Chapter Nine
Link watched them become enveloped in darkness. The sphere grew and then shrunk to the size of a pin before disappearing. Zelda and Ganondorf were gone. Link stood alone in the courtyard, his breathing heavy. He knew he only had hours left to live. The clock was ticking, and the agony was already setting in.
"Link," Ruto said, emerging from the trees. Up close, she could see what Zelda and Ganondorf hadn't. When she was near him, she could see the bruise-like rings beneath Link's sunken eyes. She could see the sores starting on his arms. She could see the hallow expression on his face and hear the pain in his voice as the first stages of death set in. "What were you thinking? That was foolish!"
"I had to do it," he said heroically. "If I hadn't, he would have killed her."
"He's going to kill her anyway," Ruto said harshly, taking Link's arm and helping him walk towards the castle. He withdrew when she spoke, and she retracted. "Sorry, sorry. I'm sure he won't," she reassured him soothingly. "I'm sure you'll be the hero and save the day. If you don't die first. Let's go find that antidote."
"It's going to be guarded."
"By who? Sheik is dead," Ruto said. "Or he turned into Ganondorf. Or you please explain to me what the hell just happened?"
"Zelda called me," Link told Ruto as they limped towards the castle. "Not on the phone. She called me using the Triforce."
"How?"
"I have no idea. All I know is I was sleeping soundly, and then I heard her voice, speaking as clearly as if she were in the room with me. I had a strong urge to go and I felt pulled. I knew exactly where she was. It was the weirdest thing," Link said, his voice fading and his breathing getting noisier. "So I woke you up and we came straight here."
"I know that, I was there," she said, irritated. "I meant all that stuff with Zelda and Sheik slash Ganondorf."
"I'm not sure either," Link said, his mind searching through its vast knowledge for a solution. "But the legend says that history is doomed to repeat itself, right? I mean, how many different versions of the Hero of Time and Ganondorf have played out? This has to just be another. Sheik, Zelda, and I were all reincarnated. Sheik was really Ganondorf, though, I don't know if he was ever really himself. Ganondorf chose to act through Sheik to not have any suspicion on him. It must have been too easy to operate, with Sheik's social status and Ganondorf's cunning and power. Tell me how the legend goes, Ruto," Link said, catching his breath. Worried, Ruto furrowed her brow at him. They were almost to the castle doors.
"The final battle. Okay," Ruto began. "The princess, in disguise, found the hero and bestowed him with the light arrows. The light arrows were the most powerful weapon of all time. They had the power to destroy darkness even in its most powerful form."
"We don't need to hear about that, because Zelda didn't give me any kind of weapon. Go on," Link said, a little agitated.
"Anyway, after the princess explained the Triforce thing to the Hero of Time, Ganondorf appeared," Ruto explained. "He imprisoned the Princess in a crystal and whisked her away to the castle, where he awaited the hero for the final battle. The hero battled his way through obstacle after obstacle and brought down the barriers. He made his way up the staircase and battled the King of Evil. He killed him and freed the princess. However, with his dying breath, the King of Evil brought down the castle. The princess and the hero barely escaped with their lives."
"Uh huh," Link said. He knew the legend by heart, as did all Hylians, but he was too tired to recite it for Ruto, and he needed to hear it aloud to process what he had to do, providing he didn't croak beforehand from the bite.
"Then, from the rubble, Ganondorf transformed into something else," Ruto said, pausing outside the small door. She helped Link lean against the side of the building while she wedged open the door. The pair made it through and began their way up a small staircase. "He became Ganon, an evil monster. Ganon and the Hero of Time had the final battle, and Ganon fell. While the hero had him down, the princess and the sages imprisoned him in another realm."
"And?"
"And Ganon swore to take vengeance on their descendents," Ruto said, somewhat reluctantly. "Which would be you."
"Yes. That would be me," Link said.
"Now you tell me what happened back there."
