My first one shot (now short story). I am quite pleased on how it turned out.
Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Zelda.
As he made his way through the castle to face his nemesis, his anger showed no mercy as he slain one monster after another; their blood gushing forth with each kill. Reflecting on what led him here, he could never forgive that monster as his anger boiled for what he had done moments earlier.
The day was peaceful, Link had spent the day in Kokiri village with Saria and Zelda; the three of them enjoying their time together with the Kokiri as they ran around the village; while others splashed and played in the small water hole by the shop. Link could still hear the laughter of his child-like friends in his mind; enjoying the princess' company as their playmate. Everyone was having a wonderful time. The day felt like it could go on forever. Before they knew it however, time had passed by and it was time for the princess to leave for the castle.
When it was time for him and Zelda to leave, the Kokiri were sadden that their time has come to an end. A female kokiri with blonde hair asked her if she would come back again. Sensing their sadness, the princess knelt down; giving her a gentle hug. "Of course I will come again tomorrow, Fado." She had replied, followed by a chain of hugs exchanged between each kokiri and the princess. He smiled with that thought before his anger seeped in to the now; opening the door in front of him to find two stalfos and an iron knuckle await him in the next room.
Finding it best to take his anger out on the stalfos, Link took care of them quickly; however he had taken a beating as well as blood began to seep through his tunic from one of their attacks he received from his left shoulder down to his right side; turning the once green garb into a dark crimson. He cursed at himself for being careless; now as he faced the silent Iron Knuckle, he reminded himself to stay focused. As he began to approach the immobile statue, his mind began to flash back to a later event; to when he saw Zelda off.
As they rode together across Hyrule Field; Epona's hooves meeting the ground in rhythmic to their beating hearts as the sun began its descent. Zelda, stationed in Link's hold as he steered Epona effortless with one hand, laid her head against his chest, listening to the strong heartbeat that resided within.
Link cried out as he flew back; receiving a blow with the swing of the mighty axe. New injuries formed on his left cheek from coming in contact with the wall. As he got to his feet, he wiped away the blood; the iron heavy weight was making its way toward him. Having enough of Ganondorf's tricks, Link ran at the clad armor; Master Sword and shield in hand.
Dismounting off Epona, Link then turned back to help Zelda off; taking her hand gracefully. "Thanks again for letting me spend time with you on my day off, Link. I thoroughly enjoyed it." Zelda replied with a smile; her skin radiated a white glow as it reflected the moonlight.
"You are welcome, my princess." Link replied back as he wrapped his arm around her waist; leading her across the bridge into the quiet market that lay before them towards the castle.
Link had underestimated the iron giant as he began to pick himself up from another blow; this time received in the back from trying to dodge the mighty swing. Feeling his anger rage inside him, he let loose a fury of attacks at the dark armor, removing it piece by piece. Once the iron knuckle found that its armor had been removed, the menace began charging towards the enemy that had done the deed.
Link saw this coming; anticipating its move as he took his stance. His mind began to play the haunting memory of his trip back home.
As he and Epona quietly made the trip back to Kokiri Forest, storm clouds had begun to roll in; indicating possibility of rain. Link was sad that such a day like this had ended. "Tomorrow, there is always tomorrow." Link reminded himself as he rounded the corner to the forest entrance. Dismounting, he then sent Epona on her way before heading into the forest.
What he came face to face with was not how he remembered it before departure. Kokiri village was eerily quiet for there was no one in sight. Only the chirping of crickets and the hooting of an owl filled his ears.
"Something doesn't seem right." Link said to himself as he surveyed the area with his eyes; readying both sword and shield. The air that had smelt clean in the field was not the same here and he knew that the instant he set foot in the village. The smell that filled his nostrils was all too familiar; for he had encountered that smell every time he slain a minion to Ganondorf.
Death.
Avoiding the massive axe, Link managed to deal damage before the Iron Knuckle freed the weapon from the floor. "This iron knuckles has a higher endurance of pain than the ones I fought in the Spirit Temple, he just doesn't know when to give up." Link concluded after dealing a seemingly amount of damage. He quickly examined himself over to find a fresh cut across his face as well as another one across his chest.
