Arn had never seen such chaos before in his life. Everywhere he turned and looked, panicked civilians ran past him- screaming in terror as they hurriedly moved in the direction away from Hyrule Castle- never so much as giving him a second glance as they bumped into him as they passed. None of them were even able to so much as give him a nudge, of course, but he wrapped his one free arm around his daughter and kept her close as he kneeled over her in order to spare the girl from the stampede of Hylians attempting to escape Castle Town.
Arn held Aryll firmly, meanwhile the young girl clasped onto his with both hands as she looked up towards her father with a terrified expression.
"Papa!" She said to him worriedly, tugging on his sleeve. "Papa, get up! We have to go!"
The older man winced. "I know, Arry," he reassured her and breathed heavily. "Just give me a second, this old timer isn't what he used to be."
"But- but the monsters-"
"I know that," he grimaced. The crowd was already way past them at this point and the man leaned more heavily on the royal claymore in his other hand for support. "That's why I told you to run ahead so you can meet up with-" Arn wasn't able to finish his statement when several explosions went off a certain distance behind him, and he turned his head to see a couple of Guardians on the main street the cut down through the center of Castle Town a couple blocks away.
The spider-like machines that the old royal guardsman had once seen as anomalous protectors were now shooting bright blue beams of light into nearby houses and alleyways, to which he assumed were aimed directly at any unfortunate soul who'd decided to take their chances in hiding instead of running for their lives.
And he could not blame them. Even if they were to make it outside of the walls of Castle Town, there were still the vast open Hyrule Plains to get across, which would leave them as easy pickings if the Guardians had decided to chase them that far. There were however the dense woods just past the walls off to the east, but given that it's not exactly away from the encroaching danger, and could possible lead them directly into the crosshairs of a passing Guardian, Arn had decided to take their chances out in the fields and pray to the Goddess that the large numbers would allow them to reach a safe enough distance.
But of course, Arn originally had no intention of running.
It had been nearly four years since his beloved's passing, and Goddess, did he miss her dearly. Aryll had barely turned the age of six when she'd been left alone at home while he and his son had been traveling throughout Hyrule as they trained and prepared for the encroaching danger that the prophecy spoke of, but she'd proven to be more than capable of caretaking the household and small cucco farm all on her own. However, that didn't mean that she was always alone- having received constant visits from Impa, Purah, and even Robbie due to Aryll's fascination with Sheikah culture. On top of that, Link especially had made sure to visit her as often as he could; bringing her souvenirs he'd collected from other domains, as well as insects she'd never even knew existed, which was part of a promise they'd made to continue their favorite pastime of bug catching together- even when they were far apart.
But then, shortly after the injury Arn had sustained at Tabantha Ridge, the King had insisted that he take this as a message from Hylia to spend more time at home with his daughter so that way she could still have a proper parent figure in her life, a request to which Arn had very reluctantly agreed to.
It wasn't because he didn't wish to see his daughter more often, far from it. But having sworn to defend the King with his life, it just felt wrong in more ways than one, as giving up his title of Captain of the Royal Guard might as well be equivalent to him taking a bath in a pool of lizalfos acid. On top of that, when Link had been the one to pull the Sword that Seals the Darkness from its pedestal, he wanted, more than ever, to be by his son's side to ensure that his training had been properly overseen. But alas, even that was not to be.
Though he was no longer a royal guardsman, (officially speaking, but still often gets to speak with the King on specific occasions such as instructing new recruits for those positions) he still held a strong and unwavering loyalty towards King Rhoam, as well as his belief in the campaign to defy the prophecy that had been headed nearly eleven years ago. That, along with the knowledge that his son was still out there with the princess somewhere in eastern Hyrule, who is fulfilling his duty not only as the Knight chosen to fight the Calamity, but to protect those of whom have given their deepest and sincerest trust to do so, only made Arn feel like a coward and a traitor as he ran away from Hyrule Castle rather than towards it.
...However, had he been by the King's side at this very moment, Arn knew that's not how Rhoam would see it. During his time as Captain, the two of them have had plenty of time to talk and confide some things about themselves to each other that would eventually be buried alongside them. He knew that the King would've never called him a coward. He had his child to worry about, as there was currently no one else around with their head on straight to look after her.
