Chapter Ten: Dark Lord vs. Dark Lord

Ganondorf stood before Zelda, smirking triumphantly. At first he didn't seem to notice Sauron or the others as he addressed Zelda. "So, Princess," he sneered. "How is the great kingdom of Hyrule faring? Has it fallen apart due to its lack of my leadership?"

Ganondorf started laughing, but he was sharply cut off. "Well, well, well, the great Ganondorf, the self-proclaimed King of Darkness," Sauron interrupted menacingly. "At last we meet."

Finally Ganondorf took notice of him. "Who are you?" the Gerudo King demanded.

"Alas for you, I am the future of Hyrule…and the world. You hold the Triforce of Power. Give it to me…now."

Insulted by Sauron's impudence, Ganondorf narrowed his eyes. "How dare you threaten me! Just who do you think you're dealing with? I am the Dark Lord Ganondorf!"

"Dark Lord? Please. Your magic amounts to little against my power. Allow me to show you who it is you are dealing with. I am the Dark Lord Sauron!"

Dark magic began gathering around Ganondorf's fists. "You will die by those words!"

Ganondorf unleashed a wave of dark energy at Sauron. Wielding the powers of the One Ring, Sauron held his hand out and absorbed the blast, infusing it with some of his own power before sending it back at Ganondorf, who took it fully in the chest. Ganondorf was sent flying into Harkinian's throne, knocking it over with a dazed Ganondorf in the seat. Ganondorf shook his head and rose to his feet. He raised his hand and charged a ball of energy. Crying out in anger, he launched it at Sauron, who brought out his mace and struck it, the energy rebounding at Ganondorf. Ganondorf was hit by his own attack, and was stunned. Sauron ran up to Ganondorf and hit him in the chest with his mace, smashing Ganondorf into the wall, dislodging several bricks upon impact. Ganondorf slumped to the ground and gasped. Then he was on his feet again, ready for more. Or so he thought.

Sauron unleashed a burst of lightning from his fingertips. Ganondorf attempted to shield himself with his magic cape, but the strength of the blow overcame his defenses, and he was once again flung back into the wall. As Sauron strode towards him, Ganondorf unsheathed his Gerudo sword, and the two Dark Lords clashed. Ganondorf swung at Sauron's head, and the Lord of the Ring deflected it with his gauntlet and kicked Ganondorf in the ribs, knocking him back again. Ganondorf did a back flip and came at Sauron again. Sauron blocked Ganondorf's thrust and shot another lightning blast at him. Ganondorf fell to the ground, losing his grip on his sword. Shaking off his weariness, he leapt at Sauron, fist raised.

Amused, Sauron tossed aside his mace to even the odds as Ganondorf descended upon him. When the Gerudo was close enough, Sauron grabbed him by the wrist and flung him over his shoulder. Ganondorf landed on his feet and roundhouse-kicked Sauron in the head. This only made Sauron stumble a little, and as Ganondorf jumped at him, Sauron grabbed him by the neck and slammed Ganondorf's head into the wall repeatedly. Weakened and dizzy, Ganondorf went limp. "You have proven to be a most interesting opponent, Sauron said, tightening his grip on Ganondorf's neck. "But you are beginning to waste my time. I have a world to conquer, and I am not about to let anyone, especially a pathetic excuse of a Dark Lord like you, stand in my way!"

Ganondorf then let out a bloodcurdling scream as he burst into flames. Sauron then tossed Ganondorf over to Zelda. The flames dissipated, and Ganondorf felt the last of his strength give out. Everyone watched in horror as Ganondorf, the most powerful dark wizard in all of Hyrule, collapsed on his back in defeat.

Sauron walked over to Ganondorf and stamped down on his chest. "It is over, fools!" he roared victoriously. "The Triforce is mine!"

He threw his head back and laughed cruelly. Ganondorf's vision cleared, and he saw Sauron standing over him, his foot firmly on his chest. I…can't…believe it, he thought in agony. I am…Ganondorf…King of Evil…How could I…lose…?

For the second time in his life, he felt completely helpless. This was a feeling he loathed more than anything else in the world. He glanced at Zelda and saw a look of despair etched on her face. Sauron ceased laughing, bent down, and reached for Ganondorf's wrist, intending to channel the Triforce of Power directly into the One Ring. Victory was literally within his grasp.

Suddenly, the sound of shattering glass was heard directly above them. All eyes watched as a large owl accompanied by two fairies dove through the shattered window and dove at a shocked Sauron. Kaepora slammed into Sauron's chest, knocking him off Ganondorf. The Orcs holding Link and his friends captive were so distracted by the sudden excitement that they accidentally let their guard down, and Link took advantage of their confusion and head-butted the Orc behind him, cutting his ropes with its sword.

Immediately chaos reigned as Link retrieved his sword and shield and quickly dispatched Saria and Malon's guards. Ganondorf managed to regain some of his strength and grabbed his sword just before the Witch-king swung at him, and he deflected the attack. Zelda and Saria began using their magic again, cutting through the confused Orcs like a hot knife through butter. Sauron raised a shield around himself to ward off Kaepora's beak and talons as he beheld the carnage. The Witch-king was furiously attempting to disarm Ganondorf, and the Gerudo King was barely keeping the Nazgul Lord at bay. The combined prowess of Link, Zelda, and Saria were sowing seeds of destruction amongst the Orcs, tearing them apart piece by painful piece.

