Okay, this is it. This is the final chapter before the epilogue. Everything has come down to this moment. Holy shit. There's going to be a lot of jumping around in this chapter, as in a lot of POV changes. I hope you guys can follow it! Thanks for being patient with me, there was a lot going in to this chapter and I wanted to get it just right for you all.

Thanks so, so, so much to Guest 1, Guest 2, IJustWannaSeeTheStars, Guest 3, Guest 4, MusicFreak2k14, Wildgirl404, KCNederland, Lilac Gemini, Total Romance Fan, KaijuKnight, Guest 5, Clairae, Zeltra, RupeeGal15, Guest 6, Guest 7, Guest 8, Shadowpelt2, RandomButLoved, Pipin-Flik, Darkblaze40, Kelly, Laila, ThePredicate, LauParisi, Guest 9, Yukabacera, Guest 10, Pandora151, Skydragon74193, Pixelsaber, ShadowNinja1011, Zelda maniac 23, and The Mysterious Dude for reviewing. Seriously, thank you all. I would have never finished without you.

No more dilly-dallying. Let's do this.

~Leila

[WE LAST LEFT OUR HEROES FIGHTING THE WAR IN HYRULE FIELD AND IN THE TRIFORCE REALM. LINK HAS JUST BEEN STABBED.]


O, Death
Won't you spare me over til another year.
Well what is this that I can't see?
With ice cold hands takin' hold of me.
Well I am death, none can excel
I'll open the door to heaven or hell.
Whoa, death someone would pray
Could you wait to call me another day?
The children prayed, the preacher preached
Time and mercy is out of your reach.

/ O Death by Moran Lee Boggs /


Ashes, ashes, we all fall down.


(Hyrule Field)
(Ashei)

"Watch out!"

Ashei heard the warning just in time, barely jumping out of the way as a blast of dark energy sailed past.

Breathing heavily, she turned to see the mysterious female sorceress pass just a foot away from her, gliding through the sea of bodies like the Queen of Death. Not even sparing Ashei a glance, it was clear she wasn't interested in any of the ordinary soldiers; she seemed to only have one target in mind: the King.

Ashei was pretty sure Matthew knew she was coming for him, and she was also confident that he could handle himself against her. The only thing that could stop him was if the ugly ass dragon were to step on all of them.

The ground trembled every time it took a step, and her ears still rang from its mighty roars.

'Manslayer,' the older men were calling it. Apparently no man could do anything to kill it.

Sizing it up, Ashei didn't think it looked all that unbeatable. Sure, its teeth were huge and massive black scales covered every inch of its body, but its toes were what caught her attention.

They looked like giant white sausages, and they were all that was keeping the beast balanced.

Surely someone else had noticed this as well, but everyone who approached the dragon was either eaten or crushed.

Ashei slashed at an oncoming herd of the strange pig monsters, leaving them dead in a pile at her feet.

She wanted to do something. She wanted to help. But what we she do differently than the dozens before her had done? Walking within a hundred foot radius of the thing was suicide. How could she possibly help?

Though, she wasn't sure anyone could help.

Hyrule's situation was beginning to become hopeless. There were hundreds of opposing soldier, thousands of hideous monsters, two twisted magic users, and a dragon. It was only a matter of time before their bodies were all strewn out on the field like the daisies that used to grow there.

But you can't die, remember? You have Shad to think about. What would he do without you?

Her heart sank at the thought of her fiancee. She already felt guilty enough for running away to take his place on the battlefield. She couldn't bear to think of what would happen to him if she were to die.

As she stabbed a man in the heart, she could feel her engagement ring on her finger.

Gods, how she missed him.

She missed his stupid nerdy jokes, she missed his quirky little half smile, she missed how excited he would get to tell her old history stories.

Ashei still remembered the last story he'd told. They were cuddled up in front of the fire, and she had only been half listening as he prattled on excitedly over a mythical beast.

"Homicidia," he'd said. "They called it 'The Imprisoned' back in the day. It was the deity Demise's imprisoned form back in the era of the Hero of the Sky. No man could ever kill it. Hundreds tried, and even the Hero himself was only able to subdue it."

"But if no one could kill it, how'd Demise get that way? Like, if he was such a powerful deity, how did he end up as an imprisoned dragon?" she had asked.

"Ah, see there is only one known person who has ever gotten close to killing the beast. Known as Sheik, this enigma was able to rip away Demise's soul and lock it away. Over time his soul manifested to become The Imprisoned."

"So man can kill it?"

"Well, see, Sheik wasn't a man. Sheik was the goddess Hylia, disguised as a mortal."

"Hm. Figures. Never send a man to do a woman's job."

Never send a man to do a woman's job.

She used to say that to him all the time. When he couldn't open up peanut butter jars. When he tried to chop firewood and ended up with five splinters and three stitches.

What would he say to her if he saw her now, "a woman doing a man's job," getting her hands messy on the battlefield?

Was it a man's job, though? She didn't think spilling red was gender exclusive, but apparently the "goddesses said so." She was absolutely certain that some high priest made the law up hundreds of years ago.

Why would the goddesses, female themselves, forbid women from the battlefield?

The Dark King's forces sure weren't discriminatory. As she looked about, she saw a woman rip a soldier's throat out, teeth bared as blood sprayed her face. The soldier's face was a frozen mask of shock as he crumpled to the ground.

Of course he was shocked. He had his throat torn out by a woman, and women were "weak."

Ashei had witnessed multiple cases of Hylian soldiers hesitating to fight women, and every single time, they were killed without second thought.

They were anticipating an all male army, and they knew that decades of unintentional sexism would work in their favor.

The dragon roared again, and Ashei found her attention back on the monstrous problem at hand. It continued to tromp forward, crushing everything in its path. She cringed at the screams of soldiers who met their fate beneath the feet of the creature.

If no man can kill this, then we're really damn screwed.

She found it odd that 'man' was always used. Not no person could kill it, but no man.

Suddenly, it dawned on her.

Thinking back to her Ancient Hylian classes in college, she thought she could remember that -hom was the root for 'man', and -cid was always associated with 'kill.'

So that roughly translated 'homicidia' to 'man-kill.'

Man-kill.

Manslayer.

This was the very same creature Shad had told her about. The Imprisoned was before her, tearing up the battlefield.

And when they said no man could kill it, they really meant no man.

"Gods," she whispered, eyes growing wide.

She needed to find Tetris, Tetra, whatever.

They were the only ones who could stop the monstrosity from tearing the whole land apart.

Never send a man to do a woman's job.


(Hyrule Field)
(King Matthew)

He stabbed a bokoblin- no Link couldn't die, he tried to yell out- yanked his blade back and elbowed the armored opponent behind him- no, no, this wasn't supposed to happen this couldn't happen- and grunted as he was kicked in the stomach.

Matthew felt like his head was about to explode. Both of his halves were completely overwhelmed, and he was starting to get confused. Hyrule Field was blending with the Triforce Realm, his thoughts were becoming a jumbled mess, and he was starting to lose control of both bodies.

It was a scary feeling, having no control. It only happened briefly, but it was enough to scare him shitless.

What if he got lost in translation, like the Hero of the Four Sword Impa told about all those weeks ago?

Not to mention, a war was raging all around him. Hundreds of his people were dying. There was a sorceress making her way towards him, thinking he didn't see her, and, the cherry on top, there was a piece of shit dragon stomping its paws everywhere.

He didn't know if dragons even had paws, and at this point he didn't really care.

Everything that could have possible gone wrong did go wrong.

The ranks broke, so it was just a massive sea of murder. Nothing they did seemed to even stall the dragon. Link, who Matthew was hoping would be their Queen on this chessboard, was stabbed on one end and occupied with a sorcerer on the other.

They were losing, and losing badly.

All he wanted to do was scream and kill everybody, was that too much to ask for?

Stabbing out, he impaled two bokoblins on the end of his blade, which made him feel slightly better. But if he looked out of the corner of his eye, he could see the dragon and the approaching mage, and he felt like shit all over again.

