"You aren't real! You can't be real!" I cried. Unless all the tales myfatjer told me when I was young were false, the man in front of me was Ganondorf. His armor was deeper black then any shadow to the point where my eyes couldn't even look at it. I searched myself frantically for anything I could use as a weapon, but my sword had been left in the desert, along with the rest of gear. Ganondorf grinned.
"Ah, looking for this?" He held up my sword, eyeing it mockingly. "This feeble thing couldn't slice bread!" The blade dissolved into dust, leaving nothing but the hilt; which he tossed into the storm. "It wouldn't have helped." He said seriously.
"Why are you doing this? I just want to live my life!" I screamed, more to myself then him.
"Why am I doing this?" Ganondorf repeated with a twisted smile, "You, of all people, should know why I am doing this. I want your Triforce piece, Helen. I have been waiting for hundreds of years for it. And now, there will be no more games. No more battles with Link. I am sick and tired of getting hit with a light arrow and having him hurt me when I am down. Neither of you can even imagine what I have been through." His rage contorted his face for just a moment before he returned to smiling. "However, I have to admit that manipulating your petty crush on Link was quite amusing." My heart skipped a beat. I tried to keep my face expressionless, but Ganondorf just waggled a finger at me.
"Don't think you can hide any secrets from me." He tilted my head back with his finger and looked me straight in the eyes, "Even your mind is part of my domain."
"Get away from me!" I spat, shoving him away. He didn't move a centimeter. His voice turned brisk.
"Well, if you won't give it to me willingly, I can always take it from you!" He held out his arm, his triforce piece burning purple. "Give me what is mine!" he cried. Purple fog surrounded us as light pulsed from his arm. It felt like he was tearing my soul in half. The pain was so extreme that I couldn't breath or speak; tears ran down my cheeks. My whole body felt heavy. Slowly, the pain seemed to concentrate in my hand and all I could hear was laughing, endless laughing. When the pain was almost too great for my body to bear, the fog vanished.
I could make out two forms wrestling, however, my body had enough. I slipped into the oblivion, cradling my hand to my chest.
I drew in a ragged breath as I reached consciousness again. I was still cradling my hand, which had become blistered and red. It looked as though it had been burned and it certainly felt like it had. Taking steady breaths, I tried to control the pain as best I could.
I was still outside the castle, but the storm had completely disappeared. I blinked rapidly at the sun, rising in a perfectly azure colored sky. The bridge to Hyrule Town was still closed, however, after everything that had happened, I didn't blame them.
"What happened?" I asked myself. Walking around measuredly, looking for clues of what happened, I found that the grass had been ripped up a little ways from where I had been laying, but any important marks were lost in the chaos of debris and water from the storm. Much farther away, a large purple burn marred the landscape. The remains of what had once been a bush were still smoking.
As I was pondering this mystery, the faint serenade of a rooster greeted the morning. The bridge to Hyrule Town lowered down with a satisfied click, allowing merchants to stream out. I puzzled over the remains for only a second before I decided that was that.
"If Ganondorf is gone, that is one less person I have to worry about," I muttered under my breath. Swimming against the current, I made my way into the city. People stared as I walked by; my reflection revealed my grimy complexion, complete with leaves woven into my hair, torn clothes, and long purple burns across my bared skin.
"What now?" Again, I found that I had neither money nor a home, and I knew no one outside my village. I let myself wander through the crowd, trying my best to look invisible. This seemed to be working, as all the market goers turned their attention toward the newest weaponry or household appliance. Suddenly, I bumped into a man.
"Oh! Please excuse me!" I spluttered. He smiled up at me, his teeth glowing faintly in the darkness of the alley I had entered. The murmur of the crowd was muted; I was beginning to want them back, now that I had met this man! He was very short, only about up to my shoulders, with very little hair. As he smiled, he kept his eyes closed; I felt that I would not like to provoke him to open them. He grinned as he slipped a mask into my hand.
The mask was plain white with yellow jeweled eyes. Red paint created features that resembled the stone guardians.
"I can't take this" I told him. He just beamed at me.
"Here. I thank you, but I cannot take such an item from someone I do not know." I pushed the mask into his hand, but he rebuffed my attempts.
"Most popular mask!" he smiled, "Tells truth!" I raised an eyebrow skeptically as he ushered me to put it on, his earnestness obliging me to at least try. As I looked through the yellow eyes, everything turned a soft amber color. Turning my head to the entrance to the alley, I saw nothing different then normal, however, as my gaze happened to slip over mysterious man, I drew in a sharp breath. Instead of the gentle stranger that had given me the gift, I saw a short, pointy demon, his elongated teeth flashing wetly. I took off the mask in surprise, to find that the demon had changed back into the man. He nodded rapidly.
"Mask tells truth!" He laughed.
"Why are you giving this to me?" His face turned grave.
"I see truth." I was silent. The man turned and walked away, waving before leaving the entrance to the alley. I smiled. Things are not always what they seem! I thought
I was forced to spend the night in one of the gardens of the churchyard. Thankfully, the town still does not post guards to patrol at night, only at the castle. However, if I was going to stay in the town, or anywhere, I was going to need money, or at least a job. Curiosity and desperateness guided me to my final decision: I would make for the castle at noon and introduce myself. Although it was not a necessary step, the King (if he found me suitable to his tastes) could find me employment quite easily.
