Chapter Twenty Power, Wisdom, Courage, Love

   "What?" Malon was completely taken aback.  "What do you mean Hyrule depends on my wish?"

   "It's quite simple, actually," Farore explained.  "A little sad, I guess, but simple.  You see, everyone who finds the Triforce is granted one wish.  When Ganon tricked Link and used the Triforce's essence, for example, he wished for the power to conquer Hyrule.  But the catch with the wish made from the essence can only be used for the betterment—relatively speaking of course—of oneself.  That's why your world is the way it is."

   "Wait, you mean other's have found the Triforce before?"

   Farore smiled indulgently.  "Of course.  It's an old world, after all.  But that's neither here nor there.  Your case, you see, is special; you're the first person to ever find the actual relic, so the rules work a little different for you.  Your wish can either be entirely selfish or for the benefit of Hyrule.  Within reason, of course."

   Malon's head was reeling.  This couldn't be right!  "There's…there's no way that one wish can be responsible for all Hyrule.  That any one person can be given that kind of power!  It isn't right!  For anyone!"

   "No, it isn't," Farore agreed.  "Which is why not just anyone is making this wish.  You are."

   This time Malon was speechless.  Seeing this, Farore smiled kindly at her and began to explain.  "Look at the Triforce.  It's an inappropriate name, but the Hylians came up with it, and we let it stick.  Three golden triangles connected to one another, yes, but look closely and you'll see that there aren't three triangles…there's four!"

   Malon looked, and indeed, in the open gap directly in the middle of the three triangles was another one, an open triangle that she could see right through.  "And…and what does that one represent?"

   "The greatest power of all: Love.  It encompasses all things, and its power knows no bounds, which is why it is an open space.  Greater even than Power, Wisdom, and Courage combined, it is the true power that we infused into Hyrule when it was created, though at times it is hard to see.  It binds everything together, from the smallest child to the grandest king.  And its power belongs to you.  You are the Fourth, Malon Lon, and because of that you are now the most powerful woman in all the Realms."

   She certainly wasn't expecting that.  But then again, she also hadn't expected to be involved in this whole war in the first place.  "I can make any wish I want?  I can wish for this whole thing to have never happened?"

   Farore's smile faded.  "No, I'm afraid not.  That's what I meant when I said you could have anything within reason.  We can't undo the past, and we can't force people to do what they don't want to do.  That wouldn't be fair.  All we can do is set things in motion, and hope things turn out for the best.  It sounds limiting, but really it isn't.  We call it the Butterfly Effect.  It's based on an old saying, 'a butterfly flaps its wings in Gerudo Valley and it rains in the Lost Woods'.  What it means is that one small action can have grand repercussions.  Think about that when you make your wish."

   Without even meaning to, a million thoughts began flowing through Malon's head.  She could do anything!  Wish for the power to stop Ganon's armies, wish for the power to ensure that evil never again got Hyrule in a stranglehold, anything!  She could even wish for…

   And then it hit her.  

   "Can I bring back the dead?' she pleaded.  "Could I bring back Link, and Shrike, and Mattalla and the others?  That would work, right?  With warriors like them, we could keep Hyrule safe."

   "Oh, Shrike isn't dead," Farore told her.  "Not yet, anyway.  He has about three seconds of life left.  The other Chosen have about twenty.  So I suppose you could wish yourselves back to Hyrule and hope the five of you could help Zelda defeat Rolondrof and Skorn.  But are you sure that's the best choice you could make?  After all, how can you be sure…"

   "THEN WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?" Malon screamed.  She fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face.  "I can't do this…no matter what Link or Shrike or any of the others said, I'm not strong enough.  I thought once we found the Triforce that would be the end of it…I wouldn't have to pretend to be a brave or strong person, or a leader, or anything!  I thought things would get better…"

   "They can be," Farore told her, placing her hands on Malon's shoulders.  "They can!  But we can't do it for you.  We made Hyrule, and help protect it, but its fate has always been left up to people like you, people who never asked for the responsibility but fulfill it to the best of their ability, as you have.  The power of Love didn't choose you for nothing, Malon.  You can do this!  You can make a difference!"

