The master sword clatters to the ground several feet away from Link's kneeling body. Fresh blood stains the green fabric around the long slice wound over the youth's arm. Link's eyes close with a wince fighting against the pain in his arm. He clutches his hand over the wound trying to stem the flow of blood.

A dark chuckle comes from in front of the boy and Link opens his bright blue eyes as he tilts his head upward. His gaze follows the tall form's figure up from the armored feet all the way up to the dark skinned face. The much older man's sinister expression framed by his long mane of red hair and golden crown adorned with a shining ruby. With a sword pointed at Link's face Ganondorf grins wickedly down at the young man.

"You are a fool to challenge me in your current state." Ganondorf's deep voice mocks the hero of hyrule. Link's eyes narrow in response, the words sting and cause his gut to tighten in anger. The pain from Ganondorf's words pales in comparison to the curse draining the life from his body. The fact that the young man, barely an adult, had made it this far in his quest was a miracle. Yet at the most crucial moment he had failed. Ganondorf's mighty swing of his giant blades cast Link's shield and sword from his grip. The youth's fingers gave under the pressure and let the shining sword of evil's bane slide far out of his reach.

The boy's blue eyes turn from the dark king to find his weapon laying several feet away from him on the stone floor. His brows furrows in frustration, he considers making a mad dash over the throne room floor to snatch it back into his grip. As if sensing his intentions Ganondorf presses the tip of his dark, cold, steel sword to Link's cheek. A droplet of crimson drips onto the black metal.

"Don't even think about it, boy." Ganondorf puts extra emphasis on the last word. "You have no idea how long I have waited for this moment." The king of evil pulls back his sword just enough to see the thin cut over the youth's fair skin. Link growls and rubs the back of his hand over the wound. Blood smears over his cheek as he glares at the Gerudo.

A loud and dark laugh bellows from Ganondorf's mouth echoing off of the throne room walls. Link stops himself from shuddering as he takes labored breaths at Ganondorf's feet. The laughter enveloping his heightened sense of hearing, and his long hylian ear bend back in disgust. The room was dark, low light coming from the tall stained glass windows that lined the walls. The crackling torches gave the two men enough light to focus their gazes on each other. The flames flicker and shadows dance over their faces as they stare each other down.

"It is time that this all came to an end." Ganondorf grins down at the boy. Link could tell the larger man was enjoying this in a sick and twisted way. The king of evil's amber eyes stare right into his own, and he could see the devilish red light glowing bright from behind them. An intense malice bubbling to the surface as Ganondorf raises his sword high over his head.

Time seems to slow for both men. Seconds feel like minutes as Ganondorf draws out the final blow. All it would take is a single deliberate swing of his sword and the youth's head would roll. The thin boy's neck wouldn't even offer a challenge. Link's eyes shut as he racks his mind for something, anything to get out of this situation. Deep down he knows his body has betrayed him, his strength tapped from the clash of swords. He had fought Ganondorf for far too long. This damn curse he thinks to himself, if only he never ran into that sorcerer Vaati.

Although Link briefly loses himself to his thoughts, he comes to the realization that he is still alive. With curiosity he opens his eyes to look at the king of evil. Ganondorf stands where he was, sword raised high, poised and ready. Why did he pause?

"I was going to wait until you finished the boy but since you can't make up your mind…" Comes a voice from behind Ganondorf, towards the raised throne. Ganondorf's amber eyes dart away from Link, his head turns to see where the familiar voice is coming from. "I'll just finish him afterwards."

Link's eyes go wide with surprise, as does Ganondorf's. The larger man begins to turn around but he is too slow. A bright arc of dark violet energy springs from the figure's fingertips and strikes Ganondorf's body. The tall muscular gerudo warrior cries out in immense pain that ravages his entire body. Both of his dark swords clang against the stone floor as his hands grip his own head.

"Don't bother trying to fight it." Ghirahim chuckles as he steps down from the raised throne into the torch light. Ganondorf's eyes fix on the slender, flamboyant man. Ghirahim's scarlet cape sways with the force of his spell showing more of his form hugging white unitard underneath. Diamond shaped holes cut into the fabric exposing his gray skin. With a roar the gerudo's eyes turn red, his face twisting with malice as his body strains against the spell to move. Ghirahim responds by using both hands to channel the spell, even more violet tendrils of energy arc out to the king of evil causing the powerful warrior to buckle under the pain.

