by N Felts
ice intercepts the rest of the needles, lowered slightly to reveal the queen holding the frigid defender as if it were weightless. Slicing down the length of the shield, a strait blade of frozen water slaps the collection of spines to the ground in a noisy procession, and with the showing of power, Zelda takes a defensive stance similar to that of her stone hero standing proudly over the battleground. An amused smirk steals over the blonde Gerudo’s face for only an instant, but it is all the queen needs to see her nemesis beyond the pretty visage. The evil smile of the king of thieves spreads across the younger woman’s face, and the illusion staggers the ruler of Hyrule momentarily. Having already charged a kunai behind her back, Less tosses the lightning bolt at her adversary, pleased when it embeds itself deeply in the conjured shield. The explosion sends shrapnel in every direction except the space beyond the shield, the ice absorbing the blow while retaining its shape. Growing frustrated by her long-range strategy failing to give her the upper hand, Less covers the distance to the fountain in only a couple steps, unsheathing her largest kunai for a melee assault.
Having predicted the inevitable charge, Zelda closes her eyes and concentrates on the fountain just as her foe hurdles the minor obstruction. A frigid blast sends obliterated bits of stone into the air, but more importantly, the meager amount of water pooled at the base. Splashing upon, and all around the agile woman in an artistic sphere, the queen’s tactic works perfectly as all the water freezes and grows impossibly durable. Now suspended in an oddly shaped orb of ice and debris, Less thrashes the few extremities she is still able to move as her tattered opponent plays her trump card. Dropping her icy sword and shield, an outline of a glorious bow forms in Zelda’s hand while an arrow of blinding light appears the moment the string is pulled taught. Her eyes wide with fear for the first time, Less can only cringe in anticipation as the holy projectile blasts through her cold prison, riding a purifying beam of light straight through her. Colliding with the brick wall of a store directly behind the defeated thief, the light arrow opens a portal to the Sacred Realm, the vacuum of sin pulling against Less’s form aggressively. The tattered queen would love nothing more than to enjoy the brief moment of victory, but something urges her forward. Something pushes her to help the weakened girl, struggling to resist the slowly closing portal, hungrily pulling her in.
Back at the city gates, an unexpected torrent of reinforcements blast up and out of the sad remains of the town’s moat. A legion of Zora warriors soar upward, each of them slashing an erected ladder in two with their intimidating glaives. The only remaining faction of the aquatic race residing in Hyrule, the Zora King’s Guard push the entire goblin presence back, twirling their polearms in intimidating displays of honed skill. The mounted Bulbins are cleaved from the backs of their Bullbos effortlessly as the Zora continue to push outward. Abandoning their quest to climb the exterior walls, the teeming mass of goblins begin to converge upon the gates, corralled into a bottleneck by the imposing aquatic cavalry. As the raised drawbridge is finally beaten down, the castle guard as well as Zelda’s disciples commence their final offensive, shooting and slashing down goblins by the dozen. Relieved he will get to see some action after all, Boam becomes a tornado of destruction, ripping through scores Bulbins in a rampage. Embedding a thrown axe in the back of a mounted archer, he leaps past the limp ranger, plucking his weapon free as he begins to ponder how his leader if faring.
The hungry torrent of light dismantles the sphere of ice and rubble almost immediately, forcing Less to hang on to what is left of the fountain’s base for dear life. Just as the thief loses her grip on the fractured stone, a hand clasps around hers, keeping her from the swelling power of the interdimensional portal. The jarring visions seize hold of Zelda’s mind once more, but the flailing girl’s weakened state slows them to an observable rate. The entire kingdom is stained with blood and slaughter, bodies coating the ground surrounding the castle as far as the eye can see as the civil war rages on. Inside the castle, a beastly man with dark skin stalks the halls, and though she doesn’t understand why, Zelda is terrified of him. Gerudo thieves dash from room to room silently, looting everything they can get their hands on as the dark man’s eyes settle upon an inconspicuous door. The vision flickers and blurs momentarily, but returns with even more visceral sensations, the smells and sounds choking and blinding the breathless queen as she struggles to watch. The door is kicked off its hinges, and the man enters her father’s chambers. The room is seemingly empty, but Zelda feels a sudden rush of adrenaline in her veins as a woman emerges from hiding and stabs the man in the back. A roar of pain is quickly followed by a contemptuous slap, throwing the woman to the ground as several thieves converge to the source of the commotion.
