This first chapter is basically a novelization of "Shining Beacon" from the Hyrule Warriors story mode. A lot of these first three chapters take a lot of direct quotes from the game itself to keep it as true to the original source material as possible, but I added a lot of dialogue to build up Lana's personality, as it is set in her point of view for these chapters.

The portion in this chapter that is completely unique is what happens with Volga, which builds up more of the character for later scenes in the story, as I believe Volga to be a character worth having a part in a greater story. One could skip this chapter entirely, or at least go to the end for the scene with Volga, and it would still be clear for the next few chapters. This chapter was meant solely to introduce characters, especially to those who are unfamiliar with the story of Hyrule Warriors.

Unlike many of the fanfictions which I have read, the romance between Link and Lana will not come to fruition until much later in the story. The story is about the development of their feelings towards each other. Lana at the beginning has already given up hope that she and Link can ever be together, but as fate would have it, their lives change as nobody could have guessed.


"We have entered the Valley of Seers, but our forces are split between the east and west," said Zelda. She was the beautiful princess of Hyrule, and at this great time of turmoil she led her people in war against the dark sorceress, Cia. She was clad in what could best be described as a battle dress, an outfit still befitting of a princess, yet clearly intended for use in battle. She wielded a very eloquent looking rapier at the head of an army of gorons and Hyrulean soldiers. Lana had admired her across all of the gates of Time, from the time Zelda was a goddess to this very day where Lana had the opportunity to fight alongside one of her many reincarnations.

Lana was a sorceress herself, who wore a mage's outfit which was very playful and free, lined with blue and silver tailings. She had light blue hair and deep purple eyes. She, Zelda, and many of their allies were now gathered at her home at the Valley of Seers for one final battle with Cia, the dark sorceress who had opened the Gates of Time and caused Hyrule to be caught in a place which was completely mixed in time. Lana had a personal responsibility to ensure that Hyrule was safe from Cia. After all, Cia was indeed Lana herself, though she was simply her half which expelled Lana to rid herself of good.

Lana looked around at all of her allies here in the dreadful landscape of the Valley of Seers. From across time, they had gathered some of the most legendary of all warriors and heroes, and even some who it was questionable whether they should've been there or not. Darunia, the ancient goron chief who personally assisted the Hero of Time in saving Hyrule from the dragon, Volvagia. Princess Ruto of the ancient Zora tribe, who also became a sage of Hyrule in the days of the same Hero. Then there was Impa, the Sheikah tribe's top soldier and aid to Princess Zelda, who wielded a massive sword, bigger than her entire body. Some of their other allies were across the battlefield. Last of all was the reincarnated Hero himself.

Lana had looked into the Gate of Souls her entire life (though at the time, she was part of Cia), and admired no one person as she admired the Hero across time. In fact, that is what this entire war was found on, Cia's obsession with being with the Hero and controlling the world. Lana had inherited this desire to be with the Hero, but controlled these desires and used them for good.

However, every time she looked at Link, she couldn't help but feel so in love with him. He was holding the legendary Master Sword in his hand, the Triforce of Courage gleaming on the back of said hand. He was clad in a green tunic and a silly green hat, and he wore a blue scarf with the Hylian Crest stitched into it.

"Link!" Lana shouted to him as the enemy forces began to amass in front of her old home. He looked at her with his blue eyes. "Be careful. Cia will do anything to keep her power, and she won't show you or Zelda any mercy."

Link nodded at her as his fairy companion, Proxi, hovered by his head. "Don't worry, Lana! Link will be okay as long as he has the Master Sword!" said Proxi.

Lana saw the ageless connection between the Hero and the Princess, who always worked together to save the world from evil. Lana envied Zelda, as the only desire in her heart was to have that same role alongside Link. Lana noticed the look in Link's eyes every time he looked at Zelda. He was in love with her, probably as much as Lana was in love with him. Zelda seemed to share similar feelings towards him, but it wasn't as clear.

"The darkness courses through my veins… The Hyrulean Forces are but playthings to me!" laughed Cia. Her cruel voice echoed across the entire battlefield, amplified by a magic power.

Lana walked towards Link, Zelda, and Impa, with her Sealing Tome in her hands. The Sealing Tome was Lana's magical book of spells that she used in her combat and support.

"Cia has the Triforce of Power," said Impa, looking around at her comrades. She had dark skin and white hair, a strand of which reached down to her waist. She was wearing traditional Sheikah tribe armor. "This is not a battle easily one. The power of darkness has a long connection to the Triforce of Power; its history is indeed a bloody one."

"The Triforce of Power is indeed a force to be reckoned with," said Zelda, "but it has been overcome by the Triforce of Courage time and time again."

