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.
-Act IV-
Convergence
6
Kiron peered down the last bit of the short stretch of the passageway before it connected with the throne room. Luckily, the entrance to the throne room was behind several large stone carvings, so they weren't easily noticed. "This is it," he said. "Are you ready to go?"
"Respectfully restating our desire to give him hell, sir," Akana said with a vindictive grin.
Kiron couldn't help but smile. "Good spirit, soldier," he nodded. "Let's go." Motioning, Kiron counted to three, and then gave the order. The small brigade surged forward and out past the stone statues and into the sea of startled people. Ganondorf stared in shock at the incoming tide of Hylian soldiers for but a moment, and then turned his own venomous gaze to his own soldiers.
"Don't just stand there, you idiots!" the King of Evil bellowed. "Kill them! Kill them all!!"
Kiron suddenly found himself awash in a sea of opponents. He had hoped to be able to keep an eye on his own soldiers, but that now seemed impossible as five men surrounded him, all attacking at once.
Kiron, however, hadn't lived as long as he had by reacting slowly. Before almost any time had passed, Kiron was the only one left standing in his small circle. A furious blur of motion had taken all of his aggressors down with it. He grinned. "So there, Link. Next time you want to call me old, I'll just bring up this little house party. Heh."
Kiron looked around to see where he could be most of use to his men and saw Akana being backed up against a wall by eight different members of Ganondorf's personal guard. "Mmm…" he squinted at them, "one…two…thr-eight of you…and, let's see…only two of us…gee, I'm worried." With that, Kiron threw himself into the fight. It was becoming possible that his meager forces might have a shot at winning. Kiron paused, bent over, and wiped his longsword clean on the tunic of one of the fallen, and surveyed the field of battle once again. Noticing something, he grinned wickedly. Ganondorf, for the moment, at least, was unprotected. It wasn't an opportunity he could bring himself to pass up.
Before the King of Evil knew what had happened, there was a very irate Hylian general standing on the dais with a large, very sharp sword in his face, the tip resting lightly against his neck. "What-" he started, but a little pressure from Kiron's unwavering blade told him that the most prudent course was to hold his tongue.
"Call off your men," Kiron said quietly, "or I start pushing." He smiled.
Ganondorf didn't say anything.
"Do it," Kiron growled, pressing the tip of his sword ever so slightly.
Ganondorf reluctantly called his men to a halt. They stared at him in shock. One even went so far as to start moving forward, but Kiron waved his free hand in the man's direction. "Don't do it unless you want him dead," he warned.
The soldier stopped.
Kiron smiled. "See how much easier this is if we all agree? Now, have them drop their weapons."
Again, Ganondorf refused to reply.
Kiron pressed hard enough to pierce the skin. "Do you want a second smile?" he asked savagely.
"Do as he says," Ganondorf said sullenly.
"But-sire!" one of his men objected.
Kiron's eyes went hard. "Wrong answer," he said flatly.
Valik stepped up behind the objecting soldier and rapped him sharply across the back of his head with the hilt of his sword. The man's eyes glazed over and he toppled limply to the ground.
Kiron smiled. "Thank you, Lieutenant." He turned back to Ganondorf. "Now, I'm really not the type of person who kills a defenseless man in cold blood," he said pleasantly, "but I know if I let you live, you'll just come back and raise hell all over again."
Akana listened warily to Kiron's conversation with the King of Evil, a growing sense of unease kicking him swiftly in the head. Suddenly, and with horrible clarity, Akana realized what the problem was. And he also realized that there was another reason besides the Legendary Master Sword that made Link the only individual who could be in such close range with Ganondorf for an extended period of time.
The Triforce.
The Triforce of Power, which had been in the King of Evil's grasp for years now, had been twisted and corrupted by that vile sorcerer's evil, black heart. And anyone who was within its presence for too long inevitably became corrupted as well. It wasn't simply a matter of skill. Kiron was one of the most skilled swordsmen in all of Hyrule. It was the protection Link received from the Triforce of Courage. It shielded his innocence from the effects of the Power segment that Ganondorf carried within his black heart. This was wrong. Akana knew it. And he also knew that if he didn't get Kiron away from it in time, the grizzled general was doomed.
