Chapter 13: The Best Defense
"The final portal…" Link muttered to himself, uncovering the pile of rocks on top of Death Mountain's eastern peak. Due to the geographical oddity of the mountain's longitudinal stretching, there were actually two peaks, with a small dip between them. The Tower of Hera was on the west peak, but on the east there was only an elevated plateau… at least, in Hyrule. Stepping through the portal in the center of it, Link found himself standing atop the entrance to the underground fortress known as Turtle Rock. Boulders had been affixed to the plateau here and carved to resemble claws and a tail sticking out from a turtle's shell; and facing south, looking over Hyrule below, a massive head with boarlike tusks filled a square entryway. Crowding around the head, Link saw all the members of the Rag waiting for him.
"Told you we'd make it up here fine, hero." Neosquid hailed him. "With Vitreous gone, they never even came close to spotting us. And we made ourselves a way past Ganon's attempts to isolate Death Mountain from the rest of Hyrule a long time ago."
"How'd you do that?" Link wondered. "I thought you said he collapsed practically all the caverns and tunnels that weren't part of Turtle Rock?"
"Two words." Handy held up a pair of fingers. "Tunneling, and explosive."
"It's always explosions with you guys." Link shook his head. "I don't know if even you could blow this turtle's head out of the way, though."
"Well, I don't know…" Neosquid glanced at Bomb Boy. "We might have something… but that's only if you don't have a better idea."
"I think I do." Link stood close to the front. "You guys might want to step away from the head… and the edge. Definitely away from the edge." The Rag complied, and the Hero of Time held up the last Medallion… Quake. "I'm coming, princess. I couldn't stop him from taking you… but I promised to bring you back. Now, the time has come to fulfill that promise… and NOTHING is going to stand in my way!" Below his feet, the earth moved… rocking and rattling as streaks of purple energy flew out from him and snaked across the ground. The turtle's head trembled, and then with a crash teetered out of its socket, rolling forward to hurl off of Death Mountain out into the void. After about a minute, the earthquake subsided, and Link hopped down in front of the now-open Turtle Rock. Slowly, the Rag approached.
"I told you! I told you who he really was, but you didn't believe me! What now, huh?" Neosquid was crowing at several other members, who were looking at Link with awe. "Phew, you don't mess around, hero! Only problem is there's no way in, well, HERE that they didn't notice THAT. Let's get in, fast!" They ran into the plateau's inside, a massive dome cavern. Turtle Rock itself was only the entrance; the actual dungeon stretched out inside Death Mountain's caverns and tunnels.
"Right, boss, go and save the girl… and watch out for that thing Mothula made!" Handy instructed him. "We've got the entrance covered!" The Rag, all business now, were opening up packs they had brought with them and taking out various weapons and defensive equipment.
"Remember, if the big bad himself shows up, DON'T fight him." Link cautioned. "Collapse the entrance and come find me and Zelda… we're the only ones who even have a chance of winning against him."
"Tell us something we don't know… oh yeah!" Neosquid joked, then reached into his own pack. "We found this while coming up… catch, hero!" He threw something spinning through the air, and Link caught it with one hand; a blue wooden staff, identical to the Cane of Somaria.
