11
The roof of the building suddenly slammed against his feet. In one motion, the world spun back into existence. Link fell to the ground, a small remnant of his fall still pulling him.
Zelda almost fell, but managed to find her footing. "We're not done yet. Come on." She ran for the door leading into the palace. Link pushed himself to his feet and followed close behind.
As soon as she pushed open the door, the sound of gunfire echoed outwards. They quickly descended a pair of steps to a metal door. Several pings rang off of it. Link swung around to the other side, taking Zelda's pistol. With a quick kick, she forced the door open and created a magical shield before her. Link followed behind.
He took in the scene in a moment. Guards were ducked behind corners and upturned desks. A few bleeding bodies had been pulled to safe zones further down the halls. He could only guess that the People's line looked the same down the hall.
One of the guards spotted them and turned, firing off several shots. Zelda shifted the shield to catch the bullets and Link leaned out to put a bullet through his foot. "STOP FIRING! ALL OF YOU!" Another one tried to fire at them. He received the same response as the first. The others quickly dropped their weapons. Within moments, the People had swarmed in, taking weapons and herding the guards.
Word quickly spread throughout the higher-ups that Ganondorf was dead. And Zelda was quick to keep the word going. She, as well as every one of her men, knew they would be arrested quickly. But they had succeeded in their mission, and that was enough to satisfy them.
They were waiting as the elevator slowly rose towards their capture. Zelda, who stood at the front, looked over at Link. "It's not too late for you to leave."
He shook his head. "I committed the act. I'll take whatever they deem fit."
She nodded. They all would have to.
The bell dinged as the door opened. Dozens of policemen swarmed outwards. But they swept past them, going deeper into the palace. As one, they turned, watching them go straight past.
"Madam Zelda…"
They turned back. A tall man in an officer's uniform stopped in front of them. "This is it," she said under her breath.
The man stopped and bowed. "It is good to know you are unharmed."
Link and Zelda shared a shocked glance. "Excuse me?"
He turned motioning towards the elevator. "We should get you to the safe room. More rebels could be on their way." Before she could say anything else, they were being herded into the elevator. Several men stood as guards around her, but they were facing outwards, not inwards at her.
The elevator quickly began to descend. Zelda caught a glance out over the city. It sparkled brilliantly, much brighter than she'd ever seen it. She could even see clear down into the slums. But the slums weren't actually slums. From what she could see, there wasn't a single street that looked beat up or distraught. In fact, if her eyes weren't tricking her, it almost seemed like several of the buildings in the distance were slowly changing into a cleaner, brighter form.
The elevator stopped and Zelda and Link were pulled through the halls. Link looked around, but he didn't recognize the floor at all. He should have; he knew every floor around Ganondorf's palace.
A door slid open and they were taken inside. A man looking at a line of television screens turned. "Thank the gods, Zelda, you're safe."
Zelda audibly gasped. "Mido?!"
Mido stepped over, bowing slightly. "I believe it was only the few anarchists that we've already taken, but it would be best if you stay here tonight."
Zelda suddenly jumped forward, taking him in a hug. "Oh, Mido." She fell back. "How are you alive?"
He looked down at her curiously. "Alive? I wasn't aware I was dead."
"But Headstone Isle…"
"When were you at Headstone?"
She searched his eyes. But he was completely serious. "You don't remember?"
"Remember what? Are you feeling alright?" He held a hand out to her forehead.
"I'm fine," she said, brushing his hand away. "Link, you remember, don't you?"
"Of course, I do. We went for the sword…" He clutched his hand. Nothing. He searched his hands. It was gone. "The sword is gone!" The back of his hand caught his eye. The symbol was gone.
Zelda checked her own hand, but there was no triforce. "What did you say when you touched the Triforce, Link?"
"'Bring a pure leader to power,' I think."
She glanced around. "I think this is that wish being fulfilled. It must have altered the world so that Ganondorf was never in power to begin with."
Mido jumped in, "My Lady, is everything alright?"
She laughed. "Yes. I think everything is fine now."
Link glanced around, suddenly feeling out of place. He had been under one of Ganondorf's main advisers.
Mido looked over at him. "Link, Vall is looking for you. He needs those files by tomorrow morning."
He looked back. "He is?"
His eyes met Zelda's. She shrugged. "The man is good and kind. I would easily choose him as an advisor."
His right hand absently scratched the back of his left. With a subtle grin, he chuckled. "I'll go find him."
"Link." He turned back to Zelda. "I'm sorry about everything that happened. I didn't mean for you to get so involved."
He smiled. "I wouldn't change it if I could. You know how to find me." He gave a mock salute and slipped through the door.
Mido raised an eyebrow at her. "What was that about?"
She shook her head. "I'll explain it to you later." She walked back over to a monitor that looked over the city. A gentle smile of pride came across her lips.
A/N: Highest props to littleurmey, who is the father of this story. The entire plot was his doing. I just put it on paper. Urh… disk.
And many thanks to all of you for reading. I hope you enjoyed it and expect to hear about how much you enjoyed (or did not enjoy) it in your review.
Until next time…
