CHAPTER EIGHT: CONFRONTATIONS
By the time Link reached Hyrule Castle, the sun was setting. He'd used the Prelude of Light to warp to the Temple of Time, and then headed for the Castle, his plan having already been delivered to the King.
When he reached the throne room, Link saw the King on his throne, and Lord Ruthlage was there, as well. "Sire, I am sorry that I am late." Link said. The King nodded; he was ready.
"Sire, what is this?" Ruthlage asked, regarding Link disdainfully. "Why is he here?"
"Ruthlage, I'd intended to speak to both of you," the King replied, "but I must address other matters first. Please wait until I return." With that, he left the room.
Once the King was gone, Link said, "He's a good man."
The statement surprised Ruthlage. "Pardon?"
"The King. He's a good man." Link continued. "He's trying to rebuild an entire kingdom after seven years of darkness, and rebuild hope in his subjects. Plus, he has a daughter to look after, a wonderful daughter who doesn't deserve to be terrorized by the dark forces at work here. Both the King and the Princess have been through enough." He turned to face the noble, fixing him with a glare that could terrify even the most fearsome Moblins, causing Ruthlage to back up. "And you aren't helping by sending your goons to attack caravans, not to mention whatever deals you have with Vaati."
"How dare you!!" Ruthlage yelled, in false indignation. "How dare you insinuate..!"
But Link simply took out the cloth he'd found, and showed Ruthlage the crest on it. "Don't play dumb, Ruthlage." he growled. "You've had a hand in what's been going on, and I want to know why."
Ruthlage calmed, his expression showing his thoughts: though he thought he was dealing with nothing more than a lowly peasant, he now knew he wasn't dealing with an idiot. He walked over to a window, and gestured out at the land, under the setting sun. "Tell me, boy, what do you see?" he asked.
Link followed him, and looked out the window. "I see Hyrule." he answered simply.
Ruthlage put his hand to his head, as if developing a headache. "That wasn't what I meant." he said. "What do you see?"
"Well...I see land." Link replied.
"Very good!" Ruthlage said condescendingly. "But what kind of land do you see?"
"I...I don't know." Link admitted.
"Then let me educate you." Ruthlage sighed. "I see bountiful farmlands, that can raise many rich harvests; valuable mining land with rich mineral deposits; lands that many trade caravans must pass through from the sea-lines to the Castle and back again; land that, once controlled and included in an estate, will bring a nobleman greater wealth and prestige than he could ever imagine." He chuckled. "Let me properly explain it, so you'll understand – after all, who are you going to tell? Initially, the plan was to have raiders attack caravans going through the lands in question regularly, so that the commoners would cry for their king to protect them. And the King, poor man, would be so busy in rebuilding that he would be unable to send troops to defend his poor citizens. And that, boy, is where I come in. Once the King realized that he couldn't save his precious people, I – along with my private armies – would volunteer to do so on his behalf. At this point, I control those areas. I gain the riches while His Highness thinks I've done him a favor!"
His expression turned sour. "That was the plan, at least, until you showed up and ruined it." he growled. "Had the plan worked, the King may have been more inclined to accept my son's proposal to negotiations for the Princess' hand in marriage. That's another of my plans you've ruined, boy; no wonder Ganondorf hated you."
"You sound as if you know him." Link said calmly, restraining his fury, trying not to pound Ruthlage flat.
"Only as a brief acquaintance." Ruthlage admitted. "You see, before he ever set foot in Hyrule Castle, he came to me to discuss his plans. Though he had an army that could conquer the Castle sooner or later, he wanted it sooner. So, I had the gates opened to let him in, and he got the victory he wanted; the King was captured, and the Knights fled, though a few died. From then on, the Knights kept trying to rescue their King, but to no avail. As for myself, my estate was left intact, and Ganondorf's forces never really bothered with any of the other nobles; he was too busy searching for the one who held the Master Sword – you – and the missing Princess. And that was the last I ever heard of him. Seven years later, upon hearing that his rule was failing, that Ganondorf might be overthrown, I formed this little plan, but then you started thwarting that plan by driving the raiders away."
