Link still couldn't believe the position he and his sister found themselves in. When their journey had begun, it had been just the two of them. Most of their travels had been spent that way, with a few notable exceptions. They had occasionally joined up with other small groups of adventurers, they had hitched a ride with a Hyrulean naval vessel, and Link had traveled with the Necludan army from Hateno to the capital. However, even those exceptions had been nothing compared to this, for he and his sister now found themselves allied with the entire Hyrulean army. Soldiers from all corners of the kingdom had been called to war, and the two young siblings from a small house outside of Hateno were going with them.
Setting out from the castle, Link and Linkle rode their horses along with the Queen of Hyrule's personal royal guard detail - another outlandish situation Link had never imagined they'd find themselves in. As they traveled through the city, they passed by statues of past kings, queens, and Heroes, and Linkle was quick to rattle off what they were known for.
Will she and I end up with statues one day? Will people remember us as the ones who slayed the Headless Demon?
Watching his sister's ecstatic face as she happily described how the Hero of the Minish had defeated the Demon Lord Vaati, Link knew she'd already considered the things he was thinking of at the moment. Despite the impossible situation they were in, and despite the looming shadow of war, she could not have been more proud. She was the Hero, and all her dreams were coming true.
If we can just make it through this one last battle…
It would not have been the first time Link told himself that, but he had to believe it anyway. Surely there could be no further threats to the safety of the entire kingdom within their lifetime. One more battle, and then they could live out the rest of their lives with nothing more than smaller scale adventures, at most.
If only…
Despite having seen the size of the army already, Link was still impressed when they exited the city walls. Hylians, Gerudo, Gorons, and Zora all marched west along the road, heading for the enemy's location. Linkle wanted to ride ahead and talk to as many of the soldiers as she could, but Link had insisted she stay close to the queen. Luckily, she seemed to like that idea as well.
After a short march past the quarry and past Mount Gustaf, the queen's guard took a sudden detour, riding slightly north off of the road just before they reached Carock Bridge.
"What's going on?" Linkle asked as they stopped. "Does the queen need something?"
Link shrugged. "We can ask her."
Sophitia did not exit her carriage right away. Their party was soon joined by the Sage of Light's carriage, and soon after, the gigantic Zora-tamed creature known as a Hyrdophant walked past them, headed for the river.
Link and Linkle dismounted from their horses when Sophitia and Seraphina finally stepped outside. The young sage quickly ran to her sister for a hug.
"Are you alright, Your Grace?" Linkle asked. "Why did we stop?"
"We don't wanna go through the Breach!" Seraphina answered for her. "It's scary."
With her arms around her little sister, the queen provided a better explanation. "The Breach of Demise is an accursed land. It has a negative effect on those of Hylia's bloodline. I've asked Princess Miphela and Prince Silorn to ferry us across the river on their Hydrophant instead."
Linkle gasped. "Wow! We get to ride that thing?" she asked in amazement, pointing toward the colossal blue creature with the strange trunk and flappy ears.
Seraphina seemed similarly excited. "I know! It looks so fun!"
"Have you ever been through the Breach?" Queen Sophitia asked the siblings curiously.
Link shook his head. "We've never been further west than Hyrule Field."
"I see. I would be interested to know if the curse on the land affects the Heroes as well, but I would not ask you to test that for me," she said. "You are welcome to join us on the Zora's Hydrophant instead."
"We'd be honored to join you!" Linkle replied. Link couldn't tell if she was more excited to ride the creature or to spend more time with royalty.
While the rest of the army continued past them, crossing Carock Bridge into the Breach of Demise, Link and the others waited for the Hydrophant to descend the hill and wade into the Regencia River below.
After a few minutes, a pair of Zora soldiers approached them. "Your Grace, we are ready for you now," one of the soldiers informed them. "Please, follow us."
The journey up the river was slow and steady, but eventually, the Hydrophant and its riders reached the north end of the Breach of Demise, at which point Link and the others rejoined the rest of the army. Linkle was slightly reluctant to climb down off of the Hydrophant's back since she'd found it to be a much more entertaining method of travel, but she nonetheless followed the queen and the sage back down to the ground. From there, Link and Linkle remounted their horses and joined up with Sophitia's royal guards again, resuming their duty of protecting her carriage.
The point at which Link and his party met up with the rest of the army served as the halfway point of their journey to Rowan Plain. From there, the convoy stayed on the road heading north through Hyrule Ridge, receiving a few extra supplies as they passed by the Maritta Exchange. Despite a few incidents in which monster scouts were spotted spying on them along the way, the army did not get into any serious skirmishes en route to their destination.
When they finally arrived at Rowan Plain, the convoy came to a stop.
"Is this where we're supposed to be?" Linkle asked, noticing they were still on the road.
Link had also been expecting them to move further into the plains before stopping. "Maybe something stopped us at the front of the convoy."
A few moments later, the door to the queen's carriage slid open. Liliana climbed out, then offered her hand to Sophitia to help her step down onto the ground. She spoke with one of her other guards for a moment before being interrupted by a rider who'd arrived from the front.