   Malon knelt in silence for a moment, time frozen around her, the only moving things herself and the Goddess of Courage.  She felt small and alone, unprepared for what she was being forced to do and afraid of the consequences that might follow it.  But then she thought of Numaru, who always managed to find the practical solution to any problem, no matter how impossible.  To Zakro, who was never afraid to speak his mind, and always ready to fight for what he felt was right.  To Mattalla, as solid and dependable as the stones he ate.  To Shrike, who, even disowned by his own people, still fought for the good of his home.  And to Link, the man she had loved, the man who had trusted and believed in her enough to sacrifice his life so that she might complete his mission.  She thought of them, and of all the people who had touched her life, and she was no longer afraid.  Looking up into Farore's brilliant green eyes, she made her wish.

   "Set things right," she said.  "Please, just set things right."

   Farore's face remained blank for a second, then a smile crept across her lips.  "That, Malon Lon," she told her, "Is a good wish."

   Then Malon's world faded to white.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

   "Zelda, queen of Hyrule, your time has come."

   Zelda jumped at the voice, spinning around to see where it had come from.  Something wasn't right; a moment ago she had been in the war room, discussing tactics with Nabooru, Darunia, Gustan, and the other Sages.  Now she was standing in the palace garden, on the bridge she and Link had stood on right before he had left for the Sacred Realm.  "I'm dreaming…" she whispered.

   "No, you are wide awake.  I chose this setting because I know you are more comfortable here than anywhere else in Hyrule." the voice told her.  Turning her head, she saw a tall, beautiful woman with sky-blue hair wearing a shimmering blue dress.  Zelda bowed as she realized who it was.  "Please rise Zelda," Nayru told her.  "I did not come here seeking homage or admiration."  A small smile was on her face.  "I came to see you.  I have wanted to meet you for quite some time."

   "And I you," Zelda replied.  "But now that you are here, I'm a little confused.  Does this mean that Malon and the others still live?  That they found the Triforce?"  At Nayru's nod, Zelda couldn't help but laugh.  "That is the most wonderful news I have ever heard in my entire life.  Now we have hope."

   "Yes," Nayru said slowly.  "And no.  There is always hope, as I am sure you have heard, but that hope is only what you make of it.  Though I may wish it otherwise, I have not come here to tell you that everything will be all right, or that you'll win in your battle against evil.  I have come to offer you a choice."

   A puzzled crease formed in Zelda's forehead.  "Choice?  What sort of choice?"

   "As a result of her having found the Triforce and making her wish," Nayru explained, "The three powers that represent my sisters and I have once again divided, as they did eight years ago.  This time, however, you are being given a choice as to whether or not you will accept this power."

   "Why now?  Why wasn't I given this choice before?"

   "Because that was only a part of the Triforce's power, and all it did was help awaken the strength you already carried within you.  This time, should you wish it, you will be accepting the Triforce's full power, in addition to your own as the Magic's Daughter.  My sisters and I felt it only fair that you be given this choice."

   Zelda nodded, understanding the reasoning.  "I see.  And what will happen should I choose to accept it?"

   Nayru shrugged.  "To put it plainly, you will know everything.  Every thought, every feeling of every living being in Hyrule will be made known to you.  You will know the past, the present, and the future.  You will become omniscient.  Is that what you desire?"

   They stood in silence for a long moment, mortal and goddesses staring into the stream as it flowed beneath the bridge.  Then Zelda gave her answer.

   "No."

   Nayru's face was expressionless as she looked at Zelda.  "No?"

   "No." Zelda took a deep breath and prepared to explain.  "Were I to accept your gift, I fear that I would misuse it.  I know that you and your sisters protect and guide us as best you can, and with the power you would bestow upon me I would try to second-guess and undermine you.  Religiously speaking, this is blasphemous, not to mention staggeringly arrogant.  But it also means that I would be seeking to gain control over everything and everyone, including yourself.  Though I would tell myself that it is for the greater good, and even though I would most likely be correct, I would still be wrong to do so.  I would become as Ganon is now: selfish, power-hungry, domineering.  In seeking to protect everyone, I would be taking away their freedom as surely as if I had clasped them all in irons.  I would be evil, fooling itself into believing that it is good.  I cannot allow such a threat to enter Hyrule, and so I regret to say that I decline the power you offer me."

