Repaying a Debt

Disclaimer: [Glares at you]

It's the penultimate chapter. [Gulps]. Blimey. This is going to be difficult. But I'm going to do it. Without further ado, welcome to Ganondorf's lair.

Sheik: [Looks around, shivers]

Alexis: [Holds Sheik's hand]

Navi: [Turns up her light so they can see the way]

Link: [Makes his way towards the castle]

~/*\~/*\~/*\~

I gulped loudly as I looked up at what had once been the palace of Hyrule's royal family. Far below, at least twenty fathoms down, (a fathom is about eight feet), lava was bubbling and hissing, casting a hazy red glow of heat over the area which I knew had once held lush green courtyards and merrily tinkling fountains, as well as endless, red-carpeted corridors, and the largest feasting hall in the land. And now, everything was twisted, turned in on itself, and I could think of no other word; ugly.

Link's face was the ultimate picture of shock as he looked up at what had once been a beautiful, stately home. Sheik was able to rein his disbelief somewhat - I had a sneaking suspicion he had seen this place like this before, being a Sheikah and all. We took our time to study the place from a distance, and circled around the entire extent of the ruined palace grounds to try and see a bridge across to the place over the lava. But we could see none at all, and despair was eating away at my insides.

"How do we get in?" I voiced the question we'd all been thinking.

"I don't know," Link muttered through gritted teeth. He ground them angrily as he rove his eyes once again over the castle, which now looked impenetrable. Then, his eyes widened, and he blinked a few times as though the weak light was blinding him. A crash of thunder sounded far off, and I felt a slight nervousness at being on such a high point in the middle of a storm.

"Link, what is it?" Navi asked, peering down at him from where she hovered above us. The fat raindrops that fell around her sparkled like tiny rainbows.

"I - Saria. She just told me," he shook his head, and became a little more coherent. "I just had a dream-vision. Saria says just to go to where the gates to the palace used to be at the edge of the lava lake, and wait there."

"Are you sure? Did she say anything else to you?" Sheik asked. Link bit his lip, and then shook his head. Obviously, if Saria had said anything else, it was to remain strictly private. "Well, all right, let's do as the Sage said. Forward Valar," he clicked his tongue, and his horse turned tail to clatter down the steep path we'd used to get up on the cliffs around the palace. I followed him, letting my horse do the work as I turned in the saddle to check on Link. He was looking pale, but determined.

"Link?" he seemed to jolt out of some daydream, and stared at me. "Are you all right?"

"We're about to fight for the whole of Hyrule, and it rests on me to give the last blow, or the land is doomed," he answered darkly. "Apart from that, I'm fine." He clenched his fists around his reins, and hurried after Sheik and I. I didn't try to broach any more conversation after that. We all needed to be alone with our own thoughts, and that was exactly what we all did.

Five minutes of precarious climbing later, including a couple of close calls when the ground slipped from beneath our steeds' hooves, we were at the place that Saria had directed us to. We dismounted, and let the horses wander off at their own will. "What now?" I asked quietly, scared of incurring Link's wrath. It had only just occurred to me how dedicated he was to this land. And how all this had been thrust upon him so early. I knew how that felt...but I at least had had the time to adjust and grow to it. He - he'd had childhood ripped away.

"We wait I suppose," his voiced had lost the hard edge, and he sounded slightly weary with the whole business. "I just want you all to know, it's been an honour to fight alongside you."

"The honour was all mine, Hero. It was a duty and a joy to be able to fight with you," Sheik responded sombrely, with a sharp bow, that Link returned.

"I'm glad to have met all three of you," I said, managing to avert a break in my voice. "This land has been worth all the trouble, and meeting three friends along the way sure was a bonus." They all gave half-hearted smiles, and then we turned to face the lava pit once more.

"Hero...Sheikah...Fairy...Fallen One..." Many voices echoed together over the breeze, and about halfway between where we stood, and where the castle door was, six shining lights appeared. One yellow, one green, one red, one blue, one purple, and one orange. These lights grew (much like Navi when she changed to human form) to show the six sages. At last, I knew what Saria looked like - she was so tiny, but the emerald fire raging in her eyes and dancing around her slender body, showed the power running through her veins.

