Chapter 35: Trampled Beneath the Powerful

Today was the day. Nabooru woke up in a good mood, but that was not unusual. She was always in a good mood before a battle. Her tent-mates had their own little quirks when they prepared for the coming fight. Jocqueline was still sitting on her blankets staring off into nothing. Makeela was already up, half dressed, and pacing around what little part of the tent wasn't covered in armor or half-sleeping warriors. Mulli was praying.

Each of them were worried in some way. They saw battle as some terrifying venture, or a grim duty that must be performed. They worried about their death, or the death of their loved ones.

But to her, battle meant being alive. It was the time where she truly shined, where she could simply be herself. Let go of any and all considerations except for the blades before you and the one in her hand. The only time she even felt close to as comfortable as when she was in battle was… well with Sir Jora.

And now was not the time to think about him.

Once she had her equipment all set and checked, she led her sisters out of the tent and into the campgrounds. She took a deep breath of the cold crisp mountain air that stung at her lungs, almost as if she was breathing into a sandstorm. It was strange, while they had been camped within the mountain it had been so hot it almost felt like home. But as soon as they left the Goron's mine and back out into the mountainside it was nothing but chilly. Nabs and most of her sisters rode with their blankets wrapped around their shoulders.

But today it did not feel so bad. Today her blood ran hot.

Some of her warriors were already ready and waiting, but she had still beaten the majority. Good. A leader should always be the example for the rest. A handful ready before her was nothing. But if she was one of the last, that would be unforgivable.

Across the grounds she could see Bethmasse coming out of her own tent, just behind her that little voe she called her squire was carrying some of her weapons. It was almost comical seeing the little Hylian struggling to hold onto the equipment far too large for him.

She let out a small groan, of course she'd have to deal with that. "Sisters, I want you to make certain that all the tents are at least awake. We eat quick and then we go."

"Of course, commander," Makeela said as the others nodded.

Nabooru stepped away from them and toward Bethe and the voe.

"You will stay close to me," Bethe was saying. "Battle is dangerous, you must keep your head."

The boy was nodding, his jaw set. No fear in his eyes, the fool.

"No," Nabooru said as she approached the pair of them.

"Pardon? Commander Nabs?"

"You're not taking him into the battle."

Bethmasse looked confused. "He is my squire. Squires ride into battle with their knights."

"You're not a knight, and he doesn't have a horse."

"I can get him one."

"How do we know he can even ride the thing?"

"I can ride!" the boy said, his Gerudo was getting much better, she had to give the boy that.

"See?" Bethe smiled proud. "The boy said he can ride. I do not see the problem, sister. You were about his age the first time you rode into battle. I killed my first man only a year older."

"We didn't have a choice."

"I've already fought Lizalfos!"

Nabooru shook her head before she locked eyes with the child. "I am not having another child's blood on my hands."

"But I can fight! I've been practicing. You've seen me. I'm good. You know I'm good."

"And Ganondorf pummeled you without even trying," she said. Not bothering to tell him he could probably do the same to half the warriors in the army. The last thing the boy needed was to think himself comparable to a grown warrior.

"But I want to fight."

"He wants to fight, Nabs."

"Yeah? Well, last night I want a warm meal, and a comfortable bed. Instead I slept in a tent with six other vai near freezing. So you, voe, are going to stay away from the battle and with the supplies."

The boy looked as if he wanted to argue, but at least he had the sense to stop himself. The only sensible thing she had ever seen him do, now that she thought about it. From picking fights with Lizalfos to attempting to assassinate Ganondorf in front of his own army.

He was, as far as Nabs was concerned, the most suicidal stupid child she had ever laid eyes on. So of course, she found she liked him a great deal.

"Listen," she knelt down in front of him. "Battles are… well they're glorious. I can remember every single one of them I've fought. I can remember every victory, every time the push of spears shifted to our side or against us. But I also remember every one of my sisters that died in my arms. I remember being run through with a lance. I remember not knowing if I was going to live or die. I remember pain that I hope you will never have to feel. And I remember how chaotic a battle can be."

The boy listened, but she was not certain if he understood. If he could even comprehend what she was trying to tell him. "So here is your task. I won't bring you in the thick of the battle. But you are now guard and protector of the supply chain. If any of the lizards get around us, you're our last line of defense. Understand?"

"Yes!" he said, wide eyed, excited about the new responsibility and the chance to prove himself. Let him have it, the Lizalfos would not be anywhere near the supply lines. He'd be safe, and what child doesn't want to think of themselves as a potential hero? She had that same dream more times than she could count.

Had she lived up to that dream?

Bah, thoughts for children. She was a soldier. That was enough. "Alight, keep your sword sharp and ready. When the battle is over, we'll swap stories about what we did. You ready Bethe?"