He didn't want to die. He felt obligated to stay alive, for his mom and for his dad and for his sister Syrella. They all died for this. Zelda was kidnapped for this. He couldn't die. It was out of the question.

"My, my, you sure are a determined one."

Whirling around, he saw the female mage. His heart dropped in his chest a little.

Wasn't she farther away?

She began circling him, smirking at him as she did so. He noticed how long her skirt was and was surprised she hadn't tripped over it. He also noticed how low-cut her top was and the way her breasts practically spilled over the top.

Swallowing hard, he regained his grip on his sword.

"Eager to fight, I see," she said with a chuckle. "Why, you don't even know my name! A little rude, don't you think?"

"Quite frankly, ma'am, I don't care," Matthew said through gritted teeth.

He didn't know how to fight a magic user. They didn't cover this shit in training!

"Mm, and feisty! Gives a girl the shivers when you talk like that," she cackled, smiling evilly at him.

Matthew swung out experimentally. Like lightning, the sorceress jumped back and fired a ball of purple energy. He easily deflected it with his sword.

"Well, if you're so eager to die, I suppose we can start now," she snarled.

On second thought, maybe he did want to know her name.

Her fingertips crackled with dark magic, and Matthew subconsciously tightened his grip on his sword.

Another burst of magic was fired his way, followed immediately by another. Matthew managed to dodge these as well. The mage's lips curled into an amused snarl.

She dashed towards him, hands at the ready. He threw up his shield, pushing her back and swung out with his sword. His blade came in contact with her arm, noting as a black substance oozed from the wound. Then, slowly, the cut seemed to sew itself back up.

"What the hell are you?" he demanded.

Her face twisted in fury, and she hurled several more balls of magic at him. He hit them all away, even managing to hit her with one of them. He took her moment of confusion to strike again, managing to almost sever her top half from her bottom.

She toppled to the ground, and he stood over her, happy to have ended this adversary as quick as he did.

However, he could only look on in horror as the would-be-fatal damage began repairing itself, reconnecting her damaged flesh and erasing any signs that he had just quite nearly cut her in half.

"My, my, it seems that you really know your stuff, kid," she said, breathing hard as she pulled herself to her feet. "Let's see how you handle this!"

Her body began to ripple and elongate.

"What the actual fu-" Matthew mumbled, watching as the mage underwent a complete transformation.

Her body grew rounder, and extra limbs sprouted from her sides. Finally, all movement ceased and he could see what she had become.

A spider.

"I am Veran, Sorceress of Shadows," she hissed. "And you're about to die."


(Hyrule Field)
(Ashei)

"Tetra!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. "TETRA!"

Ashei shoved her way through the ocean of warring bodies, using her sword as means to fight her way through.

She hadn't seen the young girl, and apparently no one had seen her for a while either. A sinking feeling began to form in the pit of her stomach, but she shook it off, refusing to believe the worst had happened to her.

Though she wasn't ignoring the likely possibility. The girl was seventeen. So while she did spend most of the time looking up at the faces of the fighting soldiers, she also made sure to glance down and search the faces of the fallen.

"Tetra!" she called again.

Faces looked in her direction, confused by either her high voice (she found no point in disguising it any longer) or about who 'Tetra' might be.

She paused her running, taking a momentary breather and surveying the battlefield.

The monstrous Manslayer continued to slay man. The female mage had reached the King, and they were engaged in a duel. Many soldiers attempted to run forward and assist the King, but they were easily taken down by her attacks.

Also, the mage had turned into a spider for some reason, which confused her.

The male mage seemed to be enjoying himself as he challenged whom she liked to call the "Sketchy Soldier," aka Link, who had stormed into the King's tent not too long ago.

Overall, things still looked bad.

It scared her. Not too long ago- or maybe it had been a while ago, she'd lost track of time- they had been doing fine. Doing great. Then, in a matter of minutes, everything turned against them and they were being slaughtered.

"Tetra! Tetra! Come on..."

She didn't want to take the creature on alone. She didn't want to admit it, but she was scared. What if her theory was wrong?

And if you're wrong, you wanna make sure you don't die alone, so you're taking a kid down with you. Isn't that right, Ashei? Is that what you've come to?

She ignored that voice in her head, telling herself it wasn't true. She needed Tetra because Tetra also had a vagina. That was it.

"TETRA!" Ashei screamed one last time, beginning to realize her chances of finding the other girl were slim to none.

She stood still for a moment, focusing on nothing but the dragon.

She watched as men attempted to take it down, and watched as every single one of them were killed. Some were killed in logical ways, such as getting stepped on or eaten, but others were dying in almost impossible ways.

She watched as a man's sword ricocheted off of the creature's scales and conveniently stabbed him through the chink in his armor. She watched as a man attempted to cut off the creature's toes, like she planned on doing, and saw an arrow pierce his heart before he could do so. The other army's archers had been picked off in the beginning.

Those things couldn't just happen unless no one could kill it, right?

But not no one. No man.

She felt a sudden surge of idiotic bravery and began to shove her way through the warring masses towards the beast.

I'm not gonna die, I'm too good for that. I'm going to kick ass, save the day, then go home to my fiancee. And if I do go down, I'll be taking that ugly son of a bitch down with me.

"Captain? Captain!"

Her heroic inner monologue was cut short by a young, female voice.

"Tetra?" she called, spinning in a circle.

"Watch out!" the voice cried.

Ashei barely had time to jump out of the way as one of the hideous lizard creatures swung its blade at her, nearly succeeding in taking off her left arm. Adrenaline kicked in, and she whirled around and plunged the blade straight into its chest.

"Sleeping on the job?" Tetra asked as she jogged over, a tired smile on her face.

"Lost in thought," she replied, eyes flicking over to the ever-approaching Manslayer. "Tetra, can I ask you to do something?"

"You're the captain, of course-"

"This is a little different," Ashei cut in. "It's a borderline suicide mission, and only you and I can do it."

"Shad- um, sorry, Ashei, what are you saying?" the younger girl asked.

"I, dammit, it's hard to explain..." she trailed off, looking back at the dragon.

Gods, why did she have to be so young? Why did the only other girl stupid enough to fake being a boy have to be just seventeen years old?

"We need to kill the dragon."

Tetra's eyes widened. "Um, well, plenty of other people have tried, and..."

Right on time, the Manslayer let out a roar before scooping up a mouthful of soldiers and swallowing them whole. Ashei cringed a little.

That could be me in a little bit. It could be Tetra if she goes through with this.

"I just- I... I have a plan, Tetra, and you're the only one I trust to help me carry it out," Ashei said quietly, voice nearly washed out by the raging sounds of war.

Tetra was silent for a moment, moving only to turn around and stab an approaching bokoblin.

Ashei suddenly felt sick to her stomach, ashamed that she had even brought it up. She couldn't just ask a child to risk that much for her country. What kind of a horrible person was she?

"What are you thinking?"

Tetra's reply startled her. Was she really considering...?

"Tetra, I won't make you do anything you're not comfortable with, this is a long shot-"

"Captain," Tetra silenced her, strong determination burning in her eyes. "I got myself into this. And it's my duty as a soldier to do what's best for Hyrule."

Ashei stared at her for a moment.

This girl was an idiot. A crazy, stupid, idiot willing to throw her potentially throw her life away simply because she was asking.

But this also made her admirable. It made her courageous, selfless, and one hell of a kid.

Tetra was crazy, but then again she was one to talk.

"Alright, so this is what I'm thinking..."


(Link)

He wasn't quite sure what was going on.

Pictures were blurred in his mind, his thoughts jumbled into one confusing stream of nonsense. He was unable to tell where he was. Hyrule Field, the Triforce Realm? He didn't know.

He was vaguely aware of people calling his name, but he couldn't bring himself to respond. Fi's voice was the loudest, but all he heard was musical gibberish.

Fear pierced through his hazy emotionlessness. What if he got Separated? What if he just lost control of his mind and never got it back?