"Link," Saria called, her voice echoing eerily in the suddenly magic- stilled air. "With our powers combined, we are going to make a bridge across so you can get inside. But, after that, we must leave again - I'm sorry..." sparkling tears trailed down her cheeks.

"Oh, Saria, don't cry, please don't," Link sobbed with her, and Sheik, Navi and I remained respectfully silent.

"Now Link," a woman with an aura of purple light interjected. "This isn't going to solve anything - we must leave soon, so that our powers will be strong to seal the Dark King away."

"Yes Impa," Link answered dutifully, and dashed a few clinging tears away.

"Now, here's a bridge for you young 'uns!" A large man with a yellow glow boomed, and I took him to be Rauru, sage of light. All six of the figures shrank back to the forms of six coloured lights, and then sped across the gap dozens of times, weaving strings of magic after them all the time. Soon, the magic had woven itself together, to create a solid looking bridge, which shimmered and changed colours as we watched.

"Good luck," The echoing voices called, before the lights disappeared completely. I fervently hoped that the other three hadn't taken too much notice of that 'Fallen One' comment. As soon as the last traces of the lights left the air, the sky was rent in two by a huge bolt of lightning, followed almost immediately by thunder. The rain returned full force, and was being blown almost sideways as a gale rushed against us.

We hurried onto the bridge, and swayed precariously in the wind. Navi took refuge in Link's hat, unable to look down at the lava below with blanching. I kept my eyes straight ahead, and placed one foot in front of the other, determined that I wasn't going to look down. But, halfway, a particularly strong gust of wind forced me to either fall forwards onto the translucent bridge, or fly off of it. I chose to fall, and landed with my nose pressed against a strand of magic that changed from yellow to red to blue. Far below, I could see the lava, and feel the heat of it against my face. Luckily, Sheik and Link helped me back up, so that I could carry on.

When we stepped off of the bridge at the other end, I let out a great sigh of relief. That had not been the most pleasant experience, by any means. "We're here now. If either of you two wanted to back out now, I'd think no less of you," Link whispered, nodding back to the bridge. Sheik and I just walked around him and pushed open the tall iron doors to the castle, holding them open for him. He smiled tightly, and his eyes shimmered as he managed to choke out "Thanks." He walked through, and we followed, the doors clattering shut behind us.

"We're in," Link muttered to Navi, who crept out from under his hat and looked around.

"This place sure is dark," she commented, and immediately torches burst into flame all around us. Link and I let out involuntary screams of shock, and Sheik jumped a little at my side. "Not anymore," Navi said, looking around.

We did as well, and noticed immediately, at the very centre of the room, a statue of some kind, on top of which was a sphere of perfectly clear, unblemished crystal. And, as we watched, six beams of light descended from the dark heights of the ceiling of the room above, and plunged into the crystal. It refracted them away as separate colours; yellow, green, red, blue, purple and orange, the same as the Sages. They all sped to meet tiny replicas of the first sphere, below each of which was a door.

All of the doors had iron bars over them, which slid up with a soft hiss when the lights hit the spheres above them. And, at the same time, similar looking bars were falling over a staircase, which led away to our right. "The staircase!" Navi exclaimed, though it wasn't really necessary - we'd all flung ourselves to it, and tried to stop the bars falling any further. Even when Link fished out one of the silver gauntlets and put it on, we couldn't stop the bars, let alone push them up so we could get through.

"Damn it!" Link kicked the bars and the clanged loudly. He gave a small wince, but nothing more than that. "Now what?"

"I suppose we'll have to see what's in all those rooms - maybe we have to complete some tasks before we can get into the tower," I offered, and it seemed a good enough explanation for Link, who forged his way through the room to the door above which a yellow light was shining.

"Well, come on then, we can't keep waiting around. Zelda's life is at stake!" He kicked the door open, and held his sword raised as he waited for us. I pulled my sword out, and shrugged my shield onto my arm. Then, I walked over to Link, closely followed by Sheik. I was as prepared as I could be, and walked into the room first, deciding it was my turn to do so. The light wasn't bright, but was enough to see by if I squinted slightly.

