The Price of Sins
Hi everyone and HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SISTER! Okay, I doubt most of you care (except for Po-Po) but I have to make this update quick sooooooo… TO THE DIALOGUE!
Characters: Aww! But we liked not being abused by you behind the scenes for once!
SC: HEY! Tr1pp89 (and I think Po-Po and Icetail38) wants it so too bad!
Zelda: Okay then… what now?
SC: Um… Disclaimer?
Zelda: What?! Not again! Do you know how many disclaimers I have to do with all these fanficers who have evil ambitions of taking over my franchise?
SC: Okay! Works for me; I'll just tell the whole world that I own Zelda :)
Zelda: What?!
SC: HEY WORLD! I OWN ZEL…
Zelda: *clamps hand over SC's mouth* NOOOOOO! SHE DOESN'T OWN MEEEEEEE!
SC: There Tr1pp89; there's your dialogue. I hope you liked it! Thanks for reviewing too:
tr1pp89: Oh Din! I've been typing your username wrong too! Who could I be accidentally thanking this time? Lineback III? Just a random guess :P Aww! I'm flattered that you're going to be reading this story from start to finish once it's done but I look back at those chapters and I cringe with thinking 'I can't believe that I ever thought that was GOOD!' so yeah… I still cannot believe how much my writing has improved since I first started writing this. Where is Aveil hiding? You'll find out in this chapter. KEEP ON REVIEWING! I need you to since this chapter has action and I'm all sad with how it turned out.
tetraforce theory: OH NO I'M SO SORRY! When I said dialogue, I was referring to that scriptish-formatted, characters-hate-me, behind-the-scenes stuff like how I do my disclaimers with Zelda like I did this chapter or when Link tried to kill me in the PrCCs of chapter 24… that kind of stuff… Yes, may the final battle begin… *bangs head on keyboard for the last time before posting this chapter* GFGHGBBGHVBHVG WHYYYYYYYYYYY?!
To my regulars who haven't reviewed, I know your devious plan. Your waiting for someone else to be the 99th reviewer so that you can race to be the 100th. Well, here's a message for all my readers; whoever is the 99th and 100th person to review will each have a special one-shot written by me dedicated to them so get reviewing :D
One more thing before you read the chapter… 5TT65Y6T7Y *banging head on keyboard* WHY MUST I SUCK AT ACTION BITS?! GTGTG6Y! *still banging head on keyboard as you read chapter*
Chapter 26 ~ Your Wounds Scar Me
I could not remember anything after that. It was a blank moment in my memory but I must have had some form of enlightenment during that time because when I woke up, I knew who I was; the Sage of Spirit…
~†~ The Price of Sins ~†~
Malon cooed softly and stroked the Cucco's soft feathers on the top of her head with one delicate finger. Soon, she heard her give a soft cluck before closing its eyes. She smiled and carefully reached under her to take her eggs. Whether they would hatch or not, the Cucco who laid them would always protect them aggressively. Malon would never have had the heart to remove them if they never accepted the loss so quickly.
Cuccos were quite strange in the way they behaved; one moment they would be trying to peck you to death and the next they'd have completely forgotten about it and moved on.
She walked out of the small wooden house and stared up at the pink streaked sky and breathed in the sweet early morning air. There was an atmosphere of hope all around her and she knew something big was going to happen today; something that would change Hyrule forever.
Malon closed her eyes, knowing all too well of what lay ahead, and remembered the two people she had helped just over a month ago. They seemed to care for each other deeply and she wondered if what she had guessed was true. She smiled at the thought.
Good luck Link. All my trust lies in you…
~†~ The Price of Sins ~†~
Cheering could be heard as two Hylians riding horses accompanied by a blue and purple spirit speeding alongside them galloped past a crowd of spectating Gerudo. Today was the day they would finally be freed of their cruel ruler. Today was the day when a new leader would take the throne. Today was the day when their goddess would descend from the heavens and save them all. It was a glorious day for them, but a harsh one for the three heroes racing out of the desert and across the valley. (A/N: The bridge has been fixed. How else do you think that the Gerudo left the valley?)
Today they had to prevent the total destruction of the world before it was caused unintentionally by the most dangerous monster in existence. Some of them might not come back alive. Maybe neither of them would return victorious but they all had loved ones whom they wanted to protect.
