The Legend of Zelda, its characters and locations are all property of Nintendo. Any and all OCs and original locations belong to me unless specifically stated to belong to someone else.
The Voice
Chapter 88 – Do You Remember Me at All?
It was an exhausted, beaten Hero that materialised outside the Castle Town gates, appearing in a flash of golden light that could be seen for miles. He remained standing for a moment before his strength left him, and he sank to his knees.
Sheik was...he'd...
"Wh-Why'd you c-come?" Link muttered quietly. "You w-weren't supposed t-to be there..."
He dropped the Master Sword into the bloody mud that covered the broken cobbles of the road, covering his face with his hands, his scream muffled.
Link...
Zelda's voice was careful, almost hesitant. He wanted nothing more than to ignore her. Why couldn't she give him some time? He'd just lost Sheik, because that fucking idiot just couldn't follow orders for one damned second!
And Link couldn't even be properly angry with him because Sheik had saved his damned life! Again!
It was just further proof that Link was no Hero. The only one who ever made it out of these battles was him—everyone else died. The Master Sword had chosen the worst possible wielder for her, and Link wanted nothing more than to go back to that day and refuse to take it.
You should've chosen someone else, he thought. All I do is destroy.
Link! Please!
"What?!" Link shouted, staring up at the sky, now covered in dour and grey clouds, tinged with purple. "What is it now?!"
Ganon...
Ahead, out on the Hyrule Fields, something was happening. Something was shining with Malice, garish and eye-searing. A swirling cloud of it, slowly growing. Link watched it turn into veritable tornado of Malice energy, higher than the tallest tower of Hyrule Castle. As it grew taller and wider, Link swore he could see movement within the swirling clouds. Like...tusks, a snout, huge eyes.
Ganon was born out of a dark past, Zelda spoke within his head. He is a pure embodiment of the ancient evil that is reborn time and time again...
A massive head moved within the clouds, mouth wide.
Link stared, horrified. Wasn't the fight underground supposed to be it? How much more would it take for Ganon to be destroyed? Reborn time and time again? What was even the point of fighting, then, if it would just come back?!
A giant, hoofed trotter stepped out of the cloud, shaking the foundations of Hyrule with the impact. No flesh, nothing alive. Just Malice in the shape of a foot. It was followed by another, and then the gigantic head rose from the top of the swirling miasma, taking the shape of a demonic boar, something that had no place existing in this world.
He has given up on reincarnation, Zelda said. And assumed his pure, enraged form. If set free upon our world, the destruction will be unlike anything ever seen before.
Ganon reared up, mouth opening in a roar that was surely heard all over Hyrule, its back erupting with purple flames. Its feet hit the ground so hard the tremors nearly knocked Link over, despite his already prone position.
Link watched the horrific display, breathing heavily. What...what was he even supposed to do against that? What could he possibly hope to accomplish when all he had to his name was the Master Sword—his other equipment lay scattered all over the underground chamber!
He was tired.
So tired.
Link...please don't give up. We are so close.
"I d-don't have anything l-left to fight with," he said, rising slowly to his feet, watching the avatar of pure evil stomping across the fields in the distance, the sky slowly darkening more and more as lighting tore across it.
It was the end of days, if Ganon wasn't stopped.
I have a gift for you, Zelda spoke, as golden light erupted just above him. Something fell towards him, bright and shining. I entrust you with the Bow of Light—a powerful weapon in the face of evil.
Reflexively, he held out his hand, and the object landed gently within his palm. A golden bow, the inside of its crescent a swirling, roiling sea of golden waves manifested, a shining string that didn't even appear real holding it together. Warmth filled Link's being upon touching it, strength flowing into him. He felt like he could breathe again, somewhat. But even with a bow, he had no arrows, how could he...?
He pulled on the string, and the ghostly shape of an arrow appeared between his fingers, shining stronger and stronger the further he drew it back.
"F-Fucking magic," he muttered, wondering what Sheik would have to say about this.
Sheik...
Could he even do this? Did he have the conviction, the courage, the sheer will to go into the breach once again, against this monster? He wasn't sure. How would he even get there, there was nothing—
A snort, and something soft but firm bumped into the back of his head. Link whirled around, coming face to face with a familiar set of nostrils. He looked up. Maladict's dark eyes met his own, the horse having snuck up on him somehow.