   Again, they stood in silence.  Then Nayru took Zelda's hand and held it, palm up.  Placing her own fist over it, she opened her hand, and in Zelda's palm sat a golden locket.  Confused, Zelda took it and slowly opened it up.  She had to fight back tears as she saw the picture inside.  On the left was image of her father, as he had looked when he was young and in the prime of his life.  On the right was the most beautiful woman Zelda had ever seen.  Long golden hair fell around the pale, lovely face with perfect features, the beautiful lips smiling up at her, and eyes that Zelda saw every time she looked in a mirror.

   "My mother…"

   "It is a gift from her," Nayru explained, smiling once again.  "She took it with her when she passed into the next world, and now she is giving it to you.  Your father is at her side, united with his love for all eternity.  They asked me tell you how much the love you, and how proud they are of the woman you have become, and the woman you will be.  As am I."

   She lifted Zelda's chin so that they looked into each other's eyes.  "Wisdom is not something that is given, or earned.  It is something that one has, that one discovers within themselves.  You never needed our power, Zelda.  The power was already in you, and will continue to grow with each passing day.  You have chosen wisely, Zelda.  I wish you the best of luck in what is to come.  My advice to you is this: Be strong, believe in yourself, and know that no matter how dark the night becomes, morning must always follow.  You can be that morning, Zelda.  As long as you believe."

                                    *                                  *                                  *

   "Your highness?  Your highness, are you alright?"

   General Gustan's voice brought her back to reality, and the next thing Zelda knew she was back in the war room, standing at the head of the table.  She looked at all their faces, the concern evident.  Apparently, her meeting with Nayru had lasted in what seemed like seconds to them.

   Saria came over and clasped her hand, and Zelda gave it a comforting squeeze.  In the other she felt the weight of her mother's locket, and smiled.  "Yes.  Yes, I have not felt this good in quite some time."

   As if on cue, there was a bright flash of light, momentarily blinding them.  All but Zelda feared that it was another attack, but she stood patiently until her vision returned.  When it did, she was as surprised as the rest of them when she saw the five Chosen, battered, bloodied, and beaten, and another, smaller creature lying on the floor.  With startled gasps, Zelda and the Sages hurried over to them, even as they began to stir.

   Malon pushed herself up and looked around, momentarily confused, then laughed out loud when she saw where she was.  She looked at her companions, and saw that they too were coming around, then crawled over to where Shrike lay.  "I'm alive, Malon," he told her weakly, accepting her help as he sat up.  And then, for the first time ever Malon saw him completely and utterly dumbfounded.  "Either that, or the Death Realm looks a lot like home."

   By then they were surrounded by the Sages.  Saria grabbed Malon around the neck in an embrace, as did Darunia and Nabooru when they reached their younger siblings.  Bazillo and Navi danced around each other, and Ruto practically tackled Zakro and kissed him in passionate embrace, while Impa for once let her emotional guard down and held Shrike close to her.  Zelda stood before them, smiling as tears of joy streaked down her face. Malon released herself from Saria and walked over to her. 

   For a moment, the two women stood in front of each other in silence.  Then Malon said, "Zelda…Link…he…"

   "I know, Malon," Zelda assured her, embracing her as the sister she might have become.  "We all felt it.  But you did it, Malon.  You completed his mission.  And wherever he is, he is proud of you.  All of you."  Releasing her, she smiled at the rest of the gathered heroes.  "But there'll be time for reunions later.  We still have a war to win, and now I think things are finally in our favor.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

   "Get up, Ganondorf Dragmire.  Or Ganon, as I'm told you prefer."