"My queen."
"Yes?"
"We've met with the soldiers from Snowpeak at the front, Your Grace. The commander wishes to speak with you."
"Very well." Sophitia signaled to the rest of her guard detail, including Link and Linkle. "Come with me, everyone."
The siblings dismounted and followed the queen to the front of the convoy. One of Sophitia's commander's stood at the head of the group, talking with another man dressed in equally decorated armor. The other man's tabard bore an image of a snowcoat fox, the symbol of Snowpeak's former ruling House.
"Your Grace."
"Your Majesty."
Both commanders stood at attention and saluted as Sophitia approached them.
"My lords." The queen nodded her head in greeting, signaling them to be at ease. "Is there an issue to be addressed?"
"Yes, my queen," the Snowpeak commander replied. "We should not get anywhere near the canyon until we are ready to attack, and we must ensure we have our strongest anti-air defenses in place."
Everyone in the party cast their gaze in the direction of Tanagar Canyon, then tilted their heads upward. Skyloft was floating in the sky far above the canyon.
"Because of that?" Linkle asked, pointing to the City in the Sky.
"No," the commander replied, shaking his head. "Because of the dragon."
That instantly caught Link's attention. "The dragon?" he repeated. "So it is here."
"Yes. The monsters have one, down in the canyon. It is perched atop the structure they are guarding. I believe the enemy holds dominion over the creature, and they may use it to attack us at any point."
Sophitia nodded her understanding. "Very well. Thank you for the warning, commander. We shall set up camp along the road here. We have ballistae that we can set up along the perimeter should the dragon be sent to attack. Give the order. We should begin as soon as possible so that we might proceed with our offensive."
"Very good, my queen."
As Sophitia's officer's dispersed throughout the convoy, doling out orders to begin the construction of their base camp, Linkle clutched her brother's arm excitedly.
"The dragon is here!" she said into his ear. "I've got a second chance to fight it this time!"
Link remembered his previous run-in with the dragon. It had been one of the most terrifying encounters of his life.
Is it the same one? I hope he doesn't recognize me…
As soon as the camp had been set up with a reasonable level of defense, Queen Sophitia gathered all of her generals and important personnel within the meeting tent. Link and Linkle were not intended to lead any units in the coming battle, but they'd been instructed to join the meeting as well given their importance to the situation.
Queen Sophitia, Sage Seraphina, Governor Kochi, Queen Urballa, the Zora Princess Miphela and Prince Silorn, the Goron Chief Darote, some of Sophitia and Celessa's advisors, and a whole bunch of other people Link didn't recognize were there. A map of the area had been laid out across the circular table, with miniature pieces placed upon it to represent them and their enemies. Once everyone was present, the queen began the briefing.
"Our Hebran scouts have given us a preliminary overview of the enemy's forces," the queen said, magically moving a few of the miniatures around on the part of the map that represented Tanagar Canyon. "Unfortunately, they are occupying what appears to be an ancient Hylian temple at the very end of the canyon, so it is difficult to estimate their exact numbers. At the very least, they have several hundred Blins, Lizalfos, and Achemen, as well as a Hinox and a dragon. No Sheikah have been spotted in the canyon, but it is unknown who or what awaits us within the temple. If this truly is the resting place of the Triforce, there are likely to be even stronger opponents standing guard outside its chamber."
"There is also the matter of Skyloft," Princess Miphela pointed out. "I have been told it has dangerous capabilities.
"Yes. My brother found a way to activate some sort of destructive magical weapon when he was in control of it," Sophitia confirmed. "It remains unclear if the enemy knows how to operate it, but regardless, they may be reluctant to use it on the temple, given that their prize - and likely their leadership - is housed within."
"So we can go right in, then, right?" Linkle asked, sounding eager to proceed. "Storm the temple, slay the monsters, arrest the Impas, recover the keys, and that's it. The Triforce is saved!"
"Verily!" Prince Silorn concurred.
"Simple. I like it!" Chief Darote also agreed.
Governor Kochi raised her hand for silence. "We are to be on the offensive, yes," she said. "But there is no need to rush matters and put ourselves at unnecessary risk."
"Yes." Sophitia nodded, keeping a cool head. "We have cannons, as do our Hebran forces on the other side of the canyon. We shall bombard them from above first, then move in on the ground level. Most of our army is on our side of the canyon, so we shall only send in a portion of our forces and keep the rest in reserve, just in case."
"I would like to address the matter of my ward," Queen Urballa interjected. "Prince Harun is down there somewhere, and he brought a number of his personal guards with him. If they are to take part in the battle, I will not begrudge you for felling them, but I request they be spared if possible, and no one is to touch Harun but me."
The giant armored Gerudo standing behind her lifted her axe and banged the end of it against the ground for emphasis.
"Agreed. Likewise, if anyone is to encounter the late Lord Remoth's daughter, Mina Remoth, she is to be taken alive as well," Queen Sophitia added. "She may be the key to preventing further conflict with this alliance of monsters her father has assembled."
