Chapter 8: Reunion with the Goddesses

Zelda finally stirred. She slowly opened her reddened eyes, and realized she was no longer in her crystal chamber, but on the hard stone floor in Ganondorf and Emralda's throne room. Once she and the others went through the portal, she lost all consciousness for some reason. She didn't remember ever coming to the citadel, and never being taken out of her crystal prison. The only thing she could remember was crying terribly for the dead Faria as she was brought into the portal. She finally lifted her head up, and looked around. She saw the Sages and Taursus and Mardera all in their crystal chambers, but she noticed that oddly Ganondorf and Emralda were absent. She lifted herself up onto her knees, and then noticed Link was standing in front her with his back facing her. But; he looked different. He had the same silver hair he had when he was possessed and it was even easier to see since he had no hat on. And he was wearing a black tunic just like his with many white designs on it. Zelda was a little confused at what she saw.

"Link....?" she whispered. The Link she saw then looked around her and smiled evilly; it was the possessed Link with his evil face and blood red eyes. Zelda gasped and almost collapsed from shock. Link turned fully around, and grinned down at her. Zelda couldn't believe it. "No...you're possessed again.." she whispered. Link laughed.

"No no Zelda" he began, "this isn't the Link you know. This isn't the Link that was possessed. I am the evil spirit that possessed him and made him do all those things. And from possessing him, I made myself look just like him, only with a few different characteristics. I'm not that the normal Link, I'm Devil Link." Zelda gasped, and began to crawl away. Devil Link smirked and advanced over to her. He knelt down before her, and began to run his hand through her long, dark blonde hair. "You're a beautiful woman Zelda" he said, "I'm not surprised that Link and Mirren both have crushes on you.." Zelda narrowed her eyes and tried to escape.

"Shut your mouth" she sneered, "even after we broke up, if Link still loves me, that's nothing you should ever consider your business. And especially also with Mirren, don't ever say anything about him; because I like him a lot better than you Devil Link!" Devil Link smirked.

"I expected something like that to come from you Zelda" he replied, "You like that kid a lot, I can see. And that little crush he has on you makes your bond with him even greater. What is it that actually makes you like that kid?" Zelda glared at Devil Link.

"He's a brave kid who like Link would do anything to protect me" she answered, "he risked his life to save me from Ganondorf and Emralda before, and he reminds me a lot of Link. He has the innocence of a younger child, but has the maturity of an adult, and he's the sweetest kid I've ever known." Dark Link grinned.

"And is that why you even kissed him?" he jeered. Zelda had enough of Devil Link's mocking words. She narrowed her eyes again, and lifted her hand up. She flung it at Devil Link for a slap across the face, but without even looking at it he lifted his left hand up and blocked it. He smiled evilly. "Zelda, do you know why you're not in your crystal chamber?" he asked. Zelda shook her head. "That's because I asked Ganondorf and Emralda not to. You're such a beauty Zelda, you never deserve to be trapped inside a crystal." Zelda now looked a little afraid as Devil Link moved closer to her.

"If you even ~think~ about kissing me, you better forget it.." She threatened. Devil Link smirked. He knew Zelda wouldn't stop him, she was just ~trying~ to stop him from doing it. But there was nothing she could ever say that would stop him.

"Zelda, you're too beautiful, I'd love for you to be all mine..." he said, "and not Mirren or anyone else can stop me.." Devil Link grinned as he said this, and was about to kiss Zelda before someone suddenly grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. Devil Link was taken by surprise, and the second he turned around, he met a swift punch from the real Link to his face. He was sent flying, and crashed hard on the ground as his face throbbed. Link narrowed his eyes as he fixed the Golden Gauntlet on his hand.

"You said before as you possessed me that the Golden Gauntlets could be used for more than strength..." he began, "well I've found that they can also make punches all the better...." Zelda instantly jumped up and over to Link. She threw her hands around him, and Link held her close.

"Oh Link thank you.." she whispered, "thank you for stopping that sick fool..I can always count of you.." Link then took his middle and index finger and lifted her chin up. He only smiled at her. Devil Link now got up. He wiped the blood from his lips and smiled wickedly.

"Ahhhhh.so now you two are finally starting to love each other again..." he taunted. Link's smile disappeared as he narrowed his eyes once again.

"Be quiet you devil.." he spat back, "we broke up as lovers. We're only friends now....get used to it.." Devil Link smirked.

"You really think you can fool me with a crock like that?" he asked raising an eyebrow, "you're a fool Link. I can see that love between you two. You both regret ever breaking up. You wanna make up with the other and tell them you love them once again...but you're just too afraid.." Link gritted his teeth.

"Shut up..." he whispered angrily. Devil Link seemed to enjoy Link's anger.

"Ya know, you're pretty lucky that your brother cried in our battle" he began, "because without his sadness you wouldn't have been able to break free of my control. You were lucky that your little brother is such a cry- baby..." Link was ready to rip Devil Link's heart out.

"No one insults my little brother like that...." he sneered, "...and lives to tell of it!!!" He was just about to pull out his shield and the Master Sword, but surprisingly the Biggoron's Sword just appeared in his hands. He looked at it with a flummoxed expression, and turned to Zelda.

"I was able to use my magic to teleport your weapon from Hyrule Castle to here" she stated, "I figured it'd help you.." Link nodded, and Devil Link laughed.

"That was very thoughtful of you Zelda, but it still doesn't matter; I'll kill him anyway and have you to myself once Ganondorf and Emralda kill that brat Mirren!!!" Zelda gasped at what Devil Link said about Mirren. She now feared for a second that Link now understood that Mirren also had a crush on her. But luckily Link was just too angry. He grasped the Biggoron's Sword, and screamed in rage as he rushed at Devil Link. The evil spirit of Link smirked as Link brought the huge blade down. Devil Link simply grew out huge fingernails on his hands and lifted one up to block the sword. Link was shocked and gasped. Devil Link smiled evilly.