“We’re leaving. Load what you can on the horses,” he bellows after painfully plucking the knife from beneath his shoulder blade. A collective nod later, the thieves have dispersed leaving the man alone with the sobbing woman. Grabbing her by the hair he leads her to the large bed in the center of the room, throwing her onto the mattress angrily. It’s now that Zelda sees it. That horrible smirk stretching across the Gerudo’s face. Though the fight hasn’t left her just yet, the familiar woman upon the bed stares up at the dark man through the blond locks concealing her face. Her blue eyes radiate the fear Zelda is feeling. The primal shriek of death pouring down the back of her neck as she cannot avert her eyes. Finally, the fear slowly fades, and those blue eyes morph into identical yellow ones upon the face of a girl straining to hang on. Snapping back to her senses, Nayru’s chosen pulls Less closer, grabbing hold of the fused shadow and channeling energy into her hand. The golden triangle emits a brilliant glow just before a blast of light engulfs the dark relic, splitting the resilient armor just enough for the Gerudo girl to slip free. The ambition of the interlopers is sucked into the closing portal as Less falls to her knees in Zelda’s arms. The torrential vacuum finally shrinks to nothing, a brief blip of light sealing it once more and returning the shop to normal. Staring into her drowsing eyes, Zelda doesn’t know what to say, the vivid memory a permanent stain upon her mind. Suddenly shaking her head and returning to her senses, Less shoves the tattered queen away, scrambling back to her feet clumsily.
“This isn’t over!” She shouts, her voice saturated with fatigue.
“Wait!” Zelda pleads, reaching out to her once again. “You’re,” she starts, unsure if she even truly believes what she is about to say. Dashing back a step, the woman throws three daggers into the ground in front of the queen. Confused by the horrible aim, Zelda feels as though she could kick herself, falling for the obvious ploy so easily. The daggers explode simultaneously with a loud popping noise producing a brief, blinding light. Though her vision returns quickly, it is far from quick enough, the Gerudo named Less nowhere to be found. The battle concluded, Zelda has no choice but to dash for the gate to determine the outcome of the larger war being waged for the town itself. A few of the citizens remain crouched inside their doorways, afraid to make the run for the castle amidst all the chaos. An encouraging gesture from their approaching ruler is all they need to finally make the journey. The younger children cry loudly despite the shushing adults hurrying them along, the citizens all but completely depleted of morale in these trying times. The main front has grown suspiciously quiet, the streets and alleyways empty other than the sporadic goblin corpses lying here and there. Reaching the main gate, she is greeted by a long, single whistle from Sanzu seated atop a destroyed house.
“What happened to you?” The sassy disciple asks with a sarcastic smile.
“Not now,” Zelda sighs with aggravation, rolling her eyes. “What’s going on up here?”
“Why don’t you ask your man?” Ashei points out, cleaning the blade of her sword near the downed drawbridge. Only a dozen guards remain in the area, Malune directing several to treat the wounds of their comrades as well as their own. Linu and Boam wait to the left, arguing over who amassed the most kill
s, and marching into the torchlight, a man in green is dragging a massive object across a makeshift bridge. With no words to express her explicit glee, Zelda simply smiles warmly, grabbing her arm at the elbow instinctively as Link moves into view. Bobbing and twitching in his wake, King Bulbin has been beaten to a pulp, his thick, iron armor plagued with massive, fist-shaped dents. The golden gauntlet releases the single horn still attached to the goblin ruler leaving him where he lies while the hero steps over to his companion. A passionate kiss is further encouraged by a series of whistles and cheers from the small audience, each of the lovers losing themselves in the moment. Instantly overwhelmed with a bitter hatred, Navi drifts away to assess the damage done to the town, her dislike of the princess turned queen no secret to either of them. Finally backing away with an embarrassed smile, Zelda scoops her wild hair off her face and behind her pointy ears with a sigh. A raised eyebrow accompanied by a quick look up and down is met with a chuckle as Link’s concern is understandable.
