*Goron City (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time OST)
**Labyrinth (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild OST)
***Shrine (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild OST)
****Middle Boss (The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker OST)
*****Drawing the Master Sword (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild OST)
It was little surprise that Takeshi in his protectiveness, would have sent his right-hand man to retrieve his little sister. Granted, he was fearful once he'd been directed to the hospital tent, but was exceptionally relieved to have found his beloved liege's dear baby sister sitting atop one of the cots, her cracked chest plate lying off to the side.
"Well, looks like you all had one hell of a battle, didn't you?" inquired Juntaro.
"You could say that again, Jun." remarked Hana, seeming somehow more fatigued than her usual energetic self. "Looking back on it, I thought I was done for a couple of times."
"Gods forbid! If anything were to happen to his dear baby sister, I daresay Lord Takeshi would be willing and able to fight this war by himself!"
Tired as she was, Hana nonetheless got a laugh from the mental picture painted by Juntaro. "Yeah, that's something he would do."
The news about camp traveled quickly. Whether be it that their heroine was not only alive and well, but back on her feet more or less or the capture of vast numbers of Nohrian prisoners and equipment, all were in noticeably better spirits than the tense lead-up to the battle itself.
"Good to see you're well, ma'am!"
"That really was one hell of a battle."
"Not so superior now, are you, you smug Nohrian bastards?!"
Even her own immediate subordinates could scarcely get a word in with her; whether they were congratulating Hana, badgering her for her personal experiences of the finer points of the battle, offering her back her reforged equipment, questioning her about their next steps, or a hundred other things, she truly was the woman of the hour. Even the cautious, wizened Lord Nogi, scarcely believing the rumors-slash-circumstances of their triumph, traveled quite a way to examine the prisoners for himself, Juntaro introducing her.
"Again, I wish to apologize for my earlier dismissive attitude, daughter of Musashi." he remarked. "Your little volunteer experiment not only claimed the life of Nohr's greatest general, but I daresay was the linchpin of our victory here."
"Oh, you don't need to apologize!" insisted Hana humbly. "I would probably have felt the same in your position."
"I disagree." remarked Hideaki. "We've spent enough time together that I can see Musashi's courage in your gaze."
"In light of all you have done, not only for Hoshido, but the alliance as a whole," resumed Nogi. "it would be my honor to see you retire to Mutsu with full honors and a hero's welcome, young Lady Hana."
Hana grimaced slightly. "I appreciate the thought, but no." she said politely. "I've come this far and I'm seeing this through to the end. However, there actually is something you can do for me- I wish to return to the lands of the Flame Tribe. There's someone- several someones, actually, I need to see. I wish Sir Juntaro to accompany me."
"Very well. Hideaki and I will take care of things here. Take whatever actions you see fit to bring this war to a victorious conclusion and bring peace back to our lands."
It was quite late once Juntaro's steed had touched down roughly around the Flame Tribe's base. So late it was that, in spite of her first instinct to greet her princess, Hana decided against it, realizing that she was almost certainly asleep. Rather unusually however, her mentor in blacksmithing, Kirigamine, was actually waiting for her just outside town.
"Ah, so the rumors are true!" she said, wearing a rare, self-satisfied smile. "So Nohr's finest general is no longer of this world."
"Looks that way." Hana answered dutifully, getting somewhat less pleasure from the feat than she'd envisioned. "If these are anything to go by."
From the sack carried inside her undershirt, Hana produced the three gems- the ruby from Kirigamine, the emerald from Victoria, and the sapphire she'd taken from Bohdan's body. "My baby brother- he may not look it, but he always did have an extraordinary mind." the elder woman said proudly.
"Uh, Master," the swordswoman replied tentatively. "I get the feeling you didn't stay up this late AND greet me outside of town just to say hello."
"You are quite perceptive, my child. Come, let us talk at my home."
Seated around the hearth in the living area as opposed to the area occupied by blacksmithing tools, Kirigamine offered the younger woman a cup of piping-hot tea before sitting down across from her. "You've performed amazingly, Daughter of Musashi, do not misunderstand me." she prefaced. "You've retrieved all three of the jewels of virtue, but there is one more trial that you must complete in order to be considered worthy."
"What is it?" inquired Hana, steelily, perhaps more focused than she'd ever been in her life. "What do I have to do?"
"In order to be deemed worthy to forge and wield a blade with the power to repel evil, you must journey into the ancient shrine deeper within our mountain and retrieve the cornerstone- crown jewel, so to speak."
