A/N: This is the first LoZ fic I ever wrote seriously. It actually was started about three years ago and has been finished on and off after having survived through three hiatuses and a serious consideration of scrapping. But I decided to give it another chance, and am actually quite pleased with the results. Rated PG-13 for violence and Link's surprisingly dirty mouth; warnings include angst, sadness, violence, Link/Zelda pairing (no citrus), and alternate realities. The timeline I'm basing things on is a quasi-alternate-reality of my own creation: I base most if not all of my Zelda fanfiction on the idea that all the deeds done and chronicled in the Zelda games (with the exception of the Wind Waker for obvious reasons) were the deeds of one brave young lad chosen by Destiny and the three Goddesses as the Hero of Time, the Legendary Hero. Oh. And I don't own Linky (more's the pity) or Zelda or any of the game's other characters. They are copyrighted to Miyamoto Shigeru-san and Nintendo, the lucky bastards. I own, however, sole copyright of each and every one of my original characters. Steal them and I will hunt you down and break your elbows. Remember: A vague threat is no one's friend. And also, this act is where things kind of get silly. Just keep in mind that most o the time while I was writing this I was in high school and that I've improved dramatically since almost four years ago, AND I had no idea what I was doing when I did start it. So if it seems a little far-fetched...deal with it. xp
-Act II-
-Dimensional Refugees-
10
Link wandered through a dusty maze, wind whipping sand around that stung his face and arms as he meandered through the halls. He lost his way quite quickly, and cursed himself for not paying attention. "You stupid, directionless jerk," he said acidly, the words carried away on the wind almost as soon as he'd spoken them. Looking up at the unforgiving, bleak grey clouds hanging low overhead, Link squared his shoulders and started forward once more. Coming to a bend in the corridor, he turned right and saw a figure in the distance reaching out imploringly toward him, her golden hair and snow-colored gown snapping and blowing in the fierce wind.
The Princess Zelda.
Link took a step toward her, and was almost knocked off his feet when a huge gust of wind blew into him, almost seeming to try and keep him from his goal. Straining, he struggled into the wind, staggering forward against its towering blows. Strangely, no matter how far he walked, Link never seemed to get any closer to the pleading figure.
Sand stung his face and arms as he pushed forward, determined not to give up. Link continued his futile race against the wind, when, suddenly, an enormous blast, stronger and more solid than the wind had been previous, blew into him, throwing him onto his back. He lay on the ground for a moment, dazed and stunned, the air knocked from his lungs. Link coughed once and pulled himself up.
Upon standing, his eyes widened in surprise.
Zelda was gone.
"No!" he roared, slamming one fist angrily into the wall as he swore savagely.
There was a dry, fiendish cackle that seemed to float down out of the air. "My, such language," the voice said, and Link felt the hair on the back of his neck rise. "Tell me, boy," and there was no mistaking the snide tone of voice, "do you like my prison? I've grown rather fond of it, seen as how I've been here so long, thanks to you."
Link's eyes narrowed suspiciously, as, for the first time, had some inkling to where he was. He decided to drop any pretense. He was a prisoner of the evil sorcerer's whim, and he knew it. Ganondorf knew it, too. There was no need to feign politeness. "I see. And where, exactly, would 'here' be?" he asked bluntly.
"You were never taught proper manners," Ganondorf sulked. Then he told Link the awful truth. "'Here', boy, is the Evil Realm, my prison away from home, and now yours, as well. You're going to be here as long as I want you to be, and there is not a single, solitary thing you can do about it."
"Over my dead body," Link growled savagely.
Ganondorf laughed. "I certainly hope so," he replied pleasantly. "That's kind of the reason you're here. Wouldn't be any fun, otherwise. So start running, Kokiri. You'll need the head start."