   Ganon was on his feet in an instant, already reaching for a weapon.  Finding that he had none he spun around, searching for the source of the voice.  To his great surprise, he found that he was not in the rain-soaked city of Clocktown, but was instead in the dry, empty desert he had once called home.  Standing before him, arms crossed over her chest and a stern expression on her face, was a powerfully built women with flaming red hair and burning red eyes.  Under her wilting glare, even Ganon shivered, though he managed to stand proudly in her presence.  "Din, I assume."

   "Correct," the Goddess of Power confirmed.  "Do you know why I am here?"

   "No.  The last thing I remember is the boy pushing us both off that clock tower.  He is dead, I assume."

   "Yes," Din nodded.  "As are you."

   That surprised him.  "Impossible!" he said indignantly.  "My spirit is bonded with the Triforce!  I cannot…"

   Din's eyes flared.  "Don't be stupid, thief.  If that were true, then Link would be alive, and you would be calling me a liar, which I'm not, and you would be well advised to remember that.  But you are right in your assumption.  You are bonded with the Triforce, which is why I am here, offering you this chance.  Thanks to events in the Sacred Realm, you and Link died just as the Triforce was touched.  The power of your pieces is strong enough that they can bring you back this one time, and empower you further, but the choice of whether or not to accept this power is up to you.  I suggest you choose wisely."

   "What other choice is there?" Ganon laughed.  "Give me the power!  I can't imagine how foolish you and your brethren must be to allow such a thing.  I will go back, I will take the Fierce Deity's power, and I will conquer every realm you have ever created!  By giving me this opportunity you essentially forfeit your lives and powers to me!  Of course I accept!"

   Din sighed, as if expecting those very words.  "I am very disappointed in you Ganon.  Do you realize how much good you could have done?  How much good you can still do, should you go back?"

   "I've already contributed a lot of good," he shrugged.  "The good of myself.  Now, give me the power, and I will see you soon."

   Din glared at him, then turned and started to walk away.  She stopped and looked over her shoulder once.  "May he have mercy on you, Ganon.  Because the next time we meet, I will not."  With that, she continued to walk away, and with a snap of her fingers, Ganon's vision went red.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

   "I…I'm sorry…" Rocky choked.  "They're both dead."

   Even as he finished the proclamation, the sky over Clocktown was rocked by a deafening peal of thunder.  It crashed again and again, as the townsfolk looked frightfully at the skies.  Suddenly, a flash of lightning struck the clock tower, just as an explosion of red energy came from the crater where Link and Ganon lied.  From the crater Ganon emerged, pulling himself up over the edge, even as Kafei and the others scrambled for cover.  Red fire poured from his eyes, and an evil crimson aura encircled him.  Reaching up towards the tower, a bolt of energy extended from his hand and up to its top.  A moment later, Kafei watched in horror as he saw the newly energized mask of Majora float into Ganon's outstretched hand.  Grinning maniacally, the Dark Lord slowly placed on the mask on his face.

   The townsfolk felt a deadening chill pass through their bodies, as the masked melted into Ganon's face, its markings appearing on his visage.  He raised his arms, and knives of red energy spiked from his fingertips, stabbing into brick walls and into anyone unfortunate who got in his way.  This people struggled painfully, even as their bodies dried into lifeless mummies.  Kafei held Anju close to him, fearing that they had won back their city only to lose their lives.

   "BEHOLD!" Ganon roared.  "LOOK NOW UPON THE GLORY OF YOUR GOD!  BEHOLD AND TREMBLE!  NONE OF YOU IS WORTHY OF SURVIVAL IN MY NEW WORLD ORDER!  ALL SHALL PERISH!  YOUR END IS NOW, CLOCKTOWN!  YOUR END IS NOW!"

                                    *                                  *                                  *

   "Sorry I'm late, Link.  I had other business to attend to."

   Link stopped playing his ocarina and looked up as the green-haired woman approached him.  He was sitting on the same stump Saria had been playing on when she had taught him her song, the song he himself was now playing.  The woman came to a stop right in front of him.   "It's no problem," he told her with a smile.  "I'm dead, after all.  It's not like I've got anywhere to go."

