Okay, then, where were we? Ah yes, right there. Well, let me start the last chapter of this long rather thing.

Chapter 'Together They Fall'

"I think we better hurry," Link muttered, looking up at the large sandstorm. It was now lightning and thundering, along with whipping sand in everyone's faces. The entire town was under at least two feet of sand. Here and there, people stood stuck in it.

"Shouldn't we help them?" Malon asked. Link turned on her. "No, we've wasted enough time helping the Gerudos!" he snapped. "The entire Royal family could be killed in a matter of minutes! Now, come on!" He grabbed her wrist and pulled her along. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"You just practically made love to me, and now you're acting like a complete asshole!!" Malon cried. Link turned around and stared at her.

"Fine. Stay if you want." He let go of her wrist. "But don't be tagging along after me apologizing. I have something to fight." He started walking away, expecting Malon to come running up to him, mumbling some excuse. But she didn't. He turned and saw her helping a man out of the sand. She looked up and caught his gaze. She said something to the man, and then ran up to Link. "Okay, ready?" she asked. He grinned.

"Sorry about that, hon. Yeah, better go!" They ran towards the castle. Almost instantly, they were inside the storm again. Malon felt Link's arm circle her waist and lead her farther into it. Then, the air was still and they were in a huge chamber. Malon gasped, and Link saw Karienif's prostrate figure sprawled on the floor.

"Oh, god," he muttered, running over to him. Malon was right behind him. The king's eyes fluttered, and then opened. He jumped when he saw Link's face in his.

"Link! Get out of here! Now!" he croaked, pushing Link's shoulder harshly. Link stayed where he was.

"Why?" he asked. Karienif opened his mouth to speak, but another, deeper voice rang across the room.

"Does he really need a reason?" it said. Link looked up and saw another man standing there. He looked exactly like Karienif, only an evil smirk spread across his face.

"Harienif," Malon whispered. Link turned to look at her. Her eyes were wide and frightened. Then he turned back to the other man.

"Yes, your little pet is quite right. I am Harienif, brother of Karienif," he said. "And unless I am mistaken, you must be the Hero of Time." Link stood up slowly.

"I am," he seethed. "Now, where are Zelda and Aevia?" Harienif laughed loudly. It resounded off the walls and echoed for several seconds.

"They are in no real danger yet, I'll tell you," he informed. "Now, what is the next step? Ah, yes." He flicked his wrist and Karienif rose into the air. Another movement and he flew across the room and hovered in front of his brother.

"Well, well, well," Harienif sneered. "You've shown your true colors, brother. But do you remember the spell Mother taught us, I wonder?" He began to mutter under his breath, staring at Karienif intently. Slowly, the king also began to murmur softly, although his eyes widened when he did.

Suddenly, a bright light filled the room. Malon and Link both covered their eyes. Then a thunderous boom filled their ears. Malon screamed and clung to Link. When the light faded, Link looked up and felt his heart leap to his throat.

A huge red demon was hovering in the air a few feet from the ground. It let out a loud, booming roar of laughter.

"Now, Hero of Time, my brother and I have merged as one, and no mere weapon will hurt us. Only that pure of evil!" The demon roared again. Malon stepped forward.

"Like this?" she shouted. She raised her hands above her head and trained her eyes on the demon.

"CARLOFIS ONOTIA!!!" she screamed. A bluish light shot from her hands and hit the demon in the chest. Link stared at Malon in shock. She smiled weakly at him.

Meanwhile, the demon reeled back and clutched its chest. "It will not kill me so easily! There is another way that you must also injure me!" it screamed. Link grinned and whipped out a Light arrow. He readied his bow and took aim.

"How's this?" he hissed. He let go and it hit the demon. As it fell, he ran up and slashed with his sword.

"MALON!!! Do the spell and then shoot the arrow!" Link shouted. She nodded and held her hands up again. As soon as the spell hit the monster, she readied her bow and shot as quickly as she could. Link slashed away as they repeated the process over and over. Finally, Malon sank to her knees, weak and out of arrows.

"I cannot take this. One more slash and I will be done anyway. There is a better and easier solution to this," the demon said darkly. In an instant, the brothers unmerged and faced each other.

"Brother against brother," Harienif sneered. "Which one shall prevail?" Karienif smirked.

"We shall see," he replied hoarsely. Link, meanwhile, helped Malon to her feet. Karienif glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. Link saw the movement and nodded ever so slightly. He quietly and quickly led Malon out of the room.

"What's going on?" she asked thickly. "They are dueling," Link muttered. "We have to find Aevia and Zelda. You can stay with them and rest. I'll go back and help Karienif." Malon nodded and put her head against Link's shoulder.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about my powers," she whispered. "I was afraid someone would find out and try to kill me." Link looked down and saw a tear slip down her cheek. He stopped walking and held her close.

