The room was quiet; deathly so. The great, massive windows that loomed above on the high walls displayed the dark, stormy sky outside; the ground below consisting of molten lava and wastelands. That was the view one would see from Ganondorf's Fortress, of course. Skulls and ash littered the beaten, black earth, but the young Hero of Time was from far from such an area.
Boots echoing as they thumped against the smooth, ornate gold flooring, the blonde winced in time with the sound. Blue eyes desperately tried to pick through the darkness to find his foe; at least something. The sword of evil's bane weighed heavy in his gloved hand, adjusted on the rare occasion, but mostly kept where it was; the tip close to the ground. The white blade seemed to emit a slight glow, though it wasn't enough to light the dark room. It couldn't even pierce through the cloak of shadows that threatened to swallow him up all around him.
As thunder rumbled and lightning streaked across the sky, Link spun. Sword snapping up to attention, his nerves were frayed as he breathed heavily and glanced about frantically. What good was he in this state of panic? With this shroud of darkness, Ganondorf could easily slice him in half and end it all. A frown firmly tugged at Link's lips at this thought. Then why hadn't Ganondorf done it already? Now was the opportune moment.
Link looked around the immense throne room; lightning briefly lightning it up but not long enough for him to spot the Evil King. He knew the older man was here; otherwise he wouldn't be feeling so anxious. A shiver ran down Link's spine at the terror-filled thought of being pounced upon from behind. Paranoid, he looked behind him; seeing nothing. Hyrule would be doomed if he failed in his mission. Who would become her savior?
"Greetings, Hero of Time," rumbled a terribly familiar voice with a cocky edge; sending Link spinning towards the sound. Feline-like eyes glinted from the shadows maliciously; the golden hue of the monster's irises shining like miniature beacons. Link firmed his grasp around his sword; ready to cut the gleaming blade through the man's very being.
"Ganondorf," he responded in turn; managing to steady his voice though it threatened to crack. All he could see were those malicious eyes; summing him up as to where Link could do no such thing. He couldn't see the King of Evil, but it felt like Ganon could see him. The man's heated gaze burned through clothing and flesh, seemingly seeing into his very soul and sending the Hero into a cold sweat. Heart constricted and chest tight, he tried to breathe normally. It was hard to ignore his fears.
While Link struggled to conceal his frights, Ganondorf was quite relaxed. Shifting the weighty gilded sword in his hand so that its weight was better balanced, he also took the time to observe the Hero that was meant to slay him. Even the slightest tremble caught his eye, though he could barely see through the darkness. But it was just enough to see Link; Ganondorf already accustomed to the shadows while the blonde still blindly stared into nothing.
A low chuckle was emitted and Link tensed up once more; bracing his shield against his chest as he readied for attack. ."You seem terrified, little Hero," Ganondorf noted with a touch of amusement in his tone. "Even through the shadows your trembling form is clear to my eyes." Link gritted his teeth at this remark; feeling the Master Sword slip a little due to the sweat permeating through his gloves. He adjusted its position before giving a sharp, biting remark in his own defense.
"Perhaps I am trembling from frustration? I come here expecting a fight to decide the fate of Hyrule, and you instead decide to banter?" growled Link, lifting the Master Sword a little. His weapon felt suddenly heavy, along with his shield; tense muscles not helping the circumstances. Ganondorf gave a snort of amusement; a humorous glint to his eyes.
"The dog has bite," the King of Evil remarked in mock surprise, Link's eyes narrowing with hatred. "Tell me, mutt, why is it that you pursue this journey?" Ganondorf promptly implored before Link could voice his offense. Eyes remaining narrowed and steadfast in their burning dislike for the King, the younger man snarled. "Because you will cause the destruction of this beautiful land if I don't! I can't let that happen!"
Ganondorf didn't seem to be satisfied with this answer; made clear by his expression when lightning crashed once more, the yellow electricity forking around the black sky. "But was it originally your decision to partake upon this mission?" Link frowned. That question seemed to shock him for the moment. He hadn't originally chosen to come along this journey. If anything, he had been quite happy to remain in the Kokiri Forest; his home. Even though he would soon have to grow up and leave, being a Hylian, he would have rather been there rather than here. But Ganon wasn't done speaking quite yet. "Did you choose to lose all those years of childhood, Hero? You are but a child in the flesh of a man."