"The Cane of Byrna… I wondered where this went!" Link grinned. "Thanks, guys… that's another one I owe you! Good luck!" Turning, he walked down the stairs into the mountain fortress. "And here things come full circle… if this place is as big and goes as far down as the Rag have told me, it probably incorporates not only the Fire Temple but the Shadow Temple counterparts." He emerged on a ledge over a massive, fifty-foot void of floor. There were several ledges around the walls, and connecting them, a series of hovering rails with a flat platform resting on them for him to board. Cautiously, Link did so and discovered that they moved in the direction his will indicated. Looking around, he saw that the room was not hazard-free, however; several floating skulls slowly bore down on him. Shrugging, Link nailed them with arrows and watched as they silently fell into the darkness. "Now then, which door to choose…"
"Link…" Zelda's voice spoke in his mind. "You're here… it's the door directly opposite the one you entered by. All the others are traps… be careful, Link…"
"I'm coming." Link thought back. "Just hold on a little longer… this time, I won't fail. I'm coming for you, Zelda." Entering the door she had indicated, he found a strange room beyond; a pair of blocks with a door beyond them, and two black iron spheres tied to the blocks by lengths of chain. A treasure chest was between the blocks. "What is this supposed to be…?" At the sound of his voice, a pair of angry red eyes opened in each sphere… and then below the eyes, a maw like a bear trap. "Oh, this can't be good." Barking, the Chain Chomps lunged at Link, only to be brought up short by the chains tying them to the stone blocks. Still yelping, they continued to strain and try to reach him. "Phew, close one… but this is no good. I'll need to get through them to go on, and I'll need whatever's in the chest too. If they're supposed to be like watchdogs, then they can probably smell me, so the Cloak's no good… methinks it's about time to see what this other Cane does." Whirling the Cane of Byrna, he smiled as it emitted a sphere of white light encasing him. "Very nice… if this is what I think it is, then this'll work just fine." He cautiously approached the Chain Chomps, and his smile grew into a grin as he saw them gnaw futilely on the sphere, unable to penetrate. "As I thought… a force field. Probably drains magic continually like the cloak, but it's perfect here." He strolled casually past the Chain Chomps, ignoring them completely, and opened the chest. Inside was a golden key. "Excellent." Twirling it, the hero continued down the stairs inside the doorway and disengaged the Cane. On the next floor down, he found himself facing five circular pipes large enough to fit him, which was obviously what was intended. "Which one now… Zelda? You know this?"
"It's the second one from the left." Zelda informed him.
"What would I do without you?" Link smiled as he walked down the pipe. "So, how do you know this? Clairvoyance or something?"
"Well, I could have some fun and say yes…" Zelda teased, then gave in. "Actually, I was brought through here the same way you have to go, and I remember what the soldiers did. Speaking of which, there'll be two of them waiting when you come out of that pipe, so watch out."
"Got it." Link held his sword ready as he stepped out and glared at the two monstrosities waiting for him. They were vaguely centipede-like, but only vaguely; a horizontal stack of spheres covered in sharp-looking orange bristles. The top ones had eyes and ramlike horns, but no mouths. Glaring at Link, they began hopping around erratically. When he swung at one, it only knocked that sphere out; the upper portions fell seamlessly down to connect, and the loose sphere bounced around at high speed before finally expiring. Growling, Link went for the head of the other one; it bounced off like the body sphere, and this time it stuck him in the chest, knocking him flat on his back. When Link looked at the foe again, he saw that it had not died and that the next sphere down had sprouted horns and eyes. "I SO don't have time for this… playtime's over, kiddies!" Bellowing, he leaped into the air in a massive, two-handed overhead swing, smashing the head of one beast down into the next part, and penetrating it to strike that part into the next, and on until every part of it flew apart in a burst of gore and half-spheres. The same move worked on the other, and Link was free to move down to the next floor. Ahead of him was an opening that led outside, to a mountainside ledge. Link started to walk forward, then paused. "This looks too easy."
"Very good." Zelda congratulated him. "You're right. Don't walk out of the stairwell, but look above the opposite wall." Link did, and saw it immediately; several eyes were carved into the wall. The same eyes that were on Agahnim's and Blind's robes, and on Mothula's wings. And they were watching him. "They fire lasers if you step out into the room." Link frowned.
"THAT ain't good. And they're stone, so I can't arrow them… magic?"
"No, it's actually quite simple." Zelda assured him. "They only see you if you see them." Link thought about it for a moment, then nodded.
"I turn around and walk out backwards. Sneaky." He did so, and no lasers came; he emerged on the ledge outside of Death Mountain harmlessly. It stretched east, where another cavern awaited him. "I was wondering… how come you can talk to me telepathically even before I find you? The other six couldn't…"
"I AM the Sage of Time, you know." Zelda reminded him. "I don't exactly make an issue of it, but…"
"But you're stronger than they are. Got it." Link nodded.
"Yes… although all seven of us have grown stronger recently." The princess informed him. "We've used our time inside these crystals in meditation, and in thinking of new ways to use our powers… when we emerge from these crystals, we'll make Ganon's forces regret ever knowing us." Link slowly smiled.
