Yeah so I was having trouble coming up with anything to say in these notes of mine, so this might be the last of my voice for a while. Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter and fair warning: it's still not the end.

Chapter Seventeen:

Ganondorf leaned against the stone building as Link gently shook Zelda awake. It took him a minute, but eventually the Princess stirred, blinking wearily. "Link? What's going on?"

Link stood upright, allowing the Princess to drowsily climb to her feet. She rubbed her eyes, ignoring her bedhead and yawned. Only now did he realize that the edges of her dress were in tatters, ripped and mudstained. Ganondorf smirked at her appearance. Even when she had emerged from her year-long battle with the Calamity, she had appeared flawless and composed. Seeing her in this state of disarray was strange, but also somewhat satisfying. Even her power and grace had its limits.

It was about an hour from dawn when the trio was once again at the edge of the wall, looking down into the fields below. The cloud of the Calamity had grown as more Malice merged into its core. Just beneath the smoky surface, a thicker form was emerging. The golden eyes no longer circled within the Malice. Instead they remained still, on top of the bullish head. Purple flames roared across its body, emitting from its mouth near its tusks, travelling up its head and down its spine to its tail. The monster's body was heavily muscled, thick trunks of legs supporting a massive frame. It was larger than a Divine Beast. The sheer size of the creature was enough to wipe out entire cities with ease. But the fact that it was made out of Malice would make it nearly impossible to kill, providing they could. And even if, the battle would be devastating, particularly if the beast ignored them and went for the settlements.

A glance at Link told Ganondorf that the knight was making similar calculations. His mouth was shut in a tight line, eyes scanning the enemy and the surrounding area. While he was young, the same age as Ganondorf and Zelda actually, he had seen many battles. He had felt the scars when he healed the kid. Link was a veteran warrior and knew how to fight this kind of battle.

Glancing at Zelda, his spirits dropped. Her mouth was open in shock and horror. While that was an appropriate response for most people, his sister was a Princess. That meant she was supposed to be able to adapt to situations like these and come up with a response. But the growing look of dread on her face told Ganondorf everything he needed to know. She was in a state of despair and had absolutely no idea what to do. She was faced with an impossible task, and once again, she failed to react like a leader should.

She had spent so long preparing for the Calamity, had she even been taught how to rule? Every time his mother spoke of her, she would praise her efforts to find a way to avert the Calamity. But she did not mention teachings or lessons. Perhaps he had tuned her out, or perhaps the girl was never taught. Her father had certainly determined that was his daughter's primary goal. Regardless of her history, his sister needed to step up. Or he would.

"Zelda, can you get us down there?" Ganondorf asked, hoping to snap her out of her shock.

"I-I," Zelda stammered, her eyes locked on the purple form of the Calamity in the distance.

"Zelda, listen to me," Ganondorf demanded, grabbing her by the shoulders and forcing her to look at him. The unrestrained look of terror in her eyes softened his anger, but not his resolve. "That thing isn't fully formed. But it will be soon. We need to get down there and destroy it. If we don't it will destroy your kingdom for good. All the sacrifices you and everyone else gave will be in vain. So get a grip and teleport us down there."

The fear on Zelda's face melted and was replaced by determination. But her lips still quivered as she said. "You're right. Let's finish this once and for all."

Link nodded, and the three of them joined hands. With a steadying breath, Zelda began to glow and they disappeared.

Ganondorf blinked the light out of his eyes. Their appearance had gained the attention of the enormous boar-like creature. Golden eyes swiveled towards them, each nearly the size of a hylian. It opened its mouth and roared, a thunderous sound that echoed throughout the entire kingdom. Birds took flight and the trees hundreds of feet away shook from the force of the bellow. But the three warriors stood strong, a golden wall protecting them from its might.