You just got stabbed. You got stabbed, and now you're losing you're gonna lose gonna fail just like you fail at everything else why did the goddesses pick you-

No. He wouldn't let that happen, would he?

You're stronger than that.

Fi's voice cut clearly through his mind.

Was he though? Everything was slipping; he could feel himself sliding out of his own mind.

Maybe this was what dying felt like.

Am I dying?

He didn't know. He didn't know anything at this point.

Would death be so bad?

His mom would be there. His dad would be there.

He was aware that he was holding on to something. What that something was, he didn't know, but he knew that whatever it was was keeping him anchored.

You're not dying, Link, you're being Separated. Hold on, please hold on or... lost... forever...

Fi's voice was getting softer and softer. His hold was slipping.

Another wave of fear crashed into him.

Lost forever?

He would just melt away, blink out, cease to exist. He wouldn't even get to die.

Utilizing whatever consciousness he had left, he tried to focus on the voices he heard, the calls of his friends. All he could hear were distant mumbles. They got quieter by the second.

Might as well accept it, bud. You lost. You're gone.

Game over.

And for a second, he believed that. For a second, he was ready to let go and accept the fate he thought he deserved.

But that was just a second.

And that's when he heard the scream.

"BIG BROTHER!"

It was Aryll. Not the goddess Hylia. Aryll, his baby sister, his life, his world. And she was screaming for him.

His body was flooded with adrenaline, and suddenly he was flying back.

Sounds got louder, pictures got clearer.

He could feel his mind connecting to his body, fibers reattaching and emotions and feelings rushing through his body.

The first place he saw when he awoke was Hyrule Field, torn and bloody.

He was gasping for breath, looking around wildly. A ring of Bokoblins surrounded him, snarling and baring their fangs.

Zant stood in this ring as well, watching him with detached amusement.

"Oh, you're alive. Pity. I was hoping Ganondorf had killed you by now."

Link blinked at Zant, picking himself up.

He was alive.

He was alive and breathing and standing and ready to kick some ass.

But something wasn't quite right.

"Why didn't you just kill me while I was down?" he asked, picking up the Master Sword and regaining his grip.

Zant was silent for a moment. "I've killed enough of you damn Carstairs to last me a lifetime," he finally said. "I killed your parents, I don't need to kill you.

Ignoring the jibe abound his parents, Link found himself breaking into a grin. "You can't kill me."

"Of course I can, you little-"

"You're not allowed to kill me!"

Silence.

An emotion that could only be described as absolute glee bubbled up in Link's chest. So Zant was fighting the defensive, saving the final blow for Ganondorf. He could only beat Link around, while Link himself could go in for the kill.

Swinging his blade with renewed purpose, Link strode towards Zant.

Good to have you back, kid, Fi's voice rang in his head. Now let's kick this son of a bitch into the next lifetime.


(Triforce Realm)
(Zelda)

The curse that kept them silent was lifted, and all hell broke loose.

"LINK! LINK!" she screamed, watching as her best friend, her hope, her hero fall to the ground.

Everyone else in their little entourage was reacting similarly. Saria had fallen to her knees, breathing rapidly. Lulu and Darunia looked as though they'd been punched. Teagan was crying, the King had his face in his hands, Rauru was wide-eyed in shock.

Sheik and Aryll were giving their guards the most trouble. They kicked and screamed and cried, yanking helplessly at the chains that bound them.

Something small inside her broke, and suddenly she was crying too, sobbing as tears flooded down her cheeks.

That was it.

Right as she'd begun to hope again, right as the spark in her cold heart had been reignited, the blade had gone through his side.

She felt torn in half, she felt empty, she felt doomed.

"Link," she whispered, looking at her fallen friend, watching as shallow breaths rattled his chest.

A blue woman had appeared and was speaking to him quietly.

Zelda felt a pang of- was that jealousy? She should be the one comforting him. She was the Princess, dammit, she should have been out there helping him!

Knotting her hands in her dress, she bit back another scream and tried to hold back the tears with little success. Ganondorf smirked down at her as he wiped his blade clean.

"I hope none of you had your hopes up," he sneered. "This- this child didn't have a chance of overcoming me! What does Courage have over raw Power?"

"Go to hell!" Sheik snarled, his voice thick.

"I hate you!" Aryll screamed. It was unmistakably Aryll; there was no trace of the serene goddess in her hate-filled eyes. "I hate you so much! LINK! Link can you hear me?!"

"Shut up, all of you!" Ganondorf roared, eyes blazing with fury. "It's time for me to finally complete what my predecessors never could! Tonight, I unite the Triforce!"

His words were met with silence.

Visibly miffed that no one graced him with a response, Ganondorf walked past them to look at the waterfall in the distance.

"All those years of planning, they've all come to this. Surreal, don't you think? I'm about to become the most powerful being this land has ever seen. My ancestors would be proud."

He turned to face them again, a wicked smile on his face.

"Now, shall we begin?"

Zelda's heart began to race, the sense of darkness and doom doubling.

You failed you failed youfailedyoufailedyoufaILED-

The Lizalfos pushed King Matthew forward. Ganondorf grinned at him, then gestured to Midna. Zelda watched as her former best friend handed her former father a small, blue object before strutting back to her previous spot.

What's happened to us, huh? How'd we all get here?

Ganondorf pressed the blue thing in the King's hands. She noticed how pale the King- her brother?- was. She noticed how he shook.

"You know what to do," Ganondorf said, nodding at Matthew.

The King shook his head, tears beginning to run down his face. Ganondorf's fist connected with his jaw, causing him to stumble back. Teagan screamed, Rauru called out.

"I will separate your bottom half from your top if that's what it takes," the Dark King hissed.

With shaking hands, Matthew brought the blue object- an instrument, Zelda realized- to his lips. After a couple of deep breaths, he began to play, the notes weak and breathy.

The tune was hauntingly familiar, but Zelda didn't have time to ponder that.

As the King played, Ganondorf began to mumble, his words low and incomprehensible.

A light lit from within the waterfall, growing brighter as the song continued. Ganondorf's voice grew louder and faster. Thunder rumbled across the sky. Rauru began to pray again. Lulu began to cry.

Finally, the song ended, and so did Ganondorf's chanting. The light in the waterfall became too bright to look at, and Zelda was forced to look away. When the light dimmed, the waterfall had vanished like it hadn't been there in the first place.

In its place was a massive white stone door, stretching so high that the top disappeared somewhere in the sky. A round indent- a keyhole- was in the center of the monstrosity.

Ganondorf looked positively giddy. Matthew looked as if he were about to faint.

"Wonderful!" the Dark King declared, shoving Matthew back towards the others. "Now, Sages step forward and aid me in assembling the key!"

"I'm not helping you do anything!" Rauru spat, eyes burning with fury. "I'd rather die!"

Zelda closed her eyes.

Gonna regret it, shouldn't've said it gonna regret it, shouldn't've said it!

"And what makes you think I need you alive?" Ganondorf asked softly, walking over to look the old man directly in the eye.

Rauru held his position like the demented brave soldier he was, arms crossed and chest puffed out.

Ganondorf snapped his neck so fast, Zelda almost didn't have time to scream.

The King of Evil looked down at the Sage in disdain before leaning down to fish a golden medallion out of his robes.

"See, this is what happens when you try to be brave," he said, pulling an similar-looking orange piece from his own pocket. "Look at Link, look at the old man. Is courage really worth it?"

He was only met with the sounds of muffled sobbing.

Even Darunia was crying now. Somehow, that terrified Zelda the most. Watching this normally strong, optimistic man break down and cry, well...

He knows he's dying. Don't you?

"Unlock your necklaces," Ganondorf commanded.

It was tragically beautiful, watching as each Sage pulled out their medallions. They began to murmur a chant, voices hollow and monotone. The necklaces began to glow, slowly drifting towards the door.

Red, orange, gold, green, blue, purple. A rainbow of colors.

The six circles of light merged together to create one ball in the center of the doorway, before dimming to reveal one large circle divided into even sixths of each color. The key clicked into its place.

