Chapter 14. Sister Saved - Check

"I'll make this simple," King sighed over the pirate charm. "Walk up to the sword, take hold of the non-sharp part, and pull."

"You said that thing's the Master Sword?" I said, finally regaining control over my vocal cords.

"Yes."

"The Master Sword?"

"Yes."

"The Master Sword?"

"Yes, Link!"

"And…I'm supposed to just go and- and grab it?"

"I cannot think of a more effective way to remove it from the floor, so yes."

"But it's the Master Sword!"

"And the only thing that can kill Ganon!"

That gave me pause. "Did you say…kill?"

King paused too for a bit before answering. "I do not like encouraging a child to do harm to anyone, but I truly believe you are one of the few people capable of doing it. And it does need to be done, Link. Ganon will kill many others if he is not stopped soon. He would turn the world, your world, into a place of darkness and suffering."

"Couldn't- couldn't he just be sealed away somewhere again?"

"You have seen for yourself how well that worked the last time."

"Well, yeah, but…"

"He would kill you without a thought. He tried to kill you once, remember?"

"Well yeah, but-"

"He is keeping your sister imprisoned."

"But-"

"But what, Link?"

When I spoke, my voice came out small and wavery. "But what am I supposed to do after that?"

King said nothing.

"How can I just go on like nothing happened, knowing I killed a man?"

"You will have saved the lives of hundreds, Link."

"You didn't answer my question."

He thought for a moment. "Sometimes people have to do things they do not like; it is part of what makes us human. While I firmly believe that no man has the right to rob another man of life, Ganon has done just that to too many to be allowed to continue. I never said it was the right thing to do, but-"

"If you say 'it's the only way' I swear to the gods, King, I will go straight back to Outset and pretend none of this ever happened."

"It is not the only way. Like you said, we could seal him up again. He would break out in time, but not for many years. He would be the problem of the next generation. Do you really want your children, or your children's children, to have to deal with him?"

"No…"

"It is not the only way to stop him this time, but it is the only way to ensure he never hurts anyone ever again."

"So what am I supposed to do after?"

"You will live your life, knowing that you killed someone. It will haunt you, but you will take comfort in knowing you saved your sister, your friends, and the world. In time, it will haunt you less. You will move on. You will never forget it, but you will still have a happy and long life."

"You promise?" my voice was small again. I sounded like a child, but at the moment I didn't care.

"I would give up my own life to make it so."

I took a deep shuddering breath and nodded. "Okay then."

I walked forward, grabbed the sword with both hands, and pulled.

There was a bright flash of light, blinding me temporarily. I threw one arm in front of my face and tried to stay upright.

Something changed about the castle when I pulled out the sword.. I couldn't tell what it was, but it felt different. More…alive.

I blinked until I could see again, then decided to examine the sword. It was in excellent shape, especially considering how long it had been sitting in that room. The blade gleamed silver in the dull light, and the weight was less than I would have expected for something so…legendary.

I took a few practice swings, enjoying the feel, then I heard something from up the stairs. Footsteps, grunting, and the clanking of armor.

Crap.

I snuck up the steps as quietly as I could and peered up at the big hall. Just as I'd thought, the monsters were moving. Moblins, Bokoblins, and even a few Darknuts. And I knew if I wanted to make it out of there alive, I had to finished all of them…before they could finish me.

I tightened my grip on the Master Sword and charged into battle.

I don't know how long it took. Could have been hours, could have been days. There were moments when I thought I'd never see the sun again, and others where I was startled by my own prowess. Finally, finally, I stumbled out the front entrance and sank down on the steps in front of King.

"How are you?" he asked softly.

"Surprised to be conscious," I admitted.

"You should rest."

I shook my head. "I have the Master Sword now. I can defeat Ganon. I'm going to get Aryll back. Be sides…" I looked up at him. "How much time do we really have?"

