Sin of Sheikari Chapter 2
2: Lon Lon Ruins
Whatever familiar scent Zelda had taken in before was long gone, whisked away by the thickening haze as the twisting, black tower drew near. She was close enough now to notice how it glistened in the sparse sunlight, a subtle, purple hue pulsating at an odd rhythm. It was as if it was trying to breathe.
Its form loomed over one of the only remaining portions of the wall that still surrounded Lon Lon Ranch, its purpose seemingly abandoned after the ranch’s invasion. A visitor might have assumed these were ancient ruins. Every structure inside had been levelled. The stables, farmhouse, even the well had been obliterated.
Talon, who once ran the ranch, had visited the castle many times, personally dropping off milk deliveries. Zelda had heard he had a daughter around her age who helped him raise the horses, something she’d admired. She wondered what had become of them now. Had they managed to escape and flee? Where was there to flee to?
Zelda peered from behind a boulder that dwarfed her in size, having just made her soundless landing a few feet away. She could now see how flat and razed the horizon was becoming the closer she got to her destination. From this point on, it was likely she wouldn’t be able to completely avoid detection, so she had to choose every movement carefully.
Even before Ganondorf had siphoned the life out of the very soil Zelda now stood on, a large purple tent would have looked out of place next to Lon Lon Ranch. Of course, she’d never visited the ranch in person, and she’d only seen it in passing that fateful day as she and Impa raced across Hyrule Field.
It hadn’t been a place that required her attention yet as a young princess, though her father had told her she would grow to understand its importance once she came of age. After all, Lon Lon produced the finest horses and milk in all the land.
Yet, Ganondorf and the Gerudo would suffer neither milk nor prized horses, it appeared.
The sound of metal clanging against metal broke her daze instantly, and she froze, listening for any sign of movement. The nocking of an arrow. The unsheathing of a sword. On instinct, she relaxed her shoulders, slowing her breathing to still her mind.
From behind the base of the black tower, two Gerudo warriors danced into view, each wielding a curved scimitar as they sparred with each other. Like most Gerudo women, their physiques were formidable. Underneath golden, armored chest plates, their torsos were exposed, though their painstakingly sculpted forms looked just as unpierceable.
Their bright red hair was tied up in neat, high ponytails, and Zelda was certain she’d never seen hair so long and full. Their golden eyes seemed to glow even in the muted sunlight, and Zelda shuddered, quickly dismissing the memory of Ganondorf in the throne room.
The two warriors both wore silk face coverings with matching, ankle-length sirwals. The primary colors of their attire were purple and white respectively, and it was the only way Zelda could tell them apart.
She let out a breath she’d just realized she’d been holding. Watching them practice together reminded her of her training with Impa, learning the ways of combat in case Zelda needed to defend herself in her guardian’s absence. The movements and battle stances of the Gerudo warriors were only slightly comparable, but there didn’t seem to be any cause for concern if she needed to engage them directly.
She clenched her fists, willing away the magic that was already coursing through her veins. No! She’d gotten this far without magic, and she was already so close! As soon as she cast a spell, the mad sorcerer would likely detect her presence instantly.
From here, every movement would need to be timed carefully. She steadied her breathing as Impa had taught her. From where she was positioned, she could make out two sentries circling the top of the spire, the red feathers of their halberds still strikingly visible amongst the haze.
Zelda took another deep breath, waiting for a gust of wind to hide the sound of her footsteps as she dashed behind another slanted rock. As if on cue, the wind picked up. She counted down in her head as she moved, making sure each step she took was as light as possible.
She was just a few paces away from another jagged rock when she felt the wind beginning to ease. She came to an abrupt stop, her foot unwittingly kicking against a small stone. The noise was subtle, but the sentry atop the tower seemed to notice.
“Who’s there?” her voice was light and airy, and she ensured her volume was loud enough to alert the others. She pointed her halberd in Zelda’s direction, or at least where she would have been. Thankfully, Zelda had managed to make it to her new hiding spot, avoiding outright detection. She sighed. Was it nerves? She shook her head in frustration.
Peering around, she found she was mere inches away from the splintered wood, dirt, and metal shards that made up what used to be the ranch’s wall. Now, it was crucial; she had to get past the tower. Zelda took another deep breath and squatted down, trying to make herself as small as possible.
She then jumped forward and dashed behind yet another slanted rock, and she realized too late that she’d moved in haste. She felt her foot catch on a jagged piece of metal and tried to compose herself as she fought to keep her balance, but the sentry’s eyes snapped toward her.
“You there!” her voice was much more shrill and certain now. “Stop where you are!”
Zelda’s heart sank as she turned and dashed toward a nearby woodpile, her mind racing to figure out a way to outrun them. Her heart pounded against her chest as she prayed for an option that would save her, but it was too late.
