Disclaimer: Legend of Zelda isn't mine. That's how it is, and how it was, and how it alwaaaaaaaaaaaaaays shall be! (Apologies to those who have not seen the Slipper and the Rose and haven't got the foggiest idea what I'm going on about ^_^)
Chapter 6: Here Piggy piggy piggy piggy!
A.N. I know what you're all thinking. I am an evil person and I should be skinned alive for leaving the story so long without an update, particularly on a cliffhanger. Well, allow me to make an excuse for myself. I've been cramming all week because I've had exams every day this week and since last Thursday and they won't be finished until Tuesday. If you think that's harsh, try sitting Physics and Maths exams on the same day. Yeuch!
As Moreth advanced on Link, snorting loudly, the young Hero suddenly realised something that he'd neglected to remember while making his challenge.
You fight him and then everyone will know you're a lefty.
Link pondered this for a moment until Moreth was bearing down on him, trying to look menacing. Zelda was looking nervous, as well as physically repulsed.
"You're challenging me?" Moreth repeated.
Link glared at him.
"What are you stupid as well as ugly?" He spat.
Moreth handed Zelda and Olaran to one of his Moblins and knelt to have a better look at his opponent.
Maybe I could use both hands... Yeah, that'll work!
"Are you a chicken now, Cucco brain?" Link taunted. "Scared the little runt's going to kick your ass?"
Moreth laughed.
"I'll shquash you like a bug!"
He reached out to grab the boy, but was temporarily blinded by a flash as a Deku Nut made contact with the ground. Link had flipped out of the way at the last moment and was poking his tongue out at him.
"Nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah ner!" His teased, running out of the arena so that the Moblin would follow him out of the reach of innocent people.
"Little brat!" Moreth bellowed, limping along and hopping mad.
Ah, he's got a limp, Link noticed. Perfect.
He reached for his slingshot and prepared a Deku Seed, letting fly into the pad of the Moblin's injured foot.
"OWWWW!"
"Bullseye." Link praised himself.
"I'm gonna tear you to piecesesh!
Link laughed and then checked his surroundings. Not too far from the field, but then again far enough away for the fight to get dirty and not have to worry about people. Moreth was a fair bit behind, giving Link time to draw up an action plan.
How did I handle these guys outside the Forest Temple? Hookshotted them in the backside, but that won't work because I don't have that anymore. Arrows from the top of the stairs? Nope, haven't got that either. Sword? Now you're talking!
"What took you so long?" Link laughed, flying at the huge pig monster with a vicious double handed swipe.
He caught the monster on the shin and was satisfied to hear it groan in agony.
"You're sho dead!" Moreth bellowed, bringing his club down to the ground with a thud.
The earth shook and knocked Link down with a surprised yelp.
"I forgot about that... woah!"
He rolled out of the way as Moreth bought the club crashing down just inches from his head.
"You know, you really should go to some anger management courses, you'd make a much nicer hot-dog that way."
"What ish it with you bratsh and comparing ush to food? Have you got no toleransh for our feelingsh?" Moreth wailed.
Link took his chance and brought the hilt of his sword crashing down onto Moreth's injured foot with a determined stab.
"Nope, guess not!"
Moreth howled in pain and started hopping about, yelling obscenities and squealing.
"Now, what say you we finish this?" Link said, feigning boredom.
"It'sh not over until you go shcreaming to your mother!"
"My mother's dead!" Link yelled, slashing Moreth across his hand.
"Yikesh!" Moreth yelled, looking at Link in terror and then at his left hand, which was glowing gold with the light of his Triforce piece. "You're Link!"
"That's right, and you should be honoured that you're going to the Evil Realm as a result of tangling with me." Link replied, jump-attacking him.
How in Farore's name does he know who I am? Link asked himself.
"Before I send you to the other side, how do you know me?"
Moreth kneeled on the ground, panting heavily.
"Everyone knowsh of the hero who defeated Ganon. They know that Ganon killed hish mother sho that he might die."
Link struggled to keep his anger bottled up inside him. Moreth saw this and smiled to himself, hiding the expression from his opponent.
"Ganondorf killed my mother?" Link whispered, scarcely believing what he was hearing.
