Chapter 14: Hyrule's Last Stand
disclaimer: Zelda and all characters of the game are property of Nintendo. In no way do I expect to get paid for this.
An army of eight thousand soldiers of Hyrule marched towards the gates of Death Mountain. The army consisted of Hylian troops, Goron brutes, Zora warriors, and Shiekah highlanders, all armed and prepared to strike. In a daring move, the gates opened and thousands of goblin foot soldiers charged the rocky fields. The soldiers of Hyrule returned the favor by charging at the goblin horde.
Neither force held anything back in their pursuit. Gorlois swung his sword at his enemies on horse back, killing any goblin soldier in his sight. Darunia dismounted his ox and fought with his royal battle ax. Ivan drew out his sword and fought with a rage never seen in him before. The highlanders threw their spears and collided their blades with their enemies. The Gorons delt with any goblin or ogre that stood in the path of their battle axes. The Zoras fought with their fins and Zora swords with great mobility. Some of the goblins fired arrows from armor piercing crossbows, killing any soldier caught in its path. Ogres swung their massive blades in a violent frenzy, killing large groups of men with each swing. The soldiers were better fighters, but the goblin horde had the high ground in the mountain side battle field. Hyrule's soldiers had to push forward up the mountain if they had any chance of winning the war.
Link and his riders rode for two days to the east without stopping to rest or eat. They hurried through the wood of Kokiri Forest and reached the foot of Mt. Avarice. Everybody dismounted their steeds and gazed upon the mountain.
Impa approached Link. "You must take the direct path up the mountain. It is the quickest way to the Great Seal. We sages will take a secret path. It will take longer for us to reach the seal. You must reach the top before it is too late and delay the Evil King from breaking the seal. We will meet you at the top. Good luck, Hero."
Link nodded and the sages went else where to find their secret route. Link and his loyal friends ran up the direct path up the mountain with haste.
Hours later, Link and his companions made their way into a room with statues standing in front of the walls. They stopped their pursuit when an evil laugh echoed throughout the large room. From the shadows of a dark stairway in front of them emerged the Evil King himself, Ganondorf. He was clad in black armor and a red cape hung from the back of his shoulders.
"So, this is Hyrule's beloved hero," said the vile King of Evil. "You have been quite an annoyance these past weeks. Your journey ends in this room." Ganondorf raised his hands and white beams of magic hit the statues one by one. The stone from the statues cracked and three different kinds of warriors emerged from the stone. "Feel the wrath of the Iron Knuckle, the Stalfos Knight, and the Reptilic Lizalfos." Ganondorf laughed again as he ran up the dark stairway.
The three Iron Knuckles were completely covered in thick armor and wielded a giant battle ax. The three Stalfos were tall skeleton warriors equipped with a sword and shield. The three Lizalfos were the same lizard warriors Link and Darmani faced in the caves of Goron Mountain, armed with spiked shoulder straps and a red blade. The surrounding creatures slowly advanced towards the mighty warriors as they drew out their weapons.
Darmani turned to face Link. "Go, brother. We will hold them off."
"I will not leave you three here alone!" said a worried Link.
"It is the only way, Link," said Sahashra. "We will deal with these fowl beasts. You must stop the Evil King."
"Go on," said Mikau. "These things will not survive us."
After a brief moment's thought, Link ran towards the dark stairway, leaving behind his friends as they engaged their enemies. He looked back at his friends once before running up the stairs to catch up with Ganondorf. Darmani battled with the Iron Knuckles with his battle ax and Megaton Hammer. Mikau fought against the bony Stalfos Knights with his Zora sword. Sahashra engaged the Lizalfos with her staff and nimble footwork.
Link ran up the long stairway and made his way outside of the mountain's fortress. He was at the peak of Mt. Avarice where he saw Ganondorf releasing his magic upon a large stone monument. The monument began to glow a bright yellow color as Link ran towards the Evil King. He was too late. Three massive triangles materialized from the ground and forged together to reveille the Triforce. Just as Ganondorf was about to touch the three sacred triangles, Link shouted out the Evil King's name.
Ganondorf turned around and saw the mighty hero wielding the Master Sword in his hands. "You are too late, Hero! I will rule supreme."
"Stand and fight, Ganondorf! The Blade of Evil's Bane awaits you!"