Link bristled despite how true the statement was. It had taken nearly the entire journey for him to finally mature from his childish mindset, but even now he wasn't entirely adult. He was still ten at heart, and in mind. Despite the gained knowledge and intelligence over time, he felt lost in the world that bordered his Forest. Link's grasp on his sword loosened due to thought.
That was a grave mistake, for the moment this occurred; Ganon lunged. Brutally slashing upward, it didn't take much force from the stronger man to knock the Master Sword from the Hero's hand with his own blade. Surprised, Link gasped at the sound of the weapon spiraling through the air; painfully clear. The following noise of blade sinking into concrete announced that the Master Sword had embedded itself in the floor some distance away. While distracted with the loss of his sword, it didn't take much to wrench away the Hero's mostly useless shield. Now blatantly shivering with fright, Link felt vulnerable in the darkness. He didn't know where his sword was to fetch it, and even then, the King of Evil stood directly before him.
Link froze as he heard a blade be shoved back into its scabbard. Trying to see Ganondorf, Link could only see a little bit of him; his eyes only a tiny bit used to the shadows. Black armor with intricate designs kept him well-concealed in the darkness while protecting a broad, muscular body. When Link squinted in focus, he caught sight of a cocky smirk quirking the man's lip. "Not so fierce now without your toothpick of a sword, huh, boy?" chuckled Ganondorf darkly; eyes gleaming. Before Link could properly respond, most likely with a comeback, a hand suddenly wrapped itself around his throat; releasing a sputtering gasp instead.
Clutching at Ganondorf's grasp and struggling in vain, Link squeaked as the hand constricted; its hold firming itself around his neck. After a little while of thrashing and pushing at Ganondorf with no results, Link admitted defeat; acknowledging that the King was too strong to shove away with brute strength as he ceased. Beginning to see dancing colors in his vision as a lack of oxygen finally got to him, Link looked weakly at where the King was; at least able to see him better face to face due to Ganondorf holding him up. "So feisty," grunted the King, his tone dry. "A persistent pest like you should be exterminated."
Link shivered at the concept; still awake enough to understand what that meant. Death. To be killed after his long journey. After all that success, it was only meant for him to be killed? Tears prickled the backs of Link's eyes, but he couldn't find the energy to give one last struggle. The only thing he could do was hang loosely, like a rag doll, from Ganondorf's grasp. Shuddering at the thought of dying so early in life once more, Link listened as Ganondorf resumed speaking.
"And yet, you are the only one that could possibly provide a challenge. If you weren't prancing about, my empire would have been built and made perfect in a matter of days," Ganondorf added in observation, his grip somewhat loosened on Link's throat, but only enough to let the Hero breath in with a sharp gasp. "I could end your pitiful parade here and now. 'Hero of Time?' Bah! Nothing but a senseless puppet guided along by the do-gooders of society."
Ganondorf spat on the ground in contempt before sending Link a steely glance. The Hero tensed warily, enough blood flowing back up to his brain for him to realize the situation. He was vulnerable, and it would be unwise to give any wise-crack responses, even if that would be an 'honorable' way to go down as a fighter. Link would rather keep his life, and still be able to save Hyrule. Thus, he said nothing.
Ganondorf continued on after waiting several moments for the blonde to speak. Instead of waiting for Link to respond in remark, he posed a question so that he would have to. "Tell me, o Great Hero," Ganondorf began, his tone laced with disdain and containing a touch of sarcasm. "Was it you who decided to help all those people with silly tasks meant for a child? Why is it that you come here to my castle, to try and obstruct what I plan? For all you may know, I could make Hyrule twice as beautiful as it is now. I could serve as a god, and the people would live in prosperity."
A little frown ghosted over Link's lips. What Ganondorf said made sense, but how could he believe his words? He was the King of Thieves; wielding a skilled tongue that was trained in the art of lying. He couldn't be trusted. And yet…
Link swallowed hard; his mouth dry. "Yes," he mewed weakly, still having that constrictive hand at his throat. "I… I decided to do all those things… And I am doing what is right. You weren't meant for the throne." Ganondorf's eyes gleamed with rage, though they settled back down just as suddenly as he let loose a dark, unforgiving chuckle. Link shivered with fright.
