Anger as Beauty
by an awesome blossom
Fresh from the Sacred Realm, Link confronts Ganondorf.
Written August to September 2007. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is property of the good folks at Nintendo. The song "Anger As Beauty" is property of Hawksley Workman.
He stared at the image of Ganondorf's keep, built from the ruins of the righteous castle, as a blight to the land's natural beauty. Never did he want to forget the awful sight, keeping it to himself as silent motivation for that which he had to do.
"Sheik told us to go to Kakariko Village to find that tool to get into the temple in the Sacred Meadow," she said, her voice a fading presence in his head. "We shouldn't be here."
Link was determined to burn the image into his mind - no, his heart.
"This doesn't seem right. I don't know what you're planning."
Saying nothing, he simply shook his head. Whether it was to dispel her worries or her...
"I can't go in there with you. It...the castle won't let me."
He stared at the barren ground in response.
"Please be careful, Link. Don't do anything rash."
"Navi, I..." were his only words, and they evaporated into the dirty air just as quick as they had come. And then like that he started up the steps to the castle, pieces of stone crumbling underneath his feet and into the molten moat below.
Link was surprised at how simple it was to walk into the main tower and make his way up six flights unobstructed. He knew it couldn't be that easy; there had to be a catch somewhere.
He already knew what it was, though; he had ignored that Sheikah boy's advice and had gone straight for the dark lord himself without awakening any Sages or even taking some time to adjust to his grown body. And the Goddesses knew he needed that adjustment period after the many times he tripped just walking up the steps.
Maybe he was going to die. Link figured he probably would if he even chanced to fight Ganondorf, and to have luck on his side for the fight, he was going to have to go through with the whole process of awakening. He stood on the seventh floor, staring up at the enormous cathedral-style door that was easily nine times his size, without the faintest clue as to why he was there.
There was no thought or rationale to it - just emotion.
He put all his weight into pulling open the door, and as he entered the darkened chamber, he prayed to the Goddesses voluntarily for the first time in his life.
Oure Goddesses Din, Nayru, and Farore, hallowed be youre Beauty.
He stood alert in the threshold until his eyes adjusted to the dark, and he noticed that the luxurious carpet covering the floors of the stairwell came to an end; in replacement was a dull stone that gave him chills.
Youre Kingdoms of Power, of Wisdom, and of
A pipe organ stood against the distant tapestry-laden wall, its metal pipes glimmering dully from the light that spilled out from the open door, but other than that, the chamber appeared empty.
Link noticed a tapestry to the left sway gently, haphazardly leaking light behind it.
Youre Land, Laws, and
His heart beat well into his ears as he unsheathed the Master Sword and peeked cautiously past the tapestry; it was only a short, unremarkable hallway housing only a window and sturdy door.
If the dark lord was not behind that door, then he just wasn't in the castle...in which case Link would be free to leave with his life and dignity.
in the Creation of Oure Hyrule as it was in
From the image ingrained in his mind, Link knew the castle only had seven floors, and he was at the top. This was it.
He couldn't remember the rest.
Finally, he steeled himself enough to so much as simply run his fingers over the door's thick wooden surface. Before he had been reduced to crouching next to the organ with his knees drawn up to his chest, fighting tears while he prayed that he stayed the room's only occupant, but now he had courage.
...He hoped.
The simple texture of the wood sent a shiver down his spine. Was he perhaps savoring his last chance at a non-painful sensation? He would be lying if he said he wasn't afraid, so terribly afraid, of what might lie behind the wood.
He missed home, the other Kokiri, and the Great Deku Tree. He wanted to run around and have fun like it seemed he was doing only weeks before... This all seemed like a horrible dream.
The real castle wasn't in ruins; there weren't monstrous, undead creatures roaming a ghost town; he didn't know any Zoras or Gorons; no Sheikah boy had ever told him he had to save the land; he was picking flowers with Saria, Malon, and Princess Zelda; and the Great Deku Tree was alive.
He leaned his forehead against the door and tried to calm his nerves. Breathing seemed hard for some reason.
Link thought of Navi buzzing past his ear and playing in his hat, playing the ocarina with Saria, and...he had to find the Princess. That was enough to help steady his heart and give him courage. He was ready.
Then he heard the door in front of him click, a doorknob turning.
Goddesses, please guide me
His fingers tightened on the handles of his sword and shield, and all the muscles in his body seemed to tense. The door jerked open, and at once Link thought he would die.
and forgive me.
Everything could have been over. He could have taken the Dark Lord by surprise and ran him through with the legendary blade. He could have avoided all the nonsense Sheik spoke of in the Temple of Time. He could have.
