Chapter 13 - Black Ashes

Link's POV:

One moment, Zelda was there, right before my eyes. I had looked at her for what seemed like an eternity, a universal relief reflecting in each of our faces, before I accepted what the true situation was. Ganondorf had been standing right beside Zelda, yet I had only noticed her. And then, in a flash of light she was gone. The first thing that came to my mind was that time had taken her away, perhaps severing her completely from me for good. But Ganondorf had gone with her.

I cried out her name, feeling the anger boil inside as I remembered that Ganondorf had done the exact same thing before; he had taken her away the very moment that Zelda had revealed her true identity in the Temple of Time. He had trapped her inside a crystal, and I couldn't break through to save her. I couldn't rescue her, and I couldn't help her the time she needed me most…

A deafening bellow suddenly filled the room and at once the Moblins came charging up the steps, as if driven by a silent order. I put my thoughts away and readied myself, cringing at the dull ache in my leg. The potion had partially healed the injury, but it yet to work to its full capacity.

The first Moblin came, swinging its great spear horizontally. I raised my sword and struck, shaving the blade from its wooden staff. It whistled through the air and splashed into the watery basins below, soon to be joined by many more. The Moblin looked astounded, and tried vainly to defend itself with the stick as I advanced and tore my sword through the crowd of monsters.

Ganondorf wasn't going to repeat what happened before. I wouldn't let him. I knew that he would be sure to eradicate us both, making sure that neither ever interfered with his plans again. If what he had said was true, then I was sure that he wouldn't hesitate to kill Zelda once he had the Triforce. Before… it was still a hazy memory, but I knew that he had not come with an army of Moblins. He had been confident enough to capture Zelda alone.

I was at the bottom of the steps, my body falling into a set rhythm of slicing up and forward. Up to the spearhead and forward to the heart, up to the spearhead and forward to the heart… But my leg was tiring. It became heavy and slow, dragging the movements of my sword down, making them lazy and powerless.

"Look out!" someone cried.

I had heard it, but I was too late to react. My neck stung as if Wolfos' fangs had been driven into my skin. I was knocked aside to the floor by the brute strength of a Moblin from behind, my sword flying from my hand. It skidded across the floor, scratching the flagstones. The monster roared in victory as it towered before me, its spear raised along with its brethren. I had nothing to defend myself with as I lay against the lip of the pool. No shield, no weapon.

A shriek of terror then rang against the walls, distracting the Moblins for a mere second. I rolled aside quickly and jumped up and backward into the pool. I kicked the water in their confused and irate snouts, the cool cleansing liquid seeming to aggravate their eyes. My sword was lying on the floor past the barrage of Moblins; I pushed and shoved them out of my way before they knew what was happening. I ran, dodging the swipes and slashes made from the more alert ones, my hand barely grazing the hilt of my sword as I grabbed it and spun round the deflect an attack.

I was now in between them and the platform where Zelda had stood, trapped in a corner. Another charged away from the pack, its spear high above its head. I feinted to the side and came back in, striking the black hairy skin of its side. I plunged my sword in and out, blood spilling on the floor and whirling in a circle as I spun round and took on one more. The water all around me had been stained crimson, Moblins slain and hanging over the raised lip. As I drew my sword away, placing it back in its scabbard, I sensed another pair of eyes watching me. But they weren't that of the enemy.

I turned and looked up at the small altar, the bewildered gaze of a young girl staring straight back. I almost faltered, seeing the face of Zelda become so apparent in her features. I tore my gaze away, diverting my eyes to the horrific sight about me. She had seen those murderous, violent actions, the bloodshed and the cries of death, right before her very eyes…

"Are you…all right?" I asked, not looking at her.

For a moment she didn't reply. Her silk dress slithered and hissed as she began to move down the steps, the click of her heels echoing in the large chamber. I turned my head, overwhelmed by how much the girl resembled Zelda. She had the same sharp and powerful eyes, the same confident air about her and the same beauty.

"Are you really…who she said you are?" she said in a quiet, reserved voice, as if ashamed of something. The girl didn't look at me but at the floor, her hands fidgeting by her side. "Are you really who they call the Hero of Time?" She turned her head now, looking at me with an anxious glance.

I nodded, feeling odd to admit it when I could only vaguely remember.

"Then…what she said was true," she whispered to herself.

"Could you tell me your name?"

"My name is Tetra," she said.

"Tetra," I said kneeling down, "could you tell me what happened? Why was Ganondorf here?"

"He came for the Triforce, but I had given it to her to look at when it suddenly vanished. She said that she was Princess Zelda, but the King of Red Lions told me that I was meant to be of her bloodline. Then Ganondorf came in and took her away." She paused. "How is it that either of you are here? I don't understand!"