"And how does Vaati fit in?" Link asked.
"Simple." Ruthlage replied. "Two weeks after you allegedly slay Ganondorf, Vaati comes in with his own plan. He kidnaps the Princess, and as her father hands both you and his crown over, he drains the girl's magic powers – it seems that our dear Princess is a half-Fairy, with all the magic of her mother."
"I know." Link said.
"Oh, do you? Well, not that it matters." Ruthlage sneered. "Apparently, with Ganondorf gone, Vaati needed a new energy source to maintain his strength...and Her Highness fits the bill."
"So..." Link growled, "...all this...just for land."
"Only at first." Ruthlage said, smiling slyly. "Later, I'd planned to stick Vaati with a knife once he'd begun to drain Zelda, but after he'd gotten rid of you and her father; then I'd tell her that it was Caspian that saved her. Of course, she'd fall for her new hero on the spot. Then, I'd have no choice but to accept the throne with a heavy heart...and legitimized by my son's wedding to the Princess."
"Ruthlage..." Link snarled, "...you are a sick man."
Ruthlage's eyes narrowed. "I could have you flayed alive for such insolence!" he sneered.
"And the King could have you strung up for treason." Link snapped back.
Ruthlage laughed. "And who's going to tell him? You?!" he sneered. "Even if the King believed you, no-one in the Court would accept it from a commoner! You'd be laughed right out of the Castle!"
"Would they accept it from a noble?" Link inquired. "I can name one noble who'd confess."
"Oh, really?" Ruthlage sneered. "Who?!"
"You." Link said, smiling knowingly. He then called out to where the King had left: "Wouldn't you agree, Sire?"
At that, both the King and Zelda walked into view, having heard it all.
Ruthlage's expression was almost comical.
Zelda looked shocked and saddened; even though she hadn't liked Ruthlage, she hadn't thought him capable of this. "All...all those people who died in the invasion..." she sniffed. "How...how could you?"
The King was beyond furious. "Ruthlage!!!" he roared. "You TRAITOR!!!!"
Lord Ruthlage was frozen in incredulous bewilderment for a few moments...and then he glared at Link. "Outsmarted...by gutter-trash!!" he roared. "Well, it matters not! There are events set in motion that you cannot stop!"
"Guards!! Seize him!!" the King commanded. A group of palace soldiers moved to arrest Lord Ruthlage, but the traitorous noble ran, and Link ran after him, followed by the King.
"You're both too late!" Ruthlage crowed. "Vaati's army is already here, by now! They'll slaughter you all!"
"Knights!" the King yelled as they ran. "Knights, to arms!" At once, the Knights began to assemble, following their King.
Link chased Ruthlage to the Main Hall...just as Vaati's Moblin army burst through the Main Hall's doors. Link unsheathed his weapons to engage the enemies, losing track of Ruthlage. Using his Time Magic, Link cut down several waves of Moblins in mere seconds, but more just kept coming...
But, by then, the Knights had arrived. "We'll 'old 'em back, laddie!" Sir Cortez called. "Get to the Princess!"
Zelda! She was in danger! If Vaati got to her...Link turned and ran back towards the throne room.
"Oh, no, you don't!" Ruthlage yelled, as he leapt out at Link, rapier drawn. "You won't be wrecking any more of my plans, you gutter-rodent! Now I'll teach you your place!!" Then, he charged at Link.
Link simply swept Ruthlage's stab-attack aside with a low, sweeping block with his Sword. He then enveloped the blade, knocking the rapier away, disarming Ruthlage, then pulled the Master Sword back, charging its power, and unleashed a crescent-shaped energy beam, knocking Ruthlage back a good ten feet.
Sheathing his weapons, Link was about to keep going, when the King walked up, and glared at Ruthlage's stunned form. "Now, traitor," he snarled at Ruthlage, "you shall answer for your crimes!"