"You were always so stubborn. So inflexible about what you wanted. I told you time, and time again to just kill the boy before anything else. But you had your own ideas." Ghirahim speaks out, his gaze focuses on Ganondorf as the proud king takes a knee to stop himself from falling to the floor. Link notices that no attention is on him and begins to act. His arms and legs strain to move, the youth begging his sore and aching muscles to listen to him. Slowly he crawls over the floor towards his sword.

"I remember your words very clearly. The plan to wait until the 'hero'..." Ghirahim continues as a stray arc of violet energy strikes the ground near Link. The young man to pauses in his slow crawl. "Was at his full strength, when the people of Hyrule's hope was at it's peak, and to crush it. So that no fight would be left in their hearts. Then you could sit on the throne and rule over them all uncontested."

Link grits his teeth hearing Ghirahim's words. Anger boiling up from the youth's gut as he glares at both of the men he had fought against. His eyes drift upwards a moment and sees a large pink crystal hovering above them all. His fingers clench into a fist as he reminds himself what he was fighting for. He has to set Zelda free from Ganon's enchantment. He only hopes she can't see or hear everything happening right now.

As Ghirahim continues Link is more deliberate with his moments. The young man sneaking over the cold stone floor. "And so I waited for this moment, preparing myself to relieve you of your gifts. You are no longer worthy of his strength." Through all the pain and anger Ganondorf can't hide his confusion at Ghirahim's words. With a loud cry the Gerudo's head tilts all the way back and he screams his throat hoarse as Ghirahim's spell goes into it's final stage.

Link grips his sword tight in his hand and looks on in horror as the violet energy appears to be tearing Ganondorf in half. The gerudo's body warps and twists gruesomely and it looks as if there is another man inside the king pushing it's way out of him. Ghirahim grins wickedly from ear to ear. He raises his arms up high drawing out the full extent of the spell's power. Dark clouds fill the sky and form a swirling vortex of evil over the roof of hyrule castle. Black sparks dance between the clouds and fills the hearts of every person who see them with dread.

With a flash, a massive ebony lighting bolt tore through the roof the castle and strikes where Ganondorf stands. The force of the blast tosses everything aside shattering every window, and snuffing out all light.

The dust begins to settle and as Link's eyes regain focus he sees a giant figure rise from the smoke. The young man's lips part to gasp but no sound comes out. He thinks it is Ganondorf for a moment but realizes they are much too big. The figure was nearly twice the gerudo's size. With a single swing of it's arm the giant figure scattered all dust from the air around itself clearing the room.

"Master, you've returned." Ghirahim spoke respectfully as he kneels in front of the giant demon. "Long have I been awaiting your return, Demise." When Ghirahim's words left his lips, Demise's hair springs from his head. The long tendrils of flickering fire crawling all the way down to his back and light up the room for all to see. Although he has the shape of a man, he looks like a demon. His skin is covered in red and black scales and his face looks like it's made of stone and fire. Demise curls his fingers in front of his face before forming a fist with a wicked grin.

"You have done well my servant." Demise speaks in a dark and sinister tone as his eyes move from Ghirahim to the unconscious body of Ganondorf. Link follows the demon's gaze and sees the gerudo laid out over the stone floor motionless. He can't help but wonder if Ganondorf was alive. Fear crawls up his spine and fills his body to clutch his heart. In this moment Link wants nothing more than to run away. To get as far away from this strange demon as quickly as he could but his body feels as heavy and stiff as stone.

"Master, now you can finally have your greatest wish. The destruction of all of hyrule and the death of the chosen." Ghirahim lifts his head and turns his gaze towards Link. The boy can't do anything as he feels Demise's fiery red eyes land on him. He recognizes the same malice and hatred from Ganondorf's gaze. Now it was stronger, it glowed brighter and was fixed on him.

"Yes, at last." Demise grins showing off his sharp jagged teeth. "But, where is the other?" He turns his gaze away from Link for a moment and suddenly a darkness washes over Link's vision. Link's eyelids grow heavy and his body feels weightless. The young man's eyes close and darkness takes him. His body falls limp and he feels a brief sensation of sinking before losing consciousness.


A dark and dreary landscape he has never seen before. The sky a deep black that melts into gray near pools of bright orange. The sky under the barren rocky land glows brightly of amber and flecks of shadow seem to drift upward from the ground towards the sky.

"Where am I?" Link asks aloud, his voice sounds hoarse to his own long ears. With his fingers he massages his neck gently and takes a few moments to look himself over. He is still wearing his favorite green tunic, chainmail, snug leather boots, and gauntlets. Despire wearing all his armor he could tell that he was battered and bruised. Ganondorf really gave him a beating.

