Hero by Heart

Chapter 61

Zelda did not have time to be scared. She knew she would be, had she had a moment longer to think.
     Instead, the monsters pouring through the Main Gate came at them so quickly that she was only just in time to pull free her sword.
     Link was already going at them, trying to deflect as many dangers from her as he could, but Zelda had to fight for her life.
Before she could even fully realize the extend of this disaster, she had fought back two Bokoblins and was trying hard to keep a Lizalfos from severing her throat.
     With some help from Reeza and Laine, Zelda pushed back enough to take a deep breath.
     She could see the Main Gate, where one door was missing, the other hanging crooked in its hinges. Monsters and men were pouring through the opening, and the open space in front of it was one big battlefield, as their army tried to push back these massive forces.
Groups of Gorons and Gerudo were scattered around, small islands in a tidal wave of enemies.
Zelda let out a soft gasp, seeing what they were up against. How could they ever win this? She felt despair take over, clenching her throat shut and making her hands tremble.
'Zelda!'
Link's shout woke her from her moment of desperation, just in time for her to see the massive club coming at her.
Without thinking she dropped flat to the ground, landing awkwardly on her sword, but she got to keep her head on her shoulders.
Scrambling to get up, Zelda reprimanded herself for not paying attention, and returned her focus to the battle around her.
     Link was still close to her, and had pierced the Moblin that had swung at her with his sword, effectively preventing any further attack.
     He now came to stand in front of her, not taking his eyes of the monsters as he gently squeezed her hand.
     'You alright?' He asked over his shoulder.
     Zelda nodded, before realizing he couldn't see her. 'I'm okay.' She didn't tell him how pessimistic she felt about the outcome of this battle, but was quite certain that he knew.
     Again, he squeezed her hand, before letting go. 'Stay close,' he said rather needlessly, as he edged forward through the crowds.
Zelda didn't know where he was headed, but could take a decent guess, knowing the brave knight. He would always go where he was most needed. In this case: the gate.
She was filled with dread in the knowledge that she would be in the thickest of the fight, but surrounded by her trusted friends, who were all great warriors, she kept quiet and bravely stood her ground.
There was no doubt in her mind that she was the weakest link here, but she wasn't going to act on it.

After a few more minutes of finding their way across the field, she could see the large stone walls looming overhead.
There were less monsters here, but all the more humans, coming behind the filthy creatures to let them take the worst of it.
Zelda was disgusted by these men, hiding behind masks and monsters, attacking her home before they even had a chance to rebuild it.
Still, these people were human, looking much the same as she did. They bled and died instead of disappearing into black smoke, making it all the more horrible to fight them.
Zelda wasn't too sure if she could really kill a man. Not without it gnawing away at her conscience for the rest of her life. She already struggled with regular monsters, who seemed to have no purpose other than try and kill her.
It surprised her to see Link having no trouble swinging at them, injuring or even killing the ones that got too close. Then again, it didn't really surprise her either, knowing he would do anything to protect her and fulfil his duty.
     A fresh wave of guilt washed over her, now that she realized that all these deaths were truly on her. Link swung the blade, but he did it for her. She was ultimately responsible for all the bloodshed.
     Despair, anger and guilt were battling in her head, clouding her thoughts and bringing her to the brink of surrender, but once again, the ongoing battle brought her back to the present.
     A particular large guy loomed up in front of her, his face hidden behind a black mask, with only his deep blue eyes visible under the dark hood.
     Those eyes now stared directly at her, an ominous, blood-thirsty glint cast over them.
     Zelda had the chilling thought that he was smiling behind his mask, and felt her heart pounding in her chest, as the moment dragged on.
     It seemed like hours, the amount of time that they were just standing there, taking each other in, but it was no more than mere seconds.
     Still, Zelda noticed with sudden clarity how the left eyebrow twitched, his fingers tightened around the hilt of his broadsword, and how the enormous muscles of his arms and torso rolled as he moved.
     In a burst of pure instinct and rushing adrenaline, she jumped back, dodging the tip of the sword that swung past her face, only inches from her nose.
     The man was fast, almost unnaturally fast, and she knew how lucky she was to be able to draw breath again. Still, it could very soon be her last.
     Without thinking about anything anymore, pushing away all her objections, fears and hesitation, she gripped her scimitar and swung, aiming somewhere at his body.
     The man stepped back, almost nonchalantly, and lifted his own sword again.
     She did not allow herself to be scared, and with her eyes wide to take in even the smallest movements, she jumped forward.
     Her opponent had not expected this, and she crashed her shoulder into him with surprising force, making him tumble backwards.
     Zelda used her speed and every bit of strength she had to push her blade forward, sending it past her own shoulder, sinking it into his skin.
     Unfortunately enough, her own push prevented her blade to go much deeper, as the man fell away from her.
     A deep cut remained in his side, quickly drenching his clothes with blood, flowing bright red down his flank.
     The man gasped, fixing his eyes menacingly on her, while his hand traveled up to the wound.
Somewhere behind her, Zelda registered Link's voice, calling out her name, but she didn't turn to look.
He sounded close, but judging from the grunts and clashing of steel, he was currently occupied.
As her opponent stepped closer again, she absentmindedly heard Link's calls, becoming increasingly urgent, but she refused to let her attention wane.
     A strange calmness fell over her, as she raised her sword and watched the man closely. She was not afraid of him, nor was she appalled by the idea of hurting him anymore.
     It was him or her.
     She now finally understood how Link did it, kill man and beast with an odd sense of detachment. If the choice was kill or be killed, it was surprisingly easy to turn that switch off.
     All of that flashed through her mind in the split second that it took the man to raise his sword, ready for a devastating blow to severe her head once and for all.
     Zelda ducked, simultaneously jumping forward again, causing his arm to swing just overhead.
     She now stood behind his right shoulder, and before he had time to regain his balance and turn around, she stabbed her sword with all her might into his exposed back.
     With a terrible howl and cries of pain the man sunk to his knees, grasping for his shoulder and dropping his sword from his limp fingers.
     Zelda looked down on the back of his head, seeing the side of his face contorted in pain, exposed when his hood had fallen off in his attack.
A sudden sinking feeling settled in her stomach, knowing that the fight was over. She would not let him attack her again, but could she end it altogether?
She stood watching the man in indecisiveness for a few more seconds, her sword awkwardly raised to the height of his shoulders, without a proper destination.
Finally, it was the stranger himself who settled the impasse, when he struggled himself to his feet, grunting in pain.
     Zelda stood behind him, suddenly unable to move, uncertain of what to do.
     It seemed to take forever before he turned to face her, his face a mixture of pain and anger, with the slightest hint of fear.
     Seeing that fear made Zelda's heart ache, and she no longer felt detached and determined.
Just when she tried to will her arm back to life, to defend herself from the impending doom, those blue eyes flew wide open, his mouth following in a silent scream.
It almost happened too fast for her to comprehend, but Zelda saw the large man sink to his knees once again, sway back and forth twice, before finally falling flat on his face, exposing a large, gaping wound in his back.
Suddenly visible, now that the man no longer obstructed her view, was Link, his sword still raised, dripping with blood.
A chilling fear took hold of her heart, when she noticed the furious look in his eyes and the way his teeth were clenched together, his entire body radiating pure rage.
Link had come to her aid, freed from his tormentors at last, and he was definitely not happy about it.