"I think not!!" Ruthlage snarled, as he got up, holding a small dagger. Like lightning, he threw it at the King, aimed at the heart.
Link had to act fast. He leapt backwards toward the King, using his Time Magic to Slow-Down the dagger. Taking hold of the King's shoulder, he drew and armed the Switch-Shot, hoping there was enough time. He fired. The hook-claw snagged Ruthlage just as the time-flow resumed, switching Ruthlage's position with Link and the King's...and causing Ruthlage's own dagger to pierce the evil noble's black heart. Ruthlage gasped, clutching at his wound, his red life-blood leaking through his white shirt, turning it dark red. "You..." Ruthlage gasped, "...you ruined it all..we'll get you..." Then, Lord Ruthlage died.
As Link put the Switch-Shot away, the King looked upon the corpse. "Died on his own weapon." he said. "A fitting end for a traitor."
"Sire," Link said, "the Princess..."
"Yes, I know, so go!" the King urged him. "Go make sure my daughter is safe!"
"Yes, Sire!" Link said, and he hurried off.
From his hiding place, Caspian had seen it, seen what that commoner had done. He'd tricked his father, ruined their plans, humiliated his father – and his entire household, in effect – and then used his little switching-gadget so that his father's own weapon slew him.
This could not be tolerated; this was an insult to his entire family, and there was only one response: vendetta.
He'd get Link if it was the last thing he ever did...and Zelda would be his.
After Link had gone after Ruthlage, Zelda had simply waited in the throne room. After a few minutes, Zelda began to get nervous. Something was wrong...
"Hello, Princess."
At that, Zelda whirled around...and froze as she saw Vaati's misshapen form floating there. "Your time has come, girl." Vaati hissed. "You and your family are done."
Zelda couldn't move; she was terrified...until she realized that unless she faced her fears, they'd never leave her any peace. "No, you old monster!" Zelda yelled. "You're the one who's done!" With that, she summoned her magic, transforming into her Fairy-form, and flying up to Vaati's level.
"So, you have some control over your powers!" Vaati sneered. "But you haven't the power needed to face me."
"I'll show you my power!" Zelda declared, and she charged two blue spell-spheres, and flung them at Vaati, and they exploded, enveloping Vaati in a cloud of residual magic. When the cloud cleared...Vaati was unharmed. Zelda flew at Vaati until she was inches from him, then flew above him, firing a multitude of magic blasts, all of which spanged harmlessly off of some enchanted shield which Vaati had raised.
"Enough!!" Vaati roared, and he struck; numerous tendrils of darkness lanced from his misshapen hand towards Zelda. The tendrils then wrapped themselves mercilessly around Zelda, tying up her arms, her legs, her neck, and her waist, and several tendrils enveloped her wings, coating them in oily darkness. Her power of flight disabled, Zelda fell to the floor, landing hard with a tiny cry. "Not bad, child. Had you any formal magical training, you might have had a chance. But now, I must kill you, and drain your powers, and then I shall lord over all Hyrule!"
"No!!" Zelda cried, desperately struggling to get free. It was no use; the darkness of the tendrils was sapping her energy, rendering her helpless. All she could do was watch as Vaati, her doom, floated closer, to finish her off...
When Link reached the throne room, he saw Vaati approaching the trapped Zelda. Like lightning, he drew his Sword and leapt at the tendrils, severing them in one cut, both freeing Zelda and driving Vaati back. Hurrying to Zelda's side and finding her unhurt, he lifted her into his arms, and carried her to the side, where she'd be safer. "Zelda, are you okay?" he whispered. "Oh, please, Zel, speak to me!"
Slowly, Zelda's eyes met his. "Link?" the lovely young Fairy asked. Then, she embraced him, crying, "Oh, Link, you came just in time!"
"Oh, Zel, I'm so sorry. I should never have left you alone!" Link exclaimed. "I promise, I'll never let you out of my sight again, ever!"
"Hush, my sweet hero. It isn't your fault." Zelda cooed, smiling as Link laid her in a corner, to rest safely. "I don't blame you."