Even in the middle of her elder's sentence, as the words left her lips, Hana silently mouthed with the power to repel evil as though it, much like the odd pastoral melody she'd found herself whistling earlier, had been on her lips for ages. "Good. Where do I find it?"
Silencing Hana with a raised hand, Kirigamine simply gestured for the swordswoman to follow her. Obediently, Hana took her place behind the elder woman, following her to a rock face hosting a great pyre just outside of town. There, the pair encountered a rather unexpected (for one of them) guest. "Chief Kikai?" inquired Hana confusedly.
"So it seems the time has come, after all." he remarked, ignoring Hana's quasi-greeting.
"And not a moment too soon." answered Kirigamine mysteriously.
"You truly believe your apprentice is ready?"
"After everything the girl has been through? Of course!"
The chief muttering an incantation as he placed a hand before the great pyre, Hana got something of a start at the rock face suddenly vanishing, giving way to a great passage chiseled out of the mountain. "Ahead, there lies a labyrinth- a trial, if you will." he informed, handing Hana what appeared to be a lantern set at his side. "I cannot exactly tell you what awaits you- I do not know myself- but at its center, you should find the cornerstone and the last portion of your trial. It is a small help, but this lantern's magic flame will activate as you tap it."
"And with the sword forged from the cornerstone and the gems?" she inquired.
"Will allow you to stand against even King Leonard."
Truth be told, Hana was slightly apprehensive about following this mountain cave into the unknown, without any knowledge of what may have been lurking inside whatsoever. But as Kikai had pointed out- she had no choice- none of them did. With a deep breath, Hana bade her hosts farewell and set off deeper into the mountain.*
Eventually, the light from the mountain's exterior became progressively fainter before becoming invisible entirely, either due to the distance, Kikai's incantation wearing off, or some combination of the two. *Either way, once her eyes had adjusted to the low light conditions, Hana realized that she was in some sort of...well, how did one describe the space in which she currently found herself? Cool and dank were terms that came to mind- significantly cooler than out on the surface of the peak, in fact- but one more would definitely be "labyrinthine." Hana tapped the lamp, seeing as she had no better ideas. The magic flame from only confirmed this assessment of the environment.
The oddest part about this labyrinth- apart from the fact that she could scarcely escape the sense of being followed- was the sense of foreboding hanging over the environment. More than once, out of the corner of her eye, Hana could swear she had seen the outline of Takeshi- and not in a good way, either- Rather the outline of a captured Takeshi being graphically tortured by a gang of figures, obviously Nohrians, certainly unable to survive such an ordeal should it occur.
Nonetheless, she continued on, well-aware of how vital the artifact she sought was, ignoring (with some difficulty) very familiar screams and graphic images. Where exactly was she going, Hana wondered to herself. This was, in fact, a labyrinth to be sure, so it stood to reason if she stuck to one wall or another, she could, at the very least, locate something...
Perhaps it had been mere minutes, perhaps (which definitely felt like) hours, but once again, Hana was certain she had heard very familiar screams and pleas somewhere...Upon further recurrence, the voice was identifiable as belonging to her mother, begging for nonexistent mercy from her obviously-Nohrian tormentors, Hana shaking her head as if to dismiss the images. On some level, she was beginning to understand the gimmick behind this particular labyrinth.
Again, after a period of which Hana was reasonably sure was at least several hours, the winding twists and turns began to become somehow...less so. In fact, in the distance, down an unusually straight-and-narrow corridor, Hana could actually make out a light source of some sort. One hand on her blade, the other raising the lantern, the swordswoman proceeded unusually gingerly, still prepared for any potential trouble. Once again, about halfway to the unidentified source of light, Hana could make out the rather disturbing smell of burning hair and flesh- while it was obviously difficult for her to make out, the figure bore a significant resemblance to her late uncle- the closest thing to a father figure she'd had in her life.
While it was disconcerting, to be sure, in a moment of complete clarity, Hana realized that was exactly the point of the trial- to face one's greatest fears inside of a seemingly unending labyrinth- indeed, she could easily see men losing their minds within its confines. But one mystery remained in the back of Hana's mind: The thing that terrified her most was the loss of loved ones, but a mirage reflecting that she cherished most was oddly absent from the maze's confines. Some odd, atavistic instinct told her that this shimmering ray of light was the exact center of the labyrinth, and so, with little better to do in the way of progression, she made her way into the pillar of light and stood tall.
Before she'd even registered what had occurred, Hana had found herself in...well, there was no easy way to describe said structure- a small, immaculate marble chamber, it's most distinctive feature being the great stone(?) door intricately decorated with an unfamiliar symbol, a podium of similar material located just before it. Closer inspection revealed it to have three indentations on top, just big enough for the three jewels. Initially, as the voice rang in her mind's ear, the swordswoman felt her heart leap into her chest, yet once it spoke, while not exactly a soothing voice, saw any potential anxiety vanish, her mind returning to its single-minded focus of her purpose here.