Korra had been all too eager to come with them for this perilous battle…
"Take me with you," she said stubbornly, "He killed my mother; I want to see him die!"
Zelda sighed, "I know how you feel, but you are taking this the wrong way. I wanted him dead so as to avenge the deaths of the Hero of Time and my father, but now I just want to protect my land and my people."
"I do too," the teenager replied, "I want to protect the Gerudo."
"Then stay here where you belong," the princess replied, "Take care of them while I'm gone. This is your place; this is where you need to be. I'm entrusting you with a huge responsibility and I know that you will serve your people far better than I ever could because I will never truly be one of you. Don't just do this for me Korra; do it for Nabooru, Aveil and everyone else who shares your spirit. They're all counting on you."
Tears began to fall down the young Gerudo's face as she leapt into the Hylian's open arms. She stroked her crimson locks as they cried together. "I'll do it," said Korra bravely, "Just promise to come back safely with everyone…"
The wind swept the princess's golden hair behind her, giving the impression of a star shooting across the clear blue sky, as she rode further and further away from the desert, leaving behind the many new friends she had made and to remember all the promises she had made to them. I will come back Korra, I swear it by my crown!
Fi enjoyed the sensation she was feeling. So this must be what it's like to soar above the clouds. she thought as she remembered the crimson bird that her previous master rode. He seemed quite content around it but Fi had now come to realise that they shared friendship; something that she now had with so many people. She would play her part in this quest to destroy evil and help everyone she had come to care about because her newly formed heart yearned for their happiness more than anything else. But there was still the fate inevitable for some Unless…
The sacrifice was still unavoidable. Not everyone would get the happy ending that they were fighting for. Fi saw no way to stop it; she deluded herself into thinking that there was still hope for them to be together. It would never happen…
All that hope her companions had was all for nothing and she wished that she could tell them everything. She hated how she had to keep a secret concerning them as big as this from them and she hated how, of all the times she wanted to be wrong, she was 99.99% correct and all because of that one aura she sensed two weeks ago!
By not telling her friends of what was really going to happen, she was using them. Fi could not bear to crush their dreams but that came at the price of a painful silence. I'm sure the goddesses know what they are doing. she thought with a tiny flicker of hope, They cannot do this to them; they owe them too much…
~†~ The Price of Sins ~†~
It took every ounce of Aveil's strength to remain sane and silent alone in that cave. It was raining outside and the noise of the water drops just added to her struggle to remain calm. This was the first time that she ever encountered rain in her entire life and it made her feel scared and alone.
She missed the desert and all her fellow Gerudo but now she could never return. How stupid she had been to hand Nabooru over to Ganondorf! She was right; Aveil was the real traitor and she could not save her people by hurting the innocent. Her pride disagreed with her heart and the bloody battle within tore her apart.
She had thrown her entire life away the moment she threw Nabooru at Ganondorf's feet and now the Gerudo would never accept her. Aveil would now have to live life as an outlaw if she were to survive once Ganondorf had fallen, if Ganondorf had fallen.
She sighed; the only way her people could survive now is if she trusted that princess, but would the others do so? Would they follow her in return for their survival?
"It doesn't have to be this way you know."
Shut up! I can't change anything now! My old life is forever gone…
~†~ The Price of Sins ~†~
When the castle came into view, there appeared to be something wrong; it was grey, making it look like ash and it seemed to almost melt away into the equally ghostly sky.
Link and Zelda dismounted their horses as Fi hovered beside them and led them over to a fence which they tied the reigns to before beginning to find a way in.
Many places had collapsed and the princess darted from place to place trying to uncover various secret passageways into the castle. It seemed quite strange how empty it was; almost like a ghost town. As far as they could see, they and the horses were the only living things for miles.
"I've checked everywhere Fi and there's no way in." reported Zelda, "It's all collapsed and I'd hate to think what might have happened to all the Gerudo who lived here."
The spirit sighed, "I guess the only way is for me to teleport us in." she said, "The Master Sword if you please Link."
He unstrapped it from his back and held it out to her, allowing her to become her humanoid form. "Hold onto me." she commanded. When they did so, she concentrated hard on her destination and they all vanished.
