Chapter 38: Know the Enemy and Know Yourself
"The noise stopped," Makeela said as she glanced over her shoulder toward the battle. Not that any of them could see anything except the black smoke that came over the mountain. And even those were dispersing.
"You think it's over?" one of the younger scouts, Nelania asked. The vai was a natural rider, and still had that glowing excitement about her for her first campaign. "Commander?"
"So quickly?" Nabooru stroked at her braid while she thought. Ugh, I need to stop doing that. She forced herself to let go of her hair. A leader can't show such obvious signs of uncertainty. "More likely the Gorons simply ran out of their weapon."
"Or they don't need it any more," Makeela laughed.
"You think that's what that was?"
Nabs shrugged. "What else could it be? Alright sisters, enough time wasted. We still have a job to do." There were some slight mutterings of disappointment, no one wanted their little break to end. Nabooru gave Honeyhoof's reins a slight tug and the scouts set off over the jagged rocks of the mountain.
She had calmed down some since that morning. But she still wanted to hit something, desperately. It was a great honor that Ganondorf trusted her as essentially an extension of his eyes, ears, and hands. Whenever he would like to do something himself but felt that he couldn't for one reason or another, she was who he chose as his replacement. Always. And she never had a problem with that.
But by the Goddesses, she still wanted to fight.
Alright Nabs, focus. Just look at the mountain, try and figure out what you're looking at. Which was a whole other grievance. Fighting in the desert or through the planes of Hyrule the land was largely flat, or at leas the dunes and hills were predictable. One could get a perch and see far distances. Scouting was easy.
But this mountain? You climb up one rock only to see a dozen more in your way. They had not traveled far from the battle. If the land was straight she would be able to see what was happening, instead of making guesses. And it was terrible for Honeyhoof. The poor horse had already carried her as she chased after the Gorons. Now the mare huffed as they scaled over the uneven ground.
Nabooru rubbed at her mount's neck. "Steady pace, no reason to exert yourself." Honeyhoof snorted, and kept moving over rocky crevices and small peaks. As the scouting party reached the top of one large hill, Nabooru finally found something worth seeing.
"Huh," she said as she pulled Honeyhoof to a stop.
In a small valley before them lay the Lizalfos camp and what she could see did not impress. The Gorons camp had been undisciplined, but compared to these lizards? They may as well have been as orderly as the Hylian Royal Guard. There were no defenses at all. Just fire pits, some that still smoldered and Lizalfos that scurried around, most of them looked weak, wounded, or weaponless.
"Would you look at that?" she said. "If I ever saw this during the last war I'd be leading a raid on it right now."
Some of the others gave their chuckles. Freggia even said, "Well then? Let's do it. We can ride through three times before they can even try to stop us."
"Just a reminder to everyone," Makeela said. "There are only six of us, and though I can't see any currently they have fire-breathing monsters."
"You're right, that would be exciting." Nabooru smiled to Makeela to show she was only joking. Well, half joking anyway.
"What are those?" Nelania said pointing down well below the cliff they stood on.
Nabooru nudged Honeyfoot forward to get a better look. Massive holes were dug into the side of the mountain, so wide around that Nabooru could have led her scouts three abreast with room to spare. One of them was twice that size at least. "Good eye," Nabooru said to the young scout. The girl turned a frightening shade of red at that.
"Thank you," she squeaked.
"What do you think they're doing?" Makeela asked.
Nabooru cleared her throat and spat down the side of the cliff, with some joy seeing her spittle splatter right into the biggest hole. Just as three Lizalfos clambered out of it. She missed them sadly. The lizards ran to one of the larger fire pits, squawking at the few defenders. "No, idea. But Gan will have to know about it. Nelli."
The young vai looked confused for a bit, before she realized that Nabooru was talking to her. "Is that me?"
"Who else? Good job, Nelli. How would you like to deliver your findings to Gan personally?"
Her eyes went wide and she made a strangled noise that almost sounded like a thanks.