   Farore crossed her legs and floated in the air so that she was 'sitting' eye-level with him.  "Then you are happy here?" she asked.

   Link considered this for a second.  "I'm not sure if happy is the word.  Resigned, I guess.  Accepting."

   Farore nodded in understanding.  "As you should be.  You have fulfilled your destiny.  The final quest destined for you is complete.  Nothing more is being asked of you.  Not officially, anyway."

   Link looked at her warily.  "Officially, you say?"

   Shrugging playfully, the goddess said, "Well, you're dead now.  Nobody every orders the dead to do anything."

   "I never thought you ordered me," Link admitted.  "But I didn't always like the path you put in front of me.  All the violence, the hate, the evil that I've seen…surely there must have been some other way."

   Farore sighed.  "Unfortunately, one of the great ironies of the universe is that in order for something to be reborn, it must first be destroyed.  In order for peace to reign, violence must be fought with violence.  Such is the way of things."

   "Yeah," Link said softly.  "Such is the way of things.  I'm just glad that I've done my part.  Things will be better now." With that, he went back to playing his ocarina.

   "Will they?"

   That caused him to stop short.  "What?"

   "Will things be better, now that you're gone?"

   "They have to be.  I mean, I killed Ganon, erasing his threat from Hyrule forever.  I've killed pretty much every other evil being over the past eight years, all the major ones anyway.  Zelda will be able to beat Rolondrof and Skorn now that Ganon isn't there to help him, and my father will get be cured of his sickness.  And Malon…" Link stopped, as he saw the flaw in his hopes.  He had no idea what had become of Malon.

   "Oh, she's alive," Farore assured him.  "So are the rest of the Chosen.  They're back in Hyrule, safe and sound."  Smiling at Link's relieved sigh, she added.  "For the time being, at least."

   Link groaned.  "I should have seen this coming."

   Punching him playfully in the shoulder, Farore continued.  "Yeah, you should have.  I've come here to offer you a choice: stay here, and hope for the best, or go back and continue your life of swords and sorcery."

   "I can do that?"

   "You are the Magic's Son, and bearer of the Triforce of Courage.  You can do anything."  

   Staring blankly at his ocarina, Link said, "Can you promise me that I'll make a difference?  That my going back will make things better?  No, you can't, and I can't expect you to.  It's possible—even likely—that I will make things better.  But to do so, I'll be forced to keep killing and destroying.  I'll be using exactly what it is I'm trying to end.  Is it worth it?  No offense, but we're all tools of destiny; what's meant to be will be.  I'm meant to be here, you said it yourself.  Maybe I should just leave it at that."

   "For you, Ganon's death was the end of destiny," a new voice said.  "You are free to make your own decisions now, as you were before, though you did not realize it."

   Link looked up, and for the first time in his life, he saw his mother.  She was standing before him, a soft, pale light surrounding her.  Though her clothing was plain and unadorned, her beauty shone through.  Link didn't know what to say; any words he may have had were caught in his throat.  "You've grown into such a handsome young man," Sanna told him, reaching out to stroke his face.  "And a good one too.  Link, you have no idea how proud I am of you."

   Link looked over at Farore to see the goddess herself on the verge of tears, as was he.  Looking back at his mother, he whispered, "Tell me what to do?  What should I do?"

   Smiling sadly, Sanna replied, "I can't tell you that, Link.  You have to decide for yourself.  You've given so much of yourself to others without ever asking for anything in return, and you have every right to want some peace for yourself.  I know you want no part in the violence you are forced to use, but I also know that deep down you realize that it is necessary.  Evil must be fought, and you have the courage to fight it, the courage to stand as sword and shield when everyone else would crumble and fall.  But you are not alone; you never have been.  I have been with you, as has your father, though he did not know it.  Saria, Malon, all your friends, everyone you have ever touched.  When you were torn from the magic and the Sacred Realm, they all felt it, and they all mourned.  You have done so much, my son, and there is so much more you can do.  And you know it.  You knew your decision even before Farore offered you the choice."

