To Capture the Heart of a Hero

Chapter 47 – Death Sword

The two of them only fell for a moment, before abruptly hitting the hard ground and having the wind knocked out of them. They both lay flat for a few seconds as they tried to gather their breath, and more importantly, their bearings. Unfortunately, the rush of their descent had doused their lantern, and they were currently unable to see a thing.

Link groaned a bit before his surprisingly tired voice called out. "Zelda? Are you okay?"

The Princess winced before managing to lift her head. "I'm a little sore, but I'm fine. I feel like I landed on something rather rough…" She paused, taking a moment to squirm around. She wasn't sure what exactly she was laying on top of, but it certainly didn't feel like the solid stone she had been expecting. "Er…Link, where are you?"

"Where do you think?" came his cheeky response. And then, to Zelda's horror, she realized that the Hero's voice was coming from beneath her.

"Oh!" she squeaked as her face turned the deepest shade of red that it possibly could. "Oh my goodness. Link, I'm so sorry." She quickly and awkwardly scrambled off of him, all while trying her best not to think about how much her chest must have been rubbing against his when she was squirming around just a moment before.

"It's fine," came his relieved voice now that her weight was off of him. "I'm happy that I could break your fall."

"Do you have to be so positive?" she said, almost scolding him. "I wouldn't be surprised if you broke something other than my fall."

Link just chuckled at this as he slowly sat up. "No, I'm fine," he assured her. "Like you, I feel a little sore, but that's to be expected when you fall into a pit trap. Do you still have the lantern?"

"I'm afraid I dropped it," Zelda admitted shamefully.

"Well, no worries," Link said with a shrug. "I'm sure it's around her somewhere. Let's start looking."

"Wait, that won't be necessary."

Link glanced in the direction of her voice, feeling confused, but a moment later the darkness was illuminated by a small orb of light coming from Zelda's hand. He smiled once he realized that she had simply used magic.

Zelda held the opposite expression: frowning as she realized that the light was bright enough to reveal how red her face had become from both shame and embarrassment. It didn't help that she felt incredibly self-conscious under the friendly gaze of Link. She didn't deserve such a grateful smile from him.

"I…I really am sorry about this," she said quietly. "It's my fault for activating the trap in the first place. I wasn't paying close enough attention."

However, to little surprise, Link just shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I've survived worse."

"You wouldn't have had to survive anything if it wasn't for my carelessness," Zelda pointed out. And for the first time, she truly started to feel that maybe it would have been better if she had stayed behind at the Gerudo camp, if only so she wouldn't be getting in Link's way and hindering his mission.

Nevertheless, Link was quick to forgive. "Seriously, don't worry about it. Getting out of here should be a cinch. Aha! There's the lantern." With a content smile, he picked up his lamp and lit it once more.

Zelda sighed, feeling like she still had more to apologize for, but it seemed that Link was already moving on. He had simply left their troubles in the past and was now working towards a solution. He really was one of the most optimistic persons she had ever met.

Zelda soon went to dispel her ball of light, but paused once Link called out. "Wait, we might actually need that. Are you able to move that light away from you?"

Zelda gave him a curious look, but nodded. "Yes."

"Can you direct it towards the ceiling? The lantern's light doesn't reach that far."

She nodded again and did as he asked, magically directing the tiny sphere high overhead so that it illuminated the hallway that they had originally fallen from. The two of them now had a full view of the trap in which they stood. It was perfectly square, with nothing but four solid walls of stone surrounding them. The walls were very smooth, with no dents or footholds by which they could climb out. It seemed that their options for escaping this trap were very limited.

Fortunately, the Hero already had a solution in mind. "Perfect," he said with a grin. He then attached the lantern to his belt before he began rummaging through his adventure bag.

Zelda simply watched him, not quite sure what she could say or do to be of use in this situation. A second later, she was surprised to see him pull a clawshot out of his bag.

"There's a crack in the ceiling that I can latch onto," he said as he pointed upwards. "The clawshot should have no problem getting us out of here."