"Ganondorf was killed. He then rose again, like the first time," Link panted. "Instead of the Hero killing him, Zelda stabbed him through the heart. When he died, he used the power of the Triforce to transform him into one, final form. Ganondorf's spirit used it to transform to his human form."
"So if you kill Ganondorf now, he'll be done?"
"No. He'll keep coming back," Link informed her. "We have to trap him."
"The same way? Won't he be expecting it?"
"Yes," Link said. "He will be. We'll just have to be crafty about it, I guess."
"How?"
"Oh, I have absolutely no idea," Link said. "I'll wing it."
"You'd make a terrible soldier."
"So I've been told."
"You know, I'm starting to like you," Ruto said to him. "Not that I didn't like you before. Just, you know."
"I've been told people are drawn to me by my stunning looks and charming personality."
"Funny. It was your humility and manners that drew me."
"Let's quit arguing. It's time to save the world."
"Fine with me," Ruto said. "But what do we need to do?"
"We need to find Ganondorf and Zelda," Link said as they came to another door, which Ruto opened for them. "Then I need to kick his ass back to whatever dimension he crawled out of."
"What about the light arrows? Don't you need them to kill him?" Ruto asked.
"I guess not, considering Zelda gave me none," Link said. "The story changes each time."
"Link? Is that your voice I hear?"
Link's eyes grew wide when he heart it. He and Ruto instantly became silent and looked at each other. They fell back into the shadows and Link whispered instructions in her ear. She nodded and slipped away.
"Link?" said the king, coming into view. "What are you doing here?"
For once, Link was at a total loss for words.
"Why are you sweating? What is wrong?" the king asked, his voice full of concern. "Do I need to call a doctor?"
"No!" Link said at last with more oomph than he intended. "No, I'm okay."
"Do you care to explain what's going on? I heard an awful racket going on outside," the king asked, his old eyes filled with kindness. "Why aren't you talking?"
"To be honest, sir, I have no idea what on earth I'm supposed to tell you," he said honestly.
"So tell the truth. In the truth, there is power," the king said wisely. Link took a deep breath, followed his instincts, and explained the whole story to the king. His eyes narrowed at parts, but he seemed to take it quite well. All Hylians were brought up knowing that the legend was doomed to repeat itself over and over, but no one knew when. Due to this belief, it was not too far fetched to believe it was really happening. The only beef, of course, was that the King of Evil was reincarnated into the king's own son.
"I've known him since he was a child. I watched his birth," the king said, his eyes sad. "But you were never a liar. You were always the best soldier. I never blamed you for leaving, although I wished you had stayed. I never knew that you had been forced to go."
"Sir, we are in grave danger. No offense, but we don't have time for this touchy feely crap," Link said, feeling his life slipping away. "Zelda's been imprisoned somewhere by Ganondorf, who plans to take over the world. We could be under attack at any minute!" As soon as the words were said, there was a scream heard down the hallway through which Ruto had escaped. Link had tactfully left Ruto out of the story- he didn't want her implicated. That was why he had made her hide when he had revealed himself to Ganondorf.
"Link, there is something I must tell you," the king said gravely. "Something about Zelda-"
"It has to wait!" Link shouted as the door was busted down and ReDeads flooded the room. Link scanned the room and picked a torch from the wall. Using up the reserves of his strength, he waved it above his head threateningly at the creatures. They shied away from the fire, but it only served as a distraction.
The king surprised Link by acting with the agility of a twenty-year old man. He reached back behind him and pulled a sword from its sheath. He brandished it in front of them and stabbed a ReDead right as it lunged for Link. Link stared at the king in awe.
"I'm old, not decrepit," he said. "We've got work to do!"
With that proclamation, the old man and the young man, the strong and the dying, began to fight the ReDeads. The king, despite his age, was an excellent swordsman. He killed nearly twice as many as Link, and by the time they were done, a small mound had accumulated around him. His regal robes were soaked in black blood, but he didn't seem to mind. In fact, he rather seemed impressed by himself. He surveyed what they had accomplished and his eyes came to rest upon Link, leaning against a wall, his eyes wide.