Finally they panicked and scattered, realizing they were no match for the ferocity of their enemies. Both Sauron and the Witch-king noticed this. Sauron glared momentarily at Link before disappearing in a burst of fire. The Witch-king shrieked at Ganondorf before disengaging him and fleeing with his cohorts, leaving Ganondorf gasping for breath and leaning precariously on his sword. Everyone else was just as exhausted but relieved as they heard the sounds of Orcs retreating from the castle. Eventually, silence enveloped the halls. Everyone's eyes were now on Ganondorf, waiting to see what he would do. Finally, the dark king toppled and fell to the floor.

Zelda scanned his body with her magic and said, "It seems he has rendered himself in some kind of catatonic state. I think it's some sort of healing trance."

"Let's kill him right now and be rid of him for good!" exclaimed Link.

He knew this was the perfect opportunity to rid Hyrule of its nemesis permanently, and he was ready to take it. However, his hopes were soon dashed. "No," Zelda replied.

Link was stunned. "What? Why? After everything he's done in the past, you're willing to let him live? Are you insane?"

"Link, don't you understand? As much as I dislike it myself, we need Ganondorf. He is one of the Triforce carriers chosen by the goddesses, but we all saw what Sauron did to him! Even he was no match for him!"

"I don't see how it's possible," Saria interjected. "We spent so much effort to seal Ganondorf. Even with his ring, how is Sauron more powerful than Ganondorf?"

"Sauron is, in literal terms, a lesser god. Ganondorf is blessed with the power of our goddesses, but that does not make him a god. It is the same with Link and I. We bear parts of the Triforce, but we are no more gods than Ganondorf. Neither of us would have fared any better against Sauron."

Link glared at Ganondorf. "If that's true, then we don't stand a chance against him."

"No. There is a way to fight back. In the past, the Triforce has been divided due to our conflict with Ganondorf. If we were to work together towards a common goal, I believe the Triforce will lend us its full power and give us a chance against Sauron!"

Link thought about this for a moment, then bowed his head. "I don't like it. Not…one…bit. But if it's necessary in order to protect Hyrule, then I guess that leaves us with no other choice."

At that moment, King Harkinian entered the Throne Room, saw Ganondorf lying on the floor, and cried a mighty oath. "What in Din's name is he doing here?"

Impa, meanwhile, was beginning to regain consciousness. She shook her head and slowly got to her feet. Noticing Ganondorf, she mused, "This greatly complicates matters."

"You don't know the half of it," Link answered.

Zelda went to Ganondorf's side and said, "Sauron forced me to release Ganondorf so he could claim the Triforce of Power. Ganondorf tried to resist, but was overpowered."

Harkinian gripped his sword, still dripping with black Orc blood, and stared at Ganondorf hatefully. It was obvious he wanted to execute Ganondorf where he lay. Sensing this, Zelda pleaded, "No, father! We need him alive! Since he wields the Triforce of Power, we need him in the fight against Sauron! It's the only way we can defend ourselves. Please, listen to my words…"

"How do you know he won't attack us as soon as he's awake?" the King challenged.

"If I know Ganondorf well enough, he'll rather help us than let Sauron take what he believes is his."

Harkinian was silent for a long time before he conceded. "Very well. But I want to keep some guards nearby…in case he tries to…"

"Father, Link and I can handle ourselves if he attempts to pull off one of his dirty tricks. Also, there are two Sages here with us to add to our power. And as I said before, I think he will find it in his best interests if he cooperated, as I doubt he would like it if Sauron took Hyrule and the Triforce away from him."

The King was hesitant, but finally agreed. Then Link turned to Malon, who was still unconscious, and ran to her side. "Malon! Can you hear me? Please, wake up!"

Zelda knelt by Malon as well and put a hand on her head. "Link, I can sense a dark power of some kind acting like some kind of poison. Stand back. I will try to heal her."

Link did as he was told, and Zelda's hand was enveloped in a golden light which trailed down into Malon. When it subsided, Malon's eyes fluttered open. "Wh…what happened?"

Link wrapped her up in a bear hug. "Malon! Thank the goddesses! You're all right!"

"Agh, my head," Malon groaned.

"I think we could all use some rest," Harkinian said. "I will have the soldiers clean up the bodies."

The King then left. Zelda and Link each put an arm around one of Ganondorf's shoulders and escorted him and Malon to the medical wing. Kaepora took his leave and flew out the window.

XXXXXX

The Orc armies retreated back to their city-camp, where they regrouped and reformed. Sauron and the Witch-king were at the moment extremely unhappy about the recent turn of events that had transpired at Hyrule Castle. As they returned to Sauron's tent, Sauron threw his mace upon the ground in anger before slumping down in his chair. "I was so close! I almost had the Triforce! I was only mere seconds away from snatching victory only to have it whisked away by a wretched bird! Curse this infernal land!"

The Witch-king listened to his master brood before saying, "Our armies are still great, My Lord. If we strike in multiple areas, we can eliminate potential allies who might rally to their cause. Then they will be unable to muster enough forces to resist us."

Sauron looked at his most loyal minion. "How many soldiers do we still have at our disposal?"

"One hundred eighty-thousand Orcs, thirty-four Trolls, and three divisions of Warg cavalry with forty units each," the Witch-king listed.

Sauron snickered, his breath whistling through the nasal holes in his helmet. "More than enough to eliminate these pathetic rats. See that this is done."

The Witch-king nodded and left the tent. He approached a small group of Orc commanders who had been bragging about how many enemies their battalions had slain. This banter ceased when they noticed the Witch-king. "Gather your warriors together. His Lordship has a task for you."

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Just to let all my readers know, I'm putting this story on hiatus for a few weeks in order to catch up on college work. I wrote this at the expense of my studying time. Go me. If I'm going to continue this story, I have to get all this done. In the meantime, just wait patiently.

Don't you just hate cliffhangers? D: