Disclaimer: Legend of Zelda is Shigsy's. I am not Shigsy. So it isn't mine. Go figure.

A.N: Slow in coming, and for that I apologise. I've been cast into exam hell again- Damn you Blair!- but I thought that I'd stick this up because it's been going on too long. I'm still not entirely happy with this chapter, but hopefully the next two will make up for the crappiness of this one. Damn, it's so much easier to write  sword battles than magic battles! (That's why I'm *contemplating* a Wind Waker fic. Don't you just love the parry moves? And the final battle- beautifully executed. Nice to see Zelda getting a more active role for a change.)

A moan: I'm going to criticise Wind Waker. For those who haven't played/completed, skip ahead...now.

 Don't get me wrong, I loved every second that I played on it and it got to the extent that six hours passed without me noticing it until my brother started moaning. But this is the moan- What was Ganon trying to do that was so evil, apart from the near killing of Zelda and Link? I mean, so what if he was trying to revive Hyrule? I wish he had! Did anyone notice how beautiful the land looked under the sea? It was gorgeous, and it looked so big! Why oh why couldn't Hyrule have been revived? I miss my Hyrule.

OK, on with the much delayed chapter 13.

Chapter 13: Endeffera's Power

The small, female child stood staring at the immortal with her teal cloak billowing in the wind. Long white skirts fanned against the breeze at her feet, trimmed with sparkling gold binding. Mortis found himself staring aghast at the girl, fixated on her furious blue eyes.

"What is this? Who are you?" he demanded.

"Endeffera."

Zelda stared in shock at the sight of her daughter, her face completely colourless. Orla's voice sounded different, as though two people were speaking through the same mouth. And that power- never in her life had Zelda felt such an extreme magical aura eminating from one being.

"You lie girl. I would know if you were that child, and you are undoubtedly not her."

The laughter of the girl was hauntingly melodic.

"Uncle, you surprise me," Endeffera laughed, her voice alone ringing through the stillness of the night. "You of all people knew of what my mother decreed after my death, the daughter of the Hero of Time and the Princess of Destiny and I have been one for seven years. Now my power has awakened, and you shall taste defeat once more."

She glided towards the god on feet as silent as a ghost's, forcing the invader to back down in alarm.

"I destroyed you last time, I see not why this occasion should be any different," she said quietly, stretching her hands outwards.

Link struggled to get to his feet, but was too battered and exhausted to rise.

"Orla?" he whispered.

Zelda clung to him, wrapping her own arms around him as tightly as she could. The demi goddess caught the movement from the corner of her eye and intensified her glare in Mortis' direction.

"How dare you harm mortals in such a way?" snarled the voice of Orla. "How dare you harm my father?"

She raised her hands and allowed a white haze to form over them before they burned bright white with the glow of a circular orb of holy magic. Mortis watched the energy growing with eyes slightly wider than the Sages had seen before.

"They are mortal Endeffera, they are of no consequence to the likes of us. I know that those your mother chose to birth you are stronger than others, yet look at them! They are weak and pathetic fools. You should join with me, as I offered your foolish father the option to do. Think what we could accomplish child, think!"

"Silence!" Again, the voices of two children spoke with one tongue, angry and terrible yet melodious and bright. "You plead when you fear you are defeated, but we are not to be swayed by your feeble words of desperation. We would never ally ourself with you, it would demean our very being to do so. This will end now."

"One way or another it will," Mortis replied. "I will erase all trace of you this time around, you will not be coming back again."

Both immortals let the magic fly at one another at the same moment and met at stalemate. Endeffera ground her teeth.

"We will not be defeated, not here and not by you," she spat, forcing more magic from her body. "You are the one who will not be coming back."

The God of Death laughed coldly.

"Confidence will get you nowhere, your mother should have told you that."

She narrowed her eyes in anger.

"Which one?" she challenged, doubling her efforts.

This is going just the way he planned it, she thought angrily, he is making me angry on purpose so that I will use too much too soon. I will not give him the satisfaction of seeing me destroy myself.

The darkness of the night had been obliterated by the surreal brightness of the two powers' magic, shining with the brightness of two moons. The landscape was illuminated with grotesque patches of the abnormal light, frighteningly vivid in their brilliance. Mortis' white face shone in the glow of Endeffera's magic, gleaming like a skull.

"You are tiring Endeffera, just as you were before and you will again. Do you not comprehend? This will always be the case girl, you are doomed to die succeeding, but it will never be enough to truly defeat me.You know that, so why bother?"

"I bother because I must," Endeffera replied. "Orla's sacrifice will never be repeated. One way or another this circle will break."

And her efforts doubled again.

******

"I've got to help her."

Zelda watched helplessly, unaware that she had even spoken as Link leant against her. He squeezed her hand in support and with her help rose to his feet. Rauru looked at the pair sympathetically and shook his head.

"It would be useless to even try."

"You can't tell us that, she's our daughter for Nayru's sake!" Zelda argued

"I say we fight with her," Nabooru argued, receiving nods from Darunia and Impa.

"Are you nuts?" Ruto spluttered. "Hello, God versus a Zora, a Gerudo, a Goron, a Sheikah, a Kokiri and a bloated old Hylian-"

Rauru frowned.

"That's a little one sided don't you think?" Ruto finished.

"Who cares? Orla can't fight him alone and win," Nabooru snapped.

"But it isn't Orla," a small voice said quietly.

All eyes turned to Saria, who lay quietly in Darunia's arms.

"What are you talking about?" Ruto demanded. "The girl looks exactly like her. Do you know why? Because it is Orla."

"No it isn't," the Kokiri said softly. "She is Endeffera, and she is Orla, but it is Endeffera who is fighting Mortis."

