True Hero

Link stirred, the clash of swords the first sound to register on his ears. Opening his eyes, he stood up, ignoring the throbbing in his head and left arm. He took in the scene before him in only seconds. Colin and Ganandorf were locked in mortal combat upon the platform, Zelda watching helplessly from her cage. Link had no idea how long the fight had lasted, but it was clear at this point that Ganandorf had the upper hand. With a sudden jolt, Link realized what Colin was intending to do. Without wasting a moment, he located his sword and lunged for it. Just before he reached it, he heard Colin utter a strangled cry of pain, Zelda a scream of distress. Turning, Link saw Ganandorf pull his sword, stained crimson with blood, from Colin's stomach.

"No!" he cried, the words ripped from him in anger and anguish.

Turning back, Link grasped the hilt of his sword once again, a swift power he didn't understand coursing through his whole being. The Tri-force on the back of his hand glowed with all three pieces—courage, wisdom, and power. A bright, golden light seemed to encompass Link; his eyes glowed intensely. Tears glistened on his cheeks, but instead of accentuating weakness, they lent him a determination and justice.

"Ganandorf," he called and his voice was magnified a thousand times, bouncing off of the walls, coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once. "Your fight was not with Colin," the words flowed from Link, but they were not his own. The Tri-force itself was speaking through him. "Your fight is with me. Do you waste your strength proving your powers over those already weaker than you, or do you dare to fight strength greater than your own? The very source of your own power?"

Ganandorf turned away from Colin's limp form to face the Hero that now stood tall and straight before him. Link, though still his normal height, seemed to tower over Ganandorf. In his pure light, he was greater than the dark thief could ever hope to be.

"You are a usurper of power, Ganandorf. That's all you'll ever be." This time, the words were Link's.

"And you deem yourself more?" Ganandorf growled as he brought his blood-stained sword to bear on Link.

"Yes," Link held his head high. "I am not without flaws. I will admit that. But I am a Hero. Face me, Ganandorf. Face your final destiny. Or are you afraid?"

"Afraid? Hah! You value yourself too greatly, hero." He ground hero between his teeth until it sounded like an insult. "Your power was too weak to destroy me before, why should it by any different now?" With a shout, Ganandorf lunged for Link.

Link stood his ground as Ganandorf came towards him. Time seemed to slow and he saw with sharp clarity everything around him. He was aware of Zelda, straining against the cage, aware of Colin pitifully crumpled on the cold stone floor, aware of the menacing shape of Ganandorf bearing down on him. Link knelt on one knee, his sword turned point down in front of him. Just as it seemed that Ganandorf would crush him, Link threw his hand forward and a blaze of light flew from the Tri-force symbol. It struck Ganandorf full in the chest, enveloping him in a triangle cage of pure light. An arrow of light continued away from the cage, bouncing from the walls as if it had a mind of its own. It bounced across the lock of Zelda's cage, opening it, before swirling and coalescing at random around the room. Zelda ran forward, but stopped herself short of the Light. Its power was so intense, she was afraid she might be engulfed by it also. She had no idea how Link stood amidst it. Ganandorf shrieked in rage and struggled like an entrapped beast. Link swooped forward swiftly with his sword. The Tri-force guided his hand, lending him steady strength. For a moment Link found himself face to face with Ganandorf.

"This is for Zelda. And Colin," he whispered, but his words bounced off of the Light, resounding clearly. Then, with a shout, he plunged his sword forward into Ganandorf. The dark lord was powerless to stop it. Ganandorf's face twisted into an expression of rage that soon turned to surprise as his scream of anger and pain filled the room. In an explosion of light so bright that Link closed his eyes and shielded his face, Ganandorf disappeared. From the point of Link's sword outward, the dark thief burst into a million tiny dancing points of light that disappeared as quickly as if some giant simultaneously blew them all out. The last thing Link heard was Ganandorf's strangled yell abruptly cut off. The light faded away, once more leaving the room in blue shadow. Link's hand wavered, and his shoulders slumped. The Tri-force symbol on his hand returned to its usual glow—the glow of courage. Link turned slowly towards Zelda. She ran towards him, a relieved smile on her face. She reached him just as he collapsed, his sword clattering to the floor with a ringing clang. Zelda caught him in an embrace, keeping him upright. He smiled tiredly at her.

"It's over," he whispered.

"Oh, Link," Zelda murmured. She didn't know what to say and was still in awe of what she had just seen. "You were amazing."

"It wasn't me," he said. "It was the Tri-force, protecting itself. It was never meant to be held by one wielder all at once. It's too powerful," he ended with a soft sigh, slumping against Zelda.

"You are truly wise, O Chosen Hero," the lilting voice of Arian filled the room and she once again appeared as a pulsating glow of warm light, this time vaguely human-shaped with great hawk's wings spreading behind her. Zelda and Link turned to face the Light spirit, Zelda with a supportive arm around Link's waist, Link with his hand on her shoulder. A sense of alarm built up in Link at seeing the spirit again. Was the spell Ganandorf had used still binding? If Arian attacked again, Link knew there would be no way he could hold her off. Arian smiled gently down on Link, understanding the cause of his apprehension. "The blade that bound me is no more," she said, her only consolation. "But you," she continued, "you have learned the secret of the true power of the Tri-force. It is only in part that it can be rightly wielded and even then, only unselfishly. Those with a lust for power do not understand it. That is why you live, and he does not." A faint image of Ganandorf filled the air, then faded as if it had never been there. "Today you have acted for love of others and for the good of a kingdom, not for yourself. I name you True Hero." Arian beamed and her Light brightened until Link and Zelda had to shield their eyes. She dimmed with a laugh of clear, pure joy. "You have done well, Hero. May fate smile on you and your future."

