So I'm really happy that I didn't hit two years of not update, but that being said, I am at a loss for words for when it comes to apologizing about my absence. To put it simply without endulging into too much personal stuff, I lost my motivation and will to write. I thought about the story every day, but could never gain enough confidence in producing a wonderful chapter. While this kind of writer's block does happen to me when I'm close to ending a story, and it is close to being over (the way I see it, I believe there will be one chapter left and I'm pretty sure I'll have to do an epilogue), it was more my personal life that got in the way. Well, I tell all my lovely readers and reviewers that I am slowly feeling that I am gaining my confidence back and that I will not let this story die. It means way too much to me, just as all of the support I have gotten from everyone who had ever read or reviewed this and who would email me and wonder of my absence. Much love to you all.

School is starting up again in less than two weeks... and this year is to hopefully be my last, unless I decide on teacher's college or something. But that being said, I am an English-Writing major 7 out of 11 classes are writing classes and 2 out of 11 classes are English, so I may be a little busy. But even so, I hope the writing classes will help develop my ability as a writer and I am hoping to see another update from myself before the year is through, considering I actually got into my creative writing: short fiction class in which I had to submit a portfolio with 33 pages of creative writing. I am super excited for it.

Anyways, without futher delay, I hope I have expressed my apologies correctly and everyone understands that I am so very, very sorry for the awful wait. Please enjoy what I have done with this chapter.

All the best! And as my favourite late political NDP leader Jack Layton once wrote: "My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world."

My love,
LZ

Chapter Twenty-One

"Zelda! Zelda, wake up!"

Hoarse, mechanical laughter was heard. Link, full of rage, attempted to calmly turn his attention to the younger, laughing Dragmire. "What the hell did you do to her Damien?" he questioned in a threatening tone.

Damien only continued to chuckle. He loosened his grip on Zelda's head, allowing it to fall limply into the crook of her neck.

"Answer me!" Link bellowed.

"Oh relax, don't get your knickers in a knot, Gale," Damien smiled, turning his full attention towards Link. "I have simply let her see a few painful images; images that have put her in the position that I want her to be in. I must say, you've done quite the job teaching her our little magic tricks. She was quite the one to break, even more so than your other little slut, Midna." Damien smirked as he watched Link's eyes narrow and glare at him. Damien quickly brushed the gesture off and continued to speak, "That's right. I broke her. I broke her mind, spirit and body. But you already knew that, didn't you? Especially about the part of breaking of her body." Damien let out a chuckle, placing his hand upon Zelda's protruding stomach. "This proves it, doesn't it?" he grinned.

"Don't touch her, or my child!" Link bellowed furiously.

"Your child?" questioned Damien. "What does it matter? Once you're dead, the child is only going to have me as its father. I don't care whether it's yours or mine. As long as he or she follows in our footsteps for world domination then that is all that matters to Father and I."

"That's not going to happen, Damien," Link muttered under his breath. "I'm going to make sure that my child will only ever have me as its father."

"You're such a noble one, Gale," mentioned a third voice, and Link turned around to face Ganondorf. "But I guess that is to be expected from you; after all, you are of the noble family of our kind. It's a downright shame that you fail to see the good that will come from our domination of the mortal and human world, but as Damien has stated, regarding the little slut's child, it does not matter who is the father because in the end it will be Damien and I raising it."

"You're such a liar, Ganondorf," Link spat. "No good could possibly come from the annihilation of the entire mortal community just to bring back our kind. No one in their right mind would ever want you to do such a thing, so stop lying to yourself. You're nothing but a vile, crude man and your son is just as pathetic."

"Pathetic?" Damien questioned as he raised his arm.

Link looked up and in Damien's direction just in time to block a menacing green light that was hurling towards him at a great speed.

"That's right, you heard me Damien," Link grunted after swiping the green light away. "You are just as pathetic as your father. You guys are always looking for an external weakness in your enemy, aka me, instead of just fighting me like true and honourable men of our kind."

"Ha, true and honourable men of our kind?" repeated Ganondorf. "You mean like your weakling of a father?"

