Worlds Apart
Part II
By Miss Lydia

Chapter 9

Ever since they had returned to Hyrule several weeks earlier, nothing but despair and discouragement met with the three adventurers. In their quest to save the land, they ran into a dead end, and anything they did only drove them farther into it. The Hero of Time had very nearly lost hope completely, and the two sorcerers were losing theirs rapidly. On this day, they stood together in the Temple of Time with a mysterious traveler, whom had saved their lives in times of need. He had never revealed his identity until now. The face under the black cloak sent hope flooding like a mighty river into the hearts of the three chosen ones. They all smiled in weary disbelief.

It was Princess Zelda.

Zelda, whom for seven years had been lost to the people of Hyrule, thought to be dead, stood before them, smiling gleefully. She gently kicked aside the black cloak that wrapped itself around her ankles and brushed her bright blond hair aside.

"Greetings, chosen ones of destiny," she finally said. "It is so good to see you again."

There was suddenly an explosion of confusion, questions, and other assorted noise, and it all came from the Hero of Time and the two sorcerers.

"ZELDA!!"

"Where have you been?"

"We heard you were dead!"

"What happened to you?"

"Why were you hiding under that hood?"

Zelda stepped back and got very defensive. "Please!" she pleaded urgently. "Let me speak! I have little time as it is!"

Lydia breathed hard and spoke in quick, jumbled sentences. "Zelda! What's going on?" she managed to get out.

"Please," Zelda asked again, "I know you all have dozens of questions. But you need to let me explain."

The three confused heroes backed down, nodding silently to each other.

"Now then," Zelda began. "I'll begin on that day, seven years ago...."

***

"We thought the Triforce was in our reach, and that Ganondorf had been destroyed by Lydia's Dragon Slave spell We let our guard down, and that proved to be a costly mistake. That mistake almost cost us the sacred relic."

"Almost?" Lydia asked.

"I'll get to that, Sorceress of Hyrule," Zelda replied, and then continued.

"Link pulled the Master Sword from the Pedestal of Time. He was too young to be the Hero of Time, so the Triforce sealed his spirit in the Sacred Realm. He would remain there until he was of age to wield the Sword to save Hyrule. Link wasn't the only one who was taken away. The magic that had enabled Lydia and Gordon to travel to Hyrule was neutralized by that burst of energy required to seal Link's spirit, and you were both thrown back to Earth. I was left alone. I was left to face Ganondorf alone.

"What happened to you?" Lydia asked quickly. "I've been afraid that Ganondorf had hurt you, or even killed you!"

Link elbowed her sharply in the ribs. "Quiet, will you?" he snapped. "Maybe if you'd just shut that hole in your face for a few minutes, she could get everything out."

Zelda nodded solemnly as Lydia yanked on Link's ear. The princess laughed softly.

"You two are cute together," she commented, "but this is too urgent a time to act cute."

Lydia and Link immediately stopped and faced Zelda to listen, but it was obvious that they were both embarrassed. Zelda continued.

"I panicked," Zelda confirmed. "I was young, and very scared, as you can probably imagine. The three people I had depended on most disappeared before my very eyes. Ganondorf came after me, so I ran out of the Temple of Time as fast as my legs could carry me. Fear and adrenaline are what got me out of there alive. I barely escaped his clutches, and luckily, he didn't chase after me. That may have saved my life.

"I ran until my strength gave out. When I could run no more, I had made it to the outskirts of the forests. Fanore must have been watching over me, because Navi found me there. That's when I realized she hadn't been with you all in the Temple of Time. She met me at the forest and guided me into the Lost Woods, where I could hide.

"As I retreated into the forbidding woods, I sensed a horrible level of evil energy. The energy surged across Hyrule and shook it to the core. I immediately knew what had happened. Ganondorf had succeeded in gaining the Triforce. He had his evil wish granted. I fell into great despair and felt that all was lost. The Triforce was lost, Link was lost, the two sorcerers of destiny were lost...I was all alone, shivering with fear, hiding in the darkness of the Lost Woods.

"It was then that I heard the voice of Rauru, the Light Sage. He snatched me from the forbidding woods into the safety of the Sacred Realm. I remained there, hiding from Ganondorf, because I knew he was still searching for me. I hid in the Sacred Realm, until Link's spirit was released and the two sorcerers returned to Hyrule.

