Hyrule under Fire
Toward the End
The beaten, bruised, bloodied entourage appeared at the ruinous castle entranceway. They sweat from the heat of cindered rubble and hungry flames, yet they remained standing, as heavily devitalized as they were. Rubble had clogged the moat, a tower having collapsed sometime ago.
Sounds of violence from Market Town reverberated up the cliff path, reaching the castle. Arn's heart nearly burst. Link, Medilia...
Sir Combsly wiped his sooty brow. "We lost the castle and town. We lost our king. It's over."
"As long as I breathe," Impa said, "I will honor my oath to the Royal Family, even if they have already perished."
Upon overhearing noise, the rebels rushed towards the fiery entranceway, hesitating from the flames. Nevertheless, the last defenders braced themselves. Insurgents ran over the clogged moat. They charged into the castle for the final strike.
Impa threw a Deku Nut, blinding the first rank, giving the knights and guards enough time to counter-charge. Both sides crashed into each other, front row of blinded rebels slain. Yet, the exhausted defenders were gradually pushed back, denying the rebels with loyalty alone, for nothing else remained.
"Loyalty till death!" Arn hilt-punched a rebel down, hacking away at the new horde and punching his armored left hand into faces. Each swing and punch took a rebel down, their swords and axes cracking his armor.
Sir Combsly pommel-bashed a rebel's horned helmet, kicking him back then lunging through his neck. Armor withstanding axes and spears from all directions, Combsly swung like a dying lion, felling rebels per stroke.
Although exhausted, Impa remained acrobatic, evading attacks while parrying with her tanto. She disarrayed incoming weapons, taking advantage of her long, long legs and kicking out her foes' legs. A rebel thrust his spear; Impa grabbed the shaft with her spare hand, swiping his hands with her tanto. Yanking the spear from his grasp, Impa kicked him back then threw the spear into another rebel, though she was swarmed. A Deku Nut flashed; when Impa reappeared, several rebels lie dead.
Encouraged by the heroism, the other knights and guards fought with everything they had left. The melee was vicious amid flames, both obstacles and dangers to those pushed over them. Despite flames and exhaustion, the defenders refused to yield.
Surprised by their resilience despite grievous circumstances, the rebels hesitated. The defenders panted heavily, lungs burning with pain, flames around them burning away most oxygen.
Arn turned his head. "What!?"
Several sooty knights and a dozen seared rebels appeared behind the defenders, more insurgents emerging from the rubble.
"Still alive? You've become quite an annoyance, Arn," Sir Châtel said, pointing his ax forth. "Well, whatever...not for much longer. Your son will have no parents to weep for him very soon."
Arn's grip tightened.
Impa grunted. "Tanneguy...why are you doing this?"
The rebel leader paused, dissatisfaction emanating through his helmet. He raised his visor, tattooed face expressionless, eyes blank. "I am not a pawn for passive gods. I am no one's puppet." He hoisted his ax over his pauldron. "The only way to end this cycle of pointless destiny is to rip it out from its very roots. After this rebellion... We won't stop with the Gorons and Zoras. After them, I will go after the newest upstart from the desert, Ganondorf. I will deal with him and every single vai...as I did unto the Gerudo meant to be his mother." He slid his thumb across his neck. "We do not need those who hold destiny in their hands. No fate, but what we make."
The Sheikah growled, her teeth clenched. "Rather than just accepting things for how they are...you desire slaughtering everyone in your way. You think yourself terrifying, but there's is nothing about you I fear, only adding to my hatred."
Tanneguy slowly chuckled. "You aren't afraid of me, are you? Then, when I catch you, woman... I will butcher you slowly. Very, very...slowly. The Shadow Temple will seem like a mercy."
"And you questioned the purpose of the Shadow Temple..." a regal voice echoed from the darkness.
Everyone looked to the side.
Slowly, The King emerged from the shadows and flickering flames, a wrapped blanket in his arm.
Impa gasped.
His Majesty angrily pointed his Royal Claymore at the rebel leader. "...For monsters like you!"
"If I'm someone who can be stopped, then try to stop me!"
Yet, from either side of The King two figures appeared, a pair of old knights, Gregal and Orca.
"At last, this is it," Sir Orca said, pointing his sword back as it glowed yellow, rebel knights approaching him. "En garde!" He attacked wildly while blocking every incoming attack. "HOH! HEEYA! HEYH! HEEYA! HOY!" Nothing could get past his masterful moves.
The melee ensued, both sides fighting like wild lions regardless of injuries or exhaustion.
Orca took on the rebels, sometimes blocking with his fists and legs. He and Gregal protected their king and princess with unending seal, Tanneguy beating back every time he charged.