"It's true!" said Lana. She had seen it with her own eyes, all the times the Hero had overcome evil with that Triforce. She also had seen it fail and create a different time entirely, but felt it best not to tell them. In their time, the Triforce had never failed.

"Don't worry," said Link, "I'll take care of it."

They turned towards the horde of moblins and bokoblins that were making their way towards them, all brandishing swords and clubs of all kinds. Lana walked ahead of the group and unleashed a spell of lightning that devastated the first wave of attackers. As soon as the dust cleared in the purple night light, there was another wave bigger than the last advancing on them.

"The sanctums have been taken over, locking their power away!" shouted Lana across the field. "That's the monsters' secret!" These sanctums were sacred places within the Valley of Seers that had a power that nullified evil. They weren't as powerful as the Triforce, but if they wanted to win, they had to use the sacred power.

"If we make for the sanctum, we can take back the sacred power!" shouted Zelda.

"By the end of this battle," said Impa, "Cia will be no more… May we bring glory to Hyrule!" Impa led a battalion of Hyrulean soldiers towards the advancing foes. She began to cut them all down almost effortlessly, launching magical water attacks coupled with sword strikes all around them. The path was clear for Link and Zelda to go to the first sanctum.

"Do you see from where the evil power rises?" asked Zelda. "A sanctum must be located there." There was a purple cloud of darkness which escaped in a pillar from the ground, surrounded by large walls and enemies. That was to the west. To the east there was another just like it, which Lana decided to head towards.

I think I'm forgetting something, she thought as she blasted her way through crowds of bokoblins with wind magic. She continued with Darunia towards the pillar of darkness to the east. Darunia had an extremely large hammer and was using it to mow enemies down in front of him. He even made short work of a darknut as Lana took on a lizalfos, destroying him with a glasslike wave of magic.

"It's cute how you all believe you can defeat me… But I won't find it cute much longer!" shouted Cia. She was clearly enraged at the attack that was taking place on her own doorstep.

Knowing that Cia was using her power to strengthen her troops, Lana began to worry about the safety of Link and Zelda, but she had to keep going to the East Sanctum.

"Don't worry," said Darunia, noticing the look on Lana's face as he smashed the head of a fat moblin. "My brother will be fine." Darunia called anyone he respected 'brother.' That was the goron way. Lana nodded at him with a new smile on her face as she zapped a small group of bokoblins who were trying to sneak up on Darunia. They continued to run to the sanctum.

"Still not satisfied? I've given this next batch of troops a bit of…an enhancement," said Cia, tauntingly. Some of the enemies began to have a sickly red glow about them, and they became stronger and faster than Lana had thought was possible for such weak enemies.

Lana and Darunia were running past many enemies, taking over small command posts as they went along. A giant orange hand suddenly blocked an incoming wave of Stalchildren, grabbing them and throwing their bones across the field.

"Midna!" exclaimed Lana, happy to see that the Twilight imp was safe.

"Lana," said Midna, smiling at her beneath her broken piece of the Fused Shadow mask, her glowing orange hair retracting back to a small ponytail. Her head was almost the size of her tiny body, and she was always floating in the air. Strange Twilight markings covered her body. "Where's Link? I never thought you'd leave his side." Midna was taunting her.

"He's with Zelda," said Lana, blushing slightly but trying to remain cool. "We're on our way to restore power to one of the sanctums around here. Can you help us?"

"Tee hee! Sure, that's what we're here for, right?" Midna's hair turned into a giant hand once again, as she sat on top of a phantom wolf. She smashed a path with the deadly hand clear to the sanctum as Lana and Darunia followed close behind her. It was surrounded by high walls, but one of the gates was left wide open.

Lana ran past Midna into the sanctum and was disgusted by the sight she saw. There was a golden Triforce pattern on the wall, turned upside down, while the dark purple shadows escaped from the floor into the skies.

"Midna, Darunia, defeat these enemies while I restore the sacred power of this sanctum," said Lana, determined that they would restore the sacred power. She opened up her book and looked through it to find the spell that would bring power back to the light. Midna and Darunia, with many of the gorons who followed them, were overwhelming the enemy forces who were stationed to protect the place.

She found the spell she was looking for and cast it on the entire area. The shadows stopped spewing from the ground and the Triforce turned itself right-side up. Lana felt a wave of light energy sweep over her body. Hyrulean soldiers funneled into the sanctum to keep it from falling back into enemy hands.

"Alright!" said Lana as she leapt up and down in excitement. "That's one down!"

"Well done!" said Darunia as he threw a moblin with his bare hands from the sanctum.

