Battle of Hyrule Field

Zelda steadied herself as she and Impa materialized in Hyrule Field. She couldn't tell if it was night or day. The perpetual storm that had blanketed Hyrule since her fight with Ganondorf made it hard to tell. She clenched her fists before relaxing as much of her body as she could.

Soon, this would all be over.

The dark clouds overhead were becoming thicker and more ominous. The Gerudo watchtower that once stood over Lon Lon Ranch was now a pile of rubble, while the tower outside of Kakariko Village was abandoned, showing little sign of recent activity.

The lightning flashed more frequently, accompanied by the booming sound of thunder so loud it was nearly deafening. A purple haze had appeared in the sky, and it was slowly drifting towards the ground like a miasma. It was as if the very air was tainted and unsafe to breathe.

"I couldn't get us inside the gates," Zelda sighed. "Ganondorf's magic is preventing me from teleporting directly to him."

"Then we enter through the main gate," Impa shrugged.

Zelda nodded. "Which is precisely what he wants."

"Zelda..." Impa began before trailing off, her voice blending in with the thunder.

"Were you there?" Zelda broke the silence. "Were you there when the Sheikah stormed the Temple of Hylia?"

Impa looked up at her, her red eyes betraying the sorrow in her heart. "I was a child, but yes. The Sheikah children were taken away."

Zelda looked down at the ground, closing her eyes in a failed attempt to hide her shame. "My father...my father ordered for the Sheikari to be eliminated. The Ancient Sages..."

She shook her head. "I must save Hyrule now while I still can."

Impa looked towards the gates before immediately moving to stand. "Zelda!"

"I know..." Zelda unsheathed her kodachi. "I knew he'd send them once he knew I was alive."

Without warning, a massive black funnel cloud dropped from the sky right in front of the gates to Hyrule Castle, sending a gust of wind through the area before dissipating. Zelda and Impa braced themselves against the wind before looking up to see a colossal wall of dust where the twister had touched down. As it began to clear, Zelda could make out several figures approaching with red eyes, rusted armor, and skeletal appendages.

Stalfos.

"There are too many to count," Impa said as she drew her sword.

"We don't need to count them," Zelda shook her head. "We just need to get inside of the gates."

"So it will be that easy then?" Impa smirked.

"We will have to make it so," Zelda prepared to charge forward when a horn sounded in the distance.

"I THINK NOT!"

A massive boulder crashed into the approaching Stalfos, flattening several of them while scattering the rest. Soon, they were once again covered in a cloud of dust. As it began to fade away, a figure rose to his full height, his rocky back now turned to them as he stalked forward.

"Darunia!" Zelda called.

"That's right, friend!" Darunia called back as he turned to face them, slinging his hammer over his shoulder. "Gorons, come on out! It's time! For Princess Zelda!"

Zelda watched as several more boulders came crashing down, revealing more Gorons. Soon, the Stalfos were overwhelmed as the Gorons began rolling into them, crushing them beneath their weight.

"Get behind us!" Darunia ordered as he and the other Gorons continued their assault.

Zelda and Impa wasted no time in following his orders as they made their way towards the castle gates. The Stalfos realized they were getting closer and redoubled their efforts, taking great care to avoid the Gorons and form a barrier between Zelda and the castle.

"Don't forget about us!" the moat surrounding the castle gates sprang to life as a large geyser shot into the air, revealing several Zora warriors armed with silver tridents and spears. Princess Ruto floated above all in a bubble, her hand stretched out towards the Stalfos.

"For the royal family!" she called out as the Zora engaged the Stalfos in battle alongside the Gorons.

Zelda paused, taking in the sight of her people fighting for her. She then turned and looked at Impa, whose expression remained unchanged.

"They believe in you," she said, her red eyes boring into Zelda's blue ones. "They believe in their kingdom. Now we must go and restore Hyrule's glory!"

"The Gerudo fight as well!"

The voice came from behind Zelda, causing her to jump. She hadn't heard their footsteps amongst the wind and thunderclaps. Turning around, she counted at least a hundred Gerudo standing before her. Her eyes darted through their ranks, desperately searching for a sign of Nabooru. Yet, no matter how hard she looked, she didn't see the Gerudo chief.

She wasn't coming.

A Gerudo warrior dressed in purple and armed with a scimitar stepped forward, her golden eyes locking with Zelda's.

"We fight for the honor of the Gerudo!" she declared. "And for the princess!"

She then fell into a battle stance, and all of the Gerudo behind her did the same as they cried out in unison. "AND FOR THE QUEEN!"

Zelda felt a tear run down her cheek as she looked upon them. She had to be strong, to be the leader her people needed. She was just about to turn and start running towards the gates when the storm above them became even more violent.

Across Hyrule Field, several other black twisters touched down as more Stalfos spilled out. Within seconds, Zelda's army was surrounded.

"He's sending more and more," Zelda sighed, but Impa grabbed her hand.

"Have you forgotten?" she asked. "They believe in you! Now believe in them!"

"Sheikah warriors!" Ruto called out from the other side of the battlefield. "To me!"

Zelda and Impa shot forward as the Stalfos began charging at them from all sides. The ground trembled as boulders and tridents were thrown, crashing into several of the skeletal warriors. Ruto sent a large wave at them, but it only managed to push them back momentarily. Zelda gritted her teeth. They were running out of time.

"The gates are still far from us!" she called out.

"Then we shall create our own path!" Impa responded as she leaped into the air, her sword spinning in front of her.

Several Stalfos ran towards Impa, but they were all cut down before they could reach her. She landed in a crouching position and jumped forward again, her sword a blur as she slashed at anything that came near her.

Zelda followed close behind, using her blade to deflect the few attacks that managed to get past Impa. Everywhere she looked, there was only darkness and destruction. The screams of the wounded and dying echoed in her ears, and the smell of blood filled her nose.

She clenched her jaw, reminding herself that she couldn't focus on that now. She had to reach the castle and stop Ganondorf.

Suddenly, a Stalfos leaped out in front of her, its sword raised for a killing blow. Zelda instinctively brought her kodachi up to block, but she was thrown back by the force of the impact. She hit the ground hard, and the Stalfos was on top of her before she could even think to get up.

It raised its sword again, but before it could bring it down, a large icicle impaled it from behind. It let out a final groan as it dissolved into dust, and Zelda looked up to see Ruto standing over her.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

Zelda nodded and got to her feet. "Thank you."

Ruto smiled. "Don't thank me just yet. The gate!"

Zelda turned to see the gates of Hyrule Castle looming in the distance. Yet between them and the main gate was a blockade of Stalfos. She swallowed hard. It was now or never.

"They just keep coming!" Ruto shouted. "What do we do?"

"We fight!" Impa called out as she ran towards the gates, cutting down anything that got in her way.

Zelda and Ruto followed close behind, with Ruto using her magic to keep the Stalfos at bay. Soon, they finally reached the main gate, and Impa turned to face them.

"You must go on without me," she told Zelda. "Ruto and I will hold them off as long as I can. Once you're inside, I'm going to raise this gate so that none can enter."

"But Impa..." Zelda started to say.

"There is no time to argue!" Impa shot back. "You must go!"

Ruto nodded. "She's right. You have to stop Ganondorf. We'll hold them off as long as we can."

Zelda hesitated for a moment, but then she nodded. "I won't be long."

With that, she turned and ran through the gate, leaving Impa and Ruto to fight the Stalfos alone.