A low groan nearby startles Link and he gets up onto his knees. His head turns towards the noise and sees the king of evil himself laid out over the ground next to him. That's right, he thinks. The battle and then Ghirahim kneeling next to… Demise? Link struggles to think with his exhausted mind. The very thought of the large demon sends shudders down his spine. He searches all around but there's nothing to see except the rocky landscape. As far as Link can tell it's just him and Ganondorf. What had happened to the other two, and how did he get here?

Link's bright blue eyes watch Ganondorf. With a sigh he wonders if the larger man had any answers and if he would even give them willingly. Ganondorf grunts and his eyes slowly open surprising the youth. Link quickly finds his sword nearby and grips it in his hand. The young man watches as Ganondorf pushes himself upright with his arms, and takes in his surroundings. His eyes drift over and fix on Link, the young man holds his sword at the ready.

"Why are we here?" Ganondorf asks the boy. His voice sounds hoarse, raspy, and deep. Link blinks in surprise as he blankly stares into Ganondorf's golden eyes. The two men stare at each other for a minute taking in each other's expressions. Link watches as Ganondorf looks at him with a look of confusion he had never seen on the man before, which only makes the youth more puzzled at his current situation.

"You didn't bring us here?" The young man asks aloud, a bit of accusation to his tone. He watches as Ganondorf's expression becomes more complex, a mixture of emotions that the boy struggles to read. "Did you?!" he presses loudly after a minute of silence.

"No." the larger man responds with a sharp tone. His gaze drifts to the horizon as his expression turns pensive.

"Well, I don't know what is going on but I'm still not going to let you have your way." Link gets to his feet shakily. His legs are unsteady but he finds strength buried deep within himself. Somehow standing with sword at the ready facing the gerudo. He draws in labored breath as he stands staring at Ganondorf and the older man acts as if doesn't hear him. "Just because I'm cursed-"

"Shut up." Ganondorf barks so abruptly Link's words get caught in his throat. The large gerudo warrior gets to his feet with much more difficulty then Link expected. Just how much had that spell affected the man? Link thinks as anger raises raises from his stomach and his face grows hot. "I'm not going to give up!" He shouts at the taller man but Ganondorf doesn't even flinch. The king of evil looks around himself for something and quickly snatches up one of his blades that was on the ground. Link's grip on his sword tightens and the tip turns to Ganon. With a frustrated sigh Ganondorf gives up on finding his other blade and turns to Link. With a stern gaze the gerudo warrior sheathes his blade with a loud click. Link looks dumbfounded as the sword goes slack in his grip and he boggles at his sworn enemy.

"What are you doing?" He balks at the older man.

"Conserving my energy. We are in the twilight realm, there are beasts crawling these lands eager to tear our flesh from our bones. If either of us have any hope of surviving we can't be caught exhausted from fighting each other." Ganondorf spoke calmly, without anger or fear. The older man had a poise and elegance to him Link had never seen before. He could hardly believe this was the same wicked king that nearly sliced his head from his body.

With a thoughtful hum vibrating the gerudo's throat he scans the landscape as Link let himself rest leaning on his sword. The youth unwilling to sheath his weapon. Was this a trick? Ganon aimed to make him think that he wasn't planning on fighting and then stab him in the back? Link massages the bridge of his nose in thought as Ganondorf walked around the immediate area. Each heavy step tests Link's nerves worrying it could be the last thing he hears.

"The castle should be in this direction." Ganon's words rouse Link from his thoughts and the young man lifts his head and stares at the older man.

"How do you know?" Link asks as curiosity.

With a pained grunt Ganon responds. "I was trapped here for a long time." His golden eyes stare at link, his expression seemed frustrated, tired, and.. sad? Link shakes his head in confusion, and doesn't move from his spot despite the expectant gaze on him.

"Then go!" Link barks at the Gerudo, tired of those eyes staring at him.

"That would be foolish, boy!" Ganondorf emphasis the last word, his voice grows louder with frustration.

"I can take care of myself!" Link shouts back feeling a deep anger boil over hearing Ganon call him a boy with that tone again. He really was the same man Link thinks, nearly shaking as he clutches his sword.

"Don't be stup-" Ganondorf growls.

