Disclaimer: Legend of Zelda belongs to Nintendo, particularly Mr Miyamoto.

A.N: Well, after promising to give a present to reviewer 110, he forgot to put his e-mail address! The lucky reader/reviewer was Talon, but because he didn't put his e-mail I can't send his prize to him. Oh well, never mind, I suppose that everyone who reviewed Chapter 11 will get a prize, so check your inboxes now! (Talon, if you want the prize too then send me an e-mail and I'll send it to you. If not, don't worry and thanks for reviewing!)

Ho hum, onto Chapter 12. Surprises a go-go, and I'd very much like to know if anyone goes 'ooh!' when they read what the first one is ^_^

Chapter 12: A Game of Wills

The power was the first thing that hit him. Those other times when they'd joined the power had been overwhelming, but now he felt as if every pore radiated raw energy. It was stronger than he'd ever dreamed, the mortal was stronger than he'd ever dreamed.

Just remember, this is my body and I'm not going to give it up without a fight.

The deity smiled to himself as the situation was reversed. Link was taking a backseat now, letting a real warrior take control, just as it should be. He laughed softly as he caught the expressions on the faces of all seven Sages. The Gerudo was alarmed, that much was clear from the horrified look in her amber eyes, but the others all looked startled and surprised, excluding the old one and the Princess. Her face puzzled him, as its serene beauty seemed exhausted, and her dazzling smile was absent from her face. He chuckled and advanced towards her.

"Do not worry my lady," he said smoothly. "This is the way things were supposed to be."

Zelda shrank back in horror as the terrifying deity reached his hand out to touch her. This wasn't her Link, everything was wrong about this person. He was too strong, too volatile, and she was unable to read anything from his blank, souless eyes, the eyes from her dream. His voice wasn't even the same, it rumbled like thunder and cut like the sharpest of daggers. She hung her head in sorrow, her grip on the Fairy Bow so tight that her knuckles had whitened.

Believe in me Zelda.

Her head jerked upwards in a sharp movement as she heard Link's voice in her mind. She looked at the Fierce Deity again, searching for any trace of the man she loved and found none. He however understood her action and allowed her eyes to search his form for an explanation.

"You forget Princess, he is not totally gone. We co-exist, only I am the one in command now and not him."

She nodded and swallowed hard.

"I understand," she murmured. "Go, destroy Mortis."

The Fierce Deity laughed and drew his sword, turning on his heel as he did so and advancing upon his adversary.

Mortis' face fell as his opponent made towards him.

"It cannot be you, you are supposed to be exiled!"

"What is it that you suppose an eternity trapped within a mask is?" the Fierce Deity mocked. "For centuries I have been waiting for this moment, and nothing is going to stop me from taking what is rightfully mine."

What the Hell are you going on about?

The Fierce Deity ignored his host and charged his sword.

"Do you know that it has been exactly a millenium since last we met, Mortis?

Mortis smiled grimly.

"Really? Such a meaningless battle really has no place in my memory."

Zelda saw him shake in an uncontrollable rage. There was something about this figure that troubled her greatly, apart from the obvious problem with him inhabiting Link's body. There was a sadness within him, the source of which she could not place.

The massive sword which the Fierce Deity held in his hands buzzed and glowed bright blue at the tip before expelling a mass of enormously powerful magic at the God of Death. It seemed as if lightning illuminated the entire field, though there was not a cloud in the sky to produce it.

The blue lightning ball hit Mortis in the center of his chest, and the cry that followed was so harsh and angry that it caused Zelda's blood to run cold.

"You..."

The Fierce Deity was oblivious to the warning growl and fired again, this time hitting the God's left shoulder. His arm flew back with a sickening snap and hung limply by his side, dislocated and bleeding dark crimson blood.

And the blue haired swordsman laughed.

******

That laughter, that laughter didn't come from Link. Saria knew that, they all knew that, but it was the Kokiri who was most visibly disturbed by the appearence of this new player in their game of survival. She struggled to control the output of her magic as a startled cry escaped her throat.

"Who is that?!"

"The demon," Nabooru whispered. "Oh Link, I hope you know what you're doing."

A seventh stream of magic rejoined the forcefield, instantly lightening the load for the rest of the Sages. All eyes flew to Zelda, whose eyes were locked onto Mortis and nowhere near the Fierce Deity. An unnoticed tear trickled down her cheek as she stuck her jaw out in determination.

You will not fail us Link, I know you won't.