Zelda, who still felt rather ashamed after her failure, couldn't help but smile at his excited expression upon finding a solution. She had to admit, seeing his confidence did make her feel a bit better. As if her mistake really hadn't been that consequential after all. Well, unless you considered the Princess entangling herself with the Hero, but that was a matter best left forgotten.

"Very impressive," she told him. "You always manage to save the day, don't you?"

"It's all part of being a Hero," he said confidently. "Now come over here and hold on tight."

Zelda's smile quickly faltered at this new instruction. "Er…Whatever for?"

Link paused, looking a little confused as well. "Well, you're coming with me, aren't you?"

Again, Zelda looked rather apprehensive as realized that she hadn't fully understood what all was entailed in this plan of his. She didn't predict that she would have to cling to his body. Her cheeks quickly started to turn red again as she went to protest.

"Um…Isn't there another way that we could possibly accomplish this?"

"What's the matter?" Link asked. "Are you scared? I mean, I know the clawshot can be kind of a rush, but it's not too bad."

"N-No, it's not that…" And then she sighed, realizing that she didn't have much of an argument outside of her nerves flaring up. Which, in and of itself, hardly mattered in the face of escaping this trap. Besides, the longer she insisted on staying in this pit, the greater a hindrance she was being to Link, and she truly did want to be useful.

With a deep breath, she summoned her courage and approached the Hero. She then loosely wrapped her arms around his waist. "Okay, I'm ready," she said, although she didn't sound confident in the slightest.

"Um, Zelda? You're going to want to hold on tighter than that."

She swallowed, even though her mouth felt rather dry. "Tighter?"

He laughed. "Yeah. At this rate, I'll just slip through your fingers."

What a phrase, she thought before daring to close her arms together around his middle. "L-Like this?"

"Good enough," he said with another chuckle. He then wrapped an arm around her timid self, raised his clawshot into the air, and took careful aim. All was still for a moment, and then the claw fired like a cannon and they were off.

As soon as their feet left the ground, Zelda suddenly had no qualms about clutching Link's waist. In fact, she was gladly hanging on for dear life, and it took nearly all of her willpower to not force her eyes shut and whimper. All in all, it wasn't too bad though, as the rush didn't last for long and Link kept one arm safe and secure around her. When Zelda finally dared to look around, she noticed that the two of them were dangling over the pit, the clawshot now firmly grasping the large crack in the ceiling. Link soon released some of the claw's chains, lowering them down to the safety of the floor. Within seconds, they were back in the hallway once again.

"There. That wasn't so bad, was it?" he asked as he retracted the claw back to his side.

Zelda just slowly loosened her arms around him and took a step back. She wasn't quite sure what to say, but she eventually managed to utter a simple, "No." She then turned away before he had a chance to notice the raging inferno that were her scarlet cheeks, and focused on dispelling her magical ball of light that still rested in the air. Once it dissipated, the two of them were left in nothing but lantern light once again.

"Lead the way," Zelda said quietly.

"You don't wish to take the lead?" Link asked innocently.

"After I landed us in that pit trap? No thank you. You clearly know what you're doing, and I think it would be best if I just supported you."

Link gave her a sad stare. He felt that she was being far too hard on herself, but he knew that she probably didn't desire his pity either. "Suit yourself," he said with a shrug.

The two of them forged onwards, through chamber after chamber without incident. They came upon a few more pit traps, but unlike Zelda, Link was alert, and managed to safely guide the two of them around the danger without fear of activation. This in-turn only made Zelda feel all the more glum about her previous mistake.

"Oh, cheer up," Link eventually told her. "We all make mistakes, and yours was a minor setback at worst."

Zelda just sighed. She knew that she tended to be the one who was most critical of herself, sometimes to an unfair degree, and because of this she found it especially difficult to forgive herself. But she couldn't deny that Link's constant encouragement did help, if only a little bit.

