-Ganondorf-

"Buddy, you were so cool!" Link exclaimed.

"Just who you are?!" Hei also exclaimed. It blew his mind that the person who was in their squad was of such standing that he would be accepted by Ouki Mitagi in meeting the enemy general. Even some of the others around them looked on the dark-skinned man in open admiration and awe.

Ganondorf growled in annoyance. He didn't move, openly ignoring all of them, until one person tried to touch him with a finger, as if he wasn't real. Ganon punched him in the face.

Everyone took a gigantic step back.

"And we are back to being social outcasts," Link sighed.

-Zhao-

"Sir, Qin's vanguard is advancing." A man reported.

"Ouki wants to show me what a general's war is... So let's see if it is as great as he makes it out to be." Harken replied. "Tell our vanguard to advance as well."

So the war began.

-Qin-

Moubu nudged his horse forward. He brandished his mace and said, "Let's show Zhao the might of Qin! Remember the plan! I'll go first! Now, everyone!" He pointed the mace forward. "Slay them all!"

With that said, Moubu kicked his horse into a full gallop and raced forward. Behind him the cavalry followed, and behind them the infantry also raced forward.

Moubu's plan was to send his heaviest, and fastest, up the right flank squarely into the enemy on the right side. Then after the next block of troops would hit next to him. Followed by the next block. It was a formation that moved forward reminiscent of stairs, but it took into account a key point of war. He was a general specialized in offense and would hit his greatest in with such an impact the affects would be felt across the entire enemy line. In turn, the next block would hit, followed by the next. Each block would take advantage of the ripple of impact started by himself so that the enemy would ultimately be pushed towards their left, leaving the right flank exposed for Moubu to push through, circle around, and squarely trap the entire Zhao flank in.

If one were to not understand it, that is fair. Few there did. Ouki was among the few to watch and understand the impact his formation would have. Roboku, Moubu's son Mouki, Ganon, Link, the Englishman, and even the Zhao, did not understand it. But the effect would be easily understood when all was said and done.

Simply put, it was based on a game Ryo had found, called dominoes. Where one flank falls and affects the other teams, they would take advantage and drive the stake ever further.

Moubu charged forward with a great yell, and his flank followed.

Link and friends heard the yell and saw the army charge on the right side. A few seconds later the next thousand also charged, followed by the next a few seconds later. His group of thousand had yet to be given the order to charge. Link gulped, unsheathed Midna, and braced himself. Ganon popped his neck. Kagami snarled. Tou gulped and did his best to put on a brave face, but he felt his legs shake and his grip on his spear became iron. Hei couldn't put on a brave face and moaned as if in pain. It may have been embarrassment, as his bowels released themselves. Though let it not be said that he was a coward. He stood by his brother, and most other men around them also had varying degrees of fear come over them. Some begged to go home, not wanting to kill or be killed, some also relieved their bowels, others cried, and all around the reality of war started to rear its ugly head. It was as if they were insects face to face with a great dragon. They could only stand and shake.

"CHARGE!" Their thousand-man commander yelled, and raised the banner of Qin.

At first no one moved, but then a few brave souls threw caution to the wind, yelled in fury, and charged forward. More and more did so, until the entire peasant army charged forward on nothing more than a mob mentality. Mixed in was real soldiers and veterans to help keep morale high, and they were the ones to spur the mass forward. The veterans reminded them of why they were fighting: Because Qin was being invaded and its women and children were being raped, slaughtered, or enslaved. This reminder suitably stirred the masses to anger.

So the thousand-man army charged.

The army of Zhao was a fair distance off, so the clash was not immediate. They had to run for several minutes to make it across the battlefield. Meanwhile on the opposite end the Zhao line was also charging toward them. With nearly a thousand feet left to go, the Zhao stopped, lined up, and braced themselves with shield and spear.

"Hey! We're on the front row running into the wall of shields and spears!" Hei yelled. "Wh-wha-wha-what do we do?!"

"Just keep running!" Tou replied.

Tou was at a loss what to do. He was no soldier. He had no idea what to do but do was he was told, and right now he was told to run squarely into the Zhao army. All he could figure was to stick together. Except...

"LINK!" Tou yelled. "Stick together!"

Link did not listen, for he and Ganon were already far ahead. Amongst the entire army of thousand they were with, Link and Ganon were the only two without the hesitation to slow down. Ganon and Kagami ran towards the Zhao line. With each step Ganon revived his darkest side, his inner bloodlust, and released his trapped hate. His hair flashed like fire and his eyes burned like suns. Briefly, they even slit like cats. His presence was that of a black knight descended from hell, and were the Zhao not an elite army, they might have faltered at the sight of him charging without fear.

Link, to his credit, kept up with the much longer stride of Ganon.

"What do you think?" Link asked.

"We create an opening," Ganon said.

"Yes, but any idea how?"

Ganon eyed him. A plan came to mind. He saw Link's hand flash briefly beside him, and the boy flinched. His steps briefly faltered, but he recovered and returned to running.