Impa glanced at the Princess from the corner of her eye, pouring the power of shadow from her body as the golden magic of the Triforce of Wisdom empowered their forcefield. Mortis looked slightly puzzled at this sudden onslaught, as if he had not been expecting such a force to come from her.

"I find your friends irritatingly persistent ," he commented to the Fierce Deity.

"Worthy allies to be had, these mortals," he replied. "You should not have underestimated them. Nayru's chosen has a heart of gold, as indeed does my host."

Thanks.

"You do know that your defeat is imminent," the Deity continued. "Even without Endeffera, you will not escape the justice that you so richly deserve. I will not allow her sacrifice to be in vain, nor will I let your callous execution of the little princess go unnoticed."

Mortis smiled.

"A princess? Well, it is nice to see that your beloved Nayru selected only the best for her precious little bastard to live in. It is of no matter who spawned the brat, the same outcome would have come of her had she been a peasant."

The force of the blue electricity that hit Mortis caused the ground to shudder violently beneath the Sages' feet. Nabooru was closest to the swordsman at the time, and was uncertain from whom the outraged explosion had come. Link would have been enraged at hearing someone referring to his daughter as a brat, but the twisted mask of rage worn by the Fierce Deity was one she had never seen before, nor did she want to see it again.

"Enough! We end this now!"

He moved like quicksilver, ducking past the black orbs thrown at him by the God as if they had been nothing. They each impacted the ground with mighty explosions, sending dry earth and dead grass flying in the air, forming small craters in the ground below.

Such an obstruction did not concern the Fierce Deity.

With both hands on the hilt of his sword, he leapt into the air and slashed downwards across the chest of the God of Death with enough force to slice a mortal in half. There was a blinding flash of light.

The Fierce Deity lay in a crumpled heap at Mortis' feet, while the God stood unscathed above him, laughing uncontrollably.

Ruto screamed in horror at the sight as Saria, exhausted and having gone beyond her limit, sank to her knees in defeat.

"You mortals are too weak to truly stand a chance against me!" Mortis bellowed. "You never did, even with the help of that pitiful fool! For you, it is over!"

"It is not over until I say it is," the Fierce Deity groaned hoarsely, dragging himself to his feet.

Zelda's eyes widened.

She couldn't feel Link's presence anymore.

******

He felt so tired.

Why? Why are you fighting? You can't win.

He knew that voice, but it couldn't have been... that voice didn't exist any more.

"Because I have to. I can't let my body be taken over and I won't let him win."

But why? You're going to die if you keep fighting. Don't fight anymore Daddy, please!

And then she was there, dressed in her nightdress and staring at him, her eyes wide and blue and sparkling with life and tears of concern

"Orla?"

Stay here with me Daddy. I don't want to be alone anymore.

She wept as she ran to him, and when he wrapped his arms around her she clung to him, burying her face against his chest as she hugged him. He drew warmth from her embrace and felt for the first time in days, truly at peace. Sighing contently, Link held his daughter tightly and closed his eyes.

"I won't leave you alone Orla, I won't desert you again."

******

"No..."

Zelda blinked back her tears, realising what had happened and what would have to happen because of it. Link was gone, that monster had taken over.

"Drop the shield," she said quietly.

"What?" Ruto asked in disbelief.

"Do as she says," Rauru stated calmly. "She has reason to believe that we would be better not using our powers on something that has so little effect."

Zelda nodded. It didn't matter anymore, they had no control over the situation.

Link was gone.

The Fierce Deity drew himself up to his full height, staring straight into the eyes of his opponent. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Damn you Mortis, it surprises me that with all your experience you still resort to dirty cheapshots like that."

Mortis laughed.

"Now this is what I expected from you. That mortal no longer has a say in what it is you do."

The Fierce Deity attacked again, only this time Mortis blocked the attack with a dark shield of magic that swirled around like some shadowy mist. Magic crackled off the forcefield in angry blue sparks, spiralling from the tip of the great green and aqua sword in the Fierce Deity's hands.

"You no good son of a bitch, I will kill you!"

Mortis laughed again at the warrior's oath before knocking him from his feet with a wave of his hand. The God's immense magical strength took the form of a wave of liquid shadow, swirling around the Fierce Deity's feet before coiling upwards around his neck. With an upward wave of his hand, Mortis lifted the helpless fighter from the ground and held him with a strangling noose around his neck. He began to gag and gasp for breath while Mortis brought his captive closer to him until their faces almost stood an inch apart.

"I hate to see you suffer in this way, after all we are family."

The captured Deity said nothing, merely allowing his glare to speak for him.

