"So that's how we got to this moment. We've lost much in these last two months, but I believe by being together, we managed to not lose our will." Oren dips her feet into the cool river that divides East Hyrule from the grassy plains just north of the Death Mountain range. With Old Kasuto nearby (and the ghost town purged of its apparitions), the Resistance takes rest there en route to Saria. Tomorrow evening, they will be on the outskirts of Saria. Tonight, she sits with her reunited sister, Mipha, the Queen of the Zoras.
"You and your friends are amazing, Oren. Not just Link and Zelda, but Ralph, Hilda, Ravio...all of you. You must really make your predecessors proud."
"I don't know. First, we have to win this for them." Oren takes hold of the trident at her side and dips it in the water. Picturing the river dividing at her feet, the trident grants her wish, exposing the grainy riverbed. "Our plan must work. If we are to win, everything must go to plan."
2 hours earlier
"I...do not like being here," Ravio says with a shake in his voice and his body. Settling in Old Kasuto for the night, for 99.9 percent of the Resistance is fine with it, but for the man who once fought a multitude of Poes here, it is reliving a nightmare. Naturally, he stands closest to the door of the building the four sages, Queen Mipha, Kafei, Daruk, Maz Koshia, and Maka stand in whilst Hilda finishes the spell to project the returned Princess Zelda and Link. Only Riju is currently absent as she heads to Nabooru with Ganondorf to rally the Bulblins.
"Suck it up, Ravio," Ralph says. "Once we're done talking, you can go piss yourself." Hilda steps back as the projection spell succeeds; Link and Zelda, somewhere in the plains of Calatia, appear before them.
"Hello, everyone. I'm pleased to tell you Midna has ascended to the throne. Zant is no more, for good this time." That comes with two sighs of relief, both from the Loruleans. "In the meantime, our plan is to be modified a bit. We will not be siding with Vaati at all. Not all of us, at that."
Oren folds her arms. "What does that mean?"
"The original idea was to let Ganon and Vaati fight while we pick the spoils," Link explains. "That stays the same. Our force will hide in the forest outside of Saria. However, Zelda, Ganondorf, Midna and I will join Vaati directly. Taking our Ganon is the primary objective tomorrow, and we cannot fight two battles at once. So we'll provide the 'alliance.'"
Not a single soul counters Link's explanation, to which Ravio happily voices his opinion. "That works with me. That's actually a better plan than most we come up with. I think I prefer it when you two do the fighting against evil."
Zelda smiles while Link and the other sages roll their eyes. "Yeah, well, once Zelda gives the signal, that's the moment you join the battle. The Bulblins and the Twili might adhere to this plan, they might not, but this is what I ask of you. An arrow of light is my signal."
Ralph snickers. "I approve. But remember that I have dibs on Veran, Riju and Ganondorf have Twinrova, and...well I think Ghirahim is fair game. But how do you plan to take on Ganon, Agahnim, and...Dark?"
Hilda raises her staff. "I call the wizard. Ravio and I do have a history with freaks dressed in weird robes. And before you complain, Ravio, you are still one of us. Unless you're going to let me fight by myself."
Ravio, who was initially going to talk his way out of it, sighs in submission. "Fine."
"Actually, Your Highness," Kafei speaks, "I propose an alternative. The nine of you should join the Imperials."
Maka agrees. "As far as we know, Vaati only knows that you nine are coming. If only four of you show up, he'll be suspicious, wouldn't he? The best way we stay hidden and get the jump on him is with him never suspecting anything than the nine of your betraying him anyway."
"That's is pure speculation he doesn't already know," Maz Koshia states. "But I do agree. The less suspicion he has, the better."
Hilda sighs. "They have a point. But you're the princess here, Zel. What do you say?"
"We follow their wisdom. Very well. Sages, we shall meet again alongside Vaati. Kafei, Maka, Maz Koshia, Darunia, and Lady Mipha, I put my trust in you leading your forces."
Mipha leans back on the ground. "A plan, it is, but it is just a skeleton. How do you and your friends plan to deal with both Vaati and Ganon simultaneously?"
Oren snorts. "When do we ever have a plan that works? Death Mountain was simply to be a rescue mission, yet we had to fight Zant and take down Vah Rudania. When we first came to Saria, it was a simple mission that...we let Ralph plan out. There was Onox too. Rauru was supposed to be a somewhat difficult mission to grab the Triforce, yet that went to hell rather quickly. The battle of Darunia suffered the same fate at the end." Taking the Trident of Poseidon out the water, Oren stands up and stares up to the moon. "Terrible fates we have suffered in this war, but we're used to our plans going haywire. Somehow, we always live to fight the next fight. That is our story, Mipha. We're just nine kids who somehow make a skeleton of a plan work."
