Chapter 10 - Rage
To the Five he must give aid
Lest time itself become unmade
The Ruler, The Stone, The Thief, The Forest Guide, The One From Deep
With each assisted, with him they shall keep
The One of Many shall hide his face
When the Five doth stand in place
Behind the shadow doth he stand
The power of the Dark God in his hand
Link stole quietly away from the dinner table in the great hall of Morgan's palace. Link disliked large crowds and the assembly of all the nobility at the table made him uncomfortable. He had mumbled something about feeling tired to Shera and excused himself from the table. Link was feeling decidedly surly as he mounted the stairs that led to his room; the ear bashing he had received from his companions had darkened his spirits and being forced to take a bath didn't help either. Link opened the door to his room and closed it behind him before flopping wearily down on the large bed. He could still hear the sounds of the dinner downstairs; the clinking of cutlery against plate, the tinkle of a glass placed on the table, and the many voices that babbled and mixed with each other to create a steady flow of noise that lulled Link into a fitful slumber.
Link woke some time later. He couldn't be sure of how much time had passed, and he couldn't help but feel that something was decidedly wrong. His eyes widened momentarily as he glanced at his hand to see the Triforce mark glowing softly. It almost seemed to be whispering to him, coaxing him to leave his room and go downstairs. He was suddenly aware that there was no sound coming from the rooms below, either everyone had gone to sleep (which he doubted due to the fact that Undrak and his friends would have been up half the night drinking), or something had happened to silence them. Link mounted the stairs once more and crept down, his sword drawn warily and his free arm straying towards his shield. He got to the bottom of the stairs and pressed his back to the wall near the opening to the great hall. He could hear a harsh voice speaking from inside the hall.
"You have failed!" the male voice said gleefully, "Your journey ends here in the hands of the Geddon-Cult!" Link's mind raced. Who was this man, and what was the Geddon-Cult? Link cautiously stole a quick look around the corner. Everyone was still seated at the table, but behind each of them stood ninja-like warriors that held sabres to the necks of those seated. He could see that some were men and some were women, all wore black uniforms with the image of a red circle on them. Link gave a startled oath when he saw Zelda and the others bound and gagged at the feet of the raving man. The man was reasonably tall, with greying hair and a long white beard. His eyes had a look of exaltation sparkling in them as he looked over his captives.
"Now all that remains is to get the boy, you!" he barked at one of the warriors, "Find him and bring him to me, he is the one that poses the biggest threat, and bring anyone still in the palace here!" The warrior nodded and took a handful of companions with him. Link shrank into the shadows as they went past, hardly daring to breathe. A full out offensive would never work, as soon as he felled even one of the enemies, the guests at the table would be dead, not to mention what would happen to his friends. Link crept back up the stairs, deciding it would be better to take out the warriors that had gone in search for him and any other people still free in the palace.
When he got to the top of the stairs, he noticed the door to his room was open wider than when he'd left it. Link cautiously tiptoed up to the door and looked in. A figure was creeping towards his bed with a dagger drawn. Link slipped into the room on cat-like feet and prepared to engage the intruder. The warrior suddenly turned around and saw Link. He laughed and tossed the dagger negligently from one hand to the other before advancing. Link stood his ground and whipped his sword out at the last minute, slashing the man across his chest. He grunted in pain and lunged for Link, but his initial underestimation of the boy had already sealed his fate. With fluid grace, Link rolled between the man's legs, jumped to his feet and spun around before sinking his sword into his back. The warrior collapsed to the ground, dropping his dagger as he fell. Link picked it up and pocketed it, knowing that it could be of some use.
Link closed the door to his room and ran along the hallway, keeping low and keeping quiet. He slowly opened the door to a room at the end of the hall and slid inside. It was completely dark inside, and Link didn't want Navi to attract any attention, so he motioned for the fairy to stay hidden. He suddenly heard another door opening at the opposite end of the room, and he dove underneath a table in the centre of the room. He watched as another one of the warriors entered, and he could see from the shape of them silhouetted against the open doorframe that it was a woman. The door closed again and Link heard the woman make her way across the room. Without warning, she stopped directly at the table. Link held his breath as the woman seemed to be listening for something. She continued to move across the room and Link relaxed, but suddenly she dropped down low and Link found himself looking her straight in the face through the gloom. Link reacted quickly and smashed his foot into her face, knocking her backwards. He rolled out from under the table and brought the flat of his sword down hard over her head, knocking her out cold. Link relieved her of her weapons and locked her in a cupboard that was built into the wall.
