Shedding Regret: One-Shot
The Legend of Zelda Series is owned by Nintendo.
"Talking"
"Thoughts"
"Demon/deity speech"
A/N: This is in no way related to my other LoZ story, 'Fairy Guardians', but a separate idea I thought of a while back.
Line Break
"…I have no right to be here now," a lone, gold wolf with a single red eye thought as it gazed at Hyrule Castle from a low cliff on Death Mountain. The Hero's Shade (or Link, the Hero of Time) had fulfilled his wish of passing on his legacy. While his own children did not want to learn the way of the sword -which he did not hold against them, for it was a terrible burden- he had managed to teach the current generation's Link, his descendent and a hero in his own right, all the techniques he had learned and created himself. By all means, he was had nothing left to tie him to this plane. He was free to enter the afterlife, where his friends and loved ones would welcome him with open arms, and yet…He was worried.
The cause of his worry was one (ex) King of the Gerudo and King of Evil, Ganondorf. Link could not quite put his finger on it, but something felt…off about the man this time around. Perhaps it was the fact that he had been stewing in his own hate for at least a century. Perhaps it had to do with this Twilight magic that Ganondorf now had in his arsenal. "Perhaps you are a paranoid old man who wants to watch over his flesh and blood," Link sardonically thought. That was the crux of the matter. Though he was there to personally witness his descendant's achievements and rise in skill, he still felt dread over the boy's inevitable encounter with Ganondorf. Link surmised that it was lingering sentiment from his own parenthood back when he was alive. Always wanting to ensure that his children were as safe as can be. Regardless, he had been watching since the imp, rather, the Twilight Princess Midna, destroyed the barrier surrounding the castle, and would remain until the King was dead.
Line Break
Link's fur was raised at an almost perpendicular angle. He could feel the charged excitement in the throne room (for where else would Ganondorf, with his immense ego, choose to stay) as the three pieces of the Triforce were closer together than they had been in at least one hundred years. Though he no longer held the Triforce of Courage, Link could tell that the pieces wanted, yearned, to be whole once more.
His ears picked up a strange noise in the wind, two scents, and one very familiar, carried with it. He turned his lone eye until he saw two figures, his descendent, and the current incarnation of Princess Zelda. He could still feel Ganondorf's presence in the Castle, and one other along with him, "It looks like Midna sent the two away so she could finish Ganondorf of herself" he hung his head low, "…Foolish child". Though they had no way of knowing this (even though it should be easy to piece together) Ganondorf could not be slain by any normal means. Only the Master Sword, wielded by a bearer of the Triforce of Courage, two holy artifacts blessed by the golden goddesses themselves, stand a chance to defeat the evil king. So it was no surprise to Link when Ganondorf appeared astride his dark horse, Midna's helmet held high, a trophy of his triumph.
Link could feel and sympathize with his descendant's anguish; it was no easy thing to lose one you held dear and close to your heart. What threw the shade for a loop however, was when his descendent and the princess disappeared in a flash of light as Ganondorf and his phantoms charged. They reappeared a second later, some meters away from the King, astride the current Epona (Link felt a flutter of nostalgia in his soul at the familiar looking steed). Her master kept a tight grip on the Master Sword, and the princess wielded and elegant bow of light, a golden arrow ready to be notched. "So…this princess is going to fight by his side. Braver than the one I worked with," Link held no ill will towards the princess Zelda he knew personally, though he would have appreciated it if she had tried to oh, throw the Master Sword his way when it flew out of his grasp. Granted, by that point he had amassed an impressive armory that was able to fend the King of Evil turned giant pig monster off, but the gesture would not have gone unnoticed, "…I should focus on the current battle for the lands".
Link turned to look at the battle unfolding on the fields, and saw, to his immense relief, that Ganondorf was losing. The princess and hero had fallen into a steady rhythm, where she would let loose an arrow of light to pierce the king, and then he would rush Epona forward, destroying any phantoms that dared to obstruct his path, and hack away at Ganondorf. His descendent was knocked off his horse a few times, be it by magic or an (un)lucky strike of a blade, but he was quick to remount Epona and ride on. Soon, Ganondorf lost control of his horse, and crashed to the ground, his unholy stallion dissipating in the wind. He lay on the ground, unmoving. His descendent got off his horse, and stalked towards Ganondorf, blade glinting in the light as he held it high, poised to kill the king. Link's worry skyrocketed as he bolted toward his descendent, to keep him from harm. For, as he learned from experience, an unmoving Ganondorf was a very dangerous one.
