The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Novelization

Link emerged from the dense foliage of the Faron Woods and stopped, staring out across the plains. Bokoblins marched along the roads to the Eldin Province, and Bulblin sentries stood watch across the land. Their numbers had grown in mere hours. The King of Shadows was tightening his grip. Link mapped out a path to evade the scouts and urged Epona forward, moving carefully through the terrain. He reached Eldin Province without detection and continued east through the canyon toward Kakariko Village. At the gorge, a flicker of movement on the far side brought him to a halt. He watched, waiting. Two Bulblin riders sat astride enormous brown boars on the road to Kakariko Village, their armoured leader looming beside them. From atop a blue-furred mount, the heavyset creature issued sharp commands in an unfamiliar tongue, answered by low, monstrous snarls. It raised a war horn and blew. The sound echoed through the canyon as the riders thundered into the mountains. Cold dread gripped Link as realization struck. The children were in danger again. The fear faded quickly, replaced by something fiercer. Rage. I won’t let them be hurt. Not again. With a snarl, he spurred Epona forward, and she surged into a full gallop after the Bulblin raiders. * The streets of Kakariko Village lay quiet and deserted. A cool, restless breeze stirred the dust into drifting spirals, painting the air with an orange glow beneath the setting sun. By the sanctuary doors, Colin sat with Malo, quietly observing Talo and Beth as they played tag nearby. Renado had gone with Luda to gather supplies from a storehouse in the mountains, and it did not take long for boredom to set in. Colin did not mind. He welcomed the quiet. Leaning back against the sanctuary wall, he closed his eyes. After everything that had happened, he would never take a slow day for granted again. Talo tagged Beth on the shoulder. “Tag! You’re it!” “Come on, Talo…” Beth gasped. “Can we please take a break?” “Sure…if you can catch me!” Talo took off running again, and Beth groaned in frustration as she chased after him. She shouted threats over her shoulder, but he only laughed and kept going. When she failed to catch him, he spun around and taunted her with a childish grin. “It’s not funny, Talo. I’m tired,” Beth grumbled. “Too bad!” Talo moved to run again but hesitated as the ground began to tremble. The shaking started faint, almost easy to ignore, then steadily worsened. Colin looked to Malo, a knot forming in his stomach. “Guys, I think we should go inside,” he said. The blast of a horn echoed through the mountains, and everyone went still. Dread gripped Colin. He turned toward the southwest, just as three Bulblins rode out from the mountains on massive boars. Colin’s breath caught. He recognized the leader instantly. It was the same creature that had attacked him and his friends at Ordon Spring. The memories – sharp and overwhelming – came rushing back, and his breath hitched. Talo bolted for the sanctuary with his brother, but Beth froze in place. The Bulblins charged straight at her, battleaxes raised as they closed the distance. Colin turned to run, then stopped when Beth didn’t follow. He spun back toward her. Run, Beth! In a surge of instinct, Colin forced down his fear. There was no time to think. He ran forward and shoved Beth clear of the Bulblins’ path, taking her place as they descended on him. Barnes burst out of his bomb shop at the sound of the commotion, eyes wide. “What in the name of…? What’s all this racket?” Barnes stopped cold when he found himself face-to-face with the Bulblin leader. Its boar mount turned slowly and snorted, spraying him with mucus as it sized him up. The creature lifted its metal mask and glared down at him, its scarlet eyes burning like fire. Barnes’s hands trembled as he lowered his welding mask and backed toward the doorway, unaware that the Bulblin held an unconscious Colin in its grasp. It let out a low, contemptuous snicker, then fell silent as a horse’s whinny cut through the wind. * Link tore through the streets of Kakariko Village, fury blazing. The Bulblin leader saw him and lifted Colin’s broken form high, sneering in cruel triumph. Then it jerked the reins, turned its boar north, and fled with its minions. Bloodlust overtook Link as he gave chase – raw and all-consuming. It drowned out all reason, leaving only instinct behind. They had hurt Colin. He would not stop until they paid in blood. Link reached the plains north of Kakariko Village and drew Epona to a stop, his gaze locked on the enemy before him. Upon a rising hill, the Bulblin leader stood with its followers, looming against the sky as it met his stare with dark intent. Beyond them, the final veil of Twilight stretched across the horizon, bathing the countryside in its ghostly glow. Colin hung limp, strapped to a wooden pike on the back of the Bulblin leader’s boar. The creature displayed him like a trophy – an obvious taunt – but Link did not waver as he