Since I really cut up these last two chapters, they were the hard part. I had to do a lot of adding and thinking when I redid these last two.

So, I hope you enjoy…

Chapter 12 - Bittersweet

Link squeezed the sword in his palms. It was old and he'd been using the tool for quite some time. The queen hissed. "You're a pain!" She paced back and forth in front of him and Zelda. He kept the swords sharp tip pointed towards the black beast. She laughed and continued her taunting. "Pathetic, you know. The piercing of the great Deku's roots could not take me down! You think your stub can?" He said nothing and kept his eyes on her. She purred and edged closer.

She found her chance and shot. Her pounce was so fast and fierce Link hadn't the time to think about his reaction. Her pearl fangs went for his head, but he shoved his sword forward into her mouth. The sword pushed her back and she half flipped in the air and choked while she hit the ground. She rolled over off her side and to her feet. Zelda ran to Link and grasp his shoulder. They watched the queen struggle with the silver item stuck in her throat. She gagged and liquid seeped from the corners of her poisonous mouth.

Link watched and prayed she would die as he did. She continued struggling and tossing her body around, her immediate reaction to having the sword shoved into her hot throat. Zelda shook gently against him. He wasn't shaking anymore.

The queen made an eerie groan and acid flung up from her throat. Steam began to slide off the sides of the silver blade. She growled and the not-so-mighty weapon snapped in half. The handle and half the blade fell at her furry legs. The remaining piece in her mouth was small enough for her to spit out and she saved herself from suffocation. Both pieces of the sword were drenched in a puddle of acid; slowly being deteriorated. She gently rocked her fangs to and fro between her lips and softly moaned.

Link and Zelda backed up until they couldn't any longer. Their backs came to a tree and they both stopped and leaned back against it. The queen approached them, acid still hanging like drool from her lips. She breathed hard while she stepped towards her prize. She was almost done with what she had started long before.

"You… you escaped me…" Link jerked as his light eyes met her crystal blue ones. He watched her but listened to her speak. He didn't feel he could fight anymore. What could he do? He had no sword. "For sixteen years I have awaited the death of you…"

Link felt Zelda's grip tighten around him. He watched the fanged beast as she sucked the hope out of him through her eyes. "Me… why me?" If there was anything threatening about him it was just that he protected the castle. There was nothing else he had that was important. He was just a soldier, in all reality.

She hissed and he could feel her hot breath. "You do not know what you are?" He saw her fangs shape a pearl grin. "In your very soul is the power of life. You are holding it. Just like your brother, who is holding death…"

Link watched her as she danced and moved her head in circles. He saw the grin never leave her face. He had a brother.

The crystal eyes fixed upon Zelda, who hid behind Link once their eyes met. "You are no exception to this cycle, noble. I can see your power sown around your soul. You hold law." She hissed, amused at Zelda's fear. "Your father did not know he held it. He passed it unto you when you were born unknowingly. People listen to you because of it… your family would have been overthrown if it had not been for their secret." Zelda shut her eyes, trying to keep the attention off her. The queen turned back to Link, who stared hard at her.

"A brother?" He glared at her as she purred and hissed.

"Corono." The queen lowered her body and Link pushed Zelda back, sensing the danger. She laughed as the continued to walk backwards, trying to find escape. "He was a disappointment. I ended up having to kill you myself. This won't hurt; it will all be over shortly, young ones."

The queen leaped at Link. He held his arms above his face and Zelda screamed. The queen could only smile at her forthcoming prize.

The queen dropped at the sudden slicing of her legs. Rais stood next to her as she dropped to the ground, bleeding through the openings. All of her left legs had been cut off by him.

Her crystal eyes trailed until they locked with his. He didn't show any emotion; only stared at the beast. She screeched. "You!"

Rais held a large red sword in his only hand. "Yes… it's me." Link and Zelda gasped when they saw them.

"Rais!" It came out without Link wanting it too. He looked at him in the corner of his eyes and Link turned away, pretending not to care. Rais smiled when Link turned back. Link sighed, relieved.

The queen squirmed in the dirt, trying to get up. Rais approached her screaming body and held the sword in front of him.

Rais sliced his sword through the middle of the beast. She had no time to squeal or scream, she died immediately. Her acid was pure white, and it gave the dirt a burning smell. Rais's sword was sucked into the blood and shattered into a million pieces from contact with the glue. Rais watched it as it dissolved into the acid, blowing off steam as it disappeared.

Link watched until the sword was gone before walking over to Rais. He studied the queen but was satisfied she was dead. Zelda ran over to Rais and hugged him. Link approached and Zelda stood next to Rais, watching them.

"I didn't think she could be killed by a sword…" He didn't know how to talk to Rais now. The last conversation they had Rais disowned him. Rais gave him the I-know-what-you're-thinking smile.

"Nothing is stronger than the Sword of Death," He explained while turning to the dead body. "Well, I guess the Sword of Life..." He told him. The Death Sword was not strong enough to withstand the blood of it's own creator. But Link smiled. It was really over this time, and he was sure of it. He watched Rais before his concentration was broken by Zelda. She hugged him and Link looked up nervously at Rais. Rais blink, but smiled.

Link smiled and looked down at Zelda, who blushed and jumped away. Link watched her as she stood nervously next to him. Zelda grinned and thought, Damn! I didn't blush earlier! Why now?

She felt Link's arm wrap around her and pull her close to his side. She felt her face going beat red, but she didn't fight him.

Rais looked around them, noticing the thick air escaping through the rooftops of the forest. The trees and plants were wilting. The trees all slowly fell and painted a scratchy brown on their bright green leaves, while all the plants died one after another. They watched each plant kill itself, no will left in any of them to live. The fairies scattered and fled away from the Great Deku Tree without a sound, feeling the death in the woods. Before they had realized it, the whole forest was completely dead.

"The forest..." Zelda felt a heavy sorrow drop on top of her. Rais looked at them and then turned back to the dead wasteland. There was nothing left.

"Don't worry.." He replied while staring at the ground. "A fairy will always bring life back to a forgotten place." Link looked up at the sky.

"But they all left.." He mumbled. Rais sighed.

"Sometimes it takes awhile. Sometimes it doesn't. Either way, a fairy will always come back. One will come back to restore him, no matter how long it takes." Rais looked at the giant gray tree. It was emotionless as it sat there, all the life it had now suddenly gone. He looked up at it's branches, admiring how high they had grown. "Although, it will take some time for it to return to that size... but the rebirth will replenish the forest as good as the other had."

Zelda wiped her tears away and stared at the blue sky. The queen had told her a lot of things. She had listened even though she didn't want to. Did she tell the truth, or was it all a lie?

Link watched Rais as they followed him through the brown woods. He had messed up so many times and now it was like Rais had completely forgiven him. It made him feel even worse. Rais was there for him his entire life and yet he always had a rotten need to disobey him. He looked at the empty space where his arm should have been. He felt his stomach tighten.

Rais walked calmly ahead of them both.

-

You're almost done… as sad as it is, there's only one chapter left. Aw. L

I know this was a SHORT chapter. But, it's still how I wanted everything to go.