Ganondorf looked upon the shimmering sword and then turned his gaze at Link. "Do not disappoint me, boy."
Ganondorf drew out his massive blade and gripped the handle with both hands. Link charged the Evil King and swung his shimmering blade at Ganondorf. The attack was parried by Ganondorf's sword. Link attacked repeatedly at the Evil King with the Master Sword. Despite its massive size, Ganondorf was able to attack and parry with his sword with great speed and mobility. The two fighters fought furiously about the rocky field, unable to overcome the other. Link finally managed to deliver a hard back fist at the jaw of Gaonodorf. He returned the favor with a powerful elbow to Link's left eye followed by a back fist of his own. Link was knocked down by the powerful blow. He rolled out of the way of Ganondorf's sword and sliced at his legs.
Ganondorf winced at the pain he felt from the cut to his right thigh. He quickly shook it off and swung his sword at Link once again. Link was ready for him. He parried the attack and thrust his blade forward. Ganondorf strafed to his left and attacked again. Link blocked the vertical swing and backed away from the Evil King to catch his breath.
Ganondorf limped his way towards Link and swung his sword repeatedly in a random frenzy of attacks. Link blocked and dodged as best he could but was suddenly hit at his right side by Ganondorf's sword. The blow managed to cut through Link's armor enough to make his right side bleed from the impact of the sword. The blow was followed by yet another back fist by Ganondorf's right hand and sent Link several feet back. Link spun around in the air until he landed hard on his back.
The right side of Link's face was bruised and he had a small gash over his left eye. The wound on his side began to bleed through his brown tunic as he remained on the ground. As Ganondorf slowly approached the fallen knight, the Master Sword began to shine brighter than it did before. Link opened his eyes and lifted his sword above him, blocking a vertical swing from Ganondorf's sword. Link quickly thrust his trusty sword into the left shoulder of Ganondorf, causing him to shout out in pain. The blade began to burn Ganondorf's flesh as the Master sword continued to shine even brighter. Link pulled his blade out from Ganondorf's shoulder and stood to his feet.
Ganondorf staggered several feet back in an attempt to avoid another deadly attack. Link stood his ground and awaited Ganondorf's next move. Ganondorf fell on one knee as he grunted in agony of the pain he felt in his punctured and burnt shoulder. Link felt a jolt of energy in him as the Master Sword began to glow a sky blue aura around its edges. Ganondorf slowly rose to his feet and readied his giant blade. Link concentrated his mind on the Master Sword and the blue aura grew bigger.
Ganondorf walked towards Link to stop his advance, but he was too late. Link swung his sword at the distant King of Evil and a ray of energy escaped the blade. Ganondorf tried to block the attack but was unsuccessful as the ray of blue light shattered Ganondorf's sword and knocked him back several feet to the ground. Link ran towards his fallen enemy to finish him off.
Ganondorf raised his right hand and fired a white beam of energy from the palm of his hand, hitting Link in the chest and knocking him to the ground. Ganondorf floated from the ground and into the air, looking down upon Link as he got up.
"You fool! This is my land! I SHALL RULE ALL!" The Evil King began flying from side to side in the air, laughing at his enemy on the ground. Link kept a firm grip as he awaited the next move.
Ganondorf flew towards Link with haste. Link rolled out of harms way and kept his sights on his flying enemy. Ganondorf flew around and charged at Link again. Link swung his blade at the flying menace as he closed in. Ganondorf made a dead stop, avoiding the attack and following up with a charging right cross at the face of Link. The valiant hero fell to the ground and quickly got up. Ganondorf flew up higher in the air and charged his magic in his right hand. He then threw a large white energy ball directly at Link. With all of his might, Link swung his sword and hit the energy ball back towards the Evil King. Ganondorf dodged the blast just in time and charged at Link once again. Link was taken by surprise when two large boots hit him in the chest with great force, knocking him down once again.
Ganondorf flew up high once more and laughed at his fallen opponent. Link shook of the aching in his chest and got back up. Ganondorf raised his arms upward and charged a giant ball of dark energy above him. Link concentrated his mind on the Master Sword and awaited the next move. As Link charged his weapon, the ball of dark energy absorbed several beams of magic from the hands of Ganondorf, making the dark energy ball even bigger. The Master Sword's blue aura changed to a bright orange color and Link extended the arm that wielded the shimmering blade outward.