Or maybe he'd already been there, waiting.
How he'd survived the destruction of the allied camp, Link didn't know, but then he felt like he had never really understood Maladict. Like there was something far more to his mount than he let on.
Maladict snorted again, bumping Link's chin with his muzzle, as if prodding him in impatience.
"E-Eager, huh?" Link asked, reaching out to pet him gently between the eyes, the way Maladict liked it. His huge eyes closed, then opened, and there seemed to be more than just trust in them. There was...determination. "Y-You want t-to face that?" Link asked, pointing to the gigantic boar. "Y-You sure?"
Maladict snorted, pushing Link towards his back with his strong neck. Link could take a hint.
He'd do it. He'd ride into battle one last time. He'd give everything he had to finish off Ganon once and for all, no matter the cost. Whatever happened next...would happen. Maybe he'd get to see Sheik again quickly. He'd probably yell at Link for not taking his time, but Link wouldn't care.
Shaking his head, Link picked up the Master Sword from where he'd left it on the ground. She was silent, though her blade still glowed faintly. He sheathed her and made to climb onto Maladict's back when someone shouted his name.
"Link!"
Turning, Link's eyes widened when he saw a large group of soldiers of the allied army gathered at the gates. At the front stood the new Champions. They all looked weathered and beaten, covered in innumerable wounds...but they were all alive, all of them.
Sidon was at the front, giving him a huge grin, fist clenched in a show of support.
"You can do it!" he shouted. "I believe in you! We all believe in you! Finish the job!"
"Come on, brother, goro!" Yunobo added. "Smash it to pieces, goro!"
"You're not done yet?" Riju shouted, sounding impatient. "Come on, we've got other stuff to do, you know!"
"And be careful!" Teba, ever the level-headed Champion, finished.
The soldiers all added their own encouragements, their voices rising as one into a cacophony of support. Link felt his eyes water a little but banished the tears with another shake of his head as he grabbed hold of Maladict's mane with his free hand and pulled himself up and onto the horse's back. He looked back, his eyes meeting Sidon's.
Sidon...
How would Link ever break the news to him?
He deserved to know. Deserved to know how Sheik...what he'd accomplished. He deserved to hear it from Link, in person. Sidon's gaze was filled with love, and Link wanted nothing more than to be by his side right now. By all their sides. His friends, his family.
Maybe...death could wait.
For a little while, at least.
He raised the hand holding the bow in acknowledgement, the divine metal shining bright, to which their voices rose even higher.
Link...you may not be at a point where you have fully recovered your power, or all of your memories, Zelda said. But courage need not be remembered.
Maladict reared up, setting off towards Ganon with thundering hooves, to the backdrop of a cheering crowd at his back, and Zelda's voice in his head.
For it is never forgotten.
The wind rushed past, whistling in his ears as Link tore across the Hyrule Field on Maladict's back, leaving the bloody, muddy battlefield behind, trees rushing past as the air grew thicker and thicker, as the Malice was poisoning it. One hand gripping the bow tightly, the other holding on to Maladict's mane, legs clamped around the horse's middle, hoping to Hylia he wouldn't suddenly buck Link off.
In the distance, Ganon roared and stomped around, lightning striking the ground around it, fires beginning to burn. Any horse would be sceptical at best to approach such a sight, but Maladict didn't seem to care, heading straight for the enemy without a care, breathing heavily, easily avoiding every obstacle in their way.
As they came closer and closer, the bow seemed to shine brighter. A great weapon in the face of Evil...well, it was about to prove its worth.
The shine seemed to gain Ganon's attention, its tusked head turning towards them. It roared, eyes shining and burning with hatred. Link found himself glaring right back.
You killed him, he thought. And now I'm going to kill you.
Ganon turned its entire body to face them, feet overturning trees and crushing ruined buildings beneath them. A ball of Malice-tinged light began to gather between its tusks, growing larger and larger as it seemed to draw energy from the air around it.
"R-Ready, boy?" he asked Maladict.
Maladict snorted extra loud.
