Chapter 39: On the Front Line

"And you're sure?" Link said as he helped Rosa lay down on one of the bedrolls set out for the wounded.

"I'm fine," she said, but she winced and breathed in a strained hiss until she reached the ground. And even then she grimaced.

"Do you need anything? I have Bethe's water skin. Are you thirsty?"

"That's for Commander Bethmasse," she shook her head. "Why do you have her water?"

"She told me to bring her some."

"Then why are you here?"

"Because you looked hurt and I wanted to make certain you made it… here." He looked around the wide space set aside for the wounded. Bringing Rosa here had seemed a good idea when he had it. But now that they had arrived, he wasn't certain.

The smell of burnt flesh and rot filled his nose. People with torn flesh, and missing limbs lay scattered about turning the trampled mud and snow a slimy red. Soldiers and servants both were all mixed together, wailing in pain, cursing their luck or the Goddesses, begging for their parents. And those seemed to be the fortunate ones. There was one man that Link had seen tending to the Gerudo horses since he joined the warband. Another camp follower like him, picked up from who knows where. He looked as if he was sleeping, but Link had not seen him breath the entire time he'd been there.

How can anyone heal here? What will they even do without fairies to help them? They'd get sick, and the sickness would spread. How many would pass just from that?

Every story about the horrors of war that the Great Deku Tree tried to teach him rushed back. There was fun in fighting. Swinging his sword felt good, he never felt so alive as he did when he was fighting, even in the terrors of battle.

But this was what happened after.

"Link, listen to me," Rosa grabbed his arm, pulling him away from his thoughts. "I'll be fine. But you need to go bring the water to Bethe. She'll need it more than me."

Link did not think that was likely, healing made someone thirsty and as far as Link could tell Bethe hadn't been injured at all except for a minor scrape along her elbow that had already stopped bleeding. But he didn't argue, Barkan was always won arguments, why would Rosa be any different?

He didn't know what to say, so he patted her on the shoulder which just made her wince again. "Sorry," he said. Then he backed away hoping to do no more damage. As he made his way out of the [medical area] he stopped as he noticed someone massive standing among the wounded. Ganondorf loomed over the wounded, as dark as death itself.

There was one among them that he was watching over. A woman with burns all along her side. He whispered something, slow and long to the wounded. The giant man made some sign over her, but was careful not to touch the burns. Once finished, he looked away and for only a moment met Link's eyes. The yellow glow of them shifted in an instant from sorrow to hared. A deeper anger than Link had ever seen before. But it was gone just as quick as it came.

The King of the Gerudo gave him a polite nod, and headed out.

Thankfully in a different direction from Link. After the battle, Bethe had told him that he had to thank Ganondorf for rescuing him. But he was still the man who killed his father. The one doing all this evil, responsible for every single person who died in this war. He could not bare the thought of it.

And yet, he had saved his life. Coming in to rescue both him and that woman and her child. Just like the hero Link had always told himself he would be.

It was all easier when Link could just hate him. When he was that dark evil figure that caused destruction wherever he went. Not… whatever he was. Not a real person.

"Pardon me, sorry, watch yourself, goro." Yadunby waddled through the tents, five people on his back or in his arms. Each of them wounded, but alive. The Goron had made it! A few fresh looking scratches on his thick hide, but that was it. Link could not help but smile.

He was so gentle with every one he carried. He moved at a slow but steady pace, not letting himself rock too much with his steps to avoid any jostling of his crew. "See we're almost there," he said to the one in his arms. "Pardon me."

Link wanted to go speak with him as well. But he seemed to have found something important to do, and it would be best not to get in his way. He left his new friend to his work and went about his own.

Bethe was stationed just outside the camp. Arranging her force in preparation for the next phase of the battle. The soldiers were not as divided this time. Gorons and Gerudo all mixed in together, with massive weapons on the Goron's shoulders or dragged along their side. Gerudo with spears and swords all arranged between them.

Bethmasse stood amidst them all, the low sun framing her as she bellowed orders so loud it would rival the Goron's drums. "You two, I said I want you shoulder to shoulder. Yes. If I can walk between you, then you are not close enough! Brodni! Keep your voe straight!"