Link walked slowly forward, his hands holding tightly to his massive broadsword. The walls around him seemed to melt away, revealing a bland, featureless tan-colored plain that stretched for miles, the sky meeting the ground farther away than seemed possible. Link kept glancing around himself, positive that any second, something rather large and nasty was bound to come shooting out at him from somewhere he couldn't see.
Link was right, of course, though the particularly large and nasty thing that happened was a little bit invisible at the time, and directly behind him.
Something slammed into Link's back, hard. He went sprawling forward onto that ground, and bit back a curse as his teeth ground into his lower lip. Biggoron's Sword went clattering away over the sandy ground.
There was faint laughter coming from somewhere distant; snide, cold cackling that made Link's blood run cold and the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He pushed himself slowly to his feet and took a step toward his sword.
A figure materialized in front of him. Tall, dark, and evil, Ganondorf Dragmire Stood over the Hero of Time, smiling a smile that was equal parts smugness and ego. "Not a chance," he said quietly. "You're on my turf, boy. You think I'm just going to let you walk, in here and try to take me down? Think again."
He reached one hand under the swirling crimson cloak that draped about his shoulders, and withdrew a black iron sword that chilled the air around them. Impossibly huge, the dark blade was at least a good six feet long, with an ax-like curve at the tip, made perfect for the horizontal swipe that would either disembowel or behead its opponent.
Either way, Link didn't like his chances.
He stared at Ganondorf's massive sword for a moment, ant then darted out and around, tucking into a swift roll as the King of Evil swung the blade at him. He scrambled forward, and snatched his sword up from the ground, whirling to block his enemy's next swing. He staggered backward from the force of it. Exerting all his strength, Link pushed against Ganondorf, who would not let up. He kept shoving into Link, hoping to push the Hylian to the ground.
Taking an enormous risk, Link lashed out with one foot and booted Ganondorf in the stomach.
The oppressor lurched backward, doubling over as the air was knocked from his lungs. Link took the opportunity to swing downward at Ganondorf's head.
The great black blade came up once more, and sparks flew as the iron collided with the indestructible steel. "You're hopelessly outmatched, boy," Ganondorf said snidely. "Give up while you still can, and I may…spare your princess," he said tauntingly.
"Not a chance," Link snarled, pulling a wide, one-handed arc with the broadsword, the blade whistling through the air.
Ganondorf stood quite still. "Have it your way, then," he said, and as the blade came for him, the sorcerer vanished. "Enjoy the show, boy."
The wind kicked up once more, and Link squinted into the dust flying ferociously across the plain. There was a platform not far away, and it hovered a good twenty feet into the air, the black basalt seeming to shimmer in the heat.
Three figures stood on the platform.
Link started to run.
Ganondorf turned to his soldier, Joreth the deserter, and nodded.
Joreth, smiling wickedly, drew his sword and stepped the two paces across the platform to stand behind Princess Zelda.
He placed the tip of his sword against her back. Link skidded to a stop on the loose sand. Pulling free his bow, he took desperate aim and fired at the platform.
Ganondorf raised a hand and knocked the projectile away with great ease.
And then he returned fire. With the same hand, he threw a ball of pitch black energy straight at the Hero of Time. Link saw it coming and veered wildly around it. He once more started to run, and glanced over his shoulder. To his horror, the black ball was still coming straight at him. It was following him, and gaining fast. Link threw himself to the ground just as the beam caught up with him. Rolling to a stop, he watched as it shot past him and turned around once more.
He raced to his feet and brought his arms up in front of his face.
The beam came straight at him and exploded against his forearms.
Link was thrown backwards to land with a painful jolt on the ground.
He stood up, ignoring the burning pain in his arms, and started to run again.
Ganondorf was not about to be ignored so easily. He threw a second beam of black, about the size of his head at Link.
The Hero of Time ignored it, dodging around to continue his mad dash toward the platform.
The beam, as it had before, swung around and raced after him, picking up speed as it went. Link could sense it gaining on him, and tried to pick up his pace a little, tearing with frantic dread toward his Princess.
