The Legend of Zelda: The Forsaken Knight

Chapter 8

Simply saying the foul man's name left a bitter taste in her mouth. Link furrowed his brow, laying eyes upon the man that he and the princess were somehow supposed to defeat.

"Am I interrupting something?" He asked, a malicious tone to his rough, low voice.

"Leave." Zelda commanded him with fear and anger at the same time. The man chuckled.

"You silly, petulant little brat." He scoffed. "You really think you can boss me around like that?"

"Go." Was all that she said back.

The evil man laughed once again, and with the wave of his hand, a horde of Bokoblins appeared, chasing after some terrified Zoras as well as heading for Zelda and Link. The swordsman immediately dealt with all of the enemies that he could, and some of the Zora guards assisted him as well. The fearful cries of the fleeing women and children could be heard as the skirmish went on.

The two of them were approached by a set of stronger looking monsters and the worry in the princess's heart grew.

"Link!" She cried, "I'm not strong enough yet!" She took a breath "I'm sorry!"

And she reached deep within herself to find some shred of divinity, of power to help protect them. She had hardly ever practiced harnessing these sacred powers, and she didn't quite understand them. All she knew was that she needed to try to save as many as she could.

She closed her eyes, instinctively holding out her hand and sending a frenzied prayer to the goddess. From within her, there was a burst of hot, white light and then she opened her eyes. Many of the Bokoblins had fallen, however she knew that she could help more. She was feeling lightheaded, but she wasn't ready to give up. Zelda accessed that energy once more to send out another wave of the power. With that, the remaining enemies had vanished.

She let out a deep breath, realizing her knees were too weak to hold her up. The princess sank to the ground as the world around her shifted in and out of focus.

"I'm too... too weak.." She breathed, struggling to remain aware of her surroundings. Link watched as Eradus unsheathed his own blade, approaching the princess. Before he had time to doubt himself, he had jumped in front of the girl and caught the blow himself. He cried out, falling to the ground as well and clutching his side.

He braced himself for the final blow, his heart thumping out of his chest.

"Foolish young man." Said the evil king, "It seems that your courage will cause your downfall." Link watched the man standing above him as his own breaths became more and more labored and the stinging from his wounds grew more painful.

"Consider this a warning." Eradus said. "I have something else in mind for you and that girl."

And then he was gone.

Link turned his attention back to Zelda, noticing that he had instinctively put his arm around her to shield her.

"Are you alright?" He asked her. She nodded, seeming to be regaining a bit of strength. The two of them looked around. They were surrounded by a mess of broken instruments, tables, and chairs. It was strange and empty, and the silence was unnerving to both of them.

"We have to go." Stated Zelda, "We cannot let this happen again." He nodded.

"We will depart as soon as possible."

The two of them sat for a few more moments as Zelda tried to regain her strength. When she caught sight of Link holding his torso, she gasped.

"You're hurt."