Chapter 7: House of Cards

Link and Amai snuck as close to the castle as they could without leaving the woods. However, there was still at least 300 feet between them and the castle when the woods ended. Link was about to sit down and think on how to cross without being spotted when Amai tugged on his sleeve.

"I know how to get there," she stated simply.

"How?" Link asked.

"There's a secret tunnel around here somewhere. I used to play in it a lot."

"Alright, it sounds better than trying to cross the field."

She led him fairly deep into the woods, in a direction opposite of the castle. She stopped at an old, hollowed out tree-trunk. She moved around frantically.

"Oh, where is it?" she muttered. She continued to look around the stump. "I know it's here somewhere." She moved into the stump, examining the walls. "A-ha!"

She moved a piece of wood and threw a switch. There was a creaking as a trapdoor in the base of the stump opened up. In it was a ladder that moved down into a tunnel. Link couldn't see anything, but that wouldn't be a problem.

"Let's go," he stated, starting down the ladder.

"Wait!" Amai said. "Don't we need a light?"

Link cast a quick illuminating spell. "I have it covered."

"Cool!" Amai exclaimed.

"Shhh! Not so loud!"

"Sorry," was the hushed reply.

The two of them descended into the dark. Link's light hovered exactly one foot above his head. It cast out a white light, illuminating the earthen tunnel. Before long, though, they ran into a fork in the road.

"Now what?" Link asked.

"Relax. I got this," Amai told him. She then confidently went into the passage to the left. Link shrugged to himself and followed. Soon, more fork-in-the-roads began coming onto the path. Link was amazed that the girl never slowed down. She knew each turn like the back of her hand.

"How do you know these paths so well?" he asked her.

"I found the entrances in the castle," she stated. "I used to bring string down here and wander around. Then, I'd follow the string back to the entrance. After a while, I found that exit in the woods. I went on that path so many times that I learned it both ways."

"Incredible."

"Well, you can do anything if you practice enough. Hey, look, we're getting close."

It was true. Up ahead, the earthen tunnels changed into a square tunnel of gray stone. Link listened to his boots clap against the stone as he stepped onto it. It was incredible that all this existed underground.

"Why do these tunnels exist?" Link asked.

"I dunno," Amai responded simply.

"Why not?"

"My parents didn't build this place. They just moved in and made it pretty again."

"Oh."

"We're almost there."

Link looked ahead and saw that the tunnel dead-ended about 20 feet in front of them. As they approached, Link could see that there was a ladder that went up in a cylindrical, vertical tunnel. Link had to wonder what that meant.

As if she could read his mind, "That ladder is inside one of the pillars of the throne room. Let's go."

Amai moved to scurry up the ladder, but Link held her back. "Let me go first," he told her.

She thought about it for a minute, but then seemed to get the idea. "OK," she stated.

Link started up the ladder. It was about forty feet to the top, but it wasn't a difficult climb at all. He reached the top and helped Amai climb over the edge. He then stopped to look at his surroundings.

He was in a room that was just barely tall enough for him to stand up straight in. It was only about 20 by 20 feet. The walls were lined with small doors and torches. There was a small table just to the right of a trap door that was located in the room's center. Link walked over to the table and saw that there was an old piece of paper on it. It was a spy's report. Link wondered if that had anything to do with the existence of the tunnels.

"Ok," Amai said. "This room is right above the throne room. That trap door will drop you just out of sight of the throne. But, the rope's broken. Do you have a way down?"

"Yes," Link answered simply. Then he looked Amai straight in the eyes. "I need you to go back to the woods and wait for me. You can't get hurt."

Amai nodded reluctantly. Link grabbed one of the wall torches and used magic to light it. He handed it to Amai, who then took and started back down the ladder towards the tunnel system.

Link took a deep breath and then opened the trap door. He could see a wall directly in front of him. Given that the ladder back to the tunnels was behind him, he could only assume that's where the pillar was. It was a good 30 foot drop, but Link had magic to cushion his landing.

He silently dropped to the ground and looked to his left. He saw a wall with a massive door in it. To the right he saw a window. The pillars, which, looking in that direction, were to his right, obscured the view of the throne. However, the massive window showed the lake and the still-red sky in which the sun had set. Link took another deep breath and walked around the pillar.

Sitting in the massive, red-cushioned, gold-lined, ancient-looking throne was none other than Demon Lord Ghirahim. The monster was sitting there, looking almost bored. However, when he saw Link's face, he perked up.

"Well, this makes things interesting," Ghirahim stated. "And it looks like my intuition was right. They sent you." Ghirahim caught sight of the blue hilt of the Master Sword. "And they even gave you the sword."

The Demon Lord disappeared in a burst of diamonds. Ghirahim reappeared, his arm around Link's shoulders.

"It actually works out great for me that you're the one to be chosen as the hero. It makes my job so much easier."

Link ducked out of Ghirahim's grasp and drew the Mater Sword. He placed his father's Hylian shield on his left arm, prepared to fight.

Ghirahim laughed. "It's hilarious how you think a sword is all it takes to defeat me. Oh well, I have some time to kill, and I could use some entertainment."

Ghirahim's cape vanished and his sword appeared. He took a battle ready stance. "At your leisure, boy," the Demon Lord stated, uninterested.

