Winds Of Change

XXIV: End Of Tales

It was time. Time to appear before Impa and tell her they were ready. Together, Link and Meilen pushed open the doors to Impa's home and entered. They approached the old woman, their old friend, as she lifted her head to see the champions she had come to know.

"Ah, so the sword has been returned to it's rightful owner. Heh, just what I expected of you, hero. The sword that seals the darkness is your counterpart. So long as that blade is at your side, you shall wield enormous power. The princess risked everything for you and that sword. Do not forget that, and do not waste this chance." Impa began, before closing her eyes and drawing in a deep breath. "I sense it. Their presence. Daruk. Urbosa. Revali. Mipha. A hundred years ago, I put my life on the line to fight alongside everyone. But I could not protect them. They died without fulfilling their destinies. I have lived all this time thinking they died in vain. But this energy I feel from their presence, it seems they have not given up. I can also sense that they were overjoyed to see you two again." Impa leaned forward with a sudden fierceness that the group was not expecting. "Now you all serve the same purpose! Now it is time to attack Calamity Ganon, while he is weak! Hurry to the princess! I believe you will find them in Hyrule Castle. To get in, you'll have to go through the ruins of Castle Town to get in. Prepare yourselves. Even with the blessings of the Divine Beasts and of the goddesses, Calamity Ganon will be well protected. Good luck, my heroes."

"Thank you, Impa. We will leave at once." And they did. Link, upon Epona, and Meilen, riding Sunset, they sped off toward the ruins of Castle Town. It took them many days, as Calamity Ganon expected their approach and had left many Guardian to wander the fields close to the ruins, but they finally made it. Weary, they settled in an abandoned carriage just outside of the entrance, wanting to take on final rest before their final stretch. Settling down next to each other, and the light of the wisps their only source of sight, Meilen and Link began to plan.

"We need to take the shortest route possible. It will take us at least day to get into the castle, and we'll need all the strength we have for the final battle. First things first, we need a safe spot somewhere in the castle." Meilen started, whispering as quiet as she could.

"I got a clear view of Zelda's old room. There are only two guardians there, a Turret and a Skywatcher. We take them out, we'll be good to go for the night. We might also find some of Zelda's research. It'll be beneficial. From there, we can climb the walls back to the main path. I don't want to use any of our blessings, if possible. It'll make us weaker." Link explained, his voice also in a whisper. Meilen nodded thoughtfully.

"Now we just have to get there. Let's sleep first, though. Aithne, can you take watch?" Meilen asked. After Aithne took their place, Link and Meilen settled off to sleep, their heads resting on one another. When they awoke, they could hear the sound of a Guardian Stalker approaching rapidly. Shaking her sleeping partner awake, Meilen slowly dragged herself into a crouch, readying her bow with a Guardian arrow in preparation to be fired. She waited a moment, then darted out, pulling the arrow back and aiming at the Guardian Stalker. It rotated around, it's red aiming beam locked onto Meilen.

BOOM. Meilen had fired, hitting the Guardian Stalker directly into the eye. She heard the clacking of other Guardian Stalkers and knew that they had to get out of there fast.

"Link!" She roared, slinging her bow on her back. She snapped her fingers, drawing a Guardian Spear from her little pocket dimension. She had long since filled it to the brim with Ancient and Guardian weapons in preparation of this showdown. Link held in his hands the handle of an Ancient Battle Axe, not yet activated in favor of running. "We need to go!" And they did, running as fast as they could. Looking up, Link saw another Guardian Stalker climb over a wall nearby. He diverted his course, running over to it and slicing through the eye as if it were butter. They kept running, avoiding as many Guardians as they could. Finally, they made it to the entrance of the Castle. Almost immediately upon setting foot on the main pathway, two Guardian Turrets took aim. With a weary sigh, Meilen fired an arrow at one, and launched herself at another, Link keeping a Guardian Stalker behind them at bay. The wisps drew the fire of the remaining Turret while Meilen hacked and slashed at the bottom. Finally, with one final stab, Meilen destroyed it, breaking her spear in the process. She summoned a Ancient Short Sword and turned to Link.