"I've stayed hidden the Realm ever since you all returned, but have been keeping track of you. I only came out of my hiding place a couple of times to help you. That in itself was very risky for me. That's why I had to flee so quickly. Lydia, I wanted so much to stop and talk to you.... but I had to run away to avoid Ganondorf, because he has also been following you all."

"Why haven't you run away already?" Gordon asked.

"The Temple of Time gives me extra cover. It will take him longer to sense me in here. By then, I should be finished telling you what needs to be told."

"Quick question," Link asked quietly. "Why is Ganondorf so intent on catching you? What do you have that he wants?"

"When Ganondorf touched the Triforce, the Sheikah legend of the three pieces came true."

"Yes," Lydia reminisced. "I vaguely remember Link told us about that. The pieces split...."

"And he kept the Triforce of Power," Gordon finished the sentence for her.

"What about the other two pieces?" Link wondered aloud. "Do we know who has them?"

Zelda nodded. "Yes. Ganondorf has been looking for the two lost pieces ever since the Triforce split, so he could gain full power. He has been chasing me all these years.... because hidden within me is the Triforce of Wisdom."

Everyone stared at the princess in silent awe, and then Link finally managed to speak.

"And the third piece?" he asked quietly.

Zelda smiled at the young Hylian. "The Triforce of Courage split itself away from the other two pieces and hid itself within you, Link."

Link's eyes grew as wide as dinner plates as the two sorcerers on either side of him turned to stare. Lydia laughed softly.

"You mean Long Ears holds the sacred Triforce of Courage?" she said. "That is so cool!"

Link smiled proudly, then looked back at the princess. Gordon stepped forward with a theory.

"Then that power you showed," he began, "in the forest.... and at the lake...and on the mountain trail..."

"That was the power of the Triforce of Wisdom," Zelda confirmed. "That's why I was in so much danger when I came out of the Sacred Realm. I came out and used my Triforce piece. That basically screamed 'Hey! I'm over here!' to the Evil King. One of the Triforce pieces he so desperately searched for revealed itself, and he came to wherever I was. That's why I had to run away so quickly each time. Every time I tried to pause long enough to talk to you, I would sense him close. I had to run to protect the Triforce of Wisdom. We must protect our two pieces of the Triforce with all our might. That much is clear."

As the three worked on absorbing all this new information, Zelda suddenly looked around with great caution. When she turned back, her eyes told them that something was coming, and it was frightening to her.

"Time is growing dangerously short for me," she continued. "Even in the Sacred Realm, Ganon will eventually find me and gain the Triforce of Wisdom. Hiding is only delaying the inevitable. That is the main reason I had to meet with you today. The Triforce of Wisdom is no longer safe with me. If we are to have hope of saving Hyrule, I must give it to safer hands. The only way I can help you in your quest now will be to act as your decoy."

"Decoy?" Lydia wondered aloud.

"I will entrust the Triforce of Wisdom to the people I trust most in any world. Those people are you three. I will entrust the piece to you, then go back to the Sacred Realm. Ganondorf will still believe I have the Triforce of Wisdom, and will chase after me. This will buy you all enough time to save the races of Hyrule."

Link frowned. "Yes. The Gorons, the Zoras, the Kokiri...all are in terrible danger."

"The defeat of the Evil King won't save them," Zelda continued. "You three must go and save them first. My acting as a decoy will buy you enough time."

"How?" Lydia asked. "We've been to all the places already and have been unable to do anything. What will make a second visit any different?"

"You all now have the power of the Triforce of Courage on your side. Combined with this and the Triforce of Wisdom, you all will have the power to alter the effects of Ganondorf's evil magic. Once they are free of their torment, you must advance to defeat Ganondorf. But you must exert extreme caution. Link, Ganondorf will soon know that you hold the Triforce of Courage. And when he does, he will try to obtain it from you. You must be very careful and protect it with all your power! Do you all understand what must be done?"

Link nodded confidently. The two sorcerers did the same.

"Another very important note," Zelda added importantly. "No matter what happens, you must save the other races of Hyrule before going to defeat the Evil King, even if he finds me."

"Why?" Gordon asked. "Let's say he does find you. We have to come help. Why would we have to wait for that?"

"Ganondorf was horribly powerful before he got the Triforce of Power, and now that he has that, his power is unimaginable. Even with the powers you have, it may not be enough. However, the power you need is in the damaged places of Hyrule."

Lydia raised an eyebrow in questioning. "I don't get it."