“HALT!” The Gerudo warrior wearing purple now stood before her, and she was soon joined by her sparring partner. The sound of metal clanking against metal filled the air now, and Zelda speculated at least two more guards had darted for their scimitars and were approaching from behind. They’d close the distance within seconds if she didn’t move.
Yet there was no time. She only hoped she’d be able to dispatch them quickly before she was recognized.
This purple warrior in front of her raised her scimitar high into the air, preparing to strike. Zelda closed her eyes as the warrior brought her scimitar down, certain the blade would render flesh. To the purple warrior’s immediate surprise, it was met with a blue, translucent wall.
Against her better judgement, Zelda had called upon the favor of Nayru, one of the three golden goddesses. The spell blocked the warrior’s blow, but that didn’t stop Zelda from feeling the impact of the blade striking her shield.
She reflexively took a step back, gritting her teeth as her opponent struck the shield again and again. From her peripheral, she could see the other warriors slowly ambling toward her from all angles, each poised to strike next.
“Sorcery!” the other warrior, dressed in white, shouted, her golden eyes glinting with both rage and curiosity. Zelda stared back at her, refusing to speak.
The purple warrior paused, taking a moment to consider Zelda’s face underneath the hood. It was at that moment, if there was a wind goddess, Zelda figured she had to have a strange sense of humor. A powerfully ill-timed gust blew her hood from over her head, uncovering long, golden hair tied up in a neat braid.
“The princess!” The purple warrior shouted. “Dressed like a common thief!”
Zelda leaped back, dismissing the magical shield and placing more distance between herself and the surrounding warriors. Looking around, she counted five figures, and she was certain the sentries were still at the top of the tower, possibly alerting the other tower across the field.
She’d have to fight all of them using only Impa’s training and sheer luck.
Her opponent swiped at her again, but this time her scimitar met the blade of Zelda’s kodachi, gifted to her by Impa for completing her training proper. Zelda dodged the next blow and then delivered a firm kick to the woman’s knee, knocking her down. As she tried to get back up, Zelda struck the back of her neck with the flat of her blade, putting her out.
One down, four to go.
The remaining warriors wasted no time, immediately closing ranks. The white warrior swiped at Zelda without warning, her blade nearly connecting, but Zelda managed to dodge it in time before dispatching her assailant with another swift strike with the flat of her own blade.
She then turned to face her remaining opponents, gauging the distance between them. It was a lot smaller than she would have liked, but it didn’t matter.
The next warrior nearest her, this one wearing green, leaped without warning, her scimitar held high in the air. Zelda brought her kodachi up to block the attack, but she wasn’t prepared for the power behind it, her wrist shaking in its socket as she tried to keep her blade steady. The guard’s attack wasn’t anything special in terms of technique, but her strength was enough to overwhelm Zelda.
She tried to follow through with a kick, but the green warrior dragged her blade down Zelda’s kodachi before quickly knocking it away. Zelda watched as her weapon spun away from her across the ground, unable to hide her surprise at the turn of events.
She could see the green warrior grin behind her face covering, certain of her impending triumph before lunging at Zelda, who sidestepped the attack and kicked her in the back of the knee. She dropped to the ground, and Zelda used the opportunity to snatch the scimitar from her hand. She then knocked the guard out with the blade handle before retrieving her kodachi.
Now there were only two.
The remaining two guards, both dressed in red and realizing their comrades had been easily taken out, went for Zelda’s legs, trying to bring her down like a bucking horse. One of them struck her shin with the hilt of her scimitar, while another caught Zelda in the stomach with a well-aimed kick. Zelda dropped to one knee and struck outwards with Impa’s training sword, but her blade was met with a scimitar and parried away.
Realizing she was now wide open, she flipped backwards as the warriors held their ground. Gritting her teeth, she realized she had no choice if she wanted to end this quickly.Taking a breath, she reached deep inside of herself.
It was as if a warm rush of liquid poured into her, soothing yet formidable like a mighty river. As she slowly rose to her feet, she lifted up one hand, calling out to Din, the Goddess of Power.
A small globe of orange light materialized at the tips of her fingertips, gliding over towards the guards, who watched it with confusion. Zelda then balled up her fist, igniting the globe into a blaze just before it reached her assailants. The earth before them exploded into an inferno, a cover Zelda could use to escape.
She turned to make her way towards the gates of Hyrule Castle and was startled by a large black horse with red eyes and matching black barding, giving it the appearance of having onyx-colored dragon scales.
It stood much too calmly for a horse, eyeing Zelda as if it had been standing there the entire time, politely waiting for her to finish her affairs. Zelda wanted to dart around it, to still try to make it to Hyrule Castle undetected, but she knew there was no point now.
Because sitting atop the horse was none other than Ganondorf himself.
