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Chap. 57: Call to Arms

Zelda's legs and lungs burned, ached, but not with lust or desire. They burned from lack of oxygen, and ached from sheer exertion.

The young woman knew she was pushing herself too hard, so soon after a birth and labor she had tried to forget, to deny was even happening. This time, though, Zelda's efforts were not out of denial, or a vain attempt at self-delusion.

This was a problem of her own making, she was sure of it. She had to do everything she could to fix it. Hopefully, before the people of Hateno paid the ultimate price for it.

Nearly everyone she had met in Hateno had been kind, supportive, helpful, even though she was a stranger with a miniaturized arsenal on her belt, and the skill to use them as, or perhaps more, effectively than their own soldiers and guards.

They had provided food, shelter, resupply, even armaments and armor, without either overcharging her or questioning overmuch what she planned to do with them. They had provided succor and relief in every way Zelda could imagine.

And she had, in all likelihood, gotten them killed.

How? By trying to help.

She had no actual proof, of course, but with every fiery breath that heaved in and out of her ragged lungs and inflamed throat, the princess was certain that the army assembling to attack Hateno Village was because of her. Perhaps it was some indirect reason, such as Hateno being a last bastion of relative peace and civilization in the broken carcass of Hyrule.

Or perhaps, and she thought this far more likely, it was because she had helped Koyin recover some of the ranch's lost sheep. Retaliation. The black Bokoblins who had impregnated her had told her, before they exploded, that she would regret fighting them, regret escaping, hadn't they?

There had been a Blood Moon, there had to have been. Now, word had spread, and they were massing for an attack the likes of which Hateno might not have seen in a hundred years. Perhaps ever, if the fortress she had met Celessa near had held as well as the villagers and the adventurer herself had told the princess.

Desperation alone drove her on, through pain, through agony, through exhaustion. "Take it easy," she had been instructed again and again, "Get some rest."

There would be no rest. If she didn't do everything she could, the only rest the people of Hateno got was the final rest, the last nap, the dirt nap... if the Bokoblins were kind enough to bury them, which she doubted. No, she had to push on, through everything.

The door of the Ancient Tech Lab slammed open, nearly falling off the bottom hinge, and actually separating the top hinge so that it canted at an angle. "Purah! Purah!" she gasped loudly, "Symin! Anyone!"

Thankfully, the first answer came quickly. "Princess?" Symin shouted, running around the corner with a spoon in his hand, slopping some sort of stew onto the floor, "What's wrong?"

She could only heave, one hand on her chest, for several seconds until Purah's overly-excited little feet pitter-patted down the hall, "Princess? What's the matter?"

"Bo- Boko- Mob- Monsters!" she gasped out at last, "An- an army!"

Symin's spoon clattered to the floor, unnoticed, as his eyes opened wide, "An- An army? Princess, are you sure?"

"Of course she's sure, idiot," Purah shrieked, reaching up to slap Symin's rear end, "Look at the state of her! Come, Princess, come in and sit down. Symin, water! Make sure she drinks it slowly, too! Come, girl, come sit down, drink, catch your breath, and tell us everything- in that order!"

Zelda was pleasantly shocked, if such a thing even made sense, despite the fatigue and fears running rampant through her body and mind, to see echoes of what must have been the old Purah inside the body of the child she was now.

She saw instead a commander, a leader of men, cool in a crisis, and with a keen mind to ensure- or at least increase the odds of- the orders and instructions given being good ones. "Thank you," Zelda whispered quietly, then reached for the glass of cool, but not too cold, water Symin offered as he sank into the nearest chair.

It took her about five minutes to catch her breath, and that speed was only due to Purah shoving a green-tinted potion bottle into her hand as soon as the first glass of water was gone. "Drink this, it'll help with your fatigue. Tastes like a Bokoblin's hind end, but it gets the job done. Sorry, neither of us are great at making elixirs."

Zelda could only shake her head as she pulled the stopper off and downed the syrupy substance in one go. Even without inhaling the scent and trying to ignore the taste, Zelda had to agree. With a grimace of distaste, she muttered, "That's not just bad, it's awful."

Symin grunted, no doubt wanting to defend a potion he'd painstakingly crafted, but Purah shushed him with an urgent wave of her hand, "Alright, Princess, you should feel it kicking in any moment. As soon as you can, please, tell us everything. What army? Where?"

"D- Down," Zelda replied, pointing toward the floor and south. "Down at Hateno Beach. Where I fought the- where the Bokoblins, er, c- captured me."

"The Blood Moon," Purah whispered, "Revenge, then?"