The King swung his claymore with furious abandon one-handed, Princess Zelda safely within his free hand. No matter what happened, His Majesty protected his last hope, not even the loss of his kingdom could stand in the way.
Arn and his defenders resisted the rebels entering the castle, hacking their foes asunder. The axeman who had emerged from rubble charged him, Arn spinning around and slashing the familiar axeman across the face.
"HRRRARRRR!" The axeman snarled, blood gushing out his beastly visage. Eyes bloodshot, the axeman shook his head wildly, snarling like an animal. Despite not looking like much other than being a strong man, each blow of his ax hurled a knight or guard off his feet, their breastplate sundered.
Arn swung, blade bouncing off the axeman's head, Arn punching the axeman yet gauntlet only thudding. The berserk man's ax crashed into Arn's cuirass, hurling him into the wall.
Sir Combsly leapt between them, lunging his sword clean through the berserker's sternum. Growling, the axeman writhed up the blade, closing in on Combsly and cleaving his helm asunder.
Arn picked himself up and gasped. His friend's face erupted with redness, yet he did not fall, weakly punching at his wild foe. The berserker hoisted Combsly over his shoulder, running over and throwing him into a pillar of flames...
"Combsly!"
He disappeared into a tomb of cinders. Embers and flames spilled into his armor, filling all the space within. Trapped by the weight of heavy armor, he could not move...
The axeman spun around, ripping Combsly's sword out himself and throwing it down. He breathed like a furnace, ax raised overhead, the berserker trudging towards Arn. The captain raised his shield as he got up, exchanging blows with his foe; the berserker stomped Arn's knee
"AAHHH!" Arn's knee buckled aloud, disjointed and cracked. The axeman went for the killing blow—Impa threw her tanto, which thudded into his skull. He fell to his knees, growling.
Snarling, Arn stood, dropping his sword and grabbing his shin, forcing it forwards again, the crack making him scream. He knelt up, slashing down rebels trying to take advantage of his vulnerability, finding only death. Arn found a moment to briefly rest, looking around.
The few knights and guards remaining were swarmed but fought on, Tanneguy and his knights busy against the king, Gregal and Orca. With his endless moves, Orca kept the evil knights back, steadily chipping away their armor.
Meanwhile, the berserker regained his senses, ripping the tanto out his head and throwing it. Impa charged in with a leaping knee strike into his face, his jawbone cracking. Yet, he grabbed Impa mid-air and slammed her head into the floor, then stomped her skull.
The berserker spun around to Arn, snarling, great ax descending...
"I must not fail!" Arn knelt, thrusting his shield into the axeman's thighs while leaning inward, movement flipping the berserker over himself. The axeman crashed into burning debris. Arn turned, slashing his sword across the axeman's head, blood spraying. Furious, the berserker stood, seemingly unaffected by flames as he looked for his ax.
Arn rammed the point of his shield into the floor, where it stuck in. The berserker grabbed his ax and raised his, growling through gritted teeth. As he charged, Arn raised his sword, the axeman instinctively aligning his weapon to block—Arn dropped his sword, scooping up the berserker with his hands and flipping him over, slamming his back against the vertical edge of his shield. KRRRK! The berserker's spine had wetly snapped against the rim.
The Guard Captain fell to his knees from exertion, the berserker rolling off. Arn picked up his sword and shield, felling several rebels. He turned, limping towards his king.
Tanneguy plunged his battleaxe into Orca's blade, halting his attack then grabbing his foe's sword and headbutting him down. Sir Châtel swung down, Orca blocking despite lying on his back; Tanneguy stomped on the elder's abdomen, crushing the old master's strength out...
Sir Châtel walked over Orca, approaching His Majesty
Gregal and The King exchanged blows with the other rebel knights and insurgents, though were slowly overwhelmed. Cut by many swords, Gregal put up a heroic struggle yet was inevitably overcome, his attackers moving onto their main target. The King faltered from so many attacks. His claymore kinked, slowly breaking apart. He fell over, clutching the crying princess as blood gushed through his teeth.
Amid bloodied blades, starving flames, and hatred, Princess Zelda wept, mouth too dry for her to make much sound. She clutched Father, pushing her head against his chest, incapable of understanding the horrible chaos all around her. Father defended with his Royal Claymore until, at last, Tanneguy's ax shattered the great sword. The King's strength waned as the ax chipped away at him...
The rebel leader raised his battleaxe—a flash erupted, blinding Tanneguy.
Impa reappeared, attacking the stunned knight everywhere she found gaps in his armor, tanto dripping red. Growling, Sir Châtel grabbed her throat with one hand, though she kept stabbing him regardless, no matter how tightly he clenched her trachea.