"Freggia, escort her. But this is her moment, I don't want you taking her water when she gets to Gan unless she gets so flustered she can't speak."
"On it, commander."
"I'll speak! You'll see. I'll do it. Thank you, Commander."
"How can she see when she's not going to be there?" Freggia sighed.
"Both of you, off. The king needs the information as fast as he can."
"And what we doing?" Makeela said as the two rode off. "Just a reminder we're now down to eight. I see that look in your eye Nabs. We try to run through that camp we'll be surrounded for certain."
"If you don't want me to do it, stop making it sound so fun. Alright sisters, we're going to split up and ride around the camp and surrounding areas. Try and look for any clues what those holes are. See if there are any more going any other direction. Stay safe, the lizards clearly see us, but they know we're too far away to do anything about it. Keep it that way. If they advance on you, retreat. We meet back here as soon as we're done."
The party rode off in all directions. Nabooru letting Honeyhoof take a measured pace down the cliff. Not too close to the holes, but hopefully with a bit of riding she could get a glimpse at what's inside of them.
She had hardly made it down the ridge when the lizards started to get themselves worked up. First came the archers. A full volley may have been a problem, but it was trivial to steer Honeyhoof away from the four high arcs the arrows made.
"That the best you have?" she called at the lizards.
They seemed to realize the futility of the action, and from the encampment five lizards crawled toward her. I can just ride away, find a new angle to scout out those holes. It was the better plan, the sensible plan. What she specifically ordered her troops to do in exactly this situation.
But there was one among the lizards coming for her that was staying in the back. One that seemed to be hissing orders. A Lizalfos with only one arm.
Oh, she was going to make that one pay. And it's only five? I can take five.
Honeyhoof on the other hand did not look nearly as fit for it. "Alright, let's get you back and too some safety first, huh?"
The horse did nothing but follow the movement of the reins to back away from the incoming fight. And that's all Nabs needed from her really. She made certain that the horse was well outside of the arrow range, and tucked her reins down beneath a rock. "You relax. I need you fit and rested for the ride home."
She reached out for her weapons and stopped to consider for a moment. How did she want to go about this? The spear would give her some reach, and along with a shield was probably the safest option. But if she wished for safety, she would not have decided to fight them. No this was not the time for safety.
The lizards were still a ways away, and they would be tired by the time they actually reached her. "Oh, why not. Live a little." With a chuckle to herself she unsheathed her curved falchion along with her backup. Two swords, she had not done this in awhile.
She stretched, and swung the blades around getting used to the way they moved together. A few swipes at the air and she had it. 'One of the most difficult of the fighting styles,' poor Sir Godwyn had told them as children in that emotionless voice the witches left him with. 'For those who wish to show off their mastery.'
And that was exactly what she was going to do.
The lizards came to her without taunts or strategy. As soon as they came close each of them rushed at her. Well, all except One-Arm.
An axe swung down at her, and she moved away. Letting the falchion in her left arm cut upward at the lizard's arm. Another with a halberd thrust the tip at her and she batted it away with her right, took a step forward and slashed across the lizard's face.
It screamed, but she found she could not hear it. Not now. Now there was nothing but the dance of blades.
When she was little her mother tried to teach her the dance of seasons, and she had mangled every step. A few months ago, Jora had taken her to a fancy ball where Hylians dress up in strange constrictive clothes and move to a courtly beat, and she tripped over her own feet.
She never could get the feeling, the tempo didn't feel right and her body didn't move the way she wanted. Those dances were not for her.
But the dance of blades? That she knew every step perfectly.
She spun and hopped away as another axe came for her side. She stabbed as a sword missed her by a hair's width. Few of her strikes were aimed to kill. She didn't need to. She just needed to slice and puncture until they were weary from bloodloss and then she could finish them at her leisure. But for now, there was only the dance.
Side step, swing, parry, and beat their weapon down. Skid aside and let another blade pass by.
Every move on tempo.
Every cut on the beat only she could hear.