"Yes," the big woman took a position by her side as they headed toward their horses. Ganondorf had divided the army in half and half again. He would lead one part, the rest were given to his most trusted lieutenants, Nabooru of course, with Bethe and Dessi. "You are getting soft." she said once they were well out of earshot of the boy.

"Because I don't want a child running into a battle?"

"He is old enough. I bet if you look, you can find warriors in our own ranks as young him ready to charge into battle. Maybe younger."

"But they shouldn't be."

Bethe shrugged. "If the boy wishes to fight this is the battle to start him on. One we cannot lose and the enemy is…" she glanced around to make certain that no one was close enough to listen to them. "You know."

She had a point, sands take her. "I can't change my mind now."

"Of course, you are still the commander. But perhaps keep that in mind when we face the Octorok or the Moblins next. Let him see violence first hand, but safely."

"I'll think on it."

They reached the stables and Nabooru saddled up her new horse, Honeyhoof. A strong and fast mare that Jora had gifted her after she lost Mouse to the desert. This would be her first battle with the horse, that was something of an important event. "Do well today," she whispered as she pet the animal's massive neck, "and I'll make certain you can eat every sweet thing we have tonight? Good?"

The horse didn't make much of a reaction to that, but then horses rarely did. She pulled herself onto the saddle and rode out with Bethe down the line of tents toward the outer edge of the campsite. They reminisced on past battles and old glories until they reached several sentries around the embers of a fire.

One of the sentries waved as Nabooru and Bethe rode past. "No signs of Lizalfos," she called.

"Good," Nabooru waved back. Of course there were no signs of the Lizalfos. There was no plan for a raid, and even if there had been from this direction they would have to fight through-

Nabooru pulled at her reins and made the horse stop. For a moment she simply stared out over the empty land before her. Bethe did the same, her mouth hanging open.

"Where are the Gorons?"

She did not really expect Bethe to give her an answer. But to her credit the warrior directed her horse back, and a moment later rode back to Nabooru, half pulling, half dragging the sentry that had waved at them behind her.

"Where are the Gorons?" Nabooru asked again, as Bethe pushed the warrior stumbling forward.

"They left," the sentry said, as she tried to keep some bit of her dignity. She was a little older than Nabooru, by the look of her. And a veteran, by the scar on her nose.

"I can see that! Where did they go?"

"Toward the Crown." She pointed as if it was possible to not know where the top of the mountain was.

"And you didn't think to tell anyone?" Nabooru shouted. What kind of fool sentry? They should know better.

"I thought-" she said. "I mean, the Goron Chief- he came to us and- and well- he told us-"

"Spit it out!"

"He came by! To several of the fires. He said he wanted to make certain that we were prepared for when he left, that there was a change of plan and he would lead his army ahead to act as vanguard." She looked to her feet, trying to avoid Nabooru's gaze, shamed at her own stupidity. "He was friendly."

"And you didn't think it odd no one informed you!"

"We-" the sentry was almost a puddle of her own failure. "We even joked about how poor the communication was. He said that was why he came to check up on us. To make certain we were prepared should lizalfos come."

"Bethe," Nabooru snarled. "Find Gan, tell him what's going on."

"And you?"

"I've got to go find a missing army." She spurred her new horse forward over the cold mountainside.

Thankfully, she was following Gorons, they were not the most lightfooted of creatures. They stomped craters into the ground they passed, or left great tattered streaks where they must have rolled. But to her great surprise, the sentry was not wrong. She suspected the Gorons had turned coward or had some devious plot. That if she followed their tracks for long enough they would turn back around to set an ambush, or flee back to their homes.

But they did not. It was a steady climb toward the top of the mountain.

But if they were just traveling the correct path, why did they leave in the middle of the night? Why put themselves at greater risk? That was the whole point of the plan, the Gerudo move first, take the right flank for themselves which would seem the more dangerous position, but would allow them to maneuver the battle as they saw fit.

The Gorons abandoning them or betraying them, well that she could understand. But why do all this, if they were just going to head to battle?

What is going on? Nabs grit her teeth so hard her jaw hurt.

She heard the army far earlier than she saw them. What few trees lived on the side of the mountain shook by the force of them. If they had been moving stealthily in the night to get away from the camps without waking Gan they had clearly given up on that approach with the rising of the sun.

Honeyhoof was panting by the time she reached the back of the Goron's column. "You!" she shouted to the nearest one that looked something like an officer. It was difficult to tell with them, they wore so little clothes and only a few of them even wore armor. But the one she chose was a bit taller than the others with a nasty look about him. "You! Goron!"

The stoneman turned to look at her, snorted and gave a brief nod. "Gerudo."

"Do you know who I am?"

"You're a Gerudo," he shrugged. "I cannot tell you apart."

"I am Commander Nabooru, and I demand you bring me to your Chief."