"Very good." Celessa, gently waving an arm over the table, magically pushed some more pieces around on the board. "Now, let's discuss the specifics of the battle plan, and then we may begin the assault."
From what Link could gather, getting down into the canyon was likely to be the most difficult part. They did not have the time to set up any special climbing or elevator equipment of their own, so they would have to take advantage of the wooden walkways that were already built along the canyon walls. Their descent would be slow, especially given their numbers, and while they were moving downwards, they would be very open to enemy archer fire. Additionally, if the enemy had decided to sabotage any of the scaffolding, they could lose huge chunks of their army with little notice.
Since the canyon walls closer to the temple may have been more heavily defended by the enemy, the Hyrulean generals had decided to send most of their forces down into the pit some distance further down the canyon, away from the temple. From there, they would move in on the enemy's location. Then, before they would arrive at their destination, another portion of their forces was to approach the canyon's edge closer to the temple, clear out any guards who appeared, then set up the cannons to bombard the enemy from above. With any luck, that would create the opening the army on the ground would need to move in.
Link and Linkle found themselves at the very front of the group going down into the canyon.
Of course we are.
Linkle's belief was that having the Hero at the front of the charge would raise the morale of the troops, especially the other Hylians. To her credit, it seemed to be working, as the soldiers appeared to be in high spirits and confident in their victory. Link didn't like knowing his group would be the most vulnerable to any unseen traps, but if nothing else, Linkle would probably be able to save herself using her hookshot.
To further avoid risk, the Hyrulean forces moved down into the canyon at several different points of entry. Each of the paths they took made use of wooden scaffolding and crane lifts that had been set in place by mining operations in the past. Link had been informed that Lord Remoth, the leader of the monsters whom Linkle had slain, had been the one in charge of most of the mining operations in Tanagar Canyon. This fact made him even more nervous, as though the wooden platforms would have built-in booby traps somehow. However, as they made their way downward, that didn't appear to be the case.
"I could lower myself down," Linkle suggested, holding up her hookshot. "Scout ahead a little maybe."
"Don't even think about it, Elle," Link warned. "And be extra careful with that thing. The enemy is after it, remember?"
Linkle shrugged. "If any monster wants to try to take it from me, I'd like to see them try. Besides, not like they can get anywhere without the gilded sword, right?"
Link supposed she had a point. With one of the six keys sent far away for safekeeping, they were not at risk of the enemy being able to obtain the Triforce, even if they managed to obtain Linkle's key somehow.
As the siblings descended a large rope-drawn wooden lift with a dozen Hylian soldiers, screams suddenly rang out from the other side of the canyon.
"What was that?"
"What's going on?"
"Are we under attack?"
Link scanned the area for the source of the screams. It had come from the other side of the canyon. He could see soldiers from the Hebran forces descending the scaffolding on the far side, but they were not alone. Winged creatures were attacking them, although they were a bit too far away to make out clearly.
"Aeralfos, maybe?" Link speculated.
Linkle didn't respond. Instead, she shot her hookshot into the scaffolding and leaped over the edge, allowing the chain to swiftly lower her to the ground.
"Elle, don't!"
Whether or not his objection would have been heeded, Link doubted his sister would have been able to hear him over the cheering of the soldiers, who seemed excited to see the Hero leap into action.
Link sighed in frustration, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up as he watched his little sister charge across an open field straight towards the enemy. As soon as the lift had been lowered enough, he jumped down to the next level of the scaffolding. The soldiers cheered for him as well, and as much as he didn't want to, he ran ahead of them in an attempt to catch up with his sister. It was a fruitless endeavor, given her magical Pegasus Boots, but she would stop running once she reached the other side of the canyon, and Link would be able to catch her then.
He didn't get far, however. Once he made it to the ground level of the canyon, the screaming started coming from behind him as well. Turning back around, he saw the winged creatures were attacking on their side of the canyon, too. Some were Aeralfos as Link had suspected, but there were also more bat-like monsters mixed in with them, which must have been Achemen. The creatures attacked with swords and spears or teeth and claws. Some merely grabbed soldiers and dragged them over the edge, letting them fall to their deaths.
Link hesitated. He wanted to keep going and help his sister, but it didn't feel right to leave everyone else behind. He didn't think he would be able to do much more than any of them could, but at the very least, his weapons were much better than theirs. Surely he could handle some of the monsters, perhaps saving a few of the soldiers here and there.
Running back towards the cliff he'd come from, Link drew his Lynel bow. Once he was close enough, he planted his feet and began picking off the flying monsters. He'd been out of practice with archery before, but after he and Linkle had spent their time training together at the castle, he could tell he'd improved significantly. One by one, the bat-monsters and flying lizard-monsters fell, killed by either Link or one of the soldiers they were fighting.
As more of the Hylian troops made it to the ground level, the monsters began flying lower as well, until Link was finally spotted. One of the Achemen, flapping its wings a few feet above the ground, pointed a clawed finger in his direction and screeched. Two nearby Aeralfos apparently got the message, as they soon flew directly at Link, swords and shields drawn.
