The Picori Plight

Chap. III ¦ Battle at Hyrule Field

The Gerudon boar-riders or infantry did not halt their charge toward Link's small band of Hyrulian guards. Even if the heat of the sweltering day wearied them, it would currently not slow them. The approaching Gerudon army thankfully only launched their offensive attack from west and not from both sides of their position. Link swayed to his archers to hold their position up upon a small hill that would give them a bit of leeway in the battle.

Link divided cavalry on their left and right flanks. The locations given to them would be quite crucial for overwhelming charging attacks on the Gerudo's sideflanks. Link called to the remaining infantry left that would serve as foot soldiers ordered to attack on the middle flank that could quite possibly be the most contested area on the battlefield.

Link ventured to the front of the line. Facing his weary soldiers, he unsheathed his weapon and roared in a booming voice, "Gerudo, once friends- now enemies! Today is the day we pay vengeance to the fiend at hand for its pitiful mistakes." Link looked back at the charging Gerudo and pointed to them. "Show them what a Hyrulian is capable of! Fire away, archers! Charge, cavalry and infantry!"

Link charged with his foot soldiers along with Romulus beside him. The Gerudon garrison stormed forward quickly to their frontline.

Romulus sighed in nervously before muttering, "So, it comes down to this, hmm? How sad that they must act in such childish anger."

Link looked over to him and gestured to ready his pike. "Ready yourself or death could end you."

Romulus scoffed and rose his pike to even level. "Now, time to smite!"

Armed with his iconic Master Sword and blue Hyrulian shield, Link yelled as he neared their advancing phallanx of Gerudo warriors.

Before gaining brunt impact with the phallanx's colorful shields of leather, Link urged boldly, "Break through their lines at all costs! Like a speedy arrow we'll penetrate anything that stands in our way and way of life!"

Several sections of the phalanx broke but were reinforced due to Gerudo boar-riders that defended the defenseless areas. Many horsemen fell prey to an ill-fated pike being thrusted into their abdomen. The slish 'n slash of swords clashed against friend and foe. Nor the wall or frontlines of either side gained foothold. Arrows upon arrows reigned upon each Hyrulian and Gerudo alike, casting a red blanket of blood around the dying mangled bodies and those that had already fallen to death's dark shadow.

Link was holding the center of his frontline and picked off anyone he could see with spears he'd recently acquired. Several boar-riding Gerudos attempted multiple times to halt his eagle-eyed onslaught upon their crippling regiment but unfortunately fell victim to his sharp-edged spears.

Link yelled out to Romulus who was covering the left flank. The struggling captain must had not heard him since he continued to hold off a small charge against a couple of Gerudo infantry.

Calling out to the fatigued general, "Romulus, get away from there! Your position has vulnerabilities! They'll overtake your position soon if you don't leave there soon!"

Romulus laughed to himself in crazed amusement, afterwards stating, "Overtake me? They aren't budging an inch here!"

To his misfortune, his horse fell over due to the overcrowdedness of where it stood. Dumbfounded, Romulus lay upon his bottom for several seconds just staring blankly at the massacre that took place in front of him. After recovering from his stunned state, Romulus crawled around for a bit trying to recover his bearings.

Several Gerudo warriors assailed upon Romulus but luckily a handful of trusty Hyrulian knights protected his defenseless position. He backed off a bit from the scuffle of contesting forces. He scuttled back into the fray where the stomp n' clomp of footsteps and hooves landed oh-so-dearly close to his arms and legs. He rolled and dodged out of each possible limb-disabling attempt.

Alarmed at the situation, Link quickly unmounted from Epona, urged her to retreat to the hill, and took off towards Romulus. Numerous horses and boars nearly trampled him as he knelt down and crawled through the thick prairie grass towards Romulus.

Lifting up Romulus's injured body, Link commented, "Let's get you out of here, captain."

Resisting his attempts to carry him to the eastern hill, Romulus cried, "No! I must seek vengeance upon those who have slaughtered my brethren! Let. Me. Go!"

Link constrained his attempts of resistance. He placed him in an armlock that rendered him immobile from the waist up. Romulus continued by dragging his feet upon the prairie ground that continually slowed his rescue.

Link threw the restless captain over his soldier and murmured, "That's enough of that! Either we get out of here or both die trying!"

Romulus spat a mouthful of blood stemmed from a wound form from within the gums of his mouth. "Well, I'm glad that came from a sore rather than my lugs, ugh.."

Link ascended up the hill slowly eluding arrows from the sky and from point-blank. He placed him to the side of the archers's formation that would decrease his chances of being brutally pelted to death by high-flying arrows.

Slowly closing his eyes to rest, Romulus quietly thanked him stating: "Thank you for putting up with my foolish behaviour and for saving my almost ill-fated life. Get out there and show those Gerudo what the Hylian crest really means. I'll be resting here for now."

Link shook the captain's hand goodbye and looked to the east. The Gerudo frontline was in shambles and they ran in fear of inevitable death. To their dismay, several remaining pikemen gave chase to the scrambling survivors and ended their lives quickly with the clean stab from a shiny pike.

Link trudged down the hill and fell upon his face due to overwhelming fatigue and hunger. Laying silently on the ground for several moments, he question himself in thought asking: Was this battle worth this much? The foolish calls of war spewed forth from men will echo in its fervent beginnings. I must be quick to hush the cries of war. This mustn't happen or my reign will be bleakened by my foolish decisions.