"I can't," Link said, his breathing shallow and his vision fading. "I can't…"
"Link, get up," the king said, rushing towards him as Link fell to the ground. His shoulder was bleeding again, and his skin was turning gray. He was struggling to breathe.
"Zelda… I love her… It's wrong, but…" He choked and was silent.
"Link! Boy! Wake up!" the king commanded, slapping at Link's cheek. Link jumped and began gasping for air. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't even really see the king anymore. All he could see was a wall of white. Soon, there were specks of red in the white. The red specks formed together to make a pair of eyes, a pair of eyes looking at him with kindness and love.
"Zelda!" Link gasped. Zelda had materialized in front of him. She was smiling, wearing a white dress. A wedding dress. She was wearing the ring he'd given her so long ago, and a bouquet of flowers. He felt at peace and for the first time he actually felt okay with death. He wasn't afraid, as long as he could die looking at her beautiful face.
But then something happened. Ganondorf appeared too, just behind her. Zelda smiled and waved at him, and Link shouted for her to run, but she couldn't hear him. She didn't see it as Ganondorf threw her to the ground, kicking and scratching her. Her blood ran like a scarlet river over the tile floor, and her screams echoed in Link's brain. He tried to get up, to run to her, but imaginary hands held him down.
"Zelda! Zelda!" he screamed. The king watched him, feeling fear. The ReDeads could be back any minute, and he certainly couldn't kill more by himself. He wasn't sure what to do. He watched Link hallucinate and tried to talk him out of it, but Link couldn't hear or see him. Link screamed and writhed as if white-hot coals were burning him. He cried like a baby, screaming the king's daughter's name over and over again. He was bleeding profusely and no bandages could stop it. Rivulets of blood ran from his mouth, his nose, and his ears, even…
"Sir!" a slight woman called, running into the room. She didn't hesitate at the sight of the king over Link's tortured body. She pushed the king out of the way as she knelt over him.
"Who are you?" the king asked, miffed. She didn't answer, but injected a syringe filled with a clear liquid into Link's arm. As soon as she did so, the screaming subsided.
"They're all over the castle, sir!" she cried. "I would have been here sooner, but they were everywhere! The guards are trying to hold them back, but there's so many…"
"Is he alive?" the king asked, looking at Link. Before either of them could check for a pulse, a swarm of ReDeads dropped from the ceiling, ninja-like. One jumped on the woman, and the king wrenched it away from her and decapitated it. He kept moving, kept killing, kept destroying anything in his path. While he worked, the woman shut all the entryways into the room, barring them with tables and any type of obstacle that she could find. When the room was cleared, the king and she looked at each other once more.
"My name is Ruto," she told him. "I'm a doctor."
"Well, I'm the king," he said. "Nice to meet you."
"Likewise," she said, returning to Link. She gripped his wrist, swore, and leaned over his silent form. She whispered indecipherable things to him, and the king prayed to the Goddesses while he scanned for more ReDeads. He saw a window that Ruto had shut and ran to it. He looked for something to bar it with to support it even more, but was too late. A ReDead leapt through it and tackled the king to the ground. The king smelled its rancid breath, looking at its rotting flesh, before it was ripped away from him. He saw Link standing above him, holding his own sword he had dropped. Link through the ReDead to the ground and stabbed it through the heart. It screamed as it bled black blood and died.
"Welcome back," the king greeted Link as the younger man helped him to his feet.
"Nice to be back," Link said. The king looked at him and could still see how tired and worn and pained that he was, but was thrilled that he was alive. He had received the antidote soon enough. "Let's go find Zelda!"
"No!" the king cried out. Link looked at him with surprise. "We have to do something first. Please, follow me. And find your own weapon," the king said, taking his sword back, his brows furrowed together. Link and Ruto quickly found makeshift weapons and followed the king as he led them through the castle. Link took shots at ReDeads that leapt out at them from the shadows as they raced by.