"Great. Here we go." Link hastily put his bow away and pulled out the Lynel reaper and his shield. He blocked the first attack from the charging lizard-man, who glanced off of his shield and flew higher. Link attempted to swing his weapon at the second one, but that one also flew upwards to avoid the strike. Not wanting to give his enemies time to come back around for another attack, Link whipped out his boomerang and tossed it at them.
Somehow, the boomerang managed to cut through a wing of each Aeralfos. One of them clumsily crashed to the ground, then lay there writhing in pain as though it had broken something. The other screeched in pain and irritation, but ungracefully managed to lower itself back to the ground. Link quickly charged at that one, slicing its head off cleanly with his Lynel-horned blade. He then swung his sword down upon the other, finishing off the second Aeralfos before it managed to climb back onto its feet.
Link was not given time to celebrate his victory, however. By the time he turned around, the Acheman was already upon him. Link ended up knocked onto the ground, and he quickly threw up his shield to defend himself. The Acheman had a sword, but as he swung it, Link swung his as well, knocking the Acheman's weapon out of his hand. The Acheman growled in anger and attempted to slash with his claws. This knocked Link's shield out of the way, so he held up his other arm, which the Acheman immediately sank his teeth into. Link cried in pain as the monster's fangs pierced through the leather armguard he wore. With all of his might, Link swung with his shield, bashing the monster across the face. The Acheman fell to the side, and Link rolled on top of him, placing his sword against the enemy's neck. Applying pressure to both ends of the blade, Link forced the sword to sink into the monster's flesh. A fountain of blood splashed his face, but he held his sword there until the Acheman stopped struggling.
With his attacker defeated, Link's tunnel vision fell. Sitting up on his knees and wiping the blood off of his face, he climbed off of the monster's corpse and looked around. A handful of monsters hung around, battling with other soldiers in the distance, but most of them were either dead or flying away from the battle. Looking across the canyon, Link could see the Hebran soldiers were in a similar state with their enemies. Deciding the soldiers on his side could handle the rest, Link ran to check on his sister.
The last monsters had fled or been slain by the time Link reached his sister. Contrary to any of his worries, she was perfectly fine – more than fine, in fact. She stood in the center of a crowd of Hebran soldiers, raising the Master Sword skyward while the soldiers cheered in celebration of their victory.
When Link approached her, Linkle lowered her sword and looked him up and down. "You look handsome in red, brother," she said with a smirk.
"What?" Link looked down at his clothing and saw that he was still quite soaked in blood. "Oh." Ignoring her joke, he continued on. "Are you hurt?"
"Not in the least," Linkle replied. "Is that your blood?"
"Nope."
"Good. We're both alright, then."
Link nodded, smiling in relief. "Let's try to stick closer to each other, alright?"
"I'll try, but if someone needs my help, no promises."
"Good enough."
As they finished catching up, a series of warhorns sounded throughout the canyon. The various commanders who'd been sent down with them were signaling that it was time for all their forces to form up and march on the temple.
"Time to go, brother," Linkle said. "Let's go save the world."
More warhorns sounded. The mages in the center of the Hyrulean army launched several colored flares into the sky. That was the signal that they were close to the temple. Up ahead, Link could see the canyon was swarming with Blins.
"If our allies managed to take the cliffs, the cannons should start firing soon," Link said aloud, mostly to himself. He dreaded the thought of having to fight so many monsters. He recalled the battle aboard the naval ships when they'd been attacked by pirates at sea. That had been a chaotic disaster, and it had been what led to him and his sister getting separated.
This needs to go smoothly.
"Never fear, brother," Linkle stated confidently. "Here comes the kaboom!"
The siblings continued marching forward alongside their Hyrulean allies. The Gorons were in front of them, ready to be the first line of attack. Link, Linkle, and many other Hylians were in the next few groups. Link could already hear monsters roaring from further down the canyon. With each step, he grew more worried that the cannons would not be able to help them for some reason.
But then, the telltale sounds of cannons firing boomed throughout the canyon.
"Kaboom!" Linkle repeated, leaping into the air in celebration. Others joined in, cheering for their allies as well.
The monsters, on the other hand, panicked as they were suddenly bombarded from above. Bokoblins broke ranks to flee. Bigblins trampled over their lesser brethren to get to safety. Whole swarms of Miniblins were sent flying as the cannonballs created smoking craters in the ground.
On Chief Darote's signal, the Hyrulean army stopped marching to wait for the bombardment to end. Soon, either the entire canyon would be cleared of monsters, or the enemy would retaliate and take out the cannons. Either way, they would wait until the cannons stopped firing before proceeding towards the temple.
Soon enough, a mighty dragon's roar shook the canyon, and the scaled behemoth took wing, rising up and out of the canyon. Once it was just above the cliff's edge, the reptilian beast glided forward, spewing flames across the row of cannons on the Hebran side.
At the same time, a gigantic Hinox stepped into view. From down in the canyon, among the fleeing Blins, the giant cyclops hefted a massive boulder into its arms. After winding up, he tossed the boulder up at the cliff on the Hyrulean side. The boulder collided with the cliff, causing a large chunk of it to fall, taking out the cannons atop it.