"She is right," Rauru commented. "This fight is far and beyond the reaches of mortal ability. It seems as though the spirit of Endeffera is not quite willing to let go even though Orla is-"

"Don't say it," Link snapped. "No matter what you say she may be that is my daughter and I will not watch her die twice."

"We would be no use to her. Our powers are insignificant compared to Mortis, you know that."

"No," Zelda bit back, "don't give me that. You six represent the elemental power of Hyrule, the world damn it! It is enough, it has to be enough."

"Princess please," Rauru continued, "I know this is difficult-"

"No you don't know!" Link growled. "Look at her Rauru, look at that little girl out there, my little girl. Zelda's little girl. None of you could possibly know how gut wrenchingly terrible this is for us, nor would you want to. Our daughter is fighting that bastard and you expect Zelda and I to let this fate rest on her shoulders alone?"

Rauru was silent.

"Well I for one am not letting her fight him alone, she has my power to defeat him," Nabooru said quietly. "This is for Orla, and for Navali too."

"I would give anything to see her defeat him, even my life," Impa added.

"What's the good of being a spectator in a fight of this calibur?" Darunia asked. "The power of fire will be at her mercy."

Ruto sighed.

"You're all nuts, but I guess I'm in anyway."

"Me too," Saria said quietly.

Rauru turned to Zelda, who was gripping Link's arm with white knuckles.

"As our leader, is this your wish Your Highness?"

Zelda nodded.

"Anything, so long as we can stop him."

Rauru nodded grimly.

"Then so be it. Six Sages-"

The others raised their hands above their heads, magic radiating from each fingertip and glowing strongly in spite of the lack of power.

"-Now is the time for us to combine our powers as one to aid in this evil one's defeat."

******

Endeffera knew of the building energy long before Mortis did, she knew what was coming to her aid and never had she been so grateful for the impending assistance.

Even in death, the bond between a mother and her child was unbreakable.

She glanced over her shoulder at the grouped Sages as she felt the first twinge, cautious that Mortis should not see her actions.

"I find it hard to grasp just how futile your struggle for this is," she taunted. "You appear to be filling the criteria for every stereotypical villain ever created."

Mortis shook his head with the same self satisfied smirk on his face.

"Petty name calling is a fairly immature approach for a grown up girl like you."

Endeffera's pale pink lips quirked upwards in an ironic smile.

"I am not the one going through a destructive phase, although that is a fact I am soon to remedy."

The god finally realised the cryptic nature of the child's words two seconds too late. Those two seconds allowed thick vines to twirl around his ankles from the ground, a temporary restraint that rendered the irate deity immobile.

"What games are these?" he demanded through clenched teeth.

His eyes caught a flash of green light from the direction of the Kokiri Sage of the Forest, causing him to narrow his eyes in cold fury.

"My kind of game, dear uncle. It would appear that I am not alone this time."

No, no you're not. You never have been.

Endeffera sighed inwardly at the reassurance offered to her mind through Princess Zelda's telepathic bond with her daughter. Even now she could see from the corner of her eye the woman standing with her Sages, her husband by her side. And she was thankful for her support.

Wordlessly, she levelled her gaze at the stricken figure of the god before her and raised her hands.

"It will be over this time."

The warmth of the Sages' powers flowed through her veins and steadied her slightly wavering reserve as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She would end it, she could end it. No one would have to suffer what she and Orla had suffered again.

Her eyes flew open as she expelled the newly enhanced magic in Mortis' direction, being rewarded with a harsh cry from the god as the energy hit him full on. Her breath caught at the back of her throat in anxiety.

It wasn't enough.

"Help me mother," she whispered.

Mama, Daddy, help.

Both Zelda and Link stared at each other as their daughter's silent plea echoed in their minds. The Triforce parts glowed on the backs of their hands in correspondance to their will and wordlessly the pair joined hands, Zelda's right hand extended palm outwards with Link's left clasping it from behind.

"The power of the Triforces of Courage and Wisdom are yours Endeffera," Zelda called, willing the golden power of the Triforce of Wisdom to pour from her fingertips, its strength and glow enhanced by the added presence of its triplet.

With the added power of the sacred relic, Endeffera's magical power soared beyond comprehension, lighting the whole area and miles around it with its sacred aura.

Suddenly, everything went black.

"This is the end," Rauru murmured in the darkness.

Endeffera stood with her eyes closed, her head cast back and her palms upturned to the sky. She took a deep, shuddering breath...

"No!"

Mortis' scream of despair echoed in the silence as all around were blinded by the flash of pure light that exploded from Endeffera's hands. Darunia scrunched his eyes tightly shut as he sheilded Saria from the blast with his bulk whilst Rauru and Impa flung themselves to the ground. Nabooru threw her arm before her eyes, trying to block the rays as Ruto buried her face in her hands. Zelda felt herself stumble against the shaking earth until a pair of strong arms caught her around her waist and pulled her into their embrace. She hid her face in Link's tunic as he in turn drew his cloak around his wife's body and over his eyes.

As Mortis' scream died so too did the blinding light, and as the vision of Hyrule's protectors returned the sight of Endeffera standing as steady as a rock greeted them, her teal cloak billowing in the breeze as it had done at her arrival, only this time there was no Mortis standing before her. Zelda stared long and hard at the girl as Link's fingers curled around hers, scarcely daring to believe their victory.

"Is it finished now?"

Endeffera smiled to herself as she caught Saria's whispered enquiry.

"It is finished. Light outshines the Darkness, Life triumphs over Death."

Finally, the prophecy had been fulfilled.

But one question still remained unanswered, one important factor that had yet to be determined.

Orla's life.

to be continued...