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Feb 12, 2024

The War of Fire: Ch 10. The Flame of Death Whispers...

Walking across a bridge that led from the central castle to the main tower, Princess Rinku and Princess Leere stopped in the middle of the structure. The sun was setting down on Hyrule, a marvelous sky painted by orange and yellow hues. Each of the girls leaned over the railing, taking a moment to breathe in air that was clear, and hopefully just relax as teenage girls rather than warriors.

Pushing some of her hair out of her eyes, Leere took a long look over the homeland before. The lush green fields were vast and wide, rising up into the various mountainous peaks that Hyrule was famous for. With just the two of them here, she looked over to Rinku. “How are you feeling?”

The blonde princess looked over to Leere, and the presence Leere felt was as heavy as the weight of a surging wave. Did Rinku look tired? Or did she look old? Either way, her sister tried to counter the weight behind her eyes with a light smile. “My sword arm is sore. I really need to work on my shield arm some more to compensate.”

Leere felt like she could understand that. “Yeah…”

It seemed it was Rinku’s turn to delve into her thoughts. “Your turn. You look pale. And I’m not talking about your normal, pretty demeanor.”

The young necromancer slowly nodded in response, her shoulders sluggishly rolling downwards. “I never thought that becoming a princess would mean that I would have to one day become a soldier as well.”

Rinku had a tone that was gentle, yet firm as she asked Leere to continue. “Go on.”

Leere turned her gaze from the fields of Hyrule and looked downwards onto Castle Town. “I am so grateful that Zelda found me and rescued me from a terrible fate. She’s been the best mom I could ever have. Ganondorf helped me learn the magic, the skills I needed to protect myself. I know his methods aren’t traditional, or some mom certainly didn’t approve, but he’s been the dad I needed. And you…”

Leere watched Rinku wait, a small tension felt between them wavering as she collected her thoughts. “...I care about you. I care about this family I was brought into. Then as grew up more, the expectations came crashing in.” She was quick to shake her head at some intrusive thoughts. “Not from mom or dad. I could handle that. But from this society that I was brought into.”

“Makes you wonder if saving the ruling class is worth it.” “It’s not just the nobility, Rinku. I feel so different. If I was just a normal Hylian girl, I don’t think I’d receive the judgment I do from others. But because of the connections I have to the kind of magic that surrounds my life, the forces that stick with me, I know that makes anyone, not just nobles, uncomfortable with me. Then there’s the fact that I’m… the way I feel- felt…”

Leere trailed off, her thoughts a tangled and complicated mess of emotions. Her cheeks started to flush and feel heavy with heat. She snapped herself out of those emotions, needing to speak, or she’d be trapped in her own head again. “It was too much. I needed to focus on myself.”

“So you ended up isolating yourself. Did that help you focus? Or did you just feel lonely?”

Leere turned to look at Rinku again, frowning. “Both? Do you have wisdom on that?”

“More than you know.” The blonde hero crossed her arms, still holding onto the bitter memory of the argument they had before Leere left the castle. “I said it would be foolish to go alone. Being by yourself can be difficult enough for anyone, but with minds like ours, there can be consequences for such actions.”

“Like?”

“You get over the nightmares by yourself? Have you found any peace with the ghosts that haunt you?”

“I think we have very different ghosts that try to cling to us. And the nightmares don’t go away.”

“Then what was it that you got out of leaving?”

Leere felt her heart pull at that. The tone that Rinku held in ‘leaving’ implied that she wouldn’t return. Maybe initially she made it seem like that was the case when she did. Leere thought about her year away from the castle. Living off the land, honing her powers, and communicating with the other world. Both the good. And the bad. “I found understanding. Some acceptance I think.”

“Of what?”

“Of what I am. The witch girl, not only adopted by the royal family, but of all of Hyrule. Its spirits speak to me, cling to me. I help them. Be it talking with them, or helping them with a task so they can feel like they can finally rest. Some of the really bad ones… I either endure until they’re gone or ward them off. They’re part of a cycle that often goes ignored in Hyrule. They also helped me realize how important life is, how many of them regret not being able to truly live the lives they wanted.” Leere looked back at Castle Town, almost being able to imagine seeing every soul that lived down there. “I think… I think I’m like you Rinku, in some ways.”

“Oh?” Rinku’s voice picked up, a warm curiosity strong in her voice. It seemed she wanted to see if Leere truly understood. “In what ways?”

“The people look to the royal nobility to help them, but for you, for most of your lives leading up to this one, you didn’t have to have a title of royalty or even fight in the army. You had the power to help others and you took up a sword to do so.” Leere looked Rinku in the eyes, taking in the age and beauty behind this young face. “I can’t imagine what it is like to remember all the past traumas you’ve endured… but despite everything you’ve gone through, you’re still you. You don’t let the nightmares drag you down, and that’s so inspiring for me. I want to help the people of this land that took me in, even if not all of them want me. I have the power to do so.”

It seemed that Rinku, while moved by Leere’s statements, felt concern emanating as well. “But what worries you is what you’re doing with that power.”

She meekly nodded in response. “The killing. I meant what I said, that I can do it. The power I wield is a sharpened knife. It can certainly be done. But is that all I can do? Just be a killer? Rinku, I don’t want to get numb to that.”

“No one wants that.”

“Yet it seems you are.”

Rinku waved that away quickly. “This lifetime has already exhausted me and I’m not even twenty. There is a purpose with every cycle I find myself in. Before, when my duty was complete, it was easier to enjoy my rest. Yet now, even with this amazing family I have, there’s a large part of me that thinks I need to prepare for the next Link rather than live a life as ‘Rinku’. That I’m just the tool that’s used to settle strife in times of conflict, and if I’m lucky I will have my legend told down in future generations. Except it seems that the takeaway for that legend is for people to get on their hands and knees and pray for a hero to appear and save them! For me to save them!”

“Rinku, I-” Leere reached out in a gesture of comfort, but the Hero dismissed the act of kindness.

The princess noticed immediately the emotional pain that was caused. “I’m sorry, it’s not you Leere. I just get so tired and feel burned out whenever I have to save the world on more than one occasion in a single lifetime. These aren’t adventures. Saving the princess, the kingdom, or a loved one isn’t a happy story to live through. There are struggles.”