Carefully and unobtrusively, Akana started to edge toward the dais, without any real plan of how he was going to get Kiron away from the King of Evil. He simply knew something had to be done, and it had to be done now. "I've got to get him away from there," he murmured to himself, "before he's driven mad."
Meanwhile, up before the throne, Kiron was deteriorating rapidly. He glared unsteadily at Ganondorf, a self-satisfied smile on his face. This was not good. "On your knees, scum," Kiron spat. He didn't even realize that his own soldiers were beginning to look at him with something akin to fear.
Ganondorf sneered at him. "Or what?"
"This," Kiron said simply, and once more, started to push.
The tip of his sword dug once more into Ganondorf's neck, and the evil king glared at Kiron, sliding reluctantly to his knees.
Kiron raised his sword high over his head, not even realizing that this is a very bad position to be in when someone is at a lower height than you.
With a cold, smug smile, Ganondorf balled his fists together and drove them hard into Kiron's stomach. The general tried to inhale, his sword dropping from suddenly numb fingers to hit the floor with a loud clang that resounded in the stunned silence. He collapsed to his knees, trying to breathe without much success. Akana gaped.
Ganondorf slowly rose to his feet, wiping the blood away from his chin. He drew the heavy iron sword that had become his trademark and began to pull it slowly toward the ceiling.
"No!" Akana roared, dashing forward from his place of concealment behind the draped tapestries that lined the room. Ganondorf turned that baleful golden stare on the determined lieutenant, who slid to a stop, suddenly frozen in place by the piercing stare. The King of Evil's eyes narrowed, glowing with a sudden crimson fire. Akana's mind screamed for a defense, for him to move out of the way, for something, but he couldn't seem to get his feet to respond to his brains commands, and simply stood there, frozen by his fear. Ganondorf took an appraising look at Akana and smiled.
He raised a hand and watched clinically as a ball of pulsating black energy swirled about his fingertips. And still, Akana was helpless to do anything. He had to stand and merely watch as the great ball of darkness shot toward him. The ball made contact, sending the soldier flying. He careened through the air, to slam hard against the far wall, and there was a sickening crunch as something cracked. Akana slid limply to the floor and didn't move.
Kiron just prayed it wasn't the boy's neck. Still gasping, Kiron very quietly started to swear.
Moments later, he would learn that being on one's knees is a very bad place to be when one has just pissed off a very large, very dangerous man. Ganondorf sauntered back over to Kiron and delivered a swift kick to the general's ribs that set him writhing on the floor in pain. Ganondorf kicked Kiron twice more just for the fun of it, smiling when he heard the snapping sound that told him that he had broken ribs. Satisfied that he had made a good example of the Hylian general, he delivered the final blow-a beam of pure darkness that that sent Kiron spiraling down into oblivion.
Oh, damn…Kiron thought, This was really stupid. Goddesses forgive me if I've gotten anyone killed…
Before he lost consciousness, Kiron heard Ganondorf start to laugh as he ordered that Kiron and his men be rounded up and sent to the dungeon while they awaited his decided punishment.
-Act IV-
Convergence
6
Kiron peered down the last bit of the short stretch of the passageway before it connected with the throne room. Luckily, the entrance to the throne room was behind several large stone carvings, so they weren't easily noticed. "This is it," he said. "Are you ready to go?"
"Respectfully restating our desire to give him hell, sir," Akana said with a vindictive grin.
Kiron couldn't help but smile. "Good spirit, soldier," he nodded. "Let's go." Motioning, Kiron counted to three, and then gave the order. The small brigade surged forward and out past the stone statues and into the sea of startled people. Ganondorf stared in shock at the incoming tide of Hylian soldiers for but a moment, and then turned his own venomous gaze to his own soldiers.
"Don't just stand there, you idiots!" the King of Evil bellowed. "Kill them! Kill them all!!"
Kiron suddenly found himself awash in a sea of opponents. He had hoped to be able to keep an eye on his own soldiers, but that now seemed impossible as five men surrounded him, all attacking at once.
Kiron, however, hadn't lived as long as he had by reacting slowly. Before almost any time had passed, Kiron was the only one left standing in his small circle. A furious blur of motion had taken all of his aggressors down with it. He grinned. "So there, Link. Next time you want to call me old, I'll just bring up this little house party. Heh."