The ball of light erupted into a beam that cut clear across the field, burning the ground it touched, rapidly approaching Link and Maladict. At the last second, Maladict turned aside at a sharp angle, the beam missing them by inches, so close Link felt the heat of it on the side of his face.
And they were clear, still charging. Link pulled on the bow's string, arrow manifesting as a shining rod, its tip a burning crescent. It looked like it would hurt.
Link hoped so.
Closer and closer they got, and Ganon tried to hit them again with its beam, but Maladict dodged this one as well, an old mill behind them exploding as it was struck, sending debris and stone shrapnel flying everywhere.
"Just a l-little closer," Link said, straightening up on Maladict's back. They were so close now, forced to look up at Ganon. Link aimed between its eyes. "Th-This is for Sheik," he said, letting go of the string.
The arrow shot off fast as lightning, a shining star of a projectile, striking Ganon right in its face, where it exploded in a shower of sparks.
It hardly seemed to do anything other than cause Ganon to momentarily flinch before turning its attention back to Link and Maladict, charging another beam.
"Shit!" Link cursed, pulling on Maladict's mane, turning him aside so they weren't about to ride directly into the tempest of Malice energy that still swirled around Ganon. "What now?!"
That energy covering Ganon's body is called Malice. None of your attacks will get through as he now is, Zelda spoke to him.
Oh, good, could've used that information a moment ago, Link thought bitterly.
I will hold the Malice back as much as I can, but my power is waning, Link. I will show you where he is weak. Attack where you see it.
"S-See it?" Link asked. "S-See what?!"
May you be victorious!
Maladict's hooves tore up the ground as they rode around Ganon in a wide circle, the monster not able to turn to face them as quickly at such close range. Link kept his gaze on the boiling surface of Ganon's body, trying to spot whatever the hell weak point Zelda had promised to show him.
There!
Through the purple flames, beneath what passed for flesh on the boar's body, something was shining. Golden light, suppressed by the Malice, but visible as tiny pinpricks. Link drew an arrow and released it. Ganon tried to shift, to get out the way, but it was far too big and slow, and the arrow struck true. Once more, it exploded in a shower of light and sparks, but this time Ganon's body shuddered, the giant roaring in agony.
Yes, that's it, Link!
Ganon's body twisted suddenly, and its tail went sweeping across the landscape, directly towards him and Maladict. Link froze. There was no way they could duck or dodge or—
Maladict whinnied and galloped faster, heading for an upturned log propped up against a huge rock.
"Uh...Mal—"
Maladict ignored his feeble tugs on his mane, clattering up the log, onto the rock, jumping off just as the tail came sweeping towards them, smashing it all to bits.
But not them. Maladict's jump brought them just above the tail's height, passing above it with inches to spare, and then they were over it, falling.
Link couldn't help it, he screamed as the ground rapidly approached them, expecting to be squashed as they hit it.
Except it was just like touching down from any jump. Link's spine felt like it was about to pop out of his back from the force of their landing, but Maladict just continued to run, not even needing a moment to recover from the monumental jump.
"Wh-What are you?!" Link asked, panting.
Maladict didn't answer, and now Link doubted it was just because he was a horse.
Frankly, he wasn't sure if he wanted to know the nature of the beast. As long as he remained on Link's side, he supposed it didn't really matter.
Ganon's spin put it off-balance, easily letting Link and Maladict circle to its other side, riding along its right flank, looking for another sign.
"Zelda, another!" Link shouted, not sure if the princess could hear him or not.
...here!
Ganon's side lit up, just behind its forelimb, where it connected to the rest of its body. Maladict sped up without Link's input, heading straight for it, his path stable enough for Link to get a good line of sight.
"Take this!" Link screamed, loosing another arrow, which exploded just as violently, nearly tearing the limb off, the Malice bending and undulating uncomfortably, the leg momentarily stopping its movement as Ganon tried to regain its balance.
It fired off its beam again, but the shot went wide, obliterating a copse of trees instead. Flaming bits of wood rained down on them as they circled back to Ganon's front.
Where was the next weak spot? Link tried to spot it, but there were no lights anywhere, just more Malice. Lightning struck the ground directly ahead of them, and Maladict adjusted his course to the left...heading right for Ganon's face.