~†~ The Price of Sins ~†~
The metallic scraping noise of Ganondorf sharpening his sword was enough to drive Nabooru mad from the annoying sound alone, let alone the fact that it could be used to kill the one she loved. How she hated just sitting here in this… er… pink crystal? What Ganondorf was playing at with that ridiculous idea was beyond her.
She really missed all her friends; Korra, Zelda, maybe Impa, Fi, Malon, Doctor Mizumi but most of all, Link. She had missed him for two whole weeks because of what the curse had done to keep them apart. It was reassuring to know it would soon be broken but what if the Gerudo refused Zelda's offer? What if Link died and Ganondorf won? Everything would fall to ruin and Aveil would tarnish the honour of the Gerudo with her cruel ways. Not only that but Ganondorf would surely kill her and everyone else she cared about once he had obtained the whole Triforce.
Nabooru did not fear as much for her life as she did of others and if Link did lose, everything that would happen afterwards would be all her fault because she was stupid enough to get captured and used to lure him to his death in the first place. No matter how she tried to convince him otherwise, he would still come for her if she was in danger, not caring about whatever happens to him.
She did not even deserve his affection but yearned for it all the same. His comfort was exactly what she needed now to heal her. But instead, she was on her own and having to calm the storm raging in her mind and heart. It was beginning to eat her away inside when she sensed something and remembered that she was the main reason why he would fight. Perhaps being Ganondorf's prisoner just sealed their victory! But then the banished shadows began creeping back again as the familiar aura of her hero came leaking in.
I don't care what happens to me; I only want you to be alright…
~†~ The Price of Sins ~†~
The princess, hero and spirit stood before an enormous and elaborately decorated door. For each of them, different memories came flooding back.
For Link, he remembered the last time he was here and how he had failed to protect Nabooru then as well as now. He would change that and continue to fight until she was completely safe from harm. The door symbolised determination.
For Fi, she had been unable to prevent the capture of her masters after exhausting all her magical energy to save them a week before. She only regained her strength just in time to snatch Nabooru away from the jaws of death. But what if she did die? What would happen then? Only she knew the real dangers that would result if that happened. But even if she did live, there would be no true happy ending. That door symbolised an inevitable grief.
For Zelda, the last time she had been here as herself was when she was a prisoner in her own castle. She had hoped that she would succeed in reclaiming her throne back then only to watch Ganondorf kill her beloved hero. This time, everything would be different. He would die and she could heal the scars he created across the nation. That door symbolised change.
She held her bow tightly and watched as Fi transformed into the Master Sword and reappear in her spirit form. Link picked up his weapon, strapped it to his back and drew it from its sheath, holding both the sword and shield at the ready.
"Are you ready?" asked Zelda slightly nervously. The other two nodded and they all took a step forward and walked through the great doors as they opened magically by themselves.
Failure is not an option…
~†~ The Price of Sins ~†~
Link sighed with relief when he saw that Nabooru was alright but slightly surprised to see that, of all the colours Ganondorf could have chosen to make her crystal prison, he chose pink. Zelda was right; he really is a show off!
"What do we have here?" sneered the Gerudo King, "A Sword Spirit with strong magic yet fails to serve her masters accordingly." Fi remained silent as the rage within boiled. She would not give him the satisfaction of knowing he had angered her, nor would she lose sight of her purpose.
"A princess who hid away as her kingdom fell to ruin." Zelda clenched her teeth but the guilt came creeping back. She had been hiding for seven years when her people needed her and it was her fault Ganondorf had gained the Triforce of Power as well.
"And a hero with a weakness for girls." Everyone just stared at the king awkwardly after he said that, making Ganondorf feel embarrassed.
The Triforce symbols on the back of the wielders' hands began glowing. "The sacred power of the goddesses is resonating." said Ganondorf, regaining his normal confidence, "Soon it will be mine and you will all die." Then he suddenly shot a lightning bolt at Zelda who was too slow to react and was knocked backwards.
"ZELDA!" screamed Fi as she zoomed over to her. She was unconscious but otherwise alright. Ganondorf laughed as a wall of dark energy formed between the spirit and her master.
"That should even up the odds." he mocked.
He was surprised to hear Fi begin to laugh hysterically. "D… Do you really think that a pathetic wall like this could hold me back?"