Link bellowed a battle cry and charged forward, raising the Master Sword high. His blow was easily blocked by the much calmer Demon Lord. Link moved aside just in time to keep Ghirahim's counterattack from hitting him.

They went back and forth in this manner for several minutes. Neither was able to land a hit. However, Link had a feeling that Ghriahim was missing because he wasn't really trying. Link just tried harder, wanting to make Ghirahim eat his stupid confidence. Just as Link struck at an opening, Ghirahim vanished. Link back-flipped out of the way as Ghirahim crashed down onto the spot Link had just been in.

Ghirahim turned and looked at Link. No, Link thought. He's looking past me.

"Well it's been fun," Ghirahim stated. "But I'm done here. I have more important things to take care of."

A burst of diamonds knocked Link onto the ground. Ghirahim just walked right past Link without even looking at the fallen hero. As Link stood up, he saw Ghirahim smash the window and walk out onto the lake. In the sky, the moon had risen half-way above the hills. It looked beautiful, the way it reflected on the lake.

Link rose to follow Ghirahim, but a diamond-patterned barrier stopped him. Link looked around and saw that the barrier encompassed the entire room.

"I can't have you interrupting me," Ghirahim stated casually, without looking back.

He walked out onto the lake. As he came in contact with the water, a diamond-pattern floor covered the entire lake. Ghirahim walked out to the center and raised his arms to the sky. Diamond magic patterns flew around him in random waves. Link had no idea what the Demon Lord was doing.

Suddenly, the diamonds coalesced in the air above and a little in front of Ghirahim. Link made out a body appearing there. It was a monstrosity, to say the least. It looked like a humanoid boar. Soon, Link made the connection. That was Ganondorf, the king of evil!

Link immediately began to pound on the barrier with his sword, hoping to smash through it in time to stop the resurrection from occurring. If Ganondorf were returned to life and the Triforce of Power given to him, Link would never have his revenge on Ghirahim.

Ghirahim moved Ganondorf onto the magic platform that served as the floor. Ghirahim once again held his arms up to the sky. Three points appeared there. White lines began trailing from them. Link wondered what that meant. Then, Ghirahim clapped his hands together and the two points on the outside crashed into the middle point, their trails forming an arrow.

Link fell to the ground as the entire earth shook. Something momentous had just happened, and Link had no idea what it was. Something felt fundamentally changed in the fabric of the world.

When Link could stand, he once again looked to the lake. There were two new occupants there. One was a dead man with very dark skin and fiery red hair. Another was a statue of a man who was extremely similar in appearance.

Ghirahim was in the middle of continuing his grand spell. Link would not allow him to finish. He once again resumed his attack on the barrier. After about a minute, it shattered, the shards flying forward as Link's thrust nearly carried him over the edge. Once he regained his balance, he charged out towards Ghirahim.

Link stopped about ten feet behind the Demon Lord.

"Bother," Link heard Ghirahim mutter. "You hero types never give me enough time to complete the spell."

The Demon Lord turned around, once again brandishing his sword. "I'll just finish you quickly."

Ghirahim made the first move this time. Link blocked the attack and struck back. His attack was likewise blocked. The two clashed twice more when Ghirahim drew first blood. Link blocked a strike poorly, causing it to slide off his shield and cut the bicep in his sword arm. It wasn't deep, but it hurt.

Ghirahim stepped back. "OK, I've had my fun, but now I think I'll finish you."

Link blocked a blast of magic with the master sword, which readily absorbed and dissipated the evil power. Now Ghirahim looked irritated. "Fine, then. The old fashioned way it is."

They clashed swords once again. After about three clashes, the two locked swords.

"You're awfully silent around me," Ghirahim chided. "Do I leave you that awestruck?"

"No!" Link yelled.

"Then it must be livid hatred. Was it that old man I killed? Was he important to you?"

Link responded by sending a magic blast into Ghirahim's face. Ghirahim, however, deftly dodged it, not falling for the same trick twice.

"Not bad, but you have to try harder. Reach deeper. Don't you want to rip my heart out for killing him?"

Link bellowed in rage and launched a furious blow of strikes. Ghirahim couldn't block all of them. Link was surprised to see diamond-patterned flecks of it come off, revealing a black… something underneath. However, Link didn't pause to take it in. He just kept up the furious attack.

Then, Link saw it. There was an opening. Ghirahim had overreached on his last attack, and there was a clean shot at his neck. Link took it.

The sword stopped inches from touching down, a second black sword appearing from nowhere to block it. But that wasn't what alarmed Link. No, what alarmed Link was the diamond-patterned magic flowing into the Master Sword from where it was held by Ghirahim's blade.

Link stumbled back as the Master Sword grew heavy in his hands. He tried his best to hold it up, and succeeded. However, he was beginning to dread what was happening. Cracks were forming in the center of the blade, where the collecting magic had moved to.

In the nightfall, the Master Sword shattered. Link had thought he was the hero, but that house of cards shattered with the legendary blade.

A/N: Hello everybody. Well, this is the chapter where everything advertised in the description comes to pass. So ends the prologue portion of my story. Please, let me know if you liked it.