With that, Arian began to fade.

"Wait!" Link flung up a hand toward the Light spirit.

"Yes?" Arian paused only half visible now, a translucent shadow.

"Does this mean that Ganandorf no longer has the Tri-force? Does this mean he is gone forever?"

"Would that I could answer your question, Hero. But that is not in my hands. That is for the goddesses to decide. I can take the Tri-force away, but only with the proper incantation, and, alas, you know it not. But do not trouble yourself over Ganandorf. He lingers no more in this world," Arian smiled once more and faded from sight.

For several long moments, Link and Zelda stood silently, each considering Arian's last words. Then, with a shudder, Link roused himself. "Colin!" he gasped, looking to Zelda, a silent plea behind his eyes. Suddenly, the young boy was in the forefront of both their minds, the Light spirit and her parting words nearly forgotten. Zelda glanced at Colin's still form and Link followed her gaze. He made move toward him, but staggered and nearly fell. Zelda quickly slipped under his arm to support him. "Lend me your strength, Zelda," Link murmured. Zelda kept an arm around Link as he stumbled to Colin's side. She lowered him to the floor beside the boy. Link bent over Colin as Zelda knelt above him and cradled his head in her lap. To their utter astonishment, no wound marked Colin where Ganandorf had stabbed him. In fact, to all appearances, Colin was merely sleeping.

"He breathes," Zelda murmured in awe. Link nodded sharply, worry written clearly across his face as he stared down at Colin. In his head he kept repeating the plea, Please let him be alright, please let him be alright... Link had no idea to whom he uttered his fervent request. He thought of the goddesses, the Light spirits, and even the stars. He only needed one to answer.

Just then, Colin took a deep, shuddering breath and opened his eyes. Link nearly collapsed in relief. Zelda's features split into a wide grin. Colin groaned.

"But how—?" Zelda breathed.

Link thought he knew. Heart pounding, he looked up into the depths of the ceiling. "Thank you," he mouthed, his mind too overwhelmed to form actual words. In his head, he heard Arian's light laugh in reply. "He earned it," she answered.

Looking back down, Link spoke, as much to release tension as anything else. "Colin, I thought I told you to stay out of this!" he croaked, relief cracking his voice.

"I couldn't Link. You knew that," Colin answered as he sat up, gently refusing Zelda's attempts to help. "I'm alright now. Really," he reassured them. Then his gaze took in the silent, empty chamber. "It's over," he said, neither a question nor a statement.

"Yes," Zelda confirmed either way, answering for Link. She could tell that he was weary and even speaking was an effort for him. As Arian had declared, holding the entire Tri-force at once was a feat almost too great for any being to withstand, no matter how pure their spirit. Zelda had a feeling that Link was yet to feel the entire effect of the power.

"What happened? Where's Ganandorf?" Colin wondered.

Zelda looked to Link who was supporting himself with trembling arms, his head hanging low. "I'll tell you some other time," he said, and promptly collapsed.

Several moments later, Zelda and Colin walked away from Ganandorf's fortress, supporting Link between them. They met no one in the dark hallways, though Colin more than once put hand to sword hilt at the faint scurrying of rats. There was no sign of any Twilight beasts and Zelda could only assume that they had either been destroyed along with the dark lord, or scattered by the power of the Tri-force. Once outside, Colin quickly collected the horses and led them back to Zelda and Link. Epona tossed her head with a whinny of greeting when Colin brought her to Zelda. Having gathered his weapons on their way out of the fortress, Zelda secured Link's sword and bow onto Epona's saddle. She also secured his shield, she and Colin having run across it on their way out of the fortress. Then she mounted herself. With Colin's help, she pulled the near-unconscious Link onto the horse in front of her, pulling him back against her and settling his head on her shoulder. Wrapping an arm around his chest, she turned Epona's head toward the gates. Epona looked behind her with a worried neigh, twisting her head towards Link's limp form.

"Don't worry, Epona," Zelda murmured soothingly. "He will be alright."

Seemingly reassured, Epona turned back to the gates and set off at a gentle lope. Attuned to her master's condition, she picked her way across the ground very gently, responding to Zelda's every touch and whispered word.

Colin and Brego followed behind, ready to hold off any sort of belated attack, but none came. Ganandorf's fortress remained just as silent and dark as when they had first left it. No sound could be heard above the horses' steady hoof beats and the soft whistling of the wind.

They stopped when both they and the horses were too weary to safely continue and it was too dark to see properly. With the destruction of the Thief, his powers quickly diminished as well, and the dead forest Link and Colin had ridden through earlier was considerably smaller. They made it to the fringes of the live forest just as the dark closed in on them completely. Colin quickly located a small clearing to use as a campsite and he helped Zelda to gently lower Link from Epona's back. While Colin busied himself with building a fire and preparing some food, Zelda created a makeshift bed for Link from some pine branches and a blanket. As she laid him on it, he stirred and opened his eyes for the first time since leaving the Fortress.

"Zelda," he murmured. "Where are we?"

"Safe," she smiled down at him, brushing his hair from his forehead.

Link relaxed and laid his head back against the grass, closing his eyes. His breathing was slow and measured, his face held a peaceful expression. Zelda leaned over him and kissed him lightly, "Sleep well, my Hero. You've earned it," she whispered.