The Legend Of Zelda Fan Fiction ❯ The Legend of Zelda: Real Courage 2: Dark Mirror ❯ Chapter Twenty-One: The Fight ( Chapter 21 )

The next day was LIla’s fight with Link over the Master Sword. She woke up unusually early (for her) to practice in the yard. She had been too busy the last two days to practice. After a while, Zale came to watch her.

“You weren’t at breakfast,” he said.

Lila didn’t pause her movements. “I’m too riled up to eat.” Her stomach growled in protest.

Zale laughed. “Sounds to me like you’re ready for some food.”

Lila finished her forms and put away her sword. “Okay, you win,” she teased.

He led her to the dining room, where everyone else had finished eating. He ordered a servant to bring Lila some food and then she chowed down. Zale watched her feeding frenzy.

“Slow down,” he laughed. “There’s no need to rush.”

Lila listened to his advice and tried to slow down. She swallowed what was in her mouth and said, “I just want to get back to practicing. I haven’t used my sword in so long.”

“It has only been a few days, my sweet.”

“That’s too long,” Lila retorted, though she couldn’t help smiling at what he called her.

Link entered the room with a serious look on his face. “When will we start the fight?”

“As soon as Lila’s done eating,” Zale said.

“Hang on,” Lila protested. “Give me some time to digest after. Link, have you eaten?”

“I don’t need to eat.” Then his stomach growled.

Lila and Zale laughed. Lila said, “It seems your stomach says otherwise. Pull up a chair. Join me.”

Grudgingly, Link sat down and got his own plate. Zale told the servant to bring more food.

Zale said, “Warriors need to eat a lot if they’re to keep their strength up.”

Neither Link nor Lila replied.

Zale continued, “So, this fight. I don’t want either of you hurt too badly, so I want you to be careful. Just tap your opponent. When one of you surrenders or is obviously at a disadvantage, the other wins. Can I get you both to agree to that?”

Lila nodded and said, “Yes, sir!”

Link was more solemn when he said, “I’ll do as you say.”

“Good,” Zale said. “Now hurry up and eat so we can get this over with.”

An hour later, Lila and Link were well-fed and rested. The time had come for their fight.

Zale made sure the practice yard was clear. He didn’t want anyone besides himself and Zelda to witness the fight, even Ella. He allowed Salvatore and Impa to be there, however. Salvatore in case they needed anything, and Impa because she was Zale’s personal guard.

Lila and Link each took down a soldier’s blade and felt the balance. Both agreed the swords were acceptable and stood in the center of the practice yard.

“Remember,” Zale said from the side, “I want a clean fight. Be careful.”

“You got it,” Lila said, eyeing her opponent.

Link merely nodded.

“Ready?” Salvatore called out. “Go!”

Link lunged forward only for Lila to block. She smoked. This was going to be easy.

Zale watched fascinated as the two moved through forms one after another. Sometimes the weapons and feet moved too fast for his eyes to follow. They appeared equally matched, and Zale wondered who could possibly be the winner.

They moved across the yard. Sometimes Lila would push Link back. Sometimes it was the other way around. However, often they were in the middle, their swords ringing off of each other in a fierce battle.

The fight dragged on and on. Five minutes went by. Then ten. Fifteen minutes and they still parried one another’s thrusts. Sweat made their tunics cling to them.

Eventually, their movements slowed. Their attacks became more wild. Lila drew the first blood. A tiny scratch on Link’s wrist. After that, blood was struck more and more.

“Be careful!” Zale shouted, getting worried. He thought Link was becoming reckless in his attacks. He seemed to have the upper hand all of a sudden.

Then Zale saw something that chilled him to the bone. Link’s next attack was going to kill Lila. Without thinking, Zale threw himself into the fight. He managed to block Link, but at what cost? His vision blurred and blackened. He fell.

“Zale!” Lila shouted. She threw her sword to the side and caught the king as he fell. Salvatore and Impa rushed to their side.

“What have you done?” Salvatore demanded of Link.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to,” Link said, shock plain on his sweat-drenched face.

“Zale, hang in there,” Lila coaxed.

