Author's Note: I'll be preoccupied Thursday and Friday, so happy early release! We have only ONE CHAPTER LEFT in the arc, and then I'll be taking a break for the start of the school year. If you've liked what you've read, let me know! I've loved writing this story and plan to continue posting throughout the year! - but encouragement always helps with the process! Thanks a bunch for reading.
Chapter Eleven
Link rolled! — the explosion whacking him against the gambling table, shattering wood, clattering rupees, flurrying splinters while floorboards shot through the air like fireballs from Death Mountain! — they were under attack!
Another round shelled the tent's top! – a fire balloon bursting, rafters combusting, incinerating finch nests! A buttress snapped, deafening Link as he scampered away from its colossal collapse! – it dashed against the dining tables, catapulting him against the front desk cabinets where a blaze was catching.
"Zelda?" he wheezed, sharp wood skinning the bandage from his stomach as he pushed himself up. Heat singed his cheek - a bonfire consumed the entryway, spreading up the tent as its canvas flattened against the smoking dormitory, shading the shape and color of the cheery Wetland Stable in flat blackness. He was inside. Princess Zelda was outside – exposed. "Zelda?!"
He scampered to the kitchenette where the canvas had caught on a surviving totem, tenting the last remaining air pocket. He gulped it down, clambering over the bar, swiping chips of broken bowls to the ground as he charged the tent's wall with his sword - a window ripped beneath his weight, but the fire swept through the canvas, burning his hands. Liquor bottles exploded from the bar's shelf! He dodged the shards, slipping backward into the Princess's basin of soapy dishes — water! He snatched the entire vessel, hurling it at the fiery window, extinguishing the flames! It hissed. Link swooned. He jumped through through for the sodden mud on the other side.
"Zelda!?" He shot up, swatting flames from his trousers, "Zelda!?"
She was a blonde wisp by the well, throwing down a bucket for water as a blackened horse and buggie bolted after her from the eastern road. A hole in the wagon's bonnet platformed a Hylian archer, and with a burst of blood magic, it disguised itself in a red jumpsuit and cackled! – Yiga.
"Get close, and I'll shoot!" Link yelled, drawing the bow from his back. He landed a warning shot in the bonnet, startling the wagon's driver. It banked left in a wheel-splitting circle, allowing the Princess a brisk second to turn and run.
"Link!" She dropped the bucket. "Link! You're alive! The tent! The horses! Pony!"
"We'll get them!" he cooed, opening his arms mid-run. "We will!"
But, a line of bomb arrows laced between them, throwing Link against the fiery base of the tent. Princess Zelda tumbled, hitting the foot of the well.
"Zelda!"
She laid motionless.
"Hurry! Grab her or shoot her!" Link heard – the wagon circling back for her, "We've got people coming down the hillside!"
The wagon accelerated, fire crackled, horses screamed as Wetlanders poured down from the hillsides, but all chaos slowed as Link pushed himself to his feet. A hero's soul combusting, he withdrew another arrow in cold rage. Nocked it against the string. Tracked the wagon. Followed the driver, watching as he swung down to grab the Princess and -
"Ah! My hand!" the Yiga screamed – Link's arrow straight through it, pinning his palm to the wagon. Link pushed in, landing two more arrows into the enemy's arm. The wagon swerved. He fired another into the bonnet, dethroning the archer before breaking out into a full sprint towards Princess Zelda.
Around him flooded men and horses freshly liberated them from the fire – Box and Blick shooting by on their twin dappled steeds in hot pursuit of the wagon. Wetlanders threw rocks as it barreled past the crowd - Mes chucked a pitchfork, her siblings cussing out the invaders as the old barman broke a tree branch over the wheel, flurrying splinters! It's steed spooked, veering right where an angry Lawdon waited with a rusty ax.
"Zelda!" yelled Link, sliding in for the Princess."Your Majesty! Are you hurt?" He grabbed her shoulders, finding a despondent daze between three shoots of messy blonde hair. She was alive! – breathing, pupils dilating, tired eyes shaking. He cussed in relief, checking for a concussion. A dirty scrape on her cheek stole his attention – he pinched it between his thumb and finger while throwing off his pack for some kind of gauze.
Red, hot tears spilled over his thumbs.
"It's okay, it's okay," he doted, dabbing her cheek with an old tunic.
"I-I-I thought you were t-t-trapped in the tent!"
"No, no, I'm right here."
"I-I saw it go up in flames!"
A violent crack jostled the pair! – they jumped, quivering as the mighty horse-head of the stable snapped from its scaffold and fell fifty feet to the ground, dashing the ashen remains of the Wetland Stable. Debris shot up! - smoke billowing as fire ate away the base. A crowd backed away, beholding the blaze.
"Oh, Link," squealed the Princess – his arms around her. "W-What have I done?"
"Nothing," he bellowed, heart in his lungs. He dabbed the wound on her cheek, scraping the remains of potion from an empty bottle and rubbing it against the cut, "Y-You did nothing."
"It's my fault! I did this!" She collapsed into his chest, "I did this!"
Words evaded him. He found his hands in her hair, caressing her head as he relived the panic – hearing Her Highness scream from outside the tent, blind to the threat as he clambered out of the fire, her exposure to the Yiga out in the open yard! Murderers preying! Headhunters shooting. Threatening Princess Zelda. Killing Hyrule. Destroying Link - hopes crumbling, future blackening, home disintegrating.
Ghost terrors pulled him to his feet, "W-We need to get you somewhere safe, Your Highness."
"What? W-We can't go now!"
Link whistled for the bay mare. Pony trotted up, shaking the ash from her mane.
