Author's Note (Important): Change of plan. I'm too lazy, tired, and irritated to go back and see what the plan was, but I'm pretty sure I was supposed to upload two chapters at once. Well, the first chapter was too short, due to it basically being half of what was supposed to be last chapter, and I didn't want to give you guys a short chapter, so yeah. The reason I split the last chapter in half was because I didn't want the events of this chapter to take away from Lana's death.

Anyway, I'd like to thank Otaku72 and BlizzardNova for following the story, and nico2887 for adding it to their Favorites List.

And now the Reviews...

ultimateCCC: Ganon's not gonna be doing much "kicking" in this chapter, lol.

Ultimate blazer: Thanks.


Final Arc


Chapter 29: The Final Battle; Part 2


Ganondorf charged, swinging his bony tusks. Zelda, Link, Impa, and Midna were barely able to dodge the attack due to its sheer speed.

The beast stopped just as his attack met air, and bent all four legs, and propelled himself back at his opponents. Zelda turned, and fired a Light Arrow into its jewel-esque forehead. Ganondorf let out a roar before he lost his footing, and crashed onto his side.

Link seized the opportunity, and plunged the Master Sword into his forehead. Ganondorf rose immediately, launching the boy into the air. Blood oozed from the fresh wound on Ganondorf's forehead as he swung a paw at the boy as he fell, sending him to the ground in a meteoric fashion.

Link screamed at the top of his lungs as he grabbed at his right shoulder upon landing.

"Link!" Zelda called, worried.

Wasting no time, Ganondorf charged at the distracted Princess, and sent her flying as he rammed right into her. Impa and Midna launched attacks on both sides of the beast respectively, but were knocked away when they were simultaneously hit by a spinning attack.

Zelda rose to a sitting position, clutching her side as she searched for Link. A flash of bright orange in her peripheral drew her attention. Her eyes widened as a ball of fire was was thrown at her. She rolled out of the way, though she was launched by the sheer impact of the resulting explosion on the ground. On her feet, she felt the very earth itself quake beneath her, signaling another coming attack. Ganondorf watched, mid-charge, as Zelda load another Light Arrow. He leapt into the air, startling the Princess, looking to crush her with downward swings of both fists. he dodged to the side, eventually losing balance, and falling onto her bottom. Just as Ganondorf set his sights on her once again, what looked like an assembly of wood, similar in appearance to a bridge, whacked the beast on the top of his head.

Zelda watched on, dumbfounded for a moment as the the attacks continued. Ganondorf spun, hoping to land a lucky hit on the unknown attacker, to no avail.

Zelda rose to her feet, and sped away, putting some distance between she and Ganondorf as her eyes searched for Link. The boy hadn't moved an inch from his original position on the ground, allowing the Princess to locate him in seconds. She lowered to her knees beside him.

"Are you okay?" she asked him.

"No... I can't feel my arm..."

Zelda reached for Link's right arm, "Does this hurt?" she asked as her finger ran across the skin on his upper arm.

"No..."

"How about this?" she asked as she applied pressure to the shoulder.

Link stifled his voice, the pain aggravating him, "Yes."

"Can you move it?"

"No, damn it! It hurts!"

She pulled him upward, "I think your shoulder's broken."

"Can you fix it?"

"No. I think you should join your sister-"

"No! Didn't you say you guys needed me?!"

"...We'll make due."

"I said no! I'd rather fight than sit and watch!"

"...Fine, then. I'll need you and the others to distract Ganondorf. Once I see an opening, I'll hit him with a Light Arrow. After that, I'll need you to move in, and strike."

Link held in a groan. The pain seemed to intensify with each movement of each muscle.

"Do you need any help?"

"No... I'm fine..."

Zelda moved to assist him regardless. She could feel her face heat softly as she placed his left arm over her shoulders, and her arm around his body, before they rose together.

"You'll have to proceed from here on your own." she told him.

Link frowned, "Fine..."

Ganondorf swung hard, completely obliterating the wooden weapon being used against him.

"Well there that idea..." Midna muttered sarcastically.

"Do you have anything more conventional?" asked Impa.

"Nothing that'll kill 'em."

