The Legend of Zelda: Zelda's Honor

Chapter 6 - The Rescue

Tears were streaming from his eyes as he swung his sword again and again. Slashing off limbs, stabbing through eye sockets, dragging his sword through the bodies of the men he had to kill over and over. Link was never intimidated of killing monsters and feral animals, but he never had to kill another person until Ganondorf; the memory of his battle in a future that was slowly fading away. He remembered vividly his final strike to the face of the beast known as Ganon. Once a man, now a creature of terrifying power. The feel of the blade sinking into his forehead still chilled Link to the core with the enormity of what he had done.

Why were these men forcing him to kill them continuously? Saria was already a whimpering wreck on her knees near Epona, watching her dear friend hack these two men apart as they ever so relentlessly kept pulling themselves back together. Link sliced the head off of the blond headed man. It flew through the air and rolled within feet of Saria's position. She shrieked in horror as it looked at her with beady eyes.

"Well aren't you a sight better than that unruly boy?" The head simpered.

Link ducked under a jab the headless body attempted as it fashioned a trident out of thin air in an endeavor to skewer his torso with it. "Saria, kick that thing into the bushes. Make him work for it!"

Saria screamed in terror as she punted the head into the brush, teeth trying to snap at her toes as her foot connected. The black haired man was slowly dragging his body to a standing position near a tree as his disembodied left hand was crawling up his back to get onto the stump of an arm. After it reattached itself, he took his right foot which was twisted at a sickening angle and gave it a sharp twist; with a grunt of pain he endured the bone settling back into place.

"Talamir, go grab your head. You can't aim worth shite like that and you know it." Timner exclaimed.

The body of Talamir made one last feeble effort at a parry as Link sliced the arm with the weapon off. It slumped to the dirt with a thud oozing its sickly blood onto the ground, the trident rolled out of the lifeless hand and melted into the grass leaving a black stain on the ground. Link took a double take where it fell and noticed the grass that had touched the trident was dead and grey. It was then that Link noticed the dead horse was nowhere to be seen. He glanced in the direction he last saw the body and noticed a huge patch of dead greenery where it had lain. Dear Goddesses, he thought, their magick can destroy nature around it!

Link didn't have time to think as he brought his sword up to shield the oncoming blow from Timner. A clang of steel punctured the night air as Link struggled against the man's superior strength. The harder Link pressed up against the man's sword, the more he could feel himself losing. Timner pushed harder and harder down onto Link, overbearing his capacity to withstand the assault.

"Looks like your time has run out boy!" Timner chortled as his eyes tore into Link's own.

Link let the man push his sword down as he bent over backwards under the descending sword strike. Link rolled past Timner's legs and quickly grabbed a Deku Nut from his belt pouch and as the man turned to face him threw it in-between his eyes. A flash bang erupted through the night as the world went white, a split second later Timner was roaring with frustration as flashing lights dazzled before his eyes. He was dazed and staggered backwards with his sword up pitifully trying to defend against any incoming strikes. It wasn't enough, Link side stepped behind him and sliced his head clean off. He quickly kicked it as far as he could into the woods before rushing back to Saria.

"Saria, I need your help and fast!" Link started to unbuckle his belt, Saria looked at him confused, "We need to splint Epona's legs and staunch the blood or she will die. Someone at the castle taught me this."

Link stopped and stared at Saria as she looked on uncomprehendingly, "Saria!" She looked up at his face, "Unbuckle your belt too!"

Saria did as she was told and unfastened her belt, she handed it to him. He took both and knelt down beside Epona. He looked around the forest floor and found what he was seeking.