The beam smashed into Link's back, throwing him to the ground. As it did, something in his back snapped and his legs went numb. He collapsed onto the ground, scraping his chin and elbows on the rough dirt.
As he watched, Ganondorf nodded to his soldier. "Do it," he said.
"With pleasure," Joreth replied.
With calm, deliberate slowness, Joreth held his sword at Zelda's back and pushed.
"No!" Link roared as her eyes widened for a horribly long moment, and then closed one final time as she slid limply off the traitor's blade.
The last of his strength spent, the Hero of Time collapsed back to the ground with a broken spine and began to weep like a brokenhearted child.
-Act II-
-Dimensional Refugees-
10
Link wandered through a dusty maze, wind whipping sand around that stung his face and arms as he meandered through the halls. He lost his way quite quickly, and cursed himself for not paying attention. "You stupid, directionless jerk," he said acidly, the words carried away on the wind almost as soon as he'd spoken them. Looking up at the unforgiving, bleak grey clouds hanging low overhead, Link squared his shoulders and started forward once more. Coming to a bend in the corridor, he turned right and saw a figure in the distance reaching out imploringly toward him, her golden hair and snow-colored gown snapping and blowing in the fierce wind.
The Princess Zelda.
Link took a step toward her, and was almost knocked off his feet when a huge gust of wind blew into him, almost seeming to try and keep him from his goal. Straining, he struggled into the wind, staggering forward against its towering blows. Strangely, no matter how far he walked, Link never seemed to get any closer to the pleading figure.
Sand stung his face and arms as he pushed forward, determined not to give up. Link continued his futile race against the wind, when, suddenly, an enormous blast, stronger and more solid than the wind had been previous, blew into him, throwing him onto his back. He lay on the ground for a moment, dazed and stunned, the air knocked from his lungs. Link coughed once and pulled himself up.
Upon standing, his eyes widened in surprise.
Zelda was gone.
"No!" he roared, slamming one fist angrily into the wall as he swore savagely.
There was a dry, fiendish cackle that seemed to float down out of the air. "My, such language," the voice said, and Link felt the hair on the back of his neck rise. "Tell me, boy," and there was no mistaking the snide tone of voice, "do you like my prison? I've grown rather fond of it, seen as how I've been here so long, thanks to you."
Link's eyes narrowed suspiciously, as, for the first time, had some inkling to where he was. He decided to drop any pretense. He was a prisoner of the evil sorcerer's whim, and he knew it. Ganondorf knew it, too. There was no need to feign politeness. "I see. And where, exactly, would 'here' be?" he asked bluntly.
"You were never taught proper manners," Ganondorf sulked. Then he told Link the awful truth. "'Here', boy, is the Evil Realm, my prison away from home, and now yours, as well. You're going to be here as long as I want you to be, and there is not a single, solitary thing you can do about it."
"Over my dead body," Link growled savagely.
Ganondorf laughed. "I certainly hope so," he replied pleasantly. "That's kind of the reason you're here. Wouldn't be any fun, otherwise. So start running, Kokiri. You'll need the head start."
Link walked slowly forward, his hands holding tightly to his massive broadsword. The walls around him seemed to melt away, revealing a bland, featureless tan-colored plain that stretched for miles, the sky meeting the ground farther away than seemed possible. Link kept glancing around himself, positive that any second, something rather large and nasty was bound to come shooting out at him from somewhere he couldn't see.
Link was right, of course, though the particularly large and nasty thing that happened was a little bit invisible at the time, and directly behind him.
Something slammed into Link's back, hard. He went sprawling forward onto that ground, and bit back a curse as his teeth ground into his lower lip. Biggoron's Sword went clattering away over the sandy ground.
There was faint laughter coming from somewhere distant; snide, cold cackling that made Link's blood run cold and the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He pushed himself slowly to his feet and took a step toward his sword.
