Chapter 17 – The Fortress Of Darkness
"Come on Zelda, there's nothing for it now." Link clambered to his feet, his legs nearly gave way beneath him at first and he had to slump back onto the rocky slope. Then he put his hand on Zelda's shoulder, and she looked up at him despairingly. "Come on, you can do this now."
"Yes...I know..." Zelda stood up and Link supported her by putting her arm across his shoulders. They limped slowly towards the fortress before them, and now their hearts were completely black with misery and depression and hatred; for here, the evil of the world was at its strongest.
The Fortress of Darkness was immense, and looked as though it had been hewn from the mountain itself. They were incredibly high up here, but the mountains were still very tall above them, and the fortress stretched incredibly high into the sky. They could now see that it's highest tower was the peak of the mountain itself, and it soared high above them, surrounded by black clouds in the black sky, and lighting flashed viciously down at them. The body of the fortress was absolutely jet black, and the rock was made of a smooth dark rock that looked as though it was very highly polished, and it reflected the flashes of light between its towers and cast long elongated shadows. It had many towers, each of them reaching up high, clawing at the sky, great spiked jagged turrets and parapets were over it as far up as they could see; and the fortress had no real shape, no air of design about it, it was like evil rock after evil rock had just pulled together to form the fortress. And towers were built unevenly, and walls did not stretch as high as others; and so all of it's being was like a great travesty of evil and malice.
The ground around it was rocky and uneven, and surrounded by cliffs, and clearly if they had not fallen down from where they had, they would not have been able to find it. There were some windows, but all were narrow and dark, and there was no light for them to let in. At the centre of the fortress, about fifty feet from where Link and Zelda now stood was a great double door. It was at least twenty times taller than they, and crafted from a very dark mahogany, which was stained black by ash and rain. With Link supporting Zelda, her arm across his shoulders, they limped towards the door.
Neither of them had ever been this frightened before, and Link could hardly bring himself to look up at the dead castle before him. The rain beat down heavily upon their backs, they were so cold and so drained of energy; all they could cling to now was the dying hope that they could yet do something good for the world. But here on the brink of existence, on the brink of eternal dark, whilst they themselves felt like they were on the brink of death, there was nothing to comfort them.
Every step they took towards the castle strained at their hearts. They were so close now, and every step they had taken from Hylia, across the North, to this accursed place, flashed before their eyes. They had fleeting visions of Death Mountain, and Ulaku, and the Lakelands, and Gaien, and green fields and blue skies; and of Karak and Jerra and Yerra and Vuto; but now it was worth nothing. They walked into the heart of death on earth and could not turn back, and all that was good and green in their hearts was gone. No taste of food, no feel of water, no sound of wind, or memory of tree or grass or flower, no image or moon or star were left. They were alone in the dark, with no veil left between them and cruelty, blood, malice and death.
"Zelda," cried Link, as they took their final steps towards the door, "Always remember, no matter what happens now, I will always love you!" He shouted over the howling wind and ruthless rain, and she answered him.
"I will love you forever Link! And if this is to be our end, then I shall never forget you!"
"Now, there's nothing for it!" He was now within arms reach of the great door. "We're here, at last, and the fate of the world now hangs upon us! And I do not fear death!!" Link stretched out to reach the door, and as he did so, the Triforce of Courage glowed in his hand and his arm was alive with gold light. He pushed the door, and it swing open with immeasurable strength and shattered upon the great rock wall within.
The power of the triforce flowed from his shining hand, and filled his veins with a renewed strength, and all the blood fell away from his body, and the rain dried up. He fell to his knees inside the darkness on a hard cold floor, and felt this new strength in his arms. Beside him, the same thing was happening to Zelda, and she was no longer crippled with suffering, but was kneeling down, a power flowing from the Triforce of Wisdom. "I feel life!" She shouted out joyously. "Away darkness!"
Together, radiating a golden light they walked slowly into the darkness before them. That which was before them was a great cavernous hall. It seemed as though the outside of the fortress was all a great shell from this one great inner room. It was beyond their belief in understanding. So high, and supported by immense pillars, and so far across. They walked for a while, fumbling in the darkness, squinting to see.
"Princess Zelda, and Link al'Ryak. Welcome to the Fortress of Darkness." Zelda and Link looked about frantically. That voice had echoed out of the shadows from all around them. They stood back to back, holding their hands together. Link had pulled out his sword in his free right hand and held it in front of him, to try and ward of danger. "I must admit, I never believed that you would actually get all the way here."
"Where are you!?" Shouted out Link fiercely. The voice was shrill and high, but echoed deeply. It mocked them with every tone.
"In time, in time...Hero..."
"Show yourself!" Shouted Zelda, "I was sent here to destroy the Heart of Evil, and I will not let you stop us, whoever you are!"
"Yes I know. The Heart of Evil, that is why you have come. But I regret to inform you that you will not find the Heart of Evil here, no."
"What!" Link was frustrated. "Show yourself, coward!"