That last thought alone was what helped make the decision for Arn upon seeing those Guardians on the main road, with cylinder-shaped heads rotating on their inverted saucer-like bodies as their single, ominous glowing eye pointed directly at them. With a wheezing grunt, he willed his gimp leg to move underneath him as he used the sword to climb back to his feet. But instead of turning to face the mechanical menaces, he urged his daughter urgently to move forward, to the point where he caused her to almost stumble. "Run."
Since the crowd was already long gone by the time they were moving again, the Guardians now only had a single target to focus on as they gave chase. The two Hylians ran, (or rather, hobbled) as Arn held the girl by the arm and led her down the street away from their pursuers. However, a quick glance behind him showed that the machines were gaining ground faster than he could've possibly predicted, and it would only be a matter of time that they were within kill range before they even made it outside of the suburb. But suddenly, one of the Guardians turned their head towards the opposite side of the road, as though something had caught its attention. He couldn't tell exactly what was more important to look at besides a fleeing target, but it was enough to cause the machine to give up its pursuit and change course; crossing the road and climbing onto the rooftops of a row of burning buildings.
Upon seeing this, Arn immediately realized the window of opportunity that they've just been given. Against two Guardians, there wouldn't have been the slightest chance in Hylia he'd be able to fight them off, but now with one of those things out of the picture, he's decided that now is a better opportunity than never to make that hope a reality.
The middle-aged man suddenly took a 90-degree turn as soon as they'd made it to the next alley, pulling his young daughter along with him. They stopped, and he leaned back against the brick wall closest to the street and pressed his free hand against the girl's shoulder to do the same on the other side of him.
"Papa," she protested, "What are we-"
"Hush now," her father responded pointedly, prompting her to do as she's told and pursed her lips tightly, nodding. "Arry," he said gravely but didn't risk a glance towards her as he kept his eyes on the street next to him. "When I tell you to go, you're going to run as fast as you can, and you're not going to stop until your legs give out from under you, do you understand?"
"But what about you, Papa?" She asked, almost beggingly. "You won't be able to catch up if I-"
Unbeknownst to her, Arn hadn't even been listening to her at that point. Instead, he had been solely focused on the sounds of the Guardian drawing closer and closer, and the instant that one of the mechanical legs came into view, the man let out a thunderous yell as he brought the royal claymore over his head and swung down at the base of its tendril. The blade cut through the ancient metal, causing a loud snapping sound equivalent to that of a two-inch-thick plate of marble being snapped in half. The Guardian reared itself back as though it were surprised at being caught off guard, and Arn took that opportunity to direct his attention to Aryll.
"Go, Aryll, run!"
Aryll, however, stood there. Frozen in place, terrified and confused, all she could do was cry out, "I- I won't leave you!"
The Guardian recovered and swung at the former guardsmen, who had to force his bad leg to cooperate in order to jump out of the way, using his momentum to bring the sword back up and cleave through another one of its legs. "Dammit, Aryll, you stubborn girl, just do what I say!" The eye of the Guardian began to glow brighter, and the sound of its energy beam being charged could be heard by both Hylians.
Upon realizing that Aryll wasn't going anywhere, Arn's face fell in despair as he brought his sword back and raised it in an attempt to go directly for the eye. If he couldn't stop its attack, then at least he could take it down with him and prevent it from going after Aryll next.
He was about to go in for the kill when the charge suddenly came to an abrupt halt, and Arn faltered in slight confusion. That moment's hesitation was all it needed, and in his peripheral vision, Arn could see another arm spearheading towards him- with its three-pronged talons clasped together with the intention of impaling him straight through his side. He had just barely enough time to just allow the tip of his blade to fall downward; using the flat of his claymore as a makeshift shield as the claw came into contact with it- and consequently, throwing him back into the wall behind him. He hit the wall hard, and his vision went white. The older man let out a pathetic grunt as the blade fell from his hands and sank to the ground.