"Thank you, Link, for always being so kind. I really do appreciate-"

The Princess then paused and abruptly frowned. Link glanced back at her. "Zelda? What's-"

"Shh," she quickly shushed him. She soon dropped her own voice to a whisper. "I can sense that we're very close now. The ominous presence that I've been sensing is stronger than ever before. I believe that the source of darkness we've been seeking is just ahead."

Link looked over his map before nodding. "Makes sense. It's in the largest chamber ahead of us."

"Then we'd best be ready to face whatever is in there." And with that, Zelda swiftly drew her rapier from its sheath. Any doubts that she held before were quickly washed away in the face of danger. She was ready for action.

Link simply nodded again and drew his own sword. He then gestured forward, and the two of them began a stealthy advance down the hall. It wasn't long before they reached the chamber in question, but they chose not to enter just yet. Instead, they hid around the corner of the doorway, and took a careful peek inside.

They were met with a sight that they had been anticipating, but it was still wretched all the same. The entire chamber, large and round, was bathed in an eerie red light. Dozens of creatures clambered around, most of them appearing as dark figures walking on two legs and brandishing swords and shields. Upon looking closer, Link could spot that some of the figures appeared to be skeletal, while others were wrapped with cloth from head to toe, as if they had been mummified.

Link released an inaudible sigh. "Stalfos and ReDeads," he whispered. "It's about what we expected. At least there's no Poes."

Zelda soon pointed into the center of the room, where the eerie red light seemed to be originating from. "And that must be our source of darkness that has spawned them."

Link looked close amongst the shambling bodies, and sure enough, noticed some sort of object that seemed to have been lodged into the ground. It was long and straight and black in color, although it did have some glowing red marks scribbled on its front. Link soon scowled. While it appeared different than how he remembered it, he recognized it all the same.

"The Death Sword," he muttered under his breath.

"Death Sword?" Zelda repeated curiously.

"Yes, Midna and I encountered it the first time we came here. She claimed that it was an evil artifact that had likely been placed here by Zant. It ended up being wielded by a powerful Poe and I had to fight it." He paused, squinting a bit. "But I don't understand. I thought that I destroyed it for good. What's it doing back here?"

"Perhaps you didn't destroy all of it," Zelda theorized. "It is not uncommon for artifacts of great evil to reform and plague the world once more. This could explain why the Arbiter's Grounds was quiet for a time, but now it's full of monsters again."

"I guess this would also explain its size," Link agreed. The original Death Sword had been nearly as long as he was tall, but this current sword was much smaller; probably as short as his own blade. "It must still be returning to its former power."

"And yet it was still able to summon all of these monsters," Zelda breathed. Even now, she could see that the Stalfos and ReDeads seemed to follow a pattern. They weren't just walking aimlessly, but rather circled the dark blade, almost as if they were guarding it, or perhaps even worshiping it.

"Well, at least this makes things easy," Link said with a shrug. He set aside his lamp and went to grab his shield. "All we have to do is rush in there and destroy the sword."

"Not so fast," Zelda sharply interjected. "While I appreciate your decisiveness, I'm afraid that this won't be as simple as you think. First off, destroying the source of darkness will not eliminate the monsters it has spawned. Even if you rush past the army of foes to do away with the sword, you'll still have to face them afterwards. I'm sure you experienced something similar the first time you came here."

"Oh yeah," Link said slowly. Thinking back, even when he had defeated the Death Sword the first time, all of the monsters had remained afterwards.

"Second, it won't be easy to simply destroy the Death Sword. I imagine that an evil weapon like that can only be defeated by its mortal enemy: a blade of light. Last time, you had the Master Sword to accomplish this, but this time you do not."

Link just frowned, realizing that there was way more to magic than he had ever realized. He supposed that Midna had always done most of the thinking for him while he just swung his sword around. "So then how can we destroy it?"

"Fortunately, there is a simple solution. Hand me your sword."

Link did as he was told without hesitation. Handing over his blade, Zelda carefully took it into her palms before bowing her head and closing her eyes. After a few seconds of what seemed to be a silent prayer, Link's sword flared to life with a bright, radiant light. Zelda soon opened her eyes and smiled before handing it back to him.