A purple light shone from the Calamity's mouth. Ganondorf's eyes widened and he shouted, "Scatter!" just as an indigo ray of destruction raged towards them. Ganondorf teleported to one side of the Calamity and Link raced away. Zelda stood tall, bracing herself in golden light as the Calamity's attack crashed into her. For a few moments, she was little more than a speck of light under an onslaught of cackling power. But the amaranthine laser faded, revealing Zelda, bathed in golden light, unharmed.

The earth around her did not fare so well. Anything living had been annihilated. The violet beam had erased grass and trees alike, carving a blackened row into the field. Small amethyst flames burned along the edges of the scorched earth. Zelda had managed to shield herself, but twin paths of destruction reached beyond her, cutting a swath into Hyrule Field, scarring the land far behind her.

Link wasted no time, unsheathing the Master Sword and swinging it in wide arcs, sending beams of navy energy flying at the enormous creature. They hit the creature in the face, bright flashes appearing wherever they connected. But the Calamity only flinched slightly, batting a flaming purple ear the size of a small house.

When it turned its massive head to face Link, Ganondorf struck. Sinking down into the reserves of his magic, Ganondorf summoned as much power as he could hold at once. Lightning cackled in his fingertips, coursing through his body. His eyes smoldered with power, and with a fierce cry, Ganondorf unleashed himself on the Calamity. Torrents of lightning crashed into the Calamity, sizzling over its entire, colossal frame. The Calamity roared, staggering a step. Ganondorf roared his fury, unleashing burst after burst of crackling energy.

At first, the Calamity had withered against Ganondorf's attack. But after the initial torrent, it slowly turned its head towards him, golden eyes flaring with rage. A purple light began to glow in its chest. Ganondorf ended his assault, the light fading from his eyes just as the Calamity opened its mouth to spew its raging energy at him.

Ganondorf teleported out of the way of the beam. He stumbled as he reappeared, the earth trembling from the force of the laser the Calamity had shot at him. It only lasted a moment for the Calamity to realize its prey was no longer in its sights, and the stream vanished. It's golden eyes swept across the ground, glaring spitefully at the green grass as it searched for its prey.

It was distracted by a golden explosion that crashed into its hide. Zelda floated above it, Divine balls of light growing around her. She had her eyes closed and hands clasped together as if she were praying. An aura of light surrounded her, the Divine power radiating into the night. Suddenly, her eyes flashed open and her power pulsed, sending beams of golden light flying down on the Calamity. The Calamity roared, but whether it was in anger or pain Ganondorf couldn't tell.

Once Zelda's barrage ended, the Calamity huffed, hot air spewing from its nostrils. Then it bellowed and pushed its front legs off the ground and brought them down with a great BOOM! Ganondorf stumbled under the vibrations that rocked the earth, falling to his knees. The Calamity didn't waste its opportunity, whipping its head around to glare at Link, who had fared no better than him. A purple glow appeared in the Calamity's breast, and before Link had a chance to recover, the Calamity fired its laser at him.

The only thing that saved him from becoming a hollowed corpse was Zelda, flying in on a ray of light and standing in front of him, shielding him from the onslaught. But it was taking its toll on her. Even from a distance, Ganondorf could see how the light flickered under the Calamity's death ray. This time, the Calamity did not let up. The violet tide that roared from the Calamity's mouth did not cease, only growing stronger and more violent as the beast sensed the Princess' weakness.

Ganondorf snarled, hurling a fireball at the monster's face. It's flaming ear twitched, but it continued its assault on his sister. Ganondorf snapped his wrist, creating a whip made of flames. Throwing out his fist, the whip rolled out, extending far past its original length and wrapping around the Calamity's tusk. With a cry, Ganondorf pulled on the whip, his feet digging into the soft earth below him.

The Calamity didn't budge, but the beam faltered somewhat and its golden eyes flickered to him before returning to his sister. Ganondorf growled, summoning all of his strength. He groaned, heaving on the rope of flame with all his might. But still the Calamity would not budge.