"You don't want to just bail out after this job either, huh?"
"After what he's done… what he could do in the future… no way." Zelda confirmed. "Even if the seal is re-strengthened, we can't leave him in control of Agahnim's body. He may very well be able to cross back over in a less powerful body combined with what use he has of the Triforce of Power. We can't risk it. And besides… I want to see him scream."
"So do I… hm." Link paused, looking up. "Hold it… got to check something out." There was another ledge, six feet above him, with a cavern mouth trimmed in wood. The hookshot sunk into the timber and pulled Link up. Inside the cave was one thing only; a large treasure chest that his key opened, revealing a shield whose back and sides were some unknown metal, and front surface a polished silver, reflecting like a mirror. Link knew it. "The Mirror Shield… my Mirror Shield. This should come in handy." He looked at his uncle's shield once, then placed it in his pack and held the old, familiar one in its place. He turned and hopped down to the lower ledge; the door back into Turtle Rock was locked tight, but the same key opened it. The next room inside had a door blocked with an iron shutter, and two gargoyles with protruding tongues like the ones in the Ice Palace. "Let me guess. One's a trap?"
"Yup. Pull the left one." Zelda confirmed. Link did so and the door opened. Two more of the sphere-stack guards waited in the next room, and Link dispatched them as he had the ones before.
"Sheesh, what's next? Evil mushrooms? More pipes with carnivorous plants hiding in them? Some sort of turtle-thing? Oh wait, I've already had those…" The next massive room was completely dark; using his lantern, Link saw another network of rails with one of the platforms. "Okay, what's the game here?"
"Much more complicated. You have to navigate this following a certain path, and if you don't get it exactly right there's spiked chains whirling around the wrong rails to knock you off. Lucky for you, I memorized the path." Link nodded and followed her instructions to reach the other side safely. Yet another pair of the sphere-stack guards confronted Link, and yet again he slew them, then headed down another floor to a long bridge over a chasm. Unlike the ones before, however, this one did not collapse, but held more of the laser-firing wall eyes on both sides of him as he crossed. "These ones fire as soon as you cross their sight no matter where you're looking… the guards had to really scramble to get past."
"Fortunately, I've found something better." Link held the Mirror Shield up to each as he passed, and the rebounding lasers destroyed each eye in turn. The stairs on the other side led yet further down to one more huge pit. This time, the rail ride was simple, taking him from one side of the room to another, past lines of torches on both sides. The door on the other side was locked, and above it three skulls hung. Snake skulls. "Haven't seen that motif since Arrghus. All right, princess. Looks like I'm here."
"Just be cautious… the guardian was the one thing they didn't let me see. I have no idea what it is." Zelda warned him. "But… I know you can do it, Link. I'll see you again soon… I know it… after all this time…"
"Yeah… in just a few minutes." Link agreed, throwing the door open. "I don't care WHAT this thing is… it's going DOWN!" The room was square, and empty; but in the wall opposite him were a pair of double doors, much larger than the one he had entered by; the wall WAS the doors. They filled it all. Link stood, glaring at them, as a shutter slammed behind him and they slowly creaked open… and then, against his will, his eyes widened and he stepped back… as something else stepped forward. One step… then two… then three and four and more, on four squat legs like stone pillars. Legs that came out of the bottom of a massive boulder, hemispherical and huge. And from the front of the boulder, a head of stone emerged as well. Not a turtle's head, but a snake's head, green and brown, on a long and narrow neck that was still wider than Link's body. The head saw him, and it hissed… and Link smiled. "Ha… I should have known. Some sort of turtle thing after… all… what in hell…" His eyes widened yet again as, from two more holes in the stony shell… holes near its top, on either side of the head… MORE heads snaked out. Two more serpent heads and necks, one a fiery red and yellow, the other as blue and white as the Ice Palace. The third head looked at them in turn, and then all three reared up and screamed defiance at Link. And now, looking closely, he saw around the center neck… a ludicrous little red collar, with a nametag that he could barely read. TRINEXX.
