Malice
By: dontwaitupxx
Chapter Twenty-Three
Everything else faded away.
Link had only a moment to catch her before Zelda crumbled to the ground beside him. The malice was oozing, and beginning to burn away at the fabric around her chest and neck. He must have screamed – he must have, for his throat was raw and his eyes were blurring – but he heard nothing over the shrill ringing that was blaring through his ears. The world spun viciously around him, his knees buckling as he fell beside her. He clutched her in his arms as she gasped and shivered.
He thought back desperately to what he had seen deep in the catacombs beneath Hyrule Castle. With the Princess and Hero of another era. She had been struck then, too. What had the hero done then? Surely she had survived, for Hylia's bloodline had not been eradicated that day. What could he do? What could they do?
The malice was festering, and Zelda's eyes were fading, her lids threatening to fall closed, "No, no, no," Link whispered, his words a desperate plea, just barely audible, "Zelda, stay with me. Keep your eyes open, we'll find a way to fix this, don't worry."
He felt that if he stopped speaking, the void would answer for him. Thus, he didn't stop, his words an everlasting monologue, until he felt a faint, delicate hand grip his, and was met with glassy, beautiful, unfocused, perfect emerald eyes.
Oh, he would do anything if only to keep those eyes open even a moment longer.
"Link," she whispered, and Link felt his stomach clench at just how faint and weak her voice was. He nodded quickly, bringing his head in close to hers, feeling the malice radiating off of her, "Go," Zelda said, her fingers intertwining with his, "You have to end this. I'll be fine, don't worry."
"Zel," Link's voice broke, a tear falling down towards their entwined hands, "There's no world living in without you. We were supposed to do this together."
"And that's why you've got to finish this," Zelda whispered, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips, "So we have a world to live in. Together."
"I'll take care of her," Teba was suddenly right next to the two of them, replacing Link's desperate hands with his own, steady wings, "We need to get her away from here."
Link nodded, his nerves instantly steeled, "You'll keep her safe. You'll protect her," It was not a question. It was not up for negotiation.
"With my life," Teba promised, before looking over Link's shoulder, "As it stands, I think you still have some business to take care of."
Feeling Ganon's eyes burning into his back, Link nodded once, as Teba scooped the tiny Princess up in his arms, and placed her on his back, with her arms wrapped around his shoulders, "Hold on tight for just a moment, Princess."
Link etched the small smile Zelda gave him permanently in his mind, as their eyes locked for just the briefest of seconds. Then, like that moment, she was gone, being flown far, far away from the fight that was still ringing around him.
All that was left was to deal with Ganon.
Ganon…
Link slowly turned around, spinning the Master Sword in his left hand, his right arm blinding. Ganon stood just before him, a deep, menacing laugh reverberating from him, all across the Hyrule Fields.
"Now then," Ganon whispered, a malicious grin coiling his lips upwards, "You really should be more careful. It's been quite some time since I have gotten to fight against you in the flesh, and I must say, you've grown quite sloppy since our last encounter."
"That was low," Link said, stepping closer, "Even for you. Your fight is with me, not her."
"On the contrary," Ganon said, "My fight is with both of you. She would have only gotten in the way. It's better not to delay the inevitable, don't you think?"
"You're not going to get away with what you just did," Link whispered, each word piercing and sharp, "This fight… it's getting old, isn't it?"
"Ah yes, something the two of us can finally agree on," Ganon said, as a massive claymore began to materialize in his right hand, "It is getting old. It's about time that we ended this…
He stepped forward.
"Once and for all."
As it was, with emotions heighted and nerves frayed, Link was the one that made the first move. He moved in with the Master Sword, his aim high, and lunged towards Ganon's open side. Ganon stepped forward, and in a flash, his claymore had lowered, in an effortless parry.
Where once the fighting all around Link had been muted, it came back with a roar. Yet, while it was very clearly evident that monsters and allies were fighting and dropping alike, none of that mattered as Link dove forward with the Master Sword. The Sword glowed blue, then a mysterious green as Link gripped the sword in both hands. His sword met Ganon's claymore in a vicious glissade. As Link pushed forward, Ganon staggered backwards.
"Impressive," Ganon said, his nose twitching as he lunged towards Link's open side. He glanced at the Master Sword, "I must say, I do admire your new… ability, there. What is it? Powers stolen straight from that extinct Zonai Tribe?"