"Hey, it's okay," he soothed her, running his hand through her hair. "I'm not angry or anything, you did what you thought was best." Malon looked up at him with bright eyes. He wiped a tear away and kissed her lips gently. "Shh, don't cry," he whispered in her ear. She held him close and sighed.

"We should probably go find those two," she said, her voice muffled by his clothing. He took her hand in his and smiled at her. "Sounds like a plan," he answered. They went off in a random direction.

Soon, Link stopped and held up a hand. "Listen," he whispered. Malon stood quietly, and heard a baby crying in the hall they were in. "Aevia!" she squeaked. They ran ahead, and the crying got louder. Eventually, Link got frustrated.

"Zelda!" he called. "Zelda!" There was a moment of silence.

"Link?" came the faint answer. Malon moved toward a door on their left. "Zelda, we're here! Are you in there?" she called. The baby had stopped crying.

"Yes! The door's locked, though. I tried to open it magically, but I don't think it works from the inside!" Malon and Link started pushing on the door. It wouldn't budge.

"Zelda, do you think it will work from the outside?" Malon asked desperately.

"Maybe! Try it!" Malon shrugged and held her hands to it. She muttered something, but nothing happened. Then she suddenly slammed her hands into the door.

"ALOVODISTRA!!!" she screamed. The doors creaked and stone crumbled as they opened. Once the noise stopped, Zelda stood holding a now calm Aevia in her arms. Zelda smiled as the last dust cleared.

"Thank you!" she exclaimed. Then she glanced around and looked back up worriedly. "Where's Karienif?" she asked quietly. Link's eyes widened and he turned and ran. Malon ushered Zelda back into the room and started to explain things.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Link heard a groan as he reached the large archway to the chamber. 'Maybe he killed him,' he thought. With that, he entered the room.

Karienif was on his knees, clutching his stomach. His face was bloody and his clothes were torn. He looked up as Link stared at him. "Link, take care of them," he moaned. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and he collapsed on the floor.

Dead.

Link stared in horror at the king. Then he looked up and saw Harienif's gloating face. "I killed the king, now for the Hero," he sneered. Link's face contorted with rage as he reached for his sword.

"You killed your own brother, your flesh and blood," he choked out. "Don't you feel any remorse?" Harienif laughed.

"Pitiful warrior! Of course I don't, he betrayed our family. He deserved to die." Link pulled his sword from its sheath and held it in front of him.

"Then you deserve to join him." Harienif raised an eyebrow. Link suddenly found himself pinned against the wall with an invisible force pushing against his torso. He gasped for breath as Harienif chuckled.

"Bring it, Hero," he sneered. Link fell to the floor. He could already taste the metallic blood in his mouth. Moaning, he rolled over and drew his sword. His labored breathing hissed through the room.

"You'll get it," he answered painfully, standing up. He brought his hand to his mouth and wiped away the blood. His eyes shone in an almost maniacal way.

"Oh, is that so?" Harienif muttered. He lowered himself to the floor. "Well, I suppose I could make it easier for you and fight the normal way. You don't mind, do you?" he asked as he drew two long swords from his sides. Link smirked.

"Not at all."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

They jumped back from each other's blades again. Link glared at Harienif hatefully.

"You are better than I expected," the sorcerer said. "But why do you fight for my brother? What has he done for you?" Link laughed hollowly.

"He kept Zelda safe all this time. Not only do I fight for him, but for her and Aevia as well," Link answered flatly. Harienif raised an eyebrow.

"If that is so, I will try harder to defeat you!" He spun around and swung at Link, but the other caught the blade with his own just inches from his face.

"Well, I hope you'll try harder than that, because I've faced worse than you," he said confidently. Another move and their blades changed positions several times. Harienif chuckled hoarsely.

"Is that all you have?" he asked. Link clenched his teeth and was about to swing his sword again when the other man screamed and fell to his knees. Link looked up and saw Zelda with an unusual weapon. It was shaped like a cross, but it was glowing red in the middle. She was staring at Karienif's prostrate figure. Her knees started shaking. Link quickly ran to her and grabbed her shoulders.

"Zelda! You have to help me!" he hissed. She looked into his eyes, blankly processing his presence. Then she snapped to attention.

"Right," she mumbled. With one last glance at her husband, she steadied herself, and as she did so, her eyes narrowed. Link turned and saw Harienif slowly getting to his feet. Zelda gripped his arm.

"I'll attack his with my Zepsonal again, and you'll have to attack him with the sword," she muttered. He nodded. Then they both turned to face the menace.

~*~*~*~*~*~

'One more time," Zelda's voice said in his head. Link glanced in her direction and smirked half-heartedly. They had been fighting Harienif together for nearly two hours now. He was a strong one, stronger than a lot of other things Link had fought. Both he and Zelda were pretty well cut up and bruised.

"One more time," he whispered. Harienif stared at him with hollow eyes.