After a painful morning consisting of much grumbling on the part of my stomach, I found my way to the gate of the palace. A solitary guard stood watch, eyeing me greedily as I ogled the grand structures.
"G'day. Wha can I do for you miss?" He hunched over, clutching his spear with pale hands.
"I am seeking entry to the castle," I said primly, "Would I be able to gain entrance here?" He seemed baffled at my avoidance of contractions and I was forced to hide a giggle under a cough.
"I could letcha in, but the princess 'as been priy particular 'bout the people who get in lately." He glanced over my clothing with an air of distain. I shifted uncomfortably.
"….I could… letcha go through, but… the toll price is 50 gil nowdays."
"50 gil?" I exclaimed, "The princess allows this sort of toll?" He grinned sickly.
"Wha the princess don't know won't 'urt 'er."
"I see." I had no money, and I definitely couldn't come up with the 50 Gil "toll".
"Sorry, but I don't have that much." I mustered about as much pity in my face as I could.
"Sorry to you then little missy!" he laughed, immune to my attempts.
I walked back to the town silently, pondering my next move. If I couldn't get the King to find me a position, I would have to ask around myself. However, looking the way I did wouldn't get me many recommendations, just a cold shoulder. I was about to exit the castle area when I noticed a string of ivy out of the corner of my eye. It grew straight into the rock, up the height of the wall and over. I pulled on it firmly, but the ivy sprung back from my abuse. Finding a low niche for my foot, I began to climb the wall. Thankfully, it was just out of sight of the guard because I fell off once or twice before making all the way over.
The ivy spilled down the other side of the hill as well, which I tiptoed over as not to disturb the guard. The end of the hill was very close to the gate, but he seemed to be ignorant of the commotion going on as I tripped and fell unflatteringly loud. Tiptoeing past the rest of the guards, I managed to swim through the moat and make it to a back door.
"It's locked!" I cried frustratedly. The only thing that was nearby was a pile of boxes. I looked at them inquisitively. They looked too perfectly lined up to be randomly lying there, but they seemed to have no use. A tap on the higher one revealed the contents to be empty. A waterfall spilled nearby, explaining the moss covered side of the crates.
"Moss covered?" I wondered to myself. Obviously they had been in the same position for a while. I climbed on top of the box, searching for a reason. Finally, I hit it. Someone had jumped through the hole the waterfall was coming through. I prayed to myself and leaped. My fingers grasped the wet stone and I pulled myself through the hole, barely having enough air to make it all the way.
Wandering aimlessly through the gardens inside the palace walls, I began to hear the faint strains of a song. Following the song through the gardens like a tourist in Paris, I ended up in the Princess's private gardens. However, it wasn't the princess I happened upon; it was Link.
"Helen?" Link gasped in amazement. I stood stock still, eyes frozen on the familiar form. He hesitated as he walked to me.
"You're ok?"
"Yeah… What happened out there?" I asked. Link was silent. Why won't he tell me? I wondered. I closed the gap between us with only two steps. Link looked uncomfortable with me invading his personal space, as I, however, there was only one way to find out the information I needed. This was going to be embarrassing, unless I was right.
"I missed you!" I cried in a screechy voice, throwing my arms around his neck. I pulled back and looked into his eyes… which were yellow.
Distracting him by pecking him on the cheek, I curled one hand into a fist, pulled back, and punched him straight in the face.
"You think I am that stupid?" I smirked, relishing in the moment as he moaned, clutching his face. "I know Link and you aren't him." Ganondorf shed his outer layer like a coat, the scenery around him fading to reveal the true world I had entered. Apparently, Ganondorf had been able to spread his influence; both the sky and the ground had turned a malignant shade of mauve. The true Link was currently nowhere to be seen, however I had a feeling he was somewhere truly nasty.
"You are a feisty one!" he laughed. His eye was already turning purple, I noticed with an internal laugh. "It would have been interesting to break you. However, now that the boy wonder has been restrained, I can finally take what is mine." Raising his hand, the purple mist regrouped around us. His triforce piece began to glow and the familiar burn spread tentacles up my arm. I was on my knees within seconds; it was too soon for me to have regrouped my strength yet. What seemed like hours later, the pain disconnected, leaving me gasping like a fish on land. Ganondorf smiled and savored the flavor of his new power. Grasping me by the collar, he hoisted me onto his shoulder.
"Now for the final piece," he murmured.
We entered Ganondorf's castle over a bridge that he was able to conjure. I found it strange to be entering a building that my father had used as a scary story at bedtime, but thankfully, we bypassed the challenges which had been rumored of, and entered a sort of chapel. The room was entirely empty, light by huge stained glass windows which threw long shadows onto the floor. He dropped me unceremoniously onto the ground with a bang.
"Come out, come out wherever you are…" Ganondorf crooned. Nothing moved. He began to stride slowly around the room, addressing the mystery party.