"The Evil King destroyed parts of Hyrule with his magic. The only way to restore the peace is to remove that magic. In doing so, your own magic and powers will be further strengthened and your Triforce pieces will be more powerful."

"Okay, I get it now..." Lydia said thoughtfully, "but exactly how do we remove that magic?"

"Scattered across Hyrule are six Sages. Rauru the Light Sage is one. There are five others. When you destroy the evil at a cursed place, the Sage there will help you to utilize the magic there, thereby strengthening your Triforce pieces and purifying that land. Do you all understand what to do?"

All three thought the matter over and nodded confidently.

"Who are the other five Sages? How do we find them?" Link asked.

Before Zelda could answer, the walls of the Temple of Time began to rumble and shake violently. Dirt shook free of the walls and fell to the floor. Zelda whirled around with deep fear in her blue eyes.

"No!" she shouted. "It's too soon! He can't have found me yet!"

Link bounded forward without a thought and grasped Zelda's arm. "We need to get you out of here! We can't let him get you!"

Zelda grunted and yanked herself free. "There's no time!" she shouted urgently. "Please, now! Take the Triforce piece and keep moving forward in your quest! I now entrust it to you! Protect the Triforce pieces!"

Princess Zelda swiftly threw her hand in front of her face and a Triforce mark appeared. The Triforce of Wisdom part of the mark was illuminated especially brightly. She raised both of her arms high. A bright light began to shine from between her hands. The three weary travelers shielded their eyes from the light.

When the light died down to a tolerable level, the ball of light over Zelda was replaced by a small golden triangle.

The Triforce of Wisdom.

Gordon suddenly closed his eyes and began to concentrate hard. His legs began to move, seemingly on their own, and he began to walk slowly toward Zelda. It was like he had no control over his body. Link and Lydia watched, neither of them daring to say anything.

A Golden Triforce appeared on his forehead and shone brightly. Except this mark wasn't the same as the one that had appeared when his power reacted to the Song of Time. The three pieces of the Triforce were not filled in – the mark was the outline of the three Triangles, waiting to be filled in with something.

Within moments, Gordon had moved within five feet of the princess. The Triforce of Wisdom shone from above her. Once the sorcerer got close, the golden Triangle removed itself from its place above Zelda and slowly moved above Gordon, shining yet more brightly. A beam of yellow energy began to swirl up from around the sorcerer's feet as he raised his arms high into the air. The Triforce of Wisdom shone for a moment longer, then faded and disappeared.

Gordon and Zelda lowered their arms. The mark on Zelda's hand faded and vanished. On Gordon's head, the Triforce outline mark shone for a moment, then the Triforce of Wisdom part of it was slowly filled in with a golden color, and it stayed that way.

Gordon was now the new holder of the Triforce of Wisdom.

Once the light faded completely, the two dropped to their knees in exhaustion. Link and Lydia, still shocked and dumbfounded by what they had just witnessed, stumbled over to them. Zelda regained her bearings and jumped up before they could get there. The Temple of Time shook more violently with each passing second.

"I must go!" Zelda shouted urgently. "Ganondorf is almost upon us! Remember what I have told you and get far away from here! I'm counting on you all!"

Zelda began to gather her magic to retreat back to the Sacred Realm, to begin her role as a decoy. But she never made it. A rectangular pink-colored shield suddenly materialized around her and sealed her inside. Ganondorf's laugh echoed in their ears.

Link yelled in anger as the Evil King himself materialized near the ceiling of the Temple. From inside her prison, Princess Zelda was suddenly terrified. Link yanked the Master Sword from its sheath and brought it down as hard as he could on the pink shield. The sword bounced off with a loud clang. The Hylian cursed angrily and looked toward Ganondorf, who was very happy with himself.

"Princess Zelda, you foolish traitor," Ganondorf bellowed. "I must commend you for avoiding me for seven long years, but now you let your guard down, and the Triforce of Wisdom is mine!"

Gordon gritted his teeth and stood. He doesn't know, he told himself. He doesn't know Zelda doesn't have it anymore! This may give me the chance I need.

Link acted quickly. Holding the Master Sword by its blade, he wheeled his arm back as far as he could. With a battle yell of determination, he heaved the sword at the Evil King with expert aim, sending it soaring toward Ganondorf's torso. If luck were on his side, the sword would impale Ganondorf. But Ganondorf acted quickly as well, throwing up a magic shield at the last second. The Master Sword bounced harmlessly off the barrier and clanged loudly to the temple floor.

