The Legend of Zelda - The Tainted Blade (Season 2)

The Blue Ghost - (S2:E4)

"Darknuts?" Zel asked.

Adara nodded. "I thought they might come."

"What? You suspected trouble and you didn't tell me?"

"I didn't think it was important."

"Not important!" Zel shouted. "Not important?"

"I can handle it."

Zel shook his head. "You really need to learn how to communicate."

"Soldiers don't need to know everything," Adara said.

"I'm not a soldier!"

"They are coming," grumbled Rangtar.

Zel snapped his gaze back to the two shadowy soldiers, now striding purposefully down the slope. "What do they want?"

"The sword," said Rangtar.

"No," said Adara. "It's more complicated than that."

"I don't understand," said Zel as he eased the sheathed sword back to its scabbard secured to the saddle.

Adara cut her glare to him. "We have history."

Zel furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"

"On my signal," said Adara facing forward, "Rangtar and I will rush them and engage. Zel will go as fast as he can around and back toward the old road. They will naturally face the greatest threat, and they can't know we have the sword. So long as we are fighting them, you'll be in the clear."

"What if there are more waiting?" asked Zel.

"Avoid them." Adara drew her sword.

"And if we are separated?"

"Go back to Pico...to the healer. Ready?" Rangtar hefted his weapon and grunted. Zel backed his horse out of their way. Adara leaned forward and thrust her heals into the side of her horse. "Now!"

As Adara and Rangtar sprinted to engage the two Darknuts, Zel kicked his horse and veered to the left. The escape was not nearly as fast as he hoped. The jagged terrain required a careful pace to keep both him and the horse out of danger of fire, smoke, or debris. He took a wide arc, glancing back often to make sure he wasn't being followed. Each time he checked, Adara and Rangtar still circled the knights, not yet fighting.

Finally, Zel found a path created naturally by fallen trees all laying in the same direction. He urged his horse for more speed and topped a hill, leaving Adara and Rangtar out of sight. Not far from the crest of the hill, the tree line loomed. A jagged swath of dead twisted trunks gave way to scraggly, barely alive trees, which faded into larger healthy trees. Beyond the forest loomed Mount Eldin, the ancient volcano that hadn't erupted since the fall of Calamity Ganon, now silent and covered in snow.

But beneath the shadows of the healthy trees, more darknuts waited like silent wolves. Zel veered right, off his path through the desolation, and picked his way among the debris again, eventually finding another clear space to turn back toward the forest.

More darknuts.

He veered away yet again, knowing he moved closer to the original battle with Adara and Rangtar, but every time he turned to the forest more darknuts stood silent and waiting. At last he came back to the original road, knowing Adara and Rangtar still fought directly behind him beyond the rise of the ridge. He faced the trees arching over his escape route and the darknuts waiting silently. How many were there? Could he get through?

He had to try. Zel carefully navigated the debris on this part of the road until it cleared enough to charge forward. Then he drew the chipped and damaged Master Sword and wrapped the sword's lashings around his wrist to tether it directly to himself. Even if he couldn't wield it, at least he wouldn't lose it. He leaned against the horse's neck, kicked hard, and the horse shot forward.