The morale of the Hyrulean army took an audible hit, with many of the soldiers surrounding Link gasping in horror. Link momentarily panicked as well, thinking the dragon would simply continue onto them and incinerate the entire army along with those cannons. However, just as the dragon reached the end of the cannon line, one of the cannons managed to shoot it from only a few meters away. The dragon roared in pain and plummeted down into the canyon, which brought back a surge of inspiration for the Hyruleans.
"Charge! Charge while the beast is down! Charge!" Chief Darote shouted.
The Gorons obeyed their chief without question, letting out a thunderous battle cry and rolling into battle. The Hylians behind them followed.
Meanwhile, the Hinox tossed another boulder, taking down another section of the cannons. With little to no Hyrulean artillery left above them, the monsters began to rally. Moblins and Bulblins barked orders at their lesser brethren, forcing Miniblins and Bokoblins to crawl out of hiding. Seeing the enemy charging at them, the Blins raised their weapons and moved to meet them in battle.
In the initial clash, the Gorons bowled over the lesser Blins with little effort. The Gorons were large, and they wore heavy armor in addition to their rocky carapaces. However, once the Moblins and Bigblins reached the front lines, the Hyrulean army's advance was halted, and the real battle began.
The Hylians and the Gerudo were the next groups to reach the battle. It was very noticeable when Queen Urballa entered the fray, as her first attack was accompanied by a massive bolt of lightning called down from the sky. Linkle's initial attack was no less flashy. With Link by her side, the Master Sword was nearly at full power, and the blade reacted strongly to the danger of so many monsters surrounding her. When she slashed at the first Moblin she encountered, her blade flashed brightly enough to blind all nearby monsters.
If there was any silver lining to the battle, it was that Linkle couldn't exactly run off with her Pegasus Boots. The line of Hyrulean troops clashed with the line of monstrous troops, and they would have to fight to create an opening before either force could budge. So, true to his promise, Link tried to stick by his sister, fighting off any enemy who got too close to her while she was busy slaying other monsters.
While the battle seemed to be going in their favor initially, things took a dramatic turn when the dragon raised himself back up. The monster snarled, shaking his head as if coming out of a daze. There was a clear chunk of scales and flesh missing from the middle of his face where the cannon had hit him, above the nose and between the eyes. Nevertheless, the dragon stood on all fours, taking notice of the ground battle in front of him.
"Ah. Allir þessir pirrandi litlu hlutir," the dragon muttered, his voice booming throughout the canyon despite him speaking so low.
"The dragon's still alive!"
"Do we have cannons?"
"Bring up the mages!"
"Slay it! Slay it, Hero!"
The fear displayed by the Hyruleans on the ground was immediate. What was once a difficult but winnable battle against a horde of Blins now appeared to be an impossible battle against an unkillable dragon.
"We've chased off this dragon before!" Chief Darote's voice called out. "Let's kill him this time!"
"This dragon isn't as fearsome as half the beasts we've slain in the desert," Queen Urballa's voice joined in, carrying above the rabble of the crowd. "Fight on, warriors!"
The words of their leaders seemed to keep the panicking to a minimum. The soldiers continued to fight, but so did the monsters.
The dragon seemed unconcerned with the approaching army. He blinked with multiple sets of reptilian eyelids, and his forked tongue darted out from between his toothy jaws like he was tasting the air. He growled, turning his head to set his gaze upon the crowd.
Link, fresh from killing a Moblin, took a step back and froze. It was as if the dragon was staring directly at him.
Does he recognize me?
"Þú." The dragon crept forward like a stalking lion, carelessly crushing a few of his Blin allies beneath his claws. "Have you come here to taunt me, O lackey of the accursed Hero?" Volder said, speaking Hylian now, his voice easily carrying above the sounds of the battle all around him.
As if she could sense that the dragon had targeted her brother, Linkle stepped in front of him, holding up the brightly-illuminated Master Sword in a defensive stance.
"Ah, and here she is now." Numerous arrows, rocks, and lightning spells bounced harmlessly off of the dragon's scales as he crawled forward, his singular focus cast upon the Hylian siblings. "Have you already punished your minion for his failure?" he asked Linkle. "The bow is ours now. It is in the hands of the Shadowed One's daughter, as are four of the other keys."
Four of the other keys?
That would've meant the enemy had five keys. If Linkle had the hookshot and the Grand Protector had hidden the gilded sword, then the monsters and the Sheikah would've only had four.
Has the dragon miscounted? Or are there actually seven keys in total?
While most others fled out of the dragon's path, Chief Darote charged right up to him. Letting out a warcry, the Goron chieftain raised a mighty flaming hammer above his head and slammed it down onto one of the dragon's back feet.
"Arghh!" The dragon snarled in pain, a puff of smoke erupting from his nostrils. "Gorons. Dine uhøflige småsten. Jeg prøver at tale!" Turning in place, Volder swiped at Darote with one of his front claws. Luckily, the Goron seemed to anticipate this, as he curled up into a defensive ball. Nevertheless, he was flung far from the dragon, crashing into the rocks on the side of the canyon.