"Tee hee! That wasn't too hard," said Midna, giggling as she normally did.

Lana looked to the sky and noticed that the second shadowy pillar also began to disperse, and another wave of light energy swept over the area. "Wow! They did it!" she said, excited, but still feeling that there was darkness overshadowing the area. Then she remembered.

"Guys, there's one more sanctum I forgot!" she exclaimed, Darunia and Midna a little shocked at her statement. "I have to go find Zelda." She immediately ran from the East Sanctum to find Link and Zelda so that they would know what else they were looking for.

Lana didn't look back, confident that Darunia and Midna would be able to handle the place. How did I forget about the last one? It's always three! Anything to do with the Triforce is always going to be three, stupid! She saw an enemy keep ahead and decided to look there for Link and Zelda. Link and Zelda, she thought, still put off by the reality of their destiny.

The keep wasn't heavily guarded, though the walls were high and the bombs were plenty. Lana used the bombs to her advantage and destroyed the enemies within the keep and killed the keep boss as a wave of goron troops filled the place to keep it from falling back to the enemy. Not here, then where? she thought.

"Hyaaaah!"

Lana gasped at the sound of the Hero's voice just outside of the keep. She walked out and saw Link and Zelda taking down Stalfos and Stalchildren together. Lana summoned a giant glass box and shot a blast of lightning at it, destroying the enemies in front of her.

"Lana!" exclaimed Link, running towards her. He was at the bottom of a flight of stairs.

Lana was slightly taken aback as Link ran up the stairs to her. She controlled her thoughts and reassured herself that there was nothing romantic about what Link was doing, but she blushed at any thought of Link caring for her at all. Zelda also ran up the stairs to meet Lana at the keep. Link arrived first and Proxi swirled around Lana's head, causing her to giggle slightly. Zelda arrived seconds after, firing a light arrow at the foes who were pursuing them.

"Both the West and the East Sanctums have been captured, but a Dark Power persists," said Zelda, worried.

"Don't lose your focus—there's supposed to be one more sanctum out there!" shouted Lana encouragingly. She still felt a bit stupid for not realizing it before, and felt too embarrassed to admit her mistake.

"Lana, where is the other sanctum? Can you remember?" asked Proxi. She was being a bit more annoying than usual.

"There are three sanctums… One in the east, one in the west, and… Right! Head south!" shouted Lana as she remembered where the last sanctum was located. She didn't want to be around Link and Zelda together. Though she cared for both of them, it was painful to be around them. "Let me go looking for it! I feel like I can almost remember where it is!"

Lana didn't know why she was so caught up in her feelings for Link at that moment. She was supposed to be focused on winning a war, not on how cute she thought Link was when he smiled. She passed by countless skirmishes between stalchildren, bokoblins, moblins, Hyrulean soldiers, and gorons as she passed by the ruins of the Valley of Seers. This place had once been a holy temple in Hyrule, located in Lanayru Province, before Cia began to lose control of herself. Before she secluded herself in her obsession of the Hero.

Lana remembered exactly where the South Sanctum was located, swiftly reaching the place. She pulled out her Sealing Tome and used a spell that would allow her to communicate with everyone on the field.

"I was RIGHT! Everyone, the final sanctum's right here!" shouted Lana. She let them see the place in their minds for a brief moment so that they would know.

Caught up in her own excitement, Lana didn't notice the foes which had taken a base within the sanctum. It was full of lizalfos and stalfos, each well trained and hardened by combat. She was going through the book once again to find the spell, but was slashed in the back by one of the lizalfos which had snuck up on her.

She screamed as she fell to the ground and unleashed a flurry of lightning attacks on her assailants, knocking most of them off of their feet. They got right back up, however, and began to close in on her. She threw the Sealing Tome at one of the Stalfos in an attempt to knock his head off of his shoulders to make an opening for her escape, but the Stalfos simply hit the book away with his axe. She was now completely surrounded, as a Gibdo Knight edged closer and closer with his massive sword. He was about to swing the blade over to kill Lana once and for all, when suddenly his arm which carried the sword fell off. Lana looked to see what happened and saw flashes of blue and green surrounding her as she started to lose consciousness.

Link had come to save her from her rashness at going by herself to open the sanctum. Link alone had followed her. He quickly dispatched all of the enemies within the sanctum and took out a bottle of purple potion and handed to Lana.

"I'm here," he said, while Lana emptied the potion in her mouth. "Don't do that again."

"You almost died!" shouted Proxi the fairy, shaking in Lana's face, reflecting off of her purple eyes. "What in Hyrule were you thinking?"