The Gorons scrambled around trying to obey her commands, a few of them came close to trampling Link. He could see it in their faces, most of them were half blinded by fear and the Gerudo were not much better. The younger faces among them kept twitching as though they were trying to hold back tears and the more experienced had this glum stone-eyed look about them that Link did not know was resignation or courage.

"Here," Link said as he came up to Bethe and handed her the waterskin.

"What took you so long, voe?" She took the water from him and quickly gulped some down before splashing it around her throat. "Shouting at people is thirsty business."

"I-"

"And where is your shield?"

"I didn't-"

"How can one enter a battle without their shield?"

"But I thought Commander Nabooru told me that I wasn't to join the battle."

"Nabs is not here," Bethe frowned as she looked over the soldiers. "And we will have need of every hand. Including yours."

"I'm ready," Link said. "I can fight."

"Fight? I need a squire. You will be my shadow. If I tell you to fetch me water, you fetch water. Not lounging around as you were. If I tell you to hand me my sword, you give me the sword. If I tell you to drag someone from the battle, you pull them to safety. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Commander Bethmasse."

"Good. But one must still have your own sword and shield. If I die, or you find yourself with no other alternative, then you must be ready to fight. Go. Get them and return quickly this time. We are almost ready to march."

Link ran back away from her, scrambling over the wagons back into the camp and dashed around the ruins until he reached the tent he had placed his equipment in. It wasn't the one he had used most of the journey and shared with several of the other servants. That tent had been trampled over in the fighting. But no one seemed to be using the one he chose, and Link did not really wish to think why that was.

He found his sword and shield, ocarina and slingshot. He slung them all onto him, adjusting his belt to hold the sheath as comfortably as he could make it. The only thing he left behind was the ocarina. An actual battle was no place for it. He picked it up, and fingered a few of the notes before putting the instrument back down. Wish me luck, Saria, father. Navi.

As he ran back, he was stopped by a large group of riders, fifty at least. At their head, Commander Nabooru herself. He waved at her as she passed. Her eyes flickered around him, taking note on his weapons and shield. She frowned at him, but did not stop or say anything. It wasn't until the riders passed that he took note that they weren't heading in a strange direction. Not North to the battle, but out toward the East.

He tried to puzzle out where they were heading as he made his way back to Bethe. But he could not think of anything but rocks that direction, at least as far as he knew. But then, it wasn't as if the generals felt the need to tell him what was going on.

When he reached Bethe, she only gave him a nod, then handed him her mace and an axe to carry, while she kept her spear and shield on her person. "Pay attention, voe. If I call for one of them, hand it to me quick."

"I will, Commander Bethe." But she did not give him any indication that she heard him. Instead she continued to walk along the line of warriors. Link heaved the weapons in his arms and tried to find places to store them while he followed her. But they were too big, if he put them in his belt they near dragged his pants down. So he kept a grip on them as best he could.

Wherever they went, she gave additional orders to the soldiers to fix some small issue or let them know some detail of what they were going to do when they advanced. "I can walk through that hole, tighten up!" She'd say, and the Gorons would obey. "When we march you are going to have the easier ground, make certain you do not advance faster than those with more difficult terrain. Keep the line straight." And the Gerudo would give a respectful nod.

And so they went down the entire front of the line. Link did not know how long it took, but it felt like hours. Then why did she tell me to rush to get here? But, Link did not dare ask. It was only after they had gone down the entire line and were making their way back that a horn sounded somewhere in the distance.

"Good," Bethe said.

Another horn took up the call, followed by the beat of the drums. The Gorons at the front moved forward in a thousand footsteps all aligned in a single strike of the ground. And the line advanced.

Link kept close to Bethe as they marched up the mountain. They maneuvered around crevices and spiky rocks, and if anyone stepped out of line to get around them, Bethe would shout until they reformed a straight line. In a way it was the same as when she trained him to fight, if a single step was out of line, or he showed a sign of weakness she would pounce on it and force him to correct it.