I sighed. "Bad things are happening in my world, and both Zelda and I are caught up in it. We can't help where we're transported to, and it seems that both of us have been sent here for a while." I took a deep breath. "I promise that this will be over soon, but for now you have to come with me. Trouble might be nearby so we need to leave here."

"But what about Link? I'm meant to stay here until he returns with the Triforce of Courage."

I blinked hearing my own name and the task I had been slowly completing in the same sentence from another's mouth. "We'll find him," I said eventually.

Together we walked up the stairs and back up into the main hall of the castle. It was an utter mess, the drapery torn and flapping in the draughty breeze blowing in from the unclosed doors. Dark blood had been split on the scarlet carpet and on the stone floors and nothing seemed magnificent or impressive anymore. But everything looked familiar and the castle that I had grown up in along with Zelda began to haunt the empty shell that stood before me. Everything was in its exact place, the portraits on the walls and the staircases all in their rightful position. Could it be that I was standing in my very own home?

I wanted to ask Tetra, but as we stepped outside into a courtyard, my question was replaced by a hundred more. The sky was a rippling wave, the sun a small, minuscule patch blurred in the moving waters of the heavens. There was nothing to look out upon, no horizon or mountains raising high above the forest trees. The air was cold and dry, very much unlike the warm winds that used to blow from the west across the deserts.

"What happened?" I asked.

"The goddesses sealed Hyrule away under the sea."

"But why?"

"The goddesses wanted to destroy Ganondorf, but they could not do it by mortal methods. They made it rain and rain; the land soon lost underneath the waters. Ganondorf wanted Hyrule, and he would stay there under the waters with it. But not to warn the people would be fulfilling Ganondorf's wishes. They warned the people to travel to the mountaintops to survive. It was…your wife that led them there."

"Zelda," I breathed.

All of a sudden, a bright light from the watery sky beamed down onto the swallow pool and I looked up. Something was being lowered down inside, an odd shape I didn't recognise.

"It's Link!" Tetra cried happily, clapping her hands together.

As he descended I saw him more clearly, and I smiled inwardly at the traditional Kokiri clothing he wore. But his face didn't match that of Tetra's jubilant smile. His eyes were downcast, hidden underneath the blond hair that fell over his face. He was in a small, red boat with a dragon-like figurehead. I watched Tetra's face change as he hopped out of the boat when it touched the water's surface. Her smile fell away, replaced by a worried anxiety.

The young boy lifted his head and looked at us both, stopping dead in his tracks as his eyes fixed upon me. Tetra ran forward to him, taking his awkward glare away from me. But as I stayed there, the boat's dragon figurehead suddenly moved to look at me. It's wooden eyes blinked and its jaw began moving up and down by some incredible power.

"Link? How can it be?" Everyone became silent and watched me with interest, even Tetra. "You may have answers to our questions, Hero."

I swallowed in shock, hearing what I thought to be the voice of Zelda's father. "What is it you want to ask?"

"Your appearance here is certainly very interesting, Link, but I shall omit that question for the time being. I want to ask you this; do you know why there are only four Triforce pieces out of the eight to be documented on maps? The young boy and I have been sailing the seas and have only managed to find four pieces buried under the seas."

"There are only four left to find because I have the other half," I said holding up the back of my right hand.

The dragon grinned. "Ah, so we have an answer. But tell me, how is it that you, the Hero of Time from so long ago, are alive today with half of the Triforce of Courage?"

"I'm not sure why I am here either, but I am not of this world, as such. I belong to the Hyrule of my own time, but time has become unbalanced and has caused the Triforce to become broken. I believe that when it split, the different pieces were transported to different times. So far I have managed to find four of those pieces as I had travelled through the ages, and now you bring the other four."

"King of Red Lions," Tetra said urgently, "Ganondorf has attacked the castle and has taken the real Princess Zelda! We must go and help her! We've got the Triforce now and the Master Sword has been restored."

"What is this you say, Princess?"

"It's true," I said. "Not only am I here, but so is Zelda. Ganondorf has taken her along with the Triforce of Wisdom."

"This belongs to you then," Link said, holding up his half of the Triforce. "It hasn't disappeared into my hand like yours. You should take it."

I reached out to receive it, rejoicing silently that I now had a chance to defeat Ganondorf and return to my own world. But something made me stop. "Keep it for now," I said.

"Do as he says, Link," the dragon said to the boy, and reluctantly he stowed it away safely. "We must go to Ganon's Tower. Go back through the castle and out the other side. I feel that the Master Sword will now break the seal holding Hyrule Castle. Go on and follow the path. Hero, I entrust the children to you. Protect them and keep them safe."