Mipha stands up beside her little sister. A smile grows into a chuckle. "I see. If only we waited seven years ago until now… Maybe this nightmare would be over sooner."
"Mayor Plen. Oracle." Ralph stands up to the projection of the mayor of the capital city of Labrynna, Plen, shows up. Behind him appears Farore, the Oracle of Secrets. He bows in the presence of the latter. "Any good news?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. Through extensive research and talking with the Maku Tree, we found out what the seeds you're looking for are. They're called Mystery Seeds, and according to the Maku Tree, the Hero of Legend used them against Veran to free the Oracle of Seasons at the time."
Farore holds up a small bag. Using her other hand, she utilizes a spell that causes it to vanish. Seconds later, it appears in Ralph's hands. Testing its weight, Ralph juggles the bag lightly in his hand. "We sure these will work?"
Farore nods. "Yes, Your Majesty. The salvation of Nayru, the vengeance of Din and Labrynna's men and women… We're sorry we cannot help you any more than we have, but you're the hope of His and Her Highness. Of us all."
Ralph sighs and straps the bag to his belt. "Do not be sorry. You have served me well. It is I who should be apologizing. Labrynna's involvement is my fault. Yes, my mother sent me here as informal support, but it was me who informally joined Labrynna into the war. All of this is because of me, so I alone must make this right. Plen, Farore, thank you. Give the Great Tree my thanks." The projections vanish, leaving the young king alone. Sitting back in his chair, Ralph sighs as the burden he bears begins to grow on his mind. This is the first time he truly voiced his fault. He knows the attack on Labrynna was half retaliation for the fight of Clock Town and half Veran's vengeance, yet he can see his fault. That fault killed Din, got Nayru captured, and almost killed the sages back in Darunia.
"Ralph? You okay?" Looking up from his lap, Ralph sees Princess Hilda join him in the bedroom he picked out. She sits across from him on the dingy yet comfortable bed.
"I've just realized the heavy load I carry as king."
Hilda nods. "Ah, yes. Something only the two of us can relate to. It isn't necessarily a bad thing, Ralph. It made you mature."
"Did it?"
"Remember when we met? You had just arrived to the Resistance base a year ago. General Auru introduced you to Midna, Ganondorf, Ravio and I, and the first thing you did was hit on us girls. The Prince of Labrynna, the decider of whether Labrynna helps the Resistance or stays neutral...is a playboy. Heck, I remember when I first met Ganondorf and Midna not long before you arrived. I had just woken up after being transported here from Lorule, and Ravio introduced me to them. I don't know why, but somehow I knew immediately that I could trust them. Call it destiny, call it fate, it all began that day for me." Hilda snorts lightly as her hand waves through the bedsheet. "Honestly, I hated you, but you were also my friend. I miss those three years of relative peace. The five of us, it was a much simpler time. We practically lived in the same place, had the same missions, and we were a team...now we're legends. And when we win, depending on what changes in the world, either we'll be friends...or nonexistent to each other. As much as I hated you back then, I would rather know you than not. Same for Midna, Ganondorf, Zelda, Oren, and Link. I love Lorule, I want to return home, but you guys are my family."
Ralph smiles warmly as he rubs his left eye. "Wow, that's some sappy shit from the Ice Princess of Lorule. But you're right. Being king for almost a month now...hell, being the only royal in your family, it changes you, I guess. We believe saving those we love requires those people to live, but as royals, we learned that it is not that way. You saved Lorule by destroying it, Oren left her people behind to die back at Lake Hylia, Ganondorf and Midna had to destroy their own families, and I will save Nayru...even if I have to kill her. Zelda will soon learn that lesson herself if she hasn't already. It held her back at Darunia, but it cannot do so now."
"The only way she can save us all is if she realizes that we might have to die first."
The door swings open, catching the two's attention of the last Knight of Lorule. "Hey guys, why are you two talking about us dying?"
Hilda and Ralph look at each other, then laugh at Ravio's meekness. "Sir Sheerow, do you really want to know?"
"Definitely not."
"Welcome home, Ganondorf."