Why is it happening so fast? Isn't there supposed to be dramatic monologuing? Why is it happening so fast?! Isn't the hero supposed to have come by now?

The hero...

Her eyes were drawn back to Link, and she felt a strong emotion well up in her chest.

The door began to rumble open slowly. Ganondorf could hardly contain his glee. He'd grabbed ahold of Ar-Hylia now, forcing her to look upon his success. Upon her failure.

They were all going to die.

"No one is going to miss me," Zelda whispered, hands going to her face as her breathing grew faster.

It was selfish. But she was seventeen. Wasn't she supposed to be selfish?

She had no mother, no siblings- well, siblings she remembered. Her father might as well be dead. Her best friend was psychotic, her other friends were dying next to her. And Link...

Who was going to miss him?

I will.

"Let me go to him!" Zelda found herself screaming.

Ganondorf turned around to face her. "Excuse me?"

"Let me go to Link," she repeated, curling her shaking hands into fists.

"And why would I do that, dearest?" he sneered, tightening his grip on Aryll. "Are you really in the position to be giving out commands?"

"Don't you think you owe me?" Zelda yelled, voice cracking, "Don't you owe me for lying to me for my whole life, Papa? Can't I do one last thing before you kill me?"

There was more silence as everyone looked at the Dark King expectantly. His eyes were locked on Zelda's, gold on blue. Neither looked away, neither blinked. When she looked into his eyes, she saw anger. She saw confusion. She saw weakness.

When he looked at her, all he saw was broken glass and cracking ice.

"Fine," he growled, snapping his fingers.

The barrier separating her from Link vanished, as did her chains.

Try to fight, try to win! You could do it...

...Why would I?

Zelda rushed forward, practically pushing away the blue lady as she knelt down at Link's side. Taking his head in her lap, she brushed away some of his blonde hair that had been pasted to his sweaty forehead.

She was painfully aware of his unfocused eyes and ragged breathing.

"Hey," she whispered. "Long time no see."

There was a pause.

"I remember the last time I was holding you unconscious," she told him. "Only last time you had were nearly drowned and had hypothermia. Remember that? How long ago was that?"

His breathing was slowing, his skin growing colder beneath her touch.

Behind her, Ganondorf was leading Aryll towards the open door. There was a golden gate now, the last barrier between a madman and the Sacred Realm.

The last checkpoint before her death.

You knew he would save you for last, didn't you?

Ganondorf threw Aryll to the ground and began his final incantation. Dark magic swirled around the young girl, and her screams echoed throughout the realm.

Thunder rolled, lightening cracked.

A tear rolled down Zelda's nose and onto Link's face.

See you on the other side, I guess.

"BIG BROTHER!" Aryll screamed, face twisted in pain as she reached for Link.

Zelda began to cry.

Crying turned to sobbing, and sobbing turned to hysteria.

I really thought you were going to save me. I don't want to die. I DON'T WANT TO DIE!

"You're not going to die," a voice croaked.

She blinked through her tears, trying to calm her breathing.

It can't be...

She looked down at her lap and saw Link looking up at her, his eyes bright with determination.

"Link, I-"

"Not now, not now," he hissed, looking around madly.

Searching for Aryll...

...He's not looking you in the eye...

...What have you done now?

"Drink this," the blue woman instructed, speaking for the first time in a while. She brushed Zelda aside and handed Link a bottle of red liquid she'd dug from his pouch. "You need to end this now. You need to save your sister."

Link nodded, downing the bottle's contents before getting to his feet. The bleeding came to a stop almost immediately. She could still see the wound, though, angry and red peeking from the slash in his tunic.

Without another word, Link began walking towards the distracted Ganondorf.

Once again, Zelda was left at the sidelines.

He didn't even look at her.


(Hyrule Field)
(King Matthew)

"The itsy-bitsy spider climbed up the water spout..."

He jumped out of the way of a slide leg, barely avoiding getting stabbed.

"Down came the rain and washed the spider out!"

Rolling to the side, he slashed at the appendage, eliciting a hiss from Veran. She retaliated by spewing yet another spurt of poison. Matthew yelled as a drop caught his leg, eating through the skin.

Veran giggled, positively giddy with herself.

Shaking off the pain, he cursed the fact that he no longer had a shield. His only piece of defensive equipment had been destroyed by the acid quite some time ago.

"You know what to do," the Dark King said, nodding at him.

"Out came the sun and dried up all the rain!"

He jumped back as Veran struck at him, attempting a swing at one of the seven legs she had left.

He brought the ocarina to his lips, barely able to play with shaking hands.

"And the itsy-bitsy spider climbed up the spout again!"

He swung again, this time coming in contact with one of her many legs.

Veran let out a roar and lunged forward, attempting to crush him between the her two massive pinchers. He ducked at the last minute, driving his sword up and into the soft skin of her neck.

She let out a shriek, stumbling back, leaving a trail of black blood as she did so.

"I'm going to kill you, boy," she hissed. "And I am going to feast on your flesh!"

A tear spilled down his cheek as he played his mother's song, remembering how he used to lay his head in her lap as she played. He wondered if she could see him now, playing her song for a madman-

He was getting tired. This whole fight was repetitive; Veran repeated the same attacks, and he continued to dodge them.

He needed to be there to command his men, he needed to get back to the actual war...

"You know, I've never heard of someone who became King at as young as you did," Veran said as she lunged forward, fangs bared.

Matthew jumped to the side and ducked down, rolling forward to catch her leg again. She was ready for the attack and merely sidestepped his strike. The King had no time to dodge as her leg came back down and pierced the flesh of his arm.

Curses flew out of his mouth as he regained his footing, trying to ignore the waterfall of red that poured from the wound.

When he finished the song, he was tossed aside like a piece of trash. He'd served his purpose. And now he got to sit back and watch the world burn down around him.

"Someone so young shouldn't have that kind of responsibility placed on their shoulders," the sorceress continued. "And look what you've done to the country. You've damned it straight to hell!"

He knew she was trying to bait him, but it didn't stop the guilt from worming its way into his heart.

Another spray of acid. This time, he managed to avoid the acidic stream. Veran struck at him with one of her legs, and he brought his sword up to meet it. It hit in just the right place, and she screeched as her leg was severed in half.

Matthew rushed forward, attempting to take advantage of her pain to land a blow on her soft stomach. However, one of Veran's remaining legs swung out and swept him off his feet.

"You're just a child!" she bellowed. "You're no more fit to fight me than you are to run a kingdom! All you're doing is prolonging your death, boy!"

"Well I'm not the one who just lost a leg," Matthew pointed out, scrambling out of the way as Veran snapped her pinchers at his feet.

She responded with a hiss, beady eyes flashing with malice.

And his heart sank into his stomach as he watched her form begin to morph once again.

"Dinssake," he muttered, getting to his feet and waiting until she finished her grotesque transformation.

Her remaining legs retracted into her body, and two structures began to sprout from her back. Wings, he realized. Her back half turned ovular and pointed at the end, and two antennae sprung out from her head.

In front of him was no longer a spider, but a wasp.

Suddenly, Matthew felt very tired. The pain in his arm seemed to double, and every muscle in his body began to ache.

"Better watch out, brave little king," Veran buzzed, wings taking her into the air. "You don't want to get stung!"

Matthew didn't even have time to make fun of her horrible pun before the Bee Sorceress dove at him, laughing menacingly. He dropped to the ground with a yelp, narrowly avoiding getting crushed by her massive pinchers.

Her smooth underside brushed his skin as she passed, and he cringed.

"Having fun, little King?" Veran cackled.

He said nothing as he pulled himself to his feet.

He was exhausted. Every muscle throbbed with fatigue, and his head pounded with the headache of the century. He had just aided a madman in his scheme to take over Hyrule, and he was fighting a madwoman who had turned into a spider, then a bee.

Veran dove towards him again, this time with her stinger at the ready. Eyes wide, Matthew almost jumped to the side, but instead planted his ground and raised his sword.

As she flew past, he sliced off her stinger with one, clean swipe.