"Well, they were surprisingly easy, but don't let your guard down just because you beat a couple of rookies," said Navi, "There's four more, and they could be more skilled, let's keep going." Link nodded and exited the room, his eyes watchful and his jaw set.
The next warrior he encountered was not as easy as the last two. Link had crept into a hallway to find the man waiting for him. Because the hall was quite narrow, Link found it difficult to use his sword, and the warrior attacked relentlessly. The ring of steel could be heard as the two of them clashed. Blood ran freely from a wound in the man's shoulder, and he seemed to be tiring.
"Forget trying to bring you in, I'll just kill you here and now!" the warrior spat, and charged down the hall with his sabre held low.
"Navi! Go!" Link barked. Navi flew in the path of the attacker and flashed a brilliant white colour, temporarily blinding the man, as his eyes were unaccustomed to the bright light. Link took his chance and leaped at the stunned warrior, knocking through a glass window. He fell with a terrible scream that ended abruptly with a sickening crash. Link looked on grimly, and then went in search of the last three.
Link worked his way methodically through the castle, each warrior trying to best him, and each warrior falling before him. After defeating the last one, he quickly retraced his steps back to the great hall. Link peeked in once again, and saw the leader pacing irritably across the floor.
"They should be back by now! How hard can it be to catch one boy!" he raged, scattering plates and glasses with a sweep of his arm. Zelda, who had gotten her gag off, spoke.
"How little you know, your people won't be able to catch Link, he's the bravest warrior in the world, and they'll lie at his feet before the night's through, as will you!" she said defiantly, her eyes twinkling with a fire Link had seen only a few times. The man turned and looked at her sharply.
"No-one can defeat Kaden, high priest of the Geddon-Cult! Insolent child!" he shouted, before crossing the floor and slapping her across the face with a mailed hand. Zelda cried out in pain before she was gagged again. Link seethed with rage, he gripped the hilt of his sword so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
"I'll kill him!" he hissed between clenched teeth.
"No! If you go in there and start laying about with that sword, you'll put her in even more danger!" Navi warned. Link calmed down and relaxed his grip on his sword.
"What can I do?" he muttered to himself. He examined the room from where he was hidden. There were no other entrance points, and getting through one of the windows was out of the question as none of them opened. He just happened to glance upwards when he saw the large chandelier hanging way up on the ceiling. He got an idea.
"What are you thinking?" Navi asked, seeing the sly grin creep across his face.
"I'm going to provide our friend Kaden a little illumination," he said, rubbing his hands together gleefully.
Back at Link's home, in the darkness, something stirred.
Link ran up the stairs and down the twisting corridor of Morgan's palace. He needed to get to the third floor, but he couldn't find the next flight of stairs. He suddenly heard a whimpering sound coming from behind one of the closed doors. Link cautiously opened it to find a young man with black hair cowering in the corner of the room. He looked up at Link and cried out hoarsely.
"S-stay away!" he cried.
"I'm not here to hurt you, in fact, I may need your help," Link said, approaching the man.
"You mean you're not with those people downstairs?" his tone was incredulous. Link shook his head.
"What's your name?"
"Tern, I work here as one of the messengers."
"Do you know how to get to the room above the great hall?" Link asked hopefully. Tern thought for a while.
"Yes, I believe I do, follow me." Link ran after Tern as he led him up a flight of stairs and along a series of corridors. They finally got to a small door with a large lock on it.
"It's locked, we can't get in," Tern said, "I'm sorry." Link simply wedged his sword in behind the lock and wrenched it off. The lock fell to the ground with a metallic clang and he pushed open the door.
The room had a very low roof, and it was filled with all manner of junk. Old musical instruments, portraits and many other pieces of paraphernalia littered the floor, either stacked in piles or strewn about the place. Link searched around until he found what he was looking for, a small hatch in the floor. He opened it carefully and looked through. He was situated right above the great hall, and he could see everyone far below. The chandelier was bolted to the roof about ten paces to Link's left.