Finding the swordsman to become an extreme nuisance, he turned around to send him flying to the wall again, only to receive another attack from the quick swordsman. Fighting the pain that continued to erupt within, Link checked his inventory to find he had half a bottle of Lon Lon milk and a fairy. "Damn it!" He exclaimed before chugging down the rest of the milk; knowing full well that he would need the fairy for what laid ahead as he aimed to finish this battle.
Running towards the nearest house, Link barged inside to find the leader of the kokiri Mido, lying in a pool of his own blood. Quickly knelling down, Link rolled his body over so he could breath. The kokiri found his lungs as he began gasping for air; pressing his chest where his was stabbed.
"What happened here!?" He exclaimed as he lifted Mido's body. The kokiri slipped into consciousness. Seeing Link over him, he coughed up some blood before speaking. "It all…happened…so sudden, Link?" Link could not believe what he was hearing; he was only gone for a few moments as he took Zelda back to the castle.
"Who did this to you? What did he look like? Tell me, Mido!" Link demanded. Before he could ever receive a reply, he saw the light go out in his eyes before closing; welcoming death to take him away. Link knew that he had to find out what was going on. Who or whatever did this must be after the others as well; but for what purpose?
As he exited the small tree hut, child-like screams could be heard from the Know-It-All brothers'. Hoping to catch the culprit in the act, Link ran as fast as his feet could carry him, towards the source. Entering the house to inspect what was happening, Link found a similar sight as before; the brothers lying in fresh pools of blood; their small, fragile chests inflicted with the same stab wounds.
Link thought he would've at least seen the killer leave but there were no traces left behind. Checking for signs of life, Link found that there were none; death was instant for them. 'Whoever this killer is, must be a master at hiding if it avoided me on the way over here.' He observed before leaving.
Unsheathing his sword, Link prepared himself whatever came his way, scanning the area until he noticed a female kokiri backing towards the edge of the platform; frightened for her life as a dark mass advanced towards her. "What's the matter? Don't you want to play, Fado?" the menacing figure asked with a smirk.
"S-Stay a-away fr-from me!" She stammered in terror. Link could hear the chilling laughter emit from the dark figure as it suddenly charged forward; covering the distance with such speed; leaving Fado with little time to react.
Link could only watch in horror as the fragile body was lifted in the air. "Hold on Fado, I'll save you!" He shouted; drawing the attention of the dark figure. "Ah, so nice of you to join us, hero. You're just in time to wittiness my next killing."
"Not while I'm here. I won't let you lay another finger on her." Link said as he sheathed then drew out his bow; readying an arrow in place. The figure laughed even harder before holding the kokiri up high. "Go ahead and make your move. I wouldn't mind one less kill on my hands." He challenged.
Link knew that there was little chance that his shot would miss Fado as she stayed grasped high in the air. "My purpose is to make your life miserable, and I aim to fulfill it!" The dark mass shouted at the heavens. Link readied himself; waiting for the precise moment to strike.
As his enemy taunted him, Link knew that this had become a dangerous situation. He was either to become victorious or die trying. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as he charged forward.
Thinking fast, Link quickly jumped to the side clearly avoided the axe as he struck the back once more; finishing of the iron clad monster for good. Finding that he was extremely weak from the long battle, Link collapsed on the red cushion of the carpet. "I've got...to push...forward." Link said weakly before coughing up blood. As his hatred fueled him once more, he unstrapped the scabbard that rubbed itself against his wounds; letting the sword-like object fall to the floor.
As he slowly made his pressed on down the hallway; both sword and shield in hand, Link kept about his wits as he prepared himself for whatever may appear to challenge him. Nearing closer to the lone door at the end of the hall that would lead him to the throne room and Zelda, his mind flashed back seeing the Master Sword in hand.
As Epona raced across Hyrule Field once again, the pouring rain clouding his view with no sign of letting up, Link held tight to the reins; his eyes fixed on the castle in the horizon. Once he reached his destination, Link jumped off, holding-fast to the sword and shield as he entered the market, prepared for a possible battle.
