I don't own anything to do with Zelda.
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I don't own anything to do with Zelda (I only wish..)
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Impa slammed against the wall, her head hitting the stone painfully. Everything was moving, and her vision started to go. Dark magic surrounded her, and she was lifted up into the air.
"You have been a most irksome thorn, Sheikah," Ganon spat, as he toyed with her. Dropping his hand, he let her fall.
"Hiding the princess in the form of that damned boy, Sheik. Leading a resistance against my commander, Ganondorf. And, most of all, becoming one of the Sages and sealing me." He leaned close, thrusting up a shield as Darunia sent out a blast of fire, and smiled. "But I'm out now, and I'm not leaving."
Spinning, he sent out multiple blasts of magic, pinning each of the Sages to the ground. His minions, dark creatures that he had brought over with him, kept the rest of the people pinned against walls or under tables. Their dark, twisted forms with horns and claws, as well as wings for a few, were the stuff of nightmares, terrifying the unprepared ball attendees into submission. A few had retaliated, only to be pinned down with cruel spears, to slowly bleed to death. Jaeh had been one of those, as had been Kai'shya and the Hylian general that Daurnia had been talking to. The rest of the room's inhabitants waited, watching Ganon and the Sages nervously.
Ganon raised his arms and began to chant, a cruel and ominous sounding chant. Before him, a black bubbled roiled and shimmered, until it burst, revealing a green bubble with a forest green clad girl in it. Her back was arched in pain, and her mouth was open, but no screams came forth.
"They're all here," he whispered, sending Saria to the side, "Now all I need is that brat of a princess and that damn boy who thinks he's a hero." Ganon spun again, reveling in the moment, and faced the king, who had been forced to his knees by two of the minions.
"Do you want to know how I got out?" the evil king asked maliciously. "It was your daughter's blood. The blood that runs through her veins is the blood of the ones who sealed me in the first place; they were the Kings of the Ancients, the people the first Sages were of. They sealed me and most died. For all their magic was used up. The remaining one married into the Hylian royal family. And now," he grinned wildly, "And now, I'm OUT!" Laughing evilly, he strode to where Nabooru kneeled, clutching her wounded side. The Gerudo queen looked up at him through her remaining eye and spat on him. Blood landed on his shoes, but Ganon took no notice.
"I no longer have to rely on the body of another, weaker being. Soon, all of my spirit will have left that other world, and then no one can stop me."
Are you so sure?
You are forgetting something. Ganon snarled and spun to see where the soft voices came from. Standing beside the king were two men, a Hylian and a Sheikah, respectively. Besides them stood two fine horses, one of coal black and the other a red chestnut with flaxen mane and tail.
It may take one to release you, but it only takes two to seal.
You're even more of an idiot if you've forgotten that. Impa had raised her head when the first one spoke again. Though he now had a beard and was older, she recognised him. It was Aedan, the first king, and beside him stood Izal. The Sheikah smiled when she caught his eye and nodded. Link had the blood too.
Standing shakily, Impa sent out a signal to the other Sages. As one, they attacked.
--
Link pulled Zelda along as they ran along the garden paths. When they felt the evil aura emitting from the castle, the two had begun their headlong dash. They could sense the minions searching the garden and could hear the screams when the evil creatures found others who had decided to escape the crowded ballroom and go for a walk. As soon as they began their flight, Link had entered his 'battle-mode'; his adrenaline pounded, and his senses caught every noise, every motion. Zelda, being pulled by one hand, held her skirts up with the other, cursing under her breath every time they caught on a branch.
They came to a sudden halt, however, when a figure stepped out in front, blocking their path.
"How does it feel, to know you've allowed the great Ganon to rise again?" Lacsis cackled, still furious at the two due to the deaths of her sisters. Letting go of Zelda's hand, Link lunged forward, drawing his sword. The witch, too caught up in the chance of getting revenge, died as soon as the Master Sword pierced her heart. Wiping it on his cloak, Link sheathed the blade and turned to Zelda.
"Come," he urged, "Let's go." The princess turned to him, her face pale.
"My blood…" she whispered, remembering a warning from three years ago and the wound that came not long after the warning was given. "They used my blood…" She covered her face with her hands, shaking. Link walked over and wrapped his arms around her.