“But you persevere. You keep going and see those struggles to the end.”

“Leere, things don’t always work out like that. I’ve been unlucky enough to die a few times, only for a fairy or a shrine to resurrect me and give me the juice to keep going. There was one lifetime I did die and stayed dead. I found out in my next life some random stranger took up arms and beat the wizard that slew me. People mistook him for me and kept the legend going. I know it's my ‘destiny’ to be the Hero everyone needs, and I’m going to utilize all the skills I know to win this war, but there’s no guarantee that I will come out of this conflict alive. There’s no guarantee that there isn’t another conflict I have to fight in the next decade from now. It stresses me out of my mind to think about.”

Leere attempted to reach out an arm out to Rinku once more, this time being successful wrapping one close around her. “What else are you worried about?”

“Dying in itself isn’t what I’m afraid of. I have the courage to face death. Goddess help me, I might even welcome it at times, the idea of a glorious, heroic death if it means protecting what I love.” Leere’s heart sank hearing that, but she stayed silent to let Rinku continue. “What worries me is that I’ll die, and the danger will still be alive. That with me gone there will be no one to protect those that I care about.”

Leere nuzzled her head into Rinku’s neck, breathing slowly as she held her close. The princess of courage relaxed, allowing Leere the comfort to do the same. “Then how about we protect each other? That way we can continue to protect all of them?”

The young necromancer felt Rinku’s heartbeat slow down, relaxing to a steady beat. “I think that’s a good start.”

“All that’s right, all that’s bright, will be revealed in the light.’ Can any of you tell me which scholar said that passage from the Book of Nayru?”

Impa sat around the children of Zelda and Ganondorf, taking a reprieve from the conflict to check in on them until Zelda relieved the Sheikah of their duty. The bodyguard had a soft fondness for the children, even if she could never fully accept Ganondorf himself into his heart. Impa had been there to see Zelda become Queen, helped raise Rinku, and she would be there to see these five Gerudo children have the chance to grow up as well.

Princess Orana raised her little hand, speaking with a small lisp due to a gap between her baby teeth. “Is it Ma-ma?”

“No little one. It wasn’t your mother. She knows it by heart, but she did not write the passage.”

The next to attempt it was Prince Ralnor. “He wasn't a scholar, but a saint. Saint… saint…Mar…ch?”

“You are very close, Ralnor. But you are off by just the name.”

Finally, Prince Covarog raised his free hand, the other protectively holding his baby sister Kanisa’s hand. “The answer was Saint Marcus!”

Impa nodded, glad to hear that the crown prince was taking his lessons seriously. “Very good. That is indeed the correct answer.”

By the doorway, the Sheikah saw Ganondorf entering. She gave the King a quick glance before returning her attention to the children. “But knowing what an answer is alone will not generate true wisdom. Seek the meaning behind the words, and learn from the philosophy, and you will transform knowledge into wisdom.”

The children seemed to be grasping this. At least Impa hoped so. She wasn’t sure given Ganondorf completely captured their attention as he strode in. All the kids who could stand rose to their feet, hobbling over to him. Orana in particular was vocal. “Da-dad!”

“Hello my little warriors.” Ganondorf leaned down and scooped up Covarog, Ralnor, Orana and Kanisa in one armful, hugging them close. “Did you have a good time with your nan-nan?”

“She teach us Hylia scripture”, Ralnor said in his little voice.

Ganondorf’s nose furled, but he remained hospitable and gentle in his tone. “So she did. Well, I’m able to spend some time with all of you. How’d you like to play wizards and knights?”

The boys and Orana cheered, with Kanisa still being too young to fully understand the game, but still smiled nonetheless. Ganondorf glanced at Impa, giving the Sheikah a quick report. “Zelda wants to see you before she departs for the tundra.”

Impa still didn’t like the fact that Zelda and Ganondorf had chosen a protection detail of his men rather than the bodyguard. Maybe she could have one last chance to protest this to the Queen herself. “Thank you for relaying that information. I will depart at once.”

Ganondorf gave a simple shrug before turning back to his kids with an expressively goofy face. “All right! Who wants to be the wizard!” “You! I want to be a knight!”, Covarog shouted out.

“I’m always the wizard.”

“You make the best wizard dad!”

Impa smiled lightly, the expression hidden behind the cloth they always wore as she made her way out of the bedroom. As long as the children were happy with their father, the Sheikah could tolerate the King. Making their way through the halls of Hyrule Castle, she gazed out of the stained glass window, admiring the art of Zelda’s past. The Sheikah bodyguard felt pride at being able to be a part of this legacy.

Asking around, Impa discovered that the Queen was already at the stables, instructing the soldier’s that would accompany her the traveling route that they would partake on towards their destination.

A simple set up using a cube of hay, the Queen had a map laid over for everyone able to see. She used a ruler to point out and measure relative distances. “... for the purposes of our target, we are going to call the enemy location Fort Cinder. Myself and Commander Klinge will take a small division to sneak forward and investigate why the Kikai Empire is held up so far away from our capital and why they’ve chosen the tundra specifically. While we do this, Captain Appo will take the division and work with Captain Regan of the Rito Tribe to coordinate either an assault or distraction depending on the amount of Hasai that have rooted themselves. If their numbers are too great, you need not throw your lives away needlessly. All I ask is you keep the Empire on their toes and distracted long enough for my reconnaissance to bear fruit.”

The Hylian Captain nodded to Zelda, letting out a chuckle. “Don’t worry my Queen. We know how to put on a show. The Hasai won’t be able to keep up with our dance.”

Impa watched as the crowd of soldiers all got a laugh out of that. It seemed to produce a well needed smile from the Queen. “I’m glad I can count on all of you for this mission. We leave in ten minutes. All of you are dismissed from this meeting.”

The rush of soldiers vibrated the ground as they left the small section of the barn. Carefully, moving past them like a leaf in the wind, Impa approached both the Queen and the undead commander. While Klinge and the Sheikah never grew to like one another, there was a sense of mutual respect, least when it came to duty. Impa found Vaati too creepy and Ghirahim was unhinged in his loyalty to Ganondorf, at least Klinge could be more restrained and more blunt. Even so, Impa wished she could be alone with Zelda.

“My Queen, you requested my presence?”