Impa took the king from Lila and ran him to the infirmary. After a moment of hesitation, Salvatore followed.

Lila threw herself at Link and wept. Surprised, he wrapped his arms around her. He stroked her hair, trying to comfort her. To comfort her! A minute ago he tried to kill her!

“He’ll be okay, won’t he?” Lila sobbed. “He has to be okay. We’re g-going to get m-married.”

Zelda came close and caught Link’s eye. They held a silent conversation over Lila’s head. Link seemed to say, “I can’t do it.”

“Come with me, dear,” Zelda said, pulling Lila from Link. “It will be alright. We’ll go to the infirmary and check on King Zale.”

Lila clung to Zelda as she led her away. Link followed listlessly. They made a slow procession to the infirmary. Lila kept muttering between sobs, “He has to be okay!”

The infirmary was in a flurry. A nurse saw Lila’s group and ushered them out, saying, “You can’t come in here just now. Oh, I see you two are bleeding. How bad is it?”

“We can wait,” Link said through the lump in his throat.

“Good,” the nurse said and scurried off.

Salvatore and Impa were standing outside of the infirmary. Impa took Lila from Zelda and held her soothingly. Salvatore rounded on Link.

“What were you thinking?” Salvatore demanded. Link held his head in shame. “You were about to kill Lila, and instead you may have killed the king!”

“I’m sorry,” Link whispered. “I-I-all I can say is I’m sorry.”

Salvatore glared at the pathetic form in front of him, drenched in sweat and blood. “That’s all you have to say for yourself?”

“I’m sorry,” Link repeated.

Salvatore sighed. His whole body slumped. “I can see you mean it.” He dropped into a chair. “I apologize for yelling at you.”

There was silence except for Lila’s weeping. Eventually, she cried herself out, and the silence was deafening.

Suddenly, Link sprang up and grabbed Lila’s hand. “Come with me,” he said, pulling her to her feet. “I need to tell you something important.”

“Can’t it wait?” Lila said. All of the energy in her body seemed to be gone.

“It’s important,” Link reiterated.

“Okay.”

Lila followed him away from the infirmary. He led her down several corridors until they came to his room. He shoved her inside, came in, and locked the door behind him.

“What’s so important?” Lila asked, her curiosity piqued.

Link paced the room, wrestling with himself. Lila was anxious to get back to the infirmary, but she said nothing to interrupt his thoughts.

Finally, he said, “I think Rova’s wrong. She told me to make sure I won the fight, even if it meant killing you. I was about to, you know, kill you. Zale saw it. That’s why he stepped in. I’m such an idiot for listening to her!”

Lila cocked a half smile. “You weren’t going to kill me. I was about to win.”

Link glared at her. “You’re not listening! Stop being so cocky and listen! Rova is evil! I see that now.”

The smile dropped from Lila’s face. “What do you mean?”

“I mean we have to stop her,” Link said emphatically. “I don’t know her plan, but we have to stop her!”

“Stop her how?”

Just then the lock clicked and the door opened. Rova stepped into the room, a staff in one hand and a round mirror shard in the other.

“You’re too late,” Rova sneered. “If you won’t be my dog, then I’ll just have to trap you.” She raised her staff, which had a red and blue colored ruby on the top.

Lila saw her menacing yellow eyes and something clicked in her mind. Before she could grasp it, however, her head burst into a splitting headache. She screamed in pain and Rova laughed.

“Here, let me lift that particular spell,” Rova said.

The headache disappeared and suddenly Lila knew.

“Kotake and Koume!” Lila gasped.

“Yes, it is us,” the evil woman laughed, though for a moment there were two old witches in her place. “You may have defeated us for a time, but we are too powerful for you.”

Rova raised her staff again and chanted. Lila and Link felt cold all over and their vision wavered. Then a shadowy form came out of each of them. Lila and Link collapsed. The shadows fused together. Lila could just make out her own face staring back at her. Or was it Link’s face? The figure switched between the two people, but it was no longer a shadow.

Rova cackled. This time she raised the mirror along with her staff.

“Enjoy the Twilight Realm.”

Everything went black.