"Why try to stop me now?" Ganondorf mocked the three. "There is no stopping me. You could not stop me seven years ago. There's no way you can stop me now, especially since I have two Triforce pieces. And I am close to finding the third..."

His dark eyes shifted to the floor and landed on Link with a piercing glare that sent shivers up the spine of the Hero of Time.

"It will be mine soon, Hero of Time," Ganon continued. "You will not have to worry about protecting it much longer. No matter who possesses it, it will be mine in time. I will track down the one who has it, and will destroy that person if necessary."

The Evil King raised his arm, and with it, the pink shield the held the princess raised off the floor. Zelda pressed her hands against the prison in desperation as she flew toward the ceiling. With tears in her eyes, Lydia watched helplessly as their plans fell apart in front of them.

Dammit, she cursed to herself. If only I could use my secret weapon, or any magic for that matter.

She jerked her head toward her brother and met his glance. He nodded sternly, as if reading her thoughts.

"Fireball!!"

Again, Ganondorf raised a shield that broke the fireball into several pieces. Several smaller fireballs flew away from him in all directions. They bounced off the walls of the Temple, sailing right back toward the adventurers. The trio scattered, trying to avoid the after affects of the spell. Within a few minutes, the small fireballs disappeared in puffs of smoke.

The Evil King laughed loudly and fired some magic at Zelda's prison shield. Zelda covered her eyes and face as the shield glowed brightly. After a couple seconds, the shield faded and disappeared. Princess Zelda was gone.

Link shrieked his anger in several ways, all directed at Ganondorf. The man looked down at him and laughed.

"Is there nothing you "heroes" can do?" he mocked mercilessly. "I now have the Triforce of Wisdom. There's no way you can defeat me, even if you find the Triforce of Courage before I do. Why don't you all just go home?"

"Enough!!" Gordon shrieked. Lydia stepped away from her brother in shock as Gordon looked at the Evil King defiantly.

"You've put us through absolute hell ever since we came to Hyrule," Gordon continued angrily. "You've hurt so many people and done so much damage, and for that I'll never forgive you!"

Ganondorf looked down at the earthling sorcerer with hate in his eyes. He suddenly heard the quick hum of a bowstring and flew back a few feet as a reflex. A golden colored arrow zoomed inches in front of his face and embedded itself in the temple wall. Ganondorf looked first at the mystical Light Arrow stuck in the wall, then down at the Hero of Time, who was angrily clutching a wooden short bow. Link snarled at him angrily.

The Evil King's eye twitched with thought. A Light Arrow. How would it be possible for that kid to produce something like that...? He would have to have...

Ganondorf was about to fire back with he heard an angry voice from the ground. It came from Gordon.

"Dodge this," he had said.

Gordon put his hands out in concentration. Lydia looked at him curiously.

"Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows,
Buried in the stream of time is where your power grows."

Lydia gripped his shoulder excitedly. "No, you damn fool!" she shouted at her brother. "Not in here!!"

"I pledge myself to conquer all the foes who stand,
Against the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hand."

"Crap!" Lydia shouted angrily. She dashed at top speed toward the door of the Temple of Time, grabbing Link's wrist as she passed him. "Come on! We have to get outta here!"

Link stumbled as Lydia pulled him out of the Temple of Time. Ganondorf watched them go, but didn't bother to stop them. He was busy preparing himself for what he knew was coming.

"Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed,
By the power you and I possess!"

The Evil King braced himself with everything he had.

"DRAGON SLAVE!!!"

***

Lydia and Link charged at top speed across the broken bridge and into Hyrule Field, the sorceress still holding onto Link's wrist. In midstride, a monstrous explosion came from behind them, sending a shockwave that knocked them both down. Lydia hid behind Link as the ground shook terribly. The sky, now darkened by the setting sun, was lit brilliantly as the dome of energy became visible, even from their spot in the safety of the field. They shielded their heads with their arms from flying debris that came from the source of the explosion. After several long moments, the Dragon Slave died down and disappeared. All that came after was silence.

Lydia slowly lifted her face off of Link's back and turned her gaze northward. Link lowered his arms and did the same.

"Do...do you think it worked?" Link asked reluctantly.

"I really can't say," Lydia replied. "That crater down south showed what I did to Ganondorf seven years ago, but he survived. However, I was three years younger than Gordon is now." She worriedly closed her hand over the Sorcerer's Rune. "It probably worked. I hope it worked."