"My father wasn't weak," Link spoke through gritted teeth.

"That's why he isn't here with us today," taunted Damien with a cruel smile.

Link clenched his fists tightly. "I'm getting tired of this," he spoke angrily. "Let Zelda go and let's settle this battle like we normally do, just between the three of us."

"I'm afraid we can't do that, Gale," replied Ganondorf nonchalantly. "You see, the girl is needed in order to ensure your demise. Without her, we all know that the outcome of our match will be similar to the previous battles we've encountered in half a century. This time things will turn out differently. We all want to put an end to this game of cat and mouse we've been playing. This time there will be a victory in the fight between Dark and Light; evil and good. And that victory will belong to Damien and I."

"No it won't," said Link.

"Oh but it will," chimed in Damien. "And then what will poor little Zelda do without the love of her life to protect her? I think she'll make a good slave, won't she, Father?" he questioned, turning to look at Ganondorf.

"I suppose so," smiled Ganondorf. "I've always admired young blood. It's been so long since I've had anyone young around to help out with anything and everything."

"Shut up," Link spoke through gritted teeth. "Zelda will never be anything to the two of you and I won't have you talking about her as if she's some tool that can be used."

"Oh but she is," smirked Damien, steadily eying his enemy.

Link barely had time to dive towards the ground as he felt an object slice through the air, just at the spot where his head had been. He rolled over onto his back and noted that someone stood above him. "Zelda?" he whispered.

"I am not Zelda," she answered, her voice having a dark echo to it, as if possessed.

"Zelda, it's me, Link," he said, eying the woman above him. "Wake up."

"Never," she hissed, raising the shiny, think sword in her hand and striking downwards. She cursed as Link managed to roll out of the way.

Link jumped to his feet and furiously looked for the Dragmires. He spotted them to his left. Ganondorf was standing up smiling smugly while Damien was sitting comfortably in the chair that once held Zelda. Link heard the sword being lifted from the ground and quickly looked to see his possessed girlfriend slowly making her way towards him. He turned his attention back to the Dragmires for a quick moment. "Cowards," he muttered. "Fight me yourselves."

"But this is much more fun," smiled Damien as he watched Zelda raise her sword once more.

Link gritted his teeth as he brandished a sword from his magic to stop the one that Zelda was using from impaling his side. "Stop this, Zelda, please. I won't fight you."

"Which is the exact reason why we have her fighting you in the first place," Ganondorf chimed in from behind his son. "You wouldn't want to hurt her or the baby. You're too soft like that."

"You're cowards," Link spoke through gritted teeth as he was forced to swing his sword to the opposite side as Zelda attempted to strike him once more. "Zelda, it's me, Link. Please snap out of it."

"She won't listen to you, Gale," Damien chimed in.

"Shut up!" barked Link. He noticed an opening as Zelda took a step back in preparation to strike him. Link dashed forward with an inhumane burst of speed. He hooked Zelda's sword arm with his right. Dropping his weapon that he held in his left hand, Link pinned Zelda's back to his chest by wrapping his free arm over Zelda's left arm and pregnant belly. "Zel, it's me," he whispered in her ear. "I'm here, but I need you to fight them. Fight them for the twins."

Zelda struggled violently attempting to break free from Link's hold.

"Zel, listen," Link spoke through gritted teeth. The Dragmire's possessive spell over her had provided her with strength she has yet to discover on her own accord. Link struggled to keep her in check. "You don't want Alex and Maia to be raised by these creeps in a world of darkness. I need your help. Please, fight them."

"Such a touching scene, don't you think, Son?"

"Ah!"

"A scene such as this is just begging for interruption," smirked Ganondorf from behind Link, pulling out a blood soaked dagger from Link's side.

Link had instantly released his hold on Zelda and fell to his hands and knees.

"This position suits you, Gale," commented Damien from a distance.

"All that's missing to make this picture complete is your lovely possessed girlfriend impaling her sword through your chest and ripping out your heart. Effectively ridding my son and I of the horrible thorn we've had in our sides for centuries."

"She won't kill me," Link spoke, concentrating on healing his fresh wound.