"Ruto, go home!" Link yelled at her as they ran through all the chaos. "You shouldn't be here! I'm sorry you got dragged into this!"
"It's a little late for that, isn't it?" Ruto snorted, clubbing a ReDead. It fell off the railing and down a flight of stairs. "Oh, yeah!"
"I think you're enjoying this too much."
"No, I'm not."
"You could at least not laugh."
"What else is there to do, Link? Cry?" Ruto pointed out, letting off another maniacal laugh. "Bring it!" she shouted, staying behind to battle with a group of soldiers. Link didn't have time to encourage her to come, and against his better judgment, continued alone with the king.
As they progressed, they left the battle behind and the noise turned into an eerie silence. The king led him up a hallway that he'd never been in before. He had no idea where they were, but the king obviously did. He opened the ornate doors and led Link through. The two men shoved objects in front of the door, hopefully keeping the ReDeads at bay. Link turned and took in the small chamber. It was about the size of a high school gymnasium, but felt much smaller due to the huge shelves placed in the room, leaving small walkways that only allowed one person at a time to go through. The shelves contained a wide variety of items and none seemed to be in any order. There were books, papers, and weapons.
"Sir, where are we?" Link asked, following the king between the shelves. The king scanned, looking for something.
"I would ordinarily make you guess on your own, but we are short on time," said the king. "Over the years, when the Hero has finished his quest or died, what should happen to his belongings? Why, one way or another, they find their way here. They always do."
Link followed the king through the winding shelves, his mouth agape. Inexplicably he felt drawn to the place, as if he belonged. As he passed each bow, each ocarina, he felt as if he wanted to pick it up and use it. He had the strange feeling that, if he did, he would know exactly how to play the ocarina, although he'd never touched one before.
"Are you joining the guard again?" the king asked. "I'd be tickled pink to have you back, saying we survive this day and Hyrule doesn't fall to Ganondorf."
"It won't," Link assured him. "I won't let that happen."
"Now you won't," the king said, walking up an altar. Link followed him. The king stopped on top of a rug and stood in front of a door that had the Triforce carved into it. He sung a lullaby, a lullaby that Link recognized. It was a song made famous by the legend. It was the song that only the Royal Family or their messengers could learn. It was Zelda's Lullaby. With a colossal grinding noise, the wall parted, revealing a hidden chamber inside. Link followed the king, taking in the surroundings.
"Take it," the king said softly, gesturing to a pedestal in the middle of the room, into which a sword was driven. "If you can pull it out, you are surely the Hero of Time. You will need it to defeat Ganondorf. It is the Master Sword, the very same that the first Hero of Time used."
Link knew what an honor this was. He slowly and respectfully walked up to the pedestal, placing his hands around the hilt of the sword. He thought about the heroes before him who had slain beasts with this same blade. He thought about how victorious they had been in past lives. He lastly thought about Zelda, the terrified look on her face as she was kidnapped by the King of Evil. With rage and Hylian pride in his heart, Link drew the sword from the pedestal. A white light illuminated the hidden chamber, causing the king to look away. Link's jaw was set in a fierce way, and he was ready for battle. When the light faded, Link lowered the sword and faced the king, who was staring at him, open-mouthed. He was in awe by how much Link resembled each drawing and stained glass window he had ever seen of the Hero of Time.
"Take this," the king said, bustling to him and pulling a shield from the wall. He handed it to him, and Link donned it. "You can imagine who used that, as well," he said, continuing on down the way, past a large array of weapons. "And this," he said, "is the final thing you need." He picked the weapon up and carried it to Link. He handed it to him. "These, my son, are the light arrows."
"How do I use these, sir? They look like a normal bow and quiver," Link answered, his eyes wide with awe as he took the famous weapon from the king.
"It is in your heart," the king answered, his voice soft. "Love will win. Love will always win, Link. You must use the purity and innocence of your love to fill these arrows with the spirit of light. Use your love for the land. Use your love for your human rights. Use your love for my daughter. Use it all as fuel. With love, you will triumph."