"Uh, Mal..." Link said. "Wh-Where are w-we going?!"
Maladict snorted, adjusting his course again so they were heading right for Ganon this time.
Okay, so now his horse wanted him dead. Link wasn't sure how to feel about that.
Link, underneath!
Oh.
Fantastic.
The monster's mouth opened in a shriek, abnormally wide, like it was about to swallow them. Its maw pulsed with purple miasma, roiling with hatred. It was more of Ganon's insides than Link had ever wanted to see.
On impulse, he drew another arrow and fired directly into its gullet. Its eyes widened just barely, and its mouth closed just as the arrow exploded, causing ripples to run along its outside, shock waves throwing its 'flesh' around like the world's most disgusting jelly. It threw its head back, clearly not expecting the explosion from within, the path between its legs now clear.
"Go!" Link shouted, clinging to Maladict as they raced under Ganon. Above, the surface of its underbelly looked like a starry sky, so many lights guiding Link to his target.
He couldn't help but grin as he fired arrow after arrow, each impact causing Ganon more and more pain, more and more agony. He wanted it to suffer as much as he had, as much as everyone had.
It had the intended effect—the Malice grew more unstable with each arrow, losing more and more of its shape, sagging and evaporating as Ganon's weak spots were obliterated by the light.
But it wasn't helpless by any means. One of its hind legs lifted as high as it could go, coming down with earth-shattering force, the ground beneath it splitting open, forming a deep ravine that they barely avoided falling into, Maladict jumping across the widening crevice just in time.
It was working, it was really working. Maladict raced up a small hill, putting some distance between them, coming up on Ganon's left side. It was struggling to keep itself together now, its head hanging low, legs no longer moving, tail dangling uselessly off its hindquarters.
Link tightened his grip on the bow. Just a little more now, and it would be over. Just a little more.
He kept his eyes peeled, but no more weak spots appeared, Ganon's surface continually morphing and shifting, but never lighting up in anything but fluorescent Malice. One of its tusks lost its form entirely, falling to the ground with another earth-shattering crash, dissipating into smoke that quickly faded away.
Link, we're so close!
"I can't see it!"
Look up there! On his back!
Up there, past the fiery tempest on its back, something gold shimmered. At the very top, hidden, was the final weak spot, the one that would hopefully take it down for good. Link drew an arrow and fired.
Ganon shifted, the arrow exploding harmlessly against a piece of its hardened skin. He tried again, but this one didn't strike true, flying off into air, obscured by the thick clouds. Two more arrows, same result. He couldn't hit it, the target was at an impossibly angle this close to the ground, and Ganon kept moving out of the way. He needed to get higher, but his paraglider had been destroyed in the underground chamber.
Was this how it'd end?
That's the very core of Ganon's being! Do what you must, Link!
"I'm trying!" he cried out. "I can't hit it!"
You must, Link, or all will be lost!
"I know!"
Ganon's beam was charging up again, its head turning just as it activated. It cut a horizontal swathe across the landscape, setting everything on fire.
An idea struck Link. He was out of options at this point, and he could only hope it would work. That they could hear him.
I know I have no right to ask this of you, he thought as he moved.
He adjusted his weight, pulling his legs up so he was kneeling on top of Maladict's back.
But I really need your help, one last time. One final effort, and you can rest.
The beam cut closer and closer, about to strike them. Link kneeled on Maladict's back, putting every bit of strength he into his legs...and jumped!
Time seemed to slow down. Below, the beam cut through the air where Link's body had been a moment before, Maladict disappear in the bright lights.
He rose into the air, but gravity soon had its claws in him, and he wondered if he was too late. If they were already gone. He began to drop, the shining point on Ganon's back disappearing from view.
Then, warmth encased him on all sides, ghostly green light shining. Eyes in the green, warm and caring. His fall was stopped, and instead he began to rise. Quickly, and greatly.
As if we'd let you fall, little guy, Daruk said, laughing.
I might as well give you a taste of what it is to truly fly, Revali teased.
Fly, Link, for all of Hyrule, Mipha said.
Finish it, kid, Urbosa said. And set us free.
