Chapter Text
“They’re going at it again.”
“Can someone tell them to knock it off?”
“I would; but look at his eyes. There’s a certain will behind them.”
The two Hyrulean guards gasped in unison as their commanding officer pointed to their colleagues engaged in what looked like a deadly sparring match. Looking down from the castle’s higher floor, they watched them draw their swords.
Simon, the older of the two, had red hair and short arms; meanwhile Connor, the younger one, had darker hair and both lanky arms and legs. Simon knew that he had drawn attention to himself; he had to win this fight.
All you had to do was stop!
Charging forward, he maintained eye contact with his adversary. Connor remained frozen as Simon quickly came within striking distance, his sword relaxing in his left hand.
That cockiness. His arrogant nature. I can’t take it anymore!
“Arrrrahhhhhh!”
He leapt into the air, raising his weapon above his head.
Almost effortlessly, their swords collided, sending Simon to the ground. Gracefully avoiding a fall, he didn’t hesitate to point his blade back at him again.
“He’s charging again?”
“Captain Evan, make him stop. We’ve got more pressing matters to attend to.”
“Do either of you know what pushed Simon over this time? – Never mind; you’ll have to tell me later, he’s going to-”
“Goddesses take you!”
CRASH
I’m not settling for a stalemate!
The two were trying to unbalance each other as they remained locked in place. Simon had the upper hand in terms of strength because Connor was tall but very scrawny. An audible grunt came from his adversary. Not hesitating, Simon pressed forward, breaking the impasse.
STAB
Simon grabbed his chest.
How did he?
Connor had waited for him to use all of his strength to separate them, and then he had taken advantage of his opponent’s pride, poking his stomach. Simon groaned as his opponent offered him help onto his feet.
“Give it up already.” He said, walking away.
“Damn it!” Simon yelled.
“Now, what’s their problem?”
“Connor was drafted in about three months ago. He’s always kept to himself, but those two seem to fight every other day. Both show promise combat wise, but he’s been winning each and every match they have! It makes you wonder just where he came from.”
“I think I know what it is. Tell me, has either of them shown any interest in any of the female soldiers in their unit?”
“That new kid has no interest in anyone by the looks of it. Not sure about Simon though.”
“I’m assuming you’ve completed all of your duties to be gossiping about your own soldiers, Captain.” A mature woman’s voice said.
“Commander Impa! Ahem, yes. The troops just finished another round of combat training.”
“I see.”
Unlike the guards and troops, Impa wore what looked like pajamas and dessert clothing native to Gerudo Valley. An oversized blade was sheathed, resting on her back. At least forty in Hyrulean years, she emitted an aura that demanded respect; only the Princess herself outranked her.
“I’m expecting one of our units to return any second. Captain, take your two timewasters and those boys down there and go on patrol. One of our scout teams will be here soon. Now go, quickly.”
“Yes, Impa.”
. . .
The captain was young compared to his many superiors. With only half a decade of experience on the field, many theorized as to how he rose up in the ranks so quickly. However, his unit respected him, and his superiors didn’t give him a hard time about his age being only twenty six years old. With an appearance more fit for a movie star, people wondered why he decided to enlist in the army. It was no secret that he was admired by almost every girl he came across, and he hated it.
Now, he was standing right in front of Hyrule Castle’s beastly drawbridge. Chatter from a few soldiers quickly ceased when the wooden bridge began to lower. Behind him were his four given soldiers that were more like recruits. Each one of them had their own personal life outside of the army, but inside, they tried to act as a single entity.
Simon and Connor stood at his left and right respectively. Once the bridge fully closed, the five of them were off. Eventually, the sound of horses galloping echoed through the field.
“That didn’t take long at all.” One of his soldiers sighed.
“Hold on. They’re going much faster than usual; something’s wrong.”
Immediately, they unsheathed their weapons as a majestic brown horse came into view. A man in a green tunic was dead set on the castle, but when he came closer to his allies, he slowed down.
This was Link, better known as the Silent Soldier among his peers, and he had an unusual look of fear in his eyes. After quickly giving the captain a piece of paper, he rushed inside the castle. Several other riders appeared and followed suit.
“Hey, you there, what’s going on?” The captain asked another scout.
“We were ambushed by armed forces in the East, between Death Mountain and the Forest! Monsters have overwhelmed the village’s self-defense force and have taken a little girl as a ransom! We’ve been sent to call for aid. Link’s already given you the letter from the village’s elder; they need help.”
“Everyone get inside!”
In less than a few minutes, a large fraction of Hyrule’s army was on horseback, waiting for the order. Link and Impa were on the front lines alongside Evan and his two best soldiers.
“Simon, go with Link’s group and get a grasp of our guys’ situation over there. Connor, go with Impa’s troops. The rest of you, with me!”
The groups diverged on different paths, quickly losing sight of each other. Evan’s group, led by their forceful army captain, was meant to be the first one the enemies saw. Meanwhile, the other two will have fought from the other two sides of the village, regrouped, and charged onward toward the girl.
. . .
“Great, another guy who doesn’t talk!” Simon muttered under his breath.
. . .
“You would have been better fit with Link’s group, kid. This isn’t going to be easy,” Impa spoke to her quiet, supplementary soldier, “there’s smoke coming from the woods. Keep your eyes open.”
A splash of orange stood out among the green foliage of leaves. Squinting, Impa watched as a monster wielding a club charged at them. Within seconds, they found themselves surrounded by hundreds of these orange creatures.
Sword already drawn, Connor unmounted and stood firm. Horses began screeching in confusion as they realized there was nowhere to move. The soldiers waited for Impa’s directions as she unsheathed her blade.
“There’s no way around them. Brace yourselves.”
The first monster’s club had met with Impa’s sword; a moment later the orange body fell to the ground. Impa’s body seemed to move at a speed impossible for someone of her age. She flipped in the air as her blade came crashing down on the enemies skulls. Following her lead, the soldiers leapt into the fray.
Connor stepped back as the orange looking gremlin fell dead to his blade. He saw the look of fear in the creature’s eyes and was immediately overcome with guilt.
BONK