10

As soon as they reached the top, Link burst through the door, not even bothering to check for guards. Zelda followed a little more hesitantly.

Her eyes instantly found the man standing by the edge of the roof. He was standing proudly with the sword strapped to his back.

"I'm sick of how this world has turned out," he said gently without turning. "Crime, rebellion… It makes me sick." He held up his hand, admiring the symbol on its back. "But it won't be that way for long."

Zelda scanned the flat roof. No guards. One entrance besides the way they'd come. It was too perfect. He had known. "But it's your fault it's like this," she said to keep him talking. She had to come up with a plan.

"Not true." He turned, finally looking at them. "The people do what the people want. Which is why they can't be permitted to choose anything for themselves."

"You can't take away the people's freedom of choice!" Zelda screamed.

"But imagine the peace it will create. If everyone were to simply follow, there wouldn't be any problems."

Link's eyes flicked over at Zelda. She stood tall, ready to move at a moment's notice. But she was watching Ganondorf, not him. He spun quickly, grabbing her shoulder and bringing his knee around. His kneecap crashed into the side of hers. With a shocked gasp, she dropped. Before she could strike back, he leapt out of her range.

Her leg instantly went numb at the hit. She tried to stand, but it wouldn't even move. She looked up at Link, completely shocked. His face was stern and straight. "No… You…TRAITOR!!!"

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "But I have to do this." He walked backwards, towards Ganondorf.

Ganondorf walked forward to stand by Link. "Well done. I knew there was a reason I chose you to infiltrate the People. Now, Triforce, come forth!"

The light on each of their hands grew brighter. A single triangular piece lifted off of each one and flew into the sky. With a bright flash, they aligned into the pure Triforce.

The evil ruler's eyes were alight with excitement. "Yes! At long last, it's finally mine!"

Link could feel the power rolling off of the relic. It slowly began to fall towards the roof. "I'm sorry, Ganondorf. But it's not yours."

In one swift motion, he reached up, grabbed the hilt of the sword, and spun into a wide-arc slash, pulling the sword with him. Ganondorf was shocked just long enough for him to pull the blade free. But as he rotated into the spin, Ganondorf leapt back.

Just then, the Triforce came within arm's reach. Halfway through the attack, they reached out for the golden pieces. Both of them made contact.

"Give the world to me!"

"Bring a pure ruler to power!"

The air stilled. Both had made their wishes at the same time.

Ganondorf was the first to speak, and it was a low laugh. "It seems the Triforce cannot answer both of our wishes at once."

Link swore under his breath. He had been hoping to end it quickly.

"So how about a deal. In ancient times, kings were chosen by their might in battle." He held a hand down. A black fog appeared in the air that seemed to shape and solidify. A black sword, long and straight, appeared in his grasp. "Let us settle this according to the old ways."

His hand clutched tighter to the sword in his hand. For all of his training, he'd never gone into an actual fight, only spars. But he wasn't at all afraid. He knew he could do this. "I accept your challenge."

The Triforce back up into the air. A yellowish circle appeared around them. Link held a hand out to the light, but it hit an invisible wall. Apparently the Triforce was going to see this fight through.

"HYAAAAAAhhh!"

Link turned. Ganondorf was airborne, sword pulled back for a thrust. He spun outwards, letting Ganondorf come past him. His hand twisted backwards, letting the blade edge of the Master Sword carry the outside of his motion. He could feel it dig into flesh as he spun away from the larger man.

Ganondorf grunted as he stood from his attack. His arm had a long slash across it. But even as Link watched, it seemed to stitch together, leaving only a small stain of blood.

"You'll have to do better than scratches." Ganondorf slid his sword behind him. Sparks crackled down it from his hand. With a grunt, he swung it upwards in a vertical slash. Lightning charged across the blade and shot outwards in a scythe of crackling energy.

Link dove to the side. The hairs on his neck jumped up as the energy attack passed by. Without waiting, he turned and rushed forward. Ganondorf cocked and swung horizontally, letting another lightning slash go. This time, Link dove into a roll. His legs tingled as the attack passed narrowly over his feet. As he came up out of the roll, he drove his sword upwards. Ganondorf fell backwards, the tip of the Master Sword just missing his chin. He followed through with a dropping slash, but by then Ganondorf managed to get his sword overhead and block.

The two entered a sort of dance, blades clashing together. Link parried and thrust. Ganondorf leaned and counter-swung. Link was faster, but Ganondorf was just fast enough to avoid major hits, though numerous cuts had formed as the Master Sword slid along his shoulder, his side, or his arm. None of the cuts stayed for more than a few seconds.

Link ducked under a high swing and brought his sword upwards. But this time, Ganondorf stepped forward, his hand outstretched. His fingers dug into Link's chest. His chest suddenly felt like it was on fire. His muscles spasmed as lightning coursed through them. And with one large shove, he was thrown back along the ground.

For a moment, all Link could do was lay in pain. His head throbbed; his chest burned.

"Link, you have to get up!" He twisted his head. Zelda was standing just beyond the barrier. "You aren't thinking, Link! Remember what I taught you."

Somehow, his arm shifted underneath of him. With a heavy grunt, he forced himself up into a sitting position. And from there, he was up to his feet. Her voice spoke to his mind. "Remember all that you have available."

Ganondorf watched, a smug grin on his face. "Persistent. Very well. I'll just to kill you." He ran, sword held back and ready.

Link teetered once as he watched the man run. "You can't do it. You can't stop the world!" His right hand flew to his side and came back up.

A sudden crack rang through the air. Ganondorf's head snapped back. The man's steps faltered, nearly sending him to the ground. Link didn't wait. He dropped the pistol and rushed forward. With a single mighty thrust, the Master Sword drove into Ganondorf's gut. Ganondorf screamed, the blade searing his stomach. But he fought back, trying to push back and pull the blade out.

Link kept running even as Ganondorf fought, pushing them both towards the roof edge. Suddenly, the ground disappeared and they were both airborne. Using the sword for leverage, Link spun in the air. As he came around, he planted his foot on the pommel of the sword and kicked hard. The sword plunged up to the guard into Ganondorf's chest, the tip of the blade bursting through his spine.

The ruler screamed even louder as he plunged back-first towards the ground. A second later, Link followed in the free fall.

He then realized his mistake. The good part was that none of the bridges between towers was underneath them. But that meant that the ground was 1000 feet down and approaching fast.

"Link!"

Zelda materialized beside him, her hand outstretched. He reached over and clutched it tightly. A moment later, they both shimmered and disappeared.

Ganondorf fell for nearly a minute, arms flailing in pain the whole way down. The holy metal burned hot as the sun through his lungs, slowly turning his flesh into stone. His howl slowly died as his head froze into an eternal scream.

The ground rose quickly. With a mighty crash, Ganondorf's body shattered in a plume of smoke. When the dust settled, the only thing remaining was a sword standing tall in the center of a twenty-foot crater.

A/N: Only one chapter to go. You'd be an idiot to leave now!

And I'm not really sure who would care, but I'm running a poll about writing a sequel for my story Twist of Fate (it's Pokemon-based for those who are wondering). If you care, please go over and vote.