"It was a gift," Link replied, parrying Ganon's claymore with his own, "Though it shouldn't be so unfamiliar to you. You were very well acquainted with it for quite some time."
"Indeed," Ganon seethed, pulling back his sword briefly, "And yet what good did its power do, if I am right here, in the flesh, here in Hyrule?"
"I never said its power was finished."
"Though, it would seem that this fight is," Ganon whispered, his eyes glowing bright red as he looked up, behind Link.
The Blood Moon was something that Link would be quite pleased to never have to see again. It roared over the mountaintops, oozing dark red. Ganon breathed in the cool, midnight air, and sighed.
Ganon's hand swirled in the air, as his malice imbedded itself to his hand. With a snap, the malice flew across the Hyrule Fields, and imbedded itself deep into the ground. From the ground, Stalkoblins, Stalkoblins, and Stalizalfos rose, their bones snapping and cracking together with each jarring movement.
And in the very center of them all, rose a Stalnox that rivaled Hyrule Castle.
"If you surrender now," Ganon said, his eyes turning towards the fields, where his minions just about outnumbered their allies, "You very well much just be able to spare their lives. And how about your dear princess, hmm? You know that I can manipulate my malice on her. You know I can make the pain stop. All you need to do is say the word."
His blood ran cold, as he considered Ganon's words. It was tempting, Link had to admit. Link was ready to give up everything, to sacrifice himself if he had to, if it meant that Zelda lived. The mere thought of a world without her smile and her passion sent Link's stomach careening downwards, and chilled himself to the bone. A world with no Zelda was a world without sunshine, a world without water.
A world without sweet, delicate blue flowers, thriving.
"You know, she can still live."
But any world where Ganon ruled over all was a world not worth living in.
With a shout, Link lunged towards Ganon again. This time, Link was rewarded, and a small smirk materialized on his face as his blade connected with Ganon's cheek. The wound was small; shallow, as Ganon had stepped back when his blade did not come up fast enough.
A small drop of blood trailed its way down Ganon's cheek, almost unnoticeable against his dark, grey skin. It would have almost looked as though Ganon had barely noticed it, had his eyes not betrayed him, his bright red eyes sharp and wide in anger.
As an afterthought, Ganon reached his hand upwards towards his face, each movement precise and sure, as he wiped the blood from his face. Staring at his crimson finger, he nearly smiled, before gripping his massive claymore with both hands.
With a snarl, he stepped forward, "Or, she can die."
Link had hardly a second before he had the Master Sword raised above his head – out of pure instinct than anything else. Ganon's claymore came crashing down – he felt it long before he saw it. Suddenly, Link was on the defensive, and was being pushed back, back, back, as Ganon lunged inwards with each stab, each slice, each brutal and unforgiving assault. Link met each one with a parry of his own, but each staggering assault came quicker, each one came stronger after the other. Normally, he was much faster, but he was distracted, sending glances out towards the Hyrule Fields every spare second that he got, wondering just how far away Teba would be able to take Zelda, speculating how his allies were faring against the skeletal monsters, pondering –
White-hot pain laced its way up his leg, and Link cried out as he barreled out of the way as Ganon's claymore came crashing down on the ground where he had been not a second prior. Sparing a glance towards his leg, he wished he had not. Hot, red blood oozed out of a long, deep slice that went from his calf, up the side of his knee and to his thigh. Each movement throbbed violently, and Link could not help as he limped out of the way yet again, growing slower and slower against Ganon's increasingly aggressive attacks. He shook his head, willing himself to power through the pain as he gripped the Master Sword tighter, his steel clashing against Ganon's.
"Perhaps, though," Ganon grit, "I won't kill you first. No, maybe I'll leave you just barely alive. On the verge of death, so painful, you'll be begging for me to kill you," Ganon lunged again, his blade digging into the earth just a moment after Link barrel rolled away, "Yes, I think I'll do that, and I'll make you watch as I walk over to that little pathetic camp over there," Link's head whipped backwards, to the clear other side of the Hyrule Fields, near the destroyed entrance to the Great Plateau, "Oh, they think they're being so sneaky, hiding out in that little shell of a town over there. But I can see everything. I can see that foolish Rito soldier tending to her wounds. I can see the nimble Zoran woman about to attempt to heal her. Had she any talent like that pathetic fish I killed off a hundred years ago, she might have a chance-"
"Don't speak of Mipha that way," Link growled, lunging towards Ganon again.