"Ganon has likely been made aware of our little incursion already," King said with a sigh. "But as you said, you have the Master Sword. That sword shall shine in the darkness, casting back evil. With it in your hands, none can keep you from rescuing your sister! Do not be afraid!"

I shoved myself to my feet. "I'm not afraid. But Ganon should be."

King looked at me for a moment. "Your false bravado is showing."

"Oh…shut up and tell me how to get out of here."

The late afternoon sunlight was turning the tips of the waves orange when we bobbed back to the surface. It would be late by the time we got to the Forsaken Fortress, but there was nothing I could do about that.

King and I made most of the trip in silence. I don't know what he was thinking about, but I was mostly trying not to think. I didn't have much faith in myself, really. But I knew that if I didn't save Aryll, it would have to be because I died. As long as I was alive, I would never stop trying. It was that simple.

As the sun sank below the horizon, something occurred to me. "Hey King?"

"Yes?"

"You said before, that you thought I was one of the only people who could stop Ganon?"

"Yes."

"Well…I think you're wrong. I think, with the proper motivation, just about anybody could be a hero."

"Do you?"

"Yeah! I mean, the only reason I got wrapped up in this is because of Aryll. If she hadn't been kidnapped, you'd be helping some other poor sucker save the world."

"Somehow…I doubt that."

"What do you mean?"

"You give people too much credit, Link, and yourself too little. If you were anyone else, you would have given Aryll up for dead the moment that bird snatched her away."

"What? I would never!"

"But most people would. Most people would not consider themselves capable of the things you have done. You are braver than you know, Link."

I stared at the horizon, the Forsaken Fortress already a dark blot. "I think Tetra would call me an idiot."

"I think Tetra is one of those people who covers her fears and worries with insults and bravado."

I blinked. "Wait…so you think she's worried about me?"

"Something like that."

I thought about that for a minute. "Cool."

Getting into the Fortress was actually easier this time. They still hadn't repaired most of the searchlights, and the massive wooden door to the dock was all cracked and warped. That's what happens when you let monsters do your maintenance.

It wasn't until I was out of King and starting up the steps to the main part of the Fortress that it occurred to me that I had no plan. At all. Not, of course, that it mattered once I got attacked by a giant phantom who could throw energy balls.

My first instinct was to flee, I'll admit, but wouldn't yours be? It was twice the size of a normal man, floating, and apparently made of shadow. And let's not forget the sword that was taller than I was. The first energy ball had missed, thankfully, but when it hit the ground it sort of… spread, and I couldn't run fast enough to escape the effects. It wasn't as bad as I'd thought it was going to be, but it left my legs numb. I could barely walk, much less run.

I drew the Master Sword and sent up a silent prayer.

The next ball of energy was better aimed then the first, probably since I was no longer a moving target. The only thing I could think of to do was try to hit it with my sword and hope it didn't just electrocute me.

It didn't. In fact, it bounced back at the shadowy phantom guy, who hit it with his shadowy phantom sword, bouncing it back toward me. I hit it, he hit it, I hit it, he hit it. Just as I was starting to wonder what the hell was going on, the phantom swung a hair too low and the energy ball struck him square in the chest.

He let out a cry that wasn't even close to human, and came crashing to the ground. Up close, he looked just as big, scary, and shadowy, but I had a sword that could "shine in the darkness, casting back evil." Wahoo.

Whatever that thing was made of, it wasn't flesh. It barely felt solid. The sword just swooshed right through it, leaving a kind of smoky trail instead of a wound. Somehow though, it seemed to be working, and once the shadow's head was separated from its body, the whole thing dissipated.

I took this as a good sign and made a run for it.

Not even twenty yards from the quickly-dissolving wisps of shadow that were all the remained of the phantom, I found a big spiky chest and a giant hammer. We're talking huge here. The hammer part was as big as my head. It had a skull on it too. Extremely badass. The phantom, I figured, was probably guarding this thing rather than the fortress itself. Not that the fortress was particularly well-guarded. Honestly.