Again the Goron shrugged. "Chief told me to guard the rear. Can't leave."

"Then just tell me where he is, curse you!"

He pointed lazily forward. "At the front, where else?"

"Sands take your entire halfwit filled army," she muttered to herself as he pushed her horse forward through disorganized rows of marching and rolling men with only the barest sense of discipline among them. If she had been their commander there would be punishments dolled out. There was even this strange gap in the lines where it seemed the Gorons were actively trying to avoid getting close to a series of wagons filled with strange black pots.

With such terrible organization, how slow would they be to respond if they were attacked now? Or did they simply trust that their hide would protect them long enough to get their response organized?

Halfwits. The lot of them.

True to his rearguard's word, Chief Darunia led the procession. No armor, but a hammer shaped from steel and stone resting on his shoulder.

"Darunia!" she shouted as soon as she recognized him, though she was still a good distance away. "Darunia! Turn around, you oversized piece of granite!"

One of the Goron's near him, that looked to be some kind of guard tensed and started to turn around, before the chief clapped him on the shoulder and whispered something in his ear. Then Darunia looked around with this big dumb smile plastered on him, the halfwit brute. "Ahh, commander, I did not expect-"

"What are you doing?" she screamed. She did not bother to let her horse stop before she half slid, half jumped from the saddle, landing straight in front of Darunia. Her hand rested on her sword, part of her wanted to run him through right now.

"You seem angry," he said in his slow gravelly voice. "Why?"

"What the- of course I'm angry. This wasn't the plan!"

"I know, but plans change, goro. This is my home, my land. And your master wished to ride ahead of me, to place his own army to defend the Crown? No. This is for the honor of the Gorons."

"Honor? You're speaking about honor now? Where was this talk when we made the plans? You're turning everything around. You're supposed to be on the left flank with the Gerudo on the right. Where is the honor in lying to your allies?"

His smile flickered, as if he had just heard something that infuriated him, but in a moment it was back and wider than ever. "I thank your master for being willing to take great risk for a people he has fought against most his life. But I am Chief Darunia, my ancestor won our title by besting a mighty dragon alone, with only his might and the strength of his hammer- my hammer." He nudged the massive weapon on his shoulder. "How can I call myself chief, if I do not place myself in the most dangerous position?"

"By putting your people in the safest!" She did not need to listen to the dumb rock's response to see he was not convinced. "If your honor mattered so much to you, why didn't you say anything when we discussed battle plans? We talked for hours. We worked through every contingency. You didn't think to bring this up?"

"You and your chief talk too fast. Make plans so quick. Hard for me to think straight."

Nabs ground her teeth together, and took a deep breath through her nose. It had been a joke told for years that Gorons were as stupid as the rocks they ate. She had always thought those stories were exaggerations, but by the Goddesses! Could Darunia – their leader – not realize how insane this was? "Do you have any idea, what damage this little stunt might have caused?"

"I warned your people before I left," he raised his hand in indignation. "We don't mean harm, but I will defend the Crown myself. There is a new weapon I am keen to use."

"You can't- just-" but what more was there to say? He most certainly could. And even if she could stop him, and have him turn the entire army around, that would only make the lines cross and muddle up. They would set every army back hours trying to get them to march past each other. During that time the Lizalfos would attack. More accurately, if they didn't attack even someone as stupid as these Gorons would know something was wrong.

"Ahhhhh!" she screamed and kicked at the dirt, sending a large stone rolling down the side of the mountain.

"There is no reason to be angry."

"Shut up," she hissed as she kicked at the ground one more time. Getting a small piece of joy that the pebble rolled down the side of the mountain and bounced off some other Goron's head.

For the first time since she jumped from her horse, the Gorons around her went silent.

"That is our chief," one of the Goron's said, the one Darunia had spoken to earlier. "You do not tell our chief to be silent." The guard stretched and brought a massive spiked cudgel forward.

"You put that maul back on your shoulder, before I use it to bash that pebble you call a brain in."

The guard's eyes narrowed, and Nabooru realized just how surrounded she was. Why had she decided to ride off? How many Gorons could she take alone? Three? Perhaps as many as five if they were stupid enough to attack her one by one.

Somehow she didn't think even Gorons were that stupid.

Brilliant, Nabs, well done. Wonderful way to get yourself killed.Her hand found the hilt of her sword.

The Goron growled, lifted his weapon high.

Nabooru's sword glided out of its sheath and she snarled at him.

The Goron roared and stepped toward her. This was it! Her blood pounded in her veins, this was battle! Let it begin.

"Amoto," Darunia said and stepped between the two warriors, seemingly unperturbed as his own guard near rammed into him as he stopped himself. "The Gerudo is right. I should have been more clear to our allies."

"But she is disrespectful chief! She should be punished."