Ganon merely flicked the Master Sword off with his own, and Link went stumbling, "You know it's rude to interrupt," Ganon laughed, before continuing, "Now where was I – oh yes. I'll march on over towards that little camp, dragging you behind in the grass behind me. It might leave a trail of blood, but I hardly think that will be noticeable: it'll match my new Hyrule quite well. I'll drag you over there and make you watch as I kill that Rito and that Zora – as it stands, they will be of no use to me. Then, right before I kill you, I'll make you watch as I kill your precious little princess – letting my malice engulf her as her screams -"
Link staggered forward on uneven legs, in Ganon's moment of distraction. He held the Master Sword in both hands, stumbling forward even as his leg throbbed and threatened to give out on him. He cried out as pain shot up his leg, the muscles pulsating and withering under his weight. His eyes met with Ganon's briefly as Ganon turned back towards him, the burnt out village now completely forgotten – of the graves of Hyrule's citizens from a century past. Link took one final step forward, momentum more than anything pushing him forward.
And plunged the Master Sword deep into Ganon's chest.
Link stumbled off to the side, his momentum dragging him to the blood soaked ground. He felt lightheaded, noticing with a sort of grimace that much of the blood on the ground was his. His limbs buzzed, his fingertips and toes growing numb. He looked up, his eyes blurring as he took in the sight of Ganon, with the Master Sword shining vividly, protruding out of his chest.
Ganon was still, staring down at the Master Sword, his eyes narrowing. From the wound, malice began to seep out and stain his chest, dripping downwards and mixing with the dirt.
Then, he laughed.
It was strained, which was the only thing comforting as Link struggled to lift himself onto his shaking legs. His muscles screamed against his weight, threatening to give out beneath him. Ganon turned towards him then, his eyes alight with fire.
"You think you've won," Ganon seethed, his chest heaving with each labored breath, "This looks familiar to me, too. It's just the end of the cycle for me, isn't it? This isn't over. I'll be back, and you know this, too. I'll be back, and one of these days, you'll fall."
"No, you won't," Link breathed, as his arm began to glow in that brilliant emerald light. He raised his arm out towards Ganon, his fingers splayed and dripping with the ancient magic.
"What do you mean I won't?"
"It's like I said," Link breathed, bracing himself, "Its power isn't finished yet."
"What do you think you're doing?" Ganon demanded, the waver in his voice nearly invisible, "Going to seal me away? You saw how that worked out for you and your little princess. My calamity will ravage this land every ten thousand years until the seal is broken once again."
"Not quite," Link breathed, closing his eyes as he felt the world spin violently around him, the magic threatening to topple him over, "What the Zonai gave me is, indeed, a gift. I'm sending you out of this world. No longer will you be able to threaten our lands. No longer will you threaten our people. No longer will you threaten Zelda. Without you in our world, the cycle will be broken. And no longer will you be reborn, time and time again."
"You can't do that," Ganon said, his eyes growing wide as he tried to grip the Master Sword in his hands. Instantly, he recoiled, the Master Sword hissing and burning against his malice soaked hands. He stumbled to one knee, gasping, "There's no way."
"Once again," Link whispered, "You're wrong."
Then, the magic exploded from Link's hand, dissipating around him in small wisps. It sprung forward, wrapping its tendrils around Ganon's withering form. The strings of magic tugged and pulled, wrapping themselves tightly around Ganon and pinning him. The tendrils shimmered and sparkled, spinning brilliantly before they solidified in the air.
From behind Ganon, they formed a portal, beautiful and menacing as it centered into a great big void. The magic ebbed and flowed, swirling like a great big inferno, to some place: any place else. Link wasn't sure where this world was that he was sending Ganon to, but he trusted the Zonai and their ancient magic to send him to a place where he would never be allowed to hurt anyone ever again. Perhaps it would be another world that made Ganon look like the good guy. The portal propelled the air around him, a violent gust throughout the fields, uprooting dirt and sand in its storm.
And then, Ganon was being pulled into it. It was like a tornado mercilessly pulling him in.