Ganondorf drops his vision from the painting of him and his family to the presence of Riju joining him. He sighs sorrowfully as he returns his gaze to the large artwork, resting his hands on his sisters. "Are the Bulblins ready?"
"Of course. They're loyal to you and to me." Riju stands beside Ganondorf, seeing where his hand is. She knows exactly what he's thinking...and what the upcoming battle will lead him to do. "You know...you don't have to fight her. She's just as much my family as yours."
"This war began because of me. I received a vision from Din that told me to go to the Demon in search of the Pendant of Power, but...she told me I would face many things, including my past. I thought my past was dead...yet now the last remnants of it must either turn or die. Looking back now… I wonder what would have happened if I have defeated Link back in Rauru. Or if… I waited just a moment longer in my prison. I was weak, easily swayed by our ancestor's promise. I craved power, more than what I already had. Me, Hilda, and Midna, we were the strongest, but the girls were and are still unlikely to fully unleash their power. There was no Hero, no Princess...and I am Ganon's spawn. I bet Auru believed in me because of that. So I had to get stronger. But when Calatia was attacked, I saw no point. The Resistance, no, the world was doomed...and I was weak. Gan was weak. Din was right. I craved power to defeat the Imperials, not to save the world. I was angry, vengeful, and quite frankly, ready to die."
"What changed?"
"My fight with Link. His words...they struck a chord within me."
"No, you're the fool who gave up everything just to become the pathetic man you are. The person who I heard about, the one many for years called 'Gan,' was a hero to many. You once strove to not become your ancestor, yet here you are. You swallowed him up and returned to your true name, but you are not him. The person I see… Midna would be disgusted to know that the person she loved has become the person he hated the most. Ganondorf is dead, you are right about that. You are just Ganon wearing his skin."
"Link was right. I was just Ganon wearing a different skin. Everything I had done, taking out the Yiga, heading to Rauru, I was just the body of Ganon's malice. He saved me. He who sought to kill me ended up saving me. You did so too, you know. Had we not met again, I would've…been much worse." Finally looking away from the painting, Ganondorf turns to Riju, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Thank you, Riju."
Riju smiles as she hugs her cousin. "You're welcome, always. But you're thanking the wrong woman, aren't you?"
"Maybe so." Releasing each other, they turn back to the large portrait. "Koume… Just like Kotake, she wanted our parents' love. I'm sure they were, but Malladus and Nabooru championed me over them, with reason. Like me, I'm sure they felt worthless and powerless. Like me, Aveil's death changed them. I blame myself, they blame me. We're the last of our family, Riju. Either we take Koume back...or she joins the rest of us." Ganondorf sighs and turns away from the painting to the opposite end of the hallway. "You sure King Bulblin is capable of our plan?"
"He must. If what you say about those machines are right, we can turn the tide in our favor."
"Are you sure this is them, Link?" Link nods as he guides Zelda to the large estate in western Calatia. They're a few miles from the capital, but the ruins can be seen from here. News has definitely reached the country of the fall of their last royal, but the country hasn't fallen to ruin as Link and Zelda would have expected. Whoever is in charge is holding everything together.
"Yes, I'm it." Link stops and faces Zelda, taking her hand. She's nervous, he can see. A family her father created in his absence, her only living relatives aside from her captured mother. Not even Impa or Sheik knew of this, and she lived with them before moving to Ordon. "Hey, you don't have to do this, you know."
"I know, but something tells me that I should know about my father's family before we fight this final battle. That is what tomorrow will bring. It won't matter if we win or lose, of course, but...it gives me more to fight for."
"Very well." The pair continues down the path to the home, Link holding a lantern high while Zelda muses her inner thoughts to herself. Impending doom holds heavy on their minds, just as it does for their friends. In two months, their life has changed dramatically. One more night, it might change forever. Either they'll live to change the world, or die at the hands of the enemy. They can only imagine what Ganon's twisted reality could be, while Vaati's might only be a slight taste of heaven compared to the latter. Fate so far hasn't been on their side and they don't expect to be so now. Hyrule's age-old war, the one alluded to by the gods, comes with a preluding tune on a harp, a song of storms from a tower, a goddess' ballad. Is it a song of cheer or a song of melancholy, no one truly knows. It will continue to play when the armies of shadow and darkness confront each other, it will play when the light intervenes, it will play until either a king, a demon, or the goddesses' chosen stands tall.