Link smiled, before giving his beloved a loving kiss, which she happily returned. "Now, if you'll excuse me, sweetheart," he said, "I have a sorcerer to slay." With that, he turned, and walked back towards Vaati.
"Meddling whelp!!" Vaati snarled. "You've interfered for the final time!!"
Link just glared back, his mind focusing on the task at hand. He had the Essences, but how could he use them? He didn't know how to use their power...
'Link!' Rauru's mental voice pierced his thoughts. 'Use your Bow, and aim for Vaati's eye – it's his weak spot! Our Sage powers were only enough to seal Vaati, but with the Essences joined with our powers, you can learn the magic of the Sacred Arrow, a magic even stronger than your Light Arrow! Its magic can tear through even the strongest of enchanted defenses; no evil magic can withstand it! Use the Arrow, Link! Slay Vaati, and end his evil FOREVER!'
At once, Link drew his Fairy Bow, and fit an arrow to it, before concentrating. Instantly, the four Essences surrounded him, as well as six spheres of energy: one golden-yellow, one forest-green, one flame-red, one ocean-blue, one shadowy-purple, and one sandy-orange – the powers of the Sages. Then, all that power entered him, teaching him the spell of the Sacred Arrow.
Link pulled the arrow back, and charged it with magic, turning it into a gleaming-white Sacred Arrow. He then let it fly, and it punctured Vaati's all-seeing eye, blinding him and crippling his magic. "AAARRRGGGHHH!!!" Vaati howled. "HOW?! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME, VAATI, MASTER OF WIND AND SHADOW?! I AM INVINCIBLE!! HOW CAN IT BE?!"
"Your time is up, sorcerer." Link said. "You will never frighten Zelda again!!!"
Out of desperation, Vaati began using his withering magic wildly, sending windstorms and dark-blasts randomly, trying to strike Link, but each attack failed, due to the fact that Vaati had very little power left, and that Link could dodge his attacks.
As Vaati sent a dark-blast at him, Link shifted into Hyper-Time, moving outside of Time's flow, setting up some magic-attacks of his own. He came out of Hyper-Time, first firing several beams of pure light at the crippled monster; when Vaati turned to counter, Link was already back in Hyper-Time, warping behind Vaati, where he summoned up the winds, slashing Vaati with razor-gales. Link warped away, moving beyond Time, coming out of Hyper-Time to Vaati's side, his Sword sheathed, forming a flaming blade in his right hand, and a frosty flail in his left, and he unleashed a two-pronged elemental attack on Vaati.
Drawing his Sword and Shield, Link cast Speed-Up on himself, and charged at Vaati, leaping into a somersault whirling-slash, slicing Vaati; he was moving too fast for the sorcerer to even see him. Vaati sent numerous lightning bolts at Link, but Link used Slow-Down, giving him the perfect timing he needed to use his Sword to slash the bolts, sending them flying back at Vaati. Then, drawing the Switch-Shot, Link darted beneath the hovering Vaati, and fired, switching places with him, moving Vaati low to the ground, with Link up high...and Link drove the Blade of Evil's-Bane into Vaati's eye as he fell back down.
Now Link stood atop Vaati's eye, the Master Sword buried in the pupil. "What...are...you?" Vaati choked out.
"I am the Hero of Time," Link declared, "Defender of Hyrule, Protector of the Weak, and Upholder of the Just! All men and beasts who serve the dark had best be wary of me!" Then, his voice turned cold, and, to Vaati, he added, "So give my best to Ganondorf when you see him." With that, he drove the holy blade deeper into Vaati's eye. Vaati gasped...and began to turn to stone, as Link withdrew the Master Sword and sheathed it, hopping off, as Vaati's stone corpse began to crumble into dust, then vanishing into purple smoke, which rapidly dissipated.
Vaati was no more.
As Link caught his breath, he saw Zelda, still in Fairy-form, slowly walk over to him. She looked to where Vaati had been. "He's...gone?" she asked.