"I will," I replied.

"Go now, on to defeat Ganondorf!" Link and Tetra nodded and departed down the archway. "Link," the dragon called as I turned to go. "May you be happy and at peace when you return to your world. I may not be there to give you my blessing, but I leave Zelda to you."

"Y-Your majesty?" I said confused, trying to fight away the redness growing at my cheeks.

"Yes," he said in a doleful manner. "I cannot bear to part with Hyrule, Link. In the end, I'm the same kind of man that Ganondorf is. I have lived bound my kingdom. I wish I could come with you, and atone for my regrets and mistakes, but I am a being of this world. I cannot go back to the past, to my kingdom of old, but I want you and Zelda to make a better future than this one. You have to live and defeat Ganondorf. Erase him from this world and live for the future, for Zelda."

"But you could come with us," I said.

"I have lived my life, Link. It is not fair to live it again. Now go, watch over the children and defeat Ganondorf. I shall stay here and await my fate. Tell them farewell for me."

I left without saying a word, torn between the King's compassion and the urgency to rescue Zelda. Link and Tetra were waiting for me inside, and we crossed through the interior of the castle to the other side, out into the bright land again. The King had been correct; a partially invisible force veiled the archway between the two guardhouse turrets on the other side of the bridge. Link stepped forward and struck it with the Master Sword, the black magic dissolving away into nothing.

We walked out into a sheltered pathway, a trench through Hyrule field. In the distance rose a tall black building, the summit spreading wide as if it were being pressed against the sky. The trail circled round, hiding the great tower behind the natural grass, trees and hedges. We soon came to a stone passageway as steps emerged out of the ground up to a raised walkway. But as we walked up the small stairway, I saw that there were only fragments of the bridge left. Three sections were still in tact with worn pillars and archways rising out of the ground leading to a cave entrance carved into the mountainside, but the gaps were far too wide to jump across.

Link began to search in his pockets and pulled out his hookshot and a grappling rope. "We can use these to get across," he said.

He handed me the hookshot and took the grappling hook for himself. "You're going to have to come with me, Tetra," I said. She looked a little apprehensive and turned to Link, but eventually walked toward me. I held her tightly and began to aim the familiar weapon into the white stone of the pillar. "Get ready."

I clenched the deep blue handle and triggered the explosive sound of the extending cords. It hit the pillar and planted the sharp hook inside, pulling us quickly off the ground and into the air. Tetra yelped quietly, startled by the sudden movement, but I smiled, feeling the wind brush across my face. It reminded me of riding across the plains on Epona's back, yet all too soon it disappeared. Abruptly the hookshot jerked to a halt and I dropped to the ground, dislodging the weapon simultaneously.

Link then threw up his grappling rope and it wound around the stone slab that crowned the two pillars either side of him. He pulled himself up and stood atop the archway, replacing the rope with a large, green silken object from his equipment bag slung around his shoulder. As the winds began to blow, it pulled him through the air, his hands clutching either side of his green object. He came closer and I saw it was a large, strong and flexible leaf, and not silk at all. The winds picked up and Link's light body went sailing over our heads and he would land on the next section. He came down to land, but suddenly he swerved to the side and two Keeses flew into the sky screeching and squawking, but now he wouldn't make it to the bridge. The wind carried him downward and he shouted out. I pulled Tetra to me again and sprung the hookshot again. As soon as I knew we were over the gap I let Tetra go. She landed with a thud on the ground, but I yanked at the hookshot, pulling it free, and dove off the bridge before I could hear her protest. I swung my arm back with the hookshot ready to fire in my hand as I neared Link.

"Link!" Tetra cried from above.

He was turning his leaf in the air, trying not to be pushed any further forward but to no avail. I was falling far too far away from him. I past him quickly and I turned around, pressing down hard on the trigger. The hookshot launched into the air and finally struck the pillar after a long few seconds of singing wind flapping around me. I was brought up at an alarming rate, but I knew I had to catch Link. I heaved myself through the air toward Link, swinging as the hookshot recoiled itself. I lunged out my hand and grasped something, bringing it up with me. Before I knew it I was thrown to the floor in a heap with Link's arm held tightly in my hand.

"Thank the goddesses you're all right," Tetra gasped as ran toward us.

She helped Link to his feet, but I noticed she was looking all the time at me rather than the boy. I got up warily and dusted myself off before picking up the hookshot again. We were now halfway across and only one more section stood between the entrance and us. Holding both of the children, we all made it across without any trouble this time.