"Of course, only those with dark magic can pass through it." His jaw dropped when Fi floated to her master's side as if there were no obstacles in her way. "But… how? You cannot possibly…"
"Oh, but I do," said Fi while smiling mischievously, "I possess the dark energy of your ancestor; King Demise of the Demons. You'll have great difficulty defeating me with your magic. But I am the energy that banishes evil and now I have been fully awakened, we can harness the power of the heavens against you as well. I am your weakness Ganondorf; I was forged by the goddesses themselves." The spirit turned to face Link, "Take me, wield me and raise me skyward. Today we shall change the world!"
She then became a ball of light and returned to the Master Sword. "Thank-you Fi," said Link before giving Ganondorf a fiery stare, "It ends now. I cannot and will not let you hurt anyone else. I will forever defend this kingdom." He then raised the sword up to the sky and Fi concentrated on absorbing the light of the goddesses as fast as she could because Ganondorf had just drawn his blade and the final battle began.
The king charged forward and swung his sword downwards but Link was able to jump out of the way and behind him where he delivered a blow to his back with the light charged Master Sword. "So the hero lands the first hit. Two can play that sword game." As Ganondorf said this, his sword erupted with electricity and made another swing at Link who blocked it with his shield but struggled to hold him back. He side stepped around him, charged up another attack and hit him again. Ganondorf roared with rage, jumped backwards, charged up a ball of lighting and shot it straight at Link who was too late to react and was thrown backwards into a pillar.
Nabooru cried out in horror and began banging against the walls of the crystal she was trapped in, hoping to shatter them like glass. She was like a moth in a jar and eventually remembered the Golden Viper. It appeared in her hands and she hit the 'glass' with it, only to feel a surge of energy travel down it and cause her to cry out in agony. Feeling dizzy, she looked up to see the blur of a large crack she had just made but could barely move to make it any larger.
As her vision cleared, she was forced to watch as Link struggled to stand and resume the battle. The Master Sword had slipped from his grasp and lay on the other side of the room. He ran towards it to feel the ground shake when Ganondorf landed in front of him and swung his weapon over and over again. Link either dodged or blocked the blows with his shield as he tried to reach his sword.
Fi realised this and became her humanoid form to teleport to him when Ganondorf succeeded in creating a gash at Link's waist. He clutched his side and fell to his knees when the king clasped his hand around his neck, lifted him off the ground and threw him at the wall of dark energy.
Zelda had just woken up to see Link lying and bleeding just on the other side of the dark wall and Ganondorf approaching. She gasped and began frantically looking for where his sword was in the room just in time to see Fi disappear from sight before reappearing at her master's side and become her weapon form. The princess gave a huge sigh of relief when she saw him pick it up and stand to face the evil king once again.
She wished she could do something to help him when she saw the crack in Nabooru's crystal and her recovering from some kind of shock she had from causing it. This could work!
Without wasting a single moment, Zelda stood and ran around the shadowy barrier until she was at a direct shooting angle of the crystal and called for her friend's attention. "NABOORU! I KNOW HOW TO GET YOU OUT OF THERE!" she roared over all the noise from the battle, "I'LL SHOOT A LIGHT ARROW AT THE CRACK AND AT THE SAME TIME, SWING YOUR AXE SO THEY MEET! IT SHOULD BE ENOUGH TO BREAK IT AND THEN IT CAN'T HURT YOU!"
Nabooru nodded to show her understanding, stood up and held her weapon at the ready. Zelda loaded and arrow on her bow and muttered an incantation to make it glow with a golden light before taking aim at the crack. She nodded at the Gerudo and let the arrow fly just as Nabooru swung the Golden Viper. There was a blinding light, a sound of shattering glass and a great force which threw Zelda backwards.
The commotion had surprised Ganondorf too, allowing Link to land two more strong and light charged hits.
The princess's body ached all over but she lifted her head just enough to see Nabooru land nimbly on the red carpeted floor. She cautiously reached forward with her left hand to touch the enchanted boundary only to see it go straight through. It made sense though, given the fact that she was a descendent from demons. Taking a deep breath, she ran through the barrier to help Link fight Ganondorf.
