Disclaimer: I do not own Zelda, or anything that has to do with Zelda.
Author's Note: Wow, I'm getting these chapters up faster than I thought I was going to. Alright everyone, enjoy chapter 9. Lookie! I got to use the word oblivion again! :)
Ch. 9 – Perish into Oblivion
Dragon after dragon fell lifelessly towards the flaming ground of Faron Province as Link, Zelda, Nayru, and Farore fought for their lives against the large hell dragon army. But it seemed for every dragon shot down, seven more took its place.
Link reached into his quiver for another arrow as Farore maneuvered around countless bodies, slashing at the hell dragons' eyes as she flew. The young hero just grabbed air. No arrows were left.
Link cursed under his breath as he tucked his bow away and unsheathed the Goron sword again. Though still hard to hold up from its weight, Link didn't pay heed and began to slice at any hell dragon's head with the strong sword.
As he and Farore fought on, Link saw a glowing blue magic sphere the size of a pumpkin fly past his head and explode upon the hell dragon's eyes behind him.
Link looked forward. Magic was forming together in between Zelda's hands, much like Midna did with her shadow powers. Once the magic took on the appearance of a large sphere, Zelda then hurled it at any open target.
She must have run out of light arrows. Link thought as he focused back on the battle. He knew that Zelda could easily create new light arrows, but the main item needed for them was… light. And with no light, what could she do?
Nayru maneuvered around and clawed at the hell dragons' eyes much like Farore was. But, on occasion, she would put a protective barrier around herself and Zelda if an enemy approached too quickly for either of them to attack.
After dodging attack after attack, Nayru and Farore made it out of the battle. They drifted in the air, giving themselves and the two young Hylians a quick breather.
The light dwellers were exhausted. Link realized the sword's weight again and how sore his arms were. The sword was completely drenched in blood. From swinging the sword around so much, the blood now started to cover his tunic, turning it from a dark forest green to a dark red.
He looked at the others. Nayru and Farore kept their wings spread apart, gliding, so as to give themselves a break. Their claws dripped with blood and their stomachs expanded and shrunk slowly with the long breaths they took.
Then, Link looked to Zelda. Her eyes were closed as she took in long breaths. Her hands, bloody and tattered, lay limp in her lap. Link wasn't sure how much longer she could hold out… How much longer they all could hold out.
Their time of rest was short-lived, for the hell dragons pursued them, not going to stop until the last of the remaining light was dead.
Link tightened the grip on his sword as Farore and Nayru quickly turned and headed back into battle.
The four light dwellers took out the hell dragons that were right behind them with ease. But before they reentered the large clump of hell dragons, Link saw something coming towards them out of the corner of his eye and it was coming fast.
Before Farore or Link could react, Din slammed her powerful body into Farore.
As the goddesses made impact, Link saw Ganondorf jump off of Din's back, sword drawn, and heading right towards him.
Link brought up the Goron's sword to defend himself from the blow of the oncoming attack.
The attack was much more powerful than Link could imagine. As blades clashed, Link felt himself falling backwards from Ganondorf's forceful attack. Before he knew it, he and Ganondorf were falling, falling towards the flaming ground below.
"Link!" Farore shook off the pain from Din's body slam and began to dive after Link's falling form.
"Where do you think you're going?!" Din dove in front of Farore, blocking her way to Link.
Trying to find a way around her sister, but with no success, Farore desperately looked over to Nayru on her left.
Nayru had seen Link fall and was trying to dive after him as well, but the hell dragons mimicked Din's actions and flew in front of her, also blocking her way.
Farore, Nayru, and Zelda continued to fight, but could only watch helplessly as Link struggled with Ganondorf all the way down to the ground.
Link tried to push Ganondorf away, but he was at a major disadvantage. Ganondorf hovered over Link's small form as gravity increased the speed of their fall.
If he lands on me… I'm dead! Link thought. As the ground inched closer, Link took his right hand off of the hilt of the Goron sword and then grabbed its blade.
Link winced in pain as the razor sharp steel blade pierced the delicate skin on his hand, but even through the pain, he didn't let go. This new placement of his hands made it a little easier to control where he was going to end up.
With all the strength he had left, he pushed against Ganondorf's weight and strength. He managed to switch places with the King of Evil, so now Link was on top.
Just as Link let out a sigh of relief that he wasn't going to be crushed to death, he saw the ground only inches away.
This is going to hurt! Link closed his eyes.
Ganondorf slammed into the ground first, or more like, slammed into the water first.
As Ganondorf made impact, he lost his grip on his glowing sword and it fell out of his hand as Link crashed down onto his large chest.