Every partner bleeding.
Her partners raged, and the dance picked up its pace. But she had faced more skilled dancers all her life. Anger made their movements sloppy and wild, making most of them less dangerous instead of more. With every clash her falchions sang, urging her faster and faster.
One partner collapsed in a puddle of red, twitching.
Another partner slipped on the wet ground, clutching at where its fingers used to be. One more swig of her arms and its dance was done too.
Axe and halberd were her only remaining partners. Well that and One-Arm who had yet to take his first steps.
Axe came first, the aggressive suitor, two step and swing. She spun away and left her blade rise high, letting her partner's blade touch her own. It's momentum spurred her on even faster. Her sword slipped around and she placed it on his arm. Drawing it up as gentle as a touch along her partners shoulder until it struck the neck.
One remaining. Just the halberd, who was not bounding forward, but instead took tight controlled steps and punctured their tempo with slow but precise thrusts of the spearpoint of his weapon. A smart partner, a dedicated partner. And what was this? One-Arm was moving up as well.
The halberdier turned to One-Arm and said something short and snappy in their strange language. One-Arm didn't say anything, only tightened his grip on the sword in his hand.
Halberdier turned its attention back to Nabooru, and took another step forward, punctuated with a slight swing of the weapon.
And a sword lopped the halberdier's head clean from its shoulders.
But it wasn't her sword.
"What did you do?" Nabs shouted at the lizard.
"What was necessary," One-Arm said as walked away from Nabooru to another of his fallen. The Lizalfos who fought with a spear was still alive, and struggled to try and pull itself to its feet to defend itself. One-Arm's sword pierced through its back and it died screaming.
Nabooru's heart was still thumping to the beat of the dance. But there was no one left. No one but One-Arm. "Why?"
"I only brought them out here to speak with you. I couldn't go alone, would be suspicious. King Dodongo has betrayed our king." It went to each of its companions to make certain they were dead. "King Dodongo burrowed holes deep beneath the battle. His plan was to burst up the ground right into the Gerudo forces. He wished to kill our king himself. He even dug his own hole, I have never seen him perform labor before."
Nabooru growled. "I need to get back there."
"It has already happened. The reports arrived moments ago." The lizard flickered its tongue at her. "The Gerudo and Gorons fled the field."
"What!" Nabooru turned on the lizard pointing her falchion just under his chin. "You could have warned us! You spoke with Ganondorf before the battle!"
The lizard cocked its head to the side. "Then I would have died."
"And how many of my sisters are dead because you are a coward?"
"I do not know the exact number."
She could just stab him now. Cleave off his head as he did his own kind. "If it meant saving my sisters, I would have gladly warned them and suffered the consequences."
"I do not have sisters." The lizard said with such finality, as if there was no more room for argument. He touched Nabooru's sword and lightly pushed it away from his neck. "There is more. Our king lives, and the Dodongo have a plan to destroy what remains of the Gerudo and Gorons once and for all."
She needed to calm down. For now, this creature was providing her aid. She needed him. "Fine, continue."
"The Goron chief stayed behind to face King Dodongo himself."
"Darunia is dead?"
"No, the Goron escaped into the Crown, but he left some great weapon behind. King Dodongo plans on using this weapon to bring the mountain down upon Ganondorf."
"How?"
"I do not know. I can only warn you of what will happen. The rest is up to you and our king." The lizard nodded to her then stepped away back toward the lizard camp.
"Where are you going?"
"I have given our king the message. It is up to you to deliver it."
"So you can slink back into serving King Dodongo should we still lose. No one knowing what you have done."
"Yes," the one-armed lizard nodded. "Exactly."
Vile creature. "If I arrive too late and my people are gone, I will hunt you down until my last breath."
It hissed. "More reason to stand beside King Dodongo."
Ganondorf sat on a bench and cleaned the gore from his sword. He sat in the middle of what remained of his army's encampment. He usually preferred to do this sort of thing alone, away from prying eyes and other people's problems. Simple work that let his hands move, but his mind free to think. But his tent was destroyed. His desk broken, his chair shattered, several of his scrolls stomped on and torn.