Zelda nodded, "I think so. It's- it's probably worse because Hateno has had some sort of peace for a while. If there's any intellect in the Calamity... it might send more forces here to stomp out... everything."

Purah nodded gravely, "That tracks with patterns Impa, Robbie, and I have noticed over the decades. Every time there's resistance of any sort, the next attack is many times worse... but there isn't a third if that one is defeated, and if it isn't, if the second assault force succeeds, it usually disperses to other areas to reinforce them again. Often, back where they came from, we think."

"That doesn't change the situation here, though," Zelda said quietly, the Energizing Elixir was doing great work to remove the fatigue and grant her reserves of strength far beyond even her normal boosted levels. "There's still an army headed this way."

"How long do we have?" Purah asked, "Best guess, before they attack? How long to get up the road from the beach?"

Zelda shrugged helplessly, "I don't know, I'm not a military expert. Maybe I once knew more, but..."

"Your best guess," Symin repeated his superior's words, "The best information you have. I'll go take a look with a spyglass in a bit, but for now we need to start formulating a plan of defense. For that, we need to know numbers, even just a rough estimate, and how long it'll take them to get to the fork in the road. After that, it'll be much harder to defend the Village."

Purah nodded, "We've had to help stop attacks from there before, though nothing like a full-on army. Symin's right. In fact, go find that old spyglass right now. I'll take notes even you can read. Hurry!"

"Tch, fine," Symin grunted, and turned to head back into a room Zelda hadn't been through deeper in the building.

Once he was gone, Purah folded her arms across her little chest, and asked quietly, "Have you hurt yourself? Overexerted? Torn anything?"

The princess took a few minutes to take stock of herself, then shook her head. "I... don't think so. I'm tender, a bit swollen, but I don't feel hurt or damaged anywhere. It hurts, but not injured, if that makes any sense."

The tiny researcher nodded, "Fair enough. Alright, girl, back to work, then. How many in total?"

Zelda closed her eyes, forcing herself to remember the sight that had instilled horror and terror in equal measures in her. "H- Hundreds. Three? Four? It was hard to tell, but I saw at least thirty different campfires. During the day."

"That's alright, they cook at all hours," Purah nodded thoughtfully. "I'm no expert in monster ecology, that's much more Symin's thing, but you don't work next to someone for eight decades and not pick up a few things. Monsters tend to be diurnal, meaning they sleep at night, and are awake during the day, but they get hungry as any animal would, and want to eat when they do, so they try to keep cooking fires hot. So, thirty or more fires, between three and four hundred. Not... not good, but it's not an insurmountable force."

Zelda's eyes widened, "S- Seriously, Purah? Hundreds of Bokoblins, and not a few Moblins, against the... what, dozen or so capable guards this Village has defending it?"

"No, no," Purah replied, almost muttering as she hand-waved Zelda's concern, "Like I said, it's not good... but we can do it. I think."

"How?"

It felt, to Zelda, like a very legitimate question. Purah, however, looked oddly smug as she pointed one stubby finger toward the princess herself, "We have you."

"I'm- I'm not the Champion," Zelda reminded her, almost hissing with fear that bubbled up inside her like a well that had broken through bedrock. "I can't fight off an army!"

"You don't have to fight off an army alone," Purah told her, "you have us, and you have that."

Zelda followed the same finger to the Guidance Stone, where her Slate still rested, slowly recharging. "I don't follow, Purah. Either that, or you aren't making much sense."

Symin burst back into the room and out the front door, but on his way by, he told her brusquely, "Terrain, Princess, the terrain gives us a huge advantage."

Her eyes widened, "That's... that's true..."

"I give Symin a lot of guff," Purah told her with an almost fierce grin, "but the truth is, he is quite smart. He'd never have made it as my assistant if he wasn't. Think about it: A fort is built on a hill whenever possible, a castle even higher. A mountaintop is best, isn't it?"

"I- I suppose so," Zelda agreed, "The attacking force would have to run uphill. It would make them tired, and..."

"And the defenders have a wider field of fire," Purah finished. "We only have twenty-four guardsmen that are worth their salt, last I checked, and two are injured. Twenty-two real fighters, right now. Of those, six are valuable enough they should stay in the reserves. Reede, the mayor. Seldon, the Armorer. A couple other menfolk like that. Pruce... well, Ivee could take over for him, but he's not bad with a bow. In fact, he's probably the town's best shot. If you kept your old skill he's nothing close, but..."

"You know an awful lot about the townfolk for never leaving the lab," Zelda pointed out.