Though it was somewhat cushioned, Link still felt pain course through his body as he bounced off of Ganondorf's large, muscular body and landed harshly in the water a few feet away.
Link struggled to keep his face above the shallow pool of water. He glanced around and noticed that they had landed in the small pond of Faron Province. To his luck and relief, the pond was the only part of the field that wasn't on fire.
"You don't know when to quit… do you?!"
Link moved his gaze back to Ganondorf. Ganondorf growled as he grabbed his sword out of the water and struggled to stand up. Yes, even the mighty Devil himself was having trouble recovering from the fall.
"Look who's talking," Link struggled to stand up as well, trying to prop up the Goron sword with just his left hand. Unfortunately, he didn't have the strength to hold it up, so he gently wrapped his right hand around the hilt. Pain shot all throughout his right hand as the gash from the sword reacted to the hard texture. Blood oozed its way out of the gash, but Link paid no attention to it. He focused everything he had left on Ganondorf.
Silence filled the air as Ganondorf and Link faced each other, swords drawn. Not a ripple was made in the water, for neither of them dared to make the first move. That pond… That small body of water was their battlefield, for the field around them was ablaze, surrounding them, allowing nothing to escape.
After a few moments, an evil smile crossed Ganondorf's face. He raised his hand and gestured, daring Link to come at him.
Link hesitated for only a second, then he and Ganondorf lunged at each other.
"Din, I don't want to fight you!" Farore focused all of her attention on her sister once she saw that Link had survived the fall.
"You must always fight for your place in the world. If you don't, you will die!" Din's powerful emerald green eyes were coated over with a glossy texture.
Farore looked at her sister with sorrow. She knew Din's spirit was suffering under Ganondorf's control, but she was helpless to save her.
"Din, I know you," Farore spoke softly. "I know you fight, but you fight for the protection and safety of those weaker than you. You fight to protect the light from darkness such as this," Farore moved her gaze around to look at the blanket of darkness covering Hyrule.
"I fight for my master and for nothing else," Din hissed.
"You are in a fight right now, Din!" Farore was desperate. "You must fight against Ganondorf's control over you. Din, you are stronger than that. Please, fight! The land of Hyrule needs the Goddess of Power back. The light needs you back. But, most importantly… Nayru and I… We want our sister back."
Those last words barely came out as a whisper as Farore began to cry.
Din watched Farore's silent tears fall to the ground like rain.
"Oh… Farore…"
Farore gazed through clouded eyes towards Din.
Din was beginning to sway in the air. She closed her eyes and began to breathe heavily. Tears began to run down her cheeks.
"Din? What's wrong?!" Farore asked, but she already knew the answer. Din was fighting against Ganondorf's control; she was fighting for her freedom.
"I… I don't… want to hurt anymore!" Din began to thrash her head around wildly.
After a few moments, Din was still… silent. Farore held her breath, wondering what her sister was going to do next.
Then, Din began to fall. She fell towards the ground like Link had.
"Din!" Farore dived down under Din's body and propped her up with her right wing. She struggled to hold both of them up while using only one wing, but it was in vain, as Farore felt herself sinking to the ground.
"Din! Din!"
Din slowly opened her eyes. Her mind was clear and for the first time in what seemed like years, she saw what she wanted to see, though the army of hell dragons, the flaming Province, and the blanket of darkness weren't very appealing to the eye.
"Farore," Din smiled down at her sister, too happy to realize that the flames were licking dangerously close to them.
"All right…" Farore felt the heat from the inferno. "Let's have… our family reunion… once we get back into the air… huh?"
Din finally noticed how close the flames were. "Oh!" She then gracefully moved away from Farore and shot up into the air.
Once she felt Din move off of her, Farore shot up after her sister.
The goddesses were high in the air, far away from the flames, and there, they began to rejoice.
They flew around each other, much like baby dragons would. They laughed, not being able to stop smiling.
Then, Din came to an abrupt halt. She turned to Farore, a serious look overtaking her smile. "Where's Nayru?"
Farore's eyes grew wide. Then, she flew off towards the battle, to where she had seen Nayru last. Din followed closely behind.
Nayru and Zelda were in the midst of about twelve dragons. Nayru's barrier was holding out while Zelda continued to form her magic spheres. But Nayru's barrier was dimming, Zelda's magic spheres were growing smaller and less powerful, they weren't going to last much longer.
Farore and Din flew at the dragons and began taking them out.
Dragon after dragon fell as Farore and Din clawed away at their eyes, their determination not ceasing until Nayru was safe.
Once all the hell dragons were gone, Nayru's barrier dropped and she began to fall.
Farore and Din swiftly flew under Nayru, using their bodies to prop up their sister. Farore was thankful for the extra help of holding up Nayru.