Line Break
Link was deliberate as he moved towards his fallen foe. He did not know if the man was too hurt to move, or unconscious, but he was hoping for the former. He was angry, in more of a rage than he had been ever before, including the times his friends were all taken from his village, and King Bulbin captured Colin. This man had killed a very close, and very dear friend of his, and by the goddesses themselves Ganondorf was going to pay. Link raised his blade high, intent on striking the prone Gerudo in the heart. However, the fallen man's eyes opened, and with that a wave of darkness struck Link, flinging the Master Sword into the air before it plunged into the ground some few feet away from him. Link was thrown back to Epona and Zelda, who whinnied and gasped respectively. Ganondorf calmly stood up and, with a flick of his wrist, surrounded the Master Sword in a barrier of Twilight. The Evil King started to laugh, cruelly, and would have moved to kill the two, were it not for a golden figure that sent him crashing to the ground. Zelda did not know the beast that came to their aid but Link did, and he was very grateful at the sight. The beast was then bathed in a harsh light, forcing them to avert their gaze. When they could safely look on, they saw a tall and imposing skeleton in old, moss covered armor, a round shield and sword in his right and left hands, respectively. The shade turned to them, and spoke in with rough tone, "Hurry! Dispel the barrier that surrounds the blade. I shall buy you some time". With that, the shade strode toward Ganondorf, who was picking himself up once more.
Line Break
Ganondorf was incensed, once more he was thrown to the ground like some old rag, and this time by some mutt he didn't even recognize. When he stood up, stolen sword of the sages in hand, the sight of a skeletal knight, its own weapon drawn, compounded his confusion. He soon grew irate again though, when the knight spoke, "I was the one that knocked you down just now". Ganondorf was shaking, he could deal with getting knocked down by the boy and princess, for they too were chosen by the gods. What he could not stand was some nobody undead wolf…thing sending him crashing to the dirt. The knight chuckled at Ganondorf's state, "Hehehe, I have not seen you this mad in…ages". Ganondorf was once more confused, and was racking his memory to try and figure out whom the being standing in front of him once was. The knight spoke once more, "Don't know who I am? Here, let me help with that," a bright flash surrounded the figure, and in its place stood…the hero he had just fought!"
"Wait…no…they are not the same". His assessment was correct. For one, this one's garb was of a lighter shade of green. His body was also more thin than the other one's, and his hair was more like gold than the other's dull blonde. The face was also more angled. "But those eyes…I have seen those eyes before…" The look-alike's eyes tickled a place deep in Ganondorf's memories, a dark, angry place.
The man spoke once more, his voice deep and confident, "Still don't recognize me? Oh wait, you wouldn't," Ganondorf raised an eyebrow at the emphasized 'you'. Another flash occurred, Ganondorf rolled his eyes, wondering what other shape this being would take.
"What's he going to turn into next? A Goron? A Zora? Maybe a Deku, haven't seen one of those in a while". He started to chuckle, but the sound soon died in his throat as he saw the newest form. It was…a child. But not just any child, no, this was a child whose face Ganondorf ingrained in his memory, the face of the child who ruined his plans all those years ago.
Flashback
Ganondorf was in chains on the throne room's floor, quaking in anger. "How did they figure it out…the princess? But I thought the fool ignored her thoughts". Ganondorf swept his gaze across the room, looking for the princess.
He saw several people, nobles, one of whom listing his crimes, the king, in all his 'glory' glaring from his throne. He then spotted the princess, standing next to a boy in a green tunic and her sheikah guard. When they saw him turn, the princess hid behind her guard, but the other one, the boy, returned the stare. Ganondorf wondered who the brat was that dared to look him in the eyes. The boy then gestured to himself, mouthing the words "You're welcome" and Ganondorf understood then who this boy was. He was the one who ruined his plans, the one who destroyed years of hard work and preparation. With a savage roar, Ganondorf charged at the boy. All but the boy in green stumbled away in fright. Ganondorf chain's stopped him just a few feet in front of the boy. He shook and glared at the boy in tranquil fury. The boy himself just looked on with an impassive gaze. His face changed though, his mouth, thin and straight, curved upward into a smug smirk, his eyes shining with triumph and glee. Then, to Ganondorf's (and the room's) utter shock, the boy spit in his face. Ganondorf was so appalled he didn't notice the guards rushing behind him until he was hit on the head, falling unconscious, his last sight, which would be forever burned in his memory, was that green-garbed boy with that insufferable smirk.
Present Day
Ganondorf was once more shaking with rage, a rage not felt in years. He pointed his sword at the boy, the same infuriating smirk on his face young face, "YOU!" he roared.
"Me!" the boy shouted in return.
