapping it backwards, berdiche finishing him off. Blinded by fire, the old man whirled his weapon in all directions, panting heavily but keeping the rebels at bay, though his weapon, pauldrons and body armor sustained excessive damage in the exchange of blows.

Senses regained, Arn got up, helping a few other soldiers up while the few remaining knights preoccupied the insurgents. The drawbridge chains rattled, bridge shaking.

"Fall back! Get into the keep!" Arn ordered, though Jenard fought on even half-blinded.

The drawbridge struggled from so much weight of the dead and living, barely making any progress.

Arn rolled over a guard. "Kevin? You there!? Kevin!"

No response.

Arn's head lowered. Nearby, a squire groaned. Arn picked him up and carried him inside.

A Castle Guard appeared from the battlements, throwing bombs one after the other, causing greater havoc amidst the besiegers, Jenard untroubled from smoke and shrapnel.

While the Castle Guards above bombarded the besiegers, Arn helped the surviving defenders into the castle. Jenard remained outside, fending off the horde alone, sweating and bleeding profusely.

"Jenard! Get into the keep!" Arn picked up a fallen knight's sword and ran across the drawbridge—he skipped as a platoon of Bombchus went over the dead then zigzagged underfoot. Most exploded against the remaining defenders, the others snaking up the gatehouse and battlements, blasting the Castle Guards up there away.

While the rebels below the stairway fought Jenard, a pot-bellied figure cartwheeled alongside the gates, more Bombchus noisily skating to Arn. He jumped over them, the figure moving his arms in opposing circular patterns, laughing before vanishing into a puff of purple smoke; the Bombchus exploded behind Arn, hurling him into the paved road.

Arn recovered and scanned the area. The teleporting figure had not returned. Arn went forth. "Jenard! I'm coming!"

Huffing and puffing, Jenard's swings lost momentum. The rebels thrust pitchforks into his arms, finally halting his berdiche. As if demented ants, they swarmed the old warrior, who refused to let go of his weapon as he was hacked down to his knees.

"Jenard!" Arn yelled from behind.

Jenard looked back. Arn fought like a madman, yet unable to bypass the innumerable rebels rushing the stone steps.

Face and beard bloody, Jenard used the last of his strength to push away his enemies, though his injured muscles failed him, feeling like red-hot wires searing his body—he could not lift his berdiche. Thunder rumbled, followed by lightning.

The rebels parted as a warhorse wearing spiked barding and a horned chanfron cantered amidst them, horseshoes clattering against the stone pathway. Blued heavy armor emblazoned with the Triforce, and donning a horned great helm, the knight dismounted, the rebels not interfering with him.

Jenard grunted, blood leaking out his mouth. "So, the renegade shows himself... But which Tanguy are you? Tanneguy III du Châtel, or Tanneguy IV du Chastel?"

The knight calmly approached. "I am neither." He gestured to himself. "I am this Tanneguy du Châtel, the last Sir Châtel you will know."

"Hmph. And how dare you betray your kingdom… Wearing the Triforce is a mockery of your former allegiance to the Royal Family."

Sir Châtel took his helm off, carrying it under his arm. Moonlight revealed he had braided, long red hair, bearded face adorned with swirling tattoos as blue as his eyes. White cloak waving in the wind, he stood before Jenard. "Your loyalty and courage are admirable."

"You have neither," Jenard spat. "Only the heaviest betrayal in all Hyrule."

Tanneguy slid his battleaxe out his belt, checking its moonlit edge. "You have not seen what I have seen."

"And what did you see?" Jenard hissed.

"The monument of greed and hatred...the real betrayal. I consider you part of that evil."

"You swore fealty to the King!" Jenard stood, berdiche raised by his sliced muscles and torn tendons one more time…

Surprised by the elder's resilience, the rebels flinched aside.

"I will deal with him…myself." Keeping his helm under his arm, Sir Châtel's battleaxe clashed with the warrior's berdiche, thunder and lightning overhead.

After a violent exchange, Jenard pushkicked Sir Châtel and painfully swung his heavy polearm. Tanneguy countered with an upward swing, the underside of his ax hooking the shaft and pulling it aside. Jenard grabbed the top of Sir Châtel's breastplate and pulled him in, headbutting him, helmet cracking against skull.

Tanneguy staggered. Jenard realigned but received an armored fist, Sir Châtel's spiked gauntlet splitting his mouth. Both seniors regained themselves and attacked once more, axes scraping and sparking against one another. Amid the flurry, Tanneguy's ax slipped around Jenard's guard, cutting his forehead open.

Groaning, brow leaking blood, Jenard swung with every ounce of a dying man's power. Tanneguy threw his helm at his foe, smashing Jenard's visage apart and staggering him. Nevertheless, the elder spat a mouthful of blood and swung again. Sir Châtel stepped in, grabbing the incoming shaft with his free hand…

Arn fought through the line of rebels and stood atop the stone steps…seeing Jenard's head split by a battleaxe. "Jennnarrrd!"

The old warrior fell to his knee, rebels cheering. Blood pouring out his head, Jenard raised his berdiche one last time—Sir Châtel's ax slammed the berdiche aside and delivered the killing blow.

The elder collapsed with his weapon.

Arn clenched his teeth. "Jenard…"

Tanneguy's horse walked to his master, both beasts staring at the guard captain.

The drawbridge clanged and, finally, began closing. Arn raised his sword, the only man defending access into Hyrule Castle.

"Your loyalty and courage are admirable, too," Sir Châtel commented.

"Go to hell," Arn grunted.

Tanneguy cocked his head, then turned his head, towards the castle town. "See you there."

Arn's heart stopped as he beheld more smoke and flames rising from the castle town, as if some dragon devouring the architecture, only encouraging the rebels' frenzy. My family...