"Din," Nayru smiled weakly, her eyelids beginning to drop.
"Hey, sis," Din said gently.
Zelda smiled. All three of the goddesses were together again, only this time, they weren't attacking each other.
"Do not worry about me," Nayru looked towards the hell dragon army. "Focus on the battle."
Din and Farore glared at the army ahead of them. Their glares slowly turned into looks of confusion. The army wasn't moving. They just hovered in place, looking down at the ground.
Zelda and the goddesses followed their gazes to the ground. There, they saw Link and Ganondorf fighting.
"Link!" The goddesses were startled from Zelda's sudden outburst. Through the joy of being together again, they had forgotten that the Princess was on Nayru's back.
Din gazed down at the one-on-one battle, then turned her gaze to the hell dragon army. "I understand now."
"What is it, Din?" Nayru asked as she began to pull away from her sisters, slowly gaining her strength back.
"All of Ganondorf's attention is on Link. That's why I was able to break away from him. And that's why those hell dragons aren't attacking us. They're waiting for more orders from Ganondorf."
"We shall use this to our advantage then," Farore began to fly towards where she thought the desert was. "We must bring the Twilight Princess back now."
"But, we can't just leave Link!" Zelda tried to protest.
"We can't waste time, Princess!" Nayru began to follow after Farore.
Din flew up alongside Nayru. "You need me to help complete the gateway out of the Twilight Realm. And if Ganondorf decides to take control of my mind again, I won't be able to help."
Zelda understood, but she was still worried about Link.
"Link is strong, Zelda." Zelda turned her gaze to Farore, who still flew shortly ahead. "He can hold out a little bit longer."
With that, the goddesses headed out into the darkness, hoping that they could find their way to the Mirror Chamber.
Link breathed heavily as Ganondorf mercilessly hacked away at his sword. Link couldn't even find an opening to attack the King of Evil.
"You can't defeat me with that sword!" Ganondorf forcefully brought his sword down. Link managed to block it, but then Ganondorf caught him off guard. When their swords collided, Ganondorf removed his left hand from the hilt of his sword and brought his fist up and into Link's stomach.
All the air escaped as Link was knocked off his feet, thrown through the air, and slammed down into the water on his back. The force of the impact made Link drop the Goron sword.
As he tried to breathe air into his lungs, he slowly reached his right arm out for his sword.
Link cried out as Ganondorf's foot crushed the bones in his right arm. He looked up to see the sharp tip of Ganondorf's sword just inches away from his face.
Ganondorf sneered as he saw the 'great Chosen Hero' lying on the ground. He saw sweat and water dripping down the side of Link's face.
"It's over!" Ganondorf shouted as he went in for the strike.
Link closed his eyes and waited for the blow. But before Ganondorf's sword cut him through, Link felt a familiar tingle course through his body. This sensation… he remembered it… the last time he felt it was… two and a half weeks ago…
Link suddenly disappeared into shadow particles as Ganondorf's sword cut through air and struck the water.
Ganondorf growled. He pulled his sword out of the ground and looked around. Link was nowhere to be found. "Where did you go, boy?! Show yourself!"
Link was placed gently on soft grass as his particles assembled together. He smiled as he figured out that he had been transported by twilight. But transported where?
Link took a look around. Darkness covered the air, but it wasn't as dark in this area as it had been on Faron Province. He saw that he was in the sacred grove, amongst the ruins of the Temple of Time. The pedestal that held the Master Sword lay just a few feet away from him.
Slowly, Link stood up. His right arm lay limply at his side, throbbing with a terribly indescribable pain. He gazed around, looking for someone… anyone. His gaze stopped on a figure that lingered in the shadows not too far from him.
"Link!" The figure ran out of the shadows calling his name, revealing herself.
"Zelda, you're alright," Link smiled at the approaching Princess.
"I'm fine, but what about…" Zelda scanned his body for any fatal wounds. Her gaze fell on Link's crippled arm. She took in a quick breath. "What happened to you?!"
"Ganondorf stepped on me," Link joked, trying to ease the tension that lingered in the air.
"Stop joking around, Link!" Zelda said sharply. "This is serious. You're hurt!"
"Don't worry about me. I'm…" Link started.
"I was praying nothing would happen to you, but you're hurt. I was already scared when I saw you fall, I couldn't do anything to help you. And then, watching you fight Ganondorf, I just…" Zelda spoke very quickly. She only stopped when Link brought his fingers to her lips.
After Zelda was quiet, Link removed his left hand from her mouth and placed it on her shoulder. He smiled. Not the fake, reassuring smile that he always gave her, but a real smile. "I'm fine, Zelda."