Finding the market to be undisturbed by the threat of darkness as he spotted a few inhabitants tending about their business as they protected themselves from the endless downpour of rain, Link quietly thanked the goddesses before making his way through the market towards a small pathway wher he planted the sword in a patch of grass before continuing. "It's that time to once again draw the sword of evil's bane." Link said as he marched up the steps, entering the temple of time.
Once he was in the sacred sanctuary, Link remembered the first time he pulled the powerful sword, seeing the three treasures on the altar; behind the altar, was the door that he had closed after defeating Ganondorf. Pulling out the Ocarina of Time, Link brought the instrument to his lips, moving his fingers to cover the holes as he blew air into the mouth piece; playing the song of time.
After completing the song, Link watched once again as the Door of Time open up, revealing the sword that would join him in the fight for peace once again.
"Well old friend, it looks like this is it." Link said as he held the blade up in the air. Somehow he found it foolish to be talking to a sword, yet it chose him, the hero of time, as its bearer. "For Hyrule!" Link exclaimed before switching the sword to his right hand to open the door. Entering into the massive room, in which Link found to be the throne room; staying focused as he continued walking, his breath slow and steady despite some of the injuries he still bore; ready for whatever was to come his way.
"Look who finally showed up." Link shifted his focuse towards the direction of the voice he had just heard, his expression went from alert to complete shock at the figure seated at the throne. Gold, power-hungry eyes met with firece-blue aquas; his body a masculine tone as it hid behind the armor that he wore. His face expressing a smile of pure evil; enough to make anyone who fell before him to tremble in fear.
Link watched as he rose to his full height; being a full head above himself. In his right hand was a broad sword covered in not just markings, but it was covered in blood. "Where is she, Ganondorf!?" Link shouted as he neared the throne; his battle instincts ready to kick in. The gerudo king, intrigued by Link's approach, stretched out his hand to the right. "She's right here of course." He responded before a single snap of his fingers echoed within the chamber.
In an instant, a flash was seen followed by swirls of dark smoke. As the smoke cleared, the form of a blonde hair female could be seen; clothed in the royal attire he last saw her in. Her tranquil eyes told Link that she was frightened as tears began filling her eyes; seeing her savior in the state that he was in. She wanted to run over to him to feel his warn embrace, but the slightest movement she made caused her to recoil as electricity shock her entire body; her cries of pain filled the air.
Seeing her bounded down by the dark magic as she cried out in desperatation, Link pointed the master sword in rage, "Let her go or I will kill you right here, right now!" he spat. Ganondorf amused by his demand, took up his own sword. "I will gladly accept that challenge. To the death, we fight!" Posed in his stance, Link watched the king of evil as he charged forward, waiting for the moment to act.
As Zelda stood helplessly by, she could only watch as their swords bled; sending bursts of light and sound that screamed among the thunder rumbling outside. Because of the injuries he had received prior, Link found it hard to keep up with the formable foe's attacks as he struggled to even stand. Clashing their swords at a stalemate, Ganondorf smirked. "I see my minions did the job in weakening you." He taunted Link, pushing his might behind his sword against Link.
The Hero of Time began to push back. "It will take more than just your minions to weaken me. As long as you exist, my hatred for you is one of the ingredients that shall drive me on!" Link said, gritting his teeth. With the last of his strength, Link pushed forward, knocking Ganondorf back before slashing at his body that brought him down to one knee; welcoming silence to the room. Breathing heavy, he stared at the hero as he pointed the sword at his face.
"Who's blood covers your sword?" Link asked, not withdrawing. Ganondorf began to laugh at the question asked of him. As his laughter continued, thunder could be heard rumbling outside signaling a storm coming. After he had stopped laughing, he looked Link eye to eye, "That blood belonged to those here in the castle that stood in my way."
He couldn't believe the statement that was pounding in his ears. If what Ganondorf said was true, then who did Link see in the forest. Before he could make some sense on the matter, Link felt an extreme blast of energy hit his body, knocking him down on the floor; Zelda's voice could be heard calling out to him.