The Queen nodded, a wrinkle on her face. “Indeed. I have a task for you. I need you to stay here and watch over my children.”

Impa felt their face heaton, but was able to keep the tone of their emotions well hidden. “I do think that my place would be better suited at your side. You’re going into hostile territory that the enemy has entrenched themselves into. As your protector, I need to be by your side.”

Zelda smiled with the kind of brow that seemed to convey understanding. Pity maybe? “Impa, I would feel far better leaving the castle knowing that you were here to defend them. Your job is to protect the next generation. When I was a princess, it was me. Now that I’m Queen, it’s them.”

A deep concern, the only window to emotion in Impa, filled her eyes. “If that is your wish, I will follow it. But know that I will never stop wishing to protect you as well.”

“You’ve always been good to me, old friend.”

Old friend. Impa closed her eyes, contemplating the order. The Sheikah could follow Zelda from the shadows to make sure their safety wasn’t compromised. Even with the training of heightening Zelda’s perception, Impa could do it without being caught. But a sense of shame came with that thought. It wouldn’t be right of them to do that. She would uphold her friendship with Zelda by maintaining trust. “Be careful.”

“I always will.”

Impa shifted her gaze as Klinge stepped forward, placing a hand on her broad shoulder. When he spoke, there was always a metallic, machine-like sharpness to his voice. “Do not worry yourself. I shall watch over the Queen with the eyes of a hawk. In your absence, she will be well protected under my watch.”

How Impa wished she could see the man’s face. He was almost always hidden behind one of his damned helmets, but she could feel the smug superiority he had. Her glare was intense as he wisely took his hand off her shoulder. “Best you do. You wouldn’t want your leash yanked by our King if anything happened to her.”

Least Impa could make out his micro expressions well enough. From the corner of her eye she was able to glance at his hand making a fist. “Best watch the castle carefully while we’re away. I’d hate for anything to happen to you as well in my absence.”

“I’ll make due.”

Zelda cleared her throat, a slight annoyance cropping up. “If you’re done commander, we have an operation to carry out.”

Klinge saluted with a hand across his chest, like a butler. “Of course my Queen.”

Impa wasn’t sure for certain if he spoke with sarcasm with that title or not. He was always on an edge. Vaati adored Zelda, Ghirahim would not admit she was his queen, but Klinge had a true hatred for Hyrule. Impa was sure that he could become a traitor anytime, but it seemed his loyalty to Ganondorf outweighed his hatred. For now, he was able to get away with any veiled disrespect.

After he walked away, Impa sighed. “I don’t like that he’s the one accompanying you. I don’t trust him.”

“I know Impa, but Commander Klinge has proven himself quite effective. And I think, by working together through times of war, I am gaining his acceptance.”

“Perhaps. Perhaps not. Just remember your own training out there and rely on that first and foremost.”

“I could never forget your training Impa.” Zelda took a breath to compose herself as she looked out a window, gazing at Hyrule castle. Looking back at Impa, she smiled lightly. “Take care of yourself while I’m gone Impa.”

“I will. You do so as well.”

~ Zannah was rather impressed by her brother’s airship. The blimp was incredibly large, with dozens of rooms, from a dining hall, several private bedrooms, and the engineering room where she was now.

At a workbench, the princess was working alone tinkering on her personal quarter blade as she liked to call it. A hilt that had the reach of a bo staff when both the blades were unsheathed by the press of a button or two on the grip. The precise gyros needed had to be calibrated every so often so that she wouldn’t find herself without a weapon.

When she worked, the other Romtan engineers gave her space. None wanted to upset her. In some ways, she was okay with the isolation. It gave her the time to just think and be at ease calibrating. But when she was done, that isolation turned to loneliness. One that she was too proud to break on her own. Seeing a glowing Sheikah core the size of a small rock on the table, she looked over some schematics and set to work trying to put together another blade.

Breaking the silence, her groove was thrown off by the cutting voice of her brother.

“Zannah. I didn’t know you had a fondness for engineering.”

The princess turned to look at her brother. Those sharp red eyes, tattooed blood coloured lines on his purple horns, and curved horns with golden tips and ornaments gave him a very defined and powerful look. Placing the hilt on the table, she got up, giving him his full attention. She wondered why she felt embarrassment being found here by him. It wasn’t like she went out of her way to hide her activities. “It’s a hobby that I picked up between training.”

“Just a hobby?”

There wasn’t exactly warmth in his voice, but he wasn’t sneering at her either. “It gives me comfort.”

Picking up the hilt she was working on, Nihilus scanned her work with a machine like precision. “Do you think you’re good at it?”

“I think with time I could be.”

“Hmm. When I become Emperor, perhaps your place at my side will be chief of engineering. It is good to have more than one skill that isn’t just fighting related.” Placing the hilt down, he turned his gaze back to his sister. Zannah could feel the intensity behind his stare, even when he was emotionally neutral. “It’s about finding balance. Balance that I wonder is still in you?”

Was she being tested? Zannah crossed her arms, not wanting to beat around the bush. “I assume you came here for me. Are we about to attack Hyrule?”

“In due time. But first, I need to test you. Go to the dojo. There you’ll find a uniform. I will be waiting for you.”

Zannah watched as her brother left, mentally preparing herself for a sparring session. She made an effort to clean her work table, then walked through the ship and went into the locker room to change.

At her brother’s request, she was garbed in light training robes. The clothing was far less restrictive than what she was used to, feeling as light as a balloon herself. Usually the chainmail she wore restricted her movements at least slightly. Standing across from her in the center of the dojo, her brother was waiting for her in a similar fashion.

In both his hands he had two separate bo staffs, and with a quick thrust of his hand, he threw one of them to her. Catching it with one hand, Zannah contemplated its weight. Lighter than her weapon of choice, given there weren’t any blades attached to either end, but the same principle applied.

Approaching, Nihilus seemed to study her closely, and when he spoke, he had a similar voice to father, only without the sickly, gravely tone that came with it. “It’s been too long since I’ve seen how you can perform in a fight. The walls are sealed by a heat absorbing layer. So don’t hold back your fire. If you have any still in you after losing Seras.”