The Sheikah glanced at their beastly opponent, "Great..."

Elsewhere, Linkle had situated herself inches away from the reddened grass around Lana's body. She sighed. This girl, in Linkle's mind, was the sole reason she wasn't still a slave, not to mention her role in lessening her depression since. And now she was dead.

"Linkle!"

The girl rose her head, her nervous gaze meeting a hurried one. She kept silent as Zelda lowered next to her, four Light Arrows in hand.

Zelda stared into the questioning eyes of the girl, unsure of how she wanted to begin, "...Listen closely..."

Linkle blinked.

"I need you to take these Light Arrows, and load them onto your Crossbow." Zelda followed her sentence with pointed finger towards Ganondorf.

Linkle felt her innards plummet.

"I need you to watch the battle closely. Once you see an opening, fire. Your target is the forehead."

Linkle nearly choked on a nervous lump in her throat, "Wh-... But-"

"Your brother and Impa are both injured. You can't help them, because you're injured as well. This our only chance at winning the battle."

Intense fear left the girl breathless. The very thought of stepping an inch closer to that-...monster... She just couldn't handle it...

At that moment, Linkle felt two hands land on her shoulders.

"Lana said it herself, didn't she? That you'd end up a better shot than me? She believed in you. I believe in you."

Linkle swallowed, "...Okay...I'll do it!"

"Alright. You have four arrows to use. They should be more than enough for us to do enough damage to defeat him."

Zelda handed the arrows over. All four were much smaller than usual. The Princess stood.

"I'll go and rejoin the battle. Our lives are in your hands."

The Princess sped away, leaving Linkle to herself.

"HEY UGLY!" Link shouted at Ganondorf.

Everything seemed to freeze as the Gerudo turned to face the boy.

"Is he crazy?!" Midna whispered to Impa as the beast turned his attention away from them.

"Calm yourself." Impa whispered back, "Perhaps he has a plan."

Link stood as tall as his body allowed him to. His breaths were deep, yet jagged as he squeezed the hilt of his sword.

Just then, the beast leapt high into the air, avoiding a Light Arrow. Upon landing he set his sights of Zelda, who fired the projectile.

The Bow of Light vanished, with Zelda's Rapier taking its place. Now that he knew where the Princess was, the Gerudo wouldn't expect a Light Arrow to hit him from any other direction aside from where she was.

Just then, Impa scaled the beast from the behind before speeding her way up the back. At the head, she performed a short hop in which she flipped forward, looking to strike the apparent weak spot on the forehead.

Ganondorf swung a paw, knocking the Giant's Knife out of the clutches of the Sheikah.

Just then, a ray of light struck Impa's intended target, sending Ganondorf roaring in pain.

Zelda knew the attack was from Linkle, who found an opening faster than even she anticipated. Maybe she a better shot than the Princess after all.

"Link!" Impa called, "Now!"

Link ignored the pain in his body, and rushed forth. Just as he neared Ganondorf, however, he tripped. Mid-fall, he managed to slash the weak spot, though the attack didn't do as much damage as he intended.

Angered, Ganondorf moved to swipe at the injured boy, but was cut off by a metallic fist that caught him under the chin.

Midna moved to join her companions, "Thank goodness," she told Zelda, "I didn't know how much longer we could hold 'em off."

"Take heed." The Princess responded, "The battle isn't over yet."

Ganondorf took a retreating leap away. He extended an arm, prompting a ball of flames to appear above his palm.

Link felt a metallic hand grab him roughly, and move him put of the path of the projectile. Impa, realizing this meant that the twilight princess wouldn't be alble to move out of the way in time, moved to stand in front of her companion. She erected a barrier just in front of the two of them.

Without warning, the fireball was launched. Zelda, who had already moved out of the way, glanced at Linkle, expecting the girl to fire a Light Arrow at this exact moment, as that was what the Princess, herself, would do. Knowing Link wouldn't be able to react to an order to attack very fast, due to his injuries, she wanted to catch the exact moment the Light Arrow was fired, so she could act ahead of time. This momentary distraction, however, caused her to miss Ganondorf's next move as the large fireball collided with Impa's barrier, resulting in a massive smokescreen.

