Dear readers, it has been over seven years since I provided an update to this story. I apologize for my delay. Suffice it to say: life happened. Got married, finished college, wrote a book (unpublished, but looking for publishers), and started a career in gaming that didn't pan out thanks to the great layoffs of 2023. I recently secured a very comfortable job wherein I have a LOT of free time, and I remembered this story. I found my notes. And I'm dedicated to finishing it.
However. I've grown as a writer in the past seven years. My prose has improved, as has my planning. I'm going to make changes to the story to fit my newer, improved style. Starting with this prologue. As I reread the story, this was the only chapter I did not like, for various reasons, so I hope you enjoy!
My first crossover fic, and I hope to bring as much from the two worlds of Fire Emblem and Legend of Zelda as possible. It has been interesting to come up with new plot ideas for the story ever since Heroes and Engage have made the multiverse of Fire Emblem completely canon. So far, this story features: Link, Zelda, Impa, Ganondorf, Ashnard, Marth, Caeda, Ike, Lucina, and more to come! I'll leave it up to you to figure out who else I'll use.
Prologue
"Hold the line!"
The warrior women stood with shields raised against the seemingly endless onslaught of soldiers throwing themselves against them. Each of the women held red-jeweled shields with which they protected their muscular bodies.
Soldiers occasionally managed to thrust their spears through holes in the defense, but for every warrior who fell, another would take her spot in the line. They maintained this strong defense for hours, only managing to kill their enemies with arrows fired from behind the line that electrified the enemy soldiers.
"The Gerudo are strong," said a prideful voice. "I told you it would be foolish to attack them outright."
The voice belonged to a spindly man with a plumed hat, who looked completely out of place on the battlefield. He was holding his wrist delicately, as though it was injured.
The King of Daein, armored with a wicked black breastplate, draped with flowing red cape, laughed. "Strong indeed," Ashnard chuckled. "This desert has tempered them well."
Gerudo Valley, home of the warrior tribe of red-haired women, was a desert as harsh as the Desert of Death bordering Daein. Scorching winds made the armor Ashnard was wearing radiate with a heat that would have made any normal man faint. But the King of Daein was no ordinary man.
After having waged a campaign of bloodshed across the desert sands, Ashnard stood on solid stone looking up at a great temple to a forgotten god. The only thing that stood between him and the temple was the wall of Gerudo warriors, trying and failing to fight off the Daein soldiers' lances with their scimitars and shields.
"So..." said the spindly man. "What now? Retreat and regroup? You can finally let me go?"
Ashnard scoffed again. "I have yet to bloody my own sword, and you think us finished?" Without another word, the king unsheathed a massive blade with serrated edges, ending with a fanned top. He walked slowly to the wall of Gerudo warriors, who, to their credit, did not falter at his imposing presence. A lightning arrow struck his armor at his chest, but failed to shock or pierce him, landing pathetically on the ground.
The Daein soldiers backed away as their king raised his sword. "Be proud that you have resisted to this point!" he shouted, his voice steady. "Stand down, and I will let you live. Or fight, and die."
The Gerudo kept their shields raised. One of them, taller than the rest, stepped forward with a jeweled scimitar drawn at her side. The gap in the line she left was immediately filled by another warrior. She towered over Ashnard, her eyes shining with a vengeful wrath. "Why do you seek the darkness in the Spirit Temple?" she asked, voice almost trembling with rage.
"If you want someone to blame, behold the coward," Ashnard gestured with a hand to the spindly man behind him. "Without him, I never could have known its home."
"So you know what lies within," said the Gerudo, readying herself for a duel.
"Of course!" barked Ashnard mirthlessly. "Do you think I relish in the slaying of the strong? The world I hope to create would be glorious for you! All of you mighty women!"
The Gerudo did not respond, save for a harsh look at the spindly man.
"Stand down, and you may join my ranks," Ashnard continued. "With your forces behind me, this whole land would tremble. Don't you wish to see it? What you can do if you try to take it?"
As a response, the Gerudo charged at the King. Swinging her scimitar down to cleave his head, her strike was almost lazily batted away with Ashnard's armored fist. "I expected more!" he taunted, grabbing her wrist rapidly. He followed up with a headbutt that broke the Gerudo's nose, releasing her from his grip.
None of the other warriors intervened on her behalf as Ashnard blocked yet another strike from her scimitar, this time with his shoulder. Blood dripped from her broken nose. "Haven't given up yet?" he taunted.
She spat blood at the ground in front of him. "You can't release it!"
"I'm sorry, but it doesn't look like you are strong enough to stop me."
