Only too right. Inside the debilatated palace, Marth drew his sword
bravely. Gannondorf was levitating a few feet above him. A prodigious group
of lords and ladies were standing fearfully behind him. Zelda grabbed his
arm, but Marth pushed her away.
"What do you want, Gannondorf?!" the Altean prince shouted.
Gannondorf laughed again, and thunder filled the skies. "What I have always wanted, you rat!" He laughed at the prince's flustered face. "The princess, but more importantly--the Triforce!"
"You can forget about that!" Marth spat. "No one will come near the princess as long as I'm here!"
Ganon threw his head back in shrilled laughter. He doubled over, making Marth's expression even angrier.
"Come on, you malevolent fiend!" Marth roared. "I would like to see you even try to defeat me! I am one of the most honored and respected warriors of Altea! And the prince!"
"Marth! Stop!" Zelda begged. "It will only be worse if you try his patience and temper more!"
She couldn't have been more right. Gannondorf flew down the the ground. He grabbed Marth's collar in a strong fist. The prince swung his sword aimlessly, trying desperately to cut the Gerudo king. He laughed.
A sudden surge of purple energy burst through Ganon's fingertips, and into Marth's neck. Marth's head rolled forward, and Ganon let go of him, letting him drop to the floor.
Zelda rushed over to him. "Gannondorf!" she screeched. "What in the name of the Goddesses have you done?!"
"What have I done?" Ganon asked, shrieking with laughter. "My dear princess, I have merely knocked out the one man who will stand in my way of getting you!"
Zelda's eyes widened. "No!" she cried. But she was too late. The weapon-less guests (and the kings) watched in horror as Gannondorf picked up Zelda by the throat, and vanished.
There was a petrified silence. Then, "LINK!" King Harkinian shouted. "LINK!" He turned to some palace guards. "You there, guards! Go now, and get me the Kokiri boy Link!!" The guards bowed, and quickly exited.
In less than thirty seconds, Link flew into the room, accompanied by his four friends. "What...happened?" he asked inbetween breaths.
With extreme sorrow, King Harkinian turned to face him. "My worst nightmare has come true Link. Gannondorf has succeeded in kidnapping my daughter." A tear swelled in his eye. "By the power of Nayru, Farore, and Nabooru--I know that you are the one to bring her back."
Link trembled. "M-me? Are you sure?"
King Harkinian nodded defiantly. "Yes, Link. In fact, now that I recall, I have seen you fight in a few tournaments before. Tournaments I was forced to go to for charity...the peasant ones, you know." Link winced, being reminded sharply of his status. "I realized that you were the only man to always win. I found it extremely impressive. I suppose that I never realized who you were until now."
"And who am I, sir?" asked Link. Several of the lords had now gone up to Marth, and were trying to revive him. Link turned to them. "It's no use, he said to them. "Gannondorf's magic will, I assume, wear off some time early in a couple mornings to come."
King Harkinian stared at him. "How did you posess this knowledge?" he asked.
Link looked at him. "It's kind of a long story."
"...could you possibly make it short?"
"I'll try. Let me see...the first time I ever saw your daughter was a very long time ago. I thought she was one of the most beautiful creatures I had ever laid my eyes upon. Of course, I was relatively far away. When-"
"You there!" King Harkinian interrupted. He pointed a finger at Conner, Brian, Roy, and Mario. "What are you peasants doing here?!"
"If you please sire," Link said. "They are my friends."
"Friends or not," the King snorted. "I hired you, not them. And I only hired you because of my vision. Be gone, you peasant scum!" Fearfully, the four of them fled from the palace.
Link cleared his throat and continued. "There were two things that inspired me to do a little...research, if you will on Gannondorf. The first time was when Gannondorf first tried to kidnap your daughter. I thought it was one of the most evil things I had ever heard of. Then, of course, you came to me and explained your vision. After those two instances, I have poured through several bookson the Gerudo, sire. I know much about them, now."
King Harkinian managed a smile. "Then I know I have chosen well. I know the Goddesses have chosen well. Bring her back, Link. What will you be needing?"
Link shrugged. "My horse Epona, my sword, and a few other things. I'll just stop by my house and get them."
"No such thing," King Harkinian said. "You will not stop by your house. You will go there, and immediately travel to Death Mountain, to save the Princess Zelda. Do it as quickly as you can. I will be waiting." The King put a hand on Link's shoulder. "This could mean greatness for you, boy," he said, smiling. "Come back, and me make me proud."
Link saluted him. "I shall, sir. You will not be disappointed." He ran out of the room. Impa, who had been listening the whole time, stopped him before he went out.
"Y-you're Impa, aren't you?" Link asked, trying to recall.
"Yes," she answered, nodding.
"What do you--OW!" Link doubled back, grasping his hand. He held it out in front of him. Lines had begun to form on the back of it...when it was finished, the drawing looked like...the Triforce!
"I knew it!" Impa breathed, staring at the hand, brushing back a few of her grey hairs.
"Aah, what is it?!" Link asked, horrified.
"Don't be frightened, boy!" Impa cried. "It is a sign! A sign that you are going to be Hyrule's hero! You will save us all! The Triforce, Hyrule's symbol, has been etched onto your hand by the Goddesses!" She smiled happily, and shook Link's hand. "Now I KNOW you will bring the princess back to us, alive and well."
