When you stand completely still, you can sometimes feel your heart beating throughout your body. The rhythm of your heart pounding dutifully behind your ribs as it gives you another beat of life. Another moment to live. Samantha stood as stationary and still as any statue ever made, and watched the great iron door in front of her, waiting for it to move. She could feel the steady drumming of her heart, and it felt like her whole body was pulsing. Her muscles hadn't moved an inch since she turned to face the entrance, and they were beginning to fall asleep in mute protest. Spirals of different notes flew about the chamber, making it swell with noise, but all she could hear was the steady thud of her own heart pounding relentlessly in her ears.
Has he left? She wondered to herself. She hoped he did, for both of their sakes. The man she stood beside was not known for his kindness, but she loved him just the same. The young man walking up the stairs was not known for backing down from a fight, and she loved him just as much. The impending doom of the two meeting was making her breathing become more shallow as she filled with fear and terror at the thought. Only one would arise, and the other would be gone from her life. Forever.
High above her head was the reason for everything turning out the way it was. Princess Zelda, unconsciously floating in her pink gemstone cage. Despite her hostile feelings towards the highborn female, she couldn't help but feel ashamed. Admittedly, a pink gem was a better holding place for a princess than the rusty and rat infested dungeons down below, but she was still their prisoner. Samantha cast a glance up at her, and was startled to see her wide awake and glaring back with her sky blue eyes that so closely matched the color of Link's. Blinking past the reflected light the gemstone gave off, she thought the princess had tears running down her cheeks. Embarrassed, Samantha looked back towards the door, but she could still feel the weight of the princesses eyes on the top of her head.
"Father?"
It was a moment before he replied, the music calming down into a quieter, almost soothing melody. "Yes?"
"What if the hero doesn't come?" she said, and was rewarded by a deep laugh from her father.
"He will come, do not fear. A mans pride is a easily wounded animal. The hero has to either save the princess, or forever be known as a coward. Even if all signs said he would fail, his pride would make him come." Ganondorf said with a malicious grin. "You will know one day, if you ever marry, how men react when they are challenged."
Samantha cringed inwardly at the thought of marriage, and continued once more to gaze at the iron door. It was the only thing that divided her from the man she loved, and him from his darkest foe; her father. In her head she imagined how her dad would react when he found out she loved his enemy. Would he spare him his life, for her sake? Or will Dark be right and will King Ganondorf rise up and hurt him all the more just because he cares for her as well?
Hopefully, she wouldn't need to find out.
Thunder cracked loudly outside, momentarily cutting off the heartbreaking melody. There wasn't a drop of rain in sight, but still the thunder rolled and the lightning streaked across the sky, adding a nice evil dramatic effect to her fathers already ominous castle.
Her thoughts wandered over to Link, and she wondered where he was for the umpteenth time since she left him standing on the staircase. It had almost been a half hour since her departure, and worry was getting the best of her. There were bound to be many obstacles in his way, yes, but she still didn't think it would take him as long as it currently was. He was an expert swordsman, and her fathers guards weren't necessarily the brightest bunch of monsters one had ever seen. Maybe he stood on the other side of the heavy iron door, contemplating whether to go inside or not. It was unlikely, but it gave Samantha a small sliver of hope that silenced her aching muscles and allowed her to continue her silent vigil.
"Samantha." her father said suddenly, voice raised so as to be heard over the music.
"Yeah, Dad?"
"Could you go and see what's taking our little hero so long? I know for a fact he has entered the castle and hasn't left, he should have came storming heroically through that door by now. Maybe one of the Stalfos got the better of him..."
"Sure, I'll be right back." she promptly replied. It took all her self control not to sprint to the door, but walk with a calm pace instead. Though as soon as the sound of the door slamming shut behind her echoed throughout the winding red staircase, she took the stair three at a time. She was just about at the bottom when she heard the sound of heavy booted footsteps coming towards her. Link! Her mind cheered. He's alright!