"Perhaps if you weren't too busy focusing on healing your injury, you'd be able to see that she is, in fact, quite willing to rid us of our nasty thorn," smirked Damien.

Link swallowed the lump in his throat that he hadn't realized he had He looked up and Zelda stood in front of him. Her eyes were clouded and unseeing, her sword at the ready to strike.

"Please don't do this, Zelda," Link whispered up to her.

Ganondorf chuckled darkly at the sight before his eyes. "You know what would make this all the more pleasant?" he asked nonchalantly.

"What would that be, Father?" Damien inquired needlessly as he wore the same evil grin his father wore as Ganondorf approached him.

"I think that the little human turned witchlet needs to be awakened as she removes her lover's heart," Ganondorf spoke, grinning wickedly from ear to ear.

"An excellent idea, Father," Damien agreed. "Surely it'll destroy them both."

"You wouldn't dare," Link said tiredly, securing his balance more confidently on his knees. "I won't let you."

"You're in no position to do anything, Gale," smiled Damien. "Zelda, darling, on the count of three, destroy him."

"Three!"

Link gritted his teeth and prepared for the impact...

It never came.

"Link, darling, open your eyes."

"Mother?" Link questioned groggily as he opened his eyes. In front of him stood Zelda, her sword mere millimetres from his chest. She was frozen in time. Link's for sure death never came. He looked around quickly to notice that Ganondorf and Damien had yet to move from their spots; they were frozen in time too. Turning his attention away from the Dragmires, Link noticed a familiar female figure, in which he had not seen in centuries, standing beside him; his mother.

"Yes, Link, it is I, your mother," she spoke in a calm maternal voice. "And your father is here too."

It was then that Link noticed the familiar male figure standing beside his mother. "Dad," he whispered in shock.

"Hello, Son," he replied with a warm smile.

"I – I don't get it," stuttered Link. "You two are dead and I'm supposed to be dead too."

Link's mother let out a soft chuckle. "Indeed your father and I are in the afterlife, Link, but as I have told you many times, you are my blessed and chosen child. The goddesses have intervened in fate to insure my son's safety, as well as the safety of my grandchildren and Zelda."

"You know about Zelda?" Link questioned, staring dumb-foundedly at his parents.

"Of course we do," chuckled his father. "We see all in the afterlife. You didn't think we'd let you fight this battle for centuries on your own, did you?"

"Well, no."

"She is a fine choice to continue the bloodline, just as Midna was."

"So you know about her too then," Link frowned.

"Of course they knew about me," chimed in a third voice.

"Midna!" Link gasped, turning around to meet the source of the voice/

"Hi Link," she laughed.

"It's really you," he whispered, staring at her in amazement.

"Is that the way you greet an old friend you haven't seen in ages?" she questioned with a smirk. "I see how it is," she mused.

"No, no!" stuttered Link as he ran forward and embraced her in a hug with all his might. "I'm just very surprised to see you and not have you being a full ghost in front of me," he whispered in her ear. "I'm surprised to see all of you," he spoke loudly upon releasing Midna from his hold. "I've missed you all," he said shyly.

"And we've missed you, my little darling," spoke Link's mother. "Even though you've never really been alone, it's difficult to communicate from the afterlife to the real world with so many non-believers around."

"I understand," whispered Link. "But why are you all here now? You saved me and I'll be forever thankful."

"We've partially save you, Link," spoke Midna.

"Huh?"

"You must prepare to fight the moment we release the hold on time, do you understand, Son?" questioned his father.

"But how am I supposed to do that? I nearly have a sword going through my chest and I'm not about to hurt Zelda or my children."

"That's my boy," Link's mother smiled. "Always so kind and caring, just as your father and I have raised you to be. But no one said you had to return to the same spot you were in once time had stopped. The Dragmires never play by the rules, so I do believe that now is the most opportune moment for us to bend the rules and have light conquer over darkness."

"But Mother, there are two of them and they have Zelda under their control," Link spoke with a heavy heart. "Even I don't see a way to beat them this time."