"Heh. Still persistent in the false fact that you chose this destiny full of horrors?" Ganondorf clucked his tongue in chiding. "You are not one of the Goddesses; how do you know that I was not meant for the throne of Hyrule?" Link wisely kept quiet. He couldn't exactly prove his words, though he remained steady in his beliefs. Feeling a rising sense of uncertainty, Link merely dangled from the grasp of the stronger, larger man; hands clutching at Ganondorf's own hand that held him fast. Ganondorf carried on when Link remained mute. "Well, I will tell you this: I was practically born to be the King of this land. Not just the Gerudo Valley," growled Ganondorf, his voice throaty with a dark undertone. "I was born to expand the land, and to make Hyrule ultimate. A brilliant empire that could easily take over rivaling kingdoms; to broaden our territories. With myself in control, there would be more farmland, and more room for populations to grow and blossom. Perhaps, even, we would advance in our current state of intelligence."
The thought sounded quite good to Link. Ganondorf's words flowed like milk and honey, luring him away from his own beliefs towards the King's. But Link quickly struggled back to return to his former mindset; having difficulty with remaining on track. Seeing the confliction in the Hero's foggy blue eyes, Ganondorf smirked some more. Link was quick to correct what he figured the King was thinking; though he had to gasp a little for air.
"I will never change my mind," hissed the Hero, pawing at the thick hand that kept him suspended within midair. "Ne- Graagh!" Link gave a squeal of indignation as Ganondorf gave him a minor shake; rattling the Hero.
"Stop talking nonsense, boy," Ganondorf ordered sharply; Link dazed from being shaken so he just gave a weak nod as the Gerudian Thief went on. "If you think that the path you are taking is indeed the correct one, you are delusional." Ganondorf paused for a moment before giving Link a look of contempt; lightning streaking across the sky and bringing attention to the shadows that outlined the grooves of his face.
"Then again, you are nothing but a child. No adversary of mine should be so pathetic," scoffed the King, Link stiffening in offense. But he couldn't exactly voice his dislike, for Ganondorf tightened his hold once more to prevent Link from doing so. "It should be clear even to your own clouded, misguided eyes that you are not even close to being my equal. The only reason I allowed you to wander this far was for you to get stronger, and yet that didn't seem to be quite enough."
Link gasped gratefully as Ganondorf finally eased his steely grip, taking in large gulps of air; only to choke on them. "Pathetic," Ganondorf muttered again to himself; voice dripping with his hatred for the supposed Hero. Such a weakling.
Before Link had time to react, he was brutally thrown to the ground; stunned by the harsh impact. "Come back when you are confident, and ready," bit out the Gerudo; voice venomous. "Otherwise, I will not be so merciful in letting you escape." Link, just as he had straightened, watched in horror as the man he was supposed to kill summoned a great black hole; where it led unknown to the blonde. While Ganondorf stood at its side, the hole being just as large as he, Link felt its pull on his clothes. Of course, his hat was promptly torn from his head; flying into the black abyss. Ganondorf's expression was stoic; the room lighted up by the black hole's vivid, bright purple outlining.
The Master Sword, which had peacefully rested sunk deep in the floor, was wrenched from its place; spinning wildly as it was soon devoured by the hole. The last thing to go was Link, and Link was quite determined not to be sent to whatever place the abyss led. Gauntleted hands clawing at the floor for any kind of grip, his expression contorted itself into one of determination; and frustration as he lost the battle.
Finally, tired from clawing at the floor only to be stubbornly yanked back by the black hole, Link admitted defeat with a low grunt, and let go. There wasn't even enough time to react emotionally, whether by sending a silent, desperate prayer to the Goddesses or even feel a snippet of fear. It was only a matter of seconds before he went to the same place the sword of evil's bane and his hat had gone. Feeling as if he falling down a massive canyon and still falling, he managed to look up to where Ganondorf's castle was visible.
But the abyss was beginning to close, this made apparent when Ganondorf stepped in front of the hole; untouched by its pull as he began to seal it. The King wore a smirk as Link began to lose sight of him as the hole closed; still falling. "Don't come back until you are confident," echoed Ganondorf, and then everything went black. Throat too constricted to even allow himself a final scream, Link just subdued himself to whatever may come as he fell down, down, down…
Author's Note:
Hey, guys o3o Zombie here. This is my very first fanfic, and so, uh, I don't know what I should be saying xD This might be continued, depending on my mood and inspiration level. I just randomly started writing some time ago close to midnight, and this is where it got me. See any errors? Feel free to point them out, and I'll figure out how to fix it. P: I'm still learning my way around here~ Thanks!