"How do you like that fool?" he asked, "My fingernails are now like the claws of a beast. Tell me sometime what's it's like to get hit by them..." Devil Link then pushed the blade away and slashed Link across the face with the other hand. Link grunted in pain and was knocked back a few feet. He staggered for a few seconds, and fell to his knees. He felt his skin rip open on his cheek, and touched it to see how bad the wound was. It stung as he did it, and when he looked at his hand, it was covered in blood. Zelda gasped at the bloody slash marks on Link's face.

"Link.." she whispered. The Hero of Time wiped the blood on the floor, and began to slowly get up. Devil Link grinned evilly. He got both hands ready, and charged at Link. He lunged at him with a scream, and went to stab Link's face with one hand full of nails. Link saw him attacking just in time, and lifted the Biggoron's Sword up to block the shot. Devil Link smiled wickedly, and attacked with the other hand. Link once again blocked it, but Devil Link suddenly pulled his hand back and attacked with both. Even though it happened a second, Link was once again able to position the Biggoron's Sword correctly and block both hits. They grappled for a few seconds, and Link gritted his teeth as Devil Link grinned.

"Very nice Hero of Time..." he said, "but let's see you evade this.." Suddenly two large black wings sprouted on Devil Link's back. Link and all the others watching gasped in shock at the demon-like wings, and Devil Link suddenly spun around. As he spun, his wings hit Link and sent him flying. He cried out in pain, and crashed hard on the hard ground.

"Link!!" shouted Saria. Darunia gritted his teeth.

"Come on brother! You can defeat this stupid devil! You can't lose to your demon-self!!!" the Goron Leader yelled. Devil Link smiled diabolically as he looked up at Darunia.

"Oh but he can Darunia, Sage of Fire" he replied, "just watch him die right here when I do this..." Everyone gasped, and a couple tears formed in Zelda's eyes. She was more afraid than ever before right now. Link slowly got up on his feet, and had his back facing Devil Link. He smiled. "Goodbye Link...." he said, and his blood red eyes suddenly shot two red beams of energy from them. They soared through the air and finally found their mark in the middle of Link's back. They exploded, and began to burn away at Link in those few seconds. Link roared in pain as they burnt right through his tunic and scorched his back. Everyone else just froze in shock, and Link stood gasping in pain as his charred back smoked from the attack. He finally closed his eyes, and fell to the ground. Tears rolled down Zelda's face.

"Link!!! Noooooo!!!!!" she screamed as she fell to her knees and cried. Saria, Nabooru, and Ruto also now had tears in their eyes, and watched in horror as Zelda sobbed and Link's lifeless body just lay on the ground. Impa, Darunia, and Rauru just froze. Their mouths hung straight down, but they couldn't speak, they were all frozen in shock. The entire room went silent except for Zelda's crying. She still sobbed for Link, and it seemed she'd never stop. Soon Devil Link spoke.

"Well, that was certainly an easy fight" he stated, "I was expecting more from the Hero of Time..oh well, I always was stronger than him, and I proved it by annihilating him right before all of your eyes. Link is finally dead...." Devil Link then turned to the weeping Zelda and smiled evilly. She lifted her head up, and looked terrified. "Why must you cry Zelda?" he asked, "after all..you're mine now.." Zelda froze. Devil Link began walking over to her with the evil smile still on his face. Zelda began to crawl away, but she wasn't getting anywhere fast. Devil Link soon loomed over her, and put his foot down on the end of her dress to stop her from going anywhere else. She gasped, and Devil Link grinned diabolically. But was about to then kneel down and try to kiss her once again, but he suddenly heard a yell behind him. He turned around confused, and met a slash from the Biggoron's Sword to right cheek. He yelled out from the pain of the hit, and was sent flying away from Zelda. She looked up, and saw Link, breathing heavily, gritting his teeth, but nevertheless; alive.

"Link!" she exclaimed as her eyes lit up. Everyone else looked shocked, but they were all happy that Link was alive.

"Yeah get 'em Link!" shouted Taursus. Link sneered at Devil Link, who was now getting up. He had been clutching his cheek the whole time, but finally removed it. It revealed a terrible, very bloody gash right on his face. Everyone gasped at it, and Link even looked a little shocked by the great wound. Devil Link gritted his teeth as his blood red eyes lit up in rage.

"No one.has ever made me bleed in a battle...and survived.." He said, "...and it'll be the same for you!!!" He screamed, and flew at Link as he got his hands with the huge, long fingernails ready to attack. Link was taken by surprise for a second, and realized he wouldn't be able to evade the attack. He lifted the Biggoron's Sword up, and hoped he'd be able to block all of Devil Link's attacks. The evil spirit lunged at Link, and slashed at him. Link blocked it, and then blocked the next swipe. Devil Link slashed and slashed, but every one was blocked by Link. Devil Link then spun around with his wings, and they hit Link hard. The Biggoron's Sword was knocked from his grip, and it was sent flying into a wall. It went in, and was stuck. Link grunted in pain from the hit, and was knocked back a few feet. He crashed onto the ground, and groaned in pain. He finally noticed that the Biggoron's Sword was gone, and he needed to now use the Master Sword and his shield to fight. He shook his head to get rid of his dizziness, and began to slowly get up. Devil Link smirked, and his eyes lit up once again.

"Look out Link he's going to use those eye beams again!!!!!" Nabooru shouted. Link heard the Gerudo Sage, and saw Devil Link shoot the beams. It'd be impossible to dodge them, so he quickly pulled the Mirror Shield out and absorbed the attack. Devil Link looked a little surprised, and stared in disbelief of the great magical shield. Link finally got on his feet and shot the energy back at Devil Link using the Mirror Shield. Devil Link gritted his teeth, and wrapped his wings around his body. The red beams of energy came flying at him, and bounced off his wings as they gave off an illumination. Link noticed Devil Link was distracted for a second, and pulled out the Master Sword. He screamed in fury, and ran at Devil Link. He held the Master Sword behind his head, and jumped up as he brought it down. He was about to connect with his great jumping slash, but Devil Link's wings suddenly unwrapped and he caught the sacred blade with his fingernails. Link gasped and froze as Devil Link smiled sinisterly.