"Oh, she who would take up the blade of evil's bane and strike down the demon king...place the Three Jewels in the podium to proceed to the last portion of the trial..."
There were a number of strange things about the environment, most immediately its cleanliness despite the fact that it was clearly ancient. Furthermore, the Hana recalled the voice referring to "she who would take up the blade of evil's bane," not "he who would take up the blade of evil's bane," meaning that this trial was either exclusively for women or she had in fact, been being watched the entire time she was in the labyrinth. Putting it out of her head for the time being, Hana did as she was instructed, placing the jewels upon the podium. The swordswoman got a bit of a fright at the podium apparently being swallowed by the floor before the heavy metal bars rose from the gate, apparently offering her passage.
Inhaling deeply, Hana proceeded through the door to find an even stranger-still sight: This chamber, while also immaculate and marble, was far more extensive than the antechamber, at its head sitting some sort of bizarre mummy seated within a small glass chamber. Directly in front of it, sat the three jewels and their corresponding podium. Proceeding up to the mummy's case, for whatever reason, Hana felt rather soothed, as though her still-raw wounds were being healed in their entirety. Somehow rather used to the voice by now, when it spoke again, there was no fright behind it.*
"You have done well to make it this far, child. Now, for the last portion of the trial...en garde!"
Once more, the podium and glass case sank into the immaculate marble flooring. In their place rose from the center of the room, what looked to be a hulking suit of living armor, complete with helm, easily twice Hana's height and four times as broad, wielding a great stone blade almost as tall as it. *It was rather surprising to find the armor taking up a combat stance. Nonetheless, Hana realized this must be the last portion of the trial and did the same.
Twirling its blade menacingly, the entity descended with a series of slow, earth-shaking strikes. Granted, while Hana could easily dodge the tremor-like blows, it was, understandably, rather disorienting to be in the vicinity of said quakes.
Eying the monstrosity as the pair continued circling one another, Hana sought with increasing desperation any way to penetrate her opponent's defenses- this blade was not exactly made for defeating heavily armored foes, after all. Gripping the blade's handle with a deep breath, Hana, bobbing and weaving through several more of the strikes, had apparently made a split-second miscalculation at some point or another, as a blunt strike to her chestplate temporarily stunned her, a great swing of the enemy's blade sending her into the wall opposite the combatants. Dazed, confused, and aching, as she regained her balance, that same atavistic instinct returned to her as the monstrosity closed in.
"Now!" it almost shouted.
With a great effort, Hana leapt into the air, well above the target, striking with a midair somersault to shatter the enemy's helm. Once she'd landed behind the beast and it turned around, the swordswoman was slightly disturbed to see the skeletal, vaguely-bovine face of the monstrosity, but realized this must necessarily be a part of the trial and steeled herself for battle once more.
While it was not exactly an "easy" task by any means to dodge the great stone blade and keep her balance from the tremors resulting from its strikes, Hana had found herself to have settled into a sort of rhythm of dodging, parrying, and blocking for whatever good it would do. After about three 360-degree repetitions of this cycle, the swordswoman suddenly recalled another of the techniques passed down by northern swordmasters from time immemorial. Holding the blade roughly parallel to her foe, after another one of those tremorous strikes, Hana used the opportunity to throw her body weight off to her right, rolling to dodge the attack then, upon locating the straps holding the beast's armor, leapt with an upward strike to sever the ties, sending the phantom temporarily to the ground, now lacking its most formidable defenses.
But her assailant was by no means finished: Springing to its feet in a manner far too quickly for such a massive entity, lacking its armor, it drew a regular, human-sized sword from its sheath. Now, this was more like it, Hana thought. While the phantom moved slashed, stabbed, and parried with an almost-graceful manner, Hana and her bladework were noticeably quicker than both- upon breaching its defenses, Hana was actually able to get several blows to its head and body before it was knocked back, momentarily lying prone on the ground before scrambling upright, once again closing in on Hana to press the assault.
