Chapter Twenty-One: A Seizure Underground
The King of Evil seized his father's arm and pointed him in the direction of the Hero of Time. The similarities between his smile and his son's were proof enough that they were related. "Seize the boy!" commanded Astralose. A mass of Bokoblins rushed up the stairs toward the startled Hero of Time.
Link did not even have time to run back into the passageway he had come from before he was surrounded by the enemy. He unsheathed the mythical Master Sword and grabbed the shield Zelda had given him off of his back. He intended to force his way through the enemy and out of the underground chamber. He slammed his shield sideways into his nearest adversary while piercing the jugular of another one with his blade. The two Bokoblins fell to the ground, one dead and one unconscious.
This was the enemies' cue to attack. They drew their rusted scimitars and bore down upon Link. However, if the Hero of Time was good at anything, it was holding his ground. He planted his feet and unleashed a powerful spin attack. His sword—encompassed in magical blue flames—cut through the Bokoblins like butter. Nearly half of his enemies were dead from that first attack alone. As the rest readied themselves to avenge their comrades' deaths, Link prepared to let loose another spin attack.
Meanwhile, on their raised platform, Astralose turned to his son and said, "I swear, you're soldiers are worthless."
"Only because they face the Master Sword. They're more than ready to face the knights of Hyrule. I'll go up there and seize the Master Sword and the boy."
"No! Forget it! There is no need to go up there. I will take care of the boy." Astralose lifted his hands as if he were about to embrace the air before him. Between his withered palms a black energy ball that's surface shined like a smoothed pearl appeared. The sphere grew until its diameter was greater than the head of a Moblin. It was then that Astralose released it. It shot forward through the Bokoblins that were attacking Link and struck the Hero of Time in the back. He collapsed instantaneously.
He awoke a half an hour later unarmed and unbound. He looked about and saw that he was on the platform with Ganondorf and Astralose. Surrounding the dais at ground level was Ganondorf's vile army. "Ah good. You are awake," began Astralose.
"Where is the Master Sword?" demanded Link.
The old man chuckled. "Where you left it of course. Neither I, nor anyone else, want to feel the pain that comes from touching that blade. But don't worry yourself about unimportant things such as that. Worry yourself about what is most imminent: your death. You have meddled in mine and my son's affairs for long enough. I intend to put a stop to that here and now."
"Wait," interceded Ganondorf.
"For what?"
"I want to tell him our plan."
"Why in the world would you want to do that?"
"I want the last image in his head before we toss him into the river of lava to be of Hyrule completely destroyed. I want him to know just how we're going to destroy his beloved land, crush its buildings, and kill its people. I want him to know just how the undying reign of Ganondorf will begin.."
"So be it. He has no chance of escape. He is completely surrounded, unarmed, and helpless. And I can't lie to myself. I will enjoy seeing his face as he learns what is to come of his homeland."
"Well then, should I bring our key to victory out?" asked Ganondorf.
"Yes. He's already seen our army. He obviously knows that we plan on using it to attack Hyrule. But he doesn't know the true beauty of our plan. An army can only do so much. And our army is not big enough to keep the peoples of Hyrule from revolting against us. That is what our key to victory is for. With this, the peoples of Hyrule will be imprisoned for all time. Don't you want to know what it is my fine young lad," taunted Astralose. When Link did not reply, he continued. "Regardless of your lack of a proper response, I know that you do. So I will tell you. I like to call it the Twilight."
"The Twilight," repeated Ganondorf, licking his lips hungrily. "With this, I will reign supreme for all eternity."
"Now, you might be wondering what is this Twilight exactly. Well, to be entirely honest, I'm not the one to ask. My son will retrieve the one that is the right one to ask for us." Ganondorf descended from the platform and disappeared into the crowd. Two minutes of Astralose staring into Link's eyes quietly passed before Ganondorf returned. He had a being shrouded in a grey cloak in tow. He pulled the hood off of the being's head, revealing its face. Astralose cleared his throat and said, "May I present my daughter, the Twilight Princess."