"They really outdid themselves with this one… whoa!" Link brought the Mirror Shield up just in time to block as the head on the left breathed a stream of frigid air, cold enough to turn him into an ice cube instantly. Fortunately, the Mirror Shield held it off, but there was no time to relax; right away, the head on the right attacked with the opposite element. The fireblast was held back by the Mirror Shield as well, and Link smiled. "Looks like I've still-" He cut off with a yell of pain as the central head shot forward, slamming into him directly. Even the Mirror Shield could not stop this, and the Hero of Time was sent flying like a rag doll, bouncing off the wall behind him and landing limply on the ground. Groaning, he stood back up and hastily brought the Mirror Shield up again to protect himself from the next icy attack. This is no good… once, this shield could absorb the elements and reflect them back. Now, though, it's weakened just like everything else. And I can't let this fight drag out… even with my blue tunic, that hit from the earth head hurt far too much. Time for me to go on the offensive! As soon as the ice head's assault cut off, Link charged forward, holding the shield on his left to guard against the fire head's impending attack. Reaching the head, he jumped and swung the Master Sword with deadly force, straight at the ice head's neck… and he stared as the sword scraped off, drawing sparks but doing no actual damage.
"No way… not even the Master Sword can get through? Tom did say even he couldn't bring ALL its power back, but-hey!" He stared at the blade; where it had touched the foe, a thin film of ice covered its surface. "It's that cold… not solid ice like Kholdstare, but maybe if I heat it up first-AGH!" Again the stone center head slammed him away. "Man, I'm losing a lot of blood here… I've got to get moving!" This time he headed straight for the fire head, holding the Mirror Shield to his right against the ice head's assault as he pulled out the Ice Rod. "Haven't used this in a while… here goes nothing!" The blast of blue magic struck the serpent square under the jaw, and it hissed in fury as, in a cloud of steam, the vibrant scales dulled to a dim orange. "That looks like a yes to me!" Link swung the Master Sword at the neck, and it penetrated. Pulling it out, he drove it into the wound again and again, then halted as the scales resumed their former hue. "Looks like it's just temporary… oh man." Before he could bring up the Mirror Shield, the fire head acted, covering him in flames. Bellowing, Link rolled around on the ground, attempting to put the flames out and succeeding. "Phew-aw no." As soon as he had saved himself from one attack, another struck him full force, and again the earth head sent him flying. Shaking his head to clear away the stars, Link downed a blue potion. "Right, that's IT." Dashing at the ice head, Link staved off its attack with the Mirror Shield and struck it with the Fire Rod. It screamed as the other had, its scales turning gray and powerless, and like the other the Master Sword cut into it. Hacking at it with one hand, Link held back the fire head's assault with the other.
"Right, now rocky moves again… let's see if I can dodge this time…" Link turned to face the earth head as the ice head's scales healed, but no attack came. Too late, he realized what was happening, and turned to receive the frigid assault full on. Encased in ice, he could only watch as the center head shot at him. They're mixing up their attacks now… not good! As long as the pattern stayed, I knew where to block, but if this keeps up… Rising, he blocked the fire head, then the ice, and then the fire again. I've got some hits in, but not enough… and I still don't know how I'll bring down the center one… damn it! How am I supposed to outlast THIS? The Eyes were one thing, but this is insane! Maybe an ARMY could bring this thing down, but…
"You ARE an army, Link… or should I say, you're as powerful as one." Zelda's voice filled his thoughts. "Remember who you are… WHAT you are. Remember what you've done… who you've beaten. You've beaten GANON, Link… is this Trinexx worse than HIM?"