Her axe became ten times its size and she swung it in Ganondorf's direction while he was locked in combat with her hero but he sensed it coming and jumped over it before sending a lightning ball at her which she span out of the way of like a spinning top and held her axe out as well to direct the spell back at him. She was surprised to see him hit it back at her and could not react in time from shock when Link jumped in front of her and slashed his sword at the energy ball so that it hit Ganondorf square in the chest, temporarily immobilising him so the Gerudo and Hylian could slash him as much as they could before he recovered.
The king's blood splattered Nabooru's tanned cheek and she hated what she was forced to do to protect her people but reminded herself that Ganondorf deserved it.
She looked over to Link and gasped when she saw the deep gash at his side staining his green tunic red but it did not seem to bother him and he completely ignored it, as if it were not even there.
He stopped attacking Ganondorf for a moment to ask, "Are you hurt? Is everything alright?"
"Why are you asking me this? You're the one who's wounded!" Nabooru snapped back.
"WATCH OUT!" Link then suddenly pinned her to the ground before she was sliced in half by Ganondorf's sword. Nabooru yelped from the burning sensation she was feeling from the curse and Link rolled off her just in time to block another swing with his sword but was being pinned to the ground by the thief. Nabooru jumped up, pointed her weapon at Ganondorf and made it grow ten times its normal size by mind command so it forced him into a pillar. Link ran over while charging up more skyward strikes to deal greater damage.
Ganondorf eventually was able to slam a hand on the Golden Viper and send a surge of lightning through the metal where it reached Nabooru. She dropped to the ground and was paralysed.
Link screamed her name just as the evil king fell to the ground and began gaining on her. The hero threw himself in front of Nabooru, locking blades with Ganondorf to stop him from killing her.
Nabooru could only watch as the two foes attempted force each other back. The tears she had been holding back for nearly two days finally escaped her scared golden eyes and reached the ground. Am I really worth all that pain Link? Do you really have to endanger yourself for my sake? Do you have any idea how much it hurts for me to see you suffer?
Zelda had almost recovered and was using the window sill next to her for support as she watched the scene before her. Nabooru was lying helpless on the floor while Link was trying to protect her. The princess could sense the Triforce was close to uniting completely and knew there was little time left for Link to defeat Ganondorf. She could not bear to see him die again. You can do this; you have to do this. The whole kingdom is depending on you Link…
Link pushed back against Ganondorf's blade as hard as he could and slowly began forcing him back. Eventually, he was able to push him off his sword and kick him onto his back. The hero then jumped into the air, spinning as he held the Master Sword skyward and a bolt of lightning from the heavens charged it up for the ending blow.
Fi concentrated as hard as she could for this final strike, wanting to make it their best and most powerful, knowing that Hyrule's very existence depended on it, not to mention all the friends she had made as well; Korra, Impa, Zelda, Link and Nabooru all counted on her magical ability to destroy evil and destroy evil she shall. The spirit was a servant, a servant to this monster's greatest enemies. How dare he defy the goddesses and tear apart their plans for peace!
Nabooru had never seen Link's eyes so fierce before; they were like that of a wolf and hungered for justice, but they also wanted her to be safe. She smiled, Do it Link, I will always believe in you…
His battle cry echoed around the room as he drove the light-imbued sword through the heart of the usurper king. Ganondorf's yell of both anger and agony shook the room and caused some parts of the ceiling to cave in. The wall of shadow was dispelled and Zelda ran as fast as she could over to Nabooru, dodging falling bricks along the way. Eventually she reached her and draped one of the Gerudo's arms over her shoulder before hoisting her up with her free hand at her waist and began the slow journey to escape the castle.
"N… No Zelda. Leave me… behind… You and Link… escape…" she said weakly.
"I'm afraid that is not an option Master Nabooru." said Fi as she hovered next to Link who had just come over to them.
He frowned at Nabooru before saying, "This is going to really hurt, but we have to get you out of here." And then he wrapped one arm around her shoulders and the other around her legs before lifting her up. She winced a little but that was only from her injuries and could feel no stinging sensation from his touch. But why? All the same, she had missed his touch and felt safe in his arms.
"COME ON, WE HAVE TO RUN BEFORE WE GET BURIED HERE!" yelled Zelda who was already at the door.