Zannah knew that her older brother was goading her to attack. She didn’t care. With a snarl across her face, she used her bo staff to pole vault towards Nihilus with a kick. As she made the leap, she channeled fire into her kick in a ferocious display of power towards him to knock him off his balance. While her flames made contact, her foot was met with an open palm. She felt herself grabbed by her ankle, then redirected and thrown to the ground. With a groan, she landed on her backside. As she tried to get up, her brother’s tail lightly struck her across the face.

“Get up. Try again.”

The princess rose to her feet, her green knuckles turning a shade darker as she squeezed tightly around the bo staff. With a vertical slash, followed by several vertical slashes, she struck at her brother. Every attack she made he blocked.

“At least your movements aren’t stiff. But go faster. You really think that’s enough to take the head of Link?”

Zannah doubled her efforts, striking high and low. She was starting to get a rhythm when Nihilus made his first attack back. An overhead swing coming down on her. Easy enough to block, but she was then met with his tail latching around her ankle. Distracted for a second by the gesture, she looked down. It was long enough for him to strike at her with a knee to the stomach, bringing the princess a knee. This was rewarded with another slap of his tail to her face. Zannah felt her cheek sting from the strike, not just from the physical pain, but the humiliation behind the effort.

“Stop that!”

Her brother merely pointed his bo staff in her face. “You’re a princess of the Kikai Empire. Make me stop treating you like a brat and fight back properly.”

Zannah rose up once more, digging deep into her anger as she struck back. After a few counter blows from her brother that she was able to defend against, he cracked a smile at her. “I was wondering when you were going to take this more seriously.”

“I am taking this seriously, you prick.”

“Could have fooled me.” Nihilus threw a fist at her, but Zannah caught it with an open palm, although there was a struggle to do so on her part. “Was he like this?”

“Who?”

“Ganondorf. Overwhelming. Strength that threatened to consume you, as it did Seras.”

Zannah’s mind flashed back to how her brother was ultimately dominated by the King of Demons. The fear that filled Zannah, the fear of being powerless, made her realize that she had to consider all her choices in combat mattered. She had options, and it was her duty to utilize them wisely. As Nihilus was pushing her back with his natural strength, she let go of her bo staff to grab the arm she was holding back. Following this motion she used her brother’s own motion and strength to throw him over her.

The prince rolled over his Zannah. landing behind her. Even as she followed up with a knee to his face, Nihilus was already recovered. His hand blocked the strike, and he pushed her back a few feet with a push. Despite this, Zannah didn’t relent. She picked up her bo staff while kicking his weapon away from his reach.

She struck him over and over with a variety of angles, trying to hit him in the head or stomach, but Nihilus was quick to palm her strikes away, or just simply take the brunt force to his forearms. “Excellent. I feel the venom behind your strikes, but don’t tunnel your vision.”

Zannah took the training to heart, as she saw her brother’s tail from the corner of his eye scoop up his staff, curling around it. With a swift movement he had his weapon back in his hands, and he went on a fierce counter offense. Zannah was being pushed backwards as she worked up a sweat to simply not get hit.

Nihilus wouldn’t let up against her, frowning at her efforts. “Fight back. Use the unorthodox. Control my central line!”

Thrusting her hand down onto the floor, Zannah released a wave of fire against her brother. It caused him to step away, as he couldn’t quite see her in the moment through the wall of flames. With but a breath, he controlled the heat in the air around him, and gestured to the wall of flames, commanding its fire to die out. That was all the time Zannah wanted.

She only needed two seconds to produce a bolt of lightning. Thrusting her hand forward, the bolt danced forward towards Nihilus. As she launched her bolt, she saw her brother’s eyes flash with a small glow. It all happened so fast, one moment she was unleashing a deadly bolt of energy at her brother, the next-

An explosion of kinetic energy occurred, her lightning detonating between the two of them. The detonation forced Zannah to raise her hand to control the flow of fire to go around her. As she did, her mind was on overdrive. Thanks to this, she was able to make out the sudden and violent motion of a bo staff swinging at her neck. With her own, she was able to defend herself. Standing her ground, Nihilus stood over her, a fierce look of pride on his face.

The smoke settled, and the prince let out an exhale. “Well done.”

He didn’t offer a hand to lift her off her one knee. As a princess, she would have to carry herself. Standing up, she felt the air of battle dying off quickly between the two of them. Catching her breath, she held onto her bo staff for support.

NIhilus circled her slowly, his tail flicking up and down. “You have the skills needed to win this war. I have no doubt about that. Perhaps the power to. That was some impressive display of lightning.”

“You said to use the unorthodox. Would you have preferred a smaller dose of power?”

“No. What do you think would have happened had you hit me?”

Zannah’s gaze sharpened. Anyone else, maybe a closer range, she would have. “You would be dead.”

“Or critically injured.” Nihiuls stopped his pace right behind her. She could feel him looking right down on her. “Do you think your actions were appropriate in hindsight?”

Zannah cleared her mind, choosing to speak from the heart. “If you had, all you would have demonstrated is your weakness in the face of a half hearted attack on my end. In your absence under such weak will I’d gladly take command of both the mission and the Empire from you.”

A pause. Zannah wondered if she had made a mistake. But all her brother responded with was a chuckle. “Half hearted? Impressive. But you are right about one thing. We cannot afford to show weakness. Our enemies will take no hesitation in exploiting it.”

“That’s why we need to manipulate their weaknesses to our advantage.”

Nihilus was putting away his bo staff, but kept an eye on Zannah. “What do you have in mind?”

“The hierarchy of Hyrule acts as a family unit. By bleeding that family, we can have them disorganized long enough to make them create critical, deadly mistakes.”

“Two of their warriors you encountered are sisters, correct?” When Zannah nodded to her brother, his eyes went to a cold, impersonal place. “Then we tear them apart.”

Standing in the dojo again, he raised his hands in a fighting stance. Zannah braced herself, knowing that her brother was incredibly proficient in hand to hand combat. “Before we break between now and the mission, I’m going to spend the next ten minutes teaching you a few techniques. You will not fail against them again. Don’t hold anything back.”

Zannah gritted her teeth. Failure would not be a part of her foundation as a person.

The journey into the Tabantha Tundra was cold and turbulent. Riding on horseback, Zelda pulled up her balaclava as the snow started to come down on her forces. Checking her compass and map, she knew it wouldn’t be long until they started to get into a potential firing zone.