"PAPA!" Aryll screamed, running to his side. Blood spilled over his bottom lip, and he coughed. "Papa! Papa, get up! Please, get up!" The girl pulled feebly on his shoulder, but the heavier man wouldn't budge. He doesn't look up at her. Instead, he gazed straight forward with sunken eyes as he wheezed. "Arry… you must… find… your brother…"
"I'm not leaving!" She cried angrily. "You always told Link, 'A good soldier is always loyal to those he serves and those he serves with,' why am I any different?!"
Behind her, she could hear the sound of metal scraping across the stone pavement, and she turned to see the Guardian half-walking, half-dragging itself closer to the pair until it was merely several feet in front of them. A bright red laser dot appeared at the center of her father's chest, and all she could do was hug the man in a tight embrace as it once again began to charge its attack.
The man's heart swelled in anger and regret, as though the light itself were being etched into his very soul. He hated the prophecy for having him leave Aryll alone for so long. He hated himself for having dragged his son into becoming a warrior and having stolen all of that time the two siblings could've spent together. He hated the Master Sword for having chosen Link as its wielder, for having put so much responsibility on a young boy who was barely old enough to be considered a man. And yet… despite all that anger, he knew deep down that he'd failed not only as a guardian figure to protect his only daughter from the horrors that were once only believed in a dream, but as a father responsible for guiding her to be strong in a vain hope of putting down the Calamity swiftly and thoroughly so that she may continue living her life in normalcy.
The charge had nearly reached the point of release before Arn heard a high and sharp whistle coming from somewhere down the alley that they'd entered. The Guardian instantly swiveled its head, its eye still glowing with the intention of releasing its stored energy toward the source of the sound that caught its attention. Suddenly, the machine let out a demonic shriek as an arrow pierced its glowing eye, and its remaining arms flailed.
"Captain!" A feminine voice called out.
Aryll's sapphire eyes widened in surprise, immediately recognizing whose voice it belonged to, and turned her head in the direction where the arrow had come from. Arn, however, sat there watching through blurred vision as the machine tore at its face in an attempt to pull the invading projectile free.
Despite his somewhat delirious state of mind, he'd slowly begun to process what had just occurred. Then, realizing the opening that he'd been given, Arn began to channel that rage from moments earlier- the gap in his heart that had been emptied of his grief and despair now being fueled by that of pure determination. That determination allowed Arn to force one foot beneath him, followed swiftly by the other. Using the wall as support, and despite all of the aches and pains of his body protesting from him moving, Arn forced himself up with one arm and his good leg while simultaneously picking up the claymore he'd dropped from the impact.
The small girl looked back at the man next to her in disbelief, her eyes glued to his expression of which she'd never witnessed him bear before- of which was both a terrifying and mesmerizing sight to behold. With the light of surrounding fires gleaming off his body and sword, Aryll saw that his beady eyes were narrowed at the metal monstrosity; brows knitted and his head hung low as he brought his claymore back behind him; crouching as though he were getting ready to pounce.
With a great huff of exertion, the former guardsmen launched himself into the air. He let out a hoarse, yet intimidating bellow as he brought the blade above his head and swung it down at an arc across the machine's cylinder head.
The screech of metal cutting through whatever material the Guardian had been made of pierced through the air. As Arn's blade passed through it, the machine suddenly went rigid, and the charge of its blast suddenly came to a halt. The older man landed heavily back on his feet, yet his legs quickly gave out from under him and he fell to one knee.
An eerie squealing noise emitted from the Guardian, as though the gears within its body were grinding against one another as the mechanism tried to force itself to function properly. Then, a vertically slanted line appeared across the Guardian's head where Arn's sword had initially cut through just below the eye, and the top section slowly began to slide off from the main body. The remaining legs of the machine gave out, causing it to fall heavily to the ground as the ominous purple energy faded from its eye.
A sudden silence fell over them, aside from the sound of crackling flames that continued to spread all around them, along with Arn's deep and heavy breaths after the exertion of strength that he'd demonstrated on the now fallen Guardian. He could see Aryll staring at him out of the corner of his eye, her eyes widened out of shock and revelation after having witnessed the incredible feat of her father's prowess, and Arn could feel his chest well up with pride.
"Captain!"