And worst of all, his prisoner had been freed. Not taken, not killed, she was free. Why? The lizards must have been searching for his magic items, and that was why they went to his chest. But whatever happened, the bottle was still in one piece with the top opened.
Nothing else seemed to be taken, and strangest of all, at least one of the lizards was clearly killed by the axe of another. Had the Lizalfos all turned on each other? Did the fairy cast some spell to control them? She should not have been able to while within the bottle, he had enchanted it specifically to prevent that.
Another mystery to work through.
Bethmasse moved toward him wearing a deep frown, her squire a step behind her. Just what he needed. The back of his mind shouted at him to kill. He shut his eyes but beckoned for Bethe to come.
"What is it now?" Gan asked, and laid the still filthy sword across his lap.
"There is news about the scouts, it is not good."
"Nabs?"
"No. One called Freggia, you know her?"
"I think I've spoken to her once."
"She rode into camp from the direction of the battle, wounded and babbling about someone named Nelli getting killed. The healer put her to sleep to heal. There is no other sign of Nabooru."
Not a good sign.
"Shall we send out other riders to find them?"
"We don't have the reserves." Gan shook his head. "She's fine. She's gotten out of worse scrapes than this."
"Of course," she said. Though she did not sound so convinced.
Gan went back to cleaning the sword. Please Nabs, I need you still.
"What if she's in trouble?" the squire asked.
"Hush, voe," Bethe said. "The king has made his judgment."
He did not get much further in his work when more commotion surrounded him. Two Gorons and Desqueza were loudly arguing as they approached him. Couldn't they just give him a moment to himself?
"We need to retreat," Desqueza was saying to the Gorons. "It's unfortunate, but there's nothing for it. We retreat, find better ground. Thankfully, the Lizalfos are stuck up here. They will have to go through whatever defenses we set up down the mountain."
"And leave the Crown undefended?" Brodni, the biggest of the Gorons said. "Our chief is still out there."
Gan would have preferred to have this conversation in private somewhere. Or if anything let their arguments happen far away from him. Once more he silently cursed the lizards that stormed his tent. This was going to be an important conversation, and many of those nearby seemed to figure that out as well. A crowd was forming around him.
"As is one of our commanders," Dessi said. "That doesn't change the facts. They outmaneuvered us for now."
"That is your commander," said the other Goron, Dembugi, as he leaned heavily on his twisted stone cane. "Darunia is our chief. Would you so easily abandon your king?"
"If it would save the army, yes."
"Then you Gerudo know nothing of loyalty," Brodni sneered.
"And you Gorons know nothing of war."
"Hmm, run if you want. We Gorons will reform and save our chief." Brodni thumped his chest.
"How? By the sands, you lost your leader, half your army, and that secret weapon you were so proud of."
"Then it will be a difficult fight."
Dessi made a strangled noise in the back of her throat. "Bethe, Gan do you two have anything you want to say here?"
"I will follow whatever my king decides." Bethe said. "Once he makes his decision, I will advise how best to accomplish it."
"Very useful, Bethe, thank you."
Bethe just shrugged. And suddenly all eyes were on him and his sword was still not all the way clean. That was the issue with having such a large weapon. Sure it struck fear into the eyes of everyone he fought, and it was a tool of war unlike any other on the battlefield. But was that worth it when he had to clean the thing?
"Gan?"
"If the Gorons wish to stay and try to save their chief I won't stop them. I am not your chief. I wish you good luck."
"You will not help us?" Brodni said, folding his arms.
"I am finding it hard to think why I should," there was a very well dried piece of blood near the edge that was not coming off with the rag. He scratched at it with his thumb. "Way I figure, we had a plan. A good one. The Gorons would take the highly defensive position where they could stand as a bulwark for my cavalry, and use that weapon of yours without threat. While my cavalry had room to maneuver wherever I please. Your chief decided to change that plan at the last moment, put himself in a position where he was open to the attack, and my cavalry in no position to aid him."