"I shall offer you one last chance, as I did the first time you chose to rise in arms against me. Join me, you know that it is the right side to stand on. With your power, we will have everything that we desire, everything. You could even wed your beloved, as you desired from the very beginning. Come now, I think that is reasonable. What do you say?"

His voice was soft and inviting, as was the gentle expression on his face.

That changed moments later when his prisoner spat vehemently in his eye. The expression of invite melted away to sheer unadulterated hatred.

"Always defiant, even to the end. That is of no matter to me now, I will enjoy crushing you like the worthless insect that you are. You stood more of a chance with that mortal's presence, at least with him you had the aid of the Triforce. Now, you are nothing!"

******

"What is he talking about?" Nabooru asked.

"Link is no longer the one in control," Rauru said sadly. "No one can contend with the will of the Gods."

"You monster!" Zelda cried.

She growled at the back of her throat, her eyes narrowed in rage. She would not allow this to happen, she would not lose Link to anyone, be it Mortis or the Fierce Deity. Enough was enough.

"Zelda, what are you doing?" Impa asked in alarm.

"I'm doing what I should have done a long time ago," she replied.

The Fairy Bow hit the ground with a gentle tap.

"You disgust me," she hissed as she walked towards the two immortals.

Both men stared at her in surprise, not quite believing the situation they were faced with.

"Back away woman, my business does not concern you," Mortis said coldly.

"Yes it concerns me, everything that you have done or are doing concerns me. That 'brat' you murdered was my daughter, my flesh and blood, and you killed her like she was nothing but a worthless doll. That's all that my baby was to you and all the other Gods, she was a doll that could be used to amend a situation that she had nothing to do with, nothing. And now you," she rounded on the Fierce Deity, "you are stealing my husband's body from him when he has done nothing but fight to try and stop an enemy that you were unable to defeat. He is not some weak shell for you to inhabit, he is a wonderful man with friends and family who love him, and you dare to try and steal him away from them? Away from me?"

Tears rolled down Zelda's cheeks as she drew closer to them, but her eyes blazed with anger and hatred.

"If you want to face someone of worth Mortis then you should face Link, because what he lacks in magical power he makes up for in heart. He is ten times the man that either of you could ever hope to be."

With that, she shocked every person there by firing a blinding orb of golden magic at both men, knocking the Fierce Deity from Mortis' grasp and sending the God of Death sprawling without dignity to the ground.

Zelda advanced towards the fallen Fierce Deity, her face emotionless as she knelt by his side.

"Link, please, fight him," she whispered, putting her hands on his shoulders.

The blank eyes stared at her with an unreadable expression.

"Do not deny me of this opportunity to defeat him, Princess. You could not possibly understand how much this battle means to me."

"I know how much it means to Link," Zelda argued, "and I know how much it means to me. Besides, if this fight did mean that much to you, then you wouldn't be shutting him out. Mortis said it himself, you would be stronger fighting with him than without him. Please, bring him back."

The Fierce Deity was moved by the love in the woman's eyes, the determination to win on her face and the wisdom behind her words. It was then that he lowered his eyes.

"I cannot do that, I cannot reach him where he is."

Zelda touched his face.

"Then let me."

"You could not either, it would take a miracle to get to him."

She smiled gently.

"Miracle working happens to be one of my specialties. I know that I can reach him, I always could, even all those years ago when he slept in the Sacred Realm. He never knew, but I could sense him then, I could feel how he felt, because we're connected you see. We always have been. I know I can bring him back, then you must fight with him in order to win."

The Fierce Deity could not challenge her gaze any longer.

"Alright, should you succeed in bringing him back then I will fight with him."

******

She was sleeping in his arms.

Link...

He sighed and held Orla tighter to him, stroking her hair and keeping a constant vigil on her. Nothing would hurt her again.

Link come back with me.

He stirred slightly and looked up at a dazzling white form before him.

Please Link, leave this place and come back to us. We need you.

"Orla needs me," he said stubbornly. "I won't leave her."

The white form began to take the form of Zelda, it was hazy at first but then became more and more definite.

"She's gone, we've got to let her go. She's not going to come back to us Link, she can't."

"But she's right here!" he cried.

He cast his eyes down to Orla's face, and recoiled in horror as the pale, lifeless visage stared up at him as it had done the night he had found her.

The grieved cry that echoed in Zelda's ears delt a new injury to her already battered heart.

"I won't fight anymore Zelda, I won't!" Link cried. "What's the point? Orla's gone, I can't get her back-"

His words were broken by a resounding slap as Zelda's hand connected with his cheek.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "but I'm not going to let you give up."