Ahead, was a strange, shining stone, which was being fed by a similar strand of yellow light to the one above the door. Sheik stood next to me, his knives raised, and Link pulled the door shut behind him as he came in. "What is that?" I asked, signalling to the stone. A sharp outburst from Link made us all turn around and stare at him. He was clutching his head in his hands, and leaning heavily against the wall, shuddering. "Link?"

"Hey, Link, what is it?" Sheik asked, rushing over to stop him falling over completely. Link's head suddenly snapped up again, and he pulled himself up to his full height (helped slightly by Sheik). He rubbed his temples, and glared at us.

"I just saw things how Zelda's seeing them," he growled angrily. "She's in pain, and I know it's the fault of him." He spat bitterly, and swung his sword, killing a stealthy Keese that neither Sheik nor I had noticed. "She asked us to hurry - and the light arrows need to be used on - that," he pointed with his sword (which quivered slightly) at the stone. "You do it Sheik - I - I need to..." he trailed off into silence, and Sheik walked forwards to do as Link had said with the light arrows.

Link slid down the wall again, coming to an abrupt halt as he finally hit the stone floor. I crouched down next to him, and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. He copied the gesture, to pull me into a one armed hug. To my surprise, there were now tears running down his face. "Shh Link," I wiped them away, and patted him on the top of the head. "It'll be all right. Shh now."

"I can't do this. I don't want to be a hero...I'm just a kid!" he whimpered, and gripped onto me harder, as though I was going to save him from this. I couldn't - no one could. [That's the cruelty that is destiny].

{Don't we all know it?} Navi thought to me. {Link's had to grow up way before his time.}

[Why in Goddesses did they choose him? He doesn't deserve all this on his head.] I carried on patting Link on the head, and he sniffled slightly.

{I don't know why...he's just the one. The hero.} I made a non-committal sound, and then prised Link's fingers away from my arm.

"Come on Link, you can do this. Think of all the people you've already saved!"

"I didn't manage to help those people in Kakariko," he pointed out bitterly.

"No one can be everywhere at once. You've done the best you can, when you've been landed with such a large task, and been forced to grow up so quickly. There's no more you could have done," he shook his head, and I forced him to look up at me. "Believe me - you have done all that was required of you, and much, much more that was not. The goodness of your heart is your greatest strength, and strength itself you have in abundance. You *can* do this. And we will help you until the very last ounce of strength leaves us."

"That's seconded," Sheik said, coming back over to us. "I've destroyed the thing - that light's disappeared. Where to now?"

"The next room, I suppose," I answered, looking up from my position crouched next to Link on the floor. "Do you want to rest a while Link, or go on?" He flinched, and brought his hands to his head again. Then, with a new bout of anger, he jumped to his feet.

"We go on."

~*~*~*~

The iron bars over the staircase finally rose up again, and tentatively, we began to climb the winding steps, ever upwards into the depths of Ganondorf's lair. Faint organ music was drifting through the otherwise silent air, and I wondered where it could be coming from. I cast a confused sidelong glance at Sheik, who just shrugged, and carried on climbing. Navi was lighting the way for us, as there were no torches here.

Shadowy corridors led off the left and right, and I shivered every time we passed one, thinking at each entrance that this place had once been alive. It had once been a home - but now it was cold, and dark, and overflowing with more evil creatures than I cared to count.

Far above, the organ music stopped, and was replaced by a stifling silence. It pressed around the four of us like some smothering blanket, and I shivered again as we passed another black corridor. [How does Link know where he's going?]

{I think Zelda must have told him - or be telling him even now. They have strong bond, though Link doesn't like to talk of it much.}

[Do you know how much farther we have to go?]

{I'm afraid not - we just keep going until Link tells us we're there.}

[OK - sounds good to me.] I closed the internal door, and mulled things over. I was undeniably uncertain about this battle. There were still half- formed feelings bubbling under the surface of my consciousness about the man we were about to face. But, those were countered by great waves of anger, every time I thought of what he had done to the land. And then, there was what was to happen to me after all this was through.