"No!" Cried Zelda, struggling against Link's hold. "I have to fix this!"
He hoisted her onto the horse, "I'm so sorry."
She scampered off the other side, diving for the upturned water bucket by the well. "No! No! No!"
"P-Princess!" He chased her to the mud.
She hauled up another bucket of water, "I have to fix this!"
He caught her waist.
"Let me go, Link!"
He scooped her up, "I'm so sorry."
"Let me down! I have to fix this! I have to!"
He whistled for his horse – she threw her weight sideways, knocking them back into the mud.
"Zelda!"
"You said you wanted to help me!" she spat, scampering away from him. It was his promise to her beneath the rain. "If you want to help me, then help me!"
He let her go, watching as she beelined for the former desk of the Missus, where a small crowd had gathered to put out the blaze. Mes came over, as did a tear-stained Leekah with another pail. "Can we get more water? Anyone?"
Link surrendered, refilling Zelda's bucket. She recoiled away from him when he approached her by the tent, but all spite cooled when he handed her the water.
"T-Thank you," she broke, throwing her arms around him.
He nodded shyly, letting her take the bucket - she threw it onto the blaze before sending him back to the well for a refill. He returned dutifully to find all the guests helping, passing wash buckets back and forth until the blaze around the front desk had simmered down to a cool heap of ash. Leekah reached inside for a hand-carved trinket in the debris – she held it to her chest.
Another cackle disturbed the party! – Link dove in protectively, turning to find the dark wagon veering out from the tent's left. Two red-cladded arms hung out the back, catching a young boy on horseback before dragging him into the cart.
"My son!" Screamed Leekah.
Zelda gasped.
"Please! That's my son!" yelled a man running after the wagon – Lawdon. He threw his ax at the wheel but missed. Blick and Box shot past him in hot pursuit, their dappled horses galloping, but the wagon gained ground, barreling back towards the eastern road.
"Surrender the girl by sundown or we kill him!" shouted the Yiga, firing a dud into the open crowd. Out came Link's sword, slicing the arrow in half, sparing the Princess and two other women behind him.
"Oh, baby!" Swooned Mes. Zelda dove in to check his chest and side for arrows.
"I-I'm good." He wheezed.
"You're wound?"
It hurt, but at least it wasn't bleeding. "A-Also good."
"Confess, kid!" He heard. Leekah grabbed him by the collar. "You're the warrior who cleared that monster camp nearby! I said as much when I first saw you!"
Conflicted, he met the Princess's eyes.
"Please," begged the woman, "Can you rescue my baby boy?"
"I-I'm sorry," Link broke. " I can't. Need to – "
"No, no, no!" Zelda interrupted, grabbing his arm, "I'll be fine! Go! – but for the love of the gods, be safe!"
He stared, unconvinced, "Y-Your Highness."
She cupped his cheek. "They already burned down the inn because of me, Link! And goddesses be damned if they think they're taking a child!"
Link tensed, leaning into her hand.
"I'll protect your girl!" Wept Leekah, pulling the Princess into a motherly embrace, "Please! My Malanya! Help us!"
Zelda held up a hand, "Just five minutes? It's only five minutes."
"I can't leave you, I - "
"I'll be okay!"
He blew out his cheek, cussing as he patted for the pocket knife in his cloak. He plopped it into the Princess's hand — she fumbled it, receiving a dagger from his holster next.
"A-Are you arming me?"
He held up a finger, doubling over for the blade he liked to hide in his left boot.
"T-This is a cutlass, Link? What's it doing in your boot?"
He corrected her hold on it, helping her through a practice swing while Pony trotted in, parting the crowd.
"Got it?" he doted.
"I-I think so?"
Doe-eyes fluttered between them – he parted with her remorsefully, jumping onto his horse bareback. "Just five minutes!"
"Take them down, boy!" He heard.
"Beat the shit out of them!"
"Vengeance for the Wetlands!"
He kicked Pony into a full gallop – she shot off after Box and Blick on the dappled steads. They fell back into a canter, leveling with him.
"It's the gimp!" Laughed Blick. "Hope you're better at fighting than cards!"
"I'm counting three henchmen," yelled Box over the rushing wind. "Two in the wagon and the archer, but he's not shooting at us!"
"He's out of arrows!"
"You've got arrows, kid?"
Link nodded.
"You go ahead! We'll corral them where you need 'em!"
Link kicked his horse into another gallop, leveling with the wagon's back where he could see a tear-stricken boy between the rips of the furling bonnet. They stuffed him down into the cart, throwing a sickle.
Link ducked, hugging the barrel of the horse with his thighs as she hung back for a shot! – he released her mane, reached back for his bow, and nocked an arrow, meeting the archer in a sudden flash!
Link released, plunging it through the man's shoulder. He recoiled! - cussing and cussing as Link pulled ahead to the front of the wagon.
"Well, shit!" Laughed the red-cladded driver, nursing his tattered arm. "Look who we have here!"
Link nocked another arrow, but the man dodged, swerving left into Link – he lept from Pony to the driver's seat, kicking the man off the side of the wagon for Blick and Box to punish. He clambered onto the cart next, turning for the henchman, but he immediately bailed, falling backward, tumbling after his boss.
Last was the archer – he cackled from the back of the wagon, pulling the arrow from his shoulder. "You think you're so slick."
Link unsheathed his sword.
He snatched the small, freckled boy for ransom. "If it's not us today, it's another wave tomorrow."
Link huffed, knocking out the man.
Author's Note: The Yiga didn't get the "slice-of-life" memo.