"Don't give up Link, you can win!" Zelda said to her fallen hero. As he slowly rose to a sitting position; a snap of Ganondorf's fingers could be heard. Next thing Link knew, her quick footsteps could be heard as she rushed over to him; her arms gently hugging him.
"Are you...okay, Zel?" Link asked looking at the fair skinned princess. Zelda couldn't help but smile, hearing him speak. "Aside for some burns on my arms as well as Nayru knows where, a little sore, but I'm fine." She then proceeded to help Link to his feet; making sure he could stand on his own.
"You were always a cheap fighter, Ganondorf." Link smirked. Ganondorf laughted at that remark. "True, but this time, I have an important ingredient of my own waiting to be placed." Link charged towards him to strike; pushing the pain he was in aside. His charge was merely interrupted as his sword clashed with the broad steel. The move was anticipated as Ganondorf had charged as well. Once again at a stalemate, both struggled to topple the other. The gerudo king knew that the hero couldn't take much more, pressing force against him. As Link struggled to hold strong, Zelda cried out to him. "Link, look out!"
Before he could do react to her reaction, a sharp pain was felt in his body. Gritting his teeth as he cried out, Link fell to the floor in agony; finding it hard to catch his breath as he clutched the bloodied wound. "The hero of time has fallen." Ganondorf exclaimed before sending a forceful kick to his face, causing him to cry out, knocking the hero onto his back; blood pouring out onto the floor.
Zelda, who watched it all unfold, suddenly felt a dark hand cover her mouth as a second caught her around the waist. "It's all thanks to me." She heard a sinister voice reply near her left ear. Link caught a glimpse of the figure behind Zelda, her eyes in complete shock. "You…you monster!" Link said angrily drawing its attention as he coughed up some blood. Ganondorf then stepped forward, grasping the moment to lift him up by the front of his tunic. "Yes, he is quite the monster, is he not?" Link instantly felt his body flying in the air before being hit a second time hitting the cold, hard floor.
Not ready to give up, Link meekly brought himself to his feet, Ganondorf's voice sounded behind him, "Surrender the Triforce to me and I shall spare your life." Not wanting to look at the dark-skinned fiend, Link ignored him as he faced the entity holding Zelda. "I will make sure you pay your price." Link said, his eyes flaring. "Chasing you down only for you to commit another murder is unforgivable." The being smiled as Link slowly advanced forward.
After his arrow struck its target in the shoulder, losing his grip on Fado, Link caught the screaming kokiri, gentle placing her on her feet. "Go to the tree house and stay there until I say its okay to come out." Nodding that she understood, she ran off towards the tree house nearby. Annoyed, the dark mass groaned. "Ah, you let her get away. No matter, the plan shall succeed!" With that, the creature was on the move towards Saria's place.
As he ran to catch the intruder, Link knew he had to help her. As a sage of the forest, Saria helped in sealing the incarnated beast, Ganon to the sacred realm. If any critical harm was to befallen her, the seal would weaken; allowing the unpreventable. Entering her house, he saw his best friend sitting at her table, reading a book by a light coming from a bottled fairy.
Hearing him enter, she turned around, her face expressing concern as fear shown in her eyes. "Do you sense it, Link?" She asked worried "The cries of the others continuously saying something is happening?" Stepping forward with caution, he replied. "Yea, I have been tracking it, whatever it is has killed Mido and the Know-it-all brothers. It had tried to kill Fado, but I stopped it from slaying her. She is safe. You are not however, so I'll have to take you someplace safe."
Saria nodded, understanding the severity of the situation. "I will have to consult with the sage of light, Raru, to know more of this matter. It appears that whatever is killing them has a reason for doing so, and we have to know what it is." Link understood that as a sage, great responsability went with it. Still he couldn't help but feel like they were setting themselves up, but they had to know what they were dealing with.