True to his word, Ashnard beat away strike after strike from the Gerudo's scimitar, as though swatting mere insects away. This almost felt like a waste of his time. Would this kingdom even be worth conquering if their greatest warriors couldn't even challenge him? Though, there was that promise of not only reviving a god to power, but of the Golden Power that could grant whatever he desired. Victory wasn't going to feel quite as sweet without the challenge, but perhaps this wasn't the best judgment of Hyrule's defenses.
With one last fruitless attempt, the Gerudo swung her scimitar at his legs, but the sword merely bounced off his armor. Now, it was the king's turn. Ashnard raised his sword to strike. The Gerudo raised her shield and scimitar to block the attack, but they might as well have been made of glass the way they shattered as Gurgurant rent her torso.
The gash in her chest spilled blood into the sandy stone beneath her feet. Within moments, she collapsed, dead. A wail echoed across the Gerudo, who stood shaking in awe as the greatest of their defenders fell without a struggle. The desert air rang with sound of shields and scimitars falling to the ground. Ashnard smirked as the other warriors backed away at his approach, their line, and wills, finally broken.
"Stand down, join me, and live," said the King. "Or fight, and die."
Few of the Gerudo knelt to him. The smallest of the warriors who Ashnard could see remained on her feet and dared to speak. "If we fight for you, you won't attack our city?" she asked in a trembling voice.
"Never," he promised. "And you can have more than this wretched desert if you claim it."
Then she, too, knelt to the stone. Hundreds more shields and scimitars clanged to the ground as the rest of the Gerudo dropped their weapons to surrender.
Ashnard roared his delight and barked orders at his soldiers to advance to secure the Temple ahead of him. Any further resistance was to be met with deadly force.
"They can't be trusted," said the spindly man hours later as the sun began to set over the horizon. "They're thieves and mercenaries, nothing more."
"I don't need to trust them," said Ashnard confidently. "They can't hope to harm me with these pathetic weapons of theirs. I just needed them broken. You told me they are the fiercest warriors that this kingdom has to offer, yes?"
The spindly man nodded. "There are other races with proud warriors of their own... but yes, the Gerudo are considered the greatest." The spindly man shifted where he stood. "But don't expect them to follow you as easily!"
Ignoring him, Ashnard proceeded towards the Temple, gesturing for him to follow.
"You can just let me go!" he protested indignantly. "I did everything you asked! You have your blasted Temple and the darkness that lurks within, don't you? Just let me return to Castle Town and we can be done!"
Ashnard chuckled again. "This kingdom is still unfamiliar to me. You've proven to be more than a little useful in being a guide to my armies."
"I won't do it! Hyrule is my home, and I refuse to be any further part in its destruction!"
Gurgurant was held at the spindly man's throat faster than he could blink. The tip of the blade curved dangerously around the back of his neck. "Then leave."
A few moments passed in which the only sound that could be heard was the sand in the wind and the beating of the spindly man's heart in his chest. "F-fine. I-I'll stay for n-now. The k-kingdom is doomed anyway."
Resigning himself, the spindly man followed Ashnard into the Temple.
Ashnard had to admit to himself that the atmosphere within the Temple had even him on edge. Shadows seemed to move, the entire Temple was laden with deadly traps, and even though his soldiers had created a path to the Temple's innermost chambers, Ashnard got lost several times. Were the gods of this land really so petty?
After an hour or so of traveling through torchlit sandstone hallways, Ashnard came upon an enormous door with a massive lock and chain blocking entry. He attempted to cut the chain with Gurgurant, but it was protected with a magical seal that not even his mighty blade could penetrate. One of Daein soldiers that was standing near the door presented a large golden key with markings identical to the lock to the King. "They hid the key within the depths of the Temple," said the soldier simply.
"A common thing really, it-" said the spindly man, cutting himself off before continuing. He must have realized he gave yet another reason why it was wise of Ashnard to have taken him from the library in that small village.
Chuckling, Ashnard took the key and inserted it into the lock, turning it aggressively. The tumblers clicked and the lock crashed to the floor with the rattling chains. An intense pressure unlike any he'd ever felt surrounded Ashnard as he opened the door and stepped in, once again indicating to the spindly man that he should follow.
The room beyond the door was dark, with purple flames in torches dimly lighting what laid within. Murals along the walls depicting great battles between two parties were faintly illuminated by the purple glow. In the center of the circular room was a black throne with red velvet cushion.