Enough of this. Ganondorf's mouth tightened into a snarl, sending arcs of lightning through his fiery whip and into the Calamity's body. At the same time, Ganondorf created several lances of ice and sent them flying at the Calamity's head. They pierced it's skull and dug deep into its head. The Calamity roared in surprise, finally giving up its assault on his sister. The purple ray of destruction sputtered out of existence, and Ganondorf saw Zelda swoon and fall. But his focus was shifted when the Calamity's eyes, burning with fury, swung towards him.

"Oh shit," Ganondorf muttered, teleporting away just in time to avoid being vaporized. Ganondorf continued lobbing fireballs, lightning, and spears of ice at the Calamity, keeping it distracted while Link helped Zelda to her feet. Once she was up, Ganondorf blasted as much ice magic as he could muster at the Calamity's front two feet, trapping it in place. It wailed in frustration and he teleported to where Link and Zelda stood.

Link was holding Zelda up while she clutched her head, leaning into him. Link looked at him, concerned. The Calamity roared behind him, struggling in its bonds.

"We need a plan," Ganondorf stated. "Hitting it again and again just isn't getting us anywhere."

"I agree," Zelda said, pulling herself upright. "I'll go high, you two go low. Our combined power should hopefully put this beast down."

Ganondorf shook his head. "That won't work. A coordinated assault is a good idea, but would be ineffective against something this size. We don't have the firepower for it."

"Well there's nothing else we can do!" Zelda shouted, punctuated by a tremendous roar from behind.

"Yes there is. Zelda, you need to draw its fire. You're its biggest threat, it will put all its attention on you if you let it. Keep it's fire facing to the north and west, and skyward if you're able. If one of those lasers goes rogue and hits a settlement, there's no telling how much damage it will do."

Zelda's face reddened, obviously upset she hadn't thought of the casualty to her people.

"Link, you look for weak spots. The Calamity's intelligent, but not that bright. It only has one weapon besides its sheer size. With its attention on Zelda, you should have free reign to hit wherever you think might work. The Master Sword should cause enough damage to expose weak spots but not enough to warrant the Calamity's attention."

Link nodded, the clarity in his eyes telling Ganondorf he saw the logic in Ganondorf's plan.

"I'll play the support role. My magic isn't as effective towards the Calamity, but I can get its attention if necessary. If Zelda starts looking overwhelmed or it turns its gaze on Link, I'll get you out of there and then we can rethink. Got it?"

Link looked towards Zelda for her approval, and Zelda looked towards Link, a small frown on her face. Link gave her a nod of encouragement and Zelda turned back to Ganondorf. "Alright. Let's do it."

Ganondorf flinched at the sound of ice shattering, followed by a triumphant roar. Zelda's golden aura flared, and she rocketed into the sky. Link gave Ganondorf a nod before racing towards the Calamity. Ganondorf looked around for a vantage point, finding one in the Sheikah Tower Zelda had summoned with her Sheikah Slate. Ganondorf knelt on the edge of the tower, looking out at the sight before him.

Zelda was performing excellently, zipping around the Calamity, blasting it with spheres and rays of light. The Calamity bellowed in frustration, retaliating with its own energy beam. Zelda dodged around it, slashing the Calamity with her Divine power. The Calamity tried again and again to knock Zelda out of the sky, but Zelda was too fast for it. She kept herself above the flaming purple boar, the majority of its lasers flying harmlessly overhead.

Link was playing his part well too. Staying beneath the Calamity as much as he could, he swung the Master Sword at what would normally be the tendons. The blade flashed blue upon every strike, carving large gauges in the trunk-like legs. But they never seemed to affect the Calamity. Even the young Hylians blue sword beams aimed at the monster's stomach, chest and throat failed to elicit a reaction from the Calamity.

As the first rays of dawn started climbing over the horizon, Link retreated from the underbelly of the Calamity, waving frantically at Ganondorf. Ganondorf instantly teleported to his side. "What is it?"