She wrapped her arms around him and held him close.

"I won't let you. You're our last hope Link, without you we are going to lose. Mortis will beat us."

"You've got the Fierce Deity, he can fight. I'm tired of this losing battle," he murmured.

"But Link, even if he did win without you, what good would that do? Think of what you'd be leaving behind," she pleaded. "Hyrule, your friends, your family, did you even stop to think about us? Before you put on the mask you asked me not to let Amalia forget you. Don't let her forget you, don't leave her. And don't leave me, not now. I need you so much, now more than ever."

She'd been putting this off for long enough, she needed to tell him now or she may never get the chance to. Sighing, she took up his hands and placed them on her stomach.

"Our son will never know Orla, I don't want him to never know you."

******

The Fierce Deity's eyes flew open at the same time as Zelda's, only this time they were different.

This time, they were dark blue, and burning the fire of determination.

"You little witch!" Mortis cried, drawing himself from the ground and glaring at Zelda. "I'll teach you to strike an immortal!"

He fired an enormous black orb at the pair, only to have it explode upon contact with a golden beam of light. The Fierce Deity lowered his right hand.

"Nobody threatens my wife and gets away with it," Link growled. "Now you're going to realise just how big a mistake it was to mess with my family, Mortis."

"Yes!" Darunia bellowed. "The Hero of Time is back with a vengence!"

The other Sages cheered with him, except Saria who sighed happily in Darunia's arms as the Goron Chief cradled the exhaused Kokiri.

Link smiled grimly as he stared down the God, his concentration breaking momentarily as the now reassuring voice filled his mind.

I suppose now the tables have turned yet again.

"Damn straight. Now let me show you what I can do."

The Triforce burned white hot on the back of Link's hand as he charged at Mortis, ducking to the right at the last moment and bringing the enormous sword crashing down against the god's back. Mortis spun around to hit him, but as he did Link felt his body move of its own accord out of the way, blasting a bolt of blue lightning as it did.

Not bad at all, hope you didn't mind me helping you out.

Link grinned.

"Not at all."

Mortis grinned darkly at his opponent.

"I hate to disillusion you gentlemen, but this battle has only just begun."

He began to charge an enormous ball of black energy up to his fingertips. Link flinched.

"That is not something I like the look of."

We can handle it, trust me.

"That's just it, I don't."

Zelda shrank back from the power source, her eyes wide with fright. She could counter that blast with magic of her own, but it would take a lot out of her, more than she could afford to give.

"Zel, can you stop that?"

She shook her head.

"I don't know, I could try but it's-"

"I won't let you put yourself in any danger," Link argued. "I'll just have to finish this myself."

With that, he flew at the intruding god like a streak of blue lightning.

Something here isn't right.

Zelda made to call out to him the moment the God of Death hit him in the stomach with a balled fist. No-one had seen him move, and Link stood doubled over with the air forced out of his lungs as Mortis struck a second blow with his elbow between his shoulders.

"You made a mistake in becoming allied with him, because while you have become stronger you have also become mortal."

Laughing, Mortis grabbed Link's head by the hair and pulled hard. The Fierce Deity Mask flew from his face with a bright flash of light and landed by Zelda's feet.

"And you," Mortis taunted, pulling Link's hair in order to have the Hylian face him, "you should have stayed where you were. Nothing can save you from your fate now."

He threw Link's battered form towards his wife, where he landed with a thud, coughing blood.

Zelda gasped and held him, summoning her healing abilities.

"It is too late for that now, woman. You would be better using what skill you have to defend this."

The magic that Zelda had thought was for Link remained in Mortis' hand, primed and ready to wipe them out.

"Zel, I'm sorry," Link whispered, squeezing her hand softly.

She looked down at him sadly.

"You were wonderful, I am so proud of you."

She stood proudly and raised her hands, glaring challengingly at Mortis and his orb.

"Try me."

With that invitation, Mortis hurled the energy towards her. As it gathered speed, it became larger and larger, more and more powerful until finally it seemed it would grow no larger. It exploded mid air and showered a hailstorm of small, deadly globes of power.

Everything flashed white as an immensely powerful shield of magic flashed up from nowhere, shattering Mortis' power as though it had been nothing. At first, Link believed that it had com from Zelda and the Sages, but as renewed conciousness slowly began to form in his battered frame and his vision became less blurred, he was presented with a sight he had never imagined that he would see.

Standing with her hands raised above her head in the middle of the field, was Orla.

to be continued...

To quote all bad TV melodramas: dum dum duuuuum! RnR folks!