Sitting on the throne was the decrepit figure of a man. His red hair and beard cascaded around a shriveled body, and upon his brow was a jeweled crest. He was draped with a frayed cloak that reached his ankles. Glowing green chains wrapped around his body, with shackles upon his wrists and ankles attached by more glowing chains to the floors around him.
He looked pathetic.
This was the darkness that the spindly man had told him originated in Gerudo Desert? The god that the sorcerer who summoned Ashnard to this world had begged him not to seek? It was... disappointing.
The god groaned as it lifted its head to gaze at the king. Yellow eyes surrounded by wrinkles pierced into Ashnard's own. The god did not speak.
"I was expecting more," said Ashnard, breaking the silence.
In response, the spindly man simply breathed heavily in fear.
"What is wrong with it?" Ashnard asked the spindly man impatiently.
"C-centuries ago, the Seven Sages placed a seal on his power to keep him from attacking Hyrule again." The spindly man's voice was shaking, every word seeming like an effort to speak.
"Can we break this seal?" Ashnard asked.
"I do not know," said the spindly man earnestly.
Ashnard cursed. "So this was just a waste of my time?!"
Before the spindly man could find a reply, a rasping voice echoed around the room. "Kill the Sages," it said calmly.
Turning his attention to the god, Ashnard smiled. "So, you can speak."
"Kill the Sages," repeated the god. "And I will grant my Power to you."
First thing to point out, the Gerudo as presented in this story are more akin to the Gerudo in Ocarina of Time in personality and culture, but Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom in stature and battle prowess.
I made changes to the Prologue because plain and simply, I thought that it was boring. I thought the idea behind it was good, but ultimately I found myself questioning why a fully powered Ganondorf would send someone else to do his work. In Twilight Princess, he used Zant to open his path back to Hyrule from the Twilight Realm. In Wind Waker, he waited for Link to retrieve the Triforce of Courage so that he could take it from him. And in Ocarina of Time, he waited for Link to open the door to the Sacred Realm so that he could touch the Triforce. When he can act, he does, and I felt it more fitting for him to be in a sealed state so that there would be an actual reason for him to send Ashnard out to wreak havoc in the world.
This will affect some of the story going forward. For the most part I really liked chapters 1 through 4, but I'll be making changes to them according to the new story that is playing out. Not like this chapter where they are completely gutted and changed, but there will be changes here and there.
Anyway, this is the new Prologue. I've left the old one below as a comparison, and because I don't enjoy deleting my work that has already been out there. Enjoy!
A dark shadow raced across the plains of Hyrule. A figure sat astride the black wyvern which soared through the sky. Clothed in elegant robes befitting a king, strapped in heavy armor and a red cape, Ashnard eyed the land. He laughed to himself, thinking about how easily this land would've been to take. To think that a god couldn't keep his hands on this place because of a boy.
However weak he may be, a god is still a god, and in my pursuits, his foolishness and power could prove useful. Now that his seal has been broken, I was certain some kind of dark cloud would reveal his location, but not so? Ashnard had been hard at work in his short time in Hyrule. Upon his arrival he immediately set out to find the ancient god of legend the witch who summoned him here had told him about.
In his search, he had gone to temples of old, discovering old sages in prayer to a simple sword that would prove to a great hindrance to the god's power. He killed them without any shred of mercy, ending their pleas to the goddesses above to protect them with the so-called divine blade of evil's bane. That was all the witch had told him concerning the god, how to release him.
I wonder where in this godsforsaken land he could possibly be? Ashnard had been seeking some sign or other of the return of a god, but could simply find no trace. There were far too many temples to seek out in this place. A terribly religious people, apparently.
Ashnard was en route to the city of Hyrule Castle Town, where there was a library full of books that he could use to learn the history at the very least. Perhaps there he could find a clue as to the god's potential whereabouts. Or at least, due to the language of the people he couldn't read, some scribe who could tell him.
In his short time in Hyrule, Ashnard could see that there were no creatures like wyverns or pegasi, advantageous for him, as it seems this people had no proper defense against an attack from him or one of his many wyvern knights. Though they had arrows, they weren't trained to defend themselves against such a foe.
He was sure to land his wyvern farther from the city, so as to keep himself within a low profile until it was time to truly strike. The foolish king of Hyrule could have no knowledge that their precious sages were disposed of, not until the time was right. It will be certainly pleasant to fly right to their tallest tower to conquer their pitiful castle with ease.
He removed his robes and armor, placing simple peasant's robes about his form and proceeded to walk the rest of the way to the city where the library lay. There was no reason for anyone to recognize him as royalty yet. At least not until he could reveal himself as their future god and king.