As soon as my feet touched to ground, they began running of their accord through the cavern. Skulls littered the floor and pillars similar to the ones outside were built into the rock, supporting the shallow roof. Their colours had once been white and pure, but the darkness sullied them with greys and hid the dirty smears of blood. I could smell it in the air. Many had died here, and as I looked down at the ground, the stone was wiped with dragging lines of crimson, as if each body had been hauled across the floor and left to rot.

The door itself was the source of this bloodied river, and slowly I eased the boulder to the side, staring with disgust at Ganon's head with was carved in the centre, surrounded by the flames of hell. Immediately, a searing heat blasted through the air, smothering my face with ash and embers. Inside was the large, circular chamber of a volcano, and Link and Tetra came up by my side, each shielding their eyes with their arms. It felt as if the sun was barely a few meters away from us, radiating its punishing heat in every direction. But still I led the way forward, out into the centre of a flimsy walkway, suspended above the bubbling pits of white magma. The air wavered back and forth in front of my eyes, but a huge black and worn white structure rose up on the opposite side.

As we neared the end of the walkway, onto the top of a central stone pillar, it became clearer that it was the skull of a giant monster. It grinned menacingly down at us, the dark eye sockets laughing with a cruel cackle. Ferocious horns were directed out in front of it, the sharp tip of each still visible even from the ground. Below it was a heavy door, encrypted with four odd symbols in bright colours, all except one that remained unlit and dim.

"What do we do now?" Tetra asked.

I looked around and saw four other doors, all bearing one of the four pictures on its front. Strangely three them seemed to appear open, leaving only one sealed closed.

"I think we - " But a faint, brief rumbling cut me off.

"What?"

It came again, only slightly louder. Link unsheathed the Master Sword and looked toward the closed door silently. He began walking forward alone.

"Link, wait!" Tetra cried, but he didn't stop.

Suddenly a screech erupted from within the doors and the door burst open, the broken rubble splashing into the magma, disintegrating instantly. Link kept walking.

"Link!" But Tetra's scream was lost in the thundering crash of two pincers smashing the side of the volcano open, tearing through the rock as if it were paper. Bedrock was flown everywhere, careering down in a fountain. I grabbed Tetra's hand and began running. I then realised why so many people had died here, their bodies outside rather than here. They had been running too, dragging themselves to safety before their spirit expired and left them lifeless, trapped in this forsaken niche of land.

Tetra shouted and shouted but I wouldn't let her go. We weren't going to have come this far and then die. All this wouldn't be in vain; I wouldn't let it. A collision of wood and stone echoed behind me, and I hoped against all odds that Link might have followed us, but as I felt the cool air on my cheeks again, he wasn't there at my heels. Cursing, I let go of Tetra's arm and rushed back into the volcano.

"Stay there and don't move!" I shouted over my shoulder.

The monster was now free in the chamber, its glowing red-orange body flowing like water against the current of the lava. I saw Link running wildly away from a swiping pincer, hammering down with a loud tremor against the stone pillar. Half of the bridges were out, rocks having destroyed them in their blind path. The bridge in front of me was still in tact, but the entire left side had been severed, leaving every wooden plank hanging in mid air.

My eyes wouldn't stay still, my vision flickering from the monster to the bridge. Link was dodging at an incredible speed, rolling from side to side and leaping up with the Master Sword although striking it rarely. All at once, its single rolling eye swung round in its head and stared coldly at me, filling me with a strange familiar dread. I had fought this beast before, the very first monster I had ever had to fight. It was Gohma, and it looked as large now as it had been when I was a child.

Gohma roared and reared up, flailing its arms and claws up to the volcano's high crater rim. It ignored Link and dove into the magma, spraying raining fire over everything, devouring all it touched. Nearly every rope tied to the remaining bridges exploded into flames, falling away into the hot sea. I could see the trail of its huge shape and I ran back out into the cavern, seizing Tetra's hand and thrusting the hook shot up to the sky.

"Whatever happens, you must defeat Ganondorf," I said to her anxious face as I fired the hookshot back the way we had come.

Gohma tore through the rock again, fighting its way through the small human-sized entrance. Punching the rock away, it scuttled through behind us, the height of the cave perfect for it to squeeze under. I looked behind and saw it was far closer than I had thought. It swung its huge pincer at us, catching my tunic. Fearing the worst I threw Tetra out of my grasp, feeling my body being pulled downward at a horrible angle. I heard Link cry out as a sword struck the monster repeatedly, each time edging closer and closer to the edge, the scraping of tiny feet, and then the sky shrinking into the black darkness as I fell faster and faster.