"We've got to go," he whispered after a few moments, and she nodded. They started on their way to the castle again, avoiding the minions crashing through the paths.
They did not know it, but their steps were being drawn away from the ball room and down to the room directly below it. The dark magic that emitted from the room covered another, older magic. That magic reached out to the two, drawing them towards it unconsciously. The magic was the remnants of the seal that had sealed Ganon eons ago. The seal had been made by the seven Ancient Kings, and it had cost six of them their lives. Their blood completed the seal, locking not only the body of Ganon, but his spirit as well. The magic in their blood, as well as their desire to protect, above all else, Hyrule had allowed them to seal Ganon's spirit as well.
The remaining one was a brother to two of the other Kings and cousin to the others. The seven Ancient Kings were all related, and due to the marriage of the last one into the Hylian Royal family, they were related to Link and Zelda as well. The blood that ran through their veins carried the same magic that now seeped from the seal, which called out in terror as Ganon's spirit slowly made its way to his body.
Link slowed their pace when they found themselves in a rubble filled corridor. There was a large opening just to their right; most of the rubble was around that opening, as if something had burst through.
"That wasn't there yesterday," Zelda whispered, confused. "I know it wasn't; I came down here, looking for Impa. It wasn't there." Link frowned and inched towards it. Instantly a rush of magic engulfed them, and images ran through their heads as the seal reached out.
"Now! We must seal him!"
Seven men, three elders and four younger men stood in a circle. Their robes tattered, their hair flying, they stood in a barren field. Storm clouds thundered, and fire raced across the land.
"Not all of us will return," one of the elders said, and the others shook their heads vigorously.
"If it will seal the demon, then let it be done!"
Link's mind reeled as the visions raced. The land looked like it had during the Tribal Wars, and the demon the men referred to had to be Ganon. The visions then skipped ahead, returning with the sight of the one of the younger men, leaving behind a large, intricately designed circle of stones. They finished with a marriage ceremony, the last King marrying a young woman who, due to the insignias and designs that her dress bore, looked to be of the Hylian royal family.
After they had recovered from the sudden onslaught, Link and Zelda headed into the room. There, on the ground, was the intricately designed circle they had seen in the visions. Only now the intricate designs and bright colours were disappearing, leaving behind cold, grey stones. Pausing only a moment to reaffirm the decision with each other, the two walked to the circle's center, where they stopped. Link drew the Master Sword and thrust it into the stone pedestal in the circle's center. Closing her eyes, Zelda brought out the Triforce of Wisdom and, splitting it into two parts and giving them chains of light, hung them on the sword's hilt. Link then brought out the Triforce of Courage and smiled wryly.
"My own test," he whispered, "For the next bearer." He broke the triforce into eight pieces and sent them to various places in Hyrule, where they hid themselves deep within the land. They would come out when the Triforce of Wisdom parts were joined.
A light came up, surrounding them. Link took Zelda's hands in his, holding them tight.
"I love you," he whispered. Zelda's eyes watered, and she squeezed Link's hands in return.
"I love you too." Leaning forward, Link's lips brushed against hers just as the light engulfed them, taking them away.
--
Nabooru hated Ganon. She hated him with such passion that it even shocked her. The Gerudo queen was a woman of strong emotions; she did not compromise on them, nor did she rein them back. As her close friends were fond of saying, it was all or nothing.
This hate that she felt, though, was something that she had never experienced. It was something that was well warranted though, as she watched Ganon throw the Sages against the walls, punishment for daring to fight him once more.
"Pig," she spat, clearing her mouth of blood. A spear butt cracked against her head, but she did not feel it. She did not feel anything anymore; not her dead eye, not the gash in her side, not the numerous head wounds she had acquired. All she felt was the hate that the pig man had caused her to feel.