Given the fact that I had just engaged in epic battle on the front steps of the fortress, I decided stealth would be kind of pointless. The skull hammer proved useful in clearing out monsters, since I could shake the very foundations of the building with one strike.

I made my way to Aryll's prison with little incident.

The door was twice as guarded as last time, but me and my hammer of badassitude made short work of them. I shoved the door open and headed straight for the cage.

Aryll leapt to her feet, followed shortly by the other two girls in there. "Big Brother!" she exclaimed. I was relieved to see she looked none the worse for wear. "You're okay! I was...worried."

"You were worried?" I said, aware that I was grinning like an idiot. "I'm not the one who got kidnapped." I tried to open the door to the cage, but it was locked.

"The cell won't open that easily!" a voice exclaimed from behind me. I whirled around, heart pounding.

Tetra grinned at me from the doorway, flanked by Gonzo and a pirate whose name I couldn't remember.

She shook her head. "There you go, acting before you think, as usual. I swear! Do you even realize that we had to draw that monster bird off for you? It was about to come flying in here after you again!"

"It was?" I looked up at the open ceiling, hand going to my sword automatically.

Tetra cocked her head at me. Then blinked. Then her eyes opened wide. "That sword! Where did you get that! Are you- Is it even possible? How could it be?"

"Am I what?" I asked, half-hoping she would ask.

She shook her head. "Well, never mind about that. For now, we'll just take these girls. I'm sure their fathers back at town will pay a handsome reward for their return."

"That's why you're doing this? For a reward?"

"Well I'm sure as hell not doing it to save your scrawny ass."

I smiled, remembering King's words. "Right…"

Gonzo ripped the door from its hinges with one mighty heave, and he and the other pirate escorted Aryll's cellmates out of the room and presumably to their ship.

Aryll smiled up at me. "I can't believe you really came to rescue me…"

"Well of course I did. What kind of brother would I be if I didn't risk life and limb to get you home safe?"

Tetra coughed. "I'm so sorry to interrupt such a heartwarming reunion, but isn't there still something you need to take care of?"

I looked at her. "You know about…"

She nodded. "And I'm guessing from that sword, things are a lot worse than I thought."

"You have no idea."

"Brother?" Aryll took hold of my sleeve. "What's going on?"

"If you're worried about your sister, don't be." Tetra gave me a little half smile. "I promise I'll deliver her safely back to your little island. Normally, I'd expect a huge reward for something like this, but this time, it's my treat!"

I returned the smile. "Thanks Tetra."

She looked startled, and shifted her gaze to my sister. "Listen, Aryll, your brother still has some things to take care of. Big, important, grownup things. He'll be back soon, so you just wait nice and quiet until he returns, okay?"

She tightened her grip on my sleeve. "But, Big Brother..."

Gonzo appeared back at the doorway. "Miss Tetra! We have to hurry! The bird will be here any second!"

"Gonzo! Excellent! You're just in time!" She removed Aryll's fingers from my sleeve and pulled her forward. "Take this one for me."

"Huh?" Gonzo looked down at her. "But she's-"

"She's fine! Just do as you're told!"

Gonzo shrugged and scooped Aryll up, depositing her over one shoulder.

"Big Brother!" she cried.

"It's fine Aryll," I called after her. "I know these guys, they're all right!"

Tetra followed Gonzo out the door, but glanced back at me once. "Link," shje said, her voice more serious than I'd ever heard it. "We'll be back. I swear it!"

I nodded. "I'll be waiting."

The door closed behind her with a sharp snap, and a click that I could only assume meant it was locked.

I was trapped.

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AN:

Lots of talking this chapter. Lots of thinking too. Moral ramifications and all that jazz. But look! Tetra's back! Yay Tetra!

I WAS going to have the fight with the Helmaroc King this chapter, but I've got about five minutes until midnight and I WILL keep to my schedule, dammit! Since I'm so short on time, no proof-reading for you! Shudder in horror at the typos!

Man I hate typos...