"If you think one more time will do it, then think again." Before either of them could do anything, he cast a spell at them and ran from the room. Link started after him, but fell on his face. Zelda couldn't help but snort in laughter.

"He cursed us. We can't move!" she exclaimed. Then horror and fear flashed across her face. "Aevia and Malon!" she shrieked. Link's eyes widened.

"Oh, god," he whispered. Just then, a resounding boom echoed through the room. Zelda screamed.

A few minutes later, Zelda was crying as the curse wore off. She collapsed and continued her sobbing. Link grabbed his sword and ran out of the room towards the room where he and Malon had found Zelda and Aevia. He stopped in awe as he entered the room. Malon held Aevia close to her chest, rocking back and forth as she stared at the huddled figure on the floor. Link carefully stepped towards her.

"Is he.." he trailed off as she looked up at him, her nose and forehead bleeding. She smiled weakly. "Yeah."

He stooped to her eye level and gazed into her eyes. She stared back, tears threatening to overflow. Finally, Malon broke the silence by choking out, "I killed someone. I'm a murderer." Link laughed quietly.

"It's alright. Shhhh." He wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her to him. Then he pulled her to her feet, keeping her in his arms. Aevia wiggled uncomfortably. Link smiled.

"Come on. Mommy's worried about you." He led them from the room. Malon coughed.

"What happened to Karienif?" she choked out. Link stopped for a minuted, and then shook his head. Her eyes widened.

"He's DEAD?!?" she screamed. Aevia jumped in Malon's arms. Link held a finger to her lips.

"Yes," he whispered. "As soon as I returned to the room to help him, he fell. But there may be time for you to bring him back."

"Link, it's been three hours. I think it's too late," Malon retorted, marching towards the door of the large chamber. She stopped as she saw Zelda crouched over Karienif's body. Tears dropped onto his face as she stroked his cheek. Then Malon handed Aevia to Link.

"Zelda, there may still be time," she muttered, coming to the Queen's side. Zelda looked up, scared. Then she saw Malon.

"Oh, my God!! You're alive!" She jumped up and hugged Malon tightly. Then she took Aevia out of Link's arms and held her close. "My baby," she whispered.

"Zelda, we have to try! We might be able to save your husband," Malon said desperately. Zelda looked up, tears streaming down her face.

"How?" she asked, shoving Aevia back into Link's arms. "How can we bring him back? It's been three hours, Malon!" she screamed. "HOW DO YOU KNOW WE CAN BRING HIM BACK???"

There was a crack as Malon's open palm made contact with Zelda's cheek. Zelda stared at her, mouth open. Malon hugged her as a red mark spread across her best friend's face.

"Sorry, Zel. You were getting hysterical," she whispered, rubbing her back. "Now, let's get your husband back." Zelda hugged Malon tightly.

"Okay, I'm ready," she sniffed, wiping her eyes. The women each kneeled on either side of the man. Link chose a seat some ways away and sat with Aevia, cooing to her. Malon giggled at his noises, then straightened her face as she and Zelda placed their hands over Karinief's chest. Zelda started chanting at a low tone, and Malon joined her a few seconds later at a higher pitch. Link and Aevia sat mesmerized. It was more like a song than a chant. It was beautiful, like a church hymn. After a few minutes, the song ceases, and the last notes echoed off the walls. Then Zelda lowered her face to Karienif's and brushed her lips against his.

Nothing happened.

Tears spilled out of Zelda's eyes and she laid her head on Karienif's chest.

Malon sat by Link and put her head on his shoulder. Aevia seemed to understand what was going on and clung to Link's tunic, hiccupping.

Suddenly, Zelda gasped.

Karienif's eyes fluttered open. His chest heaved up and down, and he searched for Zelda's hand. She grabbed it and brought it to her face. His rough hand caressed her cheek and she sobbed. He smiled as he sat up slowly.

"What happened?" he asked groggily. Zelda smiled and flung her arms around his neck. "You were unconscious," she whispered. "We won."

"That's great!" he exclaimed. He leant back and kissed Zelda gently. "Now, where's my little girl?" he asked. Link stood up and brought Aevia over to them. Karienif grinned as he kissed Aevia's head gently. Malon wrapped her arms around Link's neck and kissed his lips gently. He smiled and deepened the kiss. When they parted, Karienif had gotten to his feet. They all smiled at each other.

"Well, let's get out of here," Zelda sighed, slipping her hand into her husband's. Link smiled and put his arm around Malon's waist. "It sounds good to me," he agreed.

So, together, the group left the temple. As soon as they left, the entire structure collapsed into dust.

******THE END******

Please review!! I know, it's kind of a sucky ending, but I kind of wanted to get this story out of the way. If you haven't read my other Zelda story, it's complete. The sequel for that one is due to be up in about a week!!

This chapter is dedicated to Vampire-Slayer1, who was extremely helpful. Also, thanks to all you faithful reviewers!!