Before he could see her standing there, she charged back up the stairs – thankful that she was part Gerudo and therefore a silent mover – and barged into the organ room. Her father turned around to look at her standing there red faced and breathing heavily.
"Bottom of the stairs." was all she said. With a triumphant laugh, Ganondorf swung back around and played louder and more vigorously than before. The sound pounded in her head, and she was momentarily confused as to what she should do. Before she could act, the door behind her flew open and her head whipped around to see Link standing there, inches from her. She swallowed back the sudden rush of fear, and stepped aside to let him pass. He barely looked at her as she moved, his eyes were fixated on the Gerudo King.
"We were becoming worried you wouldn't make it." Ganondorf said, the music cutting off so abruptly that the sudden silence was worse than the previous deafening noise.
"Your greeters wouldn't let me be." Link replied with a smile. "I had a feeling that if I possessed a coat, they would have taken it under the false pretense of hanging it up, but would secretly pee on it and roll it around in the mud before giving it back. Might want to rehire some new lackeys either way, because they're all scattered bones now."
Samantha smiled, but quickly put back on an expressionless mask. She thought her father would kill him right then and there by the look on his face, but to Samantha's surprise, he threw back his head in laughter. If Link was as surprised as Samantha, he hid it well.
"Hyrules little hero has a sense of humor, how pleasing. I hate when people can't take a joke, it's rather annoying." her father replied. If she hadn't known any better, they could have been old friends having a conversation. But sadly, she did know better, and there was no mistaking her fathers evil smile.
Links gaze moved lazily up to where Zelda was held captive. Samantha looked up slyly, trying not to make Zelda catch her looking again. The princess was free of tears, and her face held a solemn look, as she gave a small but very noticeable nod. She heard Link breath out a sigh, and a cold chill ran down her spine, afraid of what that nod meant.
Ganondorf stood up to his full height, and looked down at the hero. His blood red cape swept lightly across the carpet with every breath, and his massive hands balled into fists. "I see you and I have nothing more to say."
"I have a hell of a lot to say, but I figure they would be better left unsaid." Link said, still smiling lazily at her father.
"Come now boy, I want to hear your last words." he replied, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
"No.. No... It would be best if we just get on with it. Besides, either way I can't do anything but fight you, whether you listen to my last words or not."
"Speak, hero." the Gerudo King demanded, clearly becoming agitated by Links easygoing nature towards his magnificent self. "I would like to remember you fondly, but your lack of cooperation angers me. Say your last words, and maybe one day I shall repeat them to my enslaved empire so that they may know what their precious Hero of Time was thinking about in his last moments alive."
"Well," Link laughed. "When you put it like that, who am I to refuse." he took a step forwards, his smile still plastered onto his face. Ganondorf grinned right back expectantly, obviously waiting and expecting a large speech about how good always conquers evil, and that the goddesses would never let such a man as himself rule over their blessed land of Hyrule.
"Get on with it, boy." Ganondorf said after a moment, his expectant grin fading as Link stood there gazing up fearlessly, as if he wasn't affected by him at all.
"You want to know what you can tell all those innocent people when you 'rule' over them?" he asked.
Her father nodded.
"You can tell them that the Hero of Time is in love with your daughter. And that the reason I'm standing right here, face to face with you, is because of her. She's one of the main reasons I dragged myself through all of those horrid temples, and the reason I came up here without a second thought." he had lost the smile somewhere during his speech, and now met her fathers emotionless glare with a serious expression. "When she told me that you were her father, I almost didn't believe her. Not because I didn't want to believe it, but because I couldn't help but wonder, how had such a beautiful and kind person come from such an evil and malicious man?"
Ganondorf's large nostrils were flaring, an obvious sign that he was enraged and about to blow his top. Samantha stood stark still, silently begging whatever greater power was listening to not let him hurt Link, or her, for that matter.