"Have a little faith, Linky boy," Midna spoke cheerfully. "There is always opportunity for something good to happen out of a moment of darkness. Always have faith. Always have hope. Why do you think the goddesses have blessed us with this moment with you?"

"I don't know."

"Now you're just being silly, my boy," said his father with a smile. "You have always had faith and hope. You have been at war for centuries and not once have ever given up. The goddesses have now decided that enough is enough. This world that the Dragmires want to achieve must never happen and it won't happen thanks to the gift they are allowing us to bestow upon you."

"Gift?"

"Our gifts of power, honey," his mother began to say. "You are so strong, no one is doubting that. It is just that there are two Dragmires, and while they have been solely focusing on the concept of power, you, my beloved son, have been focused on so much more. You have undying courage. You have more wisdom than any mortal on earth, though I think Zelda has helped you become a little more the wiser, especially in love," she grinned.

"Mother," Link blushed.

She smiled, ignoring the colour on her son's face. "The point is, Link, that while you are so very strong your kind heart has excelled your traits of courage and wisdom to surpass that of your trait of power. It's a good thing, I assure you. Those with power, only want more power and you know exactly how those people turn out."

"I know, Mother," Link said with a smile. "But what is this gift of power?"

"You're of royal blood, Son," said his father. "And in the royal line of good witches and wizards came a story of a legendary hero; the Fierce Deity."

"I think of heard of him," mused Link, slowly beginning to understand what his parents and Midna were trying to accomplish.

"Your war over power hasn't been the only one to take place according to this legend," spoke his father. "There was once a man who called himself the Fierce Deity in order to put fear into his enemies just at the sound of his name. He was considered to be one of the strongest and most powerful wizards of all time. Time has washed away most of his accomplishments and his bloodline history, hence why many think of him as a myth, but from what your mother and I were told as children, and what we told you, the Fierce Deity was a companion to the royal family of the light side, until one day his urge for power became so great he switched forces and became evil, completely forgetting his originally values and love for life. That is until one of your great, great, great, great, and I'm sure the 'greats' go on, ancestors confronted the Fierce Deity at his highest moment of power. What you may not know, or remember, Link, is that this ancestor of yours was the Fierce Deity's love. He had devoted his life to protecting her and her family, until one day his heart became corrupted and he forgot all that was good, including her. This ancestor loved the Fierce Deity so much that she allowed herself to be killed by his hands. Once he had delivered the fatal blow to the one he cared about most his evil heart was cured, but he was unable to save her. He had let power take complete control over him and it scared him. He returned to the royal family, not caring what his punishment would be for murdering his love, but returning with the intention to bestow upon the royal family his ultimate power. The family knew of the Deity's guilt and did not wish to see him executed. While the Fierce Deity begged that he be given some sort of sentence for his crimes, the royals refused, so instead the Fierce Deity requested that the family take all of his power and pass it on from generation to generation to ensure that it would never fall into the wrong hands and be misused and that if another individual such as him were to arise, that his powers be used to vanquish the evil. The royal family granted the request on terms that the Fierce Deity would continue to protect their family, just as their deceased daughter would want him to."

"I don't think I've ever heard the story in that much depth before," Link whispered. "So it isn't just a legend then, is it? You guys have the Fierce Deity's powers, don't you?"

"Yes, Link, we do," said his mother as she gave him a soft smile. "And now that the goddesses finally agree and believe that the Dragmires have done enough and must be stopped, we have been blessed with the opportunity to pass down his powers onto you."

"Wow," Link whispered in disbelief.

"So do you accept this gift, Link?" questioned his father.

"I do," Link said confidently. "And once I use it to save the world and the ones I love, I will make sure that I am the sole possessor and guardian of such a power."

"That's my Link," Midna sniffed uncharacteristically.

"What's wrong, Midna?" Link asked, turning to her.

"Once your parents bestow the power to you, we'll disappear and time will be back in motion," she sniffed again. "I'll miss you."

Link opened his arms and gave her a warm hug. "I'll miss you too," he whispered. "But I'll never forget you or this moment and I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again once this whole mess is sorted out," he grinned.

Midna smiled through her tears. "I'm expecting you to keep your promise Link," she told him.