"She is also Ganondorf's favored. You kill her, I'll have to explain to him what happened. And he may get angry, who knows maybe he'll side with lizards against us, ehh?" He looked over to Nabooru. "That is joke."

"Not a funny one."

"Go back to your master. Tell him what I am doing. I wish no bad blood between us, but I will be the first to defend the Crown. This is my home, and I have my honor to maintain."

"Honor," she hissed and sheathed her blade. "When the battle is over, we are going to talk again, Darunia."

"Chief Darunia," the bearded Goron smiled at her again. "Nabooru."

Not trusting herself to say another word, she found Honeyhoof and pulled herself into the saddle. She pulled the reins back around and spurred the horse, probably far harder than she needed to, judging by the way the horse lurched forward.

"I'll give you an apple," she said far louder than she likely intended to, "as an apology." Why? She didn't know, the dumb animal didn't understand what she was saying. It would likely forget that she had hurt it by the time it got the apples. But she needed to scream at something!

Or fight something! This battle couldn't start sooner. She needed to tear something's head off!

"Out of my way!" she shouted as she maneuvered her horse around groups of Gorons some rolling about others marching. Some dragging carts of weapons. She managed to contain herself to some small snaps and curses as she rode through the army.

"You find him?" the Goron that gave her directions said as she passed him by. It took all her effort not to swear at him as she left without a word.

She silently fumed until she was well away from the army maybe a quarter mile or more. Then she took a deep freezing breath and roared. Letting out as much of her wrath as she could get. Three more times she screamed into the frigid air before she caught sight of her own people. And she almost felt calm- or at least, calm enough to form coherent sentences.

There was no mistaking who led the Gerudo army, in his black armor on his black horse, and wielding a weapon so large it would make more sense for a Goron than a Gerudo. Beside him, Bethe and Dessi looked as fearsome and ready for battle as they have ever looked.

"Nabs," Gan said as they drew close, then he sighed. "Please tell me you didn't kill anyone."

"No! But I should have!"

"What is happening?"

"The halfwit decided that he wanted to take the position closest to the Crown, the right flank, for himself. Said some nonsense about personal honor and some new weapon. I don't know- I was so angry."

"Yes, I can see that."

"We heard it, too," Dessi said with her annoying smirk that Nabs just wanted to wipe off her smug face. "Your voice carries, you know."

"Not now, Desqueza." She looked to Gan. "What are we going to do?"

"We can't turn the entire flank of the army as we'd hoped," he said. "We will need to…" he made a low rumbling noise in his throat, almost a growl, as he thought. "Perhaps it… no."

"The goal is still to get the Gorons that are dug in at the Crown to leave their position and run out, right?" Desqueza said.

"Yes," Gan said. "But they will only do that if they think it necessary to save their chief."

"So how do we endanger their chief?" Bethe said. "In a way that the other Gorons will notice?"

"I don't suppose we can't just do the retreat from our side?" Dessi said.

"No," Gan said. "The left will be more enclosed, harder to maneuver, but easier to stand their ground."

"That was the whole point of the plan," Nabooru said. "Put the Gorons in a defensive position where it would seem perilous to every onlooker, but hopefully with the fewest actual casualties. That honor-crazed rock-brained idiot ruined it."

"Then clever tricks have failed," Bethe said with a shrug. "Eventually one must use a hammer to beat in a nail."

"What are you thinking, Bethe?" Ganondorf said.

"You tried to set this up as safe as possible. The Gorons betrayed us, what happens to them is now on their heads. Tell King Dodongo to send everything he has at the Gorons. If we cannot use tricks to make them look in peril, then they must simply be in peril."

"That would kill hundreds, maybe thousands more than we wanted!" Nabooru protested.

"Their deaths will be on their chief's head."

Desqueza looked between Nabs and Gan before she shrugged. "I don't have a better plan, do you?"

"No," Ganondorf said.

"Gan," Nabooru whispered, as angry as she was, as much as she may rage or scream her desire for blood. These were innocents they were condemning. "Perhaps there's another way to get to the Ruby. Maybe we could just try sneaking in at night. Or, ask for it as a reward after the battle. Something."

Gan looked at her, his expression did not look angry, not that deep well of wrath she'd seen behind his eyes since they were children. Nor did he look sad at the weight of these terrible decisions. If anything he just looked tired. "Nabooru, I'm leaving the army under your command. Bring us to the left flank, set the lines in a strong defense. See for yourself if there is enough room to maneuver our cavalry, if not, I want everyone to dismount. We will need to look like we're preparing for a deep defensive battle."

"And where are you going?"

"I have to inform King Dodongo of our change of plans. He will have many Gorons to fight through."

And that was it. From one chief's stupid honor and another king's plots, who knows how many would die.

"Cheer up, Nabs," Desqueza said as she maneuvered her horse beside Honeyhoof. "There'll be a battle today, you always enjoy those."