"Navi, I need you to do that wing thing again," Link said. Navi nodded and flew down the back of his tunic. Wings suddenly sprouted from Link's back, tearing his tunic once again.
"I suppose it couldn't be helped," he sighed. Tern was looking at him with wide eyes.
"How did you do that?" he asked in amazement.
"There's no time to explain, I need you to find a way out of the castle and warn people about what's going on here, can you do that for me?" Link asked, placing his hand on Tern's shoulder. Tern's expression changed to one of fierce determination.
"I'll do it, I won't fail you!" and with that he turned and ran out of the room. Link went back to the hatch in the floor and stuck his head through again. The roof was ornately decorated with great lines of gold and silver built into each other in large, ropy coils woven in such a way that created a grand mural on the roof. Link lowered himself through the hatch and grabbed the parts of the mural that were slightly raised and swung across the roof towards where the chandelier, with his wings fluttering ever so slightly to make it easier for him to hang on.
Meanwhile, down below, Kaden was shouting at the rest of his followers. His harsh voice reached Link up on the ceiling.
"You're all worthless! How is it that one boy could defeat six of you? You are nothing!" he raged, his voice getting higher and higher. He lowered his head, and took a deep breath.
"Well, when one avenue is blocked, you just have to find another way," he said in a low voice. Kaden leaped up on the dinner table and turned to face Link's friends.
"Where's your hero now? Cowering somewhere in the palace while his friends are destroyed!" Kaden said, levelling his arm at them. A bright ball of energy began to form in his hand and Link's friends huddled together, afraid. Kaden took one step forward, which was one step too many. With lightning speed, Link swung off the ceiling, spun through the air and cleaved through the chain that held the chandelier up with his sword.
The chandelier seemed to fall in slow motion. All that could be heard of its descent was a slight tinkling as the thousands of small crystals cLinked together. At the last moment, Kaden looked up and screamed. The chandelier slammed into the table with a deafening crash, instantly crushing Kaden and breaking through to the floor. No one dared move, let alone breathe. As the tiny fragments of crystal and wood fell to the floor, Kaden's warriors suddenly found themselves without a leader. It was at this particular moment that a squad of armoured knights came thundering into the hall. They surrounded Kaden's warriors and forced them to surrender. A few went over to Zelda and the others and set them free.
"Oh I'm so glad that's over!" Saria cried, "But who..." she was cut off by Link, who suddenly landed on the ruined table with a loud crash. Everyone turned and gaped at him. Link sheathed his sword and jumped off the table.
"Is everyone okay?" he asked, folding his wings. Ruto dramatically fell into his arms and buried her face in his shoulder.
"Oh Link! You were just in time! That Kaden man was about to kill us, I was so scared!" she wailed. Link put on a pained expression and looked at his friends in a pleading fashion. Saria peeled Ruto off Link and took the distraught Zora off to the side.
"Not bad at all, I'll have to keep my eye on you," Fura said. Link swallowed.
"I hope you're not going to make a habit of this," Zelda said with mock severity. Link grinned at her.
"Oh, come here," Zelda said with a smile, catching the boy in a rough embrace, "I really thought we were all going to die then," she said shakily. Link patted her back awkwardly.
The knights had begun taking Kaden's warriors out of the castle, and soon it was only Link, Zelda, Saria, Ruto, Fura, Shera, Morgan and Isabella. Morgan approached Link and knelt in front of him.
"Young lad, you have shown great courage and strength in rescuing all of us, we are forever in your debt."
"It is of no moment your majesty, I'm just glad everyone's safe, oh, sorry about all the mess I made, there's also one of the warriors locked in a cupboard in one of the rooms," Link said, looking around them. King Morgan laughed.
"My boy, the chandelier and the table can be replaced, friends and family cannot." Shera walked up to Link and looked him in the eyes. She suddenly smiled.
"Now I see it," she said. Link looked puzzled.
"You're not going to tell me what you mean, are you," Link said it almost accusingly. Shera smiled and shook her head.
She was about to say something else, when a great roar sounded from the ruined table. They all turned to see Kaden emerge from the wreckage, not as he usually looked, but in the form of a half-man, half-dragon creature. He had a pair of scaly wings protruding from his back, and his skin had changed into a tough, scaly hide. He whipped his long tail irritably and clenched his clawed fist.