But now she was teaching an entire army. Giving commands to those who would listen, and viciously berating those who did not correct themselves as quick as she liked. Link could not see how well it was going, with his height all he could see was the backs and legs of Goron and Gerudo, with maybe a glimpse at what was ahead of them as the bodies swayed enough to make gaps.

And still they moved until Link's legs were starting to get sore from the climb and the Sun had gone dim and red, half behind the mountain.

The horns gave one last call, and the drums rumbled into a stop. And the army stayed put.

"What's happening?"

"Hmm," Bethe was a tall woman, but even she craned her neck to look over the frontline of Gorons. "Good."

"What's good?"

"The army has stopped, and I do not see any gaps."

"But why have we stopped?"

"Voe, I have a battle to run. I cannot be answering all your questions."

Link clutched her weapons close to his chest and squeezed himself through the lines until he was just behind the very first. He glanced around sides and under legs. The Lizalfos were right in front of them, a tangled mess of them. All crawling around each other and hissing. Spears and shields lowered and ready to meet the Gorons when they charged.

But why weren't they charging?

"Squire," Bethe shouted. "To my side."

He had hardly got a chance to look at anything. He grumbled, but made his way back to his place.

Bethe glared down at him. "Never do that again. I said I needed you at my side. And at my side you must stay."

"But nothings-"

"No! You listen to me, or I send you back down the mountain."

"Yes, Commander Bethmasse."

A whistle sounded in the air, followed by a plunk of metal crashing into stone and a Goron shouted.

"Arrows!" Someone shouted.

"Shields!" Bethe called, as she lifted her own. But she angled it funny, only half covering herself. It took Link a moment to realize, she had placed it to cover him as well.

Link tried to get his own into position, but doing so he dropped Bethe's axe. He reached down to pick it up.

"Leave it," she said. "Shield high. Wait for the arrows to end."

But the arrows did not end. Volley after volley crashed down on them. At first it was only grunts, but then there were shouts of pain from the Gorons at the front, and even the Gerudo behind them. There was a thump as someone fell to the ground.

"Tighten up!" Bethe ordered. "Cover the holes. Hold!"

More people fell, groaning and screaming. A Goron in front of Link fell to his knees, an arrow jutting from his neck.

"Back," Bethe said. Her hand grabbed Link's shoulder and yanked him away as the Goron tumbled backward.

"I saw it!" Link said. The stoneman was still alive, groaning and pulling at the arrow. But now he was laying over Bethe's axe. What if she needed it? "They're right in front of us. Why are we just waiting here?"

"Because that is our part to play."

"But our people are dying."

"That is war. Hold! Brodni! Get your people together, I see a gap! Brodni I know you hear me!" She shook her head. "Useless," she muttered to herself.

A javelin clattered off a Goron's head leaving a crack on his stoney skull, bounced and landed on a shield, piercing a good way into it. The Gerudo holding the shield near tumbled over from the forse of it. But her arm wobbled and that was all it took. An arrow found the gap, struck her under the arm and into her chest and she was gone.

Link stared at her, she hadn't done anything wrong. She had been holding her shield in the right position. It wasn't her fault that the force of it moved her, that would happen to anyone. She did not even have time to scream.

"Keep your shield up, voe." Bethe snapped, only then did Link realize his hand had drifted as he watched the battle.

"I'm sorry," he said as he adjusted it.

"I do not need apologies, you need to keep yourself alive."

But it was random. How could he do that when it was just chance that someone could fall. "What are we doing?"

Bethe silenced him with a glare. But it was madness. If they just attacked, then they could stop the arrows. They could at least fight, instead of suffering deaths and doing nothing about it.

I need to do something. What if he got the Gorons to charge? Could he? What if he made his way to Brodni and got him to order the attack?

It would mean disobeying Bethe. But how could she not see that this was madness? She was as likely to die as anyone else. They were just losing people, and they could stop it. The lizards wouldn't be able to stop a charge of both Goron strength and Gerudo skill. They would break.

He had no choice. He was going to do it. He took a breath and gave one last look at Bethe. "I'm sorry."

"Quiet voe. Focus on surviving."

That's what I'm trying to do.

A horn blared loud and long. It rang through the field, followed by the sound of a Gerudo shriekers giving their trilling battle call. But it wasn't coming from within the line. It wasn't even coming from the sides where the cavalry was supposed to be.