Zelda's eyes gazed at Link with the look of a child who had just lost their mother. Then, unexpectedly, Zelda wrapped her arms around his waist, engulfing him in a hug.
Link stood there, dumb-founded, not knowing how to react. After a few moments, he wrapped his good arm around her.
When he had returned the embrace, Link was surprised. Though Zelda was strong and had a strong spirit, she was trembling.
Link drew her closer to him, wanting to protect her from any evil being in Hyrule. He knew she was scared… he was scared too.
"Aw, isn't that cute?" A familiar chuckle filled the air.
Recognizing that voice, Link released Zelda and looked over at the pedestal of the Master Sword.
Midna stood next to the pedestal. Her arms were crossed and she was smiling at her two favorite Hylians. Lying at her feet, were the two pieces of the Master Sword.
Link stared at the pieces with confusion. "How did you…?"
"Nayru gave them to me. She told me to apologize to you for taking them while you slept."
Link smiled as he remembered the night Nayru had saved his soul from being devoured by darkness. "So, you know the whole story now, right?"
Midna nodded. "The goddesses summed it up for me pretty fast, but I think I got it." She then beckoned for Link and Zelda to come over to her as she knelt down next to the pieces of the Master Sword.
Link and Zelda made their way over and knelt down next to the Twilight Princess, creating a circle around the broken blade.
Midna pushed the pieces together. "Zelda, put your hand on the crack first."
Zelda nodded and gently placed her right hand over the crack that revealed that the blade was broken.
Midna placed her right hand on top of Zelda's. She looked at Link. "Put your hand over mine, Link."
Link slowly placed his left hand on top of Midna's. Her hand… For a being from the shadows, her hand held warmth and comfort.
"Now, focus your light energy into the Master Sword." Midna closed her eyes.
Link and Zelda closed their eyes and focused.
Nothing happened.
Midna opened her eyes and looked at Link and Zelda. "Someone is troubled and they are unable to focus." Her gaze immediately rested on Link. "What's wrong, Link?"
Link sighed. "I'm sorry, but I need to know." He looked longingly into Midna's entrancing red eyes. "Why did you leave?"
Midna drew her gaze away from the hero. "Long story short… I created enough trouble for you. I didn't want to cause anymore. You deserve better, Link."
Midna felt a gentle squeeze from Link's hand. She looked back at him, expecting to see anger or sadness in his eyes. To her surprise, a smile crossed his face.
"I like a little adventure. And you opened my eyes to something so much greater," he gazed at her and then gazed at Zelda. If it hadn't been for Midna, he would've never met either of them.
All of a sudden, light particles that looked like fireflies began to flow down Link and Zelda's arms.
Particles drifted down Midna's arm as well, only hers were of shadow.
The firefly particles intertwined together where their hands met. The particles slipped through the three's fingers and made their way into the broken blade.
Once the particles ceased to flow, the Master Sword began to glow. (No rhyme intended)
The three look at each other, then slowly removed their hands from the blade.
The Master Sword lay in one piece on the ground. The joining of light and shadow emanated a beautiful type of violet light that encircled the sacred blade.
Link, Zelda, and Midna stared in shock. Link was almost afraid to touch it.
"Go ahead, Link," Midna nodded towards the Master Sword.
Link held his breath as he reached his left arm out and wrapped his hand around the hilt. A familiar kind of power coursed through his body, but this new power far surpassed its former power. Link smiled. Welcome back, old friend. The power made his body feel good, making him forget the throbbing pain in his crushed arm.
"To think that light and shadow have merged together again to destroy the very thing that it created." Link was answered by silence. He looked around, wondering what had happened to the Princesses.
They remained seated on the ground, but they now faced each other, hands joined together. To Link, it appeared as if they were praying.
The shadow and light particles flowed down their arms once again. The particles then intertwined in between them. Light arrows appeared on the ground, but they had the same glow that emanated from the Master Sword. Zelda picked up the arrows, then, her and Midna stood up with Link.
"The goddesses are waiting at the Mirror Chamber. We shall go there once this battle is over," Midna began.
"But, we need all the help we can get," Link was shocked. After everything the goddesses had done for them, the one time they needed them most, they weren't going to help?!
"This is our battle, Link." Zelda's voice brought Link back to reality. "They want us to take care of it."
Link sighed. This was their battle and they were going to win. He nodded to Zelda and Midna.
"I shall assist you," Midna snapped her fingers. They all began to dissolve into shadow particles. Before they completely disappeared, a single sentence drifted through the air towards Link.
"Finish off Ganondorf quickly."