Linkle seemed to take the dragon's momentary inattentiveness as her cue to attack. Her Pegasus Boots kicked up dust as she charged forward, and her sword glowed as if channeling her killing intent. When she reached the dragon, she jumped onto its leg and attempted to run up it. However, Volder simply kicked his leg up, sending her flying.
"Linkle!" Link cried, running towards her.
His sister landed in a heap near the canyon wall. She rolled over and started to push herself back onto her feet, so she was clearly still alive, but Link did not know if she had been injured. The Master Sword, however, landed several meters away from her, having been flung towards Link. So, on his way over to his sister, Link quickly scooped up the weapon in his hand, intending to return it to her.
Before he could reach Linkle, Link's path was cut off by the dragon slamming a claw down in front of him. "Hero's lackey," Volder addressed him, contempt dripping from his voice. "Ordinarily, I would not find an insignificant little creature such as you to be important. However, I have already failed to kill you once. I do not like to make the same mistake twice." With that, the dragon inhaled, his belly glowing with heat as he prepared his fire breath.
"Brother!" Linkle screamed. "Catch!" She raised the hookshot and fired it towards Link. When it caught onto some of the scaffolding on the canyon wall, she allowed the chain to start reeling in, then she let go of the hookshot. It fell to the ground, but it continued to pull itself towards the scaffolding. As it zipped past Link, he managed to grab onto it. The dragon's fire incinerated the spot he once stood a moment later, but he was pulled to safety.
When the hookshot's chain had fully retracted and Link reached the canyon wall, the dragon roared with anger, but he did not stop spewing flames. He turned his head, scorching the ground further as he aimed his fire breath towards Link once again. Link reacted without thinking, shooting the hookshot upwards to pull himself out of the way again.
"Come back here!" Volder bellowed. His flames had ceased for now, but he flapped his wings, clearly intent on following Link up the canyon walls.
Link could not think of anything else to do. Firing his sister's hookshot again and again, he hopped from platform to platform, continuing to ascend as fast as he could.
This is insane. No one can fight a dragon. What the fuck am I supposed to do now?!
When Link had faced Volder in the Goron mines, he'd been able to escape by fleeing down a passageway that was far too small for the dragon to follow him through. His eyes frantically scanned the cliff face, searching for any such escape route, but he found nothing, and the dragon was rapidly catching up to him.
Eventually, Link reached the top of the canyon, and there was nowhere left to run.
This is hopeless. It's over. How can I–?
His eyes were drawn to the glow of the Master Sword. He was still carrying it in his left hand, and he was reminded of the Hero of Twilight's words, as well as his sister's. As crazy as it sounded, he may have been one half of the Hero.
Peering down over the canyon's edge, Link saw the dragon rising right below him. The wound the monster had sustained from the cannon blast was plainly visible upon his forehead. If Link were to jump on top of Volder and stab him in the spot where he'd been wounded, there was a chance that it would be enough to kill the dragon. If he waited until the dragon reached him, it would surely kill him instead. As slim as his chances may have been, this may have been his only opportunity, and he only had a few seconds to make his decision.
What if I miss? What if he opens his jaws and eats me? What if the sword isn't enough to kill him? What if I kill him, but fall to my death afterwards?
All of those thoughts ran through Link's head as he leaped over the cliff's edge.
The dragon did not appear to have expected that. He did not open his jaws, and Link landed on the monster's giant reptilian face. Volder continued to fly upwards, but he crossed his eyes to look at Link, snarling in surprise and annoyance.
For once, Link stopped overthinking things. Before Volder had a chance to shake him off, Link raised the Master Sword with both hands, pointed it downward, and drove it into the dragon's wound. Volder roared in pain, flailing his head wildly and throwing Link off of him.
Shit.
Screaming, Link pulled out his sister's hookshot and fired it in the direction of the cliffside, praying it would hit something it could latch onto. Luckily, it did. As he fell, the hookshot's chain went taut and he swung into a pile of wooden boxes stacked on top of a platform jutting out from the cliffside. Volder, however, plummeted to the ground, landing with a thud that shook the whole canyon.
Link's entire body hurt, and not just from the rough landing. Falling while holding onto the hookshot like that had nearly pulled his arm out of its socket. When he eventually managed to pull himself up and dust himself off, he emerged from the pile of broken crates to find the Hyrulean army gathering around the body of the dragon on the canyon floor below. As he stood on the edge of the platform, the soldiers took notice of him. Many pointed up at him and cried out, and suddenly, the entire army was cheering for him.
It took Link a moment to process what was happening. He'd run into the very same dragon he'd crossed paths with so much earlier in his journey, but instead of fleeing, he'd actually killed the dragon this time. His stupid idea of jumping on top of the dragon's head had actually worked, and he'd survived it.
"What the hell…"
Trying to ignore the cheering of the swarm of people below, Link scanned the crowd in search of his sister, but he couldn't find her. Deciding that she would easily reach him first with her Pegasus Boots, he decided to use the hookshot to make his way back down to the ground.