Both men stop as they realize all their shouting has drawn attention. From behind a nearby boulder a strange dark beast emerges. Almost human in shape, but where it's head would be there is a strange flat mask covered in strange etchings and a single eye. The creature turns to the pair, and lets out a strange and terrible howl Link didn't know any living thing could make. The youth covers his ears to muffle the noise. The howl felt like sandpaper over his eardrums. Dozens of black tendrils dance around the mask as it gets down on all fours, and the creature takes off in a mad dash toward the two men.

Ganondorf is quick to react, he extends his hand out focusing and pauses. No powers answer his call and his hand remains bare. He stares at his empty palm in confusion while the beast charges towards Link. To the gerudo's surprise, the boy deftly rolls out of the way of the beast. He manages to avoid the outstretched arms aiming to tackle him to the ground. Impressive considering his current state, Ganondorf thinks. With a howl the beast turns it's mask to the gerudo and sprints faster than the hulking man can avoid. Ganondorf blocks the beast's arms with the side of his blade as they attempt to strike at the man's armored body.

Link sees a chance to strike, his sword at the ready. He takes a step toward the beast but his heart flutters and his body seizes up. His eyes go wide as he feels his body convulse and warp. Pain sprouts from every limb and joint as they crack and twist. Link's mouth opens in a scream but the voice he hears is strange to his ears. The tone grows deep and shifts into more of a howl he had heard on dark nights in hyrule field.

Ganondorf manages to hold the best off but struggles. He notices the strikes he had managed to land on the beast glanced off. It feels as if his strength has left him and he is only a fraction of the man he was. The beast spots an opening on Ganondorf's side, where once the gerudo would have blocked with his missing twin sword, he receives a blow to his head instead. The warrior is sent reeling in pain, his armored boots dragging over the rough ground. This isn't good Ganondorf thinks as he winces. Crimson blood begins to leak from his scalp and soak into his mane of red hair. The black twilight beast bares down on the gerudo. Ganondorf has to close one of his eyes as blood trickles down his forehead and over his cheek. He hears a strange noise, another beast? The dark creature in front of him reels back screaming in pain, Ganon can barely make out some dark gray fur behind the beast as he takes his chance. He thrusts his blade forward carving clean into the beast and silencing the horrible scream. A loud thud and scattering of dust, and the dark beast lays motionless.

The monster seems to just melt, but instead of soaking into the ground it drizzled upwards towards the dark sky. Ganondorf spits on the ground before jabbing his blade into the dirt and resting on it. His golden eyes staring at some sort of wolf that stood on all fours opposite him. It's fur an interesting pattern of dark grey and white, and on the back it bristled up oddly. A look of confusion came over his face as he looked the furred beast over before fixing in on those bright blue eyes. It clicked in the older man's mind and he let out a low sigh of realization.

"Try not to be too alarmed. It happened to me as well, when I first came here." He explains to the wolf. "Though the form I took was quite different."

The wolf lets out a sharp bark before shaking its muzzle. With a puzzled look the wolf spins and tries to look over itself. Ganondorf lets out a warm chuckle, something about the wolf spinning around confused was so… cute. The wolf stops when he hears the laughter and stares angrily at Ganon. A low growl comes from the wolf's muzzle making ganondorf think carefully about his words.

"I understand that you don't trust me, and to be honest I don't blame you. The truth is that I need your help just as much as you need mine. I don't like it but to survive I need you to stick with me." Ganondorf waited staring at Link's new form trying to read the wolf's expression, but it was much more difficult. The wolf just sits in front of Ganondorf with narrow eyes.

"I know how you could be turned back to normal." Ganon speaks slowly, he was glad to see a change in expression on the wolf's face.

Link's eyes open wider and he lets out a sharp few barks at the large gerudo warrior.

"I will tell you, but only if you help me get somewhere safe." His voice taking a stern tone. "Even if I could understand you there is no negotiating this, take it or leave it."

The wolf growls softly at Ganon's words, then begins to think. His paws padding over the ground leaving tracks in the dust as he paces back and forth.

Ganondorf begins to worry that he will just trot off exposing them both to being hunted older man hopes that the boy can see reason despite everything he had put him through.

After some time the wolf simply fixes his gaze on Ganon and sits in front of him. The older man lets out a long sigh of relief. He yanks his sword from the ground and sheathes it. With a nod towards the wolf he begins to walk in the direction he thinks the castle is. The soft pattering of link's paws behind him coaxed a small smile to curl on Ganon's lips. He was thankful the boy decided to trust him at least this much. Now they only need to survive the journey to twilight castle, Ganon thinks to himself.