"You're a coward, boy!" Ganondorf struck the ground. He was ticked, searching the area for Link. "You run away from a fight?! Where are you?!"
"Right her." A voice called out from behind Ganondorf. He quickly turned around. Link, Zelda, and Midna stood before him.
Ganondorf chuckled. "Three against one? Now that isn't very fair, is it?"
Link stepped forward. He held the Master Sword, with one hand, out towards Ganondorf. Link smiled as he enjoyed Ganondorf's shocked face upon seeing the blade he had broken, in one piece before his very eyes. "It's just you and me, Ganondorf."
"Ah," Ganondorf raised his sword up as well. "This should be interesting."
Without hesitation, Ganondorf and Link lunge for each other again.
With the Master Sword's help, Link defended himself against every attack Ganondorf sent his way.
As Link fought, Zelda and Midna fired arrows and magic at the still forms of the hell dragons, wanting to destroy as many as possible in case Ganondorf gave them another command.
Sparks flew as blades clashed. The water was not still as Link and Ganondorf lunged and maneuvered around each other, trying to find an opening to attack.
"Din! Din, come to me!" Ganondorf called out to the sky as he continued to dodge and attack Link.
"What's wrong, Ganondorf?" Link breathed heavily. "Do you need help to take me on?"
"As if!" Ganondorf brought his sword down hard. Their blades clashed together and remained intact as Ganondorf leaned forward. His face closed in to Link's. He hissed, "I was going to use her to get rid of your little archers over there."
Link knew he was talking about Zelda and Midna. He glared at Ganondorf. "Too bad. Din is free from your grasp!"
Ganondorf quickly looked to the sky. He noticed that all three of the goddesses were missing. "Not for long. She is bound to me. She can never run nor hide from me!" Ganondorf began to focus in on Din's mind.
"You will not take her again!" Link pushed Ganondorf back. As Ganondorf stumbled, Link raised his sword and sliced through his left shoulder.
Ganondorf looked at the blood flowing down his arm with surprise. With that strike, he actually felt… pain. They did something… They did something to that wretched blade! His surprise turned to anger, as Ganondorf struck out at Link again.
Link continued to easily ward off Ganondorf's attacks. He felt like he knew every attack, every move that the devil was going to make. His body moved swiftly as if an unseen force was controlling him.
"You know, Ganondorf," Link could hear Ganondorf beginning to breathe heavily. "If you can throw out that demon that's housed itself inside of you, I might spare your life!"
"Fat chance!" Ganondorf struck at Link. "I've tasted a power so incredibly evil that I'll never let it go!"
"It's tearing you apart from the inside out, Ganondorf!"
"I have claimed this power and I will do with it what I please! And right now, I'm going to use it to finish you off once and for all!"
Ganondorf raised his sword and struck down with such force that Link was sent skidding backwards.
Link recovered quickly from the blow and glared. "I won't die until you take your last breath first!"
Link and Ganondorf lunged at each other, this strike being the final blow.
All time stopped as the Master Sword stabbed right through Ganondorf's heart. Ganondorf stood still, mouth gaping as the power of light and shadow dissolved away from the Master Sword and coursed through his body, killing all of the darkness stored inside him.
Link smiled as he breathed heavily. But something was off. Every breath he took sent pain throughout his body. As he continued to feel pain, he felt something wet running down his left leg.
Link slowly glanced down. Sticking out of his own heart was Ganondorf's blade. Blood poured out and continued to run down his side. The blood entered the water, staining it red.
As the darkness faded from inside him, Ganondorf fell backwards and crashed into the water, adding more blood to the already blood-stained pond.
With the last of his strength, Link forced Ganondorf's sword out from his heart and dropped it on the ground. He then clutched his chest as the blood began to race out faster. Blood filled his lungs, making it difficult to breathe. Fading in and out of the dark, Link fell forward into the water and lay next to Ganondorf.
"Fool…" Link forced his eyes open as he heard Ganondorf whisper." You… may… have killed… this body… but… I will drag… your soul… down to hell with me…" With those words, Ganondorf closed his eyes. The rise and fall of his chest ceased as his heart stopped beating.
Link let out a chuckle. "I'd… like… to see… you… try…" The sound of each beat of his heart silenced as Link's body went numb and he exhaled his last breath of life.
Another Author's Note: I know! You hate me for leaving another cliff hanger, but I am going to make it up to you. The next chapter is my last chapter and I'm going to post both that and the epilogue up at the same time. How does that sound? Sorry that there wasn't much of a hell dragon army battle. I mostly wanted to focus on the battle between Link and Ganondorf. And yes, I did cry while writing this chapter. Keep your eyes open for the conclusion of Shattered Twilight!