Lana felt completely refreshed, the potion working its way through her system to the gash on her back. It began to mend itself. She was extremely grateful for Link's heroics, as leaving the Princess behind was no small thing to do.

"Where's Zelda?" Lana asked, wanting to make sure she didn't jeopardize the mission with her foolishness.

"She's with Impa and Ruto," said Link, lifting Lana from the ground to a standing position in front of him.

"Link was worried about you, so he came to make sure you didn't die," said Proxi, still circling Lana's head.

"Hey!" said Lana, trying to hide the joy she felt at Link's apparent care. "Who do you think I am, huh? I could've taken them on just fine!"

"Tell that to the Gibdo Knight," said Link, chuckling at Lana's innocence.

"Hmph!" Lana grunted indignantly. "You could've given me just another moment and he would've been powder." She was trying to act more like the Princess, in that she wanted to appear very competent in battle.

"Right," said Link sarcastically, handing her Sealing Tome back to her so that she could perform the spell to fix the South Sanctum.

"Okay!" she said, winking at Link as she took the book and opened it to the proper page. She read the spell, and the darkness expelled from the sanctum and once again the Triforce was turned right-side up. The feeling of light energy filled them until they could no longer feel darkness in the air around them.

"We have broken the sanctum's seal and diminished the enemy's power!" shouted Zelda, victoriously. She used the same magic that Lana used to communicate with all of them across the battlefield. Lana only heard her voice in her own mind, but knew that the others had heard her say it as well. Lana looked at Link, smiling at their current victory.

"So you managed to retake all three sanctums? Hmm. I don't think I like surprises," said Cia, disappointed at her minions and their lack of competence.

"Let's regroup with the others!" said Lana, now knowing what was bound to happen. She knew that the door to the Gate of Souls was still locked, but eventually they would have to confront Cia. She knew Cia was not going to give up on her plans. She knew that Cia was going to have to die.

"Hurry!" said Proxi as Link and Lana followed her back into the battlefield to meet with Zelda, Impa, and the others who were with them. A darknut blocked Lana's path, so she used more of her advanced spells to take him down. She summoned crystal blocks which surrounded, knocked around, and pummeled her foe.

She took one more leap and blew up the crystals that surrounded the darknut, who fell. As she landed on the ground, she noticed that Link and Proxi were a bit ahead of her.

"Uaaahhh!" Cia's voice rang across the battlefield. "Allow me…to teach you a lesson!"

Lana saw balls of magic energy begin to spiral out of the stronghold which protected the Gate of Souls at the center of the battlefield. Two of these balls passed by Lana and exploded behind her, covering her in dust.

When the dust cleared, Lana saw that there were miniature portals across time which had been unleashed by Cia, who was clearly at the limits of her power already. "Cia! Stop! Your spirit can't take much more of this!" Lana began to plead with her other half, in the false hope that it didn't have to end with her death.

"Cia—this is your work, isn't it?" said Lana, knowing that the Cia she was once a part of was gone. She ran to catch up with Link, so that she wouldn't be found alone on the battlefield once again.

They reached the keep that Lana had taken by herself and found Zelda there. With her were Impa, Darunia, Midna, and Ruto; they were discussing about their next plan of attack on Cia and how Link would be the one who would take her out. When Zelda saw Lana, she stopped speaking, seeing the inner turmoil that had been going through Lana at the prospect of killing her other half.

"Her soul has been corrupted… And all in pursuit of ultimate power…" said Zelda, sadly as she knew what meaning it would have for Lana. "I'm sorry we have to do this."

"Don't worry," said Lana, as Link walked to Zelda's side. "She is destroying the fabric of reality itself, and with me here, there is no hope of her returning to the light. What's our plan?"

"Zelda, the time to awaken my power is upon us! Come to me!" shouted a voice to their small group. The female voice was powerful and demanding.

Well, thought Lana, I guess that answers my question.

"The Great Fairy has summoned me! I must hurry to the Fairy Fountain!" said Zelda as she started to walk towards the stairs to go to the Fountain alone.

"Princess Zelda, it's dangerous to go alone. Take me!" exclaimed Impa, drawing her enormous blade from the scabbard on her back.

"Hey, don't hog all the fun! I'm coming too!" shouted Darunia, brandishing the giant hammer in his hands.

The three of them left Lana with Link and Ruto at the keep. "Well, what should we do?" asked Ruto impatiently. She looked at Lana and winked at her. "You know, I'm engaged to the Hero of Time!" Link shifted uncomfortably, but Lana laughed internally at the statement, as she knew all too well about her false engagement with the Hero of Time.