The smoke vanished after a few moments, though Ganondorf was nowhere to be seen.

"Where did he go?!" Midna asked.

Impa searched her surroundings, frantic. She glanced upward a second too late to dodge.

*CRASH!*

Zelda turned her attention to the battle just in time to see the large frame of Ganondorf land right on top of Impa and Midna. She gasped at what she saw. After a few moments, the beast rose to stand on all four legs.

"Three insects down," he growled, "three more to go."

Link stared, eyes wide and mouth agape, stunned at how Impa and Midna, who stood next to him just moments ago were now...gone. He saw Impa dive at Midna, presumably to move her out of the way, but it seems there are things not even she can react fast enough for.

"Link!" Zelda called, "Get a hold of yourself! The battle isn't over yet!"

Ganondorf lunged at Zelda, bringing a swipe of the paw with him. The Princess dodged easily, and rolled to a knee as she loaded a Light Arrow. The beast swing his other paw, this one connecting. Before he even saw the Princess land, though, a faint light shone in his peripheral. His reflexes taking over, he jumped high, watching as a Light Arrow pass under him. Upon landing, he turned his body into the direction he saw the arrow travel from, and faced the wide-eyed girl that shot it.

"LINKLE!" Link shouted, "RUN! GO!"

The familiar voice snapped the girl in question out of her trance. In the midst on an internal panic, she fired another shot.

Ganondorf launched himself into the air towards the girl, earning a horrified scream as a response.

Linkle fell onto her bottom as the beast landed just in front of her. She rose a trembling arm to aim at the him again, fearful tears clouding her vision.

Zelda darted in their direction, arming herself with her Bow of Light, while Link tripped and fell forward, reaching for his sister as if she were inches away.

Ganondorf pulled an arm back. Swinging forward, he fired a wave of what appeared to be a wave of red electricity that hit his target at point-blank range.

Both Link and Zelda froze as a dust cloud erupted.

It cleared... Revealing nothing but Linkle's bloodied body as it lay there...completely still.

Link had risen to his knees just in time to see this transpire, his arm still outstretched toward Linkle's body. He let out a wordless scream of raw fury. He sounded as if he were a beast instead of Ganondorf. His left fist pounded the ground as tears surfaced, and fell immediately.

Zelda's eyes remained focused on Linkle, and then back at the small crater, in which Impa and Midna were hidden from view. She glanced at Link, who had one eye and one good arm, and then at Ganondorf.

How was she going to do this...?

Meanwhile, Ganondorf turned his body to face his remaining opposition. He could end those two right here, right now... But the screaming and sobbing of one of his enemies held his attention like a mother would her newborn baby.

"It was just like this..." the demonic voice spoke, "that I watched my loved ones perish. One by one...I watched them all fall. Whether it was from starvation...dehydration...or fatigue...they all had one thing in common... They were all denied help by the royalty of Hyrule."

Zelda frowned as Ganondorf began the familiar tale.

"No matter how much we suffered, you people always turned a blind eye. You only allied yourselves with other races when it benefited you. The Zoras gave you water, the Gorons gave you rare materials from the mountains...and the Sheikah gave your family protection... Or at least they're supposed to. But us? There was nothing in the desert you wanted. Unless our women were pleasuring you, you wanted nothing to do with us. You people are nothing but selfish fools, and you're all paying for it-"

"SHUT UP!" Link interjected, "JUST SHUT UP!" Tears still in his eyes, he stood to stand on his knees, and gave a glare that set the area ablaze, "What did my sister ever do to you huh?! She never hurt anyone her entire life! She had nothing to do with any of this, but you still killed her! WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT'S RIGHT?!"

Ganondorf stared, unresponsive. The Hero...no...this Hero...he saw more of himself in this one than in any of his past incarnations. He absolutely hated every Hero who had come before him, but this one...this one knew pain...he knew pain the very same way he did. And that was why...

...He couldn't let this one live... If there was one thing the Gerudo would do today, was give this boy an honorable death.