As expected, Linkle shoved her way through to the front of the crowd and sprinted at him before anyone else had a chance to come meet him. He held out his arms, and she slammed into him with the force of her whole body. "You fucking did it!" Linkle practically shrieked into his ear, hugging him as tightly as humanly possible. "You're a dragon slayer, brother! A dragon slayer!"
"I guess," Link replied, returning the hug. "Thanks for the hookshot. Looks like you've saved me once again, sister," he said, handing the item back to her.
"And don't you forget it," Linkle replied cheerfully. "Now, come on," she said, grabbing his hand insistently. "Let's get our sword back."
"What?"
The cheering crowd parted for them as Linkle dragged Link to the center of it. The body of Volder the Dragonlord lay dead on the ground, with the Master Sword sticking out of the crown of his head. It was oddly similar to the state the siblings had originally found the sword in.
Linkle stepped up to the dragon's head and placed her hands around the sword's hilt. She turned to her brother with an expectant smile on her face. "Together?"
Link simply chuckled and put his hands on the hilt with her. When they pulled the sword out, dragon blood dripped from the blade, but they held it aloft, and the crowd let out another mighty cheer.
The festivities were interrupted by a Gerudo warhorn.
"Do not let the Hero's triumph over the dragon distract us!" the Gerudo queen called out, her troops gathering around her further into the canyon. "The enemy has retreated into the temple. We must begin our assault before they can fortify their position."
The various commanders scattered throughout the masses of soldiers echoed her sentiment, shouting orders at their troops to fall into line. Linkle seemed disappointed that her brother's celebration had been cut short, but Link was relieved. Having that much attention on himself felt strange.
"You'll be remembered for this, brother. I'm gonna make sure they put up a statue of you stabbing that fucking dragon," Linkle told him as they marched with the army towards the temple. "I am a little pissed, though. I wanted to be the one to slay the dragon!"
"You can have the next one," Link assured her.
As the Hyrulean army approached the temple, Link expected the monsters to attack again at any moment. However, they did not. As far as he could see, the remaining monsters outside of the temple had gathered in front of the structure's great doorway and on the roof. They were mostly Blins and Lizalfos of several varieties, but the monster that stuck out the most was the Hinox. The one-eyed giant stood firmly in front of the door, but he made no attempt to attack, nor did any of his smaller minions.
The commanders leading the Hyrulean army ordered them to halt while they were still many yards away from their destination. Their soldiers stood in formation, with the remaining Hylians, Gorons, Zora, and Gerudo grouped into several separate cohorts. Queen Urballa called for a meeting between the other commanders, including Chief Darote and Prince Silorn. Link and Linkle were pulled into it as well.
"The giant in front of the temple is known to me," Urballa told the others. "His name is Raeger. Before our conflict ended, he aided me in taking the Coliseum from the Hylians. When my ward departed, he took Raeger and his horde with him," the queen explained.
"We have encountered him before as well," Link added. "That is the Hinox who helped us navigate through the Lost Woods."
"Yeah! He could talk. He seemed smart," Linkle joined in.
"Ah, splendid," Prince Silorn said, pumping his fist across his chest triumphantly. "I see where you all are going with this. You believe the giant can be negotiated with."
"He hasn't attacked us since the dragon was slain," Darote pointed out. "Perhaps he has witnessed our true might and wishes to surrender before we slay the rest of 'em."
"Precisely." Queen Urballa turned to the Hylian siblings. "Young Heroes, the Hinox knows each of us, and by now he likely knows the power you possess. We shall be the ones to speak with him."
"You can count on us, Your Majesty!" Linkle answered for the both of them.
Link was skeptical, but the Hinox had spared them in the past. Perhaps it would do so again.
And so, the three of them marched out into the barren, rocky bed of the canyon. Queen Urballa carried a gigantic white banner, intending to symbolize peaceful intentions. When they reached the midpoint between the two armies, Urballa planted the banner into the ground and waited.
After a short while, the Hinox stepped down off of the temple's lower section and made his way towards them with slow, deliberate steps. However, the giant was not alone.
Link almost instantly recognized the young man walking in front of Raeger. He was Gerudo, and that meant he must have been the Gerudo prince he and Linkle had encountered at the Temple of Time. Despite the giant walking behind him, the prince was the one Link focused on, and the prince was the one who made the hairs stand up on the back of Link's neck.
As Prince Harun grew closer, the skies above the canyon seemed to darken. The Gerudo Voe's eyes radiated so much anger, Link could practically feel its heat. Beside him, Linkle moved into a battle stance, clearly suspicious of the approaching prince. Link placed a hand on hers to stop her from drawing her sword, and he instinctively placed himself in front of her.
With one last thunderous step, Raeger stopped, as did Prince Harun. The two parties stood a few yards apart, but they were close enough to speak.
"Harun." Queen Urballa spoke first. "I am pleased to see you in good health."
"Is that so, my queen?" the Voe replied. "When last we spoke, I believe you condemned me as a murderer."