"We should try and find Fi and Agitha," said Lana, successfully repressing the laugh. "We haven't seen them in a long while, and Midna while we're at it." She looked at Link again, unable to really stop herself from smiling as she did so. She used the spell to communicate with all of her allies on the battlefield, "Fi, Agitha, Midna! Are you guys alright?"

"We're fine!" Midna's sly voice reached them. "Found these two clowning around the West Sanctum. If it wasn't for me, they would've gotten seriously lost."

"I calculate a 56% probability that what Midna said is false," said Fi.

"56% my butt! You guys had no idea what you were doing!" Midna spat back at her. "Besides her, little miss bug princess found herself a nice little beetle to match herself and was chasing it around here when the soldiers saved her."

"Agitha was just worried about Mr. Beetle's safety!" Agitha's airy voice reached them.

"All of you!" Lana exclaimed. "I'm so happy to hear you're all safe! But Princess Zelda is on her way right now to the Great Fairy! I just want all of you to prepare yourselves for when the Fairy uses her magic."

"Roger that, captain," said Midna.

"Come on, Link," said Lana. "We have to help them, too. There's no reason for us to stay here any longer. The gorons will protect this place."

Link nodded in agreement, and the three of them left the keep in the charge of the gorons. Lana led the way to the Fountain, as she was the only one who knew the direct path. Zelda had been led by the Fairy herself.

"The Great Fairy has instructed us to make this area our base! Let us not disappoint her!" shouted Zelda through the network. "We must also draw as many enemies as possible to the area north of the fountain! I shall use the Magic Circle to defeat the enemies in one powerful sweep!"

Is that the Fairy's plan? thought Lana. That won't be an easy one. Link, Lana, and Ruto reached the Fairy Fountain in the middle of the field in front of the main part of the ruined castle. Inside, it was clean and blue, Zelda standing in the midst of it. She was fighting off a few more stalchildren as the magic circle glowed behind her.

"I can draw the enemies over from the east!" shouted Darunia, as he pounded his way past their small group.

"Allow me to destroy the enemy reinforcements. We can't let them find the Magic Circle!" shouted Impa as she rushed to head off any foes which might walk into the field surrounding the Fairy Fountain.

Link rushed into the Fairy Fountain to ask Zelda what he could do to help.

"Link, you stay here with Lana for now. Just protect this place so that no one discovers our plan," said Zelda to the two of them.

"What, do I not exist or something?" asked Princess Ruto indignantly.

"Do as you please, Princess," said Zelda, as the zora left the room alone.

"Urg… Gyaaarh!" The yell echoed across the battlefield. Lana hadn't heard a voice like that before, so she looked at Link to see if he knew anything about it.

"Volga!" shouted Link. "He's here now, too!" He immediately drew the Master Sword from its sheath and ran out of the Fountain to confront this foe. Lana looked at Zelda and she nodded to let her know that she was okay to follow after him.

Lana had never seen Volga in person, but had heard all about his achievements. Before he was brainwashed by Cia into following her, he was a respected dragon warrior, leader of an entire army. He was honorable, never taking advantage of his foes' weaknesses. Cia approached him at the beginning of her campaign to take over Hyrule, but he utterly refused to serve her. She used her army, along with Wizzro, to destroy his entire army and force him to serve her. At the end of the battle, Volga's entire army was gone, but still he refused to serve someone so evil as Cia. She used her power to enslave him into servitude, and he'd been a general of her army ever since.

Lana was outside and saw Link running towards who she knew to be Volga. He wore a dragon helmet, and was clad from head to foot in red armor, giving himself an entirely dragon-like appearance. He was taking on five Hyrulean captains by himself with little effort.

"Wh-what? S-something's not right about this guy! I've never felt power like this before!" shouted one of the captains as Volga thrust his spear into his chest.

"The dragon knight has become extremely dangerous. Don't get careless!" said Impa, a tinge of concern on her voice. She was near Link underneath a withered tree. The two of them charged towards Volga, who was stood at the foot of the staircase, the Hyrulean captains' corpses now lying at his feet, his spear soaked with their blood.

"We must draw in the enemies from the west as well!" said Zelda.

"I have that," said Ruto through the network provided by Zelda.

Link and Impa were having an intense battle with Volga as Lana attempted to use her magic to assist them from behind, not getting to close to them. Lana feared that if she tried to move in closer, she would surely be hit by one of their stray blades.

Darunia started to run towards the field from the East, and behind him were running well over fifty of the enemy soldiers. To the West, Princess Ruto was running with her own following of deadly troops close to the same number. "The Triforce of Courage is needed to activate the Magic Circle, Link!" shouted Lana. Link left Volga behind with Impa and ran back across the dry field towards the cave of the Fairy Fountain. Lana created several crystal blocks to surround Volga as she and Impa ran from the area to take cover as well.