He began a full-speed charge at Link. Suddenly, Zelda appeared in his path, Light Arrow at the ready. He leapt into the air to dodge the attack. The Princess rolled to the side before firing another arrow, this one hitting him in the side of his head. As he turned to face her, the bony protrusions in his shoulders changed color, and appeared to open. Sensing an attack was coming, the Princess dashed to the side, only for her path to be cut off by a red wave of electricity, fired by Ganondorf. Zelda leaped away to dodge the attack, and that was when the bony protrusions began to fire a barrage of seed-like projectiles. Zelda could do nothing but cover herself mid-flight. Suddenly, one of seeds tore its way through her left thigh.

Zelda stifled her voice behind gritted teeth as she fell forward. The attacks ceased as she reached for the pain, only to feel blood.

Link, having gotten close to Ganondorf by circling the altercation, made a desperate attempt at slashing the beast's forehead, and was sent flying by a fist for his troubles.

Zelda tried to stand as the boy landed next to her. The pain was too intense, though, and pulled her back down to Link's level. She glanced ahead, watching as Ganondorf began a slow approach. Her head finally lowered as Link climbed to his feet. She let out a sigh, her shoulders slumped.

"Damn you..." Link muttered at Ganondorf, "You're gonna pay for-"

"Link."

"What?!" he snapped.

"...Stop..."

The boy blinked, confused, "What do you mean stop?! We-"

"Link, just-...please...stop... It's over..."

"No it's not! We can-"

"You can only see out of one eye, and your arm has been rendered useless. I can't give my arrows to anyone else to use, and I can't walk. He'll always know where my attacks will come from while he's already battling a gravely wounded opponent. There's no way we can win... It's over..."

Link grimaced, ready to shoot a retort, when Zelda suddenly reached upward, and grabbed his hand. The gentle gesture had an effect opposite the one intended.

"I'd rather die fighting then-"

"Link!" Zelda repeated, giving his hand a slight squeeze, "...Please..."

Link threw the Master sword onto the ground, and lowered to his knees.

Ganondorf paused, "You two have decided to die together, have you? How touching."

From her peripheral, Zelda could see the large frame of Ganondorf begin to levitate, perhaps preparing for his final attack. Her focus, though, was on Link.

"I'm sorry..." she told him suddenly, "This wouldn't be happening if I were stronger...and a better leader. Everything that's happened to you...it's because of me..."

Link's only response was the softening of his face, along with a glance at Zelda.

"It's ironic," Zelda continued, "After saving Hyrule, I-... I wanted to make you happy. But after meeting me, nothing's happened but misfortune. I'm sorr-"

"Stop saying that." Link told her, "Everything that's happened was something you couldn't help. What if-"

He paused... He was beginning to sound just like his sister...

"Regardless," Zelda continued, "I know I shouldn't feel this way, but-...even after all that's happened...I feel at peace..."

"Why?"

"It's because I didn't resign to living my life as a slave. No matter what the outcome was, I at least attempted to change my fate. It's becauseI feel like I was the one in control, and not someone else. For the first time in my life...I didn't feel helpless."

Link sighed. He never thought about it like that. Still, not being able to stop Ganondorf from taking his life was extremely frustrating to say the very least.

"Is it wrong?" asked Zelda, "That I feel this way, despite most of my comrades having to die for it to happen?"

Link thought for a moment, "I'm sure they'd have rather died than live whatever lives they were living that made them have to fight."

Zelda could see flames manifest near Ganondorf's mouth... The end was near...

...If she was going to tell him...now was the time...

"...Link...?"

"Yeah?"

"There's...something I've wanted to tell you...for a very long time now..."

Link turned to her, "What is it?"

The second eye contact was made the Princess felt heat rush through her entire body. Her eyes plummeted, "Well-...I wanted you to know...you've been an inspiration for me for many years. Whenever I thought of you, it gave me feelings I've never felt before. But after some time, I've come know what this means... It means...I've fallen in love with you."

Link stared, unresponsive, as if he expected Zelda to say more, and then he turned away. He'd already known how the Princess felt towards him, but the death of his sister, along with his struggle to accept that he was going to die as well, nullified whatever effect Zelda's confession would have had on him.

Zelda mistook this gesture for a lack of reciprocation. Her head lowered as she let out a sigh.