Impa was in the worst condition, from what she could see. Ganon was taking particular delight in punishing the Sheikah, the acknowledged head of the Sages. Nabooru was amazed that Impa could even stand; especially after Ganon had thrown her across the room. Saria was in a great deal of pain, part of it due to her being away from the forest. The young girl lay behind her, sobbing softly. Darunia lay partly covered by rubble; he had been thrown against a large pillar, which had fallen and covered him in debris. He was currently trying to get out, but in his weakened state, it was proving to be a large effort. Nabooru could not see where Ruto was, so she guessed that the Zora was on her right side, the side with the dead eye.
Ganon, who had been reveling in his new found freedom, had been enjoying himself throwing around the Sages. He had completely forgotten the words of the two spirits, and Nabooru wished more than anything that they were right, that the pig faced man would be sealed again. How, she did not know, but she would give anything to see Ganon sealed again. She had loved Kai'shya as a sister, as a friend. She would see Ganon pay for her death.
Suddenly, magic seeped up from the floor, wrapping itself around Ganon. The evil king stopped, his eyes wide. The magic was of two colours; one was a pale green with silver interspersed, and the other was golden, the colour of light. It was the magic of Time and the magic of Light, the two most powerful of the Sages' magic. The magic kept coming up, weaving itself into complex knots, covering all of Ganon bit by bit.
"NO!" He thundered, fighting his bonds, "I WILL NOT return! I WILL NOT be sealed again!" Dark magic spewed from his fists, trying to break the entrapping magic. The rising magic swelled, allowing space for the dark magic to swirl about in. This, however, caused it to rise slower, and the dark magic was quickly rising to the top of the bonds, which were to Ganon's eye level by now.
Growling, the pig man sent out more magic, causing some to start rising above the bonds of gold and green.
"No way are you getting out," Nabooru hissed. She sent out her remaining magic, trying to contain the rising dark magic which was threatening the magical bonds. Grey magic of the shadows soon joined her deep red spirit magic. Darunia's fiery red magic and Saria's green forest magic then joined, and Ruto's deep blue magic of the seas topped the bonds. Howling in rage, Ganon was pulled down through the floor, which was not destroyed in the process. His minions soon disappeared as well, joining their master wherever he had been taken to. Nabooru tried to stand then, but all her strength had left her, and she collapsed, falling into unconsciousness.
--
Link opened his eyes to find himself in a world of shadows. He stood, looking around, fighting back a panic when he realised he was alone. Where was Zelda?
She is fine. A voice said from the shadows. Link spun, trying to find the speaker. A green light slowly flickered until it was so bright he could no longer look at it; he closed his eyes and turned his head.
Look at me, Hero of Time, Sage of Time. The command was said in a firm, yet kind way, and Link turned back to look upon the most striking figure he had ever seen. It was the goddess Farore.
Short green hair framed her face, the straight locks cut in a style that would have been considered a male's cut. Her piercing dark green eyes bore through him, and her green attire was that of a warrior's; simple and functional. She bore no weapon; why should a goddess need one, after all? She carried, however, a jade green ocarina that was very similar to the Ocarina of Time. She smiled as Link suddenly remembered his own ocarina, reaching down to see if he still had it.
The Ocarina of Time must stay in Hyrule, she explained when he realised he did not have it. But should you wish, another will be made available to you while you are here.
"Where is here?" Link asked.
This is the place of between. Here you must chose, do you continue on to the world of the dead, where your family is, or do you continue on to the world of the shadows of light, where the spirit herd dwells?
"What happens if I go to where the horses are?" Link asked, tempted to move on to the world of the dead, to be done with being a hero.
There you will continue to be a Sage until the next Hero completes the seal and frees you and Zelda, should she choose to go there.
"The seal isn't complete?" Link's breath caught in his throat. After all that, Ganon still had a chance to get out?
No, but don't fear. Ganon cannot get out unless the blood that is in your and Zelda's veins is spilt on the seal. He would be very hard pressed to find someone that would do now. He can still send out his spirit though, as he did in that other time.
"I see." Link paused, thinking hard on the matter. He wanted to be done with life, to stop being this hero. Yet if he left now, there would be no Enzaman to help him when he was sent back in time; there would be no Enzaman to tell Rauru and the other original Sages that they were to guard Hyrule. Would he have even become a Sage then? Would there even be any Sages?
Then there was the matter of Zelda. She would go to the land of the shadows of light, if only to help Hyrule and to see the other Sages again. Link did not want to leave her again.