"You're certainly quite a foolish warrior Link" he said, "I'm surprised you were even able to get that one blow in on me. But no more Hero of Time...you will soon die.." Devil Link grinned, and opened up his mouth. It glowed purple, and everyone watched in confusion. Finally a beam of purple energy rocketed out of it and struck Link full force at point blank range. He screamed in pain and flew across the room. He landed hard on the ground and rolled for a few moments before finally stopping. Everyone gasped from the attack, and was worried that Link wouldn't be able to fight anymore. Link groaned from the pain as his charred tunic and chest smoked a little. Devil Link smiled evilly. "Well well, it seems you've finally taken enough damage to stop fighting" he announced, "I figured that attack would work, but I guess it wasn't enough to finish you. No matter...I'll kill you with this..." Zelda gasped as a few tears formed in her eyes. Link slowly began to get up, and Devil Link's eyes and mouth both glowed. Everyone watched in terror and suspense as these two things and hoped that Link would be somehow able to block or evade the attack. Link stood on the Master Sword, and finally pulled himself up. At that second, Devil Link fired off both attacks. They flew out and soared towards Link like a falcon.

"Look out Link!!!!!!" yelled Mardera. Link slowly lifted his head up, and in a split second saw the two oncoming energy attacks. He in flash lifted up the Mirror Shield just in time, and absorbed the attacks. Devil Link gasped.

"Not again!" he shouted. Link then screamed in fury as he unleashed both attacks back at Devil Link. The evil spirit froze, and watched helplessly as his own two attacks came flying at him. They finally exploded, and created a great gust of wind and illumination. Everyone covered their eyes as the light and wind pounded against them. Link staggered as the wind pushed against him and almost knocked him down, but he kept his footing and withstood all of it. Everything then slowly began to die down, and everyone watched as the smoke slowly began to clear. They all hoped Devil Link was dead, and waited to see what had happened. The smoke still began to diminish, but suddenly two red beams shot out from it. They rocketed at Link, and he froze. They both struck his right shoulder. He yelled out from the pain, and dropped the Mirror Shield and Master Sword as he clutched his wounded shoulder. It was burnt pretty badly, and smoked as he collapsed. He fell backwards, and rived in pain. Everyone gasped, and Zelda put her hand over her mouth.

"Link.." she whispered. Devil Link then flew out of the smoke. He had an evil smile on his face.

"Ha!" he exclaimed, "I knew that would work! I had once again wrapped my wings around my body and blocked my shots, once I knew they were gone, I carefully calculated where you were through the smoke. Once I had an idea of where you were, I shot my beams. Had I judged a little better, they would've struck you right in the throat and killed ya. Even though the fog was what concealed me from you, it was because of it that I wasn't able to kill you. But no matter, you're obviously no longer able to fight. You're badly wounded, and won't be able to get up. Now...I shall finally kill you!!!!" Everyone gasped, and Zelda froze. Tears rolled down her face, and she began to tremble. Devil Link extended his fingernails even more, and smiled wickedly. "Goodbye Link!!!" he yelled, and took off. He soared through the air like a hawk, and got his hands ready as he closed in on Link for the kill. Everyone watched in pure worry and nervousness as Devil Link got closer to Link. More tears came from Zelda's eyes as she watched in pure terror.

"Link....no..." she whispered. Devil Link laughed diabolically as he flew high in the air just about where Link was. He then began flying down towards him, and was only seconds from killing him. But suddenly, Link got up and pulled out the Fairy Bow. In a second he loaded a Light Arrow, and aimed at Devil Link. He froze, and watched as Link glared at him and notched the arrow. He soon let it fly, and it soared up at Devil Link. It struck him directly in the chest and pounded him with its holy power. He roared in pain as the light burned away his wings and paralyzed him. He then began plummeting through the air to the ground, and watched as Link grabbed the Master Sword. The Hero of Time still glared at him, and jumped up with a yell of fury. He extended the Master Sword forward, and Devil Link watched in terror as he came closer and closer top his death. He soon fell into the sacred sword, and he gasped in pain as it dug into his stomach. Blood rolled down the blade as they both hung in mid-air, and Devil Link felt his life-force slowly diminish. Link narrowed his eyes, and looked at Devil Link's shocked, widened eyes. They were filled with fear, but Link sneered.

"You deserve every bit of this..." he spoke, "you possessed me and almost made me kill my little brother. You tried top kill me and rid me of this world. But most of all, you frightened Zelda and tried to force yourself upon her; and that is nothing I could ever forgive you for." Link now paused for a second and stared into Devil Link's eyes. "Now die you filthy devil.." he said, and screamed in fury as he shot a beam of energy from the Master Sword. It exploded against Devil Link at point blank range and burned him away with its awesome power. He screamed in pain as the blast of energy slowly began to disintegrate him. And after a few more moments; it finally did. Link fell down to ground as he watched whatever ashes of Devil Link's body slowly fall to the ground. Once they touched it, they lay there for a few seconds before finally disappearing. Link breathed a sigh of relief, and everyone eye's lit up at the fact that Link had finally won. Tears of joy poured from Zelda's eyes as her face glowed with happiness.

"Link!" she shouted, and ran over to him. Link turned to her and put away the Master Sword. Zelda literally ran into his arms, and Link held her as she cried on his chest. "Oh Link thank God you're alive!" she said, "I thought you were really going to die, I felt crushed. Thank you for saving me from that sick fool and stopping him once and for all!" She began to cry again, but Link took his hand and lifted up her chin as he did before. He smiled.

"I'll always be there for you as your best friend Zelda..count on it" he replied. Zelda looked at him, and smiled back through all of her tears. Suddenly footsteps were heard coming from the thrones in the room. There was a quiet, evil laugh being heard, and finally Ganondorf and Emralda appeared from the shadows. Ganondorf snickered.

"You mean...as your love...don't you Link?" he taunted. Link narrowed his eyes.