"You see, all my success came from her, and her admirable determination to never give up, no matter how many times she got knocked down." Link continued, ignoring her fathers rage. "And I'm fighting for Hyrule, yes, but I'm also fighting for her. You sent an innocent young girl to kill me, you made her think that what your doing was right. Your empire, as you put it, will never accept her, because they won't see the person I see. In their eyes, she will always be the Evil Kings daughter. No person deserves that, and I swear on my life I'm going to fight for her future, as well the future of the land she calls home."
Link let out a deep sigh, his smile back. "Shall we?"
Her father glared, taking in his words. He opened his mouth to speak, but instead let out a tremendous roar, and jumped at Link, fist raised and alive with purple flame. Link jumped back expertly, as if he already predicted what he would do. Landing catlike next to her, he turned to give her a huge grin.
"He's gonna kill you for that." She said.
"Oh, I know. Not like he wasn't going to before." he looked over at the Gerudo King who stood huffing and puffing in the center of the room, glaring at him with more hate than Samantha had ever seen.
"Try and stay out of harms way." Link said, and grabbed her, giving her a quick kiss. Her fathers rage exploded, and he slammed his fist into the ground, and the floor cracked and shattered.
"He's gonna make it slow and painful now. Good job."
"Worth it." he grinned at her before jumping back.
The floor beneath their feet was rumbling, and breaking. Some sections had completely fallen away, leaving a square platform in the middle of the room where her father stood. From her vantage point, she could see the floor of the room below them, farther down than she would have liked.
Link was standing off to her right, the Master Sword already held tightly in his left hand. Grinning over at her father, he seemed completely at ease, as if it was any other temple foe. That still didn't quiet her worry, because her father still stood in the center of the room, raging.
"You foolish boy!" he roared, the floor around him still falling away section by section. The small ring of floor that she and Link stood on was becoming smaller by the minute. Soon they wouldn't have anywhere to stand at all. "You dare touch my daughter? I'll have your head for that, little hero!"
The mad King raised his hand and the light seemed to drain from the room, swelling up into a ball pulsating in his palm. He threw it with all his might with a loud "Ha!" and it flew straight at where Link was previously standing. He had dodged it and now stood laughing against the far wall, diagonal from Samantha.
The sound of his laughter seemed to drive Ganondorf on, and he spun to face the boy, cape flying out behind him. Link ceased his laughter and stood to face him, twirling his sword with his one hand. Her father took no pause, but instantaneously made another ball, and attempted another hit. But the hero dogged his every move, and was gone from line of fire the second it left his hand. He now stood completely opposite Samantha, and smiled when he saw her standing there, eyes wide with fear.
Ganondorf continued his pursuit, taking a different tactic. With a loud roar, he slammed his fist into the ground, and the room trembled. The floor shuddered and broke, leaving only the corner patches holding on meekly to the wall. The great organ gave way with a thunderous groan, the fixtures ripping away to fall down below. It screamed out as it fell, filling the room with it's death cry. The crash as it exploded upon the floor below was louder than any noise she had heard so far, and she covered her ears with her hands, instinctively dropping to her knees as the beasts final notes rang out and died.
Link was looking at her, worried she had gotten hurt. He stood with the tip of his sword resting lightly on the ground, his mouth open as if he were about to say something. Her father screamed, eyes upon the ruins of his organ.
"This is your fault!" he said, all but shaking with rage.
Link regained himself, "You were the one who broke the floor, so it's your fault."
"Dad." Samantha said, stepping forward. Neither of them were making threatening motions towards each other, and the still silence of the room was terrifying. "Stop. Please."
"BE QUIET, Samantha!" he thundered. He had never yelled at her before, not once in her life had her father ever raised his voice at her. She could feel tears stinging the back of her eyes, and quickly turned away. By accident, her foot stepped onto a lose patch of floor, and it crumbled beneath her. She shrieked as the entire platform gave way, and slanted downwards. The final second before it fell, she dug her fingers into the carpet for something to hold onto.
"Link!" she screamed, thinking of her last fall in the volcano. The platform gave and a large crack ran through it's center, dividing it. Paralyzed with fear, the world around her came into clear detail, and she could see each little ivory key that had once been neatly arranged on the organ scattered about it's ruin as she hurtled down towards it.
