Light and Dark
Finally, the Hero of Time ascended the pinnacle of the Back Tower and confronted the Prince of Darkness. The burning orb plummeted northward in a writhing, crimson dance as its life extinguished. Then, the corpse of the giver of light was devoured by the besieging black heavens, and celestial hell took the skies. And across the entire land of Hyrule, all eyes fell upon the abysmal peak, and all hearts pounded as one.
There they stood, light and shadow, and between, the princess was suspended in a prison forged by magic and hellish fiend-fire. At last, the three had come together: the evil King of Hyrule - Ganondorf, the daughter of the King of Red Lions and true heir to the throne – Zelda, and the orphaned fairy-boy of the Great Deku Tree – Link.
Suddenly, magic enchanted their flesh and the image of the sacred Triforce inscribed itself upon each left fist, the hand closest the heart.
A sinister "Hey, hey, hey" bellowed from Ganondorf's chest, a fiery laughter tainted by the intoxication of power, "So it was you, the little green boy who opposed me in his naïveté, then vanished for seven years within the open Temple of Time. Now, once again, the Triforce has been brought to Hyrule's face, and wonder of wonders, It chose to embed Courage in this child!" He spun on his heels and faced the verdant garbed opponent, "Link," he demanded, "Those tools are too much for you, surrender them to me!"
He outstretched his left palm and a shrill, unworldly cry seized his voice. Black, ghastly waves pulled from his fingertips and struggled against Link's body, mind, and spirit, trying to extract the Triforce Piece invested there.
Link's eyes fired open and his gaze met Ganondorf's, souls behind drawing blades of combat. Thin silver flowed through Link's fingers like lightning and the shade-magic broke and dissipated at the strike. There, the man of seventeen years was poised, the right bore a shield marked by the insignias of the Triforce, and of the phoenix incarnation of Kaepora Gaebora, and the left clutched the legendary Master Sword.
A flicker and flash of magical light and Navi, Winged of the Faerie, appeared in the unsheathing of her charge and its wielder. Another fiendish chuckle vibrated the air as Ganondorf began floating in air, suspended by his dark arts. Link only spread his grounded brogan-clad feet to level his shoulders, and braced himself behind the barrier at his wrist. Courage was inscribed in his very skin.
All of Hyrule, with all its races, could see what occurred next upon that open, top-most chamber. Their hearts became baptized with Hope for his victory, Faith in the light that dispels shadow, and Love for the pure-heart clad in green upon that balcony.
The dark wizard's spell grew and radiated across the land, as a beacon upon a lighthouse, but this mockery of the blessed end of darkness scorched the eyes of all who dared not turn away. Link lay collapsed upon the cold, black stone which formed the dais, Zelda's eyes could not be torn from him for all the glory of the world.
His eyes were buried behind flesh but his chest still rose and fell with injured breath. Again Ganondorf laughed and lifted his left palm, harvesting all light, drawing it to the space over his palm, opposite the engraved Triforce. Darkness consumed everything save the sparkling, luminous orb he held, imprisoned with shadows which would not be banished. Then, it shattered the air like lightning and struck the slowly recovering body. First it pierced the soul by its friendly light; then it was invading from the depths and feasted upon the boy with icy maws.
The concussive shock flung the Fairy-boy to the edge of the arena. A shrill cry broke through crash of the evil spell like the drowning one who breaks the surface of the water. "Link!" Navi's little voice called after the tumbling, limp figure. The dying man awakened as he cascaded towards the chasm below the black fortress; reaching far above and escaped the deathly plunge by the breadth of two gauntleted fingers now clinging to the battlement wall like a vice. Between his dangling Kokiri boots, blood flowed into the infinite, hell-void from his life bearing vessels.
Slowly, Link dragged his aching, bleeding self back onto the battlement and rose to his feet. Again he faced Ganondorf, who only smiled, appearing as an unnatural beast.
Suddenly, with the strength of the Red Lions though only a fragment as loud as a cat, Princess Zelda spoke for the first time since the gathering of the Triforce. To this very day, none knows her words, but all know that a prayer of awe-demanding power was said. For as soon as her lips began their task, agony relinquished Link's heart and the blood reversed its flow.