Yet another shiver pervaded me, and this time not because of the dark corridors to either side. Lucifer's face had appeared within my mind, and I had to shake my head vigorously to make the smirking features disappear again. Loki's warnings rang in my mind, and I forced them down, forced them back. I could not, under any circumstances, compromise the land of Hyrule because of my own problems. I was non-consequential when set against the lives of thousands, maybe even millions.

But still...one small part of me wished that this battle would be the death of me. If only to make sure I did not have to go to - that house. And so that Sheik and Link would not have to wonder at what happened to me after the battle was over. Sheik...oh Goddesses, I wanted to tell him so much. I wanted him to know why I was so secretive, why I could not tell him to begin with. I wanted Link to know too - they deserved it. By heaven, yes, they deserved to know. But, Loki's warnings rang in my ears, and I did not entertain that idea any longer.

"Link, how much furth-" I began, but was stopped as a large hand reached out of one of the side passages and clamped itself over my mouth. Link, Sheik and Navi did not turn, and I struggled and kicked as hard as I could against whatever it was holding me. Navi's internal door was closed for the first time in Demons knew how long, and so I couldn't even call out to her.

"We meet again," a voice I knew all too well whispered in my ear. A few red strands of hair appeared in my peripheral vision, and I had to restrain myself from either kicking his shins, or relaxing completely into his grip. I stayed completely still, and he seemed a little put out. "What? No fight, no snide comments? You have lost your touch my dear, haven't you? Or maybe the lessons of the fortress are still with you." He smiled (I could feel the movement against my ear), and ran a hand through my hair, a parody of a lover's caress.

Still, I did nothing. I could do nothing. I was paralysed with fear at what I might do if I did move. Of what he might do if I did move. He seemed to take this as some sign of assent, and span me around, grabbing my wrists in one hand, and encircling my waist with the other, meaning I could not escape if I tried. [Maybe if I do nothing, he'll let me be - or kill me. I don't mind which.] I thought dully, looking at the black mail of his shirt, adamant that I would not look him in the eyes. He didn't seem to like that idea, and with a growl, sent a buzz of magic through me that was so strong, that startled tears fell from my eyes, and I felt about to faint.

I glared up at him in abject annoyance, and he grinned winningly. "Ah, finally, I get some response. I was just checking you were still alive - I was worried that Sheikah had taught you the dull ways of his people. So very difficult to bait them - but you - ah, a past time I relish!" He laughed brightly, and I briefly wondered whether he was right in the head.

"I'm as right in the head as you are, Alexis," he purred, and I realised with a jolt I had said the last thing out loud. And, him using my true name felt sacrilegious - not many knew it, and to have him use it was so wrong... "Well, perhaps more so than you; you do seem swayed towards having me kill you - rather than to other...more pleasurable activities." The hand at my waist tightened, and I dug my feet into the ground as he tried to pull me back into the dark chasm of the corridor.

"Let. Go." I finally managed, quietly and calmly, which scared him even more than a loud shout would have done. To my surprise, he let go with a yelp, and looked down at his hands. I glimpsed my own left palm, and saw that the scars there were glowing with long forgotten magic. I stumbled backwards, almost tripping down the stairs, and stared at him. He stared back, and we stayed in those surreal positions for a few seconds. Then, he lunged forwards, and I sprang up the stairs, yelling, "Link, Sheik, Navi, wait!"

Looking over my shoulder, I saw Ganondorf scowl, and then disappear into a portal of black light. The organ playing above resumed, and I climbed a couple more floors, to find the other three waiting for me expectantly. "Where did you get to?" Navi asked.

"Ganondorf - just a little way-lay back there. He's in the room up there, playing that blasted organ right now." Navi's eyes widened, and Sheik frowned. Link just nodded,

"Aye, that's right. And, there's but one more floor to that room. Shall we?" he indicated the final flight of stairs, and we continued our ascent.