"It'sh a pity that you shent him to the Evil Realm." Moreth mused. "Becaushe now he won't be able to shee me deshtroy you!"
Quick as a flash, Moreth grabbed Link in his massive hand and began to squeeze.
"Ahh!"
"I'll shqueeshe the life out of you, Hero of Time!"
Link felt the agonising pain grip at him, and when he heard a sickening crunch he knew that one or more of his ribs had been broken. He struggled in the Moblin's grasp, but the more he did so the tighter the beast held on. He cried out again, only this time his cries were heard.
"Holy Nayru, Link!"
"Link!"
Aidyn ran onto the scene with Zelda in tow, having dispatched the Moblin that had captured her. Aidyn ground to a halt, spotting what was going on.
"Put him down!" Zelda yelled, charging up an orb.
Moreth looked over at the pair of them, smiling evilly.
"Wait your turnsh."
Zelda was about to let go of her magic orb when Aidyn put his hand up in an indication to stop her.
"This is your last warning." He said. "Put him down now or suffer the consequences."
Moreth squeezed harder.
"AHH!"
"Do something!" Zelda cried.
Aidyn leapt into the air and brought his sword swiftly down in a diagonal swipe across the Moblin's back. Moreth squealed in pain, spun around and walloped Aidyn in the stomach, dropping Link in the process who fell to the ground like a rag doll.
"Link, are you OK?" Zelda asked, kneeling beside him.
Link opened one eye.
"There's a fairy in my..."
Zelda pulled a glass bottle with a fairy from Link's weapon pouch and uncorked the bottle. It flew around Link's battered and bruised body before flying off somewhere. He sprang up, brushing the snow from his tunic and grabbing his sword from the floor.
"Alright! Zel, give Aidyn some red potion and get out the vicinity."
He tossed a bottle at her containing some potion which she caught nimbly.
"What are you going to do?"
Link smiled.
"This piece of pork needs roasting."
Zelda nodded and rushed to Aidyn's side, administering potion and then running out of the area with him following behind. Link watched them run and then turned his attention back to Moreth, his expression sour. The Moblin was about ready to run after them, but Link had other ideas.
"This is between you and me Moreth." He said darkly. "Leave my friends out of it."
Moreth snorted with laughter and towered over him.
"Sho I'll jusht have to shquash you again, Fairy Boy!"
Link smiled.
"Maybe. Send my regards to Ganon."
Moreth charged at him but stopped short as he saw exactly what Link was doing. He made as though he was going to throw something. Another Deku Nut. Moreth laughed and covered his eyes, fully prepared for a blinding flash of light. Nothing happened. When Moreth looked again, Link brought his hand over the top of his head and brought it down to the ground.
"HYAH!"
******
The massive fireball engulfed the area and several of the watching townsfolk gasped in horror, many screamed and the fat lady with her dog promptly fainted.
"What in the name of all things sacred is that?" King Harkinian asked.
Olaran, who was groggily sipping a warm beaker of tea and being attended to by healers, looked up at the scene. His eyes widened in surprise.
"It's a fireball of some kind. I had no idea that Moreth had that amount of power!"
He struggled to get up and then fell back down again, groaning as badly bruised stomach hurt him.
"Save your strength man." Harkinian told him.
"But Aidyn's over there..." He complained.
"Dad!"
Olaran and Harkinian looked up and saw Aidyn running over to them, his face flushed and his hair plastered to his forehead with sweat. Somehow Olaran found the strength to get up and embrace his son, holding him tight.
"Dad, please." Aidyn said, squirming out of his grasp. "We've got to do something, Link's taking on Moreth alone."
"What?"
"Where's Zelda?" Harkinian asked, noticing that his daughter wasn't with the elder boy.
She was a fair distance away from the fairground, looking at the damage caused by the fireball. It was phenomenal, the snow had all melted leaving a vast circular area of burnt grass and brown dirt, and many of the leaves on the nearby trees had been singed off and the trunks blackened.
"If that was what I think it was, then he went all out on the magic power he used." She whispered.
She heard a small laugh and spotted Link standing in the middle of the ring of burnt grass, laughing to himself almost maniacally.