"…No." Link shook his head. "You're right. I won't lose… I CAN'T lose. Ganon thinks he can stop me with this… but he's wrong. As he's always been. He may be the Forger of Power, but I'm the Juror of Courage. I'm the HERO OF TIME… and this thing, this heap of cobbled together scrap parts… this is NOTHING!" He realized that Trinexx had not moved at all while he was speaking with Zelda; her magic? But now it was active once more, and the center head struck. Link was ready; even as it approached, he ran towards it as well, building up momentum with the Pegasus Boots and then jumping ONTO the nose and running up the head, and down the length of neck. Reaching the base of the neck, where it emerged from the turtle shell, Link slammed the Master Sword's blade into that narrow crevice. Trinexx snarled, but before it could stop him, Link slammed something else down as well. The Quake Medallion, against the pommel of the Master Sword. The earth-shaking magic blasted down, using the evil-slaying blade as a channel, straight into the point where the earth head joined the body. Trinexx's entire form began shaking wildly, but Link did not stop there; yanking the blade free, he catapulted himself onto the shell and climbed up. The fire head struck, but Link held it back and repeated his previous motion, slamming the sword into the hole in the shell. This time, he struck with the Ether Medallion, and this time, the result was plainly visible. He could see the eruption of frozen air inside the shell, as it blasted outward, tearing the fire head out entirely and flinging it way, useless and dead. The final, blue head didn't flinch, striking mindlessly, but again Link blocked and shoved the Master Sword into its base, bringing out the final Medallion. The explosions of Bombos removed the icy serpent as it had its brother, and Link was thrown off as the shell's rumbling became even more violent. The central head had vanished, and Link saw the stumpy legs splay out helplessly as the half-sphere boulder began breaking apart, shattered by the explosions within. Finally, it blew out in a million pebbles, and Link relaxed at last.
"Phew… man, that was a pain." He drank another blue potion. "Zelda… I did it." But no crystal came down, and Link frowned. "What's going… no. No way… don't tell me-" His horrified gaze shot back to the ruins of the shell, too late, as with an enraged howl the final, central head burst forward. No longer attached to its body, all that remained of Trinexx was a snake of boulders, long and winding. Link was slammed up against the wall and nearly flattened; only by forcing against it with the Master Sword and Mirror Shield both was he able to avoid death. Snarling, the snake veered off only to rush at him again. "Oh, COME ON! What's it TAKE, huh?" He examined the serpent's length, looking for a weakness, and after a moment he found it. One of the boulder segments, in the middle of the body, was a different color; a pale, dead-looking tan. "Bingo… was that where it was bound to the shell or something? Whatever… it's where I need to hit!" Again Trinexx slammed into him, and again he forced it back. "Wait a second… it's a snake now, so it has-" He grunted as the enemy's tail whipped around, slamming into his side and flinging him away. It may have been whiplike, but it was still made of stone, and it hurt as much as earlier hits from the head had. Forcing himself up, Link watched as the serpent flew at him once more. "It's now or never… I just hope it's stupid enough that this will work again!" As before, when the head came at him Link jumped, and as before he successfully landed on it. Running down its length, he reached the weak point, but ahead of him he saw the tail reaching up to sweep him off. Behind him as well, he heard the snake's head twisting around and up to strike… but in spite of this, Link smiled fearlessly. "Far, far too slow… a turtle 'til the end." With both hands, he drove the Master Sword into the center of the weak boulder like it had been buried in the pedestal of the Lost Woods, and slapped the Quake Medallion onto the pommel. The entire body shook, shivered and quaked, and both head and tail froze… and then the entire length of the serpent exploded, blasting itself apart and flinging its fragments over the entire room. Standing, Link drank a third blue potion and looked around. All three heads of Trinexx were dead and lifeless… and now, finally, the last blue crystal descended from the ceiling and enlarged, revealing the Princess of Hyrule… the Sage of Time.
"Link… you did it." Zelda smiled at him, and Link slowly nodded.
"My only regret is that I couldn't have stopped this from happening in the first place. Back in Hyrule… I failed you, Zelda. I'm sorry."
"You did all you could." She disagreed. "Back then, Agahnim's… no, Ganon's power… was much more than either of us knew. When you did realize his true capabilities, you defeated him… and you came after me. All this way… first to the Dark World itself, and then up to this nightmarish dungeon." She winked. "Use your head, Link… do you really think I'd be angry at you after all that?" Despite himself, Link chuckled.
"Well… I suppose not. I'm just glad you're safe, princess… I was afraid Ganondorf planned the worst."
"He certainly tried." Zelda snorted. "But he hasn't changed since my ancestor dealt with him… he fumbled it in the clutch, and in the end he couldn't take my Triforce piece. And in that borrowed body, he can't fully access his own, either. We can beat him, Link." Link frowned and nodded, thinking about her words.