approached. Sensing his resolve, the Bulblin leader raised its war horn and sounded it twice. Distant barks answered. Moments later, three riders appeared on the horizon, each armed with heavy battleaxes and bows tipped with flame. The Bulblin snarled a command and kicked its mount into a furious gallop. Link answered in kind, snapping the reins as Epona burst forward toward the oncoming horde. If it wanted a chase, it would have one. A rider spurred his boar across Link’s path, trying to force him off course, but Epona surged forward and left the beast scrambling behind. A flaming arrow screamed past, and Link dropped low in the saddle as it tore through the air. Without breaking stride, he drove his blade deep into the boar’s side. The beast let out a shrill cry and collapsed, its momentum carrying both it and its rider into a violent tumble. Link drove Epona toward the Bulblin leader, only for another mounted raider to intercept him. The Bulblin’s battleaxe swept toward him with crushing force, leaving Link no choice but to wrench Epona aside before they slammed into a pine tree. Another rider slipped in behind Epona. Link glanced back, just as an arrow struck his shield. It ignited instantly, and heat flared across his back. He reached over his shoulder, tore the burning shield free, and hurled it at the rider on his flank. It slammed into the creature’s chest, knocking it from its boar and sending it crashing to the ground. The remaining Bulblin let out a furious howl and swung its axe at Link’s head. He slipped from the saddle, clinging to Epona’s side as the blade passed overhead. Hanging there, he raised his sword just in time to deflect a second strike. The force of the clash threw the Bulblin off balance. It staggered, and its boar swerved sharply before crashing into the ruins of an abandoned military outpost. The impact killed both rider and beast instantly. The final two Bulblins closed in as Link pulled himself back into the saddle. One struck, but Link was ready. He slipped past the axe and drove his blade straight through the creature. The body slumped in the saddle, tugging at the reins as the boar slowed and drifted off to the right. While Link was occupied, the remaining Bulblin bumped into Epona with a feral snarl. Its axe slashed toward his neck, the blade grazing his collarbone. Link recoiled with a growl, clutching the wound as he pulled Epona to a halt. He raised his hand, and his fingers came away slick with blood. Shake it off. Convinced of its advantage, the Bulblin wheeled its steed around and charged. Epona whinnied uneasily, but Link held his ground. As the creature entered striking range, he lashed out with blinding speed, his blade cleaving clean through its neck and sending its head tumbling from its shoulders. The battlefield fell still. Link’s eyes swept the plains until he found the Bulblin leader waiting by a shallow creek to the east, watching him with unsettling focus. For a moment, neither moved. Then the Bulblin beckoned and turned away, heading north. Link did not hesitate. He flicked the reins, and Epona burst forward in pursuit. Link pursued the Bulblin leader across the plains of Eldin. Ahead, the towering arch of a limestone bridge rose against the horizon. The leader rode beneath it, and Link followed close behind. The ground beneath Epona shifted from grass to cold, weathered stone. Link slowed, his gaze drawn upward to the bridge. Crumbling watchtowers and the husk of an abandoned barracks flanked its arch. The bridge itself was narrow, stretching over a canyon so deep its bottom vanished into black. Link rode beneath the arch and guided Epona onto the narrow bridge. Behind him, Bulblins dragged heavy logs into place and set them ablaze, sealing the path. He did not turn. At the far end, the Bulblin leader waited. Colin hung bound to the pike, planted like a grisly banner beside the opposite archway. Fire blocked that path as well. Good. Link’s expression hardened. No more running. Only one of them would leave the bridge alive. The Bulblin leader drew its jagged broadsword and loosed a thunderous roar that carried across the bridge. Its blue-furred boar reared with a squeal, then lunged forward. Epona bucked beneath Link and charged to meet it. As the distance closed, Link formed a plan. The Bulblin leader’s armour was nearly impenetrable, save for a vulnerable joint at the upper arm where the plates overlapped. That was his opening. Epona could not match the boar head-on, but she was far more agile. Link would have to sell the charge – make the Bulblin leader believe he was fully committed – then strike at the last possible moment. Anything less than perfect timing would be fatal. Link drew a breath and held his line. The Bulblin leader thrust its blade forward, but Link swerved aside just in time, slipping past the strike. I got you… He struck fast, knocking the weapon from its grasp before driving his blade deep into the creature’s exposed upper arm. The monster screamed, its control breaking as its boar veered toward the