Holding up her hand and putting it into a fist, her soldiers came to stop. Strotting past the calvary to the front of lines, Commander Klinge and Captain Appo rode up to each side of their queen. Zelda’s steel gaze checked over the map before pointing out key sections to your chosen lieutenants. “The tundra is vast and wide. On the other side is the ravine that leads to the valley that marks a divide between our border with Labrynna and Danjur.”

Captain Appo nodded a little with a bit of shake. Zelda had sympathy for the man. All that armour must have made him feel as a cold as a polar bear. Yet Commander Klinge was still as a statue. “How do you wish to proceed?”

“Captain Appo, you will approach in a straight angle. When you see any Hasai, lead them to you. As for the commander and myself, we shall travel in a curve from here to here along the base of the Hebra Mountains.” Reaching into a bag, Zelda grabbed a tube, handing it to Appo. “Captain, take this.”

He grabbed it, almost pulling off the white cap. “What is it?”

“Careful captain. It’s a device that we were able to get through customs from Danjur. This new invention is used for non magic users to alert your allies by shooting a fiery flare into the air. All you have to do is pull the white cap off at the top and hold it into the air. When you engage the Hasai, pull this first one. If you feel that your forces are ill equipped, or that you need to retreat, pull this second one.”

Captain Appo nodded, taking both flares. “Neat invention. You can count on us, my Queen.”

“Good. Commander Klinge, I trust you have chosen a scout force to join us?”

“Indeed. This is Fang and Lash.” The Darknut pointed to two icy Lizalfos that blended in rather well with the snowy area. “They are excellent at camouflaged warfare, particularly in this kind of environment.”

“Excellent. Zelda turned to her forces, speaking loudly and firmly. “Ladies and Gentlemen. Be on your toes. The very tundra is against us. We can hope that our enemy has gotten acclimated, but we can not have any guarantees in this life. Stay alive! Now march!”

Zelda snapped the reins on her horse, marching her forward. Behind her, Klinge’s own mount ran behind her, flanked by the two Lizalfos. The tundra’s cold winds were sharp against Zelda’s eyes, but she persisted forward. It took about twenty minutes of galloping before she could make something out in the horizon. Positioned ahead was a makeshift camp.

Carefully getting off her horse, Zelda walked forward in her Sheikah garb, the special material of the cloth keeping her well insulated as she marched through the snow. She could hear the thud of Klinge jumping off his horse, but afterwards, he was remarkably silent for someone of his size. Getting closer to the structure, Zelda noted the material. Metal walls about twenty feet high. They made a pretty well fortified cube that dug into the mountain. “Commander Klinge. What do you make of this?”

The Darknut slowly scanned the area from left to right. “I would guess they’ve been here for a while. Latest I would say could be at least the start of the war. Knowing how isolated this area of Hyrule is from civilization, even the Rito, it could have been longer.”

Zelda felt both fury and curiosity bloom in her. If the Kikai Empire had been here even before the start of the war, that meant the security of her country had been exploited and abused long ago. But now she wanted to know the reason. What had brought the Hasai people to her country.

In the distance, a bright red light caught the attention of everyone in the area. Shortly after, what sounded like a gong echoed from the base. Following this, sharp gears turned and a door opened from the side facing towards the tundra. Zelda and Klinge immediately dropped to the ground and watched as Hasai soldiers raced out on mounted rides, ranging from horses to boars. The Skurge yelled to one another, Zelda was unsure if it was orders or merely hyping one another up. But the force that went out had to range from twenty to thirty men easily. She hoped Captain Appo would be prepared for enemy reinforcements.

Looking back at the walls, she studied them for any structural weakness she could spot. Atop the wall, there was some kind of metal wire with little barbs placed throughout. No doubt if someone tried to scale them, it would be painful, perhaps even deadly to be caught up in them. But the wire itself did not look thick.

Turning to Klinge and the Lizalfos, Zelda motioned to the wire. “Do any of you have a way to discreetly get past that?”

The commander held out his hand, then with the snap of his fingers in his other hand, he revealed an item of interest. It appeared something akin to a pair of pliers. “Take this. Fang and Lash can stick to walls. They’ll give you a boost up wards. Cut where you want.” As Zelda reached out for them, Klinge held them back. “Be careful, they’re sharp.”

With a smirk, she took them when he offered the handle. “So concerned.”

“I just don’t want you making a mess of the snow.” The Queen disregarded his sarcasm and made her way up. To her soldier’s surprise, she was able to scale the wall just fine. All it took was a running start to start kicking upwards. Despite this, both the Lizalfos were beside on standby in case she needed assistance. With a few precise snips, Zelda clipped away the wire. Thankfully, Klinge was able to grab it quietly as it fell to the ground.

Able to get a better look over the wall now, Zelda observed small metal boxes set up and drilled into the snow. Portable housing for troops and personnel perhaps? It seemed that all the doors were structured to go towards the center of the encampment, so that Hasai would either travel out of the gates into the wilderness… or into the cave the walls were built into.

Hopping down inside the camp with a soft thud, Zelda waited as the Lizalfos carefully crawled up and over. Finally, after about half a minute, Klinge had managed to hoist himself up with a hook. Carefully, he too scaled the wall back down instead of jumping.

Motioning her guard to follow her, they walked along the wall towards the cave. Sure enough, two guards were standing by, facing towards the gate on the far end. Zelda then grabbed some snow off the ground and imbued it with a little magic. Flicking it, the snow flew outwards, blowing past the two Skurge guarding the entrance. Turning direction, it blew into the cave, altering Zelda to any would-be additional guards. Luckily, there weren’t any. With a single gesture, she instructed the Lizalfos to take out the Hasai.

Rushing forward, the monsters were lightning fast in their approach. Before the Skurge could turn to retaliate, or even let out a cry, the pair of reptilians already had their jaws sinking into the necks of the soldiers. They used their hands to quickly pin them to the ground as their teeth shredded their lungs from their throat. It was a ghastly sight for Zelda, so she was quick to turn away. As quickly as they were killed, the Hasai were already having their bodies dragged away behind a tent to be buried under the snow. The queen had a sickly feeling that had more time been allowed, they would have eaten the bodies.