"There, your sword has been imbued with the power of light for the next hour. It should have no trouble shattering the Death Sword."

Link just admired it with wide eyes. "Is there anything that magic can't do?" he asked in awe.

"Yes, a great many things actually, but we hardly have time to go over them. Now, onto the third and final thing that you must understand. Even if we destroy the Death Sword with your blade of light, it will still likely respawn in a few months' time, just as this one did. However, I should be able to prevent its return if I perform a sacred ritual. By praying to the Goddesses and calling for their blessing, this dungeon should become a sacred place free of the Death Sword's malevolence."

Link smiled at this. "Well, then it's a good thing I brought you along. I wouldn't have known to do any of this, let alone how."

Zelda couldn't help but smile, feeling a little bashful under his praise. To her, such actions truly felt like nothing special, but Link's words meant the world to her.

"So we have three goals then," Link reiterated. "Smash the Death Sword, defeat the monsters, and then perform the ritual."

Zelda nodded. "And in that order, preferably. Shattering the Death Sword won't extinguish the monsters' lives, but it could very well weaken them. At the very least, it certainly wouldn't hurt to destroy the source before it spawns anything else."

"Leave it to me," Link said confidently. "I'll shatter the Death Sword and then we'll take on the monsters."

"I'll support you from behind," Zelda agreed.

"Ooh, in that case, you should take these." Link took a second to rummage in his bag before handing a few items over to Zelda. "Here, you're the better shot."

"Arrows?" Zelda questioned as she inspected them.

"Bomb arrows," he corrected her. "If you light them before firing, they'll explode on impact. Here, take the lantern too."

Zelda smiled a bit at her new gifts. "Excellent. I imagine this will thin out the horde quite a bit. Although I better do it before you charge in there."

Link quietly laughed. "Yes, that would be best."

The two of them went silent and nodded, both resolute in their course of action. Link grabbed his shield while brandishing his glowing sword in front of him. Zelda hung the lantern from her sash and sheathed her rapier before grabbing her bow. She then nocked one of Link's bomb arrows.

"Link, one last thing," Zelda said just as they were about to begin.

He glanced back. "Yeah?"

She stared at him for a while with a soft look in her sapphire eyes. "Just stay safe, okay?"

Link's lips cracked into a smile and he confidently nodded. "You too."

And with that final exchange, they were ready to begin. Zelda lit the first of her bomb arrows and pulled her bowstring taut. She took a single second to adjust her aim and then released.

Boom!

There was a loud explosion to the right of the room, shattering Stalfos to pieces and charring ReDeads to a crisp. The rest of the room's inhabitants quickly turned to look, startled at the sudden noise and burst of fire, but they had precious little time to comprehend it for Zelda had already lit and nocked her next arrow.

Boom! Boom! Another explosion at the front and one to the left. Similar to before, a number of corpses and bones lay scattered across the stone floor, no longer able to move. Those that remained standing were now only a mere fraction of their original number, and the situation had easily become much more manageable in only a few seconds.

With a determined grin, Link raced into the room, holding his radiant blade of light before him. It wasn't long before the survivors of the bombings became enraged and moved forward to stop him. But it was of little use. With Link's magical sword and unrelenting courage, he made quick work of whoever stood before him. Stalfos collapsed into piles of bones while ReDeads had their heads lopped off before they even had a chance to scream.

Zelda took a few steps into the room, drawing fresh arrows and taking out what enemies she could from a distance. Unfortunately, these foes proved to be a bit tougher than her arrows could handle. When the ReDeads were pierced through the chest, they merely paused for a brief moment before stumbling their way forward once again. Clearly, they weren't easily encumbered by such small weaponry. As for the Stalfos, Zelda occasionally managed to land a direct shot on their skulls, knocking them clean off the bony neck and shoulders. However, this only proved to be a temporary setback, for even when they were dismembered, the Stalfos were still able to put themselves back together piece by piece. All they had to do was scoop their skulls back into place and they were good to go.