Link grinned. "I will not let you down," he said. As he left, he shouted "And 'I shall spare the horses!'"
"What do you want, Gannondorf?!" the Altean prince shouted.
Gannondorf laughed again, and thunder filled the skies. "What I have always wanted, you rat!" He laughed at the prince's flustered face. "The princess, but more importantly--the Triforce!"
"You can forget about that!" Marth spat. "No one will come near the princess as long as I'm here!"
Ganon threw his head back in shrilled laughter. He doubled over, making Marth's expression even angrier.
"Come on, you malevolent fiend!" Marth roared. "I would like to see you even try to defeat me! I am one of the most honored and respected warriors of Altea! And the prince!"
"Marth! Stop!" Zelda begged. "It will only be worse if you try his patience and temper more!"
She couldn't have been more right. Gannondorf flew down the the ground. He grabbed Marth's collar in a strong fist. The prince swung his sword aimlessly, trying desperately to cut the Gerudo king. He laughed.
A sudden surge of purple energy burst through Ganon's fingertips, and into Marth's neck. Marth's head rolled forward, and Ganon let go of him, letting him drop to the floor.
Zelda rushed over to him. "Gannondorf!" she screeched. "What in the name of the Goddesses have you done?!"
"What have I done?" Ganon asked, shrieking with laughter. "My dear princess, I have merely knocked out the one man who will stand in my way of getting you!"
Zelda's eyes widened. "No!" she cried. But she was too late. The weapon-less guests (and the kings) watched in horror as Gannondorf picked up Zelda by the throat, and vanished.
There was a petrified silence. Then, "LINK!" King Harkinian shouted. "LINK!" He turned to some palace guards. "You there, guards! Go now, and get me the Kokiri boy Link!!" The guards bowed, and quickly exited.
In less than thirty seconds, Link flew into the room, accompanied by his four friends. "What...happened?" he asked inbetween breaths.
With extreme sorrow, King Harkinian turned to face him. "My worst nightmare has come true Link. Gannondorf has succeeded in kidnapping my daughter." A tear swelled in his eye. "By the power of Nayru, Farore, and Nabooru--I know that you are the one to bring her back."
Link trembled. "M-me? Are you sure?"
King Harkinian nodded defiantly. "Yes, Link. In fact, now that I recall, I have seen you fight in a few tournaments before. Tournaments I was forced to go to for charity...the peasant ones, you know." Link winced, being reminded sharply of his status. "I realized that you were the only man to always win. I found it extremely impressive. I suppose that I never realized who you were until now."
"And who am I, sir?" asked Link. Several of the lords had now gone up to Marth, and were trying to revive him. Link turned to them. "It's no use, he said to them. "Gannondorf's magic will, I assume, wear off some time early in a couple mornings to come."
King Harkinian stared at him. "How did you posess this knowledge?" he asked.
Link looked at him. "It's kind of a long story."
"...could you possibly make it short?"
"I'll try. Let me see...the first time I ever saw your daughter was a very long time ago. I thought she was one of the most beautiful creatures I had ever laid my eyes upon. Of course, I was relatively far away. When-"
"You there!" King Harkinian interrupted. He pointed a finger at Conner, Brian, Roy, and Mario. "What are you peasants doing here?!"
"If you please sire," Link said. "They are my friends."
"Friends or not," the King snorted. "I hired you, not them. And I only hired you because of my vision. Be gone, you peasant scum!" Fearfully, the four of them fled from the palace.
Link cleared his throat and continued. "There were two things that inspired me to do a little...research, if you will on Gannondorf. The first time was when Gannondorf first tried to kidnap your daughter. I thought it was one of the most evil things I had ever heard of. Then, of course, you came to me and explained your vision. After those two instances, I have poured through several bookson the Gerudo, sire. I know much about them, now."
King Harkinian managed a smile. "Then I know I have chosen well. I know the Goddesses have chosen well. Bring her back, Link. What will you be needing?"
Link shrugged. "My horse Epona, my sword, and a few other things. I'll just stop by my house and get them."
"No such thing," King Harkinian said. "You will not stop by your house. You will go there, and immediately travel to Death Mountain, to save the Princess Zelda. Do it as quickly as you can. I will be waiting." The King put a hand on Link's shoulder. "This could mean greatness for you, boy," he said, smiling. "Come back, and me make me proud."
Link saluted him. "I shall, sir. You will not be disappointed." He ran out of the room. Impa, who had been listening the whole time, stopped him before he went out.
"Y-you're Impa, aren't you?" Link asked, trying to recall.
"Yes," she answered, nodding.
"What do you--OW!" Link doubled back, grasping his hand. He held it out in front of him. Lines had begun to form on the back of it...when it was finished, the drawing looked like...the Triforce!
"I knew it!" Impa breathed, staring at the hand, brushing back a few of her grey hairs.
"Aah, what is it?!" Link asked, horrified.
"Don't be frightened, boy!" Impa cried. "It is a sign! A sign that you are going to be Hyrule's hero! You will save us all! The Triforce, Hyrule's symbol, has been etched onto your hand by the Goddesses!" She smiled happily, and shook Link's hand. "Now I KNOW you will bring the princess back to us, alive and well."
Link grinned. "I will not let you down," he said. As he left, he shouted "And 'I shall spare the horses!'"