   Link said nothing for a long while.  He merely rested his head in his mother's hand, treasuring her touch.  She was right, though.  He knew what his decision was.  The moment he had awakened in this place, somehow he had known.  And somehow that fact did not bother him.

   "You're right," he told Sanna, his eyes moving between her and Farore.  "I do know what I have to do.  And you know what?  I'm not afraid of it anymore.  I accept it.  I embrace it.  I understand who and what I am, and what I am meant to do.  I think I have for years, but I battled with it for so long, I was looking for the first chance I could get to stop fighting it.  But I understand now.  I'll take it.  Because it's the right thing to do."

   Farore grinned proudly at him.  "Then you have made your decision?"

   "Yes." He rose to his feet, more sure of himself than he had ever been.

   "I choose to fight."

                                    *                                  *                                  *

   Far, far away, in a grassy field at the edge of a forest, rested the remains of a fierce battle.  Dead bodies and shards of metal and weaponry littered the ground.  But one weapon lied alone.  It had been a sword, though it was broken in two, the blade blackened.  It had been there ever since its Hero had faded.

   But now something was happening.  A faint hum started in the air, softly at first, then steadily rising in intensity.  The ground shook, and the wreckage bounced and skittered across the ground.  The pieces of the sword rose into the air, floating in a ball of blue light.  Suddenly there was a flash, and the shattered weapon was reborn, the Master Sword once again shining silver as if lit by some inner power.  And it was.  Its Hero was calling it.  He was returning, and he would need the Master Sword's help.  Searching the realms, the sword located its Hero's position, and in another flash of light, it was gone.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

   Lightning struck the side of the crater where Link had fallen, and Kafei's attention was drawn away from Ganon's terrible power.  He watched in amazement as the lightning returned to the heavens, leaving behind a shining sword, stabbed deep into the ground.  This was shocking enough, but nothing could have prepared him for what he saw next.  A radiant green light ebbed from the hole, and Kafei watched in stunned awe as Link's body rose up from the pit, as if lifted by invisible arms.  His eyes opened slowly as he alit on the ground beside the sword.  The green glow faded, and Link stood, alive and well, radiating confidence and courageous power.

   He looked once at Ganon, who had also turned to watch, then reached out and grabbed the hilt of the sword.  Bolts of blue energy crackled from the sword, traveling up the blade and up Link's arm, his flesh seemingly absorbing the energy.  Drawing the sword, Link stood before Ganon, facing him without fear.

   Roaring with rage, Ganon shot blades of red magic at Link, but the Hero simply raised his sword, catching the bolts within it.  He began to walk forward, approaching Ganon.  The Dark Lord fired again, and each time, the Master Sword blocked and absorbed the blows.  Link stopped when he was no more than two feet from Ganon, and raising his sword, he brought it down in a vertical strike.  Ganon caught the blade in his hands, and the two enemies stood there, face to face, as Ganon tried to shatter both Link and the sword with his crimson magic.

   But Link was fighting back.  A powerful blue and green glow flowed from his arms and up through the sword, forcing its way into Ganon's system.  Seeing what was happening, Ganon tried to release the sword, but he was trapped by Link's power.  Link's magic flowed up Ganon's arms until both combatants were encased in it, and finally Kafei and the other townsfolk were forced to look away.  With one final flash, it was over, and they were finally able to look again.  None were prepared from what they saw.  Standing alone, his body a pale, ashen gray, was Ganon, his expression frozen in a mask of pain and terror.  Link was nowhere to be seen.

   Even as the townsfolk tentatively approached Ganon's remains, it began to crumble, disintegrating until even the dust vanished in the wind.  The rain stopped pouring, as the stars finally came out to shine.  "Is he…" Boomer stammered, both Rocky and Romani clutching to his arms.  "Is he…"

   "Yes," Kafei told him and the other citizens, though he wasn't sure how he knew.  "He's dead.  Once and for all."

   "And…and Link?  Is he…"

   "No," Kafei assured them.  A grin crept across his face, as he held his wife close.  He looked up into the sky, and saw one of the stars flash, even as his people followed his gaze.  "He's alive.  He's going home."

   "And I hope they're ready for him."