"Thank you," Link said. "I am the most honored man in Hyrule today. But sir, you mentioned my love for Zelda a moment ago. I told you earlier that we realized that the same mother raised us. That love must not be so innocent and pure," he said, his voice filled with shame. "It is wrong. She is my sister."
"Well. About that…"
The small chapel was inside the castle. It was at the top of the north tower, which happened to be the tallest. No services were ever held there. It had been built ages ago for anyone who wanted to visit it and speak to the Goddesses. Sunday services were held in the Temple of Time. The chapel was meant for only those who had an urge to worship and adore their chosen god or goddess in solitude. It had wooden floors and many old, dusty pews. The altar was plain, decorated by only a large, solid-gold Triforce. Each side was around three feet long. The Triforce was rumored to carry the blessing of the Goddesses. Supposedly if one with a pure heart touched it, they would listen and grant a wish. Ganondorf, however, had been unable to touch it. I know- I'd watched him. He had tried and had been very frustrated. Apparently the first time the Triforce had broken into three pieces. Now, it would do nothing. Before he had found the organ, he had placed a spell around the Triforce. The spell was a violent purple and black smoke that floated around it ominously. He was trying to convert the powers of the Triforce and was succeeding. The golden power was being sucked away before my eyes. When the gold turned to stone, it would operate with the opposite force- it would project evil and control onto everything, with Ganondorf as the master. Currently the Triforce was a pale yellow, in stark contrast to the rich gold it usually was. There was an organ at the back of the chapel, at which sat a very large man with a very scary demeanor. As he began to play, he at first only touched the keys. He gingerly began to string the notes together into short staccato phrases, before finally pulling them together to play an enchanting song. As he played, the noontime sun spilled through the stained glass windows, illuminating every dust particle that floated through the stale air.
I was sitting near the altar, attempting to meditate. When Ganondorf had taken me here, he had placed me in the corner of the room and made a cage around me, using his connection to evil. The cage bars were made of the same black smoke he had used to bind me. I had managed to pull myself into a sitting position in the time we had been there, waiting for Link to arrive. Chains made of black smoke magically bound my wrists and feet together. As time passed, the smoke made little cuts where it touched. My wrists and ankles were very sore and bleeding at this point. I managed to keep the pain in check by sitting very still and praying. I tried to focus in on my connection to the Triforce, but as long as I was touched by Darkness, it was very hard to think pure thoughts. All I could think of was death and destruction. Ganondorf's train of thought began much clearer to me, and I felt compelled to join him and reign as his queen over Hyrule.
I felt the compulsion, but I would fight it. I would never give in.
Ganondorf chuckled.
"It is hard for you, is it not?" he asked me, his organ playing never ceasing. I answered him with silence, closing my eyes and imagining the sweeping fields I loved. I recalled the singing of the birds, their hymn ringing with freedom. I knew if I gave into him, there would be no freedom, no free will. We would all be slaves to evil. That was not acceptable. "Fight it all you want. You will eventually succumb like your brother did. You mortals always do, once evil has chosen you."
I imagined Link and I swirling around Goron City. My arms were around his strong shoulders, his on my small waist. I remembered his handsome face as he looked at me that night, when I thought he was going to kiss me. I thought about his beautiful blue eyes, the same color as the waters of Lake Hylia. I remembered long ago, going on a fishing trip with all my friends. There was a picture of Malon and I from that day, at Lake Hylia, our hair in two braids and ball caps shoved on top. We were smiling and laughing, our eyes are squinting from the excessive sunlight. Our faces were all smooshed together and I am the one taking the picture. Freedom, laughter, fun, and summertime. Nothing would ever be the same were I to listen to Ganondorf.
"Why won't you give in?" he shouted angrily. I snapped my eyes open in surprise. I hadn't noticed the organ ceasing to play. Ganondorf was now beside me, outside my cage. I was suddenly grateful that it meant he could not touch me. His eyes were filled with fire and waves of hatred emanated from him. He carried so much power with him that it would have been very easy to crumble.