"Brat!" she hissed, glaring at him menacingly. "I guess I'll just have to eat you then, huh?"

She snapped her massive pinchers at him, flying at him once again. He ducked again, closing his eyes as her underbelly brushed against him. It was quite soft, he realized. And very unprotected.

Matthew grinned at the realization and pulled himself to his feet once more.

"Why are you smiling, my boy?" Veran called. "Accepting your inevitable death?"

"Oh shut up," he mumbled, twirling his sword in his hand.

Her beady eyes narrowed, and she began to fly at him once again, pinchers at the ready. Matthew prepared to duck, this time with his sword at the ready, but she dipped lower this time, leaving him hardly no time to react.

He found his arm caught between the pinchers, and a pain shot up his arm. The king managed to wriggle out of her grasp, but his sword remained in her tight grip.

"Oh my, what are you going to do now?" she asked, tossing his sword off into the distant battlefield.

He had almost forgotten the war around him. There were men he needed to command. How were they doing? Were they all dead?

"You're nothing without a weapon, little King," she hissed. "It's over for you."

Heart thudding in his chest, Matthew backed away as she began to fly at him for what was probably the last time. He tripped over the corpse of a Bokoblin as he retreated, and she began to fly.

This is it.

This is how it ends.

You failed your land. You failed your people.

Your family would be ASHAMED OF YOU.

Matthew's hand met the wooden hilt of the dead creature's spear. Veran was closing in, laughing as she did. And at the last second, as he saw his life flash before his eyes- his sisters and locked away in the damned castle and seeing Zelda and Impa and Teagan and being locked up and playing that song ONE LAST TIME- he grabbed the spear and thrust upward, gutting Veran's soft belly as she flew over him.

She shrieked as she crashed to the ground, twitching and spasming. She flashed between forms, a spider, then a wasp, then a beetle, then a wasp, then finally a human again, kneeling on the ground and coughing up blood black as the night.

He dragged himself up, still clutching the spear.

Her eye widened as he approached, any traces of her former self gone and replaced with fear.

"No," she rasped. "No, not again-"

He never let her finish.

He punched her in the face, sending her falling flat on her back. Raising the spear over his head, he looked down at her with cold eyes before plunging the weapon straight into her heart. The spear stuck in her chest, shaft pointing up at the sky.

Stumbling back, Matthew gasped ragged breaths and looked around him.

War was raging. People were dying.

Your fault.

Ignoring the pain in his arm and the throbbing in his head, Matthew grabbed yet another Bokoblin spear and trudged towards the main fighting.

Your fault.


Hyrule Field
(Ashei)

"Are my instructions clear?" Ashei shouted, surveying the sizable group of men she'd been able to rally.

She was satisfied upon hearing a loud chorus of assent.

"Good. I will not lie to you, this will be dangerous. Some of us may die. But if we do not kill this creature, many others will die. And I think that's reason enough to do anything we can to take that son-of-a bitch down."

Another uproar of cheers.

She'd learned that for whatever reason, men really liked to yell to express agreement or excitement.

"Above all, I need you remember that only Tetris or I may kill this beast. Things won't end well for anyone else who tries."

On cue, a man was swallowed by the slowly approaching dragon. His screams seemed to overshadow the other noises of the battlefield.

"I believe in you all," Ashei said, voice growing softer. "And I know we can do this."

"For Hyrule!" Tetra screamed, raising her sword in the air.

The other soldiers followed suit. "FOR HYRULE!"

Ashei's lips curved into a smile. "Now let's go kick some ass."

Immediately, men began running off in different directions. Tetra stood by her side, watching them get into their assigned positions.

"You really think this'll work?" she asked, looking up at Ashei.

Her blue eyes quivered with fear, and Ashei was briefly reminded that she was sending real people, real mortal people into real actual danger.

"Yeah," she said finally. "I do."

Their plan was simple enough. The enemy's catapults were being manned by Bokoblins, which were dangerous in large groups but otherwise quite stupid. Hylian soldiers would capture the catapults and begin bombarding the dragon with various projectiles. While the beast was distracted with the catapults, Ashei and Tetra would go in close to cut off the toes. And then, when the dragon came tumbling back down to earth, they'd finish it off.

All they had to do now was wait for the signal alerting them that the catapults had been taken.

Ashei found her mind wandering to what would happen after they killed the dragon. She would be regarded as a hero, of course, and she'd receive a medal of honor alongside Tetra. They'd reveal their genders and bring equality into the military.

There'd be rainbow confetti in the streets, and a little girl would come up and hand her a small bouquet of flowers. Shad would be there, of course, and she'd probably cry when they were reunited.

The vision was so clear, it was almost like she was there, drenched in the multi-color confetti.

"Ashei!"

The image of Shad's face melted back into the red-stained gray of the battlefield at the sound of Tetra's voice.

"Look," the young girl said, motioning towards the dragon.

Flaming projectiles were being launched from the enemy catapults, successfully hitting the beast. It roared in confusion, looking around wildly for the source of the assault.

In other words, it was go time.

"You ready?" Ashei asked, taking a deep breath, adjusting her grip on the hilt of her sword.

"Yeah," Tetra replied, a surprising calm in her voice. "Let's do this."

With that, they ran forward, slashing at the few creatures that blocked their path. Ashei noticed how clumsy Tetra still was with a sword. Sure, she'd made great improvements since the start, but still...

What if you lose her?

She shook her head. That wouldn't happen.

They were at the dragon's feet now. It was no longer moving, still distracted by the catapults. At a closer range, Ashei could see how gelatinous the toes were; it would be a piece of cake to take care of them.

"Okay Tetra," she yelled over the beast's roars. "There's four on each foot. We'll move faster if we can do two feet each. Make sure once you've cut the last toe, run as fast as you can out from underneath this thing!"

"Where's its weak spot?" Tetra shouted back, looking at the massive monster.

Shit. Ashei hadn't thought about that.

"Probably its mouth, eyes, or brain. We'll be able to tell when we can see its head," she said dismissively. "And... and if it does fall on us, stick your sword straight up. With any luck, we'll hit a vital spot."

Tetra nodded and ran off towards the front legs. Ashei took that as her cue to start taking out the hind legs.

As she jogged underneath the dragon, she could do nothing to stop the pounding of her heart. What if it fell? What if she were stepped on? What if their distraction stopped working?

"Focus," she whispered to herself. "Come on, Ashei, focus."

She slashed at the first toe she saw, and found it surprisingly resistant. After a couple more hits, it exploded, and she found herself sputtering with a face full of clear liquid.

"Gods," she moaned, not bothering to wipe herself off as she began the next toe.

As she did so, she glanced over at Tetra, who was beginning on her third toe. Everything was running smoothly.

So far, so good.

Somehow, that did nothing to reassure her nerves.

The second toe popped. It was just as gross as the first.

The third toe went with no problem. Tetra went on to her fourth. Ashei finished her fourth and Tetra began the first on the second foot. She couldn't explain the butterflies she felt flitting in her stomach, or the sweat that ran down her forehead.

She expected a foot to come crashing down upon her or Tetra at any moment. This was nerve-wracking work, and she wanted it to be over with as soon as possible.

It was when she began on her fifth toe that things began to go against the plan.

The Manslayer apparently decided that it didn't care about being pelted with rocks and bombs and resumed its slow progress forward. Ashei shrieked as the giant foot went up and came down, sending vibrations that rattled her to her bones.

"Tetra!" she screamed, searching frantically for her companion. "TETRA!"

"Here!" she heard a distant call. "Keep going, Ashei, we have to finish this!"

With trembling hands, Ashei jogged behind the massive appendage, waiting until it was planted on the ground to land a couple strikes. Every step it took nearly caused her to be thrown off balance.

The dragon roared loudly, as if to tell them he knew they were there. Ashei hurriedly took care of the fifth toe and moved to the sixth.

Oh gods I'm gonna die I didn't want to go like this oh gods oh goDS-

Manslayer began to stumble, finally feeling the effects of his missing support structures. With another deafening cry, it began to hobble along a lot faster than before, and this time, red energy seemed to crackle from its every step.