"They came from the ground!"
"There we go," Gan said as the browning blood tore away in a thin chunk. "Almost got it." He continued to pry at the blade with his fingernail.
"Even if we had followed your plan, the Dodongo's assault would have disrupted us."
"Maybe, but not nearly to the same extent." He blew on the blade and saw another chunk flitter off. "Your chief would still have had solid ground to lob his bombs, my people would have all been on horseback to make the retreat and maneuver easier. How many fewer casualties do you think we would have had?"
"Hundreds, maybe more," said Dessi quickly.
"You cannot know that!"
"As my commander said, you do not know war. Not as we do. So, I wish you luck. But I think I'll be taking my people down the mountain. Maybe away completely. The Zora still need our aid, as does Duke Arlan. I've wasted enough time on people who do not listen to me."
"But we cannot save our mountain alone. Not after this."
"Now that is the first thing we agree on. Still, as I said, best of luck."
"What do you need?" Dembugi said. "What can we do, to keep you here to aid us?"
Gan, finally looked up from his work and smiled at the Goron. "Are you trying to bribe me?" He waved his hand in front of the people that surrounded them. "A bit bold of you."
"No, I am trying to make reparations for the slights my chief gave you."
"That's a clever way to get around it."
"Think," said Dembugi, "how much use could your army make from our bombs? How easily the rest of your war will be with our weapon. And we can arm you, our finest steel. The kind we have been giving to Hylian knights for a hundred years."
"Hmm," Ganondorf said making a big show of his consideration. He had an audience after all. "That would alleviate some of the pain you have caused my people, my army. But not to my honor."
"What else do you need?"
"Have you heard the story of my predecessor, King Yesasorn?"
"The man who started the Hylian Civil War and slew a Hylian King on the field of battle."
"He was not the only one who started that war. But yes, that one. At the start of the war, the Gorons were neutral."
"I remember, my history well," Dembugi said and leaned so heavily forward on his cane that Ganondorf thought it might snap. "It was King Yesasorn's avarice that turned us into your enemy."
Ganondorf waved the words away, "That is what your people would no doubt say. But the truth is more complex. My ancestor won a contest at arms against your chief a century ago. He was supposed to win a prize, and when he came to collect it, your chief refused to grant it to him."
"How do you know the truth of what happened so long ago?"
"Because I was taught by two cranky old women who were there." The Gorons gave each other an uncomfortable look. It is good to know that even up here in the high places the Twinrova still inspire fear. "Now, I am not here to accuse anyone's ancestors, perhaps it was all just a misunderstanding that was blown far out of proportion. Those things happen when powerful people with big egos feel they are slighted."
"Why are you bringing up this old story?"
"The Crown still holds all the greatest treasures of the Gorons do they not? Once this battle is over, and I have won it for you. I would like to enter the Crown and take something for myself, for my ancestor. That seems a reasonable display to me? Heal the wounds that caused this rift between our people."
"Ridiculous," Brodni said. "We cannot do that, we cannot hand over our greatest prizes. They are under the protection of our chief."
Dembugi took a long moment before he spoke. "Which item do you have in mind?"
"Well, there would be some justice in the one that my ancestor won, wouldn't there be?" He smiled as he weaved the lie into the story. "A large red ruby, hardly the most valuable thing in there I should think."
"Dembugi you cannot be thinking to accept this."
"What choice do we have?" the older Goron hung his head a moment. "As Chief Darunia's most honored advisor, with him gone I speak with his voice." He met Ganondorf's eyes. "Help us save our mountain and our chief and the jewel will be yours."
"Wonderful." Ganondorf stood up and sent his now clean sword away. "Bethe you will go with Brodni, I want you two at the front when me make our advance. Gorons will take the front, obviously. I want your toughest to be on foot. Dembugi you will obey every order that Bethe gives you. Understood?"