Quickly looking around, she waved for the commander to follow her into the ice cave. He made a swift order to the brothers to wait at the entrance. If anyone tried to enter, they had permission to kill on sight. Going through the cave, Zelda took note of how it curved upwards, how the wind barely echoed. Wherever they were going, it was leading to a massive excavated area. That knowledge gave the Queen severe pause. How long would the Kikai Empire have had to be here for?

It seemed that the commander felt similarly. When he spoke, his voice was pensive. “If the danger turns out to be too perilous, we turn to leave immediately.”

“Only if it comes to that.”

“Zelda, as Queen of this country, it is my job to protect you.”

The Hylian didn’t stop her pace, but her attention had shifted just enough. “Can’t help but notice you did not say ‘my queen’, Commander.”

“You are my Queen.”

“By technicality and marriage to your master. But not in your heart.”

The undead commander’s fist clenched as he walked forward, but his voice held its composure. “I serve Ganondorf. He is my King. I am a humble servant, but he is not my master.”

“Ghirahim doesn’t seem to mind. In fact, he’s an actual blade while you named after one. You serve the same function.”

“The Demon Lord has far more fanatical ideals than myself. He would have burned the world for Ganondorf, for the darkness that rests in his heart.”

“And you? What would you have burned?”

“I would have killed the rest of Hyrule for the atrocities that your people did to mine.” Klinge stopped just before the next curve of the cave. Zelda didn’t waver in her gaze against him. There was a hidden sense of bloodlust that came from him, and she was suddenly aware of their isolation. Yet, as quickly as that bloodlust came, it fell away to apathy. “However, I am not King, and you seem to have been set on keeping your word in creating a better era for Hyrule. I fight for that better future. If you are necessary to fulfill that future, then you must live.”

Zelda supposed that would be the best comfort of loyalty she could muster out of him for now. However, whatever thoughts she had about Klinge were completely dashed as they rounded the corner of the tunnel to the vast openness of the ice cave. The eyes behind the commander’s eyes went wide as almost dropped his sword in shock. The Queen let out a gasp at the sight before them.

“What in Hylia’s name?”

Before them, a massive construct stretched across over a mile long, ancient and modern metal fused together to create a dreadful beast. It was like a massive serpent stretched outwards, with bizarre cylinders that acted as joints for arms periodically placed at key points on its sides. At the head of the construct was the frame of a dragon, glass over the eyes and a forked tongue behind the jagged teeth.

All around, dozens of Hasai were stationed on both the ground level and high on rafters close to the titanic creation, but amongst them were also strange darkly green machine creatures. The constructions had a strange energy flow through them that made the parts that made up their bodies detached, yet still able to work in tandem. The more Zelda looked at them, there was more than scientific curiosity egging her mind, but an odd familiarity she couldn’t shake.

This familiarity was drilling so hard in the back of her mind, she didn’t even notice a glow coming from her hand right away until her commander spoke up.

“Zelda, your triforce.”

The Queen looked down at her hand. The lower left triangle was indeed glowing on and off. The feeling she felt rattling in her skull was warning and dread. Her own reincarnation was unlike Ganondorf’s and Link’s, for whenever she came into a new life, memories of past lives never came back to her. Zelda always had to look to history for past knowledge. Yet, in this moment, it was as if the triforce was doing its best to remind of her a past danger in one of her lives.

Squeezing her fist, Zelda turned to Klinge, a slow moment of panic filling her. She needed more intelligence on what was being built here. “We will make our retreat. Now.”

“Agreed. You don’t make something this big under your enemy's nose unless it's a weapon.”

As the Queen and the commander were turning back around, loud alarms were suddenly set off. Red lights swirled around the work site and the Hasai were suddenly running around like hornets in a nest. For a moment, Zelda wondered if they had been revealed to the enemy, but from a glance, that was luckily not the case. But that didn’t give her any comfort as she saw walls opening in the mechanical monsters for the Hasai to rush inside.

“All personnel, man your stations. Van Kiryu takes off in t-minus 5 minutes.”

The voice of a Hasai echoed from the head of the mechanical dragon, vibrating around the ice walls around them.

“Repeat. All personnel, man your stations. Van Kiryu takes off in t-minus 5 minutes.”

Not wanting to stick around, Zelda and Klinge ran back to the entrance of the cave. Other soldiers of the Kikai Empire were scrambling out of their cabins, marching out onto the snowy fields towards central Hyrule. Reaching the twin Lizalfos, the Queen gripped the flair at her side. If she used it now, they would have a fight on their hands. “We can’t wait here. But we can’t call for backup until we make some distance from here.”

“Then it is in our hands to return.” Klinge snapped his fingers to the Lizalfos to get a move on and spoke quickly in a few clicks and clacks. “Stay close, I’ll flank you to guard our backs.”

With one more nod, Zelda braced herself. They needed-

That was when the mountainside started to shake and rumble. The ground beneath them vibrated as the Hasai inside the mountain were ready to make their grand entrance. Zelda and her team ran as far away from the cave and mountainside as they could. Rock exploded outwards and snow came following downward in a haze of confusion.

The Queen and the commander coughed through the debris as they kept marching forward. A large boulder came rolling down, unfortunately crushing Fang in the process. Gritting her teeth, Zelda channeled her magic to summon forth a large crystal shield just big enough to keep herself, Klinge, and Lash safe. She could feel more rocks bounce off the protection ward, but did not drop her guard for a while.

For a moment, the only sound that could be heard was her breathing and the wind of destruction around them as the earth settled. Through the haze of the mountain snow, she saw something come from the digsite. Curving around the rest of the mountain side like a snake, Zelda could make out the last of a mechanical frame as it disappeared from view.

Pushing the dread in her voice down, the queen steeled herself. “Commander. Get us back home, now. The country is in more danger than ever.”

Grand Admiral Bellum checked a pocket watch, flicking it closed as a grin flashed across his grin. Van Kiyru being activated for the first time was everything he could have hoped for. The vibrations of power that went through the entire war machine was exquisite. Years of discovery, understanding, luck, building and preparation led to this. And soon, very, very soon, the destruction it could unleash would be on display.

First, however, key pieces needed to be put in place. Prince Nihilus, Princess Zannah, and T0-D would just about be making their way over Kakariko for the assault. Yet before even that, he needed to order an assault of his own. Feeling his hand over the speaking stone, Bellum admired the magic in such a small and simple little rock. Rub two or more together, and you’d have the ability to communicate with others over any distance you wanted. Speaking into it, he calmly asked for an update.