"Fools!" he roared, "Do you think you can defeat me so easily? My power is beyond that of mortal comprehension!" Link drew his sword.
"You think you can protect them? Then watch as your friend is struck down before you!" he roared triumphantly. A beam of light erupted from his hand and struck Zelda in the chest. She gave a chilling scream and stretched her arm out towards Link, then dropped to the floor.
"NO!" Link cried, running over to where she lay. He cradled her limp from in his arms. Kaden gave a cruel laugh and smashed through the wall and flew into the sky. Everyone rushed over to Link and Zelda. Isabella knelt down and put her hand to Zelda's chest. She gave a sudden intake of breath.
"What is it? Is she dead?" Ruto asked desperately.
"No, something worse, her very life force has been ravaged, unless we find a way to heal it, her very being will cease to exist," she said gravely.
Link barely heard a word she said, all he knew was that Zelda was dying right in front of him, and there was nothing he could do. It was his entire fault! If he had made sure Kaden was dead, this wouldn't have happened. He was dimly aware of Saria tugging on his sleeve and Fura saying something to him.
"Link? Can you hear me?" she asked, a worried expression on her face.
"Zelda...dying," Link choked out in a voice thick with rage, "She was...innocent, all...my...fault."
"No, It wasn't your fault Link!" Saria cried.
"Kaden..." Link started. He suddenly froze. Kaden! It was he who did this! It was Kaden who had struck Zelda down! Something inside Link seemed to snap. He leaped to his feet shouted in utter rage. He blindly swung his arms about, tearing at his own hair. Nothing in the universe could contain his rage as he shouted his fury into the night. The Triforce mark on suddenly blazed to life, and energy snaked and wreathed around his body.
"KADEN!!!" he shouted into the sky, "You will pay for what you've done! I will DESTROY you!" Link spread his wings and shot into the sky at blistering speed, the Triforce mark leaving a blazing trail behind him.
"Link!" Ruto shouted after him. The others watched on with looks of horror and amazement at Link's sudden outburst.
"He'll be killed!" Saria gasped. Shera stepped forward and looked at the rapidly ascending Link.
"There's nothing we can do to stop him, his thirst for revenge will either be his, or Kaden's downfall," she said grimly.
"What about Zelda?" Fura asked anxiously, kneeling over the dying princess.
"I don't know," said Isabella in a quiet voice, "I don't know."
Link blazed towards his target. Almost all rational thought had been erased by his thirst for Kaden's blood. Kaden's single act had pushed him irrevocably over the line, a line that he could cross again. Link grimly drew his sword and held it out before him.
"Kaden! I will have vengeance!" Link shouted at the top of his lungs. Kaden whirled around sharply, slightly surprised that his enemy could follow him into the air. But surprise soon gave way to anger as the dragon man launched a torrent of fire at the boy. Link twisted off to the side, his wings glistening from the light of the fire. He gave a burst of speed and flew straight at Kaden's unprotected side. As he drew close, Link spun and sliced deeply into Kaden's flesh with his sword and razor-sharp wings. Kaden bellowed in pain and lashed out with his whip-like tail, striking Link full in the stomach. Link reeled through the air, but righted himself and flew at Kaden again.
"So eager to die are you?" Kaden laughed, "Then I'd be much obliged to make your wish come true!" He swiped at Link with his claws, but the enraged boy dodged to the side and slammed into Kaden's chest. The two of them fought tooth and nail, and Link managed to work his way round so that he was on Kaden's back. Kaden roared with anger and tried to whip Link with his tail, but Link swiped his sword in a wide arc and severed in from where it grew from Kaden's body. Kaden roared in pain and tried to buck Link off, but he held on tight.
"You took away one of the most important people in my Life, Kaden, someone that I would go so far as to call family." Link held his sword above his head, the tip pointing down. It began to glow with a fiery energy, changing from blue to an angry red. The Triforce mark on his hand burst forth with a fresh stream of energy, and it wreathed along the blade of Link's sword until it was shaking and humming with a terrible power.