Link growled, "You're a dick."

"Wha-"

"You are thinking of throwing me in!"

"... Did it work?"

"No!"

"Pity." Ganon clicked his tongue. "Next plan then. Get behind me. I'll create a distraction."

"Gotcha."

"Once we enter the battle, stick with the squad. Don't follow after me. I can't promise I will be able to recognize friend from foe." Ganon growled. Already he could see red. He was nearly fully into the battle mindset. Fire erupted along his blades.

"LINK! GANONDORF!" Tou yelled from behind.

But it was far too late, they were nearly upon them. On the far right Moubu hit the enemy full on, and with a single swing of his mace he crushed shield, helmet, sword, and sent bodies flying. His horse trampled Zhao under his feet. Within an instant the heavily armored horsemen under Moubu had inserted themselves into the lines of Zhao like a wedge, and the army of Zhao stumbled back as they were pushed. The next block of troops hit the faltering army, and in taking advantage of it, made an even greater ripple of impact. One after another the line of Qin collided with the army of Zhao.

"Get ready!" Ganon barked. Without waiting for a reply, he slid to a halt just in front of army of Zhao outside of their spears, and at the same time swung his swords down. Fire erupted forward, and with the impact into the ground, dust also filled the air. Fire, smoke, dust, and smog flew into the Zhao lines.

The Zhao coughed and tried to see what was coming, but they were too late. Link slid under their legs, under their shields, and relentlessly cut down everything around him.

Link felt something on his shoulders for a moment, and looked up to see Solitare had followed them closely. Solitare jumped off Link's shoulders, spun in the air, almost seeming to dance, and beheaded a dozen Zhao before landing in their midst. Solitare disappeared.

The Zhao recovered quickly. Several of them were dead, and an opening was created in their shield line. They yelled in fury and charged upon Link, and raised their shields to close the gap. But to their terror, it was not only Link within the smoke. There was a great wolf who prowled among them, biting, tearing, and disappearing into the smoke. Most of all there stood before them a proverbial demon encased in black armor.

"So. Who's first?" Ganon asked.

"You take the ones on the left, and I'll take the ones on the right?" Link asked.

"They're all mine!"

Without waiting, Ganon released a blood curling yell and descended upon their ranks, hacking and smashing like a true blood-crazed barbarian. His swords were long, his might crushed armor and shields, and his fire spread out further from him, so that the Zhao feared, crumbled before him, and were left defenseless as babes. But he was one man.

Meanwhile, behind them, the thousand-man army had caught up. Hei pointed to where Ganon and Link were fighting. "There! An opening! Go in there!" His words were rather needless, as the only one to truly try and stay with the 'squad' was his brother. The others had run off on their own. None of the less, the others in the thousand-man army saw it (who didn't?) and ran in.

"Hey, Link! OUTTA THE WAY!" Hei yelled as he ran into the hole in the Zhao line.

Link finished cutting down a Zhao man to see a stampede of men come in. He yelled in fright and was nearly trampled as the mass inserted itself into where he was. Link found himself pushed forward into the mass of Zhao, who also pushed back at him. He knew battles were nuts, but the men on the front lines were being pushed into the very spears and swords of the enemy. Link came to learn that battles in this day and age were a meat-blender of blades and spears in all directions as both sides pressed into the other. The only resort he had was to hack and slash and relentlessly wave his sword into as many of the enemy as possible, to constantly walk forward, and to block any attacks that came back at him. In this time Link found he had to employ his Gift constantly to gain small advantages and quickly he learned the kind of mentality he needed to have. Link could not hold back. He had to fight with every ounce of strength he had, with all the focus he could muster.

His mind sharpened like a knife, his triangle flared to life, and the world seemed to slow around him. Afterimages filled his vision, and he saw it. He saw the blades before they struck, and he saw the openings he needed.

If the Zhao expected to fight a child, they were mistaken. This was Link's first true war, but it was far from his first battle. He had been preparing for this day every day since he was a child and was now a teenager. He had dueled Midna a thousand times. He had exercised every day to push his limits. He had fought veterans of Qin. He had fought mercenaries and could temporarily keep up with Zant, an elite Sheikah (with some help from the Goddesses). He had fought and defeated the genetically superior warrior cast of Zora, including their one-hundred man officer. His body was developed for battle, and his mind was developed for war. He did not hesitate any longer. He knew what he needed to do.

He fought.

As the Qin line collapsed onto the Zhao army, at first it was a meat grinder of blood and blade, but soon, as the bodies started to pile up, the armies naturally spaced themselves out and dispersed across a wider area to fight as the soldiers wished to move. Various areas of battle outperformed others, and flags of Qin appeared raised deeper in Zhao lines, points that could rally their comrades. In the same manner, Zhao flags appeared deeper in Qin lines.

The result was a large mix of soldiers on all sides.