It was coming from in front of them. It was coming from the Lizalfos.

"That's the signal! Sound the horns! Beat the drums! Advance!"

The shields lowered and the army charged. A wave of steel and stone rolled up the mountain and crashed into the Lizalfos. Link ran with them, staying as close to Bethe as he could. But the axe. He forgot her axe! What if she needed it?

He didn't have time to think about it before the sounds of battle made it too hard to think of anything. Crashing and shouting and screaming and grunting. All Link could do was hold his shield and try to bash away the speartip or sword strike that happened to get close to him.

Bethe seemed more monstrous than those they fought. She moved along the fight, thrusting her spear into the gaps before pulling back. Every attack drew blood and wherever she went the line pushed further and further down. And when it got too far, she would fall back, find a new spot to enforce and ran to it.

Behind the Lizards the Gerudo horn and shrieking grew louder. Link watched, mouth agape as Nabooru and her fifty riders rode past. They were covered in mud and blood, as if they had already gone through an entire other battle. But tied to their horses, they held the pots- the bombs that the Gorons had made for the battle. Some of the warriors would light them with their torches and hurl them into the backs of the lizards and ride off as they exploded.

Where had they come from? How did they even get behind the Lizalfos lines?

He did not get his answer until the line pushed halfway to the Crown. The line shifted apart as the soldiers moved around a massive hole in the ground. The tunnels that the Dodongo used to ambush the army that morning. Link near fell into one, but as he picked himself up his hand pressed into the corpse of a Dodongo. Hoofprints were pressed around it, and dead Lizalfos filled the hole.

Had they fought through the tunnels? That must have been it. That was the only way he could see for Nabooru to get there.

"Squire! Bethe shouted. "Mace."

"Coming!" Link straightened and ran to her, holding out the large steel flanged mace. She yanked the spear from his hands and nearly dropped her spear at him. He grasped at it from the air and tried to make certain it didn't slip out of his hands and tumble onto the ground as the axe had.

"Stay back." Bethe pressed through the soldiers, squeezing through Gerudo and Goron until she reached the front. A roar sounded, and a bout of flame. A Dodongo thrashed at the soldiers nearest to it. The spears and swords of the Gerudo barely scratched the hard scales of the monster. The only things having any effect at all were the Gorons trying to smash at it with their clubs and fists.

With a loud shout, Bethe leaped high, stepping on the Gorons in the front to propel herself into the air. She landed on the back of the beast. Smashing down with the mace in both hands. The monster thrashed as the mace crashed into its head. It tried to roll about and bite at her ankle or arm, whatever drooped too low.

And that was all Link could see. The mass of soldiers moved, and he was bumped to the side and the small nook he could see through was gone. The sun had nearly set and even if he could peak through the soldiers he could not make much out.

"Keep pushing!" Link called. But he did not know why. No one was going to listen to him. What was it even going to do? He wasn't an adult, he wasn't strong as any of these soldiers, much less the Gorons. "Commander Bethmasse! Commander Bethmasse!"

He was pushed again, and now he could not longer even hear the sound of the monster. Had it run off? Did she kill it? What was going on?

"Bethe!"

A Lizalfos fell forward, and tumbled to the ground it's mouth open, it's eyes wide and lifeless. But the fall created a gap as two Gorons stepped around it. That was his chance. He needed to see what was happening.

He ran to the gap, scrambling over the corpse. He took a breath of what he hoped was fresh air, but there did not seem to be any to be had on the battlefield. Everything tasted of grime and iron.

The battle itself was grotesque. Corpses of all kinds littered the ground. He could not see Bethe anywhere. Only a few Dodongo lay strewn on the ground were large enough to clearly see, but he could not tell if any were the ones that Bethe fought.

The Lizalfos were falling back. They had already pushed so far. Between the puffs of flame from the remaining Dodongo, he could see a massive door of steel near the top of the mountain. Huge gouged marked the stone around it, that almost looked like scratches from a claw. But what in the world could be big enough to make those?

That must be the Crown, where the Ruby was being held.