Still...at least she was able to tell him how she felt...

As Ganondorf let out a stream of fire, she smiled.

All the places she's been to...all the wonderful people she had met... None of that would have ever happened had she not taken a chance on herself. And even if this was the end result due the choices she's made... If she had the chance to do it all again...she'd take it in a heartbeat.

Her life was fulfilled; she no longer had any regrets...

...

Just then, a ray of light sped through the air. It split the wave of flames in two before piercing the forehead of Ganondorf.

Link watched on, stunned, as the large body fell to the ground.

"Brother...!"

With hitched breath, the boy followed the familiar voice.

Linkle stood on wobbly legs, her attire mostly stained in red.

"NOW!" she strained to say.

Link acted fast. He snatched the Master Sword from the ground as adrenaline goaded him on, racing forward, and squeezing the hilt harder than he intended. He thrust forward into the jewel-like weak spot on Ganondorf's forehead as hard as his body allowed him to.

The beast let out a earth-splitting roar as he immediately rise on his hind legs, bringing the Master Sword along with it.

Zelda watched on, her eyes wide as she experienced an event that made her feel as if she were in an alternate reality.

Link fell to both his knees as Ganondorf stumbled further away, before ultimately falling forward, his body going completely limp. The entirely of his body darkened to a pitch black color, before vanishing into a large cloud of darkened smoke.

It was done... Ganondorf had finally been defeated...

Link glanced toward the skies as its restoration into a vast blue with peppered white began.

Ganondorf was gone... The ruler of Hyrule's current system was gone...but what did it all mean...?

Link chuckled to himself. It was a question that required very little thought to answer.

Wait...

Link spun as he rose to his feet with a grunt.

His sister lied in the grass, face-down as a wind began to comb through the grassy field.

"Linkle!" he shouted.

The boy bolted past Zelda, his pace slowing to a limp as his adrenaline from before began to fade. He tripped and landed on his front just inches away from his sister. He dragged himself closer before rising to sit on his calves.

Slowly...hesitantly...he rolled her onto her back. The heavy presence of blood made him cringe as he craddled her body carefully.

"Linkle..." he began, "Open your eyes..."

The girl obliged, but with a faraway look in her eyes.

"Brother...? Is that you...?"

Link lost control of his breathing.

"Did you do it...?" Linkle asked, "Is it over...?"

"...Yeah... We did it..."

The girl smiled, "Thank...goodness..."

"But what about you? Are you gonna be okay?"

"...I don't know..."

Linkle felt herself pulled into a gentle embrace. She smiled again as her eyelids began to lower.

"Linkle?"

No reponse...

"Linkle!"

No response...

Suddenly, a foreign figure approached from the front.

"It's okay." Sheik told him, "She's merely unconscious. We'll have to treat her immediately, though."

Link pulled his sister closer as he eyed the Sheikah.

"You don't have to worry," Sheik continued as she lowered in front of them, "My home village has medical facilities that have treated far worse than this."

Link's eyes lowered to his sister for a contemplative moment. With a hesitant grunt, he handed his sister over.

"I see you're injured as well. Check on the others while I'm gone. Once this one is safe, I'll come back for you-"

"Where were you?" Link suddenly asked.

Sheik silently returned Link's suspicious glare with one that yielded no answers by itself.

"I was under orders to not interfere, and to act immediately, depending on the result of the battle."

"What were you gonna do if we lost?"

...

Sheik turned, and took several steps away before the bright flash of a Deku Nut signaled her departure.

Link frowned with a "Tsk." With a sigh, she decided to drop the matter...for now, anyway... After all, mulling wasn't going to do anything for him. At the moment, all there was for him to do was what Sheik suggested: check on the others.

Wait..."others"?

Link turned to look behind him. The first person he saw was Zelda, who sat on her calves, staring into the direction of the castle.

She kept silent, ignoring even Link's approach.

"Hey." Link called to her. After not receiving an answer, he circled around to her front.

"I'm free..." Zelda whispered in disbelief, "I'm finally free..."

"C'mon," Link urged, "We have to-"

The Princess nearly lunged at him, wrapping him in an embrace that pulled him down to her level.

