The Legend of Zelda: The Lost Relic
Chapter 1
The First Final Fight
The rain unleashed from the heavens. Echoing the tumbling chunks of Ganon's fortress as Link and Zelda sprinted and sprung from rock to rock, descending the outside wall of the castle.
Zelda lets out a yelp as she trips on the front of her dress and lands hard on her left knee. In an instant Link's singed sleeveless arm loops around her waist and hoists her into a run.
The crashing and rumbling of the castle ceases as Link and Zelda make it to a small clearing. Link, bent double with his hands on his knees and panting with his eyes locked on the ruined heap, and Zelda, sitting with her hands behind her - blood seeping through the left portion of her skirt - watch and wait as an eerie silence rents the air.
Nothing but their soft slowing pants are heard in the silence. Link turns to the princess. She looks so regal, even covered in dust and dirt. She turns to him and smiles. Her lips part to form a word but they are quickly silenced by a roar as the ruined pile of stone and metal begins to leak a bright light through the gaps.
Suddenly Ganondorf's body, eyes bright like fire, bursts from the heap and lets free a hearty roar. A bright light engulfs the pair and Link has to shield his eyes. A few seconds pass and the light fades. Link removes his hands from his face at the sound of Zelda's gasp.
Before him, around 50 feet away, stands a giant beast. Features like that of a pig, a bull and a nightmare.
Ganon.
It stands, furious red eyes locked on Link, and grunts as it summons two giant, fiery blades from thin air.
"I've got the Triforce of Courage. For the sake of Hyrule, I can do this." Link thinks to himself, although it doesn't quell the fear that's drowning his heart.
A heartbeat passes as Ganon picks up a hunk of rock and hurls it at Link. Link's fear threatens to grip him and he hesitates. As the last second draws near he dives from the projectile's path but is too slow.
The rock collides with his shield, breaking the shield's surface into shards of steel. A pain unlike no other tears through Link's body. The hylian shield's strap slips from his grasp and Link roars as he slams hard into the ground. His ears still ringing from the impact.
The hero stands on his feet, knees shaking, and glances down at his arm. It's clearly broken as it hangs limp by his side. Gritting his teeth through the pain, he glances back at Zelda. He can barely see her tear-streaming face through the blanket of fire. His eyes follow the flame barrier around the battlefield until they rest on Ganon.
Ganon. His massive frame sillouetted against the infernal backdrop.
Link's eyes drop to the Master Sword in his left hand. The Triforce symbol on it's hilt is shining in unison with the same symbol on his hand. A moment of pride washes over him and envelopes him in adrenaline. He looks to Ganon, the beast's nostrils flaring.
With a scream he runs at the beast and dives with his sword.
Ganon merely swipes his sword and the flat edge bats Link away like a fly. Landing on his face, and again feeling the pain shoot through his body from his arm, he quickly gets to his feet. The warrior spits the bloody tasting liquid from his mouth and notices two teeth fly free.
"The light arrows Link! Hit him with the light arrows to stun him! Stun him, then I can use my power to hold him!" Zelda screams from behind the barricade.
"I can't! My arm's is broken!" Link shouts, his mouth filling with blood as he looks to his useless appendage.
Link drops to his knee as his tunic now heavy with the weight of the rain. Ganon's laugh echoes throughout the area.
"Silly boy! Stupid, stupid boy! You're nothing but a kid! You're not worth my time little one. You're not worthy of the Triforce! Hahaha!" Ganon laughs in an otherworldly voice.
Suddenly Link spots something. His tail! The tail has no armour or tough skin! Ganon is still laughing hard to himself, revelling in the moment. Link looks at the Master Sword and back at Ganon's tail.
Without thinking and without hesitation, Link raises his arm and throws the Master Sword as hard and as true as he can. Willing it to find it's target. He falls over from the throw, his body now weak, and lands face skyward. His eyes closing against the barrage of rain.
A loud bellow of pain tells him he has hit his target.
"Not a moment to lose!" he thinks to himself as he quickly stands up and sprints for his weapon. It's hilt still visible, protruding from the fleshy tail.