"Are you just as stupid as that devil Ganondorf?" he asked, "I've said it already, we broke up as lovers...we're just friends!!!"

"Now now, no need to get all angry Link.." interrupted Emralda. Link gritted his teeth, and Ganondorf smirked.

"Yes, my sister's right, but come on Link, the devil was right, you two love each other, but are just afraid to tell each other once again..." he stated. Link felt like running straight at Ganondorf and slicing him into halves, but he still stayed by Zelda and held her in his arms. Emralda seemed amused.

"I must admit Link, that was quite a battle you had with Devil Link" she began, "you fought rather well against such a powerful foe. I really believed you were dead a couple times...but you always come back for more. I especially liked the finish, coming back at the last second to win is always a better touch to a fight. And I was especially amazed that you won without having the Triforce of Courage..." Link and everyone else in the room gasped. Link's eyes widened in shock, and his mouth dropped. He looked thunderstruck. Ganondorf smiled evilly.

"That's right" he said, and held up his hand with the back of it facing Link and Zelda. Two Triforce pieces appeared on his hand, and Emralda did the same, revealing her own Triforce piece. Ganondorf smirked at the shocked Link. "When you and Zelda were being transported here, we took your Triforce pieces away from you, and used them for our own power..." Emralda also smiled wickedly.

"He's right you two..." she began, "your powers are ours!!!" She let out an evil laugh, and everyone stared in disbelief of what just happened. They all couldn't believe that Zelda and Link no longer had their Triforce pieces, and Ganondorf and Emralda were the ones possessing them. Rauru was on the verge of fainting.

"Our powers, Taursus's, Mardera's and Nepsana's powers, and three pieces of the Triforce..." he whispered, "..those two will be unstoppable.." Impa was just as shocked as Rauru, and looked down at Ganondorf and Emralda. She looked worried.

"How will Mirren be able to stop them....?" she asked. Nabooru shook her head.

"I don't know Impa" she answered, "but as much as I hate to admit it....Mirren might not be able to stop them this time..." Everyone froze from Nabooru's grim words, and realized that she was speaking the truth. Tears formed in Saria's eyes.

"No...he can't lose..." she whispered. Nepsana lowered her head.

"Destiny is what will decide the victor of that battle Saria..." she said, "..we can only hope that Mirren somehow wins against the odds and saves us...."

As Emralda still laughed so wickedly, Ganondorf smiled at Link and Zelda.

"Now, let's break you two up once again!" he yelled and threw his hand out. Suddenly a crystal prison appeared around both Zelda and Link, and their embrace was broken. They both put their hands on their crystals trying to touch the others....but they were trapped and split apart. Ganondorf then raised his hand, and the crystal floated up to where everyone else was. "You all are finally in our grasp, now all we have to is wait for Mirren to come and try to save you all.." he began, "....and we'll just kill him right before your eyes!!! We'll get our revenge, we'll be the most powerful duo ever, we'll conquer Hyrule, and that birthday of Mirren's and Zelda's will be ruined!!!!!!" Ganondorf then let a sinister laugh, and a couple tears rolled down her cheeks. She closed her eyes.

~"Please Mirren.."~she said in her head, ~"Please be alright. Rest up, and come here to save us. I know the odds are definitely against you, and that they're probably five times stronger than you...but I know you can still win Mirren, I know you will be able to beat those odds and save us all just as you before. Please Mirren, do everything you can to save us. Please Mirren, for the sake of Hyrule's safety, for our lives, for your own life....and for our own birthday....."~

* * * * *

Mirren finally opened his eyes. All the tears were gone, and his eyes were still red. The last thing he remembered was crying for the dead Jarlis and Faria, and hearing Ganondorf and Emralda say that they were about to kill him. And then suddenly, he disappeared in a flash of blue light. The second he did, it seemed he lost all consciousness, and fell asleep. He rubbed his eyes as he brought himself about getting up and looked around. The place he was in looked familiar. The diamond-like floor, an endless black ceiling, and watery walls. Why did he feel he had been here before? Suddenly he looked straight in front of him with her backed facing him and saw some woman with her back facing him with long green hair like Zelda's and a light green, sleeveless shirt on. And her blouse was swaddling and more of a white color. He knew where he was now. The Chamber of Sages, and he knew who the woman was standing in front of him.

"Farore.." he whispered almost in shock and surprise. The Goddess of Courage turned around and smiled at Mirren.

"It's good to see you once again Mirren, and good that you're finally awake" she replied somewhat happily. Mirren got up and looked at her smiling face.

"Hey, why am I in the Chamber of Sages?" he asked, "the Sages aren't here, and you guys are the Goddesses." Farore crossed her arms.

"Because this may be the Chamber of Sages, but it's also us Goddesses' Chamber also" she answered, "It may be called the Chamber of Sages, but we use it also. That's why we brought you here." Mirren looked a little confused.

"Farore, what's going on?" he asked, "What happened?" Farore now no longer smiled. She looked serious, and she turned and began to walk away. She motioned for Mirren to follow her, and he did. They walked around a little ways and came upon Din and Nayru, who were wearing the same garments they had before when Mirren first met them.

"Oh, you're up Mirren" exclaimed Nayru, "are you alright?" Mirren nodded.

"I'm fine, I just wanna know what's going on" he answered. Din as always looked serious and stern. She stood up and looked at Mirren. She then looked at the other Goddesses. Farore and Nayru nodded, and Din nodded back as she turned to Mirren once again.

"Alright, I'll begin by explaining this all.." she began. Mirren forgot about everything else and just focused on what Din was saying. "Once Ganondorf and Emralda had killed Faria, you broke down and began to cry as you probably remember.." Mirren thought of Faria for a second and felt hurt inside. But he hid his sorrow and nodded. Din continued. "They were then about to kill you, and almost did, but we had saved you just in time.." Mirren looked a little surprised.

"You guys rescued me?" he asked. Din nodded.

