A/N: I do not own The Legend of Zelda or any related characters.
Okay, guys. Prepare yourselves. This is one of, if not the best chapter I've ever written. It's also the BIGGEST plot development yet. So hold on to your butts, get a comfortable spot, and read only if you're absolutely sure you're ready.
You have been warned. Let's get on to the chapter ^_^
When I got to Zelda's room, the door was ajar. I let myself in, and was greeted by a gathering in the middle of the room. I recognized most of the people there: Mikau, Pipit, Midna, and Zelda were there, along with Headmaster Gaepora, Darunia and Impa, plus a guy and a girl I didn't know.
"Link! You're here!" Zelda greeted.
"Yeah," I affirmed. "What's this for?"
"Well, Castle Town was attacked by an army of unidentified creatures. Darmani, Malon, Lulu and Shiek are among those that were in the Town at the time. We haven't been able to make contact with any of the students in Castle Town since the attack. We've also lost contact with many civilians," explained the Headmaster.
"I calculate a 97% chance that these creatures are the shadow creatures of Ganondorf's doing," developed Fi, quietly enough that nobody else heard.
"The creatures were last seen leaving from Castle Town's West Gate, which is the furthest one from here," Gaepora continued. "There was no reported bloodshed in the Town, which suggests that everybody who is unaccounted for has been captured by the army, but is still alive. Unfortunately, the West Gate is too far away from here to make the journey in a reasonable time frame."
"I can go," Zelda blurted.
"Out of the question!" boomed Gaepora. "You are the only person here who has the power of such fast transportation. It would be beyond foolish for you to go alone. I will not risk the life of my daughter on such a mission."
"I'm strong enough to take somebody with me. I won't go alone," countered Zelda.
The Headmaster agreed reluctantly. "Fine, take Instructor Megaton with you. He is experienced in weapons and will protect you."
"Are ya kiddin' me?" cried Darunia. "If ya want a swordsman, take Link here! He beat me on 'is first try!"
"Yeah, he can cut a dummy in half with a practice sword!" Zelda bragged on my behalf.
At this point, I was glad I kept my sword and shield on my back.
"That settles it," Gaepora affirmed. "Get Link a good sword from the storage room. Link, Zelda, you leave as soon as possible."
We nodded in unison, and ran out the door with Darunia in tow.
When we got to the storage room Darunia took down a rack of various swords. I unsheathed my own to compare it with them. I hadn't noticed, but my sword had dulled, no longer able to cut the air with as satisfying a noise. I ran my finger along the blade lightly, and felt no pain at all. As expected from a cheap alleyway deal, I guess.
"You've got a mighty fine shield, Link," commented Darunia, "but that sword could use some sharpening. We don't have time for that now, though, so take one from here instead."
I thanked him and gave him my weapon, picking up a different one of the same length and weight. It was a simple thing with an plain golden hilt and a razor sharp blade. I gave it a test swing, and was satisfied with my choice.
"Ready to go, Link?" asked Zelda. I nodded, sheathing my new sword. "Hold on to me tight, okay?"
Zelda wrapped her arms around my waist, while I draped mine over her shoulders. We both squeezed each other.
"Get ready, it's a bit disorienting," warned Zelda. "Close your eyes, it helps with the motion sickness," she advised.
I obeyed, and felt a gust of wind. The wind felt like it wrapped around us, then I felt like I was standing on it, then riding on it. In no time at all, my feet met the ground again. I opened my eyes. We were standing in the middle of a huge field, with a horde of blueish, goblin-looking things approaching us. In the middle of the group was a crude-looking cage carried by four giant things.
"The civilians," I breathed.
"Master Link, these enemies are Bokoblins. These monsters have plagued the land since ancient times. They each play different roles, and their weaponry varies. They prefer to act in groups. None of them are intelligent by any definition of the word. Curiously, they seem to have a mysterious obsession with fashionable undergarments," Fi informed me.
Zelda raised an eyebrow. "What was that?"
"That's Fi, a sword spirit that resides in the gem on this pen," I answered.
"Oh." Zelda smiled at me. "Ready?"
"You bet."
I charged the army, catching them with a surprise Mortal Draw. I cut down a good five or six of them with the one strike. Pushovers. The closest ones to me noticed me do this, and charged at me with a battle cry. The noise quickly rose to an ear-splitting uproar as row upon row of these Bokoblins followed their comrades into battle. And row by row, they bit the dust as I unleashed my arsenal of sword techniques, my blade becoming a silver flurry. From behind me, Zelda threw exploding fireballs to support me. Together we fought, mage and warrior, toward our captive friends at the center.