A figure had suddenly appeared at his side, crouched down, and placed a slender hand upon his shoulder. Arn turned his head to see the Sheikah, Impa, whose straw conical hat was tucked almost low to the point where it covered her eyes.
Impa was a young woman who was several years older than his son. She was dressed in her blue skin-tight stealth garbs that covered her body from the neck down, which she'd always worn beneath her casual attire. However, she'd ditched that outer layer of clothing, revealing the rest of the body cloth that she'd worn and further emphasizing her fit and lean body.
Her bleach white hair had been mostly tied back into a rolled bun, with the rest of it hanging down the length of her back in a low ponytail. In her hand, Impa held the bow that she'd just used on the now-lifeless machine that lay in a heap before them. At her side, Arn could see the only weapon that she carried with her- the palm of an eightfold blade sheathed away on her lower back, along with a small utility satchel strapped tightly over one shoulder.
The reflection of the surrounding flames glittered over her ember brown eyes, who gave the man a closer look as she spoke again. "Captain, are you hurt?"
Arn, who was still breathing heavily at this point, could only let out an annoyed grunt and spat blood out from his mouth as he answered. "Lass, I'm not your captain anymore."
"Impa!" Aryll cried out and threw herself into the Sheikah.
A sudden maternal feeling overwhelmed the older woman as she took the girl in her arms. They held one another in a tight embrace, and Impa found it nearly impossible to want to let her go. Instead, it was Aryll who broke away as fast as she'd fallen into her. "How did you find us?"
Impa gave her a wry smile. "When I couldn't find you among the crowd, I decided to come look for you. When I did, I saw the two Guardians chasing after you, and managed to lure one of them away." Her smile faded. "What happened out there, Captain?"
"For the last time," Arn rumbled, attempting to pull himself back on his feet, "I am not your-" His vision suddenly blurred and fatigue swept over his body. And before he knew it, his sword clattered loudly on the pavement and found himself falling flat on his rump again.
"Papa!" Both girls immediately went to either side of him, hooking their arms under each of his shoulders. He was way too heavy for both girls to lift. However, the least that they could do was make sure that the upper half of his body could stay upright as they leaned him up against the brick wall.
"Careful, Captain," Impa emphasized, kneeling down beside him. "It seems like that blow you just took has done a number on you. We need to get you somewhere safe in case you have internal bleeding."
"Ah, don't worry yourself with me, lass. This old man is just out of shape, is all."
"Clearly." She muttered to herself.
"What was that?"
"Nothing, sir."
Arn eyed the women for a brief moment, and then nodded.
Despite the three years that they'd known each other, Impa had never completely lost that bit of sass that came with working with the older man. Not that he was surprised, as Impa was still very young despite being extremely talented in the Sheikah arts, much like how Link had shown prominence with the sword at a similar age; and besides the fact that she was his senior by almost 4 years, Impa had proven to be more than capable as Zelda's first aide. Though their line of work usually did cross with one another given their former positions, in the first year of Impa's career as Princess Zelda's first aide, she and Arn had only spoken to one another purely out of professionalism and never really paid any mind to one another. Until one day, he'd learned that she and Link had intercepted a small group of Yiga clan members outside the castle walls.
According to the report submitted by Link, his son had caught the would-be assassins during his midnight patrol as they tried to find a way inside, with Impa coming to his rescue and fended the treacherous swines off with only minor wounds between each of them to show for it. Even though he had his doubts as to what exactly happened on that night, Arn had expressed his deepest gratitude to the Sheikah for potentially saving his boy's life and introduced Impa to his family so that they may thank her in return.
And that was when she met Aryll.
Most other children would've felt uneasy when they met a Sheikah for the first time due to the rumors surrounding their history over the past ten thousand years, or they would just be completely oblivious to what a Sheikah even was. But when Impa had introduced herself, to her surprise, Arn's little girl turned out to be anything but fearful. Instead, Aryll was ecstatic to have finally met a member of the tribe.
Unlike the Link that she knew now, who was about as expressive as a Lizalfos in a food coma, she was as- if not more- outgoing than any child Impa had ever met before. And immediately upon learning who she was, Aryll had berated the older female excitedly with one question after another; eager to learn as much as she could with Impa trying to answer as best as she could without breaking her code of secrecy. And each question she did provide an answer for was almost always met with another, and the little one's interrogation was stopped when the girl's mother had finally decided to intervene.
But Impa didn't mind.
Ever since then, a sisterly bond had developed between the two that only grew with each frequent visit. Then when the day came that Arn's wife had passed away and his son came to possess the Master Sword, Impa had made a conscious effort to visit the young girl as often as she could; going so far as to even taking Aryll along with her to Kakariko Village on at least two occasions. Though Arn would never admit it, Aryll had possessed a fighting spirit within her, much like her own father and brother. This was made apparent when one day she'd asked Impa to teach her on how to wield a kunai (Of which Impa agreed by making the girl swear to never use outside of practice under her direct supervision or self-defense) as well as basic Sheikah arts that even Hylians were capable of doing themselves.
In many ways, Aryll reminded Impa so much of Zelda. Both were incredibly smart for their age, they wanted to see more of the outside world, stubborn as a bull, and held a deep interest in Sheikah culture and technology. Even though Impa had known that her highness was giving her new bodyguard the cold shoulder, she couldn't help but wonder how Zelda would've reacted to someone who acted a lot like herself at times when she wasn't lashing out at her bodyguard.
"Papa," said Aryll, shaking the man's shoulder as though she were trying to wake him up from a nap. "Can you move, Papa?"
Arn winced as his injuries from being slammed into the brick wall began to finally make themselves known. "Ahf, Arry, take it easy."
"But we have to go!" She told him urgently. "What if more of those monsters show up?"
"She's right, Captain." Impa interjected. "I've seen more of those things heading this way when I came to look for you." The Sheikah's expression darkened. "Arn, sir… the Guardians…" The guardsman's gaze shot towards the woman, yet she refused to meet his gaze. "They occupy Hyrule fields."
Arn could suddenly feel the weight of a large rock occupying his stomach. "You mean they…?"
"Yes, Captain." Impa could feel tears welling inside her, and she turned away so that Aryll couldn't see before wiping them away. "It's- it's not safe there."
On one hand, the two adults had hoped that Aryll wouldn't be able to decipher the meaning of what Impa had just implied to the middle aged Hylian, but both knew that she was smart enough to connect the dots on her own. Their fears were confirmed as Aryll's eyes widened upon realizing that they were once part of the crowd of people who'd fled to their ultimate demise. However, what surprised them even further was how she'd decided to respond to that information.
The image of what came next would forever be sealed into Impa's memory, and she watched as the Hylian girl whose flawless blonde hair, skin and clothing had been smudged and tarnished by the ensuing chaos clenched her tiny fists. Though there were tears gliding down her cheeks, the look in Aryll's eyes showed that of resilience and determination. No, she'd thought to herself. This is not how the Hero's story ends. In the end, the good guys always win; and when this is over, the Hero shall live happily ever after with his friends and family. Link himself had told her that on the rare occasions when he actually spoke. He'd already sacrificed so much living for them.
Now it was their turn to live for him.
"Papa." she told her father, grasping his beefy arm as though she were planning on lifting him up herself. "We have to go."
Arn would've been lying if he said that the girl's brevity hadn't left the man dumbfounded. For a moment, he could only stare at the young child as he processed her sudden act of taking the initiative before finally coming back to his senses and nodding affirmatively. "Aye," he said, forcing his body to move again despite every bone in his body throbbing in protest. With some help from the two girls, he was lifted back up on his feet. However, he'd nearly tumbled back down to the ground when attempting to place any weight on his bad leg and had to lean upon the crumbling brick wall for support. "Gah, blast this leg!" He uttered out a curse before focusing his attention on Impa. "What's the safest way out of here?"