Link rubbed the wrist Lydia had been dragging him by, trying to restore feeling to it. He stopped as soon as he saw the figure flying toward them.

"Look there!" he warned Lydia as he pointed north.

She looked where he was pointing. Among all the mist and dust, a dark figure was emerging, flying toward them at a high speed.

"That must be him," Lydia figured. "I'll have to give him an earful when he gets here. He knows he can't use that spell in closed spaces."

"Careful," Link warned her cheerfully. "He could probably toast you with that Triforce of Wisdom he has now."

"Oh yeah," the sorceress remembered. "That's so neat that he got that. I wonder why it wasn't me. I think I deserved it more."

Link laughed outwardly and rolled his eyes. "You?" he retorted. "Yeah sure. Think about it for a second. Who's always being the logical one in every situation? Your brother. Who thinks things through before running into things throwing spells? Your brother. If anyone besides Zelda should have that thing, it's him. He was the runner-up."

Lydia didn't even bother to say 'Whatever' like she usually would. She looked toward the dark figure that was getting closer with every second. It quickly emerged from the cloud of smoke and hovered just over Link and Lydia.

Indeed, it was Gordon. However, he was not alone. Ganondorf held him stiffly by the shirt, holding him an arm's length away from himself. The young sorcerer winced in pain and opened his eyes slowly. Before he could do anything, Ganondorf reared his arm and tossed Gordon carelessly toward the ground. Reacting quickly, Link ran under and caught him before he hit.

Lydia began to shriek angrily at the Evil King. "Damn you!" she cursed. "Call yourself lucky that I can't use my magic right now. I'd toast you SO badly!"

"Nothing but empty threats," Ganondorf retorted. "You cannot defeat me. Even the Dragon Slave did nothing to me this time. I hold the Triforce of Power, and now the Triforce of Wisdom as well. Like I said before, you're better off just going home."

With those words hanging, Ganondorf laughed evilly and disappeared in a black ball of magic. The three were left to themselves in the desolate Hyrule Field.

Lydia's eyes never left the spot where Ganondorf had just been. She kept her gaze fixed there, breathing heavily and angrily.

"Empty threats, huh?" she asked softly. "You'll just see what an empty threat is, when you're faced with my secret weapon. And I know how you hate waiting. Don't worry, Ganondorf old buddy, it's almost ready. Be patient – your end will come."

With that, she turned behind her to face her brother and Link. Link was holding Gordon steady by his shoulders, talking to him softly. The sorceress ran over to join them.

"Are you okay?" was the first thing that rolled off her tongue.

Gordon looked at her weakly, then up at the starry sky. "The Dragon Slave..." he began timidly, "had no effect. He resisted it, and then came down on me. And on top of everything, I kinda...demolished the Temple of Time."

"Well, that's just great," Lydia muttered. "Our only door to the Sacred Realm has been destroyed."

"Zelda was right – there's nothing we can do to stop him now. We can't go after her and hope to come out alive until we've purified the other parts of Hyrule."

"Having to wait makes me sick," Link admitted angrily. "Damned sick. Zelda's all alone in that horrible castle and we can't do anything about it,"

Lydia laughed in spite of herself. Link and Gordon looked at her, wondering if she was still sane.

"What could possibly be funny right now?" Link asked angrily.

"That idiot Ganondorf thinks Zelda still has the Triforce of Wisdom," she replied heartily. "Zelda's decoy plan is still working, but now it has a new twist, that's all."

"You have to admit," Gordon said, "she's right."

"Then let's be sure to not forget what she said," Link added. "We must protect the Triforces of Wisdom and Courage, and go free the other races." His face darkened as he looked north. "Still.... Poor Zelda..."

Lydia set her hand on his shoulder. "I know, I know."

There was an unsettling silence that followed. Lydia grimaced and sighed angrily.

"Okay, troops," she said to the boys. "We start tomorrow. We'll set out and free the other races of Hyrule, then we go after the big man himself."

Link sighed pitifully one more time before pulling out his Ocarina to summon Epona. Gordon was too tired and drained to fly, so all three of them squeezed into Epona's saddle and rode toward Kakariko Village. Lydia raised her head and turned her gaze toward the direction of Ganondorf's Castle. Don't worry, she vowed silently. I'll finish my secret weapon and come after you. Just you wait...