There is as crackle of energy and Ganon's enormous form falls to the ground as if pinned by an invisible giant hand.
"Quickly Link! I have him! Deal the final blow!" Zelda shouts through gritted teeth, her voice seeming as if it's miles away. Her hands are raised and her dress is flapping as if a heavy wind has taken effect through the arena.
Link pulls the sword from the monster's tail with a groan and trudges upto Ganon's face.
Looking at him now - the all powerful Ganon - he looks like a scared little wolfos pup.
Link shakes his head. Was that sympathy for Ganon? The hero pulls back his sword, ready to deal the killing blow when something happens. Something strage: Link thinks of Malon. The farm girl. One of his best friends. He remembers playing with the horses at her stable. He remembers running around Lon Lon ranch with her from morning until sunset and it stirs something in him.
A sense of longing.
He hesitates. Master Sword in hand, hovering as his eyes get lost in a memory
"Link! Do it! End this!" Navi screams as she lands on the hilt of the sword as if trying to push it into Ganon's head herself but to no avail due to her minute frame.
The sound of Zelda screaming as the last of her energy is spent sobers Link up.
The Hero gathers his thoughts.
He thrusts forwards and Ganon's teeth lock around his elbow.
The sound of flesh tearing and teeth smashing together are accompanied by Zelda's scream of horror. Standing petrified with the beasts jaws clamped around his elbow, Link's eyes open wide in terror as Ganon pulls back, severing his arm in half and without uttering even a sigh, The Hero of Time stares at the stump which used to be his left arm. His mouth open, aghast, not even breathing.
Refusing to believe what he is seeing.
Navi, his arm and the Master Sword. Gone.
A black border appears at the edge of his sight, threatens to engulf his vision, and lingers.
Time stands still as Ganon swallows. Then the pain comes to him.
Link was hardly aware when Zelda had grabbed him from behind and started running with him, his eyes still glazed and his mind still flooded with disbelief. He ran beside her, but would occasionaly deter to the side through shock. But he dare not let it consume him.
The pain coursing through his body only slightly numbed by his desire to flee the scene.
Ganon had picked his frozen form up and hurled him at the flame barrier. He had flew so fast into it that he had torn straight through it. Zelda had picked up his tired, bloodied, one armed body and pulled him into a run.
Together they ran in unison, Link with a tear of material from the hem of Zelda's skirt wrapped around his bloody limb. They reached the entrance to Lon Lon Ranch in less than half an hour, although it felt like a million years to Link. Malon came rushing from the doorway to the stable at the sound of Zelda's pleas for assistance.
She wore her usual white dress while her crimson hair curled around her neck and down over her left shoulder. Her face white and shock stricken at the sight of Link's bloodied and beaten body.
Link's eyes grow blurry with tears at the sight of her.
"Malon. Hi." he says with a uneven smile as conciousness leaves him. He falls to the gravel, face first, surprising Zelda and Malon both into yelping his name.
"Link!" Malon cried as she raced towards his unconscious body. Zelda turned her back to them, allowing Malon her moment with Link. She had always know there was a connection between the farm girl and the hero.
The Hero. Zelda looked out of the front gate to the ranch at the looming shadow that dwelt over Castle Town, allowing a small sigh escape her lips. She would have to run from Hyrule, start a new life in hiding. Zelda had dreamt of this day since she was first chased from Hyrule castle by Ganondorf. The ending was always different in her dreams though.
Zelda sighed again as she turned towards the couple on the ground not too far from her. Leaving this all behind will be hard. Hard, but necessary.
And so ends the story of the Hero of Time. Link and Malon married and bored children whilst Zelda moved away from Hyrule to bare her own legacy.
Ganon disappeared shortly after the battle but his evil presence lingered and changed Hyrule into a wealth driven society. Noblemen rule over the poor and the poor populate Hyrule.
Every tree was cut down, every river and lake dried up and every inch of countryside converted into a place of commerce.
The land was then known as Hyrule City.
Our story starts 400 years after The Great Sage war, as our hero Link awakens in his bedroom in Hyrule Castle laying next to a beautiful young girl. Named Zelda.