"The Applean Forest." Impa answered immediately. "There seems to be less Guardians roaming the eastern side of Castle Town, and we can use the building on our way towards it. However…" The Sheikah hesitates as she rubs the back of her neck. "Once we make it to the edge of town, we'll have to cross Romani Plains. That's over two hundred yards of open field and we'll be sitting ducks if they-"
"That's good enough for me, lass." Arn interrupted her as he shoved himself off the wall and used his claymore as a makeshift walking stick. "If there's no other way, then it's the best chance that we've-"
He was interrupted when a shrill cry emanated into the night sky, followed by the sound of an explosion nearby. That alone was enough to tell the surviving trio what had happened, however the Sheikah's internal alarm bells were going off like crazy- an intense feeling in her gut unlike which she'd never experienced before which prompted Impa to want to investigate.
"Shh, wait here," she told them, hardly giving Arn the chance to redistribute his weight back onto his good leg, who let out a hiss in pain.
"Impa, wai-" He attempted to order her, but bit his tongue out of fear that he'd give away their position. This was further reinforced by herself when she brought a finger to her lips to emphasize staying quiet before turning and peeking her head out onto the main road.
What she saw in that moment was a sight that would forever haunt her in her dreams.
A group of around 8 or 9 Guardians were climbing over the buildings roughly 60 yards away, formed up in a tight row next to one another as though they were enacting a coordinated sweep across Castle Town to find and eliminate any survivors. A couple of these machines would indeed eventually find their prey, and they too were silenced as quickly as they were able to cry for mercy while the wall of certain death overcame them. That, combined with the burning sky and the sickening violet aura that emanated from these killing machines as they made their way towards the survivors was enough to fill the gifted Sheikah's heart with terror in its most primal form.
Meanwhile, the former Captain of the Royal Guard need not ask the young woman what she saw, for the sudden whitening of her face and the involuntary slack of the jaw was enough to tell him exactly what she was looking at. "Impa," Arn managed to speak up both pressingly and collectively. "What do you see?" His guess was soon proven correct as she slowly backed away from the corner, yet refused to tear her eyes away from the open street.
"Impa?" Aryll asked her friend worriedly.
The Sheikah's trance was finally broken upon hearing the little girl speak up, and Impa looked at the pair where her petrification could be seen on full display. However, seeing the frightened and bewildered look on the captain's daughter was enough for her to muster every bit of courage that she had in order to recompose herself. "We have to leave." Impa said stiltedly. "Now."
Without even bothering to ask for clarification, Arn nodded in agreement. "Aye. Let's- agh!"
The heavy Hylian toppled over onto the ground, unable to balance himself with his claymore as it hit the pavement with a loud clang.
"Papa!"
Both girls were at his side once more, and overt frustration began to take hold of Arn as he stubbornly tried to force himself back on his feet. However, his good leg was starting to feel the fatigue after having been relied upon to compensate for the other, and almost proved impossible for the girls to lift him up.
"It's no good," He said with a heavy and withered breath as he leaned back against the wall. "In this state, I'll only slow you both down. Impa, take Aryll and-"
Knowing exactly what the Captain was about to say in that instant, Impa's face twisted angrily as she cut him off. "No way, Captain! I'm not leaving you behind to-"
Aryll's eyes widened, who'd originally looked confused about what her father had had in mind before the Shiekah had said it out loud, cried out. "Wait, Papa, where are you going?!" The young blonde clung to the man's shirt in a vice grip and squeezed her eyes shut, hugging herself as close to him as possible out of fear that he might vanish out of thin air in an instant. The tears fell freely down her cheeks as she began to sob. "Don't go, Papa! You said that we'd find Link together- you promised ! You promised that once this was over we would-" She couldn't bring herself to continue speaking as desperation and panic began to overwhelm her. Soon, however, she felt a pair of incredibly strong, yet firm hands being placed upon her shoulders and Aryll looked up with bloodshot eyes to see her father gazing down back at her. To her bewilderment, his expression wasn't that of anger, fear, or even uncertainty. Instead, what Aryll saw was the face of a man who seemed to have finally found peace. And in Arn's case, he was.
Seeing the unconditional love for her father- despite the shortcomings and regrets that he'd had in raising her- fueled Arn's desire to ensure his daughter's survival so that she and Link can live out their lives together as a family. Ever since the lad had pulled the Master Sword from its pedestal, one of Arn's biggest fears was one in which Link saves the land of Hyrule, only to return home and discover that there would be no loved ones left to welcome it. And if he had to die so that neither of his children would have to experience that kind of pain and misery, then so be it.