Before she could teleport away, Link watched as she was swept up in the air; her body pressed against the wall. "I have found you at last, Sage of the Forest." Bellowed the dark creature as he held her captured in his grip. "Let her go!" Link shouted; taking his battle stance. The dark being turned to face him; his red eyes piercing the darkness, "I am afraid not hero, for I have come for her." His voice sent a cold chill down his spine; finding it to be distinctively familiar. Turning around; he kept a hold on the now frightened kokiri. "This is who my master wanted to die; to make you suffer." The light from the fairy illuminated brightly enough that Link was able to identify its face in shock.
"Dark Link you bastard!" He said, his blood boiling; his own shadow was the last thing he wanted to disturb the peace. His shadow laughed, as he drew his sword, pointing the blade towards the small of Saria's back. "All it takes is the spilling of a sage's blood to weaken it and there is nothing you can do to stop me from making it happen. My, such a lovely being; to empty this lovely vessel of its blood. I see why both you and she are best friends. Her stature, her beauty, she does seem older than she looks."
As he watched the shadow, prepared to kill, Link the dark being added, "However, I care less about the light, only that I receive pleasure in smiting it dry." Amongst her crying, Saria was saying something to Link; but he wasn't able to hear among his own sorrow. "Don't do it. Please don't kill her!" He pleaded. His shadow laughed once more. "I am a shadow; your dark copy. I have no feelings of love, friendship, or remorse. Only hatred and evil desires reside."
Taking his sword, he stabbed the forest sage through the back like the others. Finding that he could run forward, Link caught Saria in his arms just before Dark Link disappeared, then reappeared at the door. "Lord Ganondorf returns for the seal is at long last broken. So take up your arms, hero of time and meet us at Hyrule Castle for a final showdown. We will be waiting along with the princess." As he disappeared, Link could only see his red eyes. Even after he was gone, his laughter still sounded as thunder was heard outside.
Turning his attention back to Saria, Link checked to see if she was alive. He found that she was; but barely. "Saria, Saria." He said calling her name as he hugged her close. Once she found her breath, she weakly opened her eyes; coughing up blood. "Link, the seal…" He nodded, responding as tears began to roll from his eyes. "Don't talk, save your strength." Link then pulled out a bottle filled with milk from his inventory, opened it, and then slowly brought the bottle to her lips. "Drink this." He said as he tilted her upright.
She did so, empting the bottle half way. As he laid her back down, he got up to retrieve a pillow from her bed. As he lifted her head to lay the pillow underneath, Saria said. "Link, do not worry about me. I will always be with you, no matter what. You must worry about the fate of Hyrule and its denizens." He shook his head, not wanting to loose her. "I won't let you die, not like this." She slowly raised her hand, weakly against his face; he responded by sadly placing his hand against hers. "Please, take the bottled fairy by the book, for it will surely be of help to you." Link could only watch his best friend in the fairy's light; seeing the life slowly leave her. "Good-bye…Link."
As he continued to hold Zelda in his grasp, Dark Link replied. "And her last words to you before I spilled her blood, uh what were they?" He said looking away, as if spaced out. Then a smile appeared once again. "Ah, save Hyrule for you are our only hope."
Link watched as Dark Link slowly reached up with his right hand, drawing his sword from its scabbard. Holding the sword against the scared princess' back, Link heard Ganondorf begin to speak. "But what hope is there for her people?" He asked; his voice carrying his evil character. The sword was then plunged through her back, his hand muffling her scream; causing Link to shout out.
"NOOOOO!"
As he watched his beloved princess collapse in a blood bath on the floor; her wound filling out the floor as she continued to bled, he was suddenly struck in the back of the head; his body fell next to her. "L-Link?" Zelda weakly spoke. Hearing her call his name, he looked up seeing a mixture of sadness and happiness on her face. "It will be all right, Zel. It will be alright." As he said this, he began to reach down for the bottled fairy; pulling it from his inventory.
Before he could use the fairy to revive himself, a second hand snatched it away from him. "I'll take that. I always wanted a fairy." Dark Link smiled before destroying both the bottle and fairy with his magic. "Let's end their lives and start a new era." He said pointing his sword at Link. Ganondorf walked over to Zelda, his eyes filled with the bloodlust. "The Triforce now belongs to us." He said before they both went for the kill.