Link cut down a Zhao and looked around to find another, but saw none immediately around him. There were many Zhao left. The Zhao army was still thick toward the northern end. He took a moment to breath. He didn't know how long the battle had been going. It felt like it had lasted forever, and no time, at once. Already he could feel his stamina needed improvement, as he felt winded.

Beside him he saw Solitare. "Solitare?" Link asked.

The boy was panting. "I'm tired. Give me a moment."

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"No. Using my skills take a lot out of me."

"I bet." Link smirked. "You're not bad at all! But you could probably stand for a little exercise."

Solitare briefly glared at him through the cloth covering his head.

An explosion of fire and tentacles of Twilight erupted from much further behind Zhao lines. Well, that at least accounted for Ganon. "Looks like he's having fun..." Link chuckled. "... Oh snap! Where's Hei and Tou! We were supposed to stick together!"

Solitare took in a deep breathe, and disappeared. "Of course..." Link sighed. He pushed back against the Qin army and looked around. He knew he was near Hei and Tou, he had not drifted that far. But he still couldn't see them amidst the mass of men. He hoped they were not among the dead...

He found them. "Hei!" He yelled.

Hei and Tou were still on the front lines fighting, desperately trying to survive. They had managed thus far by teaming up on the same target each time, but the Qin around them had fallen and they were the only two left where they were and were surrounded.

The two believed their death was upon them, and fought like wild cornered animals. For their part they had never experienced war. The air was filled with the cries of death, the weeping of men, the smell of blood and water and urine that ran like rivers, and the gore and bodies all around piled up. It was a living horror one could not wake up from. It was experiences like these that produce PTSD and drive men to madness.

Tou managed to parry a spear and was pushed back into Hei, who collapsed on the weight to his hands and knees. The Zhao aimed their spears down at the two of them, and the men closed their eyes and cried to the heavens for aid.

Link jumped into the Zhao lines and cut down with fury. Along with him, Solitare appeared and disappeared from among them, and men mysteriously fell as if cut by the wind itself.

The Qin pushed forward into the Zhao there and Link pulled Hei and Tou up to their feet before they could be trampled.

"Are you two okay?" Link asked.

"WE THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO DIE!" Hei cried. "THERE'S BLOOD AND GUTS AND I'M PRETTY SURE A BRAIN AND I HAD TO KILL SOMEONE AND THEY TRIED TO KILL ME AND TOU HAD TO KILL THEM AND-!" He whimpered. "I want to go home..."

Tou was silent, and panted, but Link could see in his expression he was terrified and not much better than his brother. Both were in shock.

"So you're okay." Link concluded flatly.

"What part of this is okay!?"

"You're alive." Link answered. "That's better than a lot of people here have to say now."

Hei gulped and looked down. Link was right. "I... I'm not like you, Link. I'm just a farmer. I've never dreamed of this. This was always your dream! This horror was your dream! But it is my nightmare!"

Link didn't know what to say to that. He wasn't exactly charismatic. Instead it was Tou who cut him off. "Brother... I promised to protect you. Remember?"

"Yeah, but-"

"But do you know who we also vowed to protect? Too Lin."

Reminding Hei of her shut him up. Tou continued, "You want to return to her. I want you to too, but unless we stop Zhao here, there won't be a Too Lin to return to." (Note: Try saying that 5x fast!) "I don't want my fiancé to die... I don't want any of the bastards from the village to die..." Tou took a deep breath and looked to Link. "Thank you for saving us, Link."

"You got it." Link smiled.

"Oi... What about me?" Solitare mumbled.

Tou jumped, startled. "Wha- Where did you come from?"

Solitare stared at him.

Hei continued to look down. His mind raced. His fears collided with the words from his brother. In his heart he knew what he needed to do. He felt like he was on the border between life and death, where the slightest step would send him towards death. He was afraid. Nah, he was terrified. But he found there was something even more terrifying... Too Lin being raped and murdered or taken as a virgin slave by Zhao's war. He was terrified of the village, of his family back home, being put to the sword and left to become nothing more than piles of bodies.

In his mind's eye he no longer saw bodies of random people around him. He saw the village in their faces, and he felt his heart stop at the thought.

"Hei?" Tou asked.

"Hey! Don't just stand!" An officer yelled from nearby. He pointed a spear at them. "Fight or be executed as deserters! We have no time to rest!"

"Come on." Link whispered. "We need to return to the fight."

"Yeah..." Tou said. His gaze was on his little brother. "Hei?"

"Let's fight." Hei felt tears roll down his cheeks. He was going to die. This truth clicked in his thoughts. But at least his sacrifice would not be in vain. "We're a team, right? So... Link? What do we do?"

"Why me?!"

"This is our first battle, Link. We don't know what to do." Tou said.

Link gulped. He looked between Tou and Hei, and even saw Solitare was watching him expectantly. Far behind Zhao lines, there was another explosion of fire from Ganon's hand. "All we have is forward. Stick with me, guys. Head towards the fire."