"Now! Use the Magic Circle!" shouted Zelda as Link ran into the Fountain.

Lana and Impa ran to the mouth of the cave and heard a very loud laughter come from within. They turned to look at the battlefield now completely covered in enemy forces. Volga had transformed into a massive dragon and broke free from the crystal confinement, and was now back in human form racing towards Lana and Impa.

Lana saw in the sky dozens of fairies emerging from the Fountain, all colliding into one place, forming a massive Hylian Crest, which shined brightly in the purple sky above the dark, dry field. It began to rain light upon all the foes which were running around, and they began falling one by one. Even Volga was caught in the light.

Darunia and Ruto managed to make it out of the range of fire just in time to stand next to Lana and Impa, as the rain turned into a massive ray of light which consumed the landscape.

"That'll be the end of Volga," said Impa. "We're lucky to be standing where we are."

"Impressive… But not the most impressive thing I've ever seen!" said Cia, disappointed in her troops as the light began to fade. Even the bodies of the fiends were nowhere to be seen. The light had completely eradicated them, yet the landscape itself, with the withered grass and trees, remained completely unharmed.

"Ruarrrgh! Prepare to meet your fate!" Volga emerged from the light, completely covered in injuries of all kinds; his armor had large chunks missing from it.

"I-is he unstoppable?" said Lana, as Volga began to charge, all of his injuries completely healing. Even his armor regenerated.

Link shot out from the Fountain to engage Volga in combat once again, Darunia and Impa joining him in the combat. Lana tried to assist them with her magic, but it had little effect on the dragon warrior. Zelda finally came forth from the cave and stood next to Lana in disbelief at Volga's powers.

"I cannot believe it," said Zelda, looking at Lana. "He was never this powerful before…"

"It's Cia," said Lana, feeling that her other half's power was draining. "She's giving him this power. It's almost all she has left."

"I see," said Zelda. She stepped out with her rapier towards Volga. Impa and Darunia had been knocked away, leaving Link to hold off Volga's attack on his own.

"Zelda! You can't!" exclaimed Lana, starting to walk towards her.

"Can you really take pleasure from resorting to dark magic to win your battles?" Zelda asked Volga, in an attempt to appeal to the warrior's pride.

"Haaaaa… Don't mock me!" said Volga, in a resigned and ashamed way. He took his spear away from Link and looked at Zelda, his eyes hidden by the dragon helmet.

"Open your eyes! I believed you to be a proud dragon warrior, not a sellsword for darkness!" shouted Zelda. She waved her sword, and bits of light shot at the dragon. Volga seemed to have a complete change about him. He placed a hand on his head as he began to sway back and forth. He lost his balance and took a knee to the ground. His spear clanged to the earth when he placed both hands on his head as he began to shake.

"No… NO! I won't be ruled by darkness!" shouted Volga, full of anger. The dark aura which surrounded him began to dispel, and Volga became himself once again. "This battle is nearly at an end… Now let me show you how a true warrior finishes a fight!" Volga picked himself back up and looked at Link, raising his spear in his direction.

Link smiled at him, as respect between the two warriors was built in this heated battle. They clashed, matching blow for blow, until Link was able to gain enough energy to strike at his foe's arm when he tried to swipe at him with a dragon claw. This threw Volga off enough that he lost his balance and Link thrust the blade of evil's bane through his opponent's stomach.

Volga coughed, a stream of blood beginning to trickle from his mouth. "I lose, but I do so without regrets…" he said, falling back to the ground. Link walked over to the dragon who laid on the ground, blood spilling from the wound in his stomach.

"We didn't have to fight," said Link, looking over his defeated rival.

"But we did," said Volga, with what should've been his last few breaths. "We couldn't let this rest between us without a victor; such is the way of the warrior."

Link looked from his fallen foe at Lana and Zelda. "He didn't deserve this. It was Cia's doing," said Link.

Lana looked at Volga, who lay dying in the dirt. If I just had more time, I could save him, she thought. This was not his war.

"Volga lost? Well of course he did… I'm surrounded by failures!" shouted Cia in anger. "Let go of your inhibitions! Don't let a single one of them survive!" The rest of her surviving minions began to close in on the warriors. Poes, gibdos, dinolfos, and darknuts began to close in on their location in the dark field on the steps which lead up to the Gate of Souls.

"Cia… No more… Please…" said Lana. Even now, Lana was hesitant to simply watch as Cia perished. She knew she had to die, but Lana didn't know how to face it.