Link closed his eyes, anticipating the final blows that would end their lives by the forces of darkness. "Goddesses, is there not any hope left that Hyrule would be saved?" He breathed weakly as he looked at the princess. "That we shall live?" Suddenly, lightning flashed as a burst of light shone around them forcing Link to close eyes. Screams of agony reached his ears as the sounds of footsteps could be heard; indication of both Ganondorf and Dark Link backing away in pain.
As his eyes stayed shut, Link began to see a faint light giving off a green glow; push against the darkness around him. Continuing to watch the light in front of him, it began to take shape; a more feminine form. "You are not yet ready to be accepted, let me heal you with my power." She said to him before cupping his hand within hers. Link slowly began to feel warmth wash over him as he found strength coming to him in a vibrant light. "Don't worry about Zelda, she will reunite with you soon."
The next thing he noticed as he opened his eyes, Link found that he was standing to his feet, looking himself over, he found his body glowing in brilliant green. Link immediately felt the familiar weight of his sword and shield strapped to his back. Glancing back, he saw that the fallen princess was glowing a faint hue of blue; the triforce on her right hand signifying her piece as the storm outside thundered once again.
Turning back, Link faced the dark king and doppelganger; both taunting him with their swords drawn. "Very fascinating that your piece of the triforce revived you with its power." Ganondorf said, smiling at this change of events. Dark Link smirked as he snapped into fight stance. "Too bad we will have to kill you again for it. Although can't necessarily say the same for your princess over there, looks like I stabbed her close to her demise." He responded before laughing. Link, having enough with the taunts, unsheathed the master sword and shield. "Time to send you both back where you belong!"
Ganondorf charged forward, determined to spill the hero's blood once more. Link swung his sword unleashing a beam that rammed into his chest, sending him flying back. Not the least bit surprised, Dark Link smirked. "It seems you have some skills pure self, so let's see how you par with me." In an instant, he disappeared in a blast of dark magic; with his new powers, Link disappeared as well.
Seconds later, the clashing of swords resounded as both hero and doppelganger teleported around the chamber; the rumble of thunder and pouring rain unable to drown the heat of battle. After recovering from the blast received from the blade of evil's bane, he looked around only to find that Zelda was nowhere in sight; the only remains of her was the pool of blood from where she collapsed after she was stabbed.
Picking up his blood-shed sword, he called out. "I know you're here princess, it's no use hiding from me. You know that's impressive on his part, now I want to know what you can do." As if on cue, Ganondorf cried out as he received as he was stroke with a light arrow in the back. Finding that the light arrow paralyzed him in his tracks, he could only glare in anger at the princess that appeared before him. Much like Link, Zelda was glowed with a blue light instead.
"Your reign of terror ends now Ganondorf, you and the dark entity known as Dark Link." With that, she lifted her hands opening the door to the Sacred Realm; the roaring wind of the vortex picked up the frozen Ganondorf. "Curse you, all." Were his last words before disappearing into the light. Meanwhile, Link and Dark Link appeared at a standstill, their sword swings matching the other as neither one gained the upper hand. "Looks like your time is up Dark Link!" Link said, pressing back. "Ganondorf is once again sealed in the sacred realm, so you're all that remains." Breaking the standstill, Link immediately concentrated power into the master sword before striking his body; Dark Link crying out in pain. "Never forget hero, I will never become satisfied with making you suffer." He cried as he slowly disintegrated in the light.
For Good Ending: Chapter 2
For Bad Ending: Chapter 3
So, how was it? I like to know. So, please review.
Song(s) that I listened to while writing this chapter:
George R. Powell:
Demons of the Elements: watch?v=Sd9os7DBaiw
Meeting the Princess : watch?v=4C9Bs0LGQqo
Battle of Hyrule I : watch?v=5wcFQvwRxIk
Battle of Hyrule II : watch?v=QQfhjjLXs_g
Fading Hero : watch?v=W3w0qaKXUQM