Higher and higher, Link rose into the air, until he could see the bright, shining light on Ganon's back. It was still a tricky shot, but now...now the angle was right.
"Thank you," he said, smiling. "All of you."
Let me help, Zelda said, and the light on Ganon's back grew brighter still, so bright it hurt to look at. Too bright for Ganon, even. It howled in agony, the 'flesh' of its back splitting open to reveal its innards, and Link could only gasp at what he saw within. More Malice, swirling, madness, and a gigantic, hateful eye burning with rage. Its gaze met Link's, and for a moment, a tiny little blink in the eyes of time, he felt it.
He felt Ganon. He felt its fear. It was afraid of dying but refused to give up. It knew its end was coming, and if Zelda's words were true, it knew it would not come back.
Surrounded by his friends, bolstered by their courage, Link drew one last arrow, looked Ganon in the eye, and said, "It's over," before letting go.
It struck like a lightning bolt. Ganon's eye exploded in a shower of Malice and miasma, its body shaking and trembling, feet stamping in its death throes. Something incredibly bright shot out of the wound, into the air, hovering above the battlefield, quietly shining.
Ganon's boar eyes widened, staring up at the light, fearful.
Now we'll see what she can do, Urbosa's voice said as Link felt himself being lowered to the ground gently by the Champions. At the same time, the hovering ball of light also dropped to the ground. Within the shimmering orb, Link thought he could see the outline of a person.
A girl.
Long, blonde hair. White dress fluttering in the wind. Hands folded, like in prayer.
Link's feet hit the ground the same time as hers, the light dispersing to reveal Princess Zelda, her back turned, facing Ganon, back ramrod straight. Divine light shimmered around her, growing brighter once more. Ganon roared, eyes panicked, its body dissolving to something akin to a pillar of smoke, shooting upwards, trying to escape.
Zelda raised her hand, and Link swore he heard her voice.
"No."
Ganon's ascent was halted, its body encased in a gigantic, blowing orb. It thrashed and screamed, slamming against the walls of its prison, but there was no escape. Slowly, Zelda's fingers closed, her hand forming into a fist. At the same time, the orb shrank, trapping Ganon in a smaller and smaller enclosure until it was about the size of a house.
Then, the inside exploded. It began as a little pinprick of light within the swirling malice, then expanded into a tempest within the orb, divine retribution in action. Within the light, Link saw the Triforce, the symbol of Hylia...and Zelda's revenge.
The light surpassed the Malice, and the orb shrank even more as Zelda tightened her fist, until it was no more than a pinprick of light that winked out of existence.
And thus ended Ganon.
Link's feet moved on their own, the world unbearably loud yet insufferably quiet at the same time, the grass crunching beneath his boots. Closer and closer, Zelda's back grew bigger until he was only a few paces away.
Above, the dark clouds dispersed, shafts of sunlight breaking through, bathing the fields around them in gold.
Link opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Zelda was the first to break the silence.
"I've been keeping watch over you all this time." Her voice was so quiet, gentle. Almost like she was afraid of raising it. "I've witnessed your struggles to return to us, as well as your trials in battle." She paused. "I always thought—no, I always believed—that you would find a way to defeat Ganon. I never lost faith in you over these many years..."
She turned, and Link was hit by a sense of nostalgia and recognition so strong it made his heart skip a beat. Her face was exactly as he remembered it in the fragments of his memories. Smile soft, hands folded again as she looked at him.
"Thank you, Link...the Hero of Hyrule."
And for once, the title didn't sound as...unbelievable. She thought he was the Hero, with all her might.
And yet, he still found it difficult to speak. Exhaustion weighed on him like the weight of the world. Everything that had happened, everything he'd done, everything he'd lo...lost.
Zelda breathed out a quiet sigh, not looking any better than Link felt.
"May I ask..." she said, making him look up at her. "Do you remember me at all?"
He couldn't help but grin. "Y-Yeah," he said. "I do."
The next he knew, the ground was approaching quickly, the grass bracing his fall as the world faded away around him, darkness claiming him. In front of him, a white-clad, golden-haired form also fell.
Exhaustion had taken them both.
It was time to rest.