Chapter Eleven: The Master Sword's Rebirth

Once we were back at the Palace of Tamaran, Starfire suggested that she and I go find Galfore. We may have obtained the Spirit's Sword, but we still had no idea how it would be able to restore power to the Master Sword. She claimed that Galfore may know something about it, so after agreeing with her, we went to find him. It did not take us long, however, as we found him within the great hall.

"Galfore, we have returned! And we have found the Spirit's Sword!" Starfire told him.

She then held up the sword for him to see. It's golden hilt and sleek, silver blade was truly a sight to behold.

"I never thought that I'd gaze upon it with my own eyes… the same great sword whose power breathed life back into this world long ago." Galfore stated as he looked upon the sword.

"We still don't know how it's going to restore the Master Sword's power, and we need that to defeat Ganondorf." I told him.

Fortunately for us, Nova appeared in the room all of a sudden. He claimed that Lanayru had known that we would be here right now with the Spirit's Sword, and he also claimed that he knew the way to restore the Master Sword's power.

"The spirit said this: Cross the sacred swords together, and the Master Sword shall once again shine in the darkness." Nova told us.

It seemed simple enough, but I wondered if it would actually work. Starfire and I were willing to try it though, so I took the Master Sword out of its scabbard and held it in front of me. Starfire also held the Spirit's Sword in front of her, and we carefully crossed the blades together. For the first few seconds, nothing happened, but soon we both noticed that the spirit gem within the Spirit's Sword's hilt began glowing very brightly. The glow extended into the blade, and then extended onto the Master Sword's blade. The glow continued for a few seconds and then faded.

We uncrossed the swords, and I inspected the Master Sword, which looked no different than before.

"I can't tell… did it work?" I asked.

No one responded, but a moment later I got my answer. The black gemstone in the hilt of the sword turned bright yellow, and the blade once again began to glow. The sword seemed to become heavier as it continued glowing, and now the hilt was changing. The two wing-like extensions on the hilt folded outward like a bird stretching its wings. The sword shined even brighter as I held it up towards the sky.

"It has worked. After over a millennium, the Master Sword has once again regained its lost power to repel evil." Nova stated.

The light faded, but the blade still had a faint glow around it. I could feel the great power within it having now been awakened.

"Now that the Master Sword's power is restored, I know we can defeat Ganondorf, and rescue everyone!" I said.

"Then we should return to Earth as soon as we can!" Starfire replied.

Galfore took a step forward however, stating that we should not be so hasty to head into battle right now, as we were still worn out from our journey.

"I suggest that the two of you rest for now." He told us. "You can return to the Earth in the morning."

Starfire was reluctant at first, saying that if we waited any longer it may be too late. However, I thought it was a good idea; if we went to face Ganondorf now, we would be in no condition to fight him. Besides, he needed all three Triforce pieces to make his wish, and he could not do so as long as I had the Triforce of Courage; and he likely needed the others alive to lure us back there. Starfire agreed, and the two of us went to get some rest. I was provided with a place to stay, while Starfire stayed in her old room.

Later that night, I awoke to a peculiar sound. It sounded like someone swinging something, and it was coming from outside. I quietly crept out of my room and made my way down to the great hall. No one was there, but I still heard the noise coming from outside. I made my way outside to the entrance platform, and discovered where the noise was coming from. It was Starfire, and she had the Spirit's Sword with her. Apparently that sound had come from her swinging the sword around. I startled her with my appearance a moment later.

"Oh, Link, it's you. I did not expect you to be up this early." She said.

"I didn't think you'd be out here at this hour either." I replied. "What are you doing?"

"Does it not appear obvious as to what I am doing? I am practicing with using the Spirit's Sword." She told me.

"But Starfire, you're already super strong and can shoot starbolts. Why would you need to use a sword?" I asked her.

"Well, as you know quite well, I had lost my powers earlier. So I thought having this sword with me would be a good idea, just in case I lost my powers again." She answered. "Besides, it would not hurt to have an extra means of protection, and I… um… always thought that you looked… 'cool' when you use your sword."

That last part made me blush slightly. Was she actually trying to be more like… me?

"Well, okay. But you do know that using a sword isn't just about swinging it around, right? It requires focus." I told her.

I mentioned this because I had noticed that she had merely been swinging the sword in random directions and did not seem like she knew what she was doing.

"Perhaps you could teach me how to use a sword?" She suggested.

"Me? Teach you?" I asked, being rather surprised. "I've… never really taught anyone anything before, but… I guess I could try."

She smiled in response to my answer. I then pulled out the Master Sword so I could demonstrate to her how a sword should be used. One of the first things I taught her was something that my old swordmaster, Nobleman, had told me many times.

"Remember that a sword doesn't hold any strength unless its holder has courage in their heart. When in battle, don't think of the sword as a weapon, think of it as an extension of yourself." I told her.

I showed her a series of sword techniques that I had used many times, and told her to try and copy what I did. She tried several times, but messed up on each attempt. She was hesitating, so I went over to calm her down.

"Instead of swinging it with one hand, try swinging it with both hands for right now. At least until you get used to it." I suggested.

I had placed my hand on hers when I said that, and she blushed. I did too, but I quickly backed away afterwards. When she attempted the sword techniques again, she did better.

"That was good! It wasn't perfect, but I know you'll get better!" I told her.

"You really think so?" She asked me.

I nodded in response, and she giggled happily. It was at that moment that I noticed what was in her hair. It was the flower that I gave her the other day. When I pointed it out, she told me that she had made it into a hair ornament.

"This way I'll have the lightflower wherever I go." She said. "Does it look nice?"

"Umm… yeah, it looks really nice." I said while blushing slightly.

Later, in the morning, Starfire and I were ready to return to the Earth. At the landing platform, Galfore and Nova saw us off and wished us good luck. Galfore had fashioned a scabbard for Starfire to hold the Spirit's Sword in. She took it and hugged him good-bye. We boarded the T-Ship and took off into the atmosphere. After about an hour of space travel, we at last reached the Earth and Jump City. However, things looked drastically different.

Many of the buildings were black and wrecked, and the entire sky was covered with storm clouds. What we noticed the most however was that Titans Tower was gone! In its place was a tall foreboding tower that exuded an evil aura. It was likely that this new tower was where Ganondorf was dwelling, so we piloted the T-Ship to land on the edge of the island where our tower used to be. As we exited the T-Ship, we could both feel a horrifying chill in the air.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked Starfire.

"I am fine. I just did not think that the city would look like this! It is horrible!" She answered.

I tried to assure her that everything would turn out okay; though to be honest, I wasn't entirely certain if everything really would turn out okay. We may have had the Master Sword and the Spirit's Sword, but we had no idea if they would really allow us to match Ganondorf's power. I wasn't going to give up though, and neither was Starfire, for at that moment she drew the Spirit's Sword and pointed it towards Ganondorf's Tower. I really admired her confidence; it was just one of the many things that I loved about her. Strangely, for just a moment, I could swear that I saw a glint of golden light appear on her right hand, but I just thought I was seeing things.

"Are you ready, Link?" She asked me.

To answer her question, I drew the Master Sword and pointed it towards the tower just as she did. I did not feel that same kind of confidence that she had, but as long as she was by my side I felt like I could take on any foe! The two of us made our way to the tower entrance, and the gigantic doors opened as soon as we were in front of them; almost as if Ganondorf wanted us to enter. The inside of the tower looked even more frightening than the outside, but that wasn't going to stop us. Without any delay, we rushed into the darkness of the tower, prepared to rescue our friends, and to make Ganondorf pay for what he has done!