"She will be avenged!" Link roared. Kaden howled in anguish and terror as Link thrust his sword at his unprotected head. The blade pierced Kaden's skull with a sickening crunch, a second later, Link released the immense energy that flowed through his sword.
There was a thunderous detonation and a huge shockwave of golden light burst forth from Kaden's body as it was blown into millions of fragments.
"Link!" Ruto cried desperately. The others watched in horror as Link's body dropped from the sky and plunged into the lake.
"Hurry!" said Isabella, "Get him out of the water, I'll look after Zelda!"
"Right," Fura agreed. They raced out the front of the palace and all the way to the lakeside. Ruto was just about to dive in, when a head emerged from the water. It bobbed towards them until they realised what it was. Link, in Zora form, strode towards them with a grim expression on his face. He didn't stop when he reached them, but continued on to the palace, pulling off the Zora mask in mid-stride.
He walked into the great hall, and knelt near Zelda's still body. His face was twisted with grief, yet no tears found their way from his eyes. He reached out his hand and gently touched hers.
"I'm afraid there's nothing I can do," Isabella said sadly. Link said nothing, but held Zelda's hand tightly. Link's friends entered and stood quietly around Zelda.
"She's fading, and unless we find some way to return her life force." Link gently withdrew his hand, but froze suddenly, a verse from the riddle ringing sharply in his mind.
For better or worse, one shall become two,
But fear not, as the borrowed half shall be returned to you
"That's it!" Link cried, startling everyone present.
"What's what?" Shera asked.
"The riddle! 'For better or worse, one shall become two, but fear not, as the borrowed half shall be returned to you!' Don't you see?"
"See what? It's gibberish," Fura said. Link got to his feet.
"Lady Isabella, is there any possible way to share a life force with another person?" Link asked eagerly. Isabella looked shocked.
"That's dangerous! If I try to halve yours, then we could lose both of you!"
"You must! If Zelda dies, then we will fail, you just have to!" he pleaded.
"Alright, but you do know the implications, don't you?"
"Zelda would do the same for me, I owe her that much as a friend," Link replied. Isabella nodded.
"Then we mustn't delay, come here Link," she said, holding out her hand. Link placed his hand in hers, the Triforce mark glowing brightly. The mark on Zelda's hand became equally bright. Isabella placed Link's hand over Zelda's, and her own hand over them. She closed her eyes and concentrated. Link felt a peculiar tugging sensation deep inside him, and it got steadily stronger until it became unbearable. Zelda's body began to shake and her mouth opened slightly. Link clenched his teeth as a bright light snaked its way through the air from the Triforce mark on his hand to the one on Zelda's.
"Almost there!" Isabella cried, obviously straining with effort. Link gave a final cry as an arc of electricity lanced between him and Zelda. Link was thrown across the room and he crashed into the wall and collapsed. Ruto gave a startled cry and ran over to where he lay.
Zelda groaned softly and her eyelids fluttered open. She looked around the hall with a look of surprise on her face. She suddenly burst into tears.
"Oh Isabella! I was so frightened! I could feel myself fading away!" she sobbed, shaking uncontrollably. Isabella held the frightened girl in her arms and comforted her.
"Is Link alright?" she asked wearily. Zelda gasped.
"Link! It was Link that saved me, wasn't it? What happened?"
"That Kaden man hit you with a spell that shattered your life force, Link killed him and gave up half of his so that you may live." Zelda looked at her sharply, her mouth opening and closing as if she were trying to say something.
"T-then..."
"The two of you are Linked at the deepest possible level, you both live and breathe as one from now on," Isabella said.
"He gave up half his being...for me?" she asked incredulously. Isabella nodded. Zelda's lip trembled and she again broke down crying.
Ruto and Shera helped Link to his feet. He was severely weakened from the battle and from reviving Zelda.
"Is she okay?" he asked in a voice thick with tiredness.
"She'll be fine," Shera said comfortingly. Link smiled weakly and slumped forward. It took all of their strength to keep him up.
"Take him to bed, he needs lots of rest, the soldiers and servants should have cleared up the bodies by now," Isabella said, picking up Zelda who had also grown unconscious. Morgan spoke briefly with some of the soldiers outside the hall and they immediately set about cleaning everything up. Link and Zelda were carried up the stairs carefully, both sharing the same dream.