*

As soon as we stepped through the golden door to what had once been the throne room, our eyes were drawn to a rose pink crystal, which hung above the elaborate organ, which was the only remaining piece of furniture in the place. Within it, Princess Zelda was trapped, her eyes frozen wide open in shock. A small glow reached my eyes, and looking down, I saw that Link's left hand was glowing with the mark of the Tri-Force of Courage. All the cuts and bruises he had acquired on the way to this place phased away, and a new fire reached his eyes as energy returned to him. [I could sure do with a booster like that.]

Looking back up, I saw Ganondorf's symbol do the same - and, judging by the sudden dazzling brightness of the crystal above, Zelda's must be doing the same. All four of us stood silently, fingering our weapons lovingly, waiting for the dark man before us to make a move. It was common courtesy, after all, to at least let your opponent see you before you killed them. Though I wouldn't much mind making an exception for this one.

Suddenly, Ganondorf began to speak, though he continued to play the organ, exuding a beautiful melody as his fingers flew over the ivory keys. "The two Tri-Force parts that I could not capture on that day seven years ago... I didn't expect they would be hidden within you two. This is a most unexpected happenstance." His tone was light, conversational, which I found terrifying. By the twitching muscles in Link's arm, he wasn't too comfortable with the situation either.

The melody from the organ suddenly cut off, and Ganondorf whirled about, his black cloak flaring as he stood up. Even Link and Sheik looked small in comparison to him, but none of us moved. Ganondorf lifted his hand, on which the triangular mark was still glowing brightly. "I command you to return the pieces to me!" he growled.

"We will not, because they were never meant for you in the first place!" Link countered darkly. They both glared at one another, sizing each other up. "Well? Too scared to fight us are you?"

"Link," I muttered, cautioning him with that one syllable. He just lifted his right hand, on which rested his Mirror Shield, and hushed me.

"I was just giving you the chance to reconsider, *Hero*," the Gerudo drawled the name with a smirk. "After all, you'd make good enough slaves, and perhaps I would even let you live past the first year." A derisive snigger tumbled out of his mouth, and he caught me off guard when he lunged forwards, and grabbed me by the front of my tunic. Sheik grabbed my arm, and managed to pull me back. I dusted off my tunic, and smiled up at him.

"Trust me - you're going to be lucky if you live out this hour. We lay our challenge - now, will you accept, or are you such a coward to run from children?" He looked taken aback by the cool tone in my voice, and flexed his Tri-Force branded hand thoughtfully.

"Very well," he conceded, and the area around us slowly changed to show a battle arena. The true walls of the tower came into view, and now we could hear the steady drumming of raindrops on the tiles of the roof. Floor to ceiling windows, many with missing panes of glass, showed us the stark greyness of the world outside. It was not a cheering picture, but then I managed to superimpose the place of the past over the top. [We fight for a worthy cause,] I smiled merrily, and shuffled my feet into a more comfortable combat position.

{Oh - Goddesses - what's happening - to me?} Navi's voice filtered to me, and I turned around to see her flickering on and off quickly. At one second, her wings would be fluttering quickly, and then, they would suddenly stop, before starting up again. "Link - help me," she yelled, and over that, I could hear Ganondorf let out a satisfied sigh.

"What are you doing to her?" Link demanded, catching Navi in his outstretched hand.

"Why, isn't it obvious?" Ganondorf sneered. "What do you expect from trailing that fairy all over the land, into places full of dark magic. She was bound to die sometime."

"What?" Link's eyes widened.

"Oh, the poor little baby didn't know?" he chuckled, floating a few feet from the floor on his back, his hands behind his head. "Don't you ever read? No, I suppose not - after all, Kokiri schooling isn't exactly what one would call thorough, is it?" He switched so that he lay on his front in the air, his cloak falling on either side of him, almost like black wings... Bats wings. He rested his chin on his hands, and smiled indulgently as Navi's laboured breathing grew quieter and quieter.

"Navi? Navi, is this true? Navi?" Link bought her close to his face, and she turned to look up at him, eyes squeezed almost shut in pain.

"I'm - I'm afraid so Link. I didn't want you to find out; or I wouldn't have been able to help you so much as I have. Don't worry for me, I wanted to do this. You've always been my friend, you know that!"