Nevertheless, Zelda's long-ranged attacks were at least able to serve as a distraction, and it provided Link with just enough leeway to dash into the middle of the room. One ReDead in particular seemed to realize what the Hero was aiming for, and swung its thick broadsword in retaliation. But all Link had to do was jump to the side to be free of its reach. With nothing left to stop him, he brought his blade of light straight down on the Death Sword.

There was a loud noise like grating metal, and then a moment later, the Death Sword burst into black and red sparkles before evaporating into the air. In an instant, the eerie red light faded away, and the dark room was now only lit by Link's blade and the lantern at Zelda's side.

"Well done!" the Princess cheered as she took out another Stalfos skull.

"Now for the enemies," Link said with a grin. He soon swung his blade just in time to have it collide with the ReDead's greatsword. Clearly, the mummified creature was not pleased with him. It soon opened its maw and released an unrestrained, ear-piercing scream.

Link shivered as his blood ran cold. He could feel his entire body lock into place as that cry paralyzed him. His eyes went wide and he inwardly cursed. Perhaps he had been a bit too reckless running into battle like that. He hadn't expected the ReDead's scream to come so suddenly, although he knew that he honestly should have.

Link's stomach lurched as he watched the furious ReDead raise its sword high overhead. It soon cast a malevolent glare at him.

"Link!" The frantic cry came just as quickly as the arrow. It pierced the ReDead right in the eye and the foul creature froze for a moment.

Fortunately, it was just long enough for Link to break free of his paralysis. The ReDead swung its sword but Link ducked forward, forcing himself into a roll that circled around the back of his foe. He then leapt up into a spin attack, slicing the creature's back wide open, and it soon fell to the floor where it lay completely still.

"Thanks, Zelda," he said before running to her side and shield-bashing a particularly stubborn Stalfos. "We make a good team, don't you think?"

"Just focus on the enemies. We're not out of the woods yet." And yet, despite her seriousness, she couldn't help but smirk at his words.

They continued to fight with both sword and bow, doing anything they could to bring their enemies down. By this point, only a handful of ReDeads and Stalfos remained. But as one would expect, they were the most tenacious of the whole lot and refused to fall without a struggle.

"Ugh," Zelda groaned as she knocked the same Stalfos's skull from its shoulders for the third time in a row. "I can't get these Stalfos to stay down."

"You can't take them down with simple arrows," Link explained from behind her. "You have to bomb their remains or else they just keep putting themselves back together. Why don't you leave them to me? I can have them wiped out in a minute or two."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, as long as you can handle the ReDeads without me."

Zelda simply grinned, feeling confident. "No problem."

With a solid plan of action in mind, the two quickly set to work. Link grabbed a few bombs from his bag and began leading the Stalfos away from Zelda where he could safely blow them to bits. Meanwhile, Zelda slung her bow over her shoulder and drew her rapier from its sheath. A melee weapon would serve her better than her arrows at this point.

Wasting no time, the Princess rushed to the nearest ReDead and whipped her thin blade through the air, slicing both its wrappings and flesh open. Fortunately for her, the ReDead was far too slow to react, taking an eternity to lift its long and heavy sword overhead. By the time it did, Zelda had easily managed to pierce the monster through its neck, and with a sudden twist, severed its head completely. Its body and blade fell harmlessly to the floor.

As Zelda moved to challenge her next foe, she heard a few explosions behind her, and noticed some brief flashes of light. A second later, she caught the sound of numerous bones clattering to the floor like a heavy autumn rain. It sounded like Link was truly making quick work of the Stalfos.

The next ReDead was tougher. Sturdier. It seemed content to weather the Princess's fast attacks behind its thick broadsword. She scowled a bit as her rapier whirled around, trying to find an opening, but it was difficult. All she could do was land harmless cuts to its arms and shoulders while it used its sword to block any vital areas.