Ashei heard Tetra scream, and her heart nearly stopped.

"Tetra?!" she shrieked.

"I'm fine," came the shaky reply. "Watch out for that energy, it's electric."

Right as she spoke, a wave of the magic hit Ashei square in the chest, knocking her off her feet and sending needles of pain shooting through her body.

"Noted," she called back through gritted teeth.

She didn't have time to lay on the ground and whimper about her pain; there was a task that needed to be completed. Scrambling to her feet, she ran to catch up to the dragon, this time making sure she jumped over the red electricity.

She took care of the fifth toe. Then the sixth. And the seventh. And finally, the eight.

The beast growled as it stumbled along.

Ashei looked over and saw Tetra struggling to take care of one last toe. The electricity was pulsing fast now, and there was hardly any time to land a clear shot. She ran over to the girl.

"Run out now, I'll finish this," Ashei told her.

Tetra shook her head. "No, I'm staying here."

The Manslayer let out a mighty howl and began to move faster. It knew its end was coming.

"Tetra, please, just get out of here!" Ashei cried, trying to pull Tetra away.

"I've got it, just go!"

With that, Tetra landed the final blow. As the last toe exploded, a piercing cry ripped through the air, causing them both to cringe. The dragon began to stumble and sway, sinking lower and lower to the ground.

"Run!" Ashei screamed, grabbing Tetra's arm. "Hurry!"

The ground shook and the air trembled as they desperately tried to escape the falling mass. Exit was in sight, and Ashei felt her heart swell with hope for the first time that day.

"Tetra, we're almost there, just keep going-!"

She tripped over the body of a fallen Hylian. Eyes wide, she looked up as the Manslayer began to crash to the ground.

This is it. It's all for nothing. Prepare to-

"Get up!" Tetra screamed, yanking her to her feet. "Come on, Captain, go!"

The back end of the dragon hit the ground. Their window was closing.

Ashei was felt two hands shoving her forward, and the dragon's impact sent her flying.

She looked up just in time to see Tetra smiling at her, sword raised to the sky.

The child's blue eyes, unnervingly calm, never left hers. They were the last thing Ashei saw before the dragon came crashing down on top of her.

A scream ripped through her throat, and she scrambled to her feet, coughing through all the dust that rose into the air. She could barely see, barely breathe, barely think...

When she finally reached it, the dragon was thrashing a little bit, but soon the light died from its eyes and it lay still. The tip of a sword could be seen poking out of the skull, around where one would think the brain would be.

Stick your sword straight up.

"No, no, no, no, Tetra," Ashei whispered, kneeling beside the beast's head, hands curled into fists, sword forgotten on the ground by her side.

Look what you've done now.

She was only seventeen.

Look what you've done now, murderess.

All she could do was scream. Guilt and pain seemed to tear through her, consuming every bit of sanity she still clung on to.

Her earlier visions suddenly seemed horrible and vain. The confetti rained down on the streets again, but now it was black. A little girl approached her to give her a bouquet of thorns and spit at her feet, looking up at her with calm, clear blue eyes.

"Why did you push me?"


Hyrule Field
(Link)

Their blades clashed once again, locked together for only a few seconds before Zant jumped back and fired yet another blast of dark magic in his direction. The hero easily deflected the energy off of his blade, eyes never leaving his opponent's.

Zant rushed forward at blinding speed, sword at the ready. Link sidestepped and stabbed forward, catching his adversary in the back.

Unfortunately, Zant disappeared before his blade could hit home, and Link was left looking around wildly for his reappearance.

3 o'clock.

At Fi's direction, he whirled around just in time to deflect Zant's blow.

Zant wasted no time in bombarding him with attacks, raining blow after blow on the hero's shield. Link grunted as he shoved his shield forward, hoping to push the dark mage back.

Instead, Zant took a step back and allowed Link's excessive momentum to cause him to stumble. With the hero off balance, he struck out with a kick, knocking him flat on his back.

"Stupid brat," Zant hissed, raising his blade.

Link jerked his arm out of the way, avoiding his strike, and kicked as hard as he could at Zant's knees. While his opponent stumbled and cursed, Link scrambled to his feet and stabbed forward, only to find Zant had teleported once again.

"This is getting annoying," Link muttered, turning in circles, waiting for Zant to pop up.

Stay alert, Fi warned. And remember, he's only aiming to maim. You can go for the kill.

He saw a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye.

6 o'clock.

Link ducked and rolled to the side. He heard the woosh of a blade pass over his head.

Leaping to his feet, Link threw up his shield to deflect a magical projectile. He was almost thrown off his feet by the force of the impact. He didn't know much about magic use, but he could tell Zant's magical attacks were becoming stronger and more brutal.

He's resorted to using raw magic. You have to be on your guard.

"I don't know what that means," Link grunted, stumbling after another burst of magic.

The simple definition is magic in its purest form. It also takes the most energy, which you can use to your advantage. If he's already resorted to these strong attacks, he'll wear out very soon.

Link nodded, lunging forward. Zant leapt back then swiped his sword in hopes of disarming the hero. Link grit his teeth, dislodging his sword from Zant's. With a feint to his right, Link brought up his left elbow, catching Zant in the face, and slammed the hilt of his sword into the mage's stomach.

"Oh, how I wish I could kill you!" Zant roared, rushing forward with renewed speed.

He slashed and stabbed at Link, but the hero parried every one of his strikes. Fi was right; Zant was tired, and his sword work was getting sloppy.

"All I want to do is wrap my hands around that skinny little neck of yours," Zant hissed, faking a stab. Link fell for it, and got a kick in the stomach. "I wanted to kill you when I first saw you, but no, Master Ganondorf wouldn't allow that!"

"Gods, why do you talk so much?" Link grunted, struggling to recover from Zant's kick.

Zant merely grinned and twirled his blade, beckoning Link with an outstretched hand.

The hero accepted the invitation, dashing forward and rolling to the side at the last second in hopes he would catch Zant's unprotected backside. However, the dark mage was ready for that and parried Link's strike easily.

Zant then took the opportunity to take the offense and began slashing at Link with a series of lightning-fast blows. Gritting his teeth, Link found it took every ounce of reflex and concentration he had to keep up.

You're doing great, Link, Fi encouraged. Just hang in there, buddy.

Link didn't even have the time to respond mentally. One slip and he'd end up without an arm.

Zant grinned at him, pleased with himself. "This brings back such fond memories," he said, attempting to catch Link off-guard with an overhead swing.

The hero raised his shield, cringing at the ugly noise produced by the metal-on-metal contact.

"It seems like just yesterday I was ridding the world of Ma and Pa Carstairs. I think it's safe to call that the best day of my life," Zant continued, smiling maliciously at Link.

"What about the part where I killed you?" Link asked, pushing forward and getting in a few sword strikes of his own.

Zant's eyes narrowed. "That part wasn't nearly as fun as gutting your parents."

He's trying to elicit an emotional response. Just roll with it, Link, please. I believe in you.

Link took a deep breath, never letting his guard fall. Zant continued to rain blow after blow on the hero's shield. Link couldn't believe the bastard had recovered from his tired spell already. If anything, he seemed more energized than he had at the beginning of their fight.

"There's nothing like the feeling of slicing skin off the bone. The sound, the feel, the screams... It's... indescribable," Zant hissed, eyes never leaving Link's.

"I'm sure it is," Link heard himself respond.

Keep it cool, Carstairs, he told himself. Just keep it cool.

"There's a certain power you feel when taking a life. I'm sure you've felt it," Zant said, jumping around and trying to swipe at Link's side. The hero parried the strike and took a chance at landing a few blows of his own.

"You get a certain sense of superiority. I wonder if that's how the goddesses feel? They're responsible for more deaths than anyone."

Link couldn't answer. Zant was coming at him fast, and it took his all to continuing blocking.

"Your parents were my favorite kills. They just kept begging and pleading and screaming; it was all so delicious!"

He was shaking now. His hands trebled ever-so slightly, but Zant still saw.