"Aryll…" Arn whispered in a soft, yet strained voice as he pulled away and leaned over towards her. "My dear, sweet Aryll." He cupped his hand over her cheek and began to gently wipe the tears away with his thumb. "The world is harsh. It is cruel, unfair and unjust; but there is also so much beauty within it that you couldn't possibly imagine until you've seen it for yourself. I have lived long enough to see the vastness of both sides, but you…" He begins to choke up, but still manages to maintain his composure. "You are strong , Arry, just like your brother and there's still so much you've yet to witness. Because Goddess Hylia, if I were to let anything happen to you…"
Aryll could only stop and stare at the former captain as he broke off eye contact in order to prevent himself from finishing that last thought; and instead redirected his attention to the Sheikah who moved in behind the girl. After having listened to the captain's words, Impa's priorities had swiftly shifted from stubbornly defying the man's orders and instead focused solely on getting the young Hylian away from danger. Time was running out, and as it stood, Aryll's safety and survival trumped over basically everything else.
The Sheikah took the girls hand to insinuate on them leaving, but Aryll refused to budge and shook her head furiously at her father. "No, nonono- Papa, please don't leave me! You promised! You promised-"
"Aryll," Impa told the girl insistently as she slowly pried her away from him. "We must go."
"But what about Papa? He won't be able to catch up!"
Arn forced a small smile in reassurance. "Don't you worry about me, Arry. I'll be right behind you." Then to Impa, "Impa, please, take care of my little girl. Find my boy. Find the princess. And put a stop to this madness. That is an order."
The kunoichi swallowed hard. "I understand… Captain." Not wasting anymore time, the kunoichi flicked her hat back over her head and heaved the young Hylian onto her back piggy-back style before she could even think to resist.
Upon realizing that she was about to leave one of the two most important loved ones in her life behind, Aryll could only speak out in an increasingly desperate cry, "Papa…? Papa. Papa! PAPA!" Impa took off with the child in tow down the alley away from the main street, and Arn tried his best to get one last glimpse of the blonde hair that was once shared with his wife's before disappearing over a short brick wall.
Now finding himself completely alone, the former Captain allowed himself a silent prayer to the goddess before turning to face the open street. The machines could be heard as the sound of roofs being torn apart by the snapping and lashing of their mechanical tendrils drew nearer and nearer. If there were any chance of both Aryll and Impa making it out of here in one piece, then the least he could do was cause a temporary distraction for them to take advantage of.
After a quick and heavy breath, Arn forced his gimpy leg to move whilst continuing to use his claymore as a crutch until he was outside of the alleyway. As soon as he was out in the open, he almost instantly came face-to-face with one of the many copies of the Guardian he'd destroyed earlier. Its head swiveled and immediately targeted its laser eye at his chest, with other Guardians from all around him doing the same as they took aim at the lone Hylian.
Arn looked up at the Guardian defiantly as he brought the claymore over his head before lowering the tip down at the machine's insidiously glowing eye. Then, with a roar loud enough for the escaping girls to hear, he said:
"FOR HYLIA! AND FOR THE KING!"
When the first explosion was heard, Aryll flinched, yet Impa showed no sign of stopping or slowing down. But then, when three more had gone off in quick succession, even the Sheikah couldn't help but stop in her tracks and turned towards the source of the conundrum. Despite the block of burning houses obscuring their view, blue lights of energy could be seen emanating over the rooftops from the main road. Whatever the Guardians were attacking, they very clearly seemed to have had a hard time taking out their target as the sound of screeching metal soon joined in. However, the skirmish only lasted for a few brief moments before the last explosion went off, and soon a cloud of black smoke began to envelop the surrounding area.
Both girls watched in both shock and awe of what had transpired before reality eventually set back in. From atop the kunoichi's back, fresh tears could be seen welling up in Aryll's eyes under the orange illumination of the blaze around them. Her chest tightened and her throat became hard to swallow as she attempted to process everything that had happened thus far. In the end, all she could do was utter the word, "Papa…" before Impa tipped her head down to hide her face beneath her strawhat and continued to bound toward the Applean Forest.