"Thank you!" a muffled voice told him, "Thank you!"

Link glanced down at the feeling of increasing moisture on his shoulder. He was bearing witness to something he never thought he'd see.

*sob!*

Zelda cried openly into Link's shoulder, pausing periodically only to repeat the words "Thank you." As she did so, she could feel each worry individually fade away, like weight off her back. It was as if everything that had piled on her over the years, from watching her mother take her own life, to being forced to slay scores of her own people, to being called a monster, to Lana's death...all of it seemed to infuse with her tears, and leave her body.

Link remembered this exact scenario. The day his mother died, he remembered crying the same way Zelda was now. And when he did, his sister was there for him. But Zelda...she had no one...

That was why he wasn't at all surprised to find his arm around her, pulling her close just as his sister had done him that fateful day.

After several minutes, Zelda's voice finally went silent, though she she continued to cling to her Hero.

"Hell-oooo...?"

Zelda paused.

"Did you hear something?" asked Link.

The Princess pulled away, "Yes... It came from..."

Both the Hero and the Princess turned to look at the small crater in the ground.

Link brought himself closer for inspection. Inside the crater was Midna, who lay on her back as her gaze locked onto the boy. She was trapped inside of some kind of barrier.

"Care to help me out?" she called to him.

Link blinked, caught off guard by the revelation that at least one of his cohorts weren't dead, "How did you survive that attack?" he asked as he drew closer.

"Impa put me in this barrier before that hog fell on us. It's still here, so I doubt she's dead. That's not mentioning her death grip on my ankle, though."

Both Link and Midna glanced over at the Sheikah in question, who was lying in a puddle of blood, unresponsive. Her arm lay outstretched, where it extended into the barrier, where her fingers were wrapped around the darkened ankle of Midna.

"Well, what do I do?" Link asked.

"I dunno. I didn't think this far ahead."

"I'll take it from here."

"BWAH!" Link jumped, startled by Sheik's sudden appearance, "I wish you guys would stop doing that!"

Ignoring the boy, Sheik approached Impa's body. The Sheikah chieftain's head faced away from Link, leaving him unable to see the dull stare shown by her half-closed eyes that stared into nothingness.

"She's still alive." Sheik announced.

Midna knocked on the barrier, "Uh, yeah, I think we've established that already. Can you get me out of here?"

Sheik pried Impa's hand away from Midna, dispelling the barrier as she carefully propped her superior against herself.

Midna sat upward immediately as she felt at her ankle. She growled at the presence of hand marks. She looked at Impa.

"You're gonna pay for this once you're better, you hear?!"

Sheik approached Link, "Link, was it?"

"Yeah."

"...Thank you. Had it not been for you, I would have lost someone very dear to me. I am in your debt."

"It's my sister you should be thanking. Not me."

"...'Sister'?"

"The girl you took away. That was my sister."

"I see. I'll be sure to thank her once she heals."

Sheik turned and walk away, towards Zelda, carrying Impa on her back.

"Hey." Midna called, stopping Link as he went to follow her, "Carry me?"

"Can't you float?" the boy asked.

Midna sighed, "It was worth a shot."

"I'm glad to see you safe, Princess." Sheik began as she approached Zelda.

Zelda followed the foreign voice, "...Thank you. But-...who are you?"

"I am Sheik, a member of the Sheikah tribe."

Sheik glanced back had Link and Midna, who had just joined them, "I'm going to take you all to my home village, where we will treat your injuries." She turned to Zelda, "If that's okay with you."

"Yeah it's okay!" Link cut in.

"Your home village?" Zelda repeated.

"Yes. Kakariko Village."

Zelda glanced over at Impa, whose body lay limp as it lean on Sheik's back.

"Is that where Impa's from?"

"...Yes."

Zelda's face hardened into an urgent expression, "Yes, I would like to go there."

And then, with the familiar flash of a Deku Nut, the group departed, leaving behind the battlefield that yielded both tragedies, and miracles.

To be Continued!


The deed was done; the head was finally chopped away.

...But there was still much that needed to be done...

Final Chapter: Aftermath