[EDITING] The Legend of Zelda: Goddess of Secrecy

Take the Gate

...and began flying towards Hyrule Castle. The sun was already climbing past noon as they left the storm clouds behind and began crossing Hyrule Fields once more.

Link knew from their time in Skyloft that Shade was fast, but he had never seen the Loftwing fly with this speed before. The wind couldn't have stopped him if it tried.

Ahead, smoke rose from Castle Town. Fires could be spotted from across the top level of the city. The bridge to Hyrule Field was shattered, but the city guard still held the southern half of the city. There was no way to retreat that Link could see, but that didn't stop the fighting.

Distantly, Link saw great blasts of magic and assumed it was the Priestesses somewhere down among the streets. At least, he hoped it was as they crossed over the city towards the castle.

Shade was careening towards the boulevard before the castle when Link saw it. First a wisp, then a cloud flying parallel to them. As they neared the end of the bridge to the castle, Link grabbed Shade's halter and forced him to pitch down.

Before Shade could ask, the sky erupted behind them with magic. The cloud that had been chasing beside them expanding in the same withering black-red magic that Ganondorf had created, before it began to chase them as they descended, erupting regularly as it fought to gain.

Now aware of the danger, Shade needed no convincing. He flew hard, weaving between the tallest buildings in Castle Town. When they passed over the edge of the city, Shade dove yet again, rocketing them so quickly towards Zora's River below Link thought he and Zelda might get sent over the Loftwing's head.

Shade broke too close to the water, Link's boots dipped into the river as they pulled up. The Loftwing's legs curled up as their wake cast the water to the side and Shade began flying upriver. Behind them, the magic collided with the running water and was no more.

As Shade peeled back around towards the base of the city, Link felt his heart fighting to stay in his chest. He looked back to Zelda, who seemed to be similarly startled by the sudden escape.

"Too close for comfort there, huh?" Shade said, climbing a little further over the water now.

"How do we get to the castle?" Link shouted over the roaring of the river. For all Shade's speed, outracing the magic so close to its source seemed unlikely.

"By foot!" Zelda called back, pointing where the great stone platform the city was built on met the river, near the exit of the sewers.

"The city is under siege, my lady," Shade warned.

"Do you have any better ideas?" Zelda demanded as they coasted closer to where they needed to land.

Shade was quiet for a long time. Then, he began to turn towards the river bank.

They landed without issue, though shortly after a Sheikah appeared from one of the passages in shock. "Princess Zelda! What are you doing here? It's not safe!"

As Zelda leapt from Shade's back, she put up a hand and made her way towards the passages leading up towards the city.

When Link leapt off of Shade's back, he scanned the river for a moment before turning the Sheikah. "There was a Hylian name Lynard, he was supposed to bring the Priestesses here."

The Sheikah's eyes went wide as they looked Link up and down, before bowing. "Yes, sir. He left with the last series of refugees a short while ago." The Sheikah pointed across the river. Fighting with the river, Link saw Lynard's ship bobbing over the current as it cut its way towards the far bank were a trail led towards Hyrule Field.