Ganondorf released the massive ball of energy from his grasp and several beams launched from the energy ball, traveling their way towards Link at all directions. The Master Sword guided Link's movements and spun him around with great speed. As he spun around, a massive ring of fire surrounded Link and bounced back the beams of dark energy back at the Evil King. Ganondorf, unable to retaliate, was hit by every beam he launched and landed hard on the ground. As he got back up, Link ran towards Ganondorf and sliced at his chest, leaving a fatal wound upon his now torso. Link wasted no time as he then drove the Master Sword into the gut of Ganondorf and through his lower back. Blood oozed out of Ganondorf's mouth as Link pulled out his sword and kicked the Evil King hard in the chest, knocking him down once again. Ganondorf's body went limp and Link gave out a heavy sigh of relief.
Moments later, Link's friends arrived to find Link on his knees, fatigued from battle. They rushed to his aid kneeled down beside him. "Are you alright, brother?"
Link smirked at his Goron friend as he slowly rose to his feet with the help of his faithful companions. The three sacred triangles of the Triforce remained in the sky above them. Finally, the Seven Sages arrived at the scene and approached the Great Seal below the Triforce. The Seven Sages removed the hoods from their cloaks and spoke the incantations of the Shiekah language. Much to the warriors' surprise, among them was none other than Princess Zelda herself. The four warriors watched as the seven Shiekah men and women finished the ritual, rendering the Triforce back into the Great Seal to the depths of the Sacred Realm.
Zelda then approached Link and his companions and bowed her head at Link. "You have defeated the Evil King with your valor. With your victory and the Triforce back in its holy resting place, Hyrule will live on in peace. We are all in your debt, Link."
Link bowed his head at the Hylian Princess. The rest of the Seven Sages approached Link to give their thanks when suddenly, the ground began to shake and a large storm cloud appeared in the skies above them.
The corpse of Ganondorf floated upward and shined a white aura. His body was twisted and transformed into a massive beast of death. He stood twenty feet tall and had a muscular structure all round. He had giant wolf jaws with sharp teeth and blood red eyes. Two massive horns grew at the back of his head and a brown mane of fur covered his neck. He had the hind legs of a horse and a long bumpy tail that grew out the back of him. He had razor sharp claws on his huge hands and spikes grew out of his forearms. He had become the great and powerful Ganon. He gave out a thundering roar that shook the very ground he stood on and looked down at Link and his three valiant warriors. He stomped the ground with his hind hooves and snarled at Link.
Link grasped his mighty sword with both hands. Darmani held his Goron weapons close. Sahashra drew out her sword and held her staff firm. Mikau sharpened his fins and readied his Zora sword. They charged the towering beast with haste, ignoring the added weight from the rain that fell upon them.
Sahashra stopped her advance and waved her staff in the direction of the evil monster, lobbing her energy attacks at his face and causing him to flinch slightly. Darmani and Mikau attacked the legs of Ganon while Link charged onward to his torso. Ganon hit Darmani with his giant fist and grabbed Mikau. His grip was loosened when Link sliced at the underbelly of the evil beast. Ganon dropped Mikau and tried to smash Link with his right fist. Link rolled out of the way and paced back a ways. Darmani got up and charged the back side of Ganon, driving his ax into his lower back. Ganon roared as he turned around to find the annoying brute. As he turned, Darmani was knocked down again by the beast's tail. Sahashra retrieved her bow and fired arrows at the neck of Ganon. They had little affect, for her arrows were not strong enough to puncture Ganon's rough hide deep enough to have any kind of impact.
Link and Mikau climbed the back of the beast and swung their blades at his spine. Ganon reached for the two warriors, only grabbing Link and brushing off Mikau. Darmani swung his Megaton Hammer at Ganon's hind leg. The impact caused Ganon to drop Link and fall to his knee. Sahashra charged the monster with her blade and staff. She leaped in the air and spun her body around with great speed, colliding her staff and the edge of her sword to the face of Ganon numerous times. The staff would emit magic with each strike and her sword sliced at the snout of the giant creature of darkness. As she landed, she ran away from Ganon's grasp with amazing mobility. Darmani swung his hammer at Ganon's face, causing the beast to flinch but counter with a deadly head butt, sending Darmani crashing into a nearby boulder.