“General Oppo. Are you and your troops ready?”

A dark voice filled with anticipation answered back. The Skurge considered himself the Grand Admiral’s opposite, a rival perhaps even, but so long as they both served their emperor faithfully, the general would obey Bellum’s orders. “Yes. We are positioned just over the clouds.”

“Then land your craft and begin the attack.”

Putting the speaking stone away, Bellum took a breath as he watched the craft ascend into the air. Soon, the Empire would ascend to such heights as well again. Ironic. The decline came with the death of the dragons. Now it would be a dragon of his creation that would give his people their newest golden age.

~ Ganondorf sat on his throne, fists clenched as he finally had a moment to sit down. The afternoon had been hectic, running about looking after his children and ordering troops to rout out Hasai camps. Truthfully, there was some concern that weighed on the Gerudo King’s mind. Reports brought back to him found that only skeleton crews had been purged. Where was the bulk of the empire’s army? He knew that they weren’t diminished quite yet.

The creek of the throne door echoed as a familiar face walked in. Ganondorf paused, his gaze freezing on Rinku. Truthfully, while he loved her as his daughter, there was now always this slight air of tension that could rise up between them now that they both knew who she really was. The war certainly didn’t make their relationship blossom. He knew that it brought the worst of himself in her eyes.

Still, there was so much good ground they had grown between them. He tried to not be the one to drive a wedge between them. “Rinku… are you well as of late?”

His daughter looked a little pained in her eyes, then shook it off rather quickly. “Of course. Bit of downtime is all I need, then I can get back out there and do what I do best. Kicking evil’s ass to high hell and back.”

Ganondorf watched as Rinku made a swing of her arm and a punch upwards to emphasize her words. The King could feel the true weight behind those words, however. Leaning forward with both his hands collapsed together, even so far away from each other across the room he was a towering presence. “Rinku, I’m not asking you to be my soldier.”

That seemed to strike the wrong nerve with her, a frown and a shrug being returned his way. “You sure about that? Because I saw the posters you printed of Leere and I. Props on getting our good sides.”

“Those are to raise morale. You’ve already done so much for this kingdom. Just your presence on a parchment on a paper can inspire so much hope.”

“You know that’s not my style.”

Ganondorf sighed, slowly closing his eyes and breathing deeply. “I know. Despite that, I don’t want you to burn out in this war of fire.”

“And what about yourself?”

The Gerudo tilted his head, curious. “What about me?”

“You aren’t worried about the flames of war eating you up?”

“My child, I doubt that these Hasai could kill me.”

“That’s not what I’m referring to.” Rinku walked closer, feeling the side of her head as if she had some sort of headache. “I don’t like seeing you on the battlefield. I don’t like the way you seem to live for bloodshed.”

Ganondorf felt his face stone up. Lifetimes of combat, rage, and, unfortunately, cruelty, flashed through his mind. Those lifetimes all ended violently by the one speaking to him now. Did she have the right to speak to him about bloodshed? The arrogance? Yet, looking at her, he saw more of his daughter who was concerned than an old nemesis who wanted to contain him.

Gripping the arm rests of the throne, Ganondorf leaned back in his seat. “Do I? Conflict is something that I have become a master of. I know that looking at the way I condone myself can be frightful from an outsiders view, but it is-”

“A necessary evil?” Ganondorf frowned at Rinku beating him to his point. “But why commit an act of evil in the first place?”

The Gerudo sighed, but felt a different kind of fatigue with this line of conversation than he usually had with Zelda. There was more sincerity with Rinku than with his wife. No, not sincerity. Innocence? Determination? It was hard to quantify. “What would you have me do? My power has never been gentle. Our enemies would never show mercy to us, so how could I afford the same.”

“Ganondorf.” She spoke sharply, a surprise to the King. His instincts jumped and he felt his old rival’s come out of his daughter. As quick as it came, however, it passed as her expression softened. “I don’t want to see my dad turn into a demon to fight other monsters. You’ve proven that you can be better than that now.”

Ganondorf rose from his seat, a wave of emotion following over him to prove her right. “Rinku, I-”

Suddenly, a servant bust through the doors, flanked shortly by two guards. “Your majesty! Princess!!! Castle Town is under attack!”

“What?!” The King and his daughter didn’t hesitate to rush out the door to look out through the window overlooking the town. Descending like demons, several war blimps were landing over buildings of the town as Hasai troops were unloaded. Glaring with a deep ferocity, the King roared out to the castle. “Everyone! Man your stations and expunge this plague upon OUR HOME! VAATI, GHIRAHIM!!!”

It took no time for the Demon Lord to heed his call, appearing in a dazzling puff of smoke and dark sparkles. “I am at your command master!!!”

“Ghirahim, I want you to go protect my children. I will not have another kidnapping occur under our watch. You are my best blade.”

“An honour that I will see to.” The Demon Lord couldn’t help but throw a cruel job at Rinku before disappearing. “I’ll show you how one protects a child, hero.”

It took a few more moments before Vaati appeared, running around the corner in a hurry. Ganondorf loathed the rat on a personal level, but as a wizard, the King had been convinced of the need for the wizard's skills. “My liege. I assume that this is the about the Kikai Empire attack?”

“Vaati. Use every source of power you know to knock those blimps out of the sky. Rinku and I will be launching an assault at the ground level.”

“I will do all I can.” With a flick of his robe, Vaati was on his way.

Turning to his daughter, Ganondorf looked to her, wanting to give her assurance. “Not for glory, not for enjoyment, but for the needs of the people.”

Rinku could only nod in response. Rushing through the castle, the two of them made a quick stop to the stables to ride their war boars, making a fast paced march towards Castle Town as the gates of Hyrule Castle were opened. Holding up an open palm, Ganondorf channeled his magic into a glowing sphere. When it was ready, he unleashed the might, firing the blast towards one of the blimps. The magic flew through the aircraft with enough force to tear a hole through metal and cloth. The aircraft had to turn and collapse outside of the town as it came slowly crashing down.