"Cia is the final challenge standing in our way. You must finish her off!" shouted Zelda. Nobody cared about offending Lana any longer. This was not a time for anyone to lose their willpower, nor a time for them to ease off the attack that so many had sacrificed to make possible.

"You can do it! Bring the fire!" shouted Darunia in joy.

"Leave the scraps to me. Cia is your responsibility!" shouted Impa. She ran head on towards the legion of troops who were running down the stairs at them. Darunia followed her lead and began striking every enemy he could see with his mighty hammer.

"I'm going with you!" exclaimed Lana as Link and Zelda began to run up the stairs towards the stronghold which held the Gate of Souls.

Lana followed them into the courtyard which held the Gate of Souls. The courtyard was completely empty, save the bomb plants which lined some of the walls. The grass was dark and still green, but even so it looked completely dead. On the back wall stood the massive Gate of Souls, a portal to any time, wherefrom thousands of villains had crawled forth during this War.

Cia suddenly appeared in a cloud of smoke before them, and began to walk towards Link. She looked exactly as Lana did, though she had white hair and dark skin. She wore very little clothing, leaving almost nothing to the imagination in her dark attire. She wore what appeared to be a mage's crown on her head. She rubbed herself provocatively, trying to distract the hero from his mission. Lana was disgusted at her apparel and actions, knowing that she was simply trying to force Link into being with her. She laughed, saying, "Do you really think you can defeat me? Mwa ha ha! Why don't you disappear?!"

"Finish this once and for all!" exclaimed Lana, struggling to say it. Seeing Cia there like that… at that moment she knew that it was too late to save her. There was no good left in her heart.

Cia began her attack by trapping Lana and Zelda in chains made of shadow, so that Link had to face this by himself. "Zelda!" shouted Lana, as she saw the pain in the Princess's face. "Are you okay?"

"Give me a moment!" said Zelda, her peaceful voice straining. "I can get us out of this."

Link charged in at Cia and began to slash at her with the Master Sword. Cia proved to be a worthy combatant as she had before, but this time something was different about her. "Link! She's weak! She has used too much of her power!" shouted Lana, as the shadow chains began to tighten around her, causing pain to shoot throughout her body.

Link dodged a flurry of shadow rays that Cia shot towards him, and slashed her leg with the sword. Blood trickled down her bare leg, and she had pain strewn across her face.

"Hnnn-! That…hurt… You...will…DIE!" shouted Cia. Three new Cias appeared and started to fight the hero.

Zelda finally broke the bands on her own chains and came to release Lana from hers. She made very short work of the chains which surrounded Lana, and the two immediately joined the fight against the Cia copies. Lana used her lightning to take out two of them, and Zelda ran the other through with her rapier. All that was left was the real Cia.

Link was without mercy as he began to beat Cia back to the wall where the Gate of Souls rested. Cia continued to laugh at Link as he took over the fight. Her hope was lost, as was her own soul. Link knocked her weapon from her hands, and drove the Master Sword through her chest. He quickly drew it and blood spilled from the wound. She had blood running down her mouth, and her eyes stared blankly as she fell to the earth.

"Lana… I thought this is what you wanted…"

Lana ran to Cia and lifted her to look her in the eyes. "Cia…" said Lana, looking into her deep purple eyes.

"We've seen how this ends…and we both know that he doesn't choose you," said Cia, her life beginning to fade. "How do you do it…knowing you get left behind?"

Lana looked back at Link and Zelda, knowing full well the feelings Link was having towards the Princess. It still hurt her painfully to know that she was not destined to be with the Hero, but she wasn't about to let that destroy her. She looked back at Cia and said, "You don't always get the person you think deserve…and I can live with that."

"You always were… my better half…" laughed Cia as she started to disappear in Lana's arms. She completely vanished, and Lana was left grasping at nothing but air. The Triforce of Power shone brightly, levitating in her hand. She shielded it with her hands and made it disappear. She turned and smiled at Link and Zelda, the three pieces of the Triforce now safe from harm.

Lana's smile was empty, as so many emotions began to flood into her. She had to smile to keep herself from falling apart. Link and Zelda simply stared at her as she walked towards them. Impa, Darunia, Ruto, Agitha, Midna, and Fi all hurried into the courtyard to see what had happened. When they saw that they were all okay, they began to cheer and celebrate with Link and Zelda. Lana continued to smile as she walked past them down the stairs.

"Lana," said Link, softly, but still audible over the cheers of Darunia. "I'm sorry it had to end this way." Lana felt warm when she heard her Hero say this, but still felt depressed as she walked past them to be alone.