edge. With a final, violent tilt, both rider and beast toppled from the bridge and vanished into the abyss below. Silence settled over the plains. Link pulled Epona to a halt, and she reared high as he raised his sword in victory. The remaining Bulblins broke and fled, fear overtaking them. The rage left Link all at once, replaced by something colder. Fear. His eyes locked onto Colin as he spurred Epona forward. He cut the boy loose and lowered him gently onto his back. I’m here, buddy. A hollow feeling settled in Link’s chest, making it hard to breathe. He clenched his trembling hands, fighting back tears. This is my fault. I caused this. The thought of Rusl and Uli losing their son made him sick to his stomach. He could not bear it. Link pressed his ear to Colin’s chest, and he heard a steady heartbeat. Relief hit him all at once. He’s alive. I need to get him back to Kakariko Village. Scooping Colin into his arms, Link swung him onto Epona and seized the reins. Though the mare trembled with exhaustion, he urged her forward. She bolted toward the eastern mountains, carrying them until they reached Kakariko Village. Link stopped before the sanctuary and gently laid Colin in the shallow waters of Eldin Spring, praying the spirit’s blessing would heal him. Renado and the children rushed to his side, their worry plain to see. Beth looked the most shaken of all. “Is he…?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “He’s going to be okay,” Link said softly. Colin stirred, his eyes slowly opening as Link helped him sit up. The movement strained him, but he forced himself through the pain. He looked up at Link, fear flickering across his bruised face. “Is everyone okay?” he croaked. Link shifted aside, revealing the others’ worried faces. Seeing them safe, the tension left Colin’s body, and he sagged with relief. “Good.” He looked up at Beth. “Hey…I’m sorry. You know…for pushing you. Are you mad?” Beth froze. Then she shook her head, speechless. She searched his face for anger, but she found none. Colin turned his gaze to Link. “I think I understand now.” “Understand what?” “What my father meant when he said I need to be strong like you.” Colin lifted his hand toward the sky, then clenched it into a fist. “He wasn’t talking about strength, like lifting stuff. He was talking about being brave and standing up to bad things.” Link smiled down at him. It was hard to believe how much Colin had changed in so little time. The timid child from Ordon was gone, replaced by someone who had found his courage. “You saved me, didn’t you?” Colin asked. “You…you can do anything, Link. You can help the Gorons in the mine, can’t you?” “I don’t know,” Link replied, “but I promise I’ll try.” Colin’s eyes closed again, and his body went slack as exhaustion claimed him. Talo panicked. He rushed to help Renado lift Colin, but the shaman gently assured him everything would be alright. Link rested a steady hand on Talo’s shoulder, and the boy slowly calmed. With Colin cradled in his arms, Renado led the children toward the inn. Link stayed behind, his gaze drawn to the looming peak of Death Mountain. Somewhere up there, the next Fused Shadow awaited. Link tried to slip away, but Renado cleared his throat, stopping him. “I must insist you get some rest.” “But–” “Link, you are only human,” Renado said, cutting him off. “You’ve endured enough for one day. Stay here tonight. You’ll need your strength if you hope to survive Death Mountain.” Link glanced toward the towering volcano. “I…” “Please, Link? Stay!” Talo pleaded. “Yeah,” Beth added, “we don’t want you getting hurt.” Midna’s annoyance flickered at the edge of his thoughts, but Link ignored it. He was growing tired of the way she pushed him forward without pause. Would she ever change? Perhaps one day she would see his limits. Until then, he would press on and endure her. “Okay,” Link finally conceded. “I’ll leave first thing tomorrow morning.” * That evening, at Renado’s insistence, Link tended to his shoulder and bathed in the waters of Eldin Spring. He tried to relax, but his mind kept returning to the battle. Defeating the Bulblin leader should have felt like a victory, but instead he felt empty. When Link saw Colin in danger, something inside him snapped. The anger came too easily. Rusl had taught him to show compassion, even when it was not deserved. Yet on the bridge, in that moment, he chose not to hold back. He was not sure what that said about him. Haunted by the thought, Link decided to turn in for the night. He dried off and headed to the Elde Inn to join the others. In his room, he pulled off his tunic, his gaze settling on the dried blood staining the sleeve. It was a quiet reminder that he was not invincible. “All these delays better be worth it,” Midna whispered from the shadows. “They will be,” Link said through gritted teeth. “We’ll find that Fused Shadow.” He climbed into bed and stared at the wall as the day’s events looped endlessly in his mind. Eventually, exhaustion pulled him under, and he drifted into a restless sleep…