He walked into town, being sure to keep up his frayed hood, keeping as much attention away from himself as possible. The town was alive, the sun was high in the sky, and business was obviously going well for these simpletons. It disgusted him to see so many smiles across the faces of a people who were so doomed to serve him.
That wench. She could've saved me the trouble of this damned search and just told me where to find it, but NO. Ashnard had been much happier ruling over his own land, but knew that his time was short there. He walked through the gaping doorway of the Castle Town Library, not knowing what he would see upon entering.
There was a large mural across the wall in front of him. A few peasants were walking in and out of the pitiful library, obscuring bits of the mural from vision in momentary lapses. He impatiently walked to the mural to see what was so important for the Hyruleans to know and remember.
Three golden triangles, surrounded by goddesses, it appeared. An evil looming from the desert to the West, and a boy in green coming from a forest to the South. A pathetic looking Princess glowing atop a castle in the midst of the land, where he knew he now stood. An evil cloud to the West? That looked as promising a place as ever to begin, but he had to be sure before making such a trek so far only to fall short of his goal. The texts surrounding the mural were unreadable to his eyes.
"YOU!" he shouted demandingly at a passing nobleman, who wore a wide-brimmed hat, topped with a silly feather. "Tell me what all this means." The nobleman looked dignified to have been referred to in such a disrespectful manner, but was intimidated far too much to deny Ashnard's request.
"Do you mean to tell me you know nothing of the Triforce?" asked the noble intriguingly.
Ashnard didn't reply, staring the man down with his mad eyes.
"R-right, you must not be from around here, I suppose," said the noble, shaking without understanding his own fear of the man in front of him. "Well, there is a book that talks much more in detail about it, if you wanted a deeper story than just my memory."
"Tell me the book, and tell me the story," said Ashnard fiercely. "I have plenty of time to waste on the book later, but I need my own answers now. Have you a god in this land?"
"Goddesses, three of them," answered the nobleman, stroking his fine beard with a gloved hand. "Follow me so we can be seated. It may take some time to explain, and I've been on my feet all the day." Ashnard followed the man to a place where a round table surrounded by chairs was located. It was crafted of a cheap wood for such a fine library, but it would have to do.
"Tell me about these goddesses," said Ashnard impatiently as he sat down.
"Certainly," said the noble, clearly giving up hope of being without Ashnard. "But before we begin, let me send for your book. I assume you can read?"
Again, Ashnard answered the man with silence.
"I see, not from around here, so you must have a different set of characters you're familiar with," said the noble, flatteringly. "Right, no book then. About the Triforce? Where to begin…"
Din, Nayru, and Farore, the three goddesses of Hyrule, created the world and everything in it. At their departure for a sacred realm, they left the Triforce, three golden triangles which, when brought together, would grant whoever touched it any wish they had. Obviously this kind of power was sought by both good and evil. Before the kingdom of Hyrule was formed, another goddess, Hylia, had commissioned a boy to save her and the land, protecting the Triforce from falling to evil.
A demon was slain by the green-clad boy, and the kingdom of Hyrule was started by him and a Princess by the name of Zelda. To this day in her honor, every firstborn daughter of the royal family would bear the name Zelda. This meant nothing to Ashnard, all except the Triforce, an enticing power to say the least, though he was certain he wouldn't need it.
During a time of peace, a thief rose from the desert and claimed the Triforce for himself, plunging the world in darkness. From the South forest, a boy claimed a legendary sword and piece of the Triforce and sealed the evil thief away. Sealed, thought Ashnard. Sounds like an immortal if I've ever heard of one.
"…and that's all that I know about the story," said the noble, tired after giving his longwinded recounting of the nation's history.
"This thief you spoke of," started Ashnard, uninterested in the rest of the story, "would you consider him to be a god as well?"
"More of a demon than a god if you ask me," said the noble. "But there are some who worship him as a god. Usually thieves and evildoers seeking to justify themselves behind him as a symbol.
"Name?" asked Ashnard.
"You really don't know anything, do ya?" scoffed the noble. "Ganondorf was his name. He came from the Gerudo Desert, a land full of thieves who worship spirits in their temple, far to the West."
That was all that Ashnard needed to know. This Ganondorf clearly had to be exactly who he was looking for, and Ashnard didn't need to waste anymore of his time in this boring, happy little city. Without another word he stood up and walked from the where the noble still sat gawking at such a rude exit from someone who had taken up so much of his time without compensation.
"I say!" shouted the noble as he strode to keep up with Ashnard's pace. "You can't just leave me like that, what are you up to?" Ashnard took one deadly glance at him and he fell silent and stopped following him.