"Because with you, Hyrule would not be Hyrule," I answered, my voice strong. "Were I to join you, could you promise me free will? Would I be able to walk through the fields without fear? Or would they be contaminated by your hatred? Would you burn them all, burn all those who don't follow you? Would you slaughter even women and children, if they chose to not follow your path? Would you-"
"Silence!" Ganondorf shouted. His words resounded in the small chapel. I held my tongue but did not show fear. He glowered down at me and I met his fiery eyes unafraid. He then suddenly turned and exited the chapel, leaving me alone. I vaguely wondered what he was doing. I was not alone for long before the doors opened again and another person raced in.
Link had found me.
"Link!" I exclaimed. Just like in the flashback, our eyes met. His face lit up and he ran to me, stopping in front of the bars. "Don't touch it! The bars will burn you!" I warned him. He frowned and listened to me.
"Where is he?" he demanded.
"I don't know, he just left," I answered. "You don't think he left, knowing you were coming, to set the chapel on fire or bring it down or something?"
"He wants a fight. He will face us," Link said, his face like stone. "That's good, though. He won't leave us here for long. We have time. Zelda, I've talked to your dad."
"Did he take you to the Hero's Shrine?" I asked, seeing the sword and shield. "Did he give you the light arrows?"
"Yes. But that's not what I have to tell you," he said, talking quickly. "Listen, we don't have time, don't interrupt me. But he gave me the watered down version before we had to part- Zelda, you're not my sister."
Despite his order not to interrupt, I gasped. "What? But the picture!"
"I know. It was the same woman. The queen," he said. We both heard heavy footsteps, and he protectively arranged himself in front of my cage. "But we aren't related. She's not my mother."
"But she raised you!"
"We'll talk about it later, when we have time. And trust me, we will," he assured me through the bars. "We'll take him down, somehow. Different than last time. After this is over and we have all the time in the world, we'll talk about it. Zelda Harkinian, I love you. Will you marry me?"
"What?" I cried, totally shocked.
"I know, I know. Now's not the moment. Even though I left, I never stopped loving you, not for a day. And I'm not talking about the first time," Link said. The footsteps were getting louder. My heartbeat increased with the ominous sound. "I left again last night and that was a mistake. I promise I will apologize a thousand more times. I will be sorry until the day I die. This could have been avoided if I had been there to protect you. I want every day of my life to start with you and end with you, Zelda. You are my best friend. I wake up in the morning thinking only of you and I retire at night dreaming of you. I have made mistakes and I guarantee I will make more. But there's no one I'd rather make them with than you. We were engaged once, and I'd like to be again. Will you marry me?"
"How touching," said the King of Evil softly, slowly opening the door and locking it behind him.
A/N: Hey guys. I just wanted to say, thank you to the people who DID review last chapter, I really appreciated it. I don't remember if I responded to them or not, but I've been really, REALLY busy lately and I've been having issues getting on. You guys are AWESOME! I baked you a figurative cherry pie, so here ya go, enjoy *hands reviewers steaming cherry pie* And for everyone else. I wouldn't have even posted this chapter if I could do only an author's note, but since there's a rule about that, I reluctantly decided to post this anyway. I did my math and I realized that only three point one percent of everyone who read the last chapter reviewed, and that kind of irritated me a bit, to be honest. Sorry if I sound cranky, but it's kind of a slap in the face when I work so hard on projects like this and people can't even take maybe a minute to give a meaningful, thought-out review. I don't expect everyone to (although that would be DIVINE), but less than four percent is a little ridiculous. On that note, I will not, and I mean I will NOT, post chapter ten and the epilogue until I get at least fifteen, twenty reviews for this chapter. That sounds high, because that's about how many I've got total, but seeing the numbers of people who read consistently but don't review makes me know that this is possible. So, sorry if I sound like an angry old bat (I promise! I'm not! D: ), I don't mean to be. See ya next chapter!