Link mimicked a swirling motion, and Ganondorf complied, summoning a tornado under his feet. Link unfurled his paraglider and rode the wind upward, above the Calamity. Ganondorf followed, teleporting into the sky and creating a sheet of ice beneath him. He didn't trust himself to sustain a whirlwind strong enough to carry him.

Link headed down towards the head of the Calamity, in between the twin trails of violet flame that burned down its spine. Link pointed a finger at the Malice-filled spot. It took a second for Ganondorf to comprehend what he wanted, but once he realized it he blanched. This kid was insane, Ganondorf admired.

Ganondorf aimed his hand at the small area and blasted a streak of ice on the Malice. Link wasted no time, letting go of the paraglider and landing on the sheet of ice and began sliding down it. In the same motion, he unsheathed the Master Sword and dug it deep into the Malice, dragging it down the Calamity's back, opening a long slit.

The Calamity howled in pain, throwing its head back and staggering. Link pulled the glowing blade from the Calamity's form and leaped up, grabbing hold of his paraglider which had continued flying without him. Ganondorf waved his hand, sending a gust of wind to boost him away from the thrashing Calamity.

Zelda did not waste this opportunity. Spheres of light appeared alongside her and flew at the Calamity's flailing form, even as more light gathered in her hands. With a shout of defiance, Zelda erupted, firing a ray of light at the monster. It slammed into the beast, even as her light spheres continued to bombard it. The Calamity roared again, its legs buckling before finally collapsing to the ground.

Zelda lowered her hands, ending her assault. The Calamity didn't move. Zelda descended back to the ground. "Is it...over?"

In that instance, the ground rumbled and a gigantic leg rose from the ground. Link mock glared at Zelda as if to say, you jinxed it. The Calamity dragged itself to its feet, its golden eyes flaring in fury. But as it rose to its full height, they saw what Link had done. In that area that had previously been coated in Malice, an enormous, red eye glared at them. It blinked, Malice flowing over the eye and retreating just as fast. The Calamity threw its head back and roared once more, the sound reverberating throughout the empty field. Ganondorf summoned his trident, the black spear cracking like thunder as it appeared in his hand. Link swung the Master Sword in an arc and raised it in a defensive position while Zelda summoned her Divine might, her golden aura only strengthened by the rays of sunshine that were edging up over the Lanayru mountains.

There was no need for words. Even though Ganondorf hadn't been a part of this group for long, they were already like family to him. Zelda actually was. She flew up into the sky, and Ganondorf knew she was readying herself to bombard the Calamity to provide an opening for them to distract it while she made the final blow. Link raced forward alongside him, weapons drawn and ready to strike. They would switch sides when the Calamity attacked them, each attacking a different leg to try and make an opening for Zelda.

The Calamity growled as they charged at it, opening its mouth and breathing a stream of purple destruction at them. As predicted, Ganondorf and Link cut in front of one another, dodging out of the way of the indigo beam. Confused by their switch, the Calamity ended its assault, only to be attacked from above by Zelda, who showered the beast in golden shafts of light. The Calamity screeched, firing a violet ray up at her. It's focus once again on the sky, the two warriors continued their attack on the Calamity. Link reached the Calamity first, stabbing the Master Sword into the beast's leg. He twisted the blade and sprinted around the leg, leaving a searing crevice in the thick Malice coated limb. Once he had returned to his original position, he performed a spin attack, cleaving the hoof clean off the Calamity's leg.

The Calamity roared in pain and shock, staggering back. Two golden and one massive red eyes glared down at him with utter hatred. But before it could retaliate, Ganondorf appeared in front of it, throwing balls of fire at its golden eyes. It howled in anger, but Ganondorf wasn't finished. He blasted sheets of ice over the golden irises, then teleported in front of the Calamity's head and plunged his trident into the beast's nose and fired a blast of energy into it.