A Lizalfos seemed to finally take notice of him. The lizards opened its jaws wide and lunged forward, snapping at him. Link screamed and pushed his shield forward. The jaws latched onto the edge of the shield, and it pulled back. Link stumbled forward, out of the safety of the line.

"Gahh! Get off me!" He tried to angle Bethe's spear to hit the creature, but it was far too big. All he was doing was lightly knocking the creature's shoulder with the shaft. He kicked at it, but that did little better as the Lizalfos gnawed at the shield.

Then the Lizalfos was on the ground. Flattened like an insect. A great club, pressing into it.

Link's eyes went up the club to the Goron that held it. One he had never seen before, just another soldier among hundreds. He lifted his weapon from the dead enemy, gave Link a quick nod and advanced on. As if it was nothing.

"Thank you!" Link said as the Goron marched on.

"Hmm, stay safe, goro."

Link searched around him, but that seemed to be the end of it. Lizalfos and Dodongo fled the field. Falling backward toward the Crown until there was nowhere left to go.

A roar shook the mountainside.

The largest Dodongo Link had ever seen joined the rest of the lizard army. Flame poured from its mouth, and lit the dark battlefield between its breaths. It was wounded, bleeding from deep cuts to arms and sides. Its scales blackened.

But Link knew from the forest, a cornered and wounded animal was the most dangerous.

The Dodongo whipped its tail around. Caught several soldiers and they flew into the air, Goron and Gerudo both as if they were light as leaves. It roared again, and a spout of flame came from its mouth. The soldiers nearest to it, dived away or were consumed by the flames.

Except one, who walked through the fire as if it was nothing but an inconvenience.

Ganondorf stepped toward the gargantuan monster, brandishing his blade. He was saying something to it, but Link was too far away to hear. Whatever it was, the Dodongo did not seem to like it. It struck at Ganondorf with claws and tail, and each time the King of the Gerudo avoided each with the slightest of steps or, knocking the mighty blow aside with his blade.

Several soldiers ran behind Ganondorf, and threw the Goron bombs at the beast. Most struck the creature and exploded. But that only seemed to make the monster all the madder.

"Surround the monster!" Link shouted. "Come on! We've won!"

The rest of the line seemed to agree with him, and the soldiers broke from their ranks to run at the monster. Link ran to keep up with them.

The Dodongo saw them, its eye flashed along the entire battle, and must have only seen its doom coming to it. With one final roar it jumped at Ganondorf.

That seemed to finally take the Gerudo by surprise, Ganondorf could not get out of the way in time. One of the monster's claws struck Ganondorf in the chest, the force sent him sprawling back.

That was it! The beast could kill him! Right there, end it! End this whole disaster.

But it did not go for Ganondorf. Instead it clutched at the bombs, scooping them and sometimes those holding them in its hands or mouth and flung them back behind it. The bombs and soldiers landed, some in the creature's own army, some smashed against the steel door of the Crown.

"No!" Ganondorf shouted loud enough for the entire mountain to hear as he rushed back toward the fight. "No, don't let him-"

The Dodongo opened his jaws wide and fire burst from its throat, roasting not its enemy, but its own people. The few Lizalfos and smaller Dodongo were incinerated. But Link did not have time to think of how disgusting a betrayal it was, since the flames found the bombs as well.

The mountain shook.

A wave of force swept over Link.

He fell to his knees. Others did the same, or slipped completely as the ground shifted beneath them. Then came the sound. One so loud that Link had never heard anything like it before. An explosion that shook the teeth in his skull and made his head hurt.

Rocks crashed, scraping against each other. People were yelling and crying. Small pebbles struck his arms and the top of his head.

Dust flew into his eyes, and all around him was black.

Link was lying on the ground. How had he gotten here? Everything hurt. His back, his arm, his legs. Even his throat felt sore, as if he had been screaming for hours.

He did not remember falling, or screaming, or dropping his shield to cover his ears. But that all must have happened. He tried to open his eyes, but they felt heavy. He rubbed at them and found dust and small pebbles filled his eyelashes, and pooled around the edge of his eyes.

When he got his eyes open, the world was still dark. All dark.