Link nodded. "The sorcerer Vaati shall trouble you no more, my love."
Zelda smiled radiantly at that, tears of joy brimming in her beautiful eyes. "Link...you've rid my family of a terror that's haunted the Royal Family for half a millennium!" she cooed. "I...I'm so grateful!"
"Hush, now, my darling." Link soothed, embracing her tenderly. "I'm only glad that you're safe, and that you never have to fear again."
Zelda nuzzled into his chest, blissfully sighing. "That's three times you've saved me." she cooed. "You always save me, and you're always there when I need you."
"Of course!" Link replied. "I love you."
Zelda looked up into Link's eyes, her sapphire gems sparkling happily. "I love you, too." she cooed.
Link needed no words to show this wonderful, enchanting young woman how he felt about her. Swiftly, smoothly, he moved down to her and snared her lips in a powerful kiss. He heard Zelda's initial gasp of surprise...which became a blissful sigh of contentment as she eagerly reciprocated. He felt her silky arms wreath around his neck as he held her closer, gently lifting her up so that their faces were level, allowing him to deepen the kiss. His tongue wove into her anxious mouth, exploring her sweet recesses as her tongue met with his, playing their exquisite game of pure desire and love.
They both quickly forgot the defeated Vaati, and everyone else, for that matter. Nothing else mattered to them right now...nothing but each other.
As Andreus headed back to the throne room, he sighed in sheer exhaustion. He'd helped the Knights hold back Vaati's army...only to have said army suddenly evaporate into nothingness. Link must have slain Vaati; there was no other explanation. He then reached the throne room...
...and stopped as he saw Link and Zelda, in her Fairy-form, passionately kissing, oblivious to all but each other.
Well, at least he now knew that Link must have succeeded. "Ahem." he cleared his throat politely, hoping to get their attention...to no avail. "A-hem." he tried again, but with no effect. Now Andreus tried to suppress his laughter; he really couldn't blame them. Those two were so deeply, madly in love with each other; it wouldn't have mattered if the entire Court were present.
Then, Andreus got treated to a real show, as a blue aura surrounded his daughter, and a white glow began emanating from Link, their magic powers interacting from their heightened emotions, their deep, pure love. The entire throne room exploded with luminous color: blues and reds, greens and yellows, oranges and violets, all swirling in constant motion, with tiny, sparkling pixie-lights darting around the room, with the happy couple at the center, a rainbow aura-dome around them.
It was an aurora, the kind seen in Hyrule during the Festival of Winter Solstice. Now Andreus understood why Alara had given their daughter the middle name "Aurora" on her deathbed; this was the reason, this beautiful expression of his daughter's heart, produced with the aid of the man she loved, the man who was now kissing her, the man who'd made her happy enough to perform this little miracle: Link. Link truly was the one Zelda was destined for, no doubt about it.
Andreus simply stayed back and kept silent, watching the lovely aurora of magic; he'd only stay a minute or two before leaving, to give them their privacy.
King Andreus wasn't the only one who saw the happy couple.
From his hiding spot, Caspian saw the two, barely containing his disgust, barely keeping himself from going out and sending Link packing, for both murdering his father and daring to touch the Princess, his future wife.
He'd intended to slay Link at once upon catching up to him, but he couldn't now, not with the King present; he couldn't pin Link's death on Vaati, now. He had to play his hand carefully, without revealing his part in the conspiracy.
So, for now, he'd wait, bide his time...and refrain from trouncing that peasant every time he put his filthy hands on his woman. Why, just look at what he was doing now, kissing the Princess as though she were any girl, as if he could ever be good enough for her! And worse, Zelda acted like she actually wanted it!!
'She'll learn.' Caspian thought to himself. 'Enjoy your little victory, Link, because I'll make sure it's your last.'
But it would be in time, yes. All in due time.
Well, folks, only one chapter left. I hope you liked this one! In the next chapter, some questions will at long last be answered. If you liked this chapter, please review! See you soon!