"Wait a second..." Hana thought, recalling yet another technique that had been passed down from time immemorial. She needed just one more of round...one more round of thrusting, slashing, blocking and parrying...just to knock the beast on its back once more...While the creature was by no means a pushover nor had it seemed to exhaust its nigh-inexhaustible stamina, a series of parries and particularly-vicious blows from from the swordswoman, once again, sent the phantom to the ground. Wasting no time with this opportunity, with a vigorous leap, Hana sprang over to its chest cavity, stabbing downward with every last bit of force she could muster.*
That apparently did the trick: Almost simultaneously, the being dissipated into beams of light to the void and the platform with the cornerstone and three jewels reappeared in front of the mummy's case. Tired and a bit bloodied, Hana nonetheless felt compelled up to the small dais, if for no other reason than to retrieve the treasures necessary for the blade.
"At long last, the trial is complete. Excellent work, my child! All that remains now is to forge a blade of evil's bane and strike down the Demon King...May the Goddess ever watch over you..."
With these words, the mummy vanished into strands of blue light, perhaps headed towards the same destination as the phantom, Hana mused. But with all this said, Hana was well-satisfied that the trial was at its end, taking note of the shaft of light behind her, apparently bound for the surface. Again, that same atavistic instinct assured her there was nothing to fear from said shaft of light. With no other visible exit from the chamber, Hana decided to trust the instinct and step into the light."
At once, Hana found herself being lifted and gently set down on the ground outside the labyrinth's entrance. As it was easily well past midnight by this point in time, Hana found Kikai and Kirigamine meditating around a great bonfire, her return snapping the pair out of their focus.
"Ah, you've returned!" remarked Kikai. "I knew you could see it though, daughter of Musashi."
"And the cornerstone?" inquired Kirigamine.
From the bag on her belt, Hana produced the three jewels- as well as the cornerstone- for both the chief and her mentor to inspect. Kikai muttering an incantation to heal her wounds sustained in the battle, it was so rare that Hana was half-convinced she imagined it, but for what was the first time she had ever witnessed, Kirigamine cracked a smile. "Perfect." she said. "I'll understand if you'll want a good night's sleep, but-"
"No." insisted Hana. "I'm fine. Besides, we don't have any time to waste."*
Truth be told, Hana was understandably, rather fatigued. Fighting for ones life after spending hours navigating a labyrinth meant to torment with ones greatest fears will do that, after all. But a manner as urgent as this could truly not be prolonged.
Perhaps sensing this, back at her home, Kirigamine, with a mold carved specifically for this occasion, lead her apprentice verbally though the swordsmithing process, all its minutiae included. After several hot, sweaty, and sleepless hours, the time finally came- the finished product of the blade was so gracefully razor-sharp, it seemed almost a shame to use it for its intended purpose, the gems of power, wisdom, and courage inlaid around the diamond-shaped slot for the cornerstone.
"Well, here goes nothing." Hana remarked, wiping some sweat from her brow.
Placing what appeared to be a golden diamond in the slot, the cornerstone locked into its new home with an audible click. *She had never encountered this blade in her life, Hana mused. Something far grander than what she was used to practicing with or taking into battle. But holding it as she would any other blade, it just felt inexplicably...right, like it was made to be in her hands. Not unlike a certain princess, she mused.*
"Wonderful, wonderful!" congratulated Kirigamine, the new sheath she'd prepared for her apprentice in hand. "You truly look the part of our heroine!"
"Thank you." replied Hana. "But this war is only just beginning. Until I find the one this blade was really made for-"
While it was nigh-imperceptible at first, the cornerstone began to glow a particularly radiant glow until Kirigamine's workshop was engulfed in the light completely.
When the light dissipated, Hana and Kirigamine were rather taken aback by the figure that had manifested from the light. Appearing to be a young woman with hair and skin of crystal and clad in a cloak oddly symmetrical to the blade's handle, hovering in mid-air, the figure bowed in acknowledgement in Hana's general direction. "I commend your valor for coming this far, Mistress." the figure congratulated. "Even for those not of her world, my Creator has chosen well."
Rather taken aback, Hana and Kirigamine both exchanged an are-you-seeing-this-too sort of look, the former speaking for the pair. "Th-thank you," stammered Hana, still somewhat perplexed by their new guest. "But there's no need to call me that. I'm Hana."
"But you are the mistress of this blade, no?"
"Well, yes. Yes, I am."
"Then you are my Mistress."
At a loss for words, Kirigamine simply allowed the conversation to continue. "Have you need of my counsel, you may call me Fi, Mistress. The Goddess has seen fit that I watch over you during your quest."
"Well, thank you, Fi." said Hana politely.
"But there is much for you to learn in a short amount of time, Mistress. The one for whom you forged this blade to strike down-"
"-King Leonard."
"He and his bloodline- indeed, the land itself- are possessed of a terrible power..."
- Masamune
Hana only. A shimmering blade of evil's bane with the ability to absorb and reflect magic attacks. 7 to speed, skill, and resistance.