Lana walked down the stairs away from the Gate of Souls. She knew that her adventure with Link was over. As Cia said, they both knew that Link wouldn't choose her over Zelda, so it was just a matter of time before Link would leave her behind. Time, she thought. What a joke.

Lana began to cry as she passed by the many dead bodies and stalfos bones which were strewn across the battlefield. She wondered why she had to be in the situation that she was in. An entire war across time caused by her desire for love, and here were the results. She wondered why she had to be in love with the legendary Hero instead of a viable option. Cia was dead, and what Lana told Cia as she died was true. You don't always get the person you think deserve…and I can live with that. She could live with it, though it would be some time before she could be happy again, if ever.

She sat on the main staircase which lead down to the field of dry grass and withered trees when she knew she was far enough away that Link and the others wouldn't see her crying like that. She cried until she no longer had the will to cause tears to roll down her face.

A cough broke the silence around her, and Lana looked to see where it had come from. She bolted down the stairs, her eyes still red, with tears dried on her face.

It was Volga. It seemed that he had just coughed out his last breath and moved on into the next world, where he would surely be judged poorly. Lana didn't feel that it would be right for this noble warrior to pass away like this, enslaved to the will of evil when he wanted no part in it from the beginning. She crouched over his body and placed her hand on his chest, calling on the power of the Triforce, reversing the time around him to just before he died. It took an enormous amount of her own energy, but he began breathing once again, though he was doomed to die if his wounds went untreated.

"Here," said Lana, as she took out a bottle of purple potion and began to rub it on the wound in his stomach. "It's not much, but it'll keep you alive." She placed the bottle on his lips and caused him to drink the rest of it. Volga had to have had a lot more willpower than Lana had ever seen to have survived this long. She had been certain he died right after they left him there.

His breathing eased and the wound in his stomach began to mend. "Why did you do this for me?" he asked, sounding a bit annoyed at her action. "I was your enemy."

"Yes, but if I can save anyone from Cia's madness, it'd better be you," she said as she laid his head back on the ground and attempted to remove his helmet.

"Don't touch it!" exclaimed Volga.

"Come off it," said Lana, retracting her hands from his helmet. "What, you think that you're ugly or something?"

"Don't get cute with me, girl," he said. He sat up and several of his joints popped. "I embraced death. I lived for war. Tch. Now I have nothing to go back to. Nothing."

"I know," said Lana, fully aware what had become of his home before the beginning of this war. "Which is why I'm giving you a chance to do something more. Maybe you could help us rebuild Hyrule, you know?"

"Don't make me laugh," said Volga, with fire on his breath. "I'm nobody's cleaning boy, certainly not some spoiled princess's."

"Then do something else!" said Lana cheerfully. "It doesn't really matter, just go make a new name for Volga."

"I had a name," he said. "I had a people." He stood up, and Lana with him. "Now all I have is a debt to you." He leapt into the air and transformed into the fearsome dragon and flew away. Lana looked after him, unsure of how this would change anything in time.

At least, she thought, he could find rest.


Lana, Link, Zelda, and their allies from across time all gathered around in a circle to bid their farewells. Lana was preparing to send them back to their respective times so that she could close the gates, and bring balance back into their world.

A golden circle with archaic writings appeared on the ground around them, and Lana opened up floating portals to each time that had been affected by this crisis, each one behind their respective occupants.

"Well, that's that! See you next crisis!" said Midna teasingly. She and Agitha went back through their own glowing time portal, and the rest followed suit. Darunia and Ruto left in their own, and Fi left alone through hers.

Link, Zelda, Impa, and Lana naturally stayed in their own time, though the chaos brought by Cia was still surrounding them. Lana felt guilt in her heart as she looked around, knowing that dark powers still remained in Hyrule. But there was one power specifically that she couldn't figure out. A power that had been left alone, as so many other events kept them from going to fix it. Lana wasn't sure what it was, but it kept her from closing one of the portals in fear that the evil would never leave them.

"Let's put Hyrule back in order," said Zelda to the others. They stretched out their hands, and the pieces of the Triforce left Zelda's and Link's hands, and Lana released the Triforce of Power to join the others. The Triforce became one. It shot into the sky and all of the portals connecting their worlds began to close. The chaos began to mend, and Hyrule, as they knew it, returned to its natural order.

"There. Things should be as they were," said Lana, as they looked around at the dirty landscape, free from the evils of Cia. "And with that, I should go…"

"Lana…" said Zelda. "Will we meet again?"

"…Good-bye," said Lana, giggling a bit as she walked away. There was still one more portal she had to close, but she resolved that it was her burden alone to find out what was amiss in time. She wouldn't bother Link or Zelda with it again. She couldn't bear to see them together anymore.