"Yes I know. It has all fallen apart hasn't it? You never were what they said you were. You are weak, defenseless, senseless, and pathetic. You cheated every time you defeated me. You refused me what was mine in the first place. You locked me in that god forsaken hell hole and expected me to stay there? You were a fool. You are a fool!" He smiled, relishing the feeling of degrading his enemy. I tried to get up and move, but my entire body felt enervated, devoid of any warmth or feeling.
"Come in the light," he said silkily, "and show her who you really are!" He turned to a corner gauzed in shadow. My heart knew that it was Link hiding in that darkness; I could feel my heart break in two. Link, you don't have to be my hero I willed for him to hear. Perhaps he did, because he took that opportunity to inch closer to the light, revealing his heart wrenching state. Link was covered in cuts, burns, bruises and conceivably, breaks. Ganondorf came up from behind and kicked him hard, sprawling him across the sunlight floor. He groaned, having nothing left to give.
It barely registered that I had made it to my feet because all I could feel was blinding fury. My hands were numb, but I still clenched them so tight I drew blood with my nails.
"Don't. Touch. Him." I said, enunciating each word. Ganondorf turned his attention toward me with a nonchalant smile.
"What can you do?" he said incredulously, raising his hands above his head. "You have nothing now." I wanted to punch him again.
I simply released the yellow stone from my vice-like grip and peered through it.
"I can see the truth."
"I see. And what revelation would you reveal to us?" he chuckled. I remained silent, padding silently to Link to hand him the stone.
"You have no idea, do you?" I said, "I think I could apply the phrase 'It takes a fool to know a fool' to this situation." Ganondorf maintained his self-confidence nevertheless. Link fingered the stone; only the slightest tilt of his mouth revealed his feelings.
"Give me that!" Ganondorf snapped, finally losing a bit of poise. He snatched the stone, inspecting it thoroughly, finally peering through but finding nothing. He threw the stone at the wall, shattering it into thousands of pieces. Each sliver reflected the light… onto me, creating an aura of radiance.
I drew back my arm like drawing a bow, aiming my imaginary arrow straight at Ganondorf's heart.
"No!" he cried, "You can't do that!" My aura collected itself to form an arrow of light. My make-believe bow groaned under the pressure as I drew it back as far as I could before letting it fly; the arrow blazing as it hit its intended target, knocking him to the floor.
"Link! I need Farore's Wind!" I cried. He slid his bag across the floor weakly, hitting my feet. Quickly, I found it, activated it and threw it at the unconscious Ganondorf. He was bathed in green light for a moment before he was gone.
It was over, finally over. I sank to my knees with relief. I'm done… It's done.
"You couldn't kill him either, could you?" came a quiet question. Link was lying on his back, his head turned toward me.
"No," I said glumly.
"How did you know where Farore's Wind would end up?"
"I figured it would be the easiest way for you to get there and back," I smiled, "though it was a dangerous move." Link laughed weakly.
"You always were foolish."
I softly padded over to where he was laying and inspected his injuries, which were various and seemingly painful.
"I can't move you" I said helplessly. He had broken too many bones for me to be able to discern any sort of spinal damage.
"Can I have my pack back?" He chuckled, wincing. Broken rib, I noted mentally. Retrieving the pack and sitting down beside Link, I fingered the soft leather between my fingers, lost inside my own thoughts. Everything seemed too calm to be real, like I would wake up inside Ganondorf's world again and relive the pain.
"Can you find me the bottle with the pink inside?" Link said, snapping my attention back to reality; I delved through the pack to find the demanded object. The glass I found was pulsating gently, and I lay it within reach of his hand. He popped the cork, gritting his teeth as he did so, releasing a small rose colored orb which hung in the air between us. Sitting up, which I protested, he reached out a finger and touched the orb which proceeded to circle him head to foot. With a sigh, Link stood, seemingly healed.
"Much better" he smiled, rolling his shoulders. I laughed.
"Thank goodness you had a faerie with you! I don't know what I would have done."
"You would have found a way to help me," he said quietly. I turned my head away to smile. Here was the Link I knew… yet, a memory came flooding back to me which made me back away.
"Ah. You remember the fall." He turned his head to the window, letting the light chase the shadows away. He had lines on his face that had not been there before, giving him an air of one who remembered things they would rather forget.
"I'm sorry," He said sorrowfully, "I am weak. I couldn't stop Ganondorf from invading my mind and when I finally fought him back, it was too late. He set up a trap for me at the entrance to the lake, which I fell for. He ensnared me like a moth to the light." He sighed heavily. "I'm not the hero that everyone thinks I am."
"Link, you don't have to be strong to be a hero. In fact, you didn't have to be a hero in the first place. You could have washed your hands of the entire matter long ago, but you didn't. You are a hero because of your perseverance, your valor, not your ability to resist evil." I laced my fingers with his and we stood in silence for a while.
"Though it does help," Link added finally.
Something seemed to pass through us that I could find no word for. The closest I have ever come is the word understanding: I think finally, he had found someone who really knew him, not just the mask he put on to face reality. After a while, Link took out his ocarina, playing the tune he played for me once before. I felt a hot tear roll down my cheek as we both dissolved into dust.