"But - Navi...you're not...please, you can't. I need you here to be my friend," Link whispered to the fairy in his hands. Ganondorf was about to make some other snide comment, and Sheik calmly shot a light arrow into his shoulder. It gave a very nice effect, in causing the dark king to collapse hard onto the floor, and howl in agony. Hah, serves you right, you Gerudo bastard!

"Link, you don't need me anymore. Look at you - look at what you've done! You're so close; don't let it be me that is the downfall of Hyrule." Navi smiled up at him. "Besides, Saria and my brother fairy are waiting for me in the Realm. I can't keep them waiting much longer."

"No, no, this can't be, you can't leave me now!" frustrated tears dripped from the tip of Link's pointed nose, one of which splashed onto Navi's small forehead. She wiped it away, and reached up to touch his cheek with a tiny trembling hand.

"I won't ever leave you. Even in death, I am here with you Link. That - that's a promise," and with that, Navi the fairy was gone. A few particles of sparkling fairy dust lay in Link's palm, and he clenched it tightly, pressing the hand against his chest. He cast a look over to Ganondorf, who was regaining his footing. Oh, the poor little Gerudo was looking pissed after the arrow to the shoulder. Pity that - but what the hell did he expect? Hugs and kisses?

"Let's get this show on the road," Link murmured to Sheik and I, and we stood side by side, waiting for the Gerudo man to get up again. He finally rose (shakily) to his feet, and looked at us in surprise. He pressed a trembling hand to where the arrow protruded from his shoulder, and yanked it out, wincing slightly. He looked at his fingers, and seemed shocked when he saw the red liquid upon them.

"I have underestimated you - it will not be done again," he observed, rising once more into the air, this time raising his hands in front of him. Balls of fire formed in either fist, and I remembered back to the fight with the phantom Ganondorf. It seemed the others did too, as they raised their swords like bats, ready to send the magic spells back at the man floating in the air before us.

With a grunt of exertion, he threw the magic, and more began to form as soon as the first two balls left his palms. One of them exploded with a gigantic crack through one of the windows to the left, and the other I whacked back, but Ganondorf managed to easily dodge, and volleyed both of the balls he had just conjured at me. I had to pull off a spin attack (similar to Link's) in order to prevent both of them from hitting me. Luckily, whilst he was occupied with me, Link and Sheik were able to string light arrows to their bows, and though their first shots missed, it was obvious Ganondorf was unnerved by our co-ordination with one another.

However, he did seem to have a few tricks up his sleeve, because he smiled darkly, and turned so that his head was pointed to the ground. His cloak stayed flared out behind and above him, some unearthly magical wind that he had created keeping it there. Sheik notched another light arrow, and fired it at the stationary Gerudo. Quicker than lightning, Ganondorf snapped his Tri-Force emblazoned fist out before him, and plummeted an eight-foot drop to the floor of the tower.

Tongues of magical white fire licked around his fist, and when it connected with the floor, the shock waves sent all three of us flying backwards. I was lucky not to spiral out of the window behind me, by banging into a balustrade first. None of us were badly hurt, and were back on our feet in seconds. However, this had given Ganondorf to prepare yet another, more deadly attack for us.

It seemed as though there were three of him flying above us, and again, we were sorely reminded of the Phantom in the Forest Temple. And each of the three held huge blazing spheres of magic, one directed to each of us. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit," I heard Link muttering over and over again as he raised the Master Sword. I agreed with that completely. The three Ganondorfs fired their missiles, and, by some stroke of luck, all of us managed to volley them back. This time, the Ganondorfs above returned the volley, and we once again struck it back.

This carried on until my arms were aching from swinging my sword, and my neck beginning to ache from having to change my view so often. But, finally, finally, my volley hit the Ganondorf I was battling against - and he disappeared. Sheik's did so at the same time, but Link's one shrieked, and became paralysed in the air. "Shoot, shoot! Now Sheik!" Link commanded, and Sheik fumbled for a couple of seconds before managing to fire off a shot.