When we reached the center, the four giant Bokoblins were ready for battle, carrying massive swords and spears.
"These Moblins have sturdy iron shields. Only a few Moblins are capable of carrying a large, heavy shield of iron like this one," Fi informed.
While I was listening to Fi's comment, one of the Moblins was charging a spear blow. I was only notified when Zelda shouted my name in warning. I tried to dodge, but in my haste, I tripped over the rubble that I had created on my way in. I raised my shield, bracing for impact.
...And nothing happened.
Confused, I looked up to see Zelda with her arms spread out and a look of intense concentration on her face. She had erected some sort of crystal-shaped barrier to protect us.
"L-Link...cover me..." she managed.
I sprang into action, focusing on executing the most powerful Spin Attack I knew - the Hurricane Spin. I charged my attack, and released it, spinning multiple times, knocking away all the enemies in a circular path around Zelda. I made my way back to Zelda, dizzy and trusting that what she wanted to do would be enough for me to recover.
It was more than enough. She raised her left hand toward the sky, then thrust it down to the ground. A giant fireball erupted from the spot where her hand met the ground. It expanded outwards, incinerating everything evil around us. Exhausted, she fell to the ground. I resisted the urge to help her up, instead unlocking the cage. I realized that I didn't have instructions on where to tell everyone to go.
"Get back to Castle Town as quickly as you can. You'll get more instructions there," I commanded, hoping the second part was true.
Then, something hit me over the head. My vision went white from the searing pain, and I swung my sword in the direction of the impact. I was rewarded by the familiar sound of a Bokoblin screaming. I shook my head to clear my vision, and looked up to see Zelda being carried off by a pair of Bokoblins.
No, no, no, no, no! Not Zelda! She's the girl I love, and she's the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom! That's double the reason I can't lose her.
I fought the pain and ran after the retreating Bokoblins. No matter how hard I screamed or how fast I ran, they wouldn't turn around to face me. They had claimed their prize. My vision swam, and my quickening pulse matched the throbbing of my head.
"Master Link, you have lost a significant amount of blood. I suggest you find shelter. I calculate a 92% chance that you will lose consciousness within the next-"
And I blacked out.
When I came to, it was already dark. The pain in my head was gone, but the pain of losing Zelda wasn't. Even worse was weight of my spirit, the Spirit of the Hero. I had surrendered the Triforce of Wisdom to the Dark Lord. I had given him the only thing the raid was for. I had taken the bait. I had failed.
What kind of Hero am I?
I kicked the dirt angrily. I shouted out to the sky, "Now are you happy? You've chosen a failure as your Hero! You've chosen a weak, emotional, socially awkward failure as you Hero!" I looked down at the puddle of blood and sweat on the ground, and added tears to the mix.
"Master Link, I strongly suggest-"
"I don't care."
"I calculate a 99% chance that-"
"Shut up."
"Master Link, the information I am about to give you is-"
"SHUT UP!"
After a long pause, Fi replied, "As you wish, Master Link."
I sat down, putting my face in my hands. How am I going to protect the Triforce now? Ganondorf has two pieces, and I have one. I don't even have the Blade of Evil's Bane. I can't do anything. I can only hide.
Hide.
That's it! I ran off into the depths of Hyrule Field, seeing my destination in my mind's eye.
The Bridge of Eldin.
I sighed. I had lost the Triforce of Wisdom and my one true love. I've lost the final battle before it even began. I don't have anything I need to be the Hero. All I can do is bury the Triforce of Courage somewhere Ganondorf will never find it. At the bottom of Eldin Gorge. I tapped the back of my hand, letting the golden mark of the Triforce shine. I shook my head.
"You've chosen wrong."
I climbed up onto the stone wall of the bridge, looking down at the bottomless abyss before me. I took a deep breath, and let my last tears flow.
Three.
"I'm sorry, Hyrule."
Two.
"I'm sorry, Zelda."
One.
A/N: Oh, no! What have we got here? As far as you can tell, Zelda is done for, Link is done for, and Ganondorf has pretty much won.
The suspense is killing me! xD
Just as a clarification, Link is technically one second away from a Game Over. As the author, I'm going to make that one second the longest one second of your lives! Mwahahahaha!
Don't forget to drop a review for your new evil overlord! Or else...
Just kidding, I'm not really evil ^_^