'My ancestor…' so she doesn't remember yet. That could be a problem… but no matter. Aloud, he spoke again. "Yeah… we can. I assume he's in that ostentatious tower of his?"
"He should be… waiting for the barrier to weaken enough that he can pass through it." The princess smirked. "Of course, without the seven of us, the barrier will stop deteriorating and begin to heal to the state it was a month ago. So I suppose now… he's just waiting for the confrontation. He feels the need for it just as strongly as we do, you know."
"Figures." Link shook his head. "Well, we'll certainly give him one. We need to kill Agahnim's body, and not just because it's the decent thing to do. Combine his Triforce powers, weakened as they are, along with his comparatively much weaker body, and he might slip through some loophole. And if he returns to Hyrule… he could start something that makes this mess look like a walk in the park." His eyes narrowed. "Which is why we have to beat him down, here and now."
"Between the two of us, we'll find him wherever he runs." Zelda agreed. "And not just us… the other girls, once they're freed from their crystals, will want to help as well. And you have friends here too, yes?"
'The Rag… yeah. I can't wait to introduce you to those guys… they're a riot." Link grinned briefly, then let it drop. "I'm just… glad to see you again, Zelda. Let's finish this… then return to Hyrule. Together."
"Indeed… and then we can put this behind us, like a bad dream." Zelda agreed quietly. "And look towards the future." Together, they turned and headed out of Turtle Rock, the way they had come. As they approached the entrance, however, Link saw the Rag in a state of uproar.
"All right, hell with it!" Neosquid was screaming. "Light the Armageddon Apple NOW!"
"Whoa, whoa, hold it!" Link yelled as well, rushing into the room along with Zelda and looking around wildly. Propped up against a barricade over the entrance was a metal apple six feet tall and wide, with a long white fuse dangling from between the leaves. Despite the decoration, it was obviously a bomb of titanic proportions. "What the heck is going on here?"
"Just like you said, hero!" Handy explained. "You told us what to do if the big man himself showed… and he did! We saw him walking this way a minute ago!" Link's eyes narrowed, as did Zelda's.
"Is that so…" The princess snarled. "We'll handle this. Can we get this thing down?"
"Uh… sure." Neosquid blinked, realizing her presence for the first time. "Come on, you lazy blokes, do what the princess says!" Shoving the Apple out of the way, the Rag tore the barricade down to reveal a hundred monsters in front of Turtle Rock. Transformed Knights of Hyrule and Wizrobes comprised the bulk of their forces, but there were others… Hinoxes and Snapdragons, and even stranger creatures, such as centaur-like beasts with shocks of white hair and twisted, fanged faces. But none of them attacked… all were kneeling before the one who stood in the center of their forces. The Wizard Agahnim.
"Oh, this doesn't look too familiar." Zelda growled, raising her forearm. The monsters and the Rag gasped in unison and took a step back as the mark of the Triforce appeared on her forearm. Standing next to her, Link followed suit, and a moment later Agahnim shrugged and echoed their action.
"So you destroyed Trinexx…" Agahnim shook his head. "A shame. I had expected better of Mothula's greatest creation."
"You shouldn't have… not with us." Link's eyes flashed. "You should have known it would come down to us three… just like last time. We're all here again." Zelda frowned in confusion for a moment at that, but her eyes remained on the foe. "Which leaves the question… do we throw down here and now, or later? I don't really care either way… it would be faster if we did it now." He smiled. "But if you've still got that annoying, infuriating addiction to high drama… we could always storm your tower and bring that down around your ears before finishing you off. Whichever you prefer… we're ready. Make the call." Agahnim nodded, then slowly stepped back, and his armies closed around him.
"Well, if you put it that way… why don't we all take a break and recover our strength? I'll assemble my forces, and you assemble yours… and we'll see who comes ahead in the end, hm?"
"Fine by us." Zelda nodded coolly. "We'll see you inside your tower, then… and this time it's for keeps. Be ready." Turning away, the forces of the Forger departed, walking west towards the Tower. Once they had gone, Zelda and Link turned around to see the Rag bowing.
