Author's Note: For some reason the last chapter didn't come out so good. It didn't space well and the thank you notes came out bad. Me and a friend tried uploading it with different files, but it still didn't come out so good. Oh well. I'm also changing the rating of this story from K+ to T 'cause it's gonna get darker.
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Her head was pounding. She felt like a thousand horses had trampled her. What happened? She opened her eyes. Everything was bleary at first. She rubbed her eyes and looked at her surroundings.
"About time you woke up, Aeris."
She looked at the door and saw Link and Zelda standing their looking at her. "Link, Zelda, what happened?" she asked them.
"You got your butt kicked that's what!" Zelda answered in a harsh tone. Aeris was taken aback by Zelda's attitude, but she let it slip.
"Well I'm just glad you two are safe," she said.
"No thanks to you," Link said. "I had to lug around your heavy unconscious body, protect Zelda, and fight at the same time!"
"I-I'm sorry," Aeris replied hurt. "I was only trying to keep Zelda from getting hit."
"I'm capable of taking care of myself," Zelda said. "You were only trying to impress Link so that he would dump me for you! Admit it! You're in love with him!"
"What!" Aeris gasped getting up so fast that she fell to the floor from dizziness.
"So pathetic," Link said taking Zelda's hand and leaving the room. Aeris watched as the two left the room. Why were they being so cold? Did something happen while she was unconscious? True she was in love with Link. But she knew she did not stand a chance with Zelda around.
"Not very good friends are they?" said a deep voice. Aeris looked over her shoulder and saw a tall dark man with fiery red hair and orange eyes looking at her.
"Who are you?" she asked. He walked up to her and held his hand out. She put her hand in his and he pulled her up.
"My name is Ganondorf," he said.
"You!" she gasped. "Y-You're the one Link and Zelda told me about!"
"Lies," he said.
"Huh?" she asked.
"I'm not trying to take over a country," he said. "It is them trying to take mine."
"I don't understand," she said feeling her heart pounding in her chest.
"I'll show you," he said.
Link walked into the room seeing two figures standing in a bright light and then disappearing. "Aeris!" he called out, but she was gone. He stared at the spot where Aeris and the other person were standing. 'Who was that with Aeris?' he thought. 'No……...Ganondorf!' He quickly ran out of the room to find Zelda.
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Zelda was sitting in her room brushing her long golden hair when she suddenly felt a feeling of uneasiness. The Triforce mark on her hand started burning. She rubbed it and gave a look of discomfort.
"Zelda! Zelda!"
She jumped up and ran to her door. "Link?" she said. "What has happened?"
"Thank goodness you're safe," he said. "Ganondorf was just here. He took Aeris."
"What!" she gasped. "We have to leave quickly then. No telling what he'll do to her."
The two awoke Navi and went to the palace to inform them that they would be leaving and thanked them for all of their help.
"It is us who should be thanking you," the king said. "If not for you two and your friend, we would not be able to live in peace. I shall pray for your journey and I hope your friend is safe. Please visit us again when you have saved your country."
"We will," Link said.
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In Hyrule,
"Is this Hyrule?" she asked.
"Yes," Ganondorf answered. "This is my palace. You can see that I am not trying to ruin anything."
What Aeris was seeing was the beautiful Hyrule that Zelda ruled, but it was really just an illusion. Everything was so dark and dead. Even the Link and Zelda that were being cruel to her was an illusion. Whenever she saw a person in the palace, what it really was was ReDead monsters roaming the castle threatening to destroy any soldier left alive if he disobeyed Ganondorf. There were not many soldiers left. Ganondorf had killed almost all of them. But he knew there was a group hiding somewhere planning to make a move, but he did not fear. With Aeris' help, Link and Zelda would not make it back to Hyrule alive.
"Link has broken your heart has it not?" Ganondorf asked.
Aeris looked down. "Yes," she said. "I saved his life, but all he cared about was Zelda."
"That is because Link has no heart," he said. "He is not capable of loving."
"I was foolish to believe them," she said. "All this time they were using me. Why did the goddesses grant them so much power if they only use it for evil?"
"I don't know," he answered. "We will find out soon. I just need you to help me."
"Me?" she asked. "How?"
"I will give you power," he said. "With that power you must kill Link and Zelda. For the sake of Hyrule."
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Link and Zelda rode their horses as fast as they could through the forest. They were almost to Hyrule. They could feel it. The two knew Aeris had to be alive because Ganondorf was not the kind to kidnap. He killed on the spot unless he needed them for something and that something is what they wanted to know.
"Zelda, we are near Kokiri Forest," Link said.
"We're in Hyrule!" Zelda said with a smile across her face. "I just hope everyone's okay."
Without any warning, an energy blast hit Link and Zelda knocking them off their horses.
"Wh-what was that?" Zelda asked.
"The horses!" Link gasped seeing the horses running back into the forest.
"This is as far as you go."
They looked up and saw Aeris sitting on a tree branch looking down at them. She did not look the same. She was clad in Gerudo clothing, her eyes seemed so blank and dead, and she had an evil smile on her face.
"Aeris?" Zelda asked. "What's happened to you."
"Nothing," she said. "I'm just hear to make sure you two does not destroy this land."
"What has Ganondorf told you?" Link asked.
"The truth," Aeris answered. "This land is beautiful and you two are trying to destroy it."
"This land is dead!" Zelda said desperately. "Look at this forest, Aeris! Open your eyes! Can you not see this forest is dead! I'm sure this is not the only place that is dead…….my father…….my people…….."
"Ganondorf's people are safe," Aeris said. "However, your father is dead."
"No!" Zelda cried falling to her knees. "You're lying."
Aeris smirked and threw a bloody dagger to the ground.
"Then who's blood is that?" she asked.
"You…..killed…..him…..?" Link said slowly not believing what he was seeing.
"I liberated Hyrule from an evil king," she said. "Now it's time to liberate it from the princess and her slave."