He struggled against the current, pushing and pulling against the ancient Zonai magic. The strings, like an unforgiving knot, held firm, and dragged him back, back, back, into the portal – into the void.
The winds whipped around Link, threatening to topple him over to the ground. It blew violently across the Hyrule Fields, causing the skeletal monsters to topple over and fall apart. The soldiers ran for cover. They hid behind half destroyed walls of long forgotten settlements, holding onto anything firmly rooted into the ground.
"No!" Ganon snarled, struggling against the restraints against his arms, against his legs, against his chest, "This can't be. Who are you to think you can break this curse? Who are you to think you can stop the cycle? I'll be back, and you know it."
"Perhaps," Link whispered, "But until then, I'll rest easy knowing you're gone from this world. I'll be glad to know that this world can finally be at peace."
With that, Link pushed the magic forward, feeling the last bits of the ancient magic drip from his soul. With one final thrust, Link sent Ganon – with the Master Sword still lodged deep in his chest – stumbling into the portal. The last thing he saw were his eyes – dark and red and livid – before the gate closed.
Then, it was calm on the fields: the wind died down, until silence remained.
Throughout the Hyrule Fields, skeletal monsters vanished in a puff of dust, a faint purple cloud dissipating before vanishing all together. From around him, Zora and Rito, Goron and Gerudo, all alike turned to him, their faces ranging from awe to disbelief. Then, one person began to cheer, and that one person turned to two, and before long, all over the fields, people were whistling and cheering and clapping and hugging and crying. They had finally done it.
Ganon was gone for good.
Link felt relief. Link felt joy.
Link felt the world spin around him violently, as his vision blackened at the edges.
"Hey, hey, hey," a voice said, his tone firm as he felt a pair of arms hook themselves under his shoulders, "I've got you."
"Zelda," Link managed, as his legs stumbled and caught beneath him, "I need to see her."
"She's with one of our best healers," the voice said, and Link only vaguely realized that it was Prince Sidon that was holding him up. He all but carried him across the fields towards the princess, "I'll take you to her. But you've lost a lot of blood. You need to have one of our healers tend to you, too."
"Not before they heal Zelda," Link ground out, as he saw a flash of blonde hair on a bedroll in a shell of a destroyed house. He took off, a wave of adrenaline fueling him forward, and pushed himself out of the Prince's arms, stumbling next to Zelda.
"Zel," Link whispered, his legs collapsing beneath him as he knelt next to her. She was laid out on a bedroll, her blonde hair splayed out behind her like a halo. He took her hand in his, his other hand reaching up towards her hairline.
Ganon's monsters may have dissipated, but his malice was still present: festering and oozing.
"His malice," Link whispered, his eyes growing wide in panic, "Why is his malice still here? He's gone, his monsters are gone, his influence is gone, why is his malice still here?"
The Zora healer on the other side of Zelda only lowered her head, not able to meet his gaze, "I had hoped that, had you won, the malice would have disappeared, as well. Most cases I see are acute. I've never seen a malice infestation so severe."
"The best healers come from Zora's Domain," Link argued, his eyes blurring as his voice caught, "Sidon said that you were one of the best healers."
"I'm afraid that many of our practices died with my sister," Prince Sidon whispered, a webbed hand clenching against his chest, "She was the one who had invented most of the modern practices we have today. Many of the techniques that made her exceptional, however, she had yet to pass on to any other healer."
"So that's it, then?" Link asked, "There's nothing we can do?"
"We've done everything we can do."
"Link…"
"Zelda."
Link hunched over, his hand squeezing hers tightly, holding her face close to his. He knew not how to be brave in this moment. He had fought Lynels and Taluses and Ganon for the love of Hylia, and yet knew not how to be brave in this moment. His face threatened to crumble under the severity of the situation, and it was all that he could do to squeeze Zelda's hand even tighter.
He felt Zelda's other delicate hand brush lightly against his cheek, brushing away a tear that threatened to cascade down his face, "Did you beat him?"
A laugh bubbled up through his tears, and he treaded his fingers through her hair, "Yeah. I did."
Zelda nodded, taking in a shaking breath, "Good. Then we've done what we need to do."
"Zelda," Link whispered, his face so closer to hers their noses brushed against one another, "You're going to be just fine. I promise, we will figure out how to make you better."