I'll be waiting for you. Epona's last words to him; she'd be waiting, in the world of the shadows of light. He could not go to the world of the dead yet, not without seeing her again.
"Will I be able to go back in Time from the world of the shadows of light?" Link asked. Farore smiled, her eyes twinkling in approval.
Yes, though you will need to take a spirit horse with you to breach the gap between Hyrule and that world. Nodding, Link sighed.
"Then I will go there."
Farore smiled broadly as she stretched her arms out.
I knew you would say that; Din has no faith in you at all, young hero. Smiling, she flicked her hands, and the world of shadows disappeared. They were now in a land of light, where horses grazed and a few Hylians walked. Farore placed her hands on his shoulders and kissed his forehead.
I am proud to have had you bear the Triforce of Courage, hero. Despite what you may think, you are a hero, in all possible meanings of the word. With that, she was gone, and Link turned to see Zelda running towards him. When she reached him, he was enveloped in a big hug, and her laughter filled his ears. A playful nudge on his arm sent the two to the ground, and Link looked up to see Epona standing above them, her eyes twinkling with her characteristic mischievousness.
Took you long enough.
Impa stayed behind as Izra went to speak with the Zora ambassador. A slight breeze caught her attention, though nothing was there and the windows were closed. She missed the shadowy figures melding through the door.
Link stopped Aerin when he came to the tree where the horse and the cloaked man stood. The man did not touch the horse, and his cloak did not move with the slight breeze.
"My name is my own," he said in response to Link's question.
Link sighed, shaking his head at the Sage's comments. Would this odd man never leave him alone? Grinning, the Sage turned to Link.
"By the way, the name's Enzaman. He turned to leave, but Link called out quickly,
"What does that mean?"
"I remember always wondering why Enzaman's cloak never moved with the breeze," Rauru said to Allya. "I finally asked him, and he told me that his body was tied to the land, and that his spirit had been separated from it."
A cloaked man walked towards him, and the cowl was pushed back. It was his face, but it was not much older than it was now. The older Link laughed at his disappointed face.
"Don't worry; you will get to choose what you look like. I just don't like having wrinkles and scars."
--
After spending a week in the infirmary, the Sages, minus Saria who had returned to the forest, walked down to the room below the ball room. Workers had cleared the hallway, which was good, Nabooru thought, for Impa was in a wheelchair.
The Sages had not felt their magic return since they had woken after Ganon's attack. A quick mind question to Saria confirmed that she too was devoid of her magic. However, when they looked at each other with their magic sense, they could see the others' Sage auras. Nabooru wondered if it was not that their magic had not returned but that they could not access it.
When they entered the room, they all stared in awe at the circle of stones on the floor. A brilliant design wrapped itself around, telling the story of the Hero of Time. His battle against Ganon was depicted most beautifully, with a resolute princess Zelda standing nearby. The return to before Ganondorf's attack was shown, as well as Link's exploits in Termina against Majora's Mask. The Master Sword stood in the middle, and the Triforce of Wisdom parts still hung from it. No one had dared to touch them; the awe they felt for the princess and the hero was stronger than even the best thief's greed.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" a sad voice asked them. The five Sages turned to see the king walk in, his arm in a sling.
"Yes," Impa said, just as sadly. "Look, it tells how they sealed Ganon." The six of them were so intent on deciphering the tiny pictures that they did not notice the two spirits enter the room. The guards' eyes widened, and they were silenced by a finger raised to a mischievously grinning mouth.
We can help you with that, if you like. The pictures are awfully small, I don't know if someone of your ages should strain your eyes that much. Gasping, the five turned at the sound of a familiar voice. There stood Link and Zelda, and Epona stood farther back. The two smiled broadly, happy to see the others.
"I'm old?" Impa snapped, "You're over three hundred years old you idiot." Link only grinned.
Ah, but I got to spend almost all of it as a seven year old. And I was there, so I don't need to strain my eyes to read the pictures that say what happened.
"Then enlighten us, oh aged one."
You'll get no where that way, Link smirked, and Impa scowled.
"Kid, just tell us what happened," Nabooru said, exasperated. Chuckling, Link complied.