As they come at the gate of the estate, two guards, one tall and thin, the other short and lean, step forward. "Halt," the former says. "What is your business here, Hyrulean?" They're distinguishable by their pointed auricles, which only Hyrulean humans and those with the blood of Hyruleans possess. Link steps forward, drawing the Master Sword and holding it out to the guards before they raise their weapons. It confuses them momentarily, but 'Short and Lean' gasps in recognition of the sword.
"That's Sir Ordon's sword! How did you get it?"
"Sir Ordon is dead. He gifted it to me, Link Koroks of Hyrule, as I am next in line as the Hero of Legend. Behind me stands Her Majesty, Princess Zelda Hyrule." The guards look to Zelda, then drop to their knees.
Zelda, shocked by their behavior, gestures for them to get up. "No need to bow, I'm not-"
'Tall and Thin' looks up. "You don't understand, do you? We've heard of you, the daughter of Her Majesty and Sir Link. When the prince got news of it, he sent a messenger here with news of Sir Link's fall but also of his daughter's life. Lady Marin took it surprisingly well as a person could. However, with the fall of the prince and the capital in shambles, only one thing is sure; Lady Marin is, for the time being, the leader of Calatia. As far as we have investigated, she is the last of the royal line, and by being married into a powerful Calatian family in the Ordons, it makes sense she's the interim Queen of Calatia. That makes her son, Rinku, a prince, and you-"
"A princess of Calatia." Zelda, Link, and the guards face the opening gate, in which a red-headed woman walks out. She wears a light blue dress with purple and yellow edges, a red sash around her waist, and a gold chain with a ruby around her neck. Her brown eyes hold the dignity and strength of a royal, yet has the warmth of a mother. As the new queen stands in front of the Hyruleans, Zelda performs a curtsy in respect to her...stepmother while Link kneels. Marin, in turn, performs a curtsy not only to Princess Zelda but to Link as well. "You shouldn't be bowing to me, but I to you. Despite our near-equal roles, you are the Hero of Legend and the Princess of Destiny, Hylia and her Chosen Hero, the Link and Zelda. The salvation of our world, if my husband is to be believed. But we shall talk more inside."
Following Lady Marin inside leads to Link and Zelda sitting in a decorated house. This place must be the home of Marin's family, for none of the pictures depict Zelda's father. Not many servants roam the interior, but one brings a teapot and cups to the lady of the house and her Hyrulean guests as they take a seat on plush chairs in front of a lit fireplace (despite the summer weather). Marin pours her guest a cup of tea and hands it to them. "Hyrulean Herb is a delicacy here as it is in Hyrule. The same species of plant grows here and a Hyrulean smartass named it, so we can't change the name even if we wanted to. Pretentious, is it not? But that is the history of Hyrule. A pretentious land. Only Labrynna is a greater pain in the ass."
Link snorts. "You should get to know its new king."
Marin laughs. "I think not until the war is over. Speaking of that, I'm sorry that I cannot commit any more forces to your aid."
"No, no," Zelda quickly says. "I am not here to ask that. I think Calatia has suffered enough in this war. It is time Hyrule fights for itself...and that moment comes tomorrow. Why I am here concerns my father, your husband."
"You wish to know him?" Marin sips from her cup and sets it on the table between them. "Not sure what I can tell you. Him as the Hero, everyone has their version of the story, I'm sure you know the truth anyway. Him as the man, surely you've heard and seen it?"
"I only knew him for a month, around that amount of time. It's been nearly three weeks since he died, so… I don't know. Maybe I know there is to know of Link Ordon. I lived with his friends my entire life, so yes I heard stories. I guess I am looking for answers I already have, but I also found another." Zelda looks away from the fire to Marin, smiling slightly. "Before he died, he found out that my mother is still alive, a captive of Vaati. My father tortured himself with the fact that he couldn't save her, I bet he lived in anguish for years. Yet you brought him some peace. You gave him another chance at life, and for both of us, I thank you. I thought I was the only one of my blood, but in the span of two months, I have a true family. Now I have a greater reason to give my life. Not just for myself, or the people closest to me, but for my family as well."
Later that night…
Zelda stands out in the night summer breeze on the balcony outside her bedroom. She and Link have been given a shared guest quarter to spend the night in Marin's home. She figures that tomorrow is now today, the day of the final battle. Another fight she must put her fear and worries aside, another fight she must lead, a fight she must win. So much pressure on her, yet it is here fault the pressure is there. Had she not let guilt triumph over the mission, had she been willing to sacrifice her friends to save the world, they wouldn't be in this situation.