The Calamity growled in annoyance and shook his head, throwing Ganondorf to the ground. Ganondorf landed on his feet, feet digging into the earth as he skidded back. The ice around the Calamity's eyes shattered and it immediately went on the offense, spraying purple death at Ganondorf. Ganondorf teleported out of the way, only to have to warp away once again when the Calamity sprayed it at his new position. They played this game of cat and mouse for a minute until the Calamity ended its assault, huffing out a breath of steaming air.

But it was too late. Zelda, backed by the light of the rising sun, held something in her hand. It was hard to make out under the brilliance, but after nearly blinding himself, Ganondorf realized it was a bow made of sacred light. She aimed the golden arrow at the Calamity's exposed eye, and shot it.

The golden arrow rocketed through the morning sky, like a star falling from the heavens. The Calamity's golden eyes widened with something like terror right before the shaft of light collided with its skull. There was a flash of brilliance and the Calamity groaned. But when the light cleared, Malice rolled back revealing an unscathed, furious eye.

So Link had damaged it, but not enough to where it couldn't defend itself. If they were going to win, they needed a way to keep that eye open long enough for Zelda to finish it off.

Seven Heroines give him strength. If he was going to do this, he was as reckless as Link.

As the Calamity was still reeling, Ganondorf teleported directly above it, creating an ice platform and keeping it suspended in the air. The bulbous red eye flashed to him, rage filling its stare. Ganondorf spun his trident and aimed it downwards, funneling the strongest energy blast he could muster. The eye blinked, thick Malice covering the eye. "Get ready Zelda!" Ganondorf yelled as he ended the assault. As the Malice retreated, Ganondorf splayed out his hand, ice forming on his fingertips. When the eye was entirely exposed, Ganondorf threw ice at the rim of the eye, freezing the Malice and preventing it from advancing.

The Calamity roared and bucked, trying to shatter the ice Ganondorf had created. But he kept up the pressure, sending more ice magic to reinforce what he had made. He could feel the Calamity's power thrashing against him, and he knew he wouldn't hold out much longer. The Calamity's golden eyes widened with fear, and the thrashing increased tenfold. Ganondorf smirked, knowing it was too late.

A golden arrow whizzed by Ganondorf's face. He could feel the Divine magic throbbing as it passed, the air thrumming with power. The shaft of light pierced the Calamity's eye straight through the pupil, continuing its path of destruction downward, cutting a hole through the center of the Calamity. The beam pierced all the way through the Calamity's form, only ending its path of destruction when it slammed into the earth below.

The Calamity howled in agony, swaying back and forth. It struggled to stay upright, its legs buckling and screeching one final cry before collapsing with a thunderous BOOM. Purple smoke rose and started dissipating from the beast, the body shrinking away. After a few minutes, the Calamity was entirely gone, erased under the light of the dawn.

The three warriors gathered, each breathing heavily. The battle had been long and taxing. None of them had made it out without a scratch.

But they had made it out.

Zelda started first. It was a choked noise, barely more than a chortle. But she didn't stop, and it grew into a laugh. It was an incredible sound, light and airy, like a summer breeze on a lazy river. She laughed so hard tears started streaming from her eyes and she had to kneel to keep herself upright.

Surprisingly, it was Link who joined her next. His started out with a grin that reached far above his eyes. Then it grew into a chuckle, a rumbling sound like that of a snoring Hinox. And then he exploded into laughter. His laugh was deep and rich, a majestic elm tree in an ancient forest. Link wheezed, placing a hand on Zelda's shoulder to stay standing.

Ganondorf joined them last, sniggering to himself. But it was hard to repel the amusement he felt. Ganondorf gave in, throwing his head back in a roar of laughter. Ganondorf snatched up the other two in a bear hug, crushing them in his grasp. Zelda let out a "Yeep!" and Link nearly tore out his throat, but after a moment they were all laughing again.

They had done it. The Calamity was no more. They were free. A long, dreadful year of trial and torment was finally over.

They had survived. The sun was rising. It was over.