Inside the town wasn’t much better. Citizens were running around to hide inside homes, but many were running out as Skurge soldiers were setting fire to rooftops with pyrokinesis or throwing bombs through windows to set blazes. Hylian soldiers were fighting fiercely against the invaders, and here in the heart of Hyrule, the Hasai had to face a large cast of diverse and furious people.

Goron smashed with fists as large as the torsos of many Hasai, crushing bones with ease. Zora commanded water to douse out the flames or to knock the Hasai off their feet. One with shark-like features tore into the throat of one Skurge soldier as they were locked in face to face combat. Hoping off his war boar, Ganondorf roared as he slammed into the ground with an open palm, forcing a shockwave to knock several Hasai to their feet, or some that were closer to be blasted into the stone work of several houses around them, shattering their bodies.

From a pool of darkness, Ganondorf summoned forth two dual blades, snarling at the Hasai around him. “Get out of my country.”

The invaders who could immediately responded with fire, blasting a combination of explosive flame towards the Gerudo. Placing both of his blades together, Ganondorf could feel the metal heat up as the fire was reflected to each of his sides. With a roar, he dashed forward, cutting left and right as the screams of gutted Hasai filled his ears.

As he took the lives of these invaders, this was the hardest part for him. The feeling of pure vindication in taking these lives. With another swing, he dueled a Skurge soldier for about five seconds before his opponent made a mistake in his movement and was decapitated. Ganondorf moved like a demon, swift, ferocious, and the most powerful player on the field with sheer might alone.

Ganondorf finished this unit of soldiers flawlessly enough, flicking a scratch of blood off his cheek. As he wondered about looking for a new batch of enemies to kill, his mind thought of Zelda and Link. Being warned of enjoying the slaughter and the rush war gave him. Even now, he could feel his own excitement rising. In the past, he would have zero doubts. Here, he was acting as a hero to Hyrule instead of its conqueror. He should have felt more vindicated than ever. Yet their presence in this lifetime had shifted his core just enough.

The Gerudo King nearly stopped to contemplate this, but the timing was not ideal. For now, he would act in the ways he knew best for the sake of saving lives. The weight of his actions and how he felt would be sorted later.

Nihilus finished putting on his gosoku armour, feeling adorned in a snow white chest plate. The last piece he placed on himself was the face mask, a covering that made him look like a demon, but still allowed his eyes to be seen.

Behind him standing in the launch bay with him, Zannah was adorned in similar armour, but opted to go without the helmet or mask. If his sister felt speed was better than protection, that would be her call to make, or mistake to regret.

Each royal child of Malakath had their own beast to ride into battle. For the deceased Seras, he was happy with a basilisk. Zannah had taken after her mother, able to tame the incredibly brutal Manticore that she named Raam. Nihilus, however, had a far more deadly creature tamed. About 40 ft in length, the monster he tamed was known as a Baraki, known in other tongues as false dragons or fell beasts. From a glance, this reptilian beast with wings on sharp claws and fangs could be mistaken for a dragon, but its ilk was far more violent and animalistic in nature. He named his Makuta, bringer of ill tidings and spewer of green flame.

The blimp made its way towards Kakariko Village, and the crown prince watched as the bay doors opened. Stage one was ready to begin. With a slap of his reins, Makuta let out a deep snarl as he took off into the air. Behind him, his sister followed closely.

It didn’t take long for Nihilus to see Sheikah and Hylian villagers taking notice of them. Before panic or understanding could settle in, the prince landed on the rooftop of one of the houses, the weight of his Baraki shifting. With a snap of his finger, he commanded the slaughter to unfold. With vile power, the fell beast spewed dark, green crackling fire on the village below.

People screamed in terror, others in deathly pain as flames consumed them. Dismounting off his mount, Prince Nihilus jumped three stories downwards, as he was 10 ft from the ground, flames shot out from his feet, the force safely decelerating him as he made landfall. Already, the surprise seemed to be wearing off as Sheikah warriors started to surround him, holding short swords and spears. From a glance, Nihilus could feel that these warriors were experienced, or at the least they felt prepared. He would show them just how futile their preparations were.

Two of the warriors charged him, and Nihilus answered the call. On each of his forearms were bladed gauntlets ready to slice and dice his enemies. He danced around his enemies, palming away one man, then after blocking the strike of another, retaliated with a slice across the throat, spraying blood outwards. The red scarlet liquid stained his chest armour, giving the prince his desired intent of fright.

Satisfied by his initial warmup, Nihilus looked to the sky as his sister descended upon the village, firing a bolt of lighting to cause the door to one house to explode before she dive bombed inside. Looking at another Sheikah, the crown prince gestured with two fingers for the man to come face him in combat. The Sheikah drew something from a pocket throwing it at the prince, and there was suddenly a blinding flash.

Nihilus closed his eyes and let his instincts take over as he relied on his ears and sense of smell. The Sheikah were incredibly light on their feet, running at him with the faintest of pressure against the grass beneath them, but it was enough. With a dodge, Nihilus ducked low, his tail lashing out as the man missed a swing over his body. The appendage grabbed the man by the neck, squeezing around tightly. With a wicked twist, there was a defining snap as the Hasai broke the man’s neck. Opening his eyes, Nihilus took a deep breath as he released the body to the ground. Putting both his arms together in a cross position, he quietly let out one word as the rest of the Sheikah charged at him all around him.

“Burn.”

Releasing the energy building up in him, Nihilus thrust both his arms outwards to his sides, and a dome of fire exploded outwards from his being for 15 ft in all directions. The fire completely devastated his attackers, turning their bodies into burning corpses as they fell to the ground in flames, their lungs bubbling and death being quick.

The crown prince looked at the burning village in front of him as the flames flickered in his eyes. Above him, his war blimp hovered above, allowing his soldiers to descend from rope and cables. Warriors in shimmering black armour made landfall, the fire reflecting in their uniforms. With hand signals, Nihilus’ Theron Guard quickly made their way through the village, shooting down villagers with crossbows and systematically killing every citizen they could find.

Breathing in the air, Nihilus started walking towards the largest house in the village. On this day, he swore to himself that he would burn a scar in Hyrule so devastating that the land itself would never recover from. Fire was pain, devastation, and suffering. And he would share his fire with this country. He was Dorami, dragon in human form, and his fire would be known to all.

______________________________________________________________

Happy Year of the Dragon!

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