Ganon broke through the seal after Zelda's blood was put on it. We were coming back to the ball room to help, but the seal's magic drew us here. When we got here, the seal showed us how Ganon had been sealed, Link began to explain. Nodding, Zelda then took up the tale.
After that, we then went to the middle of the seal, offering to do whatever needed to be done to seal Ganon. Magic surrounded us, and then we were sent the world of the shadows. I'm not sure what happened between this world and the shadow world. After that, Farore went to Link and Nayru came to me. They gave us a choice, and we both chose to go to the land of the shadows of light, where Epona's herd lives.
"The world between the spirit world and here?" Nabooru asked. The two spirits nodded.
We will reside there until the seal is completed. Farore said something about another hero, but I'm not sure what she meant exactly. Whoever he or she is, the Master Sword will remain here until it is drawn. The Triforce of Courage is spread throughout the land; the hero will need to find all eight parts. Link paused, trying to remember something. Also, your powers- they are still there, only they are trapped up in the seal, as our bodies are. That's why you can't reach them. You are still Sages though, and they are technically still there, as odd as that sounds.
"Nothing sounds odd anymore," Ruto said, and the others nodded. Link smiled weakly. Epona suddenly sent out a whinny, and they looked at her. She had paled some; her spirit was no longer as substantial.
We have to go now, Zelda said sadly, Epona can not keep us both here for much longer. When Taliesin comes, we will return to see everyone.
"I will hold you to that," the king said, trying to hold back his tears. His daughter had no such qualms, though, as her tears began to flow down her cheeks when she nodded.
The Triforce of Wisdom- one part is for you father, the other give to your new heir. One part shall be held by the king or queen of Hyrule, the other by the heir to the throne. When the time comes, the Triforce will call out, ready to be joined together. Good bye everyone.
"What does Taliesin have to do with this?" Impa asked quickly.
He's Epona's brother, Link called out as they began to disappear, returning to the world of the shadows of light.
"My daughter is gone," the king whispered softly.
Seven years later, that same day
Two spirits watched a man that they had loved be lowered into the ground, for he had finally succumbed to the rigors of old age. As they covered him where he lay next to his sister, Zelda held Link close, supporting him as he wept for his father.
Impa walked over to a tombstone, ignoring her bad leg. On it she placed a bunch of purple flowers, and on the one beside it, she placed a bunch of white flowers. Purple was for the man she loved; white for the daughter that never married.
Darunia closed his eyes, spending a few moments in complete silence as he remembered those lost. Those lost to the escaped madman, and those lost to seal him.
Nabooru covered her left eye with her hand, spending a few moments in complete darkness. Tears filled her palm; tears cried for a sister-friend lost, tears for the loss of innocence of so many children.
Ruto watched her children with a soft smile. She took in their laughter and their smiles as if she were a stand of kelp and they the sun, remembering the smile of a friend with a child's heart.
Saria played a haunting song in the depths of the forest, daring anyone who heard it to come in. It was a song of sorrow, a song of joy. It had moments of love, moments of terror. It knew happiness and sadness, friendship and hate.
After all, that was what their lives had been. Yet her song held more than the life of one mortal, more than even the life of a Sage. It held the life of Hyrule in it, the life of the land that no matter how many times it was destroyed, it refused to die. It refused to give into despair, to remember the hate that had lanced across it.
In the end, Saria's song was one of forgiveness, of love that was far more than the love that one can feel for another. It was the love of a land for its people, and the forgiveness granted without restrictions to anyone, no matter what they did.
It was the song of the goddesses.
--
A/N: Ahh, last chapter. There's an epilogue (really short though) and then this story will be done. Thank you everyone who has born with me.
Itxier: Thanks a bunch! Glad to hear you like it.
Tizamiki: Glad you liked my clothing descriptions.
Astryel: I think I will think twice about ever killing Epona again.
Blazestarre: Thanks a bunch! I try.
The Fiercesomest Dragon Ever: I think I giggle because I didn't come up with the name. And yes, it's all Saria's fault. Hehe ;)
Dragon's Hitokiri: Glad to hear you liked the scene of Impa absconding Link.