The paralysed Dark King dropped like a stone to the ground, and Link traversed the masonry littered floor to land a blow with the Master sword. First blood drawn by our side - perfect. But, it wasn't enough against this magic encased man to fall, and he once again rose into the air, magic licking an almost blinding aura around him. Now there was a new state of play. The man high above didn't look quite so complacent anymore. I was stunned to see spasms of pain across his face, and fear in his eyes. I was even more stunned to find I had no pity for him. None at all. [Evil is as evil does.]

With this new revelation, I found it much easier to relax into the fight again. It was a simple matter of dodge, parry, dodge, volley, spin, duck, jump. Everything seemed to slow down, and all the sounds faded away apart from the clash as I threw back spheres of magic with my sword. It was beautiful, this feeling of detachment. This was what fighting was all about - an opponent worthy of the challenge, and the absolute joy of the battle...

The thing that bought me back into full consciousness of the surroundings, was when a sphere of magic clipped Sheik on the shoulder. He spiralled backwards through the air, and was headed for the empty shell of what had once been a window. Link was too busy running over to slash Ganondorf once again to notice, so I had to play the hero that time. Sheik's eyes were wide in shock, and he was almost at the window now - almost out. I sprang up from the floor, and managed to grab hold of his leg, pulling him back down to the floor with a thud.

"Thanks," he said, sounding a little winded.

"No worries - come on, up before another volley comes," I lifted him back onto his feet, and he managed to steady himself quickly enough.

Ganondorf's strength was beginning to wane, and his attacks were more erratic. It was becoming difficult to actually get him to fire the damn magic at us, instead of about five feet to the left or right of us. We took to standing three abreast so that he at least got the damn stuff in our general direction. At last, a sphere came close enough for me to bat it back, and Ganondorf wasn't able to dodge it at his new sluggish pace.

He fell again, and all three of us descended upon his this time. He looked upwards, tears streaming down his face, and the compassion flooded back into me just as quickly as it had left before. [He's human...he was granted too much power, and did as any unsure human would...]

"The Great Evil King Ganondorf...defeated by you kids?" he laughed a little, great shuddering breaths punctuating the sudden silence of the battle arena. "I cannot believe it..." He scowled now, suddenly seeming to regain some strength again. He let out a yell of feral rage, and lifted his arms upwards - we backed away, and looked around us as the whole area began to shake. "You shall die with me," he said, voice once again quiet, and his eyes closed, hands dropping to the floor.

"What's going on?" I yelled over a sudden roar of noise.

"The castle - he's destroying it. Come on, we've got to get out of here!" Sheik turned, and then stopped suddenly, as he found himself nose to nose with the Princess. "Your majesty - we must fly!" She nodded, and turned, lifting up her skirts as she jogged off.

"Come on, I know a short way out. Hurry now!" she called back to us, before disappearing down a set of steps we had not noticed before. As we ran, she related the happenings that had led to all this to us. "Without a strong, righteous mind, he could not control the power of the Goddesses...and with his last breath, he is trying to crush us within this place! Come on, we must be swift to escape!"

*

We looked back as the dust settled over the fallen palace. Sheik placed an arm around my shoulder, and sighed quietly. "It's over...at last..." he smiled, looking down at me. I couldn't help but to smile too, even though I knew this was the cue for me to be taken away. In fact, I couldn't see any reason why I hadn't been removed from this world already...

There was a small clattering sound, as a few more stones crumbled onto the pile of rubble. We all turned away from the ruins, to face the land of Hyrule, which was at last free. "It really is over..." Link looked down at the Master sword in his hands. Zelda placed her dainty fingered hand on his shoulder.

"There are things that we must discuss - but first, I suppose you three will all need a rest?" We smiled, and nodded at the sovereign, sheathing our weapons, and wiping bloodstained hands on our clothes. Another small clatter of stones resounded behind us, and I turned my head, curious to see what part was crumbling away.

"Oh Goddesses," I said, eyes almost bugging out of their sockets. For there, pulling himself out of the ruins and rubble of the palace, was Ganondorf. "I thought we killed him..." I murmured, unsheathing my sword again. Ganondorf looked up at this, and his eyes were glowing a demonic yellow, set into a leering face that was still smeared with blood.