Ganondorf made a wild lunge, but the boy had back flipped away. Ganondorf swung again, and again, registering nothing but his complete and utter contempt for the being before him. But none of his strikes rang true, the boy dodged them all, never losing his smirk. Ganondorf then charged up magic in his free hand, and let at loose at the boy. He wore a savage smile on his face, but it turned into a hateful sneer as he saw they had transformed into a knight again in time to block the strike. The knight just gazed at Ganondorf with calm determination, and a ghost of a smile. Ganondorf roared once more and charged, the two engaging in a fierce duel.
Both beings were certainly experts in the art of sword-play, but where Ganondorf had spent the passing years lounging around and letting others do his dirty work, Link had been honing his skills, and the lessons his gave his descendent certainly helped keep him sharp. All in all, though they were able to fend each other off, Link got in more strikes than Ganondorf, much to the latter's growing wrath. The two then engaged in a blade lock, foreheads touching as they each tried to gain the upper hand. Ganondorf snarled, "I will rend the flesh from your bones!"
Link wasn't phased, "In case you couldn't tell, time and some maggots beat you to the punch". Ganondorf gave a roar of fury, "Now, now," Link chided, "We are not mindless beasts. We should be able to hold polite and articulate conversation," Ganondorf was frothing.
Link ended the clash by head-butting Ganondorf. He recoiled, allowing Link to spin him around and put him in a headlock. "Now my son!" he yelled out to the other Link, who had managed to free the Master Sword from its prison with the aid princess Zelda, "Plunge your blade into this fiend's chest! Finish what I started ages ago!"
Ganondorf grew worried, and struggled to escape, but Link had an iron grip, "Grah! You fool!" He yelled, "The blade will pierce you as well, then we'll both be destroyed!" Link only tightened his grip. He would have thrashed more, but gasped as he felt holy steel pierce his abdomen, he followed the blade and saw the other boy holding the hilt with both hands, hate and triumph in his eyes. The arms holding him in place fell to the side, but he could only feel the pain coursing through his body. He turned around as he heard a thud, and saw that the shade had fallen off the blade, a hole in its chest.
Ganondorf started to stumble, but a glow began to emanate from the golden Triforce on Ganondorf's right hand, which all present noticed. He smiled before entering a raucous laugh. He was now looking to the heavens, as if mocking those that blessed him with this power. He continued on, but stopped, as he saw a vision of his servant, Zant. The Twilit looked at Ganondorf thoughtfully, before bending his neck sharply, a loud *crack* ensuing. Ganondorf soon started to choke, and the glow faded, then the mark, and then Ganondorf himself. Thus, the reign of terror that plagued Hyrule was over. Zelda clasped her hands together and bowed her head to pray for his soul, but the boy beside her rushed past the body to the shade behind him. Hero knelt next to hero, and the pair seemed to have a silent conversation that relayed both joy and sorrow. The shade then turned its head to a hill, and the hero followed its gaze. There, the four guardians of light were present, and a fourth figure, draped in a black cloak. The hero sucked in a breath; hope filling his eyes. He turned to the shade, who nodded in return, and began to run up the hill.
The princess came to the shade next, and knelt down in turn. "Thank you brave soul," she spoke, "Who are you, so that this land might remember your courage?"
The shade looked at her for a second, before giving a chuckle, "I my dear, am no one important". The shade gave a melancholy grin, and then vanished into smoke.
Line Break
Link found himself in the middle of a field. He looked around and saw that it went on for miles and miles. He was silent for a few moments, contemplating his current situation, before he spoke aloud, "For eternal damnation, this isn't as bad as I thought. Still though, I am alone," he gave bitter chuckle, "befitting I suppose". He would have lay down there, content to stay in that spot for all eternity, when a faint whinny caught his attention. Hope filling his heart, he turned to the source of the sound and saw, to his immense joy, Epona, HIS Epona, galloping towards him. He caught sight of a figure riding atop her, and started to cry tears of joy at the display of a familiar mane of fire-red hair flowing in the wind. Epona came to a stop right in front of him, and stood on her hind legs with a cry before stomping down. The woman atop, his beautiful wife, jumped off and tackled Link to the ground. They stayed there, embraced, before Link pulled her in front of him, and kissed her fiercely, passionately, an action she enthusiastically reciprocated. They were interrupted however, by an indignant whinny, and stopped their kiss to see Epona had turned the other direction, shaking her head at them to get moving.
They both laughed, and she got up first bending down to give Link a hand, "Let's go Fairy Boy. Everyone's waiting," Link was all too eager to take her hand.
A/N: Again, this is in no way related to my other LoZ story staring an undead OoT!Link. I just started to think about how the battle against Ganondorf would have gone if the Hero's Shade had decided to stick around after teaching TP!Link all his skills and, voilà.