XIX
No one was present at the gates of Hyrule; no guards or monsters to block Link's path. Whether it was because they were all attacking Rauru or because they had orders to let Link by, he had no idea. Ganon almost assuredly had felt Link's surge of power, and had deduced he would be coming. It was not outside the realm of possibility that Ganon would not send his lackeys for this final battle.
The thought forced Link to pause, wondering if Ganon was that confident. Ganon apparently had the power of the Triforce in his blood now; perhaps that meant he was as strong as Link? Or even stronger? Yet Link saw the past; he knew that Ganon's tendency to underestimate his foes and let down his guard was his main weakness. The king of evil was a vain man, and to allow this meeting to be personal was certainly within his character. Even if it would ultimately work to his detriment, Ganon would not weaken Link first with other monsters. The walls are empty for a reason. All doubt cleared from his mind, Link entered the castle.
He remembered how strong Ganon was, when he nearly killed Link just yesterday. How would this battle fare? Link may feel the Triforce flowing through him, yet he knew that the self doubt he carried within him would negate that power. But he could not be overconfident. There's only one way to find out. For good or ill, there's no turning back now. One of us will die tonight. And as he moved into the castle's courtyard, he knew he was not the only one with these thoughts. Ganon stood there, alone, waiting for Link to arrive.
"Welcome back, kid. I see you have not learned your lesson." Link remained quiet, ignoring the taunt. Let Ganon make the first move.
Ganon stepped forward. "You may have learned of your power, but that is still not enough to defeat me. I have control of the Triforce, and I will not let it go." With that, he raised his arms, and powerful bursts of energy charged towards Link.
Yet Link stood his ground, merely raising the Master Sword in defense. The evil magic seemed to be absorbed by the blade, disappearing once it hit. Link countered by swinging his own blade, firing his own magic back. Ganon recoiled, pained but not seriously injured. With a roar, he swung his staff, tossing Link backwards. At the same time, the ground above Link shook and burst apart, throwing him up in the air.
Link landed deftly, and stuck his sword deep into Ganon's side. The beast screamed in pain as he was surrounded in an aura of Link's magic. He tossed Link aside, but the Hylian calmly drew his bow and a silver arrow. The arrow started to shine brightly until it was bathed in a bright light. The light exploded as the arrow hit Ganon, briefly paralyzing him. Link followed through with another powerful swing of the Master Sword, causing Ganon to fall to the ground.
But he was not finished yet. With Link's guard dropped, Ganon poured his evil magic into him, forcing him backwards and filling him with pain. Ganon stood up, wavering only momentarily, and glared at his foe. Link, too, got to his feet, staring back. He ignored the pain and pushed his doubts down. It was time to end this.
Ganon sent blast after blast towards Link, but none fazed him. The Master Sword deflected each attack easily, as Link calmly stepped closer to his foe. He swung his own blade, now shining gold with the power of the Triforce, and Ganon flew backwards. Link continued to walk forward, unharmed.
For the first time, Ganon realized he was too outmatched. His strength had left him, and he could see that this Hylian had the power to destroy him completely. It was time to admit defeat. Once again, he turned into a giant bat, attempting to escape. But Link would not accept that. Another silver arrow flew out, hitting its mark and bringing Ganon back to the ground. Frustrated, he returned to his normal form, and turned to face Link.
Link closed his eyes, and drew on all the strength he could muster. This is it. He swung his blade one final time, as a gold light shot towards Ganon. It enveloped him, and poured into him, filling the evil beast with agony. He roared one final time, before the light exploded. A few moments later, and all that was left was ash.
Link held out his hand, and a wind picked up around the pile of ashes. It swirled around, scattering the remains. The ash seemed to disappear, fading away as the last remnants of Ganon disintegrated. There would be no second chance, no return. The plague of Hyrule was gone forever. Link sighed with relief and collapsed to the ground, exhausted but relieved. It was over.
But an image of the forests behind Rauru shook him back to alertness. The battle there was still waging, and it appeared Roam could not hold out for very much longer. Link sprinted to the Triforce's chamber. And there it stood, three golden triangles shining brighter than ever. Link gathered up the sacred relic and rushed to a spire. Looking out the window there, he saw the flames rising from the forest. With the Triforce, he had a vision of the army advancing on Roam, and realized there was no time to lose. Not quite sure what he could do, he raised the Triforce in the air.
Roam was on top of the mountain now, ready to help detonate the bombs. It was his place to insure the plan worked. He sighed, and started to give his order. But a shout from one of his comrades stopped him. He looked to the sky, and saw a golden light bathe the forest. It crept forward, enveloping the army of Ganon. The stalfos roared in pain and seemed to disintegrate on contact, disappearing back to wherever Ganon called them from. The other creatures paused, and looked at each other in confusion. Slowly, they began to melt away, leaving their weapons and dispersing back into the wild. The control Ganon had over them was broken.
The sky darkened then, as clouds covered the land. Within moments, a torrential downpour began, quenching the flames below. Roam smiled as he started to climb down the mountain. It was over.