Purah only huffed, "Well, check it: I've only been this small for a couple of months, alright? Probably a few weeks before you woke up. When I was old, I tottered around plenty, and people knew me. That's why I can't go out now! Come on, we have to focus. How many Moblins did you see?"

"Ten? Twelve? There might have been a few more sleeping, but I don't think it was more than that."

Purah grunted, frowned, and turned to the over-cluttered table, where she fished around for a quill, a bottle of ink, and a piece of fine paper. She started writing quickly after dabbing the quill in the ink and then against her tongue. "Three to four hundred Bokos, a dozen Moblins or so, as many as... let's say fifteen. What color were the Bokos? The majority."

"Red, which I suppose is a small blessing," Zelda replied.

"Hm, yes, that. Alright... well, the Moblins will form their vanguard, at least of an initial assault. Blue Bokos might shore up a few other clusters... I hesitate to call them units. This army is probably better described as a hostile mob, but... units it is. Let's see... Bokos will usually cluster in five, sometimes six. With a Moblin, it's usually... what, four?"

Zelda nodded, "That's what I've mostly seen. Red Moblins either tend to be alone, or with three to four Bokoblins around them, usually with the Moblin either in charge, or being the enforcer for a blue or black Bokoblin."

"Symin would be useful here, but I couldn't have him around asking you a personal question about your health, Princess," Purah told her, still quietly, as she scribbled furiously on the paper. "Smart, but Symin's hardly the picture of discretion, and your health is no one's business but yours. Especially as a Princess. Alright... So it really is a small army, at least by today's standards. Not an overwhelming force with the terrain, but dangerous enough to be a concern. The Sheikah Slate, archers, they'll be our greatest advantage. Rocks, if it comes down to it... and now I need a runner. Three of them, really. Great... I can't even leave, and I have messages to detail!"

"Use the children," Zelda suggested, "They run up and down the hills around the ranch all the time. I'm sure they can handle coming up here."

"No way," Purah growled, "I'm not letting them see any more of me than I have to! It's embarrassing enough that I screwed up the de-aging process, I can't just-"

"Purah!" Zelda shouted angrily, "Get over yourself! This is more important than your fucking appearance! Or your arrogance!"

The scientist recoiled as if slapped, then put her quill down on the table. Her eyes closed, and she removed the red, fancy spectacles before placing them over the paper, too. Then she rubbed her eyes, and exhaled slowly. "You're... right. I'm sorry, Princess. You're absolutely right. This is no time to be worried about what people will think. Go, get the children. Spread the word as far as you can. Start with Clavia and Reede, though, then the children of the town. Send everyone you can to get their armor, their weapons, and as many arrows and stones as they can muster. Hot oil, sand bags from the riverside... everything. We need barricades. Nails, planks we haven't used yet... tear them off the half-built barn across the valley, if need be. Anything we can do to slow the advance while the archers and you do their work. Go, Princess- run!"

She nodded, then was gone. Minutes later, as her feet, thankfully feeling much better after the brief rest and Energizing Elixir, pounded against the earth, Zelda had a moment to reflect that hopefully yelling at the researcher had been the right choice of action. It wasn't the time to be fighting among themselves, but the woman's vanity had set Zelda off something fierce. At least she had relented quickly, rather than argue about it more, as Zelda felt she would have if Symin had said it.

She found Aster first, but thankfully even though she was the youngest of the village's children that Zelda had met, she understood the urgency of Zelda's call: "Bokoblin's! There's a Bokoblin army coming! Go tell your brother, your parents! They're coming from Hateno Beach, and we need the guards to get ready!"

"I'll tell Mr. Bolson! He can be a lumin-dairy and safe us!"

"No, not-" Zelda tried to call, already getting a bit winded, but gave up when she realized that Bolson, if he was as good at construction as he claimed, probably would be a good person to alert early on. Who else to build the barricades Purah thought would be a good idea? Not her, that was certain.

She spotted Sefaro next. The child with the shaved head and spiked conch-shell necklace gaped as she skidded to a halt before him, "Sefaro! Tell your parents, there's an army of Bokoblins coming up from Hateno Beach! We have to warn the town, prepare to defend it!"

"Oh, shit," the child swore, "That's way more interesting than a silly Sheikah girl! I'll go tell 'em, thanks, lady!"

Then he was off, skipping, sliding, and skidding down the steepest parts of the hillside in a breakneck manner. Somehow, he stayed well ahead of Zelda even though she started running as quickly as she could afterward. The next hour or more went by in a similar fashion. Starting with Rhodes and Ralera, moving into the village, and then ending, just as exhausted as she had been, in warning Pruce, Ivee, and Meg, who was there selling what she had been able to collect alone at the East Wind.