If an evil god was released, it would only make sense for it to return to a place it once called home, complete with some temple of spirits, no less. Bumping into several peasants as he walked briskly out of the sunny town, though the sun had gotten significantly lower in the sky than when he had entered the library.
Night was a perfect time to arrive at a desert. The moon was high in the sky as Ashnard began to make his descent towards what he supposed had to be the temple that the noble had been referring to. The desert air was freezing cold, though he was clad from shoulder to toe in armor and robes. He only felt it around his head. The temple was huge, and had a daunting appearance like that of a dungeon where inmates would've been kept indefinitely.
A dark cloud and lightning struck all around the structure, though Ashnard's wyvern was trained well enough to continue through it. He smirked as he knew that power awaited him within the walls of the terrible structure.
A gaping doorway greeted him, as icy cold winds swept his face and thunder sounded all around him. He dismounted the wyvern, landing soundly on his feet, preparing to walk straight into the supposed god, Ganondorf. He had dealings with gods before, but since his defeats, he needed to seek a more otherworldly power to aid him in his conquest. And this time he wouldn't settle for his own world alone.
He walked briskly through the opening which stood ten meters high, the building itself reaching well over thirty meters. Inside it was decaying, clearly having not a single soul to look after it in centuries. In the middle of the room, surrounded by the bones and rotted metal chains of prisoners long sentenced to die here, kneeled Ganondorf. His form was dimly lit by the torches which lined the walls, the flames dancing off piles of sand and tan-colored stones.
"I assume you're the one who released me from my bonds," said Ganondorf in his hoarse voice. He stood quickly from the floor and turned to face Ashnard. He was clad in armor similar to Ashnard's own, though it was bulkier and darker. He had a simple red cape which reached his feet behind him, and a jewel set in the middle of his twistedly evil dark face. He had red hair, finely kept for so daunting a man.
"Indeed, it was me," said the King. "You have no idea what trouble I've gone through to release a god such as yourself, my Lord." Ashnard played the part of the pawn for the time being, trying to sway Ganondorf into trusting him.
"Enough with your flattering," snapped Ganondorf. "I know a king when I see one. Before I kill you, here and now, tell me why I shouldn't. I don't have time to waste on you."
Ashnard was taken aback at the brutality of this evil god, no, demon. However, he was prepared to make him an offer that he wouldn't be willing to refuse, with the selective wisdom that the witch had left him with. "You seek revenge on a boy in green, do you not?"
Ganondorf's evil glare changed into a look of utmost curiosity. "You've saved your life for the time being. But I must ask, which one? There are so many which I wish to kill with my own hands, though I'm sure they've all passed on by now." Ashnard was utterly confused by his claim of 'which one.' Surely there couldn't be more of the same person?
"You don't seem to know how it works, do you?" asked Ganondorf at Ashnard's look of confusion. "I've said I have no time to waste with you, not while that wretched boy continues to grow in strength and power. I must kill him quickly this time, before he even has a chance to grab the Master Sword."
More confusion. Ashnard didn't understand. Did this demon really lose to more than one of the same person as he was making it seem? Exactly how immortal was he, to have been sealed away not once, but multiple times? Ashnard couldn't even comprehend the idea of dying even once.
"Out with it, what do you want with my power?" asked Ganondorf, temporarily dropping the subject of the boy in green.
"I-I want you to help me conquer my world," said Ashnard. "That's all. But, if all works out, I believe with my armies and your power, we could certainly conquer so much more than just our two worlds."
Ganondorf walked closer to Ashnard. "Hyrule is the only world which interests me. You help me take out the boy now, and I will lend my own power to you. You fail, you die by my hand." At these words, Ganondorf outstretched one of his gloved hands. Ashnard took it and immediately felt a dark power begin to surge through his entire frame, bringing on more pain than he had ever felt.
"There is a great potential I feel in you," sneered Ganondorf as Ashnard cried out in pain. "And there is a far worse punishment for you should you fail me. You say you know about my revenge, which means you certainly must know where I can find the boy. Go. Kill him while you still can. While he is still weak." The pain coursing through Ashnard's body suddenly ceased, and he felt strength return to his limbs. "He is the only thing standing between me and ultimate power."
Without another word, Ganondorf turned away from Ashnard to look into the nothingness of the temple. Ashnard took a bit to try and think about what he had just gotten himself into, and began to smile at the ease of his task at the hands of so powerful a demon. He walked out, beginning to laugh as he mounted his wyvern, ready to pursue a boy who was sleeping in a small town to the East.