"Yes, we knew you were going to get killed, so we got you outta there as fast as we possibly could.." She replied, "Then they took Nepsana, Link and Zelda through the portal and took them to the citadel..." Mirren now had a couple tears forming in his eyes, but he wiped them away quickly.

"What's going on there now? Are they just sitting trapped in their crystal prison?" he asked. Nayru was now the one to speak.

"Well, everyone else has been, but Link and Zelda weren't at first.." She answered. Mirren gave off a flummoxed expression.

"Why's that?" he asked. Nayru seemed to clear her throat.

"This is kinda a long story but I'll still say it.." She began, "do you remember when Link was possessed?" she asked. Mirren nodded. "Okay, well you see that evil spirit that had possessed Link made himself into a form of your brother and asked Ganondorf and Emralda not to put Link and Zelda in their cages at first. That evil spirit had named himself Devil Link, and tried to force himself upon Zelda because he thought she was beautiful.." Mirren narrowed his eyes and at the thought.

"Keep going..." he said though. Nayru nodded.

"Okay, well he came close, but Link came in a stopped him" she replied, "they had quite a battle, and Devil Link proved to be a powerful adversary, he actually almost killed Link a couple times." Mirren's eyes widened in shock.

"He didn't though....did he?" he inquired.

"No, he wasn't able to finish off your brother though" she said, "he came close at the end, but Link shot him with a Light Arrow and killed him with an energy beam from the Master Sword. Link's fine...." Mirren looked a little relieved.

"And Zelda is too..right?" he asked even though he looked a little embarrassed. Nayru smiled.

"Yes, she's also all right" she answered. Mirren's face went red a little. Farore now took over.

"Right now they're all trapped though..." she began, "the Sages, Mardera, Taursus, Nepsana, and now Link and Zelda. Also Ganondorf and Emralda took away their Triforce pieces, they now possess them..." Mirren's eyes bugged out.

"WHAT!!??" he exclaimed, "you've gotta be kidding Farore!!!" She shook her head as she narrowed her eyes.

"No..I'm not Mirren.." she said. Mirren now looked a little worried. He turned his head away as he thought of how powerful Ganondorf and Emralda would be. Farore still looked stern and serious. "Mirren, you have to fight them..."

"BUT HOW!!??" He snapped, Din and Nayru were a little surprised by Mirren's words. "How in God's name am I going to defeat them when they're literally invincible!!!??? All that power is probably twice as much as the Triforce of Justice!!! How can I even fight them!!!??" Farore narrowed her eyes.

"Stop being a fool Mirren" she sneered, "you're acting just as you were before when you met us!!! How can you say such foolish words when your friends and loved ones lives are on the line!!!???" Din and Nayru were both shocked by how Farore had exploded. They had never seen the Goddess of Courage so angry, and never saw her yell or scold at anyone so aggressively.

"She's acting just like me now..." Din whispered. Nayru didn't really pay attention to Din, what she was paying attention to..was Mirren. As Farore glared at him, and at the mentioning of his friends, tears formed in Mirren's eyes once again. He thought of them all trapped there, and it began to break him down knowing they were gone from him once again. He closed his eyes and turned away from them.

"This is all happening once again..." he began, "they've captured all my friends once again and am making me suffer. It's all coming again. Emralda and Ganondorf are bringing back my worst nightmare. It's returning, but this time it's even worse. Either I save them, or they die, I die, Hyrule gets conquered by Ganondorf and Emralda, and worst of all....mine and Zelda's birthday gets ruined. I just can't take this suffering any more!!!!" Mirren then fell to his knees and began cry. He still had his eyes closed, but his tears slipped through them and rolled down his face. As he lay there on his hands and knees weeping, Farore suddenly got a change of heart and attitude. She no longer looked so serious and mad; instead she looked sorry for Mirren. She knelt down next to him, and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Forgive me for being so tough on you Mirren.." She said, "I was only trying to motivate you..but I guess I did it the wrong way. I'm not a tough person at all, I was the fool when I was acting like that. I'm sorry Mirren, and just as Din said before, I'm sorry I didn't realize how hard this is on you. You're still just a kid, and losing all of your friends and loved ones must really tale it's toll on you." Mirren stopped crying for a second, and looked at Farore. He got up off his hands, and looked at her through his reddened eyes as a couple tears still came down his face. Farore looked right into his eyes. She now looked a little..determined in a way. "Mirren.." she began, "I promise you that I will do everything I can to make sure you save your friends from Ganondorf and Emralda." Mirren choked a little.

"But how will I defeat them? They're so powerful...and if I don't...everything's lost..." he said. Farore put her arm around his shoulders.

"I don't know how you're going to defeat them Mirren.." She replied, "But I still believe even when they're stronger than us Goddesses, you can defeat them somehow. Think of all your friends, think about for motivation to save them. Think about Link dying because you didn't win, would you ever wanna see your older brother die? And what about Zelda? I know you still have that crush on her...you wouldn't let her die would you? I mean after all, you two have your birthday to celebrate tomorrow, you gotta defeat Ganondorf and Emralda to make sure that birthday is the best. The odds are definitely against you, and you have a great chance of losing...but you still must try and defeat them. Give 'em everything you got, that is the only way you can ever have a chance of winning...." Mirren nodded as he wiped away a few tears. He sniffed a little.

"You're right..I've gotta do everything I can.." he began, "...I've gotta give it everything I have to defeat them. I just...I just.." Nayru and Din looked a little surprised as Mirren stuttered. He suddenly broke into tears once again. "I just miss them all so much!" he exclaimed, "all of my friends leaving right before eyes is the worst thing that can happen to me, and three of them have already been killed by Ganondorf and Emralda!! I just could never stand to see all the others die because I can't win!! I just can't take any more!!!!" He then began to cry even more. He wept terribly, and Farore kept her arm about him as she looked at the other Goddesses. All three of them looked sorry for Mirren, and they felt terrible that he had to suffer such horror once again...and all on the day before his birthday....