"My lady." Handy greeted her formally. "Me and Neosquid knew an ancestor of yours well."
"You don't say. I'll bet there's an interesting story behind that." Zelda looked them over. "Rise, all of you… if what I suspect is true, you've helped Link here loyally and admirably in his mission here."
"I couldn't have done it without them." Link confirmed. "Now let's get off this mountain, shall we guys? We've got some battle plans to make."
"So that's the gist of it." Link finished telling his story to all his friends, sitting or floating around him in Kakariko Village's bar. "In two days, me, Zelda and the girls return to the Dark World and finish this."
"So, you'll be laying seige to Ganon's Tower." Sahasrala rubbed his chin. "I assume you have specific plans for that?"
"Yeah." Link nodded. "We start things off at the base of the mountain, the way Ganon will expect… he'll send his forces out to meet us. When they're all engaged with the Rag, me and the girls will kill a few flunkies then drop back and poof over here. Fly up to Turtle Rock again, go through the portal, then charge Ganon's Tower from the east instead of the south, hopefully bypassing the bulk of his forces. Once the barrier and the crystals are shattered, me and Zelda go inside while the other girls turn around and hit the army from behind. It'll be a sandwich… between them on one side and the Rag on the other, the bad guys won't stand a chance. And while that's going on… me and Zelda take care of business."
"I think we can add to our chances a little, hm." Morris smiled. "We've talked it over, and the four of us are coming too. We're not just going to let our daughters go into a war without coming along to help."
"Tom says the transformation's unpleasant, but bearable… and that our magic will work just as well over there as it does here." Aginah explained. "So we should do just fine. Add four more soldiers to your roster, you two."
"Man, I wish I could come along…" Bronze Roger shook his head. "But this is all WAY out of my league. Kicking Agahnim out of the Castle is one thing, but over in the Dark World? Me and my boys would be dead weight. Sorry, kid… I think I'd better sit this one out."
"Actually, I was going to ask you for something else, Rog." Link smiled. "While we're all concentrating on that, there's a fair chance that the bad guys will play dirty and try to sneak some of their boys on through as a contingency plan. Can you and your fellas watch the portals in case of that and deal with any that try?" Roger grinned and nodded.
"THAT, we can do all too well. We've got it covered. Only one that'll be a problem is the Lake Hylia island… the Zoras won't like us intruding. But we'll manage."
"Actually, I spoke with King Zora recently." Tom grunted. "Seems he had a bit of a dream visitation from an old, departed friend… the same one you encountered in the Ice Palace, Link. He and his people have the Lake Hylia portal covered, as well as a couple others that are actually underwater around Hyrule."
"Awesome." Link nodded. "Well then, we all know what we're doing… unless somebody else has something to add, meeting adjourned." Everybody stood and walked out, one by one, until only Link and Zelda were left in the bar.
"It's almost finished." The princess glanced in a mirror behind the counter. "Only a few more days until we can put this behind us… until I can escape from this crystal cage." Link placed a hand against it; the crystal was cold and hard.
"What's it like?"
"It's so… lifeless." Zelda murmured. "I can barely move… and the movements I can make are like I'm in water. It's a nightmare, Link… a nightmare I had, and when it came true…" She shuddered. Link winced, remembering when her original incarnation had been captured by Ganondorf, sealed in pink crystal and carried off to his first Tower, long ago.
"Yeah… I remember you telling me about those nightmares." He shook his head. "When I saw Sara like that, and realized that you were the same… I'm so sorry, Zelda."
"I told you already, I don't blame you for anything." Zelda reminded him. "I don't know why I was so afraid of this happening, but like I said… it'll be over soon, and it'll never bother me again. And everything else, too… we can put Ganon, and the Dark World, and all of it behind us, and focus on Hyrule… on rebuilding." Something that had been nagging at Link's mind finally snapped into place.
"That's right… it hadn't really clicked, but you're not really the Princess any more… you're the Queen of Hyrule now."
