Chapter Four: Ganondorf and Drowned Hyrule
Author's notes: I would just like to thank Tollgatekeeper for being a regular reader and reviewer. This chapter is dedicated for you. But if you can, would you tell others about this story? Cheers.
As Link dived further, the waters of Lake Hylia became murkier, until it was nearly impossible to see three feet in front of Link's face. Every now and then, Link thought he saw something, but it passed away too quickly for Link to get a closer look. He thought of why Ruto would attack him, but came to no conclusion other than that she had lost her mind with the years of loneliness. There weren't any other Zoras in Hyrule; they had travelled to Greatfish Isle, where they lived in peace with Lord Jabun. Ruto had no real friends nearby, and Link was sorry that he had never become even a visitor to the Watcher Tower where Ruto lived in solitude.
There he was again, being distracted from the task at hand. Thinking of other people's plights would slow him down from fulfilling Diego's wishes. However, there was a good side to this thinking: it made the journey to Drowned Hyrule pass by much quicker. For out of the shadowy depths, Link saw the original Hyrule. It looked much like it did the last time he was there, except it seemed much darker and gloomier, not just in appearance but in presence as well. Once, this was home to the royal family and an assortment of other people, but now it was empty, like hollow shell. Nothing living to brighten the castle, Hyrule was home to monsters frozen in time; when Ganondorf was imprisoned in stone, the remaining creatures froze just like the last time. Waiting for the Master Sword to be wielded again.
Link saw a tower door in the castle, which would lead to the interior, where he would figure out the position of the tower Ganondorf and Link fought on. Pulling hard on the ring, the door shifted enough to let Link in, and Link quickly swam into the gap. There, he was met with air, and a monster stopped in the action of a patrol. Link pushed the door behind him shut so the water wouldn't come in any further. Link took the cork lid off of the bottle, and drank the Red Potion to instantly heal his shoulder. From there, he set off to find the tower.
Diego was meditating at the Holy Stage, thinking of what to do next. The Command Melody was enough to make Link retrieve the Master Sword, but Diego was afraid that it would lose the ability to compel Link to serve him before he found the instrument and musician, and when it did Link would come charging back to try and defeat him. Diego knew Link didn't trust him, so he needed a reason for Link to collect the Instruments of the Goddesses. Something that Link would lay down his life for. Something like a relative, or…
It came to Diego in a flash. Princess Zelda! Link would gladly give his life for hers. Diego could take the princess and threaten to kill her. But as soon he came up with this idea, he saw a huge flaw. He needed the princess to compose the Everlasting Symphony; killing Zelda would get him nowhere. Diego backtracked his thoughts to the idea of who or what Link would lay down his life for. Again, it came in a flash. Link's grandmother! There was no one Link cared for more than his grandmother. Unless he was having a relationship with Zelda…Diego shuddered, and confined that thought to the back of his mind. So, holding Link's grandmother to ransom would surely quell all attempts to ruin Diego's plans. Link would surely obey Diego for the sake of his dear grandma.
It was a simple but brilliant plan, and easy to execute.
" To Hyrule!" said Diego, hitting his gong. Hyrule flashed past his eyes, and Diego found himself at the door of Hyrule Castle.
" It's time to pay a visit to dear old grandma." muttered Diego to himself as he set off to Hyrule Castle Town.
Link was lost. He had wandered through the castle for what seemed like hours, but was only forty minutes. He had travelled in circles, seeming to discover a new area but was the same as before. Finally Link gave up, lying down on the cold marble floor. As he did this, he could see the ceiling in all of its glory.
There was a wonderful picture of Hyrule there, with the Triforce above it. It was beautifully decorated and excellently detailed, with the townspeople and the buildings and the animals being exquisitely painted. But Link didn't look at that masterpiece. Instead, he was staring at the horrific Ganon picture, with his hands reaching out for the Triforce. For some strange reason, Ganon's eyes were not looking at the Triforce with greediness, as Link would have thought. His eyes were looking in completely the opposite direction, to a door that Link guessed led to another tower of the castle. And then the picture's eyes moved.
Link stared wide-eyed at the painting's eyes. They were looking straight at him. The Ganon picture also showed surprise, slowly but surely turning his body away from the Triforce to get a better look at Link. Suddenly, lying down on the floor seemed a very foolish thing to do. Link jumped up, brandishing his sword and shield. The Ganon picture pointed at Link, and laughed with a deep booming voice, that was unnatural and inhuman. Link was surprised even more when the picture spoke.
" If you are here, then that can mean only one thing. You wish to wield the Master Sword again, and I will be free once more!"
" I do not wish anything. If I had my own free will, I'd have left you here in your prison. And don't think you're going to be free either," replied Link.
" No matter. If I show you the tower where Ganondorf sleeps, you will take the Master Sword, and my wish shall be fulfilled. The tower you seek is that way," said the painting, pointing to the tower it had been looking at before.
" Right." muttered Link under his breath. He set off to the tower door, keeping his eyes on the Ganon picture all of the time, slamming the door shut behind him.
Link remembered the room very well, but was surprised that he hadn't remembered the tower name before. Ganon's Tower was unchanged, ever since Link had fought Ganon in three different forms; each more deadly and more difficult to defeat than the last. Link was glad to see that the rope in the middle of the room was still there, meaning that no one had been here to change it. Instead of using the rope, however, Link decided to use the magic cauldron. It took less time, and Link wasn't sure that the rope would be as strong as it once was. Also, Link didn't like scaling great heights on such a thin-looking thing.
Link jumped into the cauldron, being transported right to the top of the tower. When Link got to the arch, he realised he needed the Hookshot to get to the actual tower. Cursing his luck, Link jumped up and planted his sword into the wood of the arch, and used it to lift himself up onto the archway. Then, he yanked the sword out, and walked through the arch.
Link was surprised that outside was all water, with just Ganondorf trapped in stone and the dead King of Hyrule, until he remembered that the tower had no roof; it was an open top tower. Link swam over to the King of Hyrule's body, staring at the person that had almost been like a father to him, sadness welling up inside of him. He then swam over to the Ganondorf statue, which still wielded his twin swords, and the Master Sword remained firmly in his head. Link stayed looking at the statue, wondering if he could trust Diego to bind Ganondorf at the Holy Stage. Then Link made his mind up.
With a groan, Link removed the Master Sword. The sword shone brightly, making Link cover his eyes. Link quickly retreated to a safer distance, watching Ganondorf break free. The statue glowed with a dark outline, before crumbling away to reveal Ganondorf. Ganondorf slowly opened his eyes, to look at Link, then opened his mouth to laugh in triumph, but couldn't. He couldn't laugh as the water of Lake Hylia filled his mouth, choking him and suffocating the life out of him. Immediately, they could both hear a gong very distantly, and Ganondorf disappeared in a blink of an eye.
Link sighed. The deed was done. It seemed Diego did keep his word. Link made his way to the tower arch, but something made him look back. As he did this, Link noticed that the King of Hyrule's body had also disappeared. Link looked wildly around, just to see if he could see his body floating in Lake Hylia, but he couldn't see it. Saddened, Link swam through the archway.