“What?” She asks with a smile, blowing a lose strand of hair off her nose. “Everything was under control.” With a smile of his own, Link compassionately touches her cheek, content to simply be near her, and know she is alright.
“No you don’t get half a point for dazing him!” Boam insists as the argument increases in volume.
“Fine, but I’m taking the ones that fell off their mounts,” Linu shrugs, in high spirits after the successful defense. “One rock between the eyes and Bulbo become very unpredictable.” The remaining goblin hoards have long since retreated back to the Bridge of Eldin without a leader, certain not to attack anyone for years to come after the overwhelming defeat. The good mood swelling amongst the ranks of the town’s protectors vanishes from beneath them like a trap door when a massive explosion is heard from Kakariko Village. Instantly shooting each other a knowing glance, both Link and Zelda break into a sprint toward the drawbridge.
“Sword!” Zelda calls, noting the empty sheath on Link’s back. Reacting quickly, Malune draws his blade, tossing it handle first to his queen who catches it without breaking her stride. Ocarina in hand, Link is already playing Epona’s song as he runs, his trusty horse galloping toward him in seconds. “Ashei, take care of the castle,” Zelda calls, spinning around to issue orders more clearly. “Linu, Boam, help the guards with clean up! Sanzu, treat the wounded! Malune, I want this town secure right now! Every entrance!” A collective salute signals her orders have been understood, and with that she turns to find Link leaping atop his horse in a fluid motion.
Clasping his hand, Zelda feels a blissful sense of nostalgia as he pulls her up for another adventure. Snapping Malune’s sword into his sheath as she settles upon the saddle, Zelda loops her arms around her hero’s waist as he spurs them forward. Desperately trying to enjoy the simple pleasure of riding away from her prison-like Castle Town, the queen’s senses grow fuzzy as her mind gives in to an unrelenting vision clawing its way to the forefront. The storm of blood pouring down upon her in the middle of Hyrule field returns. Doubled over she fights her overwhelming thirst as long as she’s able, but finally, her absurd desire overtakes her will as she arches her back and opens her mouth wide. The intensely cold, thick fluid fills her mouth instantly, and before she can break out of the daze, she has already been thrown from the saddle. Limping away, Epona seems reluctant to leave her comrade behind, Zelda’s groggy vision taking in the situation gradually. Finally able to focus, she spots Link in his battle stance, an intense grimace stamped upon his face. Just before she can make out his opponent, a massive ring of fire erupts from the earth, sealing the combatants in an inescapable death match.
Hylian Hero:
A Link to the Past
“The end has come for you, void-walker!” Garo hisses with hatred. Two single-edged, strait blades slowly slide out from beneath his poncho on both sides of his form, stopping just above the waving tufts of dying grass. Catching the briefest glimpse of the ninja’s hands, Link sees they are wrapped in the same disgusting cloth as his legs and feet. The intense blaze burning all around them illuminates the dark night, the moon having completely vanished behind the approaching curtain of clouds. Buying time to get a feel for his newly acquired sword, Link gives the blade a quick twirl as he begins to circle the circumference of the ring. The weapon feels heavy in his hand. Much heavier than the blade of evil’s bane. Forged in the foundries of the castle, it is identical to his recently broken sword in function, but thoroughly eclipses the quality. Metal of any respectable caliber has all but vanished after so many years of civil wars and petty squabbles, but the guard captain’s sword will have to do. Unable to land the rapid, disabling blows the Master Sword provides, he will have to rely solely on technique to gain the upper hand. A concept his foe is undoubtedly counting on. The dim, green eyes beneath the dark, brown hood watch the hero’s every movement, never straying, and never blinking. Somewhere behind him, Link hears Zelda yell something indistinguishable behind the roaring wall of flame. Before he can decipher the words, Garo has grown tired of waiting. “Prepare yourself!”