"Very well." A figure emerged from the shadows and walked towards them. At least, it looked like he left the shadows, but it looked as though he actually made of the shadows. He had no face, and only a rough shape of legs and arms. He was not tall, only just taller than a child. His body was like a black mist that clung to shadows, as though he was actually part of the shadows. And in this way, it looked like all the darkness of this fortress was part of him. In truth, he was the shadow himself. A being of pure darkness. "Here I am. Are you satisfied?"
"Who are you?" Asked Link, curiously, holding his sword firmly towards him.
"A dead ruined for of life," replied the childlike figure, "stripped of my power...but now that will all be changed of course. The curse of Heart of Evil has finally spread across Hyrule. It has taken one thousand years, yes...but now it is finally strong enough..."
"What do you mean? And why did you say that it was not here?" Zelda was now questioning this being aggressively, worried that they were wasting time.
"Because it is not here, it is somewhere else. And you will never find it." He laughed hysterically, a laugh that rang through the whole hall.
"Where is it!" Link demanded.
"Zelda already knows. She was told by the Puppet Master."
Zelda thought hard, and then remembered something she had forgotten about for a long time. "The Shadows Within?"
The figure walked away, disappearing into the shadows. They followed on behind him. "I have no name, only a purpose. I am god. A disgraced god they called me, and I was banished from the heavens by your goddesses, by the ones who made those triangles in your hands."
"A disgraced god?"
"Yes. And to here I was banished. But they could not prevent me from fighting back." He paused, but continued walking. He was actually just leading them in a circle though. "You see...they did not understand how important evil is in the world. But without evil there is nothing to strive for. They did not share my view though, and cast me away. My vengeance...my vengeance is the Heart of Evil. I will show them when I destroy their people. In truth when their people destroy themselves. I created the Heart of Evil, but it the people of Hyrule that fuel it."
"What is the Heart of Evil?" Zelda was calmer now, and very keen to get this information from him.
"The Heart of Evil dwells within the soul every living being. And thus it is now destroying them from the inside. The evil deeds of your 'people' Zelda, has caused this to fall upon them. From that place within them, the Heart of Evil has grown stronger, and now they will die. And thus Din, Nayru and Farore will finally see the truth."
"Truth?"
"That evil must exist." He stopped dead, and turned to face them.
"We are here to destroy the Heart of Evil, 'god'."
"You will not find it here, it is not here. I have told you. And now," as he said those words, a long silver sword emerged from the shadows in his hand, "it is time for me to destroy you." He turned to face Link. "Link al'Ryak, Hero of Time; it is time. You will fight me now." He stepped towards Link, and they clashed swords. "It is time!"
Link tensed himself, and started fighting. And as the blades of the Hero and the disgraced god collided and sparked, the fate of the world hung in the balance.
"Come on Zelda, there's nothing for it now." Link clambered to his feet, his legs nearly gave way beneath him at first and he had to slump back onto the rocky slope. Then he put his hand on Zelda's shoulder, and she looked up at him despairingly. "Come on, you can do this now."
"Yes...I know..." Zelda stood up and Link supported her by putting her arm across his shoulders. They limped slowly towards the fortress before them, and now their hearts were completely black with misery and depression and hatred; for here, the evil of the world was at its strongest.
The Fortress of Darkness was immense, and looked as though it had been hewn from the mountain itself. They were incredibly high up here, but the mountains were still very tall above them, and the fortress stretched incredibly high into the sky. They could now see that it's highest tower was the peak of the mountain itself, and it soared high above them, surrounded by black clouds in the black sky, and lighting flashed viciously down at them. The body of the fortress was absolutely jet black, and the rock was made of a smooth dark rock that looked as though it was very highly polished, and it reflected the flashes of light between its towers and cast long elongated shadows. It had many towers, each of them reaching up high, clawing at the sky, great spiked jagged turrets and parapets were over it as far up as they could see; and the fortress had no real shape, no air of design about it, it was like evil rock after evil rock had just pulled together to form the fortress. And towers were built unevenly, and walls did not stretch as high as others; and so all of it's being was like a great travesty of evil and malice.
The ground around it was rocky and uneven, and surrounded by cliffs, and clearly if they had not fallen down from where they had, they would not have been able to find it. There were some windows, but all were narrow and dark, and there was no light for them to let in. At the centre of the fortress, about fifty feet from where Link and Zelda now stood was a great double door. It was at least twenty times taller than they, and crafted from a very dark mahogany, which was stained black by ash and rain. With Link supporting Zelda, her arm across his shoulders, they limped towards the door.
Neither of them had ever been this frightened before, and Link could hardly bring himself to look up at the dead castle before him. The rain beat down heavily upon their backs, they were so cold and so drained of energy; all they could cling to now was the dying hope that they could yet do something good for the world. But here on the brink of existence, on the brink of eternal dark, whilst they themselves felt like they were on the brink of death, there was nothing to comfort them.
Every step they took towards the castle strained at their hearts. They were so close now, and every step they had taken from Hylia, across the North, to this accursed place, flashed before their eyes. They had fleeting visions of Death Mountain, and Ulaku, and the Lakelands, and Gaien, and green fields and blue skies; and of Karak and Jerra and Yerra and Vuto; but now it was worth nothing. They walked into the heart of death on earth and could not turn back, and all that was good and green in their hearts was gone. No taste of food, no feel of water, no sound of wind, or memory of tree or grass or flower, no image or moon or star were left. They were alone in the dark, with no veil left between them and cruelty, blood, malice and death.