* * * * *

Link looked out through the window from his crystal prison. It was lighter out now; but the sun was no where near shining. It was raining, pretty hard in fact, and the clouds were dark and grey. The numerous raindrops splashed against the window, and he saw some lightning rip through the sky. A few seconds later, and a huge crash of thunder was heard. As he stood there watching, Taursus knelt in his cage thinking.

"It's probably early morning now" he stated. Link nodded, but didn't bother to look at him.

"I had that idea also" he replied. Taursus now nodded.

"That was quite a battle you had with Devil Link, I really thought you were dead there a few times..." He said. Link didn't change his expression at all.

"Yeah, me too.." He answered back. Taursus nodded again, and looked back to the throne in the room. He thought for a few moments about Ganondorf and Emralda. He thought of their great power, and wondered if Mirren might die.

"Hey Link...?" He began. Link finally turned to him.

"Yeah?" he asked. Taursus looked a little worried amazingly.

"Do you think that Mirren will be able to defeat those two fools and save us?" he asked. Link once again didn't change his expression, but inside a million thoughts rushed through his head. Fear and worry choked him, but he kept from showing that. He turned away, and bowed his head.

"I don't know Taursus..I just don't know..." He answered. Taursus looked a little surprised by Link's answer, but also looked even more worried. Zelda had heard the whole conversation (since her crystal was right next to Link's) and was starting to worry very much about Mirren also. She knew the great amount of power Ganondorf and Emralda now possessed, and that they were next to invincible. A tear formed in her one eye. She was afraid. She was afraid for herself and Mirren. The last thing she ever wanted was see him die right before her eyes, and all on the day before their birthday.

Ganondorf and Emralda walked into the room. They both smiled wickedly, and went over to sit on the chairs on the throne. They rested their arms on the chairs' own arms, except Emralda held her staff with one hand, so only one arm was resting. They were in their normal attire; Ganondorf in black and blue armor, and Emralda in her dark green robe with the gold stripes and the rubies attached to each. They both looked as evil as they usually did, but they oddly paid no attention whatsoever to their prisoners. Nepsana noticed this, and was a little confused.

"What's up with them?" she whispered to Link, "It's like they're totally forgotten about us. They usually always taunt us and jeer at us, but now they're just ignoring us..." Link looked very serious as he watched the two evil brother and sister. He shook his head as he narrowed his eyes.

"I have no idea Nepsana.." He answered, "You're right though, they are acting kinda strange."

"Tss, strange is just an understatement!" exclaimed Ruto but not loud, "have they gotten board with us or something?" Impa shook her head as her ears almost seemed to twitch.

"No..." she said, "...they're waiting for someone to come..." Everyone looked a little confused.

"What in blazes are talkin' 'bout?" asked Darunia. Impa narrowed her eyes.

"There's a couple people coming down the hall, and I guess they're waiting for them..." She answered. Ruto looked shocked.

"How do you know that!?" she exclaimed again but not loud. Impa didn't even turn to her, she just kept listening.

"It has to do with her ears" Zelda answered for Impa to let her keep listening, "because she's a Shiekah, her ears and sense of hearing is greater than a normal Hylian or any other race for that matter..."

"Yeah, her ears are even better than mine.." added Nabooru, "and we Gerudos have some pretty nice hearing skills!"

"Can you tell what they might be Impa?" asked Zelda. Impa shook her head.

"Nothing except they're big and loud.." she answered. Suddenly the sound of large and loud stomping was heard. A few of them gasped, and were a little afraid of what might be coming through the doors. Link narrowed his eyes as he focused completely on the door. He was prepared for anything....anything except what did come through the doors.

It was Malon. All chained up and looking terrified. She was followed by two Moblins, and they were all snickering and smiling evilly. Link froze. He gasped, and his mouth hung down as his eyes widened in shock. He couldn't believe that it was Malon, and how afraid she looked. Everyone else gasped also, but Nepsana also sneered.

"Those are some of the Moblins from Varnash's gang...." she stated. Mardera turned to her.

"Are you sure?" she asked. Nepsana nodded but didn't look at her.

"Yeah, I'm sure of it..." she answered. Zelda like Link was also frozen in shock. Her eyes widened, and she placed her hand over her mouth as it dropped. Ganondorf sat on his great chair smiling diabolically at the frightened Malon.

"Well well, it looks like we've finally got the ranch girl here.." he said standing up. Malon cringed, and trembled. Link finally had enough. His eyes lit up with anger, and he gritted his teeth.

"What are doing this to her for Ganondorf!!!!????" he screamed. The Scourge of Hyrule smirked as he looked up at the enraged Link.

"You certainly aren't happy to see her like this, are you Link?" he taunted. Link would've done anything at that moment to break out of his crystal and slice Ganondorf's throat open.

"You're darn right you sick fool!!!!" Emralda smiled evilly. She was amused by Link's intense anger. She also now stood up and walked over to her brother.

"Well, we have another visitor with us..." She announced, and another Moblin walked in with Teerlis chained up also in front of him. Teerlis walked slowly, and his garments were torn in several places, and his wounds bled a little. He walked over to Malon, and just collapsed next to her. Malon gasped and tried to help him up. Link was as angry as ever.

"Answer me Ganondorf!!! Why are you doing this!!!???" he shouted. Ganondorf smiled wickedly and looked up at Link.

"You really wanna know why? Well fine..I'll tell you..." he replied, "I knew that these two ranch fools are good friends of Mirren's, so I decided it'd be best to capture them and bring them here. And considering that this'll be the time that Mirren finally dies..why not have all of his best friends here!!!???" Ganondorf then laughed diabolically. Emralda grinned.

"Time to cage you two up..." She said, and threw her hand out. A crystal prison appeared around both of them, and slowly floated up to where all the others were. Everyone watched as they came over to the rest, and felt terrible for the both of them. Ganondorf now turned to the Moblins.

"Your work is done, you may leave to do whatever you wish." He said. The one Moblin smiled.

"But Ganondorf, we want to join your great army!" he exclaimed. Emralda smirked.

"Really?" she asked. The Moblin nodded.

"Yes, we wanna be as much as help as possible!" he replied. Emralda grinned.