Kiron looked around to see where he could be most of use to his men and saw Akana being backed up against a wall by eight different members of Ganondorf's personal guard. "Mmm…" he squinted at them, "one…two…thr-eight of you…and, let's see…only two of us…gee, I'm worried." With that, Kiron threw himself into the fight. It was becoming possible that his meager forces might have a shot at winning. Kiron paused, bent over, and wiped his longsword clean on the tunic of one of the fallen, and surveyed the field of battle once again. Noticing something, he grinned wickedly. Ganondorf, for the moment, at least, was unprotected. It wasn't an opportunity he could bring himself to pass up.
Before the King of Evil knew what had happened, there was a very irate Hylian general standing on the dais with a large, very sharp sword in his face, the tip resting lightly against his neck. "What-" he started, but a little pressure from Kiron's unwavering blade told him that the most prudent course was to hold his tongue.
"Call off your men," Kiron said quietly, "or I start pushing." He smiled.
Ganondorf didn't say anything.
"Do it," Kiron growled, pressing the tip of his sword ever so slightly.
Ganondorf reluctantly called his men to a halt. They stared at him in shock. One even went so far as to start moving forward, but Kiron waved his free hand in the man's direction. "Don't do it unless you want him dead," he warned.
The soldier stopped.
Kiron smiled. "See how much easier this is if we all agree? Now, have them drop their weapons."
Again, Ganondorf refused to reply.
Kiron pressed hard enough to pierce the skin. "Do you want a second smile?" he asked savagely.
"Do as he says," Ganondorf said sullenly.
"But-sire!" one of his men objected.
Kiron's eyes went hard. "Wrong answer," he said flatly.
Valik stepped up behind the objecting soldier and rapped him sharply across the back of his head with the hilt of his sword. The man's eyes glazed over and he toppled limply to the ground.
Kiron smiled. "Thank you, Lieutenant." He turned back to Ganondorf. "Now, I'm really not the type of person who kills a defenseless man in cold blood," he said pleasantly, "but I know if I let you live, you'll just come back and raise hell all over again."
Akana listened warily to Kiron's conversation with the King of Evil, a growing sense of unease kicking him swiftly in the head. Suddenly, and with horrible clarity, Akana realized what the problem was. And he also realized that there was another reason besides the Legendary Master Sword that made Link the only individual who could be in such close range with Ganondorf for an extended period of time.
The Triforce.
The Triforce of Power, which had been in the King of Evil's grasp for years now, had been twisted and corrupted by that vile sorcerer's evil, black heart. And anyone who was within its presence for too long inevitably became corrupted as well. It wasn't simply a matter of skill. Kiron was one of the most skilled swordsmen in all of Hyrule. It was the protection Link received from the Triforce of Courage. It shielded his innocence from the effects of the Power segment that Ganondorf carried within his black heart. This was wrong. Akana knew it. And he also knew that if he didn't get Kiron away from it in time, the grizzled general was doomed.
Carefully and unobtrusively, Akana started to edge toward the dais, without any real plan of how he was going to get Kiron away from the King of Evil. He simply knew something had to be done, and it had to be done now. "I've got to get him away from there," he murmured to himself, "before he's driven mad."
Meanwhile, up before the throne, Kiron was deteriorating rapidly. He glared unsteadily at Ganondorf, a self-satisfied smile on his face. This was not good. "On your knees, scum," Kiron spat. He didn't even realize that his own soldiers were beginning to look at him with something akin to fear.
Ganondorf sneered at him. "Or what?"
"This," Kiron said simply, and once more, started to push.
The tip of his sword dug once more into Ganondorf's neck, and the evil king glared at Kiron, sliding reluctantly to his knees.
Kiron raised his sword high over his head, not even realizing that this is a very bad position to be in when someone is at a lower height than you.
With a cold, smug smile, Ganondorf balled his fists together and drove them hard into Kiron's stomach. The general tried to inhale, his sword dropping from suddenly numb fingers to hit the floor with a loud clang that resounded in the stunned silence. He collapsed to his knees, trying to breathe without much success. Akana gaped.
Ganondorf slowly rose to his feet, wiping the blood away from his chin. He drew the heavy iron sword that had become his trademark and began to pull it slowly toward the ceiling.
"No!" Akana roared, dashing forward from his place of concealment behind the draped tapestries