"No," the Goron's brow furrowed. "Not understood. I am a Goron, I serve-"
"There are perhaps six people in all of Greater Hyrule who have Bethe's experience holding a position. I cannot be there, Commander Nabooru is missing, and the rest are not on this mountain. So, if you value your hide you will do, what?"
"Hmm," the Goron grumbled but nodded. "I will listen to Commander Bethmasse."
"Good. Dessi, I want you taking two-thirds our cavalry. You will be the hammer when King Dodongo commits his forces."
She frowned but nodded. "Two-thirds, so what will you be doing?"
"I will have the last third, my guess is our enemy will think me arrogant enough that I will need to make the killing stroke myself. I will have fewer cavalry, in a worse position. I want King Dodongo to see me, and send his best to route me. At which point, you will take them."
"It will be done."
"And you," he looked to Dembugi. "How many of your bombs do you have left?"
"Only what we held in reserve, and no catapults to throw them."
"You have hands don't you?"
"Yes, but, we would need to be-"
"Good, I want you to find all among your army with the best arms. If the Lizalfos have half a brain they will have taken the defensive position I initially wished to deploy your forces on. Trying to break them from the position will be near impossible. So we're not going to. As long as they're there I want you to lob your bombs on them. And if they should try and attack you, the terrain shall be to our advantage."
Bethe and Dessi both nodded to him, but the Gorons looked among themselves. They seemed confused.
"Is there anything else?"
"No," Dembugi said. "You had all that in your head, the whole time while we spoke?"
"As my commander said. We know war. Now, to your duties."
They broke apart, each heading their own directions to get their warriors prepared. Finally, leaving Gan with his thoughts. For only a moment he was surrounded by the closest thing to silence one can have in the middle of an army. What would his captive do? Would Telti survive the travel down the mountain to her Great Fairy? And they will be warned that he was coming.
Why was this all going so wrong? Hadn't the Goddesses given him their prophecies? Hadn't they shown him the path to creating the better world? If they did not want him to do it, why had they let him go so far? Were they just testing him?
A horn sounded, someone was approaching the camp. Is it her?
Gan ran around the torn tents, and forlorn soldiers until he reached the horn blower. He looked over the shattered wagons that made up what was left of the defensive wall and saw them, ten riders, all in Gerudo armor.
He hoisted himself over the wall and jumped down before the oncoming cavalry. "Commander Nabooru!" he called as they drew close. "You're late."
"King Ganondorf," she said. "You're line is a bit further back than I remember." She swung herself off the horse and ran into Gan's arms. "Was it bad?"
"We've gone through worse. I'm glad you're back."
"I have news," she said as she broke the embrace. "I made my way to the Lizalfos camp. It's almost completely undefended, and they dug massive holes into the mountainside."
"Your information is a bit late on that one."
"I also found our one-armed friend. He gave me some more news. Chief Darunia is alive, he fought his way to the Crown and is holding up with the defenders."
"My what touching loyalty that one has," Gan sighed. "So, he's trying to play both sides."
"And blatantly obvious about it. But he also gave a warning. King Dodongo has Darunia's weapon and if you attack him, he's planning on using it to 'bring the mountain down on top of you' his words, apparently. Any idea what that means?"
"Hmm," Gan rubbed the back of his neck before looking back up the mountain. "He's going to use the bombs in his tunnels. They're going to draw us in, make us march over their little trap and have the ground collapse in on us. Clever."
"You certain?"
"It's what I would do," he sighed and shook his head. "I thought of King Dodongo as just a big lizard, and look what it's cost me. He is far more devious than I anticipated."
"And how do we deal with that?"
"I have a few ideas. How would you like to be a hero?"
"Are you trying to hurt my feelings? I've earned that years ago."
"True, but the singers will hear about this one, they'll remember you for a century at least."
"Do I get to fight?"
"Oh yes, in probably the most dangerous position on the field. It will be difficult and dark."
She smiled wide at that. "How can I refuse?"