"Did you know your mom, your precious makuahine, didn't die for almost two and a half hours? How impressive is that? It's like she wanted to be tormented!" Zant cackled.

The dark mage lashed out with his sword, ramming the hilt into Link's head. Caught off balance, Link stumbled, allowing Zant to plant a square kick on his chest.

Link crashed to the ground, sword falling from his hand.

The world swam around him, and sound faded in and out. He caught short fragments of Zant's hideous laughter. He felt Zant put his foot on his throat, pressing down and causing him to gasp and choke.

"And look where we are now! Poor little Link, defeated by the man who killed his parents. You wanted revenge, didn't you? You thought you could kill me to honor your parents' memories? You're weak. Just like your parents," Zant taunted.

The sorcerer leaned down so his face was directly above Link's, replacing the foot on his neck with his hand. He began to squeeze slowly, cutting off Link's oxygen bit by bit.

"You're pathetic," he whispered.

Link could only gasp and flail, hands reaching for something, anything to free him from Zant's grasp.

His hands closed around the fire wand in his pack, and he tried to bring it up, tried to say the word, but it was plucked from his hand before he could try.

"What do we have here?" Zant mused, turning the wand over. "A stick? That was your big move?"

Tears were forming in the corner of his eyes now, he was out of air, out of time, out of ideas-

He's holding it by the top.

Link's eyes widened. And then, with all the remaining oxygen he could muster, he yelled, "IGNIS!"

The wand burst into flames in Zant's hand. The sorcerer screeched, dropping the wand and loosening his grip on Link. Flames had consumed the whole sleeve of his robe, and he shook his arm rapidly in hopes of putting out the blaze.

It was then that Link's hand found the hilt of his sword.

And before Zant could even react, he'd grabbed the blade and plunged it straight up and into the sorcerer's chest.

Time seemed to slow down. Zant stumbled to his feet, staggering backwards, mouth forming an 'o'.

Link got to his feet as well, breathing heavily and heart pumping with adrenaline. He walked over to the dying sorcerer, pulled out his sword, and thrust it in again. Then again. And again.

Zant jerked with every stab, blood pouring from his mouth like a macabre waterfall.

Link's eyes never left his.

Again. Again. Again.

"This is for my mom."

Again.

"This is for my dad."

Again.

"This is for me. For Aryll. For every godsdamned person you ever hurt, you sick son of a bitch!"

Finally, Link ceased his rampage. With wide orange eyes still locked on his, Zant's body crumpled to the ground in an unceremonious heap.

Link stood over him, heaving out of exertion and rage, sword stained crimson.

Yet he felt nothing. No pride, no relief, no justice.

He felt cold. Empty. Tired.

With one final glare, Link turned away from the body of the man who'd haunted his nightmares for eleven years, who would probably continue to haunt him for the rest of his life, and faced the battlefield once more.

He still had other work to do.


The Triforce Realm
(Zelda)

She stood on the sidelines, frozen with fear, hands clasped tightly together. Every grunt caused a hitch in her breathing, every strike caused her to gasp. She was too scared to watch, but couldn't tear her eyes away.

Every time Link cried out, she felt like a dagger was being driven deeper into her heart. And every time he made significant progress, it felt like the blade was being pulled out again.

It was a constant back and forth cycle, a roller coaster of emotion that her poor brain couldn't keep up with.

Link had Ganondorf on the defensive now. She watched as their blades danced, wishing she had the energy to marvel at Link's expert technique. He'd come such a long way since she'd last seen him.

Ganondorf swung his sword over his head, and Zelda's breath caught in her throat. Link met the strike and parried it away, quickly bringing his hilt forward and slamming it into Ganondorf's sternum.

The older man grunted, and Link wasted no time in stabbing forward. Ganondorf jumped back, narrowly avoiding the hero's strike.

I can't take it.

Zelda bit her lip and looked away hoping to ease her mind by focusing on something else.

Ganondorf had abandoned Aryll quickly after Link had regained consciousness, leaving her spasming in pain on the ground. Sheik held her now, murmuring words of comfort as they both watched one they cared about risk his life for their benefit.

Saria sat with her knees drawn up to her chest, peeking at the battle through her fingers. Teagan huddled close to Matthew, and Lulu was practically glued to Darunia's side.

She turned back to the battle. Ganondorf was advancing towards Link now, thrusting forward with such strength that it caught Link off balance. She willed Link to recover quickly and almost cried out as the King of Evil kicked him in the stomach.

I can't take it.

She hated the sound of steel grating on steel. She hated hearing him in pain. She was so scared of something going wrong again, of him getting stabbed again, this time in the heart...

Stop thinking like that.

Link was already on the offense again, striking so fast his blade was no more than a flash of light. Sometimes he nicked Ganondorf, causing him to growl. Other times, he was met with his blade.

Again, Zelda was impressed with the improvement of her hero's skills.

Her hero.

Ganondorf faked two consecutive blows to the left and instead swung out with his fist, catching Link in the face. Blood poured from his nose, and Zelda's heart began to weep.

Look at him, taking all the hits for you. You're weak. You're a weak, faithless little girl who lets others do the dirty work for her. You should be ashamed of yourself.

She shook her head. That wasn't true.

But Ganondorf managed to swipe his blade across Link's shoulder, drawing a line of blood that seeped through his tunic. She was Chosen too, wasn't she? But she was Chosen to watch helplessly. She was too dainty to bleed.

Zelda gnawed on her lip, wringing her hands in her dress. The suspense was killing her.

Link ducked one of Ganondorf's swings and rolled behind him, landing a solid blow on his back. The King of Evil roared with anger, dashing forward with several powerful blows. Link met each and every one of them with his sword, a look of pure determination on his face.

What is Wisdom even good for anyway? All you've ever done is get yourself captured. How smart can you really be? Then again, the Hero is the one risking his neck out there on the battlefield while you stay nice and safe and tucked away. Maybe you are smart, but you're a coward nonetheless.

She wanted to cry, to scream. Swords locked, punches were thrown, a shield was raised, blood was drawn. It was all so fast, so heated.

She was so invested in the battle that she nearly jumped out of her skin when a scream pierced the air of the realm.

It was Midna, grabbing her head and staggering froward. Her limbs went limp and she sank to her knees like a puppet cut loose from its strings. Tears flowed down her cheeks and sobs racked her willowy frame.

Ganondorf didn't flinch at her cry. Unfortunately, much to Zelda's dismay, Link looked over, granting Ganon the perfect opportunity to punch him in the face once again.

"Zelda?" Midna croaked. "Zelda, is that you?"

Something wrenched in Zelda's heart. Was this the same Midna who was hard as stone only minutes earlier? The Midna who was working with Zant and would have gladly seen her dead?

When she looked over, all doubts were erased. The teary eyes looking back at her contained no trace of the iciness they once had, and they were most definitely Midna.

Remember what she did to you?

Allowing herself to look away from the battle, she took a few steps toward her friend.

"Z-Zelda," Midna sobbed. "I- I... he... It wasn't me!"

Remember how she betrayed you?

She knelt down and brought her friend's head into her lap, running her fingers through her hair.

Link yelped in surprise as Ganondorf leapt into the air. He jumped out of the way just in time to avoid the massive sword that nearly cut him in half where he stood.

Her heart nearly stopped.

"Shh, Mid," she whispered.

The others looked at her warily, remembering all too well how Midna had tortured them. How she had laughed at them, sneered at them, threatened them. Beaten them, hurt them. Zelda saw the fear and suspicion in their eyes, feelings that were very valid. But Aryll, Hylia, nodded at her, smiling sadly.

"She's free," she said. "She's free."

"I wasn't me," Midna whispered. "It was him, Zelda-"

Zelda could only nod and squeeze her friend's shoulder reassuringly. She had no words that would console her.

Sheik soon moved over to join them, Aryll still cradled in his arms. Without a word, he took Midna's hand and squeezed it.

He forgave her. He understood.

Midna managed a smile through her tears, the relief evident on her face.