"You wanna help us?" she began, "Fine. I have a great way you guys can help us out. You three can be Blackfang's victims for his training..." The Moblins looked a little confused, and so did everyone else watching. Emralda snapped her fingers, and suddenly part of one of the walls began to lift up. It slowly opened, and revealed some blackness. Suddenly two yellow eyes appeared, and a snarl was heard. The Moblins froze in fear, and finally a great, and absolutely huge black panther leapt from the blackness. It roared, and the Moblins screamed in fear. Blackfang lunged at them, and began to savagely attack them. He swiped at them with his great claws and cut them open. They all kept on screaming as Blackfang ripped them apart. Zelda, Impa and all the others turned away from the gruesome and disturbing site, all except Link who stood frozen in shock as he watched the Moblins get torn and bloodied to pulps. His mouth dropped, and he gasped numerously. Soon all the screaming stopped, and the sounds of Blackfang's savage killing stopped. They all looked back, and froze when they saw the three Moblins, bloodied, torn open in several places, and dead. Emralda smiled.

"What a good panther!" she said, "I knew he'd be perfect!" Ganondorf also smiled and looked up at the shocked and terrified captives.

"Do you all like him?" he asked, "He's Emralda's new pet and protector. She found him in the woods here in Herlassia and brought him here to the citadel. She's trained him very well, and took a great liking to her. He'll do any command she gives him, and he especially loves killing and tearing apart his victims. I can't wait to see how you all react once we send him loose on Mirren..." Ganondorf laughed as everyone still stood frozen in terror, and they now felt even worse knowing Mirren would have to fight that terrifying creature. Emralda smiled as she walked over to Blackfang and began to stroke his sleek, black as shadow fur. He purred, and lay down as she still stroked it.

"Now all we need to do is put your armor on, and you'll be the greatest cat in all of Hyrule and Herlassia!" she said. Instantly three Iron Knuckles came through the doors to the throne room carrying gold and red armor. They walked over to Emralda, and began to put the armor on Blackfang as Emralda still stroked him. The armor was like that of the one used for horses when they are used for battle. Except it was only his body, his head and legs were left uncovered, along with his tail. Emralda smiled as she watched the great armor put on the huge panther, and everyone watched except Link and Zelda, who were more concerned for Malon.

"Are you okay?" Zelda asked. Malon sniffed back a few tears and nodded.

"Yes, I'm fine.." she answered, "same with Teerlis, they didn't hurt us that bad, they only captured us..." Link looked a little surprised as he stared at Teerlis's many wounds.

"But he's covered in cuts and blood!" he exclaimed, Teerlis groaned as he lifted himself up and shook his head to get rid of the stars. He looked over at Link.

"That doesn't mean I didn't beat the livin' heck outta the Iron Knuckles that came..." he replied. Zelda also looked a little surprised.

"You fought them!?" she asked. Teerlis nodded.

"Yeah, I guess they were originally going to kill us, but after I beat half of them to their death with a pitchfork and chain, they decided just to capture us and bring us here.." he said. Malon nodded.

"Yeah, without him, we would've been brought here dead for Mirren to see.."she stated. Zelda nodded, and so did Link. Teerlis looked a little worried.

"I may be a normal Hylian elf, and I might not know much of what's going on, but do you guys think Mirren'll even have a chance against Ganondorf and Emralda?" he asked. Zelda now also looked a little worried, and she looked over at Link, who looked very grim and turned his head away as he closed his eyes.

"I do not know..." He whispered, "he has a great chance of losing...we can only hope that he wins..."

* * * * *

Mirren had eventually stopped crying after a while. He calmed down, and toughened up a little. He went over to a side of a chamber, and stood by himself thinking. The Goddesses' knew he was still very hurt by seeing three of his friends die, and that all of his other friends and loved ones were gone once again. Din and Farore went over to another side of the chamber and began to discuss something, while Nayru went over by Mirren. She walked over to him, and stood next him as she looked down at him.

"You okay Mirren?" she asked softly and gently. Mirren sniffed as he wiped away a few remaining tears. He nodded, but didn't look up at her.

"Yeah, I'm okay...just worried that I won't be able to defeat Ganondorf and Emralda and save everyone..." he replied.

"I don't blame you..." She said back, "They're both incredibly powerful, and you're still just a kid. This must be terrifying for you." Mirren shook his head.

"That's not what I fear the most..." he said, "What I'm really most afraid of is that I won't be able to save them, and they'll all die. And especially since mine and Zelda's birthday is tomorrow..." Nayru put her arm around his shoulders.

"That is a very wise and noble thing to say of you..." she began, "and I'm not surprised you're more worried about your friends' lives than Ganondorf and Emralda, I'd be terrified that they'd all die too. But no matter how strong Ganondorf and Emralda are, you must always keep on fighting and give it every single bit of energy in your body before you run outta life. Even if they're triple you power, you mustn't give up fighting. And remember, me, Din, and Farore will still be there to back you up if you need it. You're not alone, always remember that. And also always think of your friends and loved ones. Never stop picturing them in your mind, they'll motivate you and keep you going to fight to save them. Think of the Sages, think of Mardera, think of Nepsana, think of Taursus, think of Link..think of Zelda.." Mirren sniffed back any remaining tears he had, and nodded. He seemed fine now, and no longer looked like he was going to cry or anything. He looked rather calm now, but serious. Nayru also noticed his ears went a little red. She knew the cause for this instantly. "You still have that crush on Zelda?" she asked with a grin. Mirren's face went red now. He looked a little embarrassed and looked away.

"Yeah..." He replied. Nayru smiled.

"Don't ever worry about it" she began, "you remember what she said don't you? She doesn't mind that you have that crush on her; in fact...she's actually happy you do. There's no way you can stop love Mirren, so whatever you do, don't try to get rid of it..." Mirren still looked a little embarrassed, and now worried.

"Yeah, but I still always hate it since she and Link love each other" he replied, "I know that they broke up, but deep down inside..they still love each other..." Nayru smiled again.