From the dark came a few shapes, then a blurring of light. More of a speck, a twinkle as if from a distant star. But he wasn't looking at the night sky was he? No. That was the mountain. He was definitely looking at stones…

The Crown. He was looking at the Crown. But it wasn't the massive steel door, it was a wall of massive stones, with just one speck of light coming from within.

He tried to stand, but his legs wobbled and he slipped on the pebbles back to his knees.

Fine then, rest first. No one was trying to kill him. The battle had to be over now.

He rolled onto his back and spread his arms wide. He took a deep breath and coughed. Dust still hung in the air. Covering his mouth with his fingers he tried to breath again, and that helped a little. Everything hurt. Everything. And he hadn't even been fighting, not really. How did people do this? Why would they do it to themselves?

He blinked, and swiped at his eyes.

Still alive. See father? I'm still alive.

A roar broke him from his thoughts.

Had the beast survived as well? Was the battle still raging? How could it possible be going on? How could anyone still want to fight?

But he was back on his feet and his shield was in his hand before the thought was even finished.

He saw no monster, well, he did not see the one he expected.

Ganondorf stood before what had once been a metal door. Now Link recognized what it truly was. The steel had been blasted to pieces, chunks scattered about the ruin of the lizard army. Stones the size of a house collapsed over the hole.

The warrior-king's head was thrown back as he bellowed at the sky. Only a bloodied Nabooru seemed brave enough to get close to him as he raged. Everyone else cowered as though he was as destructive as the explosion had just been.

He screamed one more time, before he seemed calm enough to speak with Nabooru. Link got closer to try and hear what was being said.

"Not enough," Nabooru said. "Most of what we had left King Dodongo just used. We can't clear it."

"Very well," Ganondorf said and lifted his hand. Black and purple energy surrounded his fist that seemed to suck what little light remained. "I'll do it myself. I'll tear that lizard limb from limb."

"Dragmire," came a low voice from the crowd. One of Chief Darunia's advisors came to Ganondorf, limping heavily on his cane. "You cannot."

"Why?"

"It is a miracle that the Crown did not collapse with King Dodongo's insanity. If you were to destroy that, a chunk of the mountain might collapse. The chunk we are standing on."

Ganondorf growled, and stepped toward the Goron, his teeth barred like an animal. The Goron shrank back, as if trying to make himself as small as he could. And for a moment, Link worried that Ganondorf would attack the man. "Then dig it out. Now."

"Yes, yes. We will." The Goron hobbled away as fast as he could.

Ganondorf turned back around staring at the rocks. "See to the wounded." He said, not taking his eyes away from the remains of the door. "Find me when I can enter the Crown and cut that lizard's head off myself." He turned away from the rubble and walked back through an army that parted before him.

He couldn't get the Ruby. At least not yet. But the stones would not hold him out for long. Link found his way to the rocks, and pressed his hand against it. It all certainly seemed sturdy. It would take some time for even Gorons to get through.

But then what was the plan? Try and run in before Ganondorf and steal the Ruby? That wouldn't work. He needed to get inside now.

He fell back into the dark, away from the Gerudo and Gorons and the many, many dead. That light. The one he saw from the mountain, was it still there?

As if answering his prayers, as he walked along the wall, the smallest light caught his eyes. A thin light, less than a candle coming from a crack within the stones.

Link pressed his head to the light.

It wasn't a candle, it was a blaze, something was still burning from the Dodongo's attack. Around the light he could see smooth floors.

This was it. A path into the mountain, one that Ganondorf would never be able to fit into.

Link pressed his fingers into the hole and pushed around. Pebbles and dirt fell away from the wall and spilled out at his feet. The rocks above it didn't shift. In fact they all seemed pretty secure. He scooped around the hole, making it as wide. Big enough to put his head inside, then after a few more sweeps and maybe he could do his shoulders.

He could do it! He could squeeze inside.

From within the mountain the roar of the massive Dodongo echoed about. It was still alive down there.

"Oh this is a terrible idea," Link said to no one. "I could really use you, Navi."

He glanced around to make certain no one was paying him any attention, then he placed Bethe's spear against the rocks and pushed himself into the hole.