She knows what Link thinks of himself. They're both incompetent as the legendary duo. Or maybe they're just like the rest, but the stories just glorify the good of their predecessors. Imagine hearing the Hero of Time took precious time to go fishing. Almost unbelievable.
"Zelda?" Zelda turns back to the bed, seeing a half-risen, still sleeping Link. "Is everything okay? What time is it?"
"Too early in the morning for you, Link."
Link yawns while rubbing his eyes. "That's every morning, but why are you up?"
"Just thinking...if maybe you were right about yourself. How you're not the Hero. How unreasonable it seemed for me to readily accept myself as the other half of the duo while you rejected it. I guess it was because everything made sense. Impa, a Sheikah who watched over me like a hawk, and her people are the ancient protectors of the royal line. My name is one of a kind. It explains why everyone treated me like I was royalty when we were growing up. Or maybe I just wanted to believe something. Of course, I have no doubts now that I am who I am, but the responsibility… Maybe that's what scares me the most. A title is nothing but just that, but the power and responsibility that comes with it, it what you feared. What I never thought about until I fought Vaati."
She hears Link leap to his feet, taking steps to join her on the balcony. "The fight with Vaati and what happened afterward wasn't your fault."
"Yes, it was. I gave him the Triforce."
"You had no choice."
"I did!" She looks up to Link with wet eyes. The only ones who don't know the details of the truth is Link and Ganondorf (with Midna being told privately). She fears their reaction "Link… I could have done it, but he would have killed you and the others in the process. I gave it up to save you. I shouldn't have done it, Link, but I couldn't live with the guilt as he said."
Link steps back, completely shocked. "You told us, told me that you had no choice but to give up the Triforce of Wisdom. But that was why? You lied to us?"
"Just to you and Ganondorf."
"So everyone but us?" Link looks to the outside world, frustration setting on his face She can't really see it due to the eyepatch over his left eye, but she can tell Link is angry. "You made me believe this was Vaati's fault, or Agahnim's, whoever. But this was on you, Zelda. You chose the fate of a few over those of the many. A choice… Spryte, Impa, they died to save Hyrule, to give you a chance to make the wish. Ralph, Oren, Hilda, and the others fight with their lives on the line, even willing to give it for that same ideal. So am I." Sighing, he looks to Zelda, placing his hands on her face. His anger falls but his serious demeanor doesn't. "Zelda, I love you, but if I had to choose the world or you, I'd...choose the world…"
That last part is barely a whisper, yet Zelda hears it loud and clear. "Really?"
"We have to. It is...the only way we'll win. The more we hold back, the greater our chances we fall. Ganondorf said that himself to you, and you know he was right them as I am now. If we are to save Hyrule, we must be able to sacrifice those closest to us to save the world...even...even your best friend for as long as you live." He kisses her forehead, then releases her to return to their bed but Zelda grabs him and kisses him on the lips. A desperate kiss between a princess who doesn't know what to do but must appear to know, and a hero who doesn't know how to save the world yet must do so. A loving kiss between a boy and a girl underneath a watching moon, whether it be the last kiss of their lives or in the world they know.
But Link is not wrong, neither is Ganondorf, Ralph, and Hilda. If the youths chosen by the goddesses are to win this once and for all, they must be ready to sacrifice each other.
Everyone knows this is the final night of the war. Five sages sit together around a fire, pushing aside all thoughts of the forthcoming day with thoughts of happier times. The king, queen, and Imperial princess quietly stand together, daring not to speak of the fight they'll have against the light and darkness. Is it their love between them that keeps them silent, no one knows. Yet, unbeknownst to them, they are watched by vengeful red eyes, ready for the moment to rescue his liege and the king's master. The hero and princess hold each other as their predecessors have many times over, so does the king of thieves and the new queen of twilight who has returned home.
But on the mountains...he waits patiently. Ever since Her Majesty fell, he has waited for the moment in which his other nemesis would fall. 18 years has passed, the king resurrected the wrong man, the princess made the wrong move, and now his moment is nigh. He let Vaati and Zelda make their appointment with him, for he is in no rush. They will come to him, whether together or separate. The Hero and Princess will fight him, for their war is as old as Hyrule. He will come too, for the Prince is his own blood. It doesn't matter how long it will take, for the result will be the same…
He is Ganon, and they will know true power before they die.