"Then that's something you should do once you save them if you do" she stated, "Bring them back together. You did it before, and they'll never be happier. And hey..you might get another kiss from Zelda.." Mirren blushed again, and Nayru laughed a little. He looked up at her, and actually smiled in a way.

"Thanks Nayru..." he said, "If I can't talk to Zelda..you're the next best thing.." Nayru smiled again and nodded.

"Any time Mirren..any time" she replied. She then looked out of the corner of her eye, and noticed that Farore was motioning her to come with Mirren to her and Din. She nodded to them, and looked back at Mirren. "Come with me..." she said, "Me and the others have something for you." Mirren looked a little surprised, and confused as he and Nayru walked over to the other side of the chamber to Din and Farore. They were soon there, and Farore looked down at Mirren.

"Mirren, we have something to give you" she said. Mirren looked a little surprised.

"You have something to give to ~me~?" he asked. Din nodded.

"Yes, listen Mirren, we knew how hurt you were once Goldenfire died, and how hard you took it" she began, "and now you really can't get around all that well without him. You may still have Artra, but she's just a pony, and she's supposed to live at the ranch. That's why we've decided to give you Goldwing." Mirren looked a little confused, and the three Goddesses lifted their hands up into the air. A golden light began to shine above them all, and it kept getting brighter and brighter and brighter. Mirren watched as he suddenly heard a screech. The light flashed, and when Mirren looked back, he saw a beautiful golden phoenix hovering in the sky. He gasped, and stood in awe of the great beast. It must've been twenty-five feet tall, and its body was covered in the most beautiful and shining of golden feathers. Its wings were huge, and spread out to a great length. Its head was that of a hawk, and the great phoenix had dark silver eyes. The Goddesses finally brought their arms down, and smiled at Mirren.

"This is Goldwing Mirren" began Farore, "he's our phoenix companion. He's a great flyer, and is great for battles. His fire is also golden like Goldenfire's, and it's probably just as strong." Mirren still looked shocked.

"And you're giving him to ~me~" he asked. Farore smiled again and nodded.

"Yep, you're going to need another companion now that Goldenfire's dead...and in my mind there's no one better than Goldwing." Mirren still looked shocked, and Goldwing now flew down next to him. The great golden phoenix landed by his side, and knelt down. Mirren looked at the beautiful creature, and finally smiled. He stroked his neck, and Goldwing seemed to like it. Mirren felt great. Goldwing was just like Goldenfire, almost like an exact copy...only in bird form. A tear dripped from his eye as he looked over at the Goddesses.

"Thank you guys.." he said. They all smiled back at him.

"No problem Mirren.." they all said. Mirren then turned back to Goldwing and went back to stroking his neck. Farore and Nayru still smiled, but Din now looked a little more serious.

"I'd say it's about noon now, it'll take us 'til probably the evening to get to Emralda's Citadel in Herlassia" she stated, "I think we should be leaving soon." The other Goddesses looked just as serious. Nayru nodded.

"You're right" she replied, "but we must first think of a plan on how we're going to fight there. Will we do it like last time?" Mirren now looked at them and was also serious as they talked about the situation. Farore shook her head.

"No Nayru, our plan will be different this time, "she began, "last time Ganondorf and Emralda had troops on the ground floor of the castle area, and then on all three floors of the tower before the throne room at the top. This time it's a little different. They once again have a bunch of troops on the ground floor, that'll be where Goldwing will fight." Mirren nodded and looked at the phoenix. Goldwing even seemed to nod at the plan Farore continued. "Alright, then the next floors are filled with enemies. The first will be full of Moblins, and then the next will have a bunch of Iron Knuckles in it. This time it's not gonna be where one of us Goddesses stay there to fight as the others go on. We're all gonna stay there and fight until every last enemy is killed. Because on the third floor there's three unknown enemies there with great power, so us three Goddesses will fight them as you Mirren go up to the throne room to fight Ganondorf and Emralda. Understand?" Mirren nodded and hopped on Goldwing. Din and Nayru also nodded. The Goddesses then lifted their hands up into the air. There was a flash of light, and all of sudden they were in the sky high above Hyrule. Goldwing was hovering, and the Goddesses just floated. Farore looked at the other Goddesses. "Are you guys ready?" asked.

"Ready as ever!" exclaimed Din.

"Yes, I'm ready" replied Nayru. Farore nodded and looked over at Mirren.

"Are you ready Mirren? Do you think you can do this?" she asked. Everything was silent for a few moments. Mirren bowed his head as everyone waited for his answer.

"Even if I die trying...I'm going to do everything I can to save them.." He said. He looked up at them. "I'm ready..I'm going to fight." Even though she didn't express it, Mirren's words of courage and nobility made her feel great and proud of him. She nodded.

"Alright everybody....let's go!" she yelled, and flew off. Din and Nayru followed her up, and Mirren began riding Goldwing behind them. They all flew over the great kingdom of Hyrule, and looked forward to the land of Herlassia. The place where Mirren and all of his friends' fates would be decided.

Author's Notes: Hooooly smokes what a chapter!!! Sorry this took so long, it was literally a long chapter, and plus I was kinda losing my passion to write a few times...but don't worry I'm fine I can keep writing!! Besides, next chapter is the battle!!! Ohhhhhh boy get ready for the longest, best battle you've ever seen! If you though the other was good, then my God your heart's gonna stop from this one!!! I loved it how at the very beginning of this chapter I got to start off with an awesome fight. Heh, how'd ya like Devil Link guys? Well, the next chapter is the final battle, and then after that I've got one more chapter to write before I finally finish this great Zelda novel. Thank you all who've been reading it and reviewing it. You guys have kept me going. And the next chapter will be even better if I get a few reviews!! Hey, I really wanna know what you guys thought of that battle with Devil Link, so if you review tell me about that definitely, and then the rest. I'm gonna be really into the next chapter, so it's gonna be long, and awesome. Look for it possibly this weekend. Well, that's all I gotta say.....PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!