A figure materialized in front of him. Tall, dark, and evil, Ganondorf Dragmire Stood over the Hero of Time, smiling a smile that was equal parts smugness and ego. "Not a chance," he said quietly. "You're on my turf, boy. You think I'm just going to let you walk, in here and try to take me down? Think again."
He reached one hand under the swirling crimson cloak that draped about his shoulders, and withdrew a black iron sword that chilled the air around them. Impossibly huge, the dark blade was at least a good six feet long, with an ax-like curve at the tip, made perfect for the horizontal swipe that would either disembowel or behead its opponent.
Either way, Link didn't like his chances.
He stared at Ganondorf's massive sword for a moment, ant then darted out and around, tucking into a swift roll as the King of Evil swung the blade at him. He scrambled forward, and snatched his sword up from the ground, whirling to block his enemy's next swing. He staggered backward from the force of it. Exerting all his strength, Link pushed against Ganondorf, who would not let up. He kept shoving into Link, hoping to push the Hylian to the ground.
Taking an enormous risk, Link lashed out with one foot and booted Ganondorf in the stomach.
The oppressor lurched backward, doubling over as the air was knocked from his lungs. Link took the opportunity to swing downward at Ganondorf's head.
The great black blade came up once more, and sparks flew as the iron collided with the indestructible steel. "You're hopelessly outmatched, boy," Ganondorf said snidely. "Give up while you still can, and I may…spare your princess," he said tauntingly.
"Not a chance," Link snarled, pulling a wide, one-handed arc with the broadsword, the blade whistling through the air.
Ganondorf stood quite still. "Have it your way, then," he said, and as the blade came for him, the sorcerer vanished. "Enjoy the show, boy."
The wind kicked up once more, and Link squinted into the dust flying ferociously across the plain. There was a platform not far away, and it hovered a good twenty feet into the air, the black basalt seeming to shimmer in the heat.
Three figures stood on the platform.
Link started to run.
Ganondorf turned to his soldier, Joreth the deserter, and nodded.
Joreth, smiling wickedly, drew his sword and stepped the two paces across the platform to stand behind Princess Zelda.
He placed the tip of his sword against her back. Link skidded to a stop on the loose sand. Pulling free his bow, he took desperate aim and fired at the platform.
Ganondorf raised a hand and knocked the projectile away with great ease.
And then he returned fire. With the same hand, he threw a ball of pitch black energy straight at the Hero of Time. Link saw it coming and veered wildly around it. He once more started to run, and glanced over his shoulder. To his horror, the black ball was still coming straight at him. It was following him, and gaining fast. Link threw himself to the ground just as the beam caught up with him. Rolling to a stop, he watched as it shot past him and turned around once more.
He raced to his feet and brought his arms up in front of his face.
The beam came straight at him and exploded against his forearms.
Link was thrown backwards to land with a painful jolt on the ground.
He stood up, ignoring the burning pain in his arms, and started to run again.
Ganondorf was not about to be ignored so easily. He threw a second beam of black, about the size of his head at Link.
The Hero of Time ignored it, dodging around to continue his mad dash toward the platform.
The beam, as it had before, swung around and raced after him, picking up speed as it went. Link could sense it gaining on him, and tried to pick up his pace a little, tearing with frantic dread toward his Princess.
The beam smashed into Link's back, throwing him to the ground. As it did, something in his back snapped and his legs went numb. He collapsed onto the ground, scraping his chin and elbows on the rough dirt.
As he watched, Ganondorf nodded to his soldier. "Do it," he said.
"With pleasure," Joreth replied.
With calm, deliberate slowness, Joreth held his sword at Zelda's back and pushed.
"No!" Link roared as her eyes widened for a horribly long moment, and then closed one final time as she slid limply off the traitor's blade.
The last of his strength spent, the Hero of Time collapsed back to the ground with a broken spine and began to weep like a brokenhearted child.