The Seven Sages could only watch and chant their Shiekah prayers, for none of them had the skill nor the weapons to fight the towering monster. Impa was the only exception, but her duty was to the Princess. Bolts of lightning thundered the cloudy sky, and the rain fell harder by the minute.
Link and Sahashra attacked the sides of Ganon, driving their blades into the rough hide of the monster. Mikau once again climbed the back of Ganon, digging his fins into the flesh of the beast. Darmani regained consciousness and ran towards Ganon to help his friends with his hammer ready. Ganon reached for Mikau and threw him at the charging Goron, causing them both to tumble to the ground. Ganon the swung his arms back to relieve himself of Link and Sahashra. The impact sent the two warriors back quite aways and Sahashra's belly was cut from the spikes of Ganon's forearm. She winced in pain as she slowly got up and waved her staff at the beast. Link remained on the ground, for the impact of Ganon's back hand knocked the wind out of him and he had to catch his breath.
As Ganon approached the wounded Sahashra, Darmani ran behind the beast and retrieved his ax from his back. He ducked under the swing tail as Ganon turned around and drove his ax into the gut of the monster. Ganon gave out a thundering roar as Darmani removed the ax from his flesh and swung his war hammer at his knee caps to bring him down. Ganon kicked at the hard back of Darmani, sending him face first to the rocky mountain surface. Mikau charged at the beast to take his fallen friend's place. He threw his sword at Ganon's left shoulder. As Ganon flinched from the sharp blade, Mikau climbed his back and dug his fins into back of Ganon's neck. Ganon, unable to reach for the brave Zora general, tried to shake him off by running around the battle field and ramming his head into large boulders that surrounded the mountain's peak. Mikau kept a firm grip and refused to let go of the beast as he continued to drive his sharp fins through flesh over and over again.
Link rose to his feet and swung his sword at the legs of Ganon, causing him to tumble to the ground. Mikau jumped off the fallen monster and stood next to Link. Sahashra and Darmani caught up with them and Link charged his sword once more asthe weakened monster struggled to get up. The Master Sword glowed with a bright red aura and was ready to strike. The four mighty warriors charged Ganon once more. Mikau removed his sword from the monster's shoulder and drove it into the left side of the beast, followed by Darmani's ax into Ganon's right side. Sahashra leaped high in the air and landed on top of Ganon's upper back. She drove her sword deep into the back of Ganon's neck and followed with the bottom end of her staff, sending large amounts of energy into the beast. As Ganon arched his neck and back in agony, Link drove his red colored blade through the heart of the beast. He pulled out his sword from Ganon's chest and swung at the monster's neck with every ounce of strength he had left. The blow removed the head of the evil monster and Ganon was no more.
The warriors remove their weapons from the dead flesh and backed away from the monster's corpse. Ganon's limp body was lifted to the storm clouds above and bolts of lightning struck at it numerous times until finally, Ganon's body was incinerated. The four warriors shouted their war cry along with the cheers of the Seven Sages behind them.
The soldiers at Death Mountain rejoiced as the last of the goblin horde was destroyed and the castle at the peak of the Mountain crumbled to the ground. Gorlois held his sword high in the air as he rode on horse back down the mountain, followed by all the soldiers who emerged victorious that night.
The skies cleared from Mt. Avarice and the warriors of Hyrule took a moments rest to breathe in the clean air of the mountain. Link smiled at the thought of their victory. Darmani stood by Mikau as they gazed upon the clear night time sky.
Sahashra removed her mask and looked upon Link. "You are the Hero of Legend reborn. I am honored to have fought along side you."
Link hugged Sahashra in a tight embrace, one that she returned happily. "The honor was entirely mine."
Darmani and Mikau embraced the great hero one at a time once he let go of Sahashra. The Seven Sages knelled down out of respect for the brave warriors. Once they rose to their feet, Link turned his gaze to the stairway of which he came out of. "Let us go home," said Link. "I believe we have been here long enough."
Everybody followed Link down the stairway and they were on their way to the foot of the mountain, where they mounted their noble steeds and rode west for Hyrule Castle.