"NOOO!" someone screamed far above her head. The floor and wreckage was about to engulf her and her small section of floor - or roof, depending how one looked at it - when a pair of hands grabbed her and pulled her in towards them tightly. They both slammed into the floor, her savior taking most of the hit. Startled, Samantha looked up expecting to see Link holding her, having made a heroic dive as she fell. But instead she looked in to her dads scared face.
"Dad?" she tried to cough out, but dust filled her lungs, as a loud yell and a crash echoed behind her. She turned around in Ganondorf's strong grip to look at Link standing up, a puff of dust swirling around him and covering his clothes.
"Oh god, are you alright?" he said, taking a hesitant step towards her, hand partially outstretched.
"Yes, I'm fine." she said, turning back to her father. "Why did you catch me?"
He looked at he confused, "You were falling. You were going to get hurt." he said simply.
"I thought you were mad?" she said shyly.
"Why on earth would I ever be mad at you?"
"Because..." she said, turning around to look at Link again. To her surprise, he wasn't there anymore. Not thinking anything of it, she hopped down from her fathers arms and stood facing him. "I thought..." her words seemed pointless without Link there, so she just leaned forward and hugged her dad tightly.
"I'm sorry." she said. After a moments hesitation, her father hugged her back. When she let go, he was smiling at her, his previous black rage a thing of the past.
Her thoughts wandered over to Link and wondered where he had gone off to, but before she could ponder it further, Ganondorf began to cough. Samantha looked up at him curiously, as his massive hands clawed around his throat as he struggled for swept over her, but it soon turned into terror as her fell to his knees, his coughing bringing up mass amounts of blood.
Standing behind her father was Link, an apologetic expression on his face. She didn't understand what had happened until she saw that his sword was out again, held loosely in his hand. The length of the sword was covered in scarlet blood, and it ran down to the tip where a small red pool was forming.
She dropped to her knees, "Dad?"
He coughed and looked slowly up at her, his eyes distant.
"Dad! No! Please!" she shrieked, hugging him tightly. He weakly made to hug her back, but couldn't find the strength to raise his massive arms. He gave up and collapsed against her, his weight making her tremble.
"DAD!" she yelled in his ear one last time, before he tumbled over on to the ground and remained still. She shook him, lost for words other than repeating "Dad..." over and over again.
"Samantha..." Link said softly behind her. "I'm sorry, but I had to... You know that.. I'm sorry.." he said, and pulled her back against him.
She refused to move, "No! My dad..." He pulled her back once again, arms wrapped tightly around her middle, but she still persisted and continued to shake her dad feebly. Link lost his balance and fell backwards into a sitting position, dragging her with him. She struggled to get back to her father, but he refused to let go, quietly pleading in her ear to calm down.
He reached around to wipe tears off of her face, and only then did she calm down. She hadn't even realized she was crying, but now that she knew, she broke. Burying her face against him, she cried hysterically, her dead father silently watching her. Link rubbed her back, hoping to calm her down, but the tears persisted.
"Dad..." Samantha whimpered again, clutching onto Link tightly.
"I'm sorry," he said again. "I didn't mean for you to have to see him like that..."
"Why... Dad.." she said through a fresh wave of tears. Fighting through them she broke out of Link's hug and crawled over to the fallen Lord Ganondorf. She gave him one last hoping shake before undoing his blood red cape, and wrapping it around herself like an overlarge blanket. She wiped her tears on the hem, and turned around to look at the sad hero sitting quietly behind her.
"He was my dad..." she whispered, standing up.
Link stood up as well, "I know.." he said, reaching out his hand, palm up.
"Don't touch me." she said expressionlessly.
He froze. "I... What?" he stammered.
"Don't come near me." she said louder.
Before he could react, Samantha turned and ran off as fast as she could, still clutching her fathers red blood stained cape. The black castle began to shake and crumble to ruins around the hero, as he stood over the body of the fallen Evil King.