The ReDead's patience was quickly wearing thin though. With an angry growl, it soon opened its mouth wide, and Zelda immediately realized what was to follow. A horrible, piercing scream…

But it never came, for Zelda decided to do the only thing she could. She rashly stepped forward, bringing herself far too close to the enemy, and stabbed her rapier right through its open maw. The creature immediately choked on the blade, and any sound of its blood-curdling scream quickly died in its throat. Seizing this moment, Zelda brought the sword down, cutting into its neck and jaw before withdrawing the blade completely. The monster now had a gaping gash in its head, and it soon collapsed to the floor, going limp.

By this point, the final ReDead insisted on coming to her. Zelda was more than ready to face it, but she took a moment to scan the rest of the room. It seemed that only one Stalfos remained as well, and Link was well on his way to taking care of it.

We're going to do it, she thought with a smile. The battle is as good as won.

But the Princess soon found that thought of hers to be foolish and short-lived, for in a moment of true horror, the ReDead rushed her with a ferocity and speed that she didn't anticipate. All she could do was raise her rapier to block the heavy weight of the oncoming greatsword. When the blades collided, Zelda was nearly knocked off her feet.

She soon gasped, amazed at the strength of this final ReDead. It was nowhere near as slow as the others had been, and it truly posed a threat. Even now, Zelda could sense a horrifying amount of hatred in its deep red eyes.

Boom! Somewhere in the background, a bomb went off. Zelda assumed that this meant the end of the last Stalfos, but she didn't have time to process this thought. She was already rushing in, trying to attack her foe before it had a chance to swing that dreadful sword again.

Much like the previous ReDead, this one seemed content to sit and weather her attacks for a while. She managed to land a few nicks on its shoulder, but nothing more. This creature twisted and turned in addition to blocking with its blade, but Zelda continued her relentless assault all the same. She feared the idea of slowing down, for she knew that as soon as she did, that greatsword would be upon her.

But this was the Princess's mistake, for she soon realized that the ReDead had been cleverly waiting to be attacked in a certain location, and she only realized this once the blow had been struck. She thrust her rapier at its side, and the monster growled before reaching out and performing the most surprising move yet. It grabbed her blade with its free hand; using its cold, long fingers to firmly hold it in place. Zelda's eyes went wide with terror as she realized what this meant.

My sword is stuck!

The ReDead nearly grinned with its crooked rows of teeth before lifting its greatsword overhead. This was the moment that Zelda had been dreading. She was about to be cleaved in two. Even if she abandoned her sword and tried to fall back, the enemy's weapon was guaranteed to reach her. It was simply too large to escape.

So Zelda performed the only trick that she could think of. She gave her rapier a hard, violent twist, severing the ReDead's fingers in an instant. Now free of its cursed grip, she quickly raised her blade in order to block the incoming strike, but it was a sad, desperate ploy. Yes, her rapier successfully saved her from receiving a fatal blow, but it was immediately knocked loose from her hands. She watched with wide eyes as her thin sword spun across the floor, far out of reach.

Zelda then experienced the most dreadful noise she had ever heard. The ReDead unleashed its haunting scream, paralyzing her in place: weaponless and alone. The sound was so horrible, and yet the ReDead proudly bellowed as if this were its victory cry. As if its prey had finally been cornered. And it was as the monster raised its blade into the air once more, that Zelda realized the terrible fate that awaited her in mere seconds.

She was about to die.

However, another scream soon rang out, one that echoed behind the ReDead's own.

"Zelda, NO!"

At this point, it felt like many things happened at once. The ReDead aimed its sword at Zelda's chest, this time going for a piercing thrust. Meanwhile, there was the sound of rushing footsteps from behind, and while Zelda couldn't see what was happening, she suddenly felt a powerful shove knock her to the ground. The suddenness of such a thing immediately broke her paralysis, so she managed to stick her arms out and break her fall. She then quickly turned and glanced behind her.

Only to watch as Link was stabbed in the chest.

Hmm…I'm not entirely sure what to say here…so perhaps it is best if I simply say nothing. As always, thanks for reading hahaha (runs away)