Leaping into the air, Garo dives upon Link in a crescent, his unnatural movement seeming to defy common laws of physics. A rolling somersault, gaining momentum as he tumbles, and ending in an X slash. Bouncing off his shield with an expected amount of force, Link blocks the strike easily, back-flipping away instead of countering. He has yet to find a comfort level with his blade assuring enough to merit a counterattack. With an opponent as confident as this ninja, it would be unwise to reveal even the smallest opening in his defense. Completing the slash, Garo rushes forward, each of his blades nicking against the ground before he twirls into a powerful spin-attack. The force from the blow throws Link back a step, the brief whirlwind visibly affecting the grass beneath his assailant’s feet. Dipping forward, the hero’s thousands of swordfights allow him to predict most attack transitions, and his current foe is no exception. The ninja arcs both blades overhead, a foreseeable attempt to obtain a power position for a debilitating strike. With a perfectly timed step, Link thrusts his blade through Garo’s torso just before the ninja’s attack hits nothing but earth. Spinning past his opponent’s robe, the Hylian tears his blade out aggressively, freezing in a victory pose with his sword pointed strait forward. The battle was brief, but necessarily so. Kakariko Village needs his attention sooner rather than later.
“Impressive,” Garo admits, rising from his kneeling position with an audible smirk. Scrambling back a few steps, Link only now notices his blade is devoid of blood, though his counterattack struck true. Slowly turning to face him, the ninja begins walking toward the hero, his swords dangling at his sides in a signature fashion. “Unfortunately, they will build no more statues,” he states plainly as the Hylian draws his bow. Squaring up the shot in a heartbeat, his is not discouraged when Garo dips left, leaving only a shadow of himself to receive the arrow. “They will sing no more songs,” he continues, drawing closer. Another arrow screams across the short distance, missing the target once again as the robe dips to the right like a cloth ghost suspended by a string. “Your path of destruction ends to-,” he pauses with an irritated grunt. Skillfully twirling his blades overhead is enough to scare the pesky Sheikah off his back before she can remove her deeply embedded dagger. The ninja’s swords scissor together behind him, catching the blade between them before he aggressively flicks his wrists outward, launching the dagger out of his back and into the dark night. Unconcerned with the success of her attack, Sheik dances around the circumference of the ring methodically until she has reached Link’s side.
“You alright?” She asks, only glancing at him for a moment before returning her eyes to the angry enemy before them. “Where did he come from?”
“We’re not sure ourselves, but he really hates you, Link,” Navi answers with an air gallows humor.
“I saw foreign lands when I touched him. He’s so full of hatred I don’t know how he
can even form sentences,” she declares with a hint of fear. “He’s a killer, Link,” she reveals, the thousands upon thousands who have fallen to his blade flashing through her mind. Women, children, animals, it clearly makes no difference to him as the horrifying visions remain stained on her subconscious. “It’s all he is. He only killed out of necessity once, but that was a long time ago.”
“So how do we hurt him? He’s not human,” Navi points out as Garo continues his slow march toward the trio.
“Let’s find out,” Sheik grumbles, tired of waiting. Dashing left while she goes right, Link waits for her signal before commencing any sort of offensive. Quickly transforming back to normal in a rush of light, Zelda throws a ball of fire in the ninja’s direction, expecting his only weakness to be magic related, though she has no way of knowing for certain. Making no attempt to avoid the attack, Garo unexpectedly screams in pain when the ball erupts into an inferno, wrapping his robe in intense flame. Thrashing about for a moment longer, he suddenly halts his movements completely. A maniacal laughter echoes across Hyrule Field as the ninja slowly absorbs the fire into himself, a blinding orange glow emanating from beneath his hood. Suddenly spinning to face the confused hero, Garo takes a deep breath, like a dragon preparing to cook its dinner.
“Watch out!” Navi warns, prompting Link to crouch behind his shield. A tornado of focused flame blasts from the ninja’s concealed face, nearly knocking the cringing hero over with the force alone. As the torrent subsides, Link is forced to drop his shield, the red-hot metal already having singed his arm through his gauntlets. Wasting no time, Garo leaps at him once again, eager to take advantage of his lessened defense. Switching to a two-handed style, Link parries the onslaught of attacks with some difficulty, but even so, he can tell the ninja aims to wear him down as opposed to besting him. Garo’s style is every bit as unremarkable as it is relentless. The hero has stricken down countless foes utilizing the same tired techniques, but the ninja doesn’t offer the same openings. His arms do not tire and slow at the proper points for