"It's an honor I had planned to forego for a number of years yet…" Zelda sighed. "But there's nothing we can do about it now except cope. When we're finished with Ganon, I'll take the crown and the throne… and lead Hyrule as my father did." She turned to look at Link. "But I won't be able to do it alone. I'll need to reestablish the Knights of Hyrule… their order is too sacred to let fall because of one incident. And in order to make that happen, to draw in recruits… the order will need a Commander. Somebody who I trust… somebody who can be relied on. Link… will you help me? With Hyrule… and with everything else?"
"I will." Link promised. "As my uncle served your father… and perhaps even more. With Hyrule… and with anything else you need. I'll be there." They both smiled, and for a moment they started to move towards each other… and with a grunt, Link smacked his face against the crystal casing. Despite the surge of disappointment she felt, Zelda couldn't help but giggle. Link rubbed his nose and smiled as well. "Heh… soon enough, I suppose."
"Soon." Zelda agreed, and the two of them stood and left the bar as well, to rest for the coming struggle.
"Zektal." Agahnim greeted his servant, not bothering to turn from the glass wall he stood before, looking out over all of the Dark World… identical to the one at the top of Hyrule Castle Tower, though the rest of his fortress was completely different, and much more massive. "How go the preparations?"
"All is ready, my lord." Zektal bowed. "It was difficult, but we managed to find the creatures… and to recreate the others."
"I knew your order could handle it… that's why I keep you around." Agahnim congratulated him. "Place the six in the basement… the cold box, I think. The three will go on the third floor… pick a room, I don't care where, and modify it for them. As for the other animal, put it on the fifth floor, in the grand hall." Zeral nodded.
"As you command. And… the second King Helmasaur?"
"That one is yours… deploy it during the siege." Agahnim instructed. "As well as the… reflections… I have instructed your order in creating." Zektal grimaced.
"Milord, while we shall of course do all we can… our power is nothing compared to yours. Even acting on concert, we shall at best be able to summon forth two of these… reflections, as you put it."
"Then summon two." Agahnim shrugged. "I'm not asking the impossible, Zeral… just do all that you can. In particular, be wary of Handy and Neosquid… you are the strongest of my men now, so they will likely attempt to bring you down themselves." In the shadows beneath his broad-brimmed hat, Zektal's lip curled contemptuously.
"It will be my pleasure to finally expiate those two rejects from your kingdom, lord. They were helpless before my mistress, and the other Eyes… I will destroy them without fail."
"Do so." Agahnim agreed. "You may leave me now, Zektal." Bowing, the Wizrobe left, and the Forger of Power sighed. "Fool… compared to my Eyes, he is nothing. What was that Koume and Kotake always said about it being so hard to find good help these days…" He shook his head. "But without my friends, he will have to do…" He blinked. "Friends? When did I… hm… perhaps I've been in this mortal body for too long. Ah well… it won't be forever. Be it a day long off, or very shortly indeed… be it in death, or in freedom… I will regain myself." His hands pressed against the glass, splashed by falling rain on the other side, and the light of a lightning bolt striking the Pyramid of Power reflected in his eyes. "We shall see which way fate turns… but I am confident. Even if they destroy this body, I have survived worse before… and their plan has one tragic, fatal flaw in that case. Even if I lose… I shall win. And Hyrule will be MINE once more." He began laughing, long and deep and dark… not in the voice of Agahnim, but in the voice of his true self. Of Ganondorf… of the Forger… of Ganon. Zektal, descending the tower's stairs, heard the laughter and shuddered.
"Truly, I have bound myself to a demon… and yet…" He remembered the look in the eyes of the Hero and the Sage of Time when they had emerged from Turtle Rock, the first time he had seen them himself. In their eyes, he had seen the same thing that was in his master's every time they met… it had faded when they had departed, but for those few terrible moments when they had conversed… Link's and Zelda's eyes had held the same awesome, terrifying might that lurked inside the Forger of Power. Thanking the Goddesses that he would not likely have to face them directly, Zektal continued down the stairs, wincing at another peal of laughter.
In a house in the south of Hyrule, lying sleeplessly awake… inside Hyrule Castle, gazing upon an empty throne… and at the top of a tower of darkness, watching a world of blight… three ancient, powerful souls prepared to move together once more.