"Did you really think defeating me would be so easy?" he called in a harsh voice, that came from everywhere, and yet nowhere. He held up his hand, where the Tri-Force piece was blazing more fiercely than ever. In his place, so quickly that I did not see the change itself, stood a grotesque monster, which rose at least fifteen feet from the ground. Now it's eyes glowed pure white, and with a sweep of its malformed arm, it propelled our swords by magic from our hands. A wall of energy blocked Zelda from the battle, and then the creature rose on its hind legs, adding another ten feet to its height.

"Don't panic now," Link said, his voice shaking almost as much as he was. He withdrew the Megaton hammer, and spat on his hands so that he could grip it better.

"I think now would be the perfect time to panic," Sheik answered dryly, pulling out his bow and light arrows. I could only find my throwing daggers, and wondered what use they would be. However, they were all I had, so I'd have to wield them as best I could. The creature - Ganon I suppose it was called - growled and began to advance towards us. I gulped, and raised one of my daggers, ready to throw it at the thing if it came too close.

"Aim for the tail, that's its weak spot!" Zelda called, and I glanced back to see her with her hands pressed to her temples, eyes squeezed shut. "I'll try to break through the barrier. Just keep it occupied until then!"

"I hope she gets through soon," I said under my breath, and looked back at the creature. [Daggers really aren't going to work...] My problem was solved when Link called back to me,

"Blaise - take my bow and light arrows to fight with." I readily accepted them, and this time, we didn't wait for the creature to move first. We darted in towards the creature, which crashed back down to all fours, and roared loud enough to shake the very sun from the sky. I distracted it with a couple of light arrows to its armour-plated brow, whilst Link wheeled around behind it, hammer raised to strike the vulnerable point where the tail was.

The beast was quite slow, so this was easy enough to do, and the creature collapsed to the ground. "Link, over here, the Master Sword! Hurry up!" Zelda called, yanking the sword from where it had plunged deep into the ground, with a strength that her small frame didn't seem apt to. Link rushed over to the weak point in the energy field, and took the sword from her. "You must fight the rest of this battle with the sacred blade of the Master Sword," she told him hurriedly. He bowed, and then turned back to where Ganon was rising once again.

It was strange - even though the creature was more wounded than before, it seemed quicker and more agile now than it had been. Though, I suppose the same can be said for many injured animals - like rats when they are cornered. This though - this seemed ridiculously fast. Even our distraction technique wasn't working as well as it had before. Link was running hither and thither to dodge the creature's horns, and Sheik and I were frantically firing light arrows which were having no effect whatsoever, but to anger Ganon further.

It was also difficult to fire at all, as Ganon was swinging his great flashing blades at us; they were larger even than the axes of Iron Knuckles, and I dreaded to think what would happen if one came into contact with any of us. I ducked under a swipe, and then found my opening. The arrow was already on the string, and I managed to fire into the tail itself. The creature faltered for a second, and then turned its great, ugly head towards me.

I backed away from it, noticing Link creeping around to the tail again, and Sheik continuing to pelt it with arrows. Those eyes - those bright white shining eyes, were staring at me. The great brow was furrowed as it tried to think of something; I know not what. What do monsters think anyway? I raised the bow and another of the self-replenishing store of light arrows, and drew the string back -

And that is when it swept out a great, clawed paw, and hit me.

The pain was immense - worse than any I had ever felt before in my life. The air was knocked clean out of my lungs, and I was tossed out, through the energy field, which burned painfully. "Blaise, no!" I heard Sheik yell, but the sound was distant. I couldn't open my eyes to see how the battle was faring, but I heard a screech from the creature.

Then, I landed.

~/*\~/*\~/*\~

ARGH! What have I done?! Yikes!

You'll have to tune in for the last chapter to see how this all ends. [Sobs] I can't believe I killed Navi. I'm so cruel! I was beginning to like her too!

[Cries]

Soda XXX

R+R, and the last chapter should be soon...