"Considered it kept," he confirmed for her. He turned his attention back to his parents. "Is it true then that I'll only have a couple of seconds to react after I'm given the power and that you will disappear?"

"I'm afraid so, honey," Link's mother smiled sadly.

"Then I guess I better say my goodbyes," Link said, running to his mother and embracing her tightly. "I love you, Mother."

"I love you so much, Link. Never forget that."

Link smiled as he felt someone else join in on the warm family embrace. "I love you too, Father."

"Stay strong, Link. And I love you too."

"Now, it's time," his mother said, sadly breaking the family hug. "You know what you're going to do the moment we release the hold on time?"

"I know exactly what I'm going to do," Link said, smiling with confidence. "Trust me, and we'll meet again soon. I promise."

"Good luck, Link," Midna and his parents had managed to speak at the same moment.

"On the count of three," his mother warned.

"THREE!"

Link felt a strong new power flow through his veins. He let the feeling only catch him by surprise for a moment before swiftly reacting to the plan he had thought out in his head while communicating with his parents and Midna. He appeared behind Zelda as time began to move again and he caught her off guard by wrapping his around her. "Be gone evil, and come back to me, my Zelda." Unsure if it was the sudden embrace or the words he spoke softly into her ear or both, he was still pleased to hear the sound her sword clanging on the ground as she dropped it. Zelda turned around in his arms in order to look up and him and face him. "You're safe now, love," he whispered with a smile, noticing the haze in her eyes slowly starting to diminish. He decided to quicken the pace by crashing his lips upon hers.

"What the hell is going on here?" questioned Ganondorf angrily as he stumbled forward. "Gale should be dead."

"It feels as time was stopped," whispered Damien as he attempted to steady himself. It felt as though he had just woken from a long slumber. "But how? Link was too weak to cast such a spell."

"Those damn goddesses intervened! Look!" shouted Ganondorf, pointing with wild rage at the scene and Link and Zelda embracing and kissing.

Link took the shout as his cue to stop. He gently moved back from Zelda's lips as she continued to look up at him. He smiled noticing that her blue eyes had returned to completely normalcy.

"Link?"

"It's me, Zel," he told her.

"But Ganondorf, he – he killed you," she whispered in disbelief. "It's not you."

"It is," he told her calmly, holding her closely and letting his newfound powers warm her and ease her nerves.

"But how?"

"I'll explain later," he smiled. "After I finish with those two over there," he nodded his head in the direction of the Dragmires.

"You still think you can defeat us?" questioned Ganondorf, the anger in his voice was obvious. "Just because you have your little girlfriend back means nothing!" he spat. "We'll just take her again and make sure she kills you this time."

"I tried to kill you."

"And you would have succeeded you damn little girl if those bloody goddesses hadn't have stopped time to spare your boyfriend his pathetic life," Damien spoke through gritted teeth.

"That's enough," Link spoke. "Ganondorf and Damien, your rein of darkness ends right here, right now."

"I don't think so!" shouted Ganondorf. "You, your whore, and your baby are all dead! Do you hear me? All dead! Let's do this, Son."

"Right," Damien nodded.

"OBLITERATE!"

"Link!" Zelda cried. She buried her head into his chest as a gigantic ball of dark energy was thrown their way. She felt strong winds blow passed her, but no actual pain from a blast that she was sure was going to kill her, Link and their children. She took a glance behind her to notice a dark dust settling and the shocked faces of both Ganondorf and Damien. A mystical wall had placed itself in between her and them. She looked up at Link, who still held his protective hold on her. His hair was standing on edge, as if a wind were coming from the ground and blowing it upwards, and while his eyes where his normal colour, Zelda could feel the power the radiated from them and his entire body. He was Link, but not Link. This was a stronger Link that much she knew for sure. Needless to say, even though she was surprised with his new strength, she was positive that the Dragmires did not see this coming.

"I told you already," Link began to speak in a voice that was his own, yet somehow wasn't, at least to Zelda anyways. "Dragmires, you're done destroying the world. You're done hurting the ones I love. It all ends here."