The word had spread quickly, though, so as soon as Zelda made her weary way out of the outfitter's shop, she found Bolson, his two apprentices, leading a group of men and women, even older children, as they pulled out dozens and dozens of planks, and sacks of crude, heavy nails along with a dozen or so hammers. They were laying them out as neatly as they could in a hurry on five wagons, while another, pulled by a single ragged-looking pony, trotted toward them in the distance. "Thank Hylia," Zelda gasped, "Mr. Bolson, we need barricades- as many as you can get together. They're coming up the road from Hateno Beach. It's three or four hundred, and a dozen or more Moblins."

That might've been a mistake, saying that aloud to the crowd, for there was a universal cry of alarm, and sudden shouts, calls to evacuate the entire Village.

Those, however, were shouted down by Reede, "We will not abandon our home unless all is lost! This is the safest, most free place in all of Hyrule, and we will keep it that way! I have word from our old friend, Lady Purah. She and her assistant are working to mount a defense, as well. With the traveler Zina, here, and her timely warning, we have a chance to prepare. And prepare we will, so that when they do dare attack our home, we will give them what for, and send the lot packing!"

There was another cheer, this one led by the burly Hudson, before a shrill voice called from the distance, "That's right! I, the immortal, ageless, and timeless Sheikah Researcher, Purah, have come to help!"

Maybe her words, shouted in anger or not, had been more effective than Zelda had thought. She grinned, and called out to the crowd too as she stepped up beside Reede, Clavia, and now the diminutive researcher, "That's right. I have special powers. Magic, too. It's not much... but with the archers' support, even your thrown stones, I do believe we can severely weaken their army before it even makes it to our barricades. We'll win... or die trying. Hateno will not fall. Not while I live."

"Who're you, though?" one scared-sounding young man called from the back, "Some traveler? We only got your name, we know you strolled into town a few weeks back, then came back with a Boko-spawn! For all we know, you led 'em straight here!"

Zelda swallowed, then nodded, "That's right... I might well have led them here. But I didn't do it on purpose. I was trying to help Koyin."

"That's right," the fierce girl shouted from somewhere in the crowd, "So don't you be doubtin' miss Zelda!"

"I heard her name was Zina," someone whispered. A moment later, the scared populace of the Village, most of which seemed to have gathered for the impromptu meeting, were shouting back and forth about multiple names, some more outlandish than even the alias the princess had used.

Finally Zelda had had enough, and she whistled, loud and clear. "I am not some simple traveler," she declared, "I am Zelda, once the Princess of Hyrule! I spent a century healing from a mortal wound in the Shrine of Resurrection atop the Great Plateau! I have returned to Hyrule in its hour of need, late, but here now! I have come to Hateno to help! And by Hylia, I will! So doubt me all you like, but my words and my name will be proven true by sunrise tomorrow! If you wish to see that sunrise, then get moving!"

There were no claps to her rousing speech. Or at least, almost none. Purah's little hands gave three brisk ones, and then she turned, issuing orders and requests for various villagers. Some she called by name, but most were simply, "You, help with this," or, "You, carry that!"

In ten minutes, the crowd had mostly dispersed, only those still helping Bolson and his men load the supplies for their barricades still nearby. Even Reede had moved off, taking some of the younger and healthier men, muttering about axes and deadfalls rolling down the cliffs, and how they would be a pain to clean up later, but would provide firewood for the winter if necessary.

Then there was just one more person there. "Koyin," Zelda exhaled.

The girl glanced about to see if there were still people watching as she marched up to Zelda at last, then threw her arms around the princess. "I sorta suspected," she whispered, "I hope this don't... don't change nothin'."

"Never," Zelda whispered, daring to return the hug, "You're still my friend."

Koyin nodded, then pulled away, her eyes blazing with determination, the same almost-mad quality that so attracted Zelda in the first place. The drive, Zelda now knew, to protect her home. "Coming up from the beach, they'll hit either the Lab or the Ranch first. Pa and Grandpa are already setting boards on the doors and windows. What can I do to help?"

"Come with me," Zelda told her, "I think I have something special you can do. You're good with a spear, right?"

"Never really held one, except what you gave me," Koyin murmured as she fell in beside Zelda, her shorter legs hurrying to keep up. "But I can stab with a pitchfork or pointed stick well enough, so... I ain't bad? I guess?"

"Good. I'm going to need a bodyguard."

Koyin's answering grin was as fierce as any Zelda had seen from the girl yet.