"Silly girl." Tanneguy swung his ax.
Impa winced, thrusting both legs into her foe's kneecaps He fell, Impa pulling him down while thrusting her legs into his midsection, flipping him over. She had slid out his grasp, the other rebel knights nevertheless attacking her until she fell.
At that, Sir Châtel regained his footing. He went over, shoving aside his knights beating up Impa. Grimacing, she snarled—nothing else she could do. Tanneguy pressed his boot against her throat, choking her.
Impa writhed, trying to push the foot off her. Her legs kicked. She convulsed.
Sir Châtel took his boot off, Impa hoarsely gasping, desperately coughing as her lungs clawed air back in. "Let her be. Leave her choking as she sees everything crumble." He went over and began swinging his battleaxe at the weaponless king, his arm raised over his daughter to shield her. The hefty blows carved His Majesty's arm open, yet the father protected his only child the one way he could...
Limping, Arn went towards his king while felling rebels in his wake, until none dared oppose him. Yet, all remaining allies were either beaten down or slain—CHRRK!
Arn wobbled, a big ax embedded between his neck and left shoulder. The berserker weakly stood by him, back crooked, gasping for breath.
His carotid artery severed, what blood Arn had left would soon run out. Hands weakened, he dropped his sword and shield, falling to his knees.
"My King... Hyrule..."
Life faded.
Images of his wife and son, both happily waiting for him, flowed through his mind.
"Link..." Arn grabbed his sword and thrust upwards. His blade pierced the axeman's sternum from below, crossguard ramming against his ribs.
Blood trickled down the fuller.
The berserker's ferocity faded. He limply fell over, sword left in him...
Tanneguy hacked away at The King, the few remaining guards and loyal knights too exhausted to fight well.
Yellow Magic glowing nearby...
"...I have finally learned it," Orca said, sword glowing yellow.
Sir Châtel raised his head, battleaxe motionless as blood dripped from its chipped edge.
"My long-held dream... I give this freely... Hurricane Spin!" Orca leapt, whirling mid-air as a vast, yellow wave followed his blade. After a few revolutions, the Magic Power collided with Tanneguy, rupturing his armor, visor breaking off and hitting the wall.
Tanneguy snarled as he regained balance, Orca leaping forth to finish him off—Sir Châtel threw his weapon. The ax whirled forth, hidden by smoke and flames, lodging into Orca's helmet, steel splitting asunder. Tanneguy caught the stunned yet airborne elder by the throat, holding him mid-air. "You old fool." Arn ripped his battleaxe out Orca's helm, then smote him once again, knocking him to the floor.
Sir Châtel kicked Orca's visor up. "What did you expect, Orca? Victory?" He raised his ax...
The old master coughed blood. "No, not victory... Just a few seconds."
Tanneguy du Châtel looked to the side—Impa thrust her tanto upwards behind his chin, tsuba ramming into his jawbone.
Panting, Impa leaned in so Tanneguy could hear, "Told you so."
Sir Châtel stiffened, his battleaxe thudding down. The armored knight's back clanked to the floor. By his death, the Communion was severed.
Panting, Impa fell to her hands and knees, coughing blood. She looked up, too weak to snarl. The remaining insurgents, upon seeing the death of their leader, fled. The rebel knights stood stoically, one of them walking to Impa as she sat up, checking her empty sheathe.
The rebel knight bent over, visor up, long hair hanging over the breastplate. The knight made eye contact with the Sheikah. To Impa's surprise, the knight was a woman, her face tattooed with black swirling patterns. Unblinking, the chevaleresse simply said, "We do not forget." At that, the rebel knights sheathed their swords and walked away.
Impa spat blood out, just glaring. She heard footfall and turned her head. A few guards and loyal knights limped towards their monarch, who lie motionless, Princess Zelda sobbing but trying to sleep. She lifted her head over the covers, shielding herself from the flames all around. She heard movement and hid back under her blanket, big eyes slowly reappearing.
The guards and knights knelt. "Your Majesty."
Groaning, The King sat up, dazed, shoulders swaying. He was too tired to speak. He noticed Impa crawl to Orca, checking if he had a pulse.
Impa sighed, her head dropping from disappointment. "Master Orca...thank you." She wiped her face and gasped. "Arn!?"
Arn's breathing was weak, eyelids heavy, blood leaking out his mouth.
"Arn? Not you, too..." Impa put her arm under his shoulders, trying to help him sit up, but he had naught the strength. Her eyes became shiny. She rested her head on his, holding him. "Please don't go." Teardrops trickled, mingling with bitter blood.
Arn weakly whispered, "Impa...win this battle...for Hyrule."
She shut her wet eyes tightly, breathing through clenched teeth. "I will."