No one was present at the gates of Hyrule; no guards or monsters to block Link's path. Whether it was because they were all attacking Rauru or because they had orders to let Link by, he had no idea. Ganon almost assuredly had felt Link's surge of power, and had deduced he would be coming. It was not outside the realm of possibility that Ganon would not send his lackeys for this final battle.
The thought forced Link to pause, wondering if Ganon was that confident. Ganon apparently had the power of the Triforce in his blood now; perhaps that meant he was as strong as Link? Or even stronger? Yet Link saw the past; he knew that Ganon's tendency to underestimate his foes and let down his guard was his main weakness. The king of evil was a vain man, and to allow this meeting to be personal was certainly within his character. Even if it would ultimately work to his detriment, Ganon would not weaken Link first with other monsters. The walls are empty for a reason. All doubt cleared from his mind, Link entered the castle.
He remembered how strong Ganon was, when he nearly killed Link just yesterday. How would this battle fare? Link may feel the Triforce flowing through him, yet he knew that the self doubt he carried within him would negate that power. But he could not be overconfident. There's only one way to find out. For good or ill, there's no turning back now. One of us will die tonight. And as he moved into the castle's courtyard, he knew he was not the only one with these thoughts. Ganon stood there, alone, waiting for Link to arrive.
"Welcome back, kid. I see you have not learned your lesson." Link remained quiet, ignoring the taunt. Let Ganon make the first move.
Ganon stepped forward. "You may have learned of your power, but that is still not enough to defeat me. I have control of the Triforce, and I will not let it go." With that, he raised his arms, and powerful bursts of energy charged towards Link.
Yet Link stood his ground, merely raising the Master Sword in defense. The evil magic seemed to be absorbed by the blade, disappearing once it hit. Link countered by swinging his own blade, firing his own magic back. Ganon recoiled, pained but not seriously injured. With a roar, he swung his staff, tossing Link backwards. At the same time, the ground above Link shook and burst apart, throwing him up in the air.
Link landed deftly, and stuck his sword deep into Ganon's side. The beast screamed in pain as he was surrounded in an aura of Link's magic. He tossed Link aside, but the Hylian calmly drew his bow and a silver arrow. The arrow started to shine brightly until it was bathed in a bright light. The light exploded as the arrow hit Ganon, briefly paralyzing him. Link followed through with another powerful swing of the Master Sword, causing Ganon to fall to the ground.
But he was not finished yet. With Link's guard dropped, Ganon poured his evil magic into him, forcing him backwards and filling him with pain. Ganon stood up, wavering only momentarily, and glared at his foe. Link, too, got to his feet, staring back. He ignored the pain and pushed his doubts down. It was time to end this.
Ganon sent blast after blast towards Link, but none fazed him. The Master Sword deflected each attack easily, as Link calmly stepped closer to his foe. He swung his own blade, now shining gold with the power of the Triforce, and Ganon flew backwards. Link continued to walk forward, unharmed.
For the first time, Ganon realized he was too outmatched. His strength had left him, and he could see that this Hylian had the power to destroy him completely. It was time to admit defeat. Once again, he turned into a giant bat, attempting to escape. But Link would not accept that. Another silver arrow flew out, hitting its mark and bringing Ganon back to the ground. Frustrated, he returned to his normal form, and turned to face Link.
Link closed his eyes, and drew on all the strength he could muster. This is it. He swung his blade one final time, as a gold light shot towards Ganon. It enveloped him, and poured into him, filling the evil beast with agony. He roared one final time, before the light exploded. A few moments later, and all that was left was ash.
Link held out his hand, and a wind picked up around the pile of ashes. It swirled around, scattering the remains. The ash seemed to disappear, fading away as the last remnants of Ganon disintegrated. There would be no second chance, no return. The plague of Hyrule was gone forever. Link sighed with relief and collapsed to the ground, exhausted but relieved. It was over.
But an image of the forests behind Rauru shook him back to alertness. The battle there was still waging, and it appeared Roam could not hold out for very much longer. Link sprinted to the Triforce's chamber. And there it stood, three golden triangles shining brighter than ever. Link gathered up the sacred relic and rushed to a spire. Looking out the window there, he saw the flames rising from the forest. With the Triforce, he had a vision of the army advancing on Roam, and realized there was no time to lose. Not quite sure what he could do, he raised the Triforce in the air.
Roam was on top of the mountain now, ready to help detonate the bombs. It was his place to insure the plan worked. He sighed, and started to give his order. But a shout from one of his comrades stopped him. He looked to the sky, and saw a golden light bathe the forest. It crept forward, enveloping the army of Ganon. The stalfos roared in pain and seemed to disintegrate on contact, disappearing back to wherever Ganon called them from. The other creatures paused, and looked at each other in confusion. Slowly, they began to melt away, leaving their weapons and dispersing back into the wild. The control Ganon had over them was broken.
The sky darkened then, as clouds covered the land. Within moments, a torrential downpour began, quenching the flames below. Roam smiled as he started to climb down the mountain. It was over.