"Link?" She asked, approaching him cautiously.
He turned around and smiled at her.
"What was that? What did you do?"
Link smiled.
"Din's Fire."
"No way, that was way too powerful to be Din's Fire." Zelda argued.
"Nuh uh, it was." Link retorted. "And you know the funny thing?"
"What?"
"It really roasted him!"
Zelda shot him a sideways look.
"You know, I think you've inhaled a little too much smoke."
Link shook his head.
"Nope, it's just that I've proved what you and I already knew."
"What's that?"
"I'm the best warrior in Hyrule. I toasted a Moblin that not even Olaran could defeat."
Zelda smiled.
"Link, you amaze even me sometimes. C'mon, let's go see if any permanent damage was done, although I think you may have bashed your head..."
Link smiled.
"I can assure you Princess that my head is just fine." He said solemnly. "Although I believe I am owed something."
"What's that?" Zelda asked.
Link tapped his cheek with a blue bloodstained finger (the result of much Moblin killing).
"You never kissed me for when I beat Pebo."
Zelda rolled her eyes and gave him a playful shove.
"You are impossible." She said fondly. "I hope your hormones calm down before we hit puberty otherwise you'll be a nightmare!"
"Puberty?"
"I'll explain it to you later." She smirked. "Right now, you have a tournament to win..."
******
"But General Olaran sir..."
"No buts." Olaran told the blowfish minister. "I believe that both of these boys are fully capable of not only handling iron swords efficiently and safely but have enough competence to enable the safety of their opponent."
Link and Aidyn stood behind the general, not saying a word but secretly hoping that the minister would relent. Having been fully examined for any particularly nasty injuries obtained from the battle with the Moblins, Link and Aidyn were ready to fight and were waiting to see whether or not they would get to fight with their real swords.
Zelda and Aidyn had taken great delight and care in telling both the King and Olaran of Link's single handed victory over Moreth. Link of course didn't see it as that big a deal, yet those who heard of his feat were not only amazed but genuinely impressed. Ruto had insisted that Link needed a kiss as a reward, but he had politely declined by opening his mouth as wide as a fish's and running away as though something terrible was about to happen which was probably the best course of action. Needless to say, he was not going to be popular with the Zora princess for about an hour.
The minister sighed and raised his eyes to the heavens.
"Well if you believe that they are able then let them fight, but only with permission from parents."
Olaran smiled.
"Aidyn has my permission."
Link heard what had been said and felt crestfallen.
"What's up?" Aidyn asked.
"Parents. I don't have any." He replied glumly.
"Don't you have a guardian?" Olaran asked him, taken by surprise that a ten year old could be devoid of any responsible adult.
Link was about to reply when Nabooru marched into the tent, followed by Impa and Darunia.
"We give the kid permission to fight." Nabooru said, using her voice that she used to attract male attention. "Link's situation is awkward as his guardian happens to be a tree."
The minister raised his eyebrows.
"A tree?"
All three Sages nodded their heads.
"Besides, Link and I are family." Darunia said assuredly. "He is my sworn Brother. I give him permission."
"But..."
Nabooru realised that they were meeting with opposition and pouted in a way that she knew all men found irresistible.
"Oh please let him fight, pretty please?" She asked, fluttering her eyelashes.
The minister gulped and loosened his collar, going bright pink in the process.
"Minister, I speak on behalf of the Great Deku Tree, the boy's guardian." Impa said calmly, speaking with the voice of reason. "Link if permitted to fight with iron, as it was the Deku Tree himself that allowed the boy to take up swordsmanship. I also speak for the King of Hyrule, who permits this fight to commence with iron swords."
Go Impa, Link thought, pleased that she was fighting for his corner.
"But..."
"Oh for crying out loud man, let him fight with iron!" Olaran protested.
Link shot the minister his most innocent grin and the blowfish guy finally relented.
"I suppose so."
Aidyn looked at Link, Link looked at Aidyn and both broke into exceedingly happy grins.
"Round two?" Aidyn offered.
"Round two." Link confirmed. "And there had better not be any rabid Wolfos attempting to stop us."