Why couldn't I make her smile?

Fool. How could you help her when you can't even help yourself? Stupid girl. You're just as broken as she.


Triforce Realm
(Link)

Midna's scream threw off his rhythm. He was distracted, and Ganondorf immediately took advantage by smacking him in the face. His skin smarted, stimulating his adrenaline further.

He was in full hero mode; every move he made was intended to kill. His blood flowed like fire in his veins, igniting a spark within him. He was a little frightened by the force of his own will and his growing desire to see blood.

You're so close, Link, Fi told him. You're doing so well.

Then it would be over. Then he could take Aryll and go home where they'd be happy and safe.

He dodged Ganondorf's massive blade as it came crashing to earth. Rushing forward, he sliced his right shoulder, reveling in his roar of pain.

He didn't have much time for reveling, however, as Ganondorf was quickly back on his feet and pressing forward once again. Link deflected all his slices, stabs and slashes, panting with every block.

His muscles burned and his lungs were screaming, but he'd never felt more alive.

The thrill he got when their blades locked was unlike anything he'd ever felt before. Every swing he took felt powerful, every step he took felt burdened with extreme purpose.

This is your destiny.

For the first time, he really felt like a hero. Felt like THE hero. For the first time, he was proud of the green tunic he wore.

Ganondorf struck out and attempted to kick him, but Link had come to anticipate that dirty trick and jumped back. Ganondorf was caught off balance, and Link rushed forward.

Without warning, Ganondorf's hand shot out, catching Link by the neck and lifting him off the ground. Link struggled, finding himself caught in a chokehold for the second time that day.

He gasped and kicked, trying to hit him, trying to move his sword, trying to do something. Unfortunately, he couldn't count on his fire wand to come to his rescue again.

"Checkmate," Ganondorf whispered, grinning smugly at the hero.

Black spots danced across Link's vision, and everything started to grow hazy and out of focus.

"No," he rasped, "No."

Ganondorf began to laugh. "'No' what? Face it, boy. You lost. And this time, I don't think you'll be getting back up."

His hand tightened around Link's throat.

"I win. You lose. Let those be the last words ringing around in your pathetic little skull- AUGH!"

Link was suddenly released from Ganondorf's grip and fell to the ground, coughing and sputtering. He looked up to see gold tendrils of magic crackling across the Dark King's body.

His brow furrowed. "Who-?"

He felt a soft hand on his shoulder, and he knew immediately who had helped him.

"I couldn't just watch," he heard her whisper.

He saw all the dead Lizalfos. She'd killed those, too.

Getting to his feet, he turned to face her. She looked so much different than the girl he had remembered. Her hair was limp, the radiance was gone from her eyes and the life had drained from her skin. She was hardly a ghost of her former self. She looked nothing like the girl he'd had a crush on in fourth grade.

"Zelda," he said, searching for the right words. "You just saved my life."

She nodded, but her eyes were focused behind him. Link turned and saw that Ganondorf had recovered from her strike. His golden eyes burned with fury.

"Bitch," he hissed. "After all I've done for you..."

Another stream of magic shot from Zelda's fingertips, hitting him in the chest. He cried out in pain, jerking as the electrical shock coarser through his body.

"'All you've done for me?'" she shrieked. "You kidnapped me! You stole me from my family! Then you took me again and shattered everything I thought to be real! You've ruined me!"

She was breathing heavily, face flushed with anger. Her voice was full of such raw anguish that Link couldn't help but to feel bad. What had happened to her?

Ganondorf pulled himself to his feet again. Link readied his sword, knowing Zelda had his back.

She shot another burst of magic, which Ganondorf dodged. Link rushed forward, sword clashing with the King of Evil's once again.

They exchanged blows with new fervor, a whirlwind of slashes and parries. Everything else seemed to fade away but the two of them.

A thrust, a block, a point, a swipe up.

It was purely instinct now; Link was barely controlling any move he made.

After what seemed like years, Ganondorf jumped back, breathing heavily.

Atta boy, you've worn him out. Now go for the kill.

"Link!" Zelda called.

He turned to look at her and saw her fingers bursting with magic, begging to be used. She nodded at his sword then looked back at her hand, and he understood. A simple glance was all he needed.

The first time, he hit the magic away like a baseball, nearly hitting Saria in the face. He sent her a mental apology, but said nothing.

Ganondorf began coming towards him again, sword in hand and murder in his eyes.

The second time, the blade seemed to absorb Zelda's magic, and Link knew this was Fi stepping in to lend a hand.

You know what to do.

Ganondorf rushed at him with a guttural war cry, and Link anticipated his every movement. Right as the Dark King raised his sword to strike, Link stabbed forward, plunging the magically charged blade straight into his heart.

The magic seemed to explode inside of him, fizzling through his system. When it finally died down, Ganondorf was left standing up, eyes wide and mouth open in shock.

Slowly, he lurched forward and fell to his knees. His eyes frantically scanned the Triforce Realm, searching for someone, something, and finally coming to rest on Zelda.

"Ze..lda..." he croaked, blood dribbling out of his mouth. "My pr...prince..ss..."

Zelda regarded him coolly, her face that of an icy queen. "Rot in hell."

Those were the last words the Dark King heard before the light died from his eyes. His confusion and hurt were splayed across his face for eternity.

For a second, all Link could do was stare at the corpse and let the adrenaline exited his system. Suddenly, he felt absolutely exhausted. He became painfully aware of every ache and every wound on his body. The weight of the past couple of months came crashing down on top of him.

"Oh my gods," he whispered. "Oh my..."

"Hey."

At the sound of the small voice, Link froze. This is what he had been looking forward to. This is why he had agreed to be a hero. It had all come to this.

"Aryll..." he turned around and captured her in a tight hug, memorizing exactly how it felt to have his little sister in his arms again. "Aryll, oh gods I missed you so mu-"

"Link."

Her grave tone caused him to freeze and look down at her.

The girl he saw was not his sister. Her eyes were too old, her posture too rigid, her expression too sympathetic. This wasn't Aryll. Not anymore.

"You're-"

"Hylia," she finished for him. "That's right."

Tears stung his eyes, and he tried his best to blink them away. "Oh. Well."

He didn't know what to say.

"What... what about my sister? What about Aryll?"

"She's in here," Hylia said, pressing a hand to her heart. "She always has been. We're connected, two souls in one body."

"I don't understand, can't I talk to her? I just want to see her," Link choked out. "That's all I want, please."

"Oh, Link," Hylia sighed, bringing a hand up to cup his cheek. "You've saved this country. You rid the land of the Dark King, and the war is ending as we speak. You've done so well."

He opened his mouth, then closed it. A circle had gathered around the two, a circle of grim, familiar faces. Zelda. Sheik and Midna. Saria. Teagan and the King. Lulu and Darunia. He felt his chest tighten.

"So... So now what?" he asked, afraid of the answer. His throat suddenly felt very dry, and he could hear every single beat of his heart.

"Now we all go home. You all return to Hyrule, and I return to the Sacred Realm with my sisters."

He felt his heart beat faster. "Just Hylia, right? Not Aryll? Aryll stays here, right?" he asked, his voice raising about three octaves.

"Link, I..." she trailed off, a single tear spilling down her cheek.

And for a second, it was Aryll. It was his little sister who he loved with every fiber of his being, the one who fed the seagulls and wanted to be a pirate when she grew up.

"I'm sorry."

The realm began to melt away around them, and Link found himself being pulled away from his younger sister.

"NO!" he screamed reaching out for her.

She was crying now, crying as she faded away faster and faster into an ethereal white glow.

"ARYLL!"

When the white light cleared, he was back in Hyrule Field, surrounded by his friends. His brain was no longer split; his dimidium was gone. His wounds were healed.

Slowly, he surveyed those around him.

Sheik and Saria were there. Zelda was there. Teagan and Matthew and Darunia and Lulu were all there.

But Aryll wasn't there.

That was when he broke.

His insides all shattered, and he sank to his knees, allowing his tears to fall on his bloody sword.


An epilogue will follow.