But as he looked up into the face of the man it seemed he saw only hours ago on horseback in front of the town, he froze.
Genuine, nervous emotion flickered into the dark lord's eyes as his gaze quickly came across the legendary blade coupled with the garb of the stranger before him, but just as quickly as it had come, it vanished into cold amusement. "It's been awhile, boy." He appeared unafraid, and that squashed whatever courage Link might have been able to muster up at that point.
Link's throat suddenly turned dry, and he found it hard to keep his entire body from shaking. The memory of their previous encounter was still fresh in his mind - of how excruciating that yellow blast had been...and that had only been a warning.
"Are you mute, or have you simply...lost your courage"
He was too frightened to not answer, though enough fear coursed through his body that he physically couldn't answer. Though the Dark Lord seemed so large when he was small, he was no less intimidating in an adult's form.
"I have you to thank, you know," Ganondorf chuckled lowly without mirth, "for had you and that little princess of yours not have allowed me into the Sacred Realm, I would not have all this."
"You have nothing," Link spoke at last, his blood running hot at the very mention of Zelda's mista--no, it wasn't that. Zelda was wise; she couldn't be wrong.
The grin Ganondorf wore across his lips was infuriating simply because Link could not figure out why he was smiling. "I still have more than you"
And he did, there was no denying that. Link had, what was it, nothing? No family, few possessions, and no penny to his name. He didn't even have freedom, really, with destiny popping around everywhere. So what did he have?
"I'm going to kill you," he blurted abruptly, though without much passion as if it was a common fact of life. He was the Hero of Time; he had that.
"No, you're not, and you know it," Ganondorf countered with a resounding chuckle. "You can't kill me."
Right now.
"Maybe...maybe not today," Link said with a childish quiver in his voice, "and maybe not tomorrow, either...but someday."
"Then why are you here"
He didn't know and answered accordingly with silence.
"I...I was only ten just a few hours ago, so this all is very strange," Link admitted as he downed yet another cup of tea, his throat parched. When he set it back on its saucer, he nearly winced at the resounding clink it made which seemed to echo strangely throughout the room.
Ganondorf seemed not to mind, however, as he gazed at the strange man-boy before him over his teacup.
Link knew this was somehow dangerous, sitting with the Dark Lord himself, drinking tea of all things with confidential words spilling from his tongue. But as he had spent the last few hours nearly trembling in fear and nervousness about the new turn in his life (and he didn't feel quite in peril at the moment as compared to before), he gravitated to the most pleasant situation offered to him thus far: a cup of tea.
"And now I'm seventeen," Link continued as he glanced toward the large organ sitting in the room. "I don't really know what happened"
"I touched the Triforce and became ruler of this land," Ganondorf offered nonchalantly as he set his teacup down and gave the man-boy an eerily Cheshire smile. "What else is there to know?"
Furrowing his brows, Link seemed to be displeased with the answer given. "Yes, but why did I skip seven years just because you touched the Triforce? And not being old enough to wield this legendary blade," he gestured to the hilt of his sword, "makes no sense since I don't know how to use it well anyway, despite being old enough."
Chuckling a bit, Ganondorf appeared amused that the supposed Hero of Time was giving away valuable information without reservation. "That's your problem." Link emitted a frustrated sort of noise which only spurred on the Dark Lord's mirth. "Do you honestly think that I will help you?"
"No," Link answered quickly, obviously not finding it as amusing as the other did, "but..." To his credit, he did not continue.
As he stepped out from the Dark Lord's keep and into the stagnant air, Link couldn't say that nothing had been accomplished from his visit. But then again, he couldn't pinpoint what good it did. He hardly had any time to contemplate on what had gone on when he was immediately rushed by a glowing ball of light as he made his way down the steps.
"Link, thank the Goddesses you're alive!" she exclaimed, fluttering all about his face. "I was so worried, and I didn't know what to do, so I -- hey, what happened? Did you see the Dark Lord?" When he nodded, Navi continued her barrage. "Dear Goddesses, Link! What happened? Did you kill him? You aren't hurt, are you?"
"He's still alive," Link answered simply as he reached steady ground. "We didn't fight."
At once, he received an angered slap from someone who was obviously not Navi. "How dare you pull a stunt like that!"
The fairy darted from his line of vision and into his hat as Link saw that Sheikah boy again, obviously angry this time. "Sorry, Link!" she apologized into his ear as he tried his best to not look hurt or confused. "I got so worried, and Sheik was the only one I could think of..."
"You could have gotten us all killed if something had happened to you! Honestly, I don't know what possessed you to--"
Link wasn't quite sure, either, but he steeled himself against the consequential berating that was to follow.