Newfound life pulsed in Link's veins as the people of Hyrule surrendered theirs to him that their home might be saved. As the Kokiri, the Goron, the Zora, the Human, the Gerudo, and all who were not servants of evil coursed blood through their veins, and Link's arteries gathered the life and was reborn as a phoenix from its ashes.
The grin fell from Ganondorf's countenance, and the slightest idea of fear could be found in his eyes as he lifted his palm, gathering light to strike again. Link was ready for the blinding flash and Courage halted his flight. Blue-silver arced to greet the attack, and the zenith stole it from its path. For a moment, the sacred blade shone a holy azure, and a swift, fluid motion released the magic blast.
A roar of pain and rage sounded from Ganondorf's throat as he clutched at his wounded torso, though still managing to remain aloft above the ground. Fast as thought
Zelda's gift of the Silver Arrow of Light was nocked in Link's Faerie bow. A soft, piercing twang reverberated in the still wind and all eyes followed its path as it punctured Ganondorf's dark skin and sunk into his black stone heart.
Golden rays permeated Ganondorf's flesh and a wild, possessed scream erupted and echoed across Hyrule. His broken body crashed into the frozen floor, the horrible sound still on his lips. Link was upon him in a heartbeat, his brand poised like a thirsty fang over its wine. The sword bit into the servant of evil, following the arrow's path to the heart and drinking its fill from the blood and soul there.
Then, Link withdrew the silver blade from the writhing victim, crimson liquid dropping slowly from the tip. The great scream sounded with twice the viscous force as though it had come from the very bowls of Hell. Life poured from Ganondorf's wounds and maw in the incarnation of scarlet water. At last, the corpse lay still.
The vibration of the terrible voice echoed throughout the tower. Before the sound could fade, a strong rumble ascended the tower shaft and erupted below Link's stance. The magic cage shattered and Zelda was released into the air.
Despite the shifting terrain, Link dashed and in two steps broke her fall with his arms. "Thank you," she breathed, and Link nodded in affirmation to her. His blue eyes shone like sapphire stars against the shadow-consumed heavens. Suddenly, a great ripple fired through the shaking castle. Mortar and magic failed and the palace of the Prince of Darkness crumbled and cascaded into the black abyss. Link met Zelda's hand and, within their embrace, he cast Nyru's Sorrow around them both.
Everywhere, the people of Hyrule wondered with awe what the collapse of the Black Castle could mean. Hope diminished as the three disappeared from view and doubt clung to their hearts. Still, all eyes gazed to the north, upon the envisioned silhouette of the vanished tower.
Reluctantly, Link opened his eyes and began to perceive his surroundings. His body was drowning in agony, unmoving, sprawled upon the earth. Finally, he felt a soft, warm hand beneath his own. Slowly, his head shifted and he saw Zelda lying next to him as if asleep. Navi had disappeared.
Several moments later, Link stood, awoke Zelda, and helped her to her feet, every motion firing impulses of pain throughput his body. He discovered his wounds reopened and multiplied, though Zelda was completely unblemished and still encased by the blue aura of the spell.
They stood alone on an island of hard soil. Scattered about them lay ruined portions of the Black Tower and dark stones in piles of indistinguishable rubble. Nowhere, save for the two, was there a living or otherwise creature anywhere about the hovering hulk of stone island. The shadowy maw of Hell waited open below them, greed unsatisfied by the remains of its servant's castle.
Suddenly, the Triforce engravings on their lefts began to shine with terrible radiance. "It's not yet finished," stated Zelda, despair in her lips though hope flowed through the chambers of her heart. Link did not need to make any sign whatsoever, they both knew…
Immediately, the largest mound of remains exploded violently. Link nimbly crossed in front of Zelda, himself behind the Hylean-engraved barrier at his wrist. The terrible body of Ganondorf rose from the earth as though lifted by a crimson pillar, so much blood did gush from his pierced flesh. His breath passed in ragged gasps and life so seemed to be pouring from him that he appeared more as one among the dead with every heartbeat.