Link broke into a run as he carried Nabooru along the hallway while trying to avoid falling and fallen stone to escape the crumbling castle. She clenched his clothes so tightly that her knuckles were almost white as he attempted to take her to safety. She could also feel his warm blood staining her bellowing pants as red as her hair. Nabooru prayed that he would not exhaust all his strength to save her and end up dying because of it. How could she ever forgive herself if that happened?
Link, if you risk your life for me, then you owe it to me to stay alive!
Just then, the falling of the stone stopped to be replaced by a loud and beastly roar and the scraping of sharp claws causing them to all stop in their tracks. Link, Zelda and Fi all span around to see a humungous hog at the other end of the hallway.
"It's Gannon; Ganondorf's beast form!" exclaimed Fi.
Nabooru looked at Link's facial expression and instantly began to protest, "No! You can't seriously be thinking of fighting him again now! You're hurt way too badly to do anything!"
"I don't care. If this is what the goddesses want me to do, then I will defeat him."
"Don't you dare do this to me you hear! I don't want you to get yourself killed because of me!"
Link closed his eyes and smiled, "Remember the night after the last time we escaped the castle? You said you would always believe in me. Why not now?"
Nabooru bit her lip and looked away. Finally she said, "You better keep your promise to me."
"I never break a promise Nabooru, especially if it's one I made to you." Link replied as he gently placed her on the floor and stepped in front of her. "Look after her for me would you?" he asked Zelda as she made her way over to Nabooru's side.
"I will," she assured him, "You and Fi go and make our nation proud. Just don't let it end like the last hero. You owe me that much given that you died for me in your previous life."
Link smirked and drew the Master Sword again. "Fi, you don't mind helping me out a little longer do you?"
Fi smiled, "I will be my pleasure Master Link." she said before returning to her weapon.
The beast Gannon roared again and charged forward. Link did the same and Nabooru watched with Zelda as the next battle began.
Courage does not mean to face dangers without fear; its defined as to face danger despite fear…
~†~ The Price of Sins ~†~
WHAAAAAAA! I'M SO SORRYYYYYYYYYY! THIS CHAPTER IS MESSED UP! 1. I broke the laws of my own logic (but later on in chapter 29 it actually becomes a necessary characteristic for breaking the curse and the logic makes sense) 2. There wasn't enough of Zelda! 3. This was unrealistic in some parts and 4. I SUCK AT ACTION SO BAAAAAAADDD!
Next Chapter: Final two stages of the final battle, bit of Labinku, Fi does some awesome stuff and DA BIGGEST SECRET IN DA WHOLE STORY IS REVEALED!
Questions still to be answered: GAH! I CAN'T BE BOTHERED TO TYPE THEM ALL OUT ALRIGHT! Dfrcftfrfr stupid stupid stupid action!
Zelda: O.O… I don't think I've ever seen Scarlet criticise her own writing like that before…
SC: gtygttvfggfghgh *still banging head on keyboard*
Zelda: Wait! Maybe this is actually a good thing! If she keeps on banging her head on the keyboard like this, then she'll probably end up breaking it and will then have no more power over us! YAY! FREEDOM!
SC: *perks up* What?! No! Not my magic keyboard! *strokes keyboard affectionately* I'm sorry for banging my head on you. Please work okay.
Zelda: Darn it! I blew our chance!
SC: At least it's only one chapter of terrible action left… Just like how there's one incomplete chapter of TPoS left.
TPoS Progress Update: YES! FINALLY! CHAPTER 29 IS COMPLETED AND CHAPTER 30 HAS BEEN STARTED! *bursts into tears* It's almost over for me! Soon I'll have to start writing another fanfic and I have ideas for three other multi-chapter fanfics (One of which is a co-write) but I think I'll start writing 'The Love of Sins' as a prequel as I do not yet have a proper plot in mind for a sequel. If you want to know more, check my profile for details. One more thing, there is too much to resolve in this story so I will be writing a sequel sometime next year.
Random question: What do you think of the little bits of Nabooru's first-person brain-washing story that I've been putting in at the beginning of the chapter? I've actually almost forgotten that they're even there and seem to write them out of habit. Just wondering.
R&R to cheer me up and update again :'( Don't forget the rewards for the 99th and 100th reveiwers :D