"Link," Zelda said, a tone of finality to it, "It's okay."
Like a dam bursting, any emotions he had managed to keep together burst into a thousand pieces, shattering and scattering all around them. His walls crumbled down, and he sobbed, holding her desperately in his arms, paying no matter to the malice that was still burning and oozing. It didn't matter anymore. They had come so far, and won the final battle, but at the end of the day, Link had still lost.
"I don't know what I'll do without you," Link breathed, bringing his face up to hers, cupping her cheeks, "I love you so much."
"And I love you," Zelda said, bringing her lips up to his in a chaste kiss, "You know I do. You know I always will."
Outside, the birds were chirping. The rays of dawn were just peaking over the horizon. It was the dawn of a new era, the first morning with no threat from Ganon in any capacity.
And he was to do it without her.
It was an impossible task. How did the princess survive in their last encounter with Ganon? What did the hero have to do to save her?
Hadn't he already done enough?
The power already lies within you: clear your mind and will it to be true.
He almost didn't hear it, over the ringing in his ears. It was that same voice that had whispered those words to him, what felt so long ago as he had first began gaining control of these powers. Could it really be so simple? It was never that simple, never that easy.
That being said, Link had nothing else to lose.
Link shook his head, steeling himself as he pressed a kiss into her forehead. Then, he surged his hand deep into the malice on her neck, much to the dismayed shouts of the Zora around him. But he didn't care. Zelda didn't even notice, her eyes having shut, with cheeks pale and sweat dripping down her brow. Link didn't even know what he was doing, but he knew he had to try something. He cleared his mind, and reached down deep within him, desperately searching for any ounce of power left from his fight with Ganon.
The effect was exponential. Glowing green tendrils surged outwards from his hand and encapsulated the malice. While the malice oozed and burned, the ancient Zonai magic soothed and cleansed. It swirled around her neck and chest, and Link saw through squinted eyes as the malice fought back, pushing back against his powers. He pushed further, crying out as he dug and carved any remaining power from deep within himself. He felt dizzy, his world going black as he fought with every ounce of power that he had.
Then, like the blowing out of a candle, the magic was gone. Link looked at his hand, no longer glowing that brilliant emerald, no matter how hard he tried. The world careened around him and he fell down beside Zelda, his chest heaving and panting, as the world grew black around the edges.
In a twisted way, he thought maybe this was for the best: If she were to die, he wouldn't be too far behind her, anyways.
Then, a gasp from beside him, though he could hardly lift his head to investigate. It didn't matter: he had done all he could. She would be gone soon, if she wasn't already.
Then, he felt small, delicate hands cupping his face.
The Zora's hands did not feel like that.
"Link… Link."
Link knew that majestic voice anywhere.
Link opened his eyes with a gasp, his eyes struggling to focus on the golden blur before him. Was this what the heavens looked like? Had he finally made it? He had honestly not thought that it would have been so quick.
But as Zelda sharpened in clarity in front of him, so did the world around her. From behind her, the sun was beginning to rise over the Dueling Peaks, casting the land in brilliant shades of orange and gold. From around them, people began to migrate closer in, to see for themselves that their hero and princess lived.
Zelda was entirely devoid of any trace of malice. In fact, she was glowing.
She smiled, dimming out the sun.
And Link surged forward, capturing her lips with his.
A/N: Ah yes, the final chapter before the epilogue. What a crazy journey this has been. It started out as a one shot, and escalated from there. I really had only intended to write the single one shot and then have my peace, but the universe had different plans. It had been five years since I had last written something for any fandom when I wrote this, and now six one-shots later and two nearly completed full works, I have written more for LOZ than I have for any other fandom.
And it's only been a year.
At the moment, I don't have any immediate, large-scale works planned. I have a little something something planned for this summer and fall, but it all really depends on the will of the world, at the moment. I don't know where I'll be or how much time I will have to be able to write. I've debated dabbling back into ATLA if any of you like that series. For now, though, my top priority is bringing this to a close, and finishing the last couple of chapters of Treacherous Intentions. I wrote, like 1,000 words of a one-shot a couple of weeks ago, and I still have like 4,000 more words to write, so you might see me spit that out in the next couple weeks or months.
Anyways, I thank you for reading! Let me know your thoughts, and I will see you in a couple of weeks for the epilogue!