Then, by the power he took from the Triforce, the Triforce of Strength, He held aloft the image upon the heart-fist. A deep, omnipotent voice thundered not from the throat of Ganondorf – thought they were his lips which formed and tongue which articulated – rather from through the earth, from those evil jaws which mark the light-less road to agony and chaos.
"You have not yet seen Power!" were the words sent from Hell, and as the resounding echo called the final breath, a ring of fire developed around the perimeter of the new battlefield. Ganondorf's skin as well passed into flames, then the tissue of his muscles and tendons, then the bone cage and frame with the ivory skull, then the living organs they held, and finally, only the heart was left to hold presence. And though flames licked the pulsing, empty pump, fire could not devour the black-stone rind which shielded life from love.
Out of the shadows, new flesh wisped forth and encased the cold, ignited heart. Greater and more became the mammoth beast forming before their eyes. As the final scraps of skin conformed to the behemoth, again the infernal voice bellowed from the light-bereft chasm, "You have not yet seen Power!"
Before the Princess of Hyrule and the Hero of Time stood a monstrosity only explicable by the name of a demon-possessed satyr. It brandished two swords – each surpassing Link's height in length and doubling his breadth – and bore from its beastly skull a pair of ram's horns, which curled into spear-tips beyond the abysmal, soulless eyes. It howled the scream of a fiend, and its aura was of a foul poison color.
It stepped towards two others with a hoofed foot, forcing its print into the rock by unworldly strengthened muscles, sinews taut. Link rapidly fumbled with his bow, but his broken fingers only twitched useless across the arrows. The first arc swung and the massive zombito cleft the stone immediately to Link's right; a severed hand released the Faerie-made bow and Silver Arrow to the earth.
A green orb encompassed Link's remaining fist and Farore's Joy transported him from the second blade's path, and placed him near Zelda, aura faded and protection gone. Immediately, the fearless heroe clad in green fell to his knees in the agony of his torn and broken body.
The fair Princess Zelda stood before Link, took her hand to his jaw and lifted his eyes to meet her own, and parted his bloodied lips wit a single, magical kiss. Time halted its galloping pace. All that could be felt were the soft oral gestures, and the calmed pulsing of a single heart within two bodies.
An eternity later, Zelda's hands slid from Link's face and, with the courage tasted from his flesh, she dashed and armed herself with the bow. She positioned the shaft and, with a whispered prayer conceived in the deepest recesses of the Triforce of Wisdom, let the cord sing. Even the monstrosity withheld its assault to follow the arrow's path.
This dart, fletching, rod, tip and all soared directly in a sun-light golden beam. Piercing the shadows in the sky and radiation hope and light as it flew ever upwards. And all mortals who beheld this sight, like a shooting star over the horizon, felt their hearts swell with hope for a purpose and a home at the dawn; the hearts of Hyrule again pulsed with one tempo, and their hopes rested with the Hero of Time. Bolts of light weaved through the punctured clouds, and rain bled from the fresh, celestial wounds. Winds spun and twisted as the tempest formed and the storm beat the earth and fire about the fighters. Change rested in their breath.
Link pitched the Ocarina of Time to the princess. She caught it and dived just below the flying guillotine; a few golden hairs floated in the wake of the razor edge. The monster Ganon roared in frustration and curved the glide of the brand towards the crippled Fairy-boy. Link moved to dodge the mortality strike, but the pointed end of the venomous steel sliced cleanly into his heart and carved a ravine across his chest. Life pooled about the corpse and stained the tunic scarlet. Sightless eyes stared into the dancing heavens.
Silently, Zelda lifted the soft-azure instrument to her lips - a lonely tear marring her cheek - and filled it with the life in her breath. Sweet notes flowed into a beautiful song, the ancient song sung before Hyrule was born; a song long ago consecrated to the sacred Triforce. Across the entire land, all heard the music, though none any different from the other. In the minds of all who listened, a prayer to the goddesses was written.
Slowly, the still heart began to beat once more; its rind reformed itself - blood circulated in the torn veins and arteries. Next, the canyon began to shallow as flesh healed itself and life reentered through the gash. Even the garb returned to its former verdance. Finally, light returned to his eyes and he arose as one who had been asleep. Link was alive.
The song terminated its cadence and ended; Ganon erupted with a terrible cry of rage and hatred. It charged at Link with all the viscous strength of a mad animal. Immediately, the Master Sword was bared in Link's insignia left hand and the engraved Hylean Shield in his recovered right. A patch of thriving meadow appeared in place of the lost, and a lining Navi flew from the soft blades.
The first giant sword struck forth in a spear-stab. Link parried and guided the momentum deep into the wet rock. The second came at a wide, sweeping arc; Link quickly leapt backward over the arm which clutched handle. Swift Navi flashed past Ganon's eyes and Link jumped at Ganon's head. The Sacred Blade scrapped the left cheek, drawing foul, violet liquid.
Upon touching the ground, Link turned around to release more of the fluid from the demon. Wind raced and Link barely raised his shield in time to guard against the fatal arc of the stone blade. The metal dented and fell from Link's wrist. The second zombito was wrenched from the earth and accelerated at the green-clad boy. Link locked crossed blades with his own sword. A blue spark shone upon impact and Ganon's brand was deflected from Link, but the Master Sword absorbed the velocity in Ganon's stroke and soared from Link's hand. It struck the ground and sank into the rock at Zelda's feet. Navi, hovered, guarding her trust.
With great agility, Link lifted the bent shield to defend against another death propelled blow. Then, he rolled beneath the flight of the other sword. It crashed into the remains of a black-stone pillar and shattered the monument into splinters and smithereens. With this cover, Link dashed to the soil-sheathed brand.
Then, he stood before Princess Zelda, and turned completely around to face the approaching Ganon. She reached into his quiver and drew forth the final, silver Light Arrow. She aimed, and Link touched the arrow, tucked in her bow. Finally, the incarnation of evil and its prince stepped into range and Link made the incantation to his final spell – Din's Wrath.
Great fires enveloped his outstretched palm and flowed into the arrow before it rocketed ablaze from Zelda's bow like a canon-shot. Ganon's eyes dilated at the approaching dart tailed in flames, then it struck him through the center of his forehead. Light permeated his body and caused the entire area of his skin to shine gold; a great demonic scream launched from his throat as he fell forward.
Instantly, Link charged, clutching the sacred Master Sword – the brand which repels all evil – and made a vertical cut across Ganon's head from scalp to jaws. Then a horizontal slash from one horn-point through the opposite eye. Then, he stabbed through the center of the bleeding cross as deep as the hilt would allow.
The scream became so high-pitched it was unperceivable to mortals, yet they trembled at the sound. Zelda lifted her left hand and called, "Six Sages: Rauru of the Light, Saria of the Forest, Darunia of the Fire, Ruto of the Water, Impa of the Shadow, and Nabooru of the Spirit; the time has come!"
Suddenly, six orbs appeared, each wearing the colour of its own element. Then, a whit portal opened between the glowing balls, directly above the writhing form of Ganon. An illumination shone from the portal to the sacred realm. It spread into the reality there and consumed Ganon, then obliterated all vision with its white radiance.
Then a cry could be heard from within the gate swearing, "One day, Link, when this seal is broken, that is when I shall return and take my vengeance upon your decedents!" Then the voice was pulled away and the light calmed but would not recede.
"You must leave now," was all Zelda said, "The ocarina, its song will return you to your own time…" Link only nodded. Their eyes met a final time in that time, and then wonderful melody began to flow from the instrument in Zelda's hands. The insignias of the Triforce faded and returned to the heavens. Blue light encased Link and Navi, and then they were gone – home.
Later, a Link seven years younger stepped away from the Master Sword, locked in stone sealing the Temple of Time. Slowly, he turned and looked back one last time, and Navi, guardian of the blade, parted from him, forever friends.
And because this was Zelda's war and Link served her until their end, this tale is never called the Legend of the Link… but rather, it is always told as the Legend of Zelda.
Joshua Rodgers
September 2008