"Zelda," cried Link, as they took their final steps towards the door, "Always remember, no matter what happens now, I will always love you!" He shouted over the howling wind and ruthless rain, and she answered him.
"I will love you forever Link! And if this is to be our end, then I shall never forget you!"
"Now, there's nothing for it!" He was now within arms reach of the great door. "We're here, at last, and the fate of the world now hangs upon us! And I do not fear death!!" Link stretched out to reach the door, and as he did so, the Triforce of Courage glowed in his hand and his arm was alive with gold light. He pushed the door, and it swing open with immeasurable strength and shattered upon the great rock wall within.
The power of the triforce flowed from his shining hand, and filled his veins with a renewed strength, and all the blood fell away from his body, and the rain dried up. He fell to his knees inside the darkness on a hard cold floor, and felt this new strength in his arms. Beside him, the same thing was happening to Zelda, and she was no longer crippled with suffering, but was kneeling down, a power flowing from the Triforce of Wisdom. "I feel life!" She shouted out joyously. "Away darkness!"
Together, radiating a golden light they walked slowly into the darkness before them. That which was before them was a great cavernous hall. It seemed as though the outside of the fortress was all a great shell from this one great inner room. It was beyond their belief in understanding. So high, and supported by immense pillars, and so far across. They walked for a while, fumbling in the darkness, squinting to see.
"Princess Zelda, and Link al'Ryak. Welcome to the Fortress of Darkness." Zelda and Link looked about frantically. That voice had echoed out of the shadows from all around them. They stood back to back, holding their hands together. Link had pulled out his sword in his free right hand and held it in front of him, to try and ward of danger. "I must admit, I never believed that you would actually get all the way here."
"Where are you!?" Shouted out Link fiercely. The voice was shrill and high, but echoed deeply. It mocked them with every tone.
"In time, in time...Hero..."
"Show yourself!" Shouted Zelda, "I was sent here to destroy the Heart of Evil, and I will not let you stop us, whoever you are!"
"Yes I know. The Heart of Evil, that is why you have come. But I regret to inform you that you will not find the Heart of Evil here, no."
"What!" Link was frustrated. "Show yourself, coward!"
"Very well." A figure emerged from the shadows and walked towards them. At least, it looked like he left the shadows, but it looked as though he actually made of the shadows. He had no face, and only a rough shape of legs and arms. He was not tall, only just taller than a child. His body was like a black mist that clung to shadows, as though he was actually part of the shadows. And in this way, it looked like all the darkness of this fortress was part of him. In truth, he was the shadow himself. A being of pure darkness. "Here I am. Are you satisfied?"
"Who are you?" Asked Link, curiously, holding his sword firmly towards him.
"A dead ruined for of life," replied the childlike figure, "stripped of my power...but now that will all be changed of course. The curse of Heart of Evil has finally spread across Hyrule. It has taken one thousand years, yes...but now it is finally strong enough..."
"What do you mean? And why did you say that it was not here?" Zelda was now questioning this being aggressively, worried that they were wasting time.
"Because it is not here, it is somewhere else. And you will never find it." He laughed hysterically, a laugh that rang through the whole hall.
"Where is it!" Link demanded.
"Zelda already knows. She was told by the Puppet Master."
Zelda thought hard, and then remembered something she had forgotten about for a long time. "The Shadows Within?"
The figure walked away, disappearing into the shadows. They followed on behind him. "I have no name, only a purpose. I am god. A disgraced god they called me, and I was banished from the heavens by your goddesses, by the ones who made those triangles in your hands."
"A disgraced god?"
"Yes. And to here I was banished. But they could not prevent me from fighting back." He paused, but continued walking. He was actually just leading them in a circle though. "You see...they did not understand how important evil is in the world. But without evil there is nothing to strive for. They did not share my view though, and cast me away. My vengeance...my vengeance is the Heart of Evil. I will show them when I destroy their people. In truth when their people destroy themselves. I created the Heart of Evil, but it the people of Hyrule that fuel it."
"What is the Heart of Evil?" Zelda was calmer now, and very keen to get this information from him.
"The Heart of Evil dwells within the soul every living being. And thus it is now destroying them from the inside. The evil deeds of your 'people' Zelda, has caused this to fall upon them. From that place within them, the Heart of Evil has grown stronger, and now they will die. And thus Din, Nayru and Farore will finally see the truth."
"Truth?"
"That evil must exist." He stopped dead, and turned to face them.
"We are here to destroy the Heart of Evil, 'god'."
"You will not find it here, it is not here. I have told you. And now," as he said those words, a long silver sword emerged from the shadows in his hand, "it is time for me to destroy you." He turned to face Link. "Link al'Ryak, Hero of Time; it is time. You will fight me now." He stepped towards Link, and they clashed swords. "It is time!"
Link tensed himself, and started fighting. And as the blades of the Hero and the disgraced god collided and sparked, the fate of the world hung in the balance.