The Gerudo queen hesitated before answering. "I know your intentions were pure," she told him. "And perhaps I was wrong to heed Elder Kobami's words over yours. But we need not be enemies. Please, my child, convince your allies to lay down their arms."
"And then what?" Harun questioned. "Allow the Hyruleans to slaughter us to protect their secrets? No. This does not end until that one gives us the key," he said, pointing towards Link.
The Gerudo prince seemed to think Link was in possession of the hookshot, perhaps because he had just used it in his fight against the dragon. Linkle opened her mouth to correct him, but Link quickly shot her a look, silently telling her no.
"I know what it is you seek; what you are so desperate to achieve," Queen Urballa spoke. "But the Curse of Demise cannot be lifted this way. The Triforce is a tool of the gods, and the curse cannot be touched by any gods' power. The Sage of Light told us so himself."
"Even if removing the Curse of Demise is somehow the one wish the Triforce cannot grant, I can think of a dozen other wishes it may grant that could easily minimize its effects," Harun explained. "Besides, I do not believe the Sage of Light's word is to be trusted."
"And you believe your new allies are to be trusted?" Urballa asked. "Harun, they are the ones who killed Sabah."
There was a heavy silence in the air after the Gerudo queen spoke those words. Harun seemed shocked and confused. Even the Hinox standing behind him seemed taken aback by the revelation.
"How do you know this?" the Gerudo prince asked.
"It's true." Link regretted cutting in as soon as he spoke, but his instincts told him he could help if he corroborated Urballa's information. "The one who did it is in our custody. He confessed to everything. Impa Shiho was the one who ordered him to do it."
Harun turned his gaze upon Link, and the radiating hatred in his eyes returned. "I was not speaking to you."
Link took a fearful step back, his hand unconsciously gripping the hilt of his sword.
"His words are true," Urballa chimed back in.
"I do not believe it!" the prince spat out. "It could be a trick – the Hyruleans attempting to cover up their crimes by shifting the blame onto another of their adversaries."
"The Hylians have not been our greatest friends, but they are more trustworthy than the ones you now consort with," the queen argued. "The Impa Family betrayed their Hylian masters, as did the one called Remoth. Do you trust them to keep you safe once they have what they desire? Do you even know what they wish to use the Triforce for?"
"We all want the same thing," Raeger spoke. The sound of the giant's voice caused Link to flinch. "The monsters, the Gerudo, the Hylians - all of us are to have land of our own, with no more conflict between us. That is our wish. If you were to simply hand over the final key, we could achieve this with no more bloodshed. We could even restore the lives of those who have fallen in this conflict." The Hinox reached out with his long arm, placing his hand palm-up on the ground, as if he expected them to place the hookshot in his hand as requested.
"Never," Linkle refused, emphatically shaking her head. "It is too dangerous to let anyone but the Royal Family have the Triforce."
Before anyone else could argue, a sudden burst of black smoke appeared beside Linkle, and then another. From the first emerged a man in dark robes with a hood and a scarf hiding most of his face, but his sudden appearance and his red eyes made it clear he was a Sheikah. The hooded man attempted to grab the hookshot that hung from Linkle's belt, but before he could escape with it, Sheik also appeared. The young Sheikah with gray streaks in his hair swung his fist as if he were throwing a punch, but he held his dagger in his hand. The dagger sliced through the other Sheikah's throat, and the force of the blow knocked him to the ground.
It all happened rather quickly, and everyone else leaped back in surprise. Link, Linkle, Urballa, and Harun all drew their swords, and Raeger pulled his hand back.
"What is the meaning of this?" Urballa demanded.
"That's Socicila," Linkle pointed out, indicating the dead man on the ground. "He was the castle's Grand Watcher. He disappeared when Remoth attacked."
"He came to us when the City in the Sky was brought here, but I did not order him to interrupt us. I swear it," Harun asserted.
Urballa cast her gaze up at the Hinox suspiciously, but he shook his head in denial of her silent accusation. She then glared disdainfully at Sheik.
"Thank you for helping us again, Sheik," Link told him. He felt tense having Princess Sabah's murderer standing in front of Prince Harun, but he hoped their encounter would end without anyone pointing that out to the prince.
"Hmm." The Sheikah man grunted, wiping the blood from his dagger. "It doesn't matter what these idiots say," Sheik said, gesturing to Harun and the Hinox. "The Impas are using them like they used me. They just haven't figured it out yet. If you give them the key, we're all fucked."
The sword Harun held in his hands was jagged and wicked-looking. It was solid black, and shadowy wisps emanated from it as he trained it on them. "Fine. We have given you all the chance to resolve this peacefully. If you choose to continue fighting, I will not be held responsible for your fates." Sheathing his sword, the Gerudo prince turned around with a flip of his cape and marched back towards the temple. The Hinox said nothing and left with him.
Link sighed. "That could have gone better."
"If it had gone any other way, you'd all be dead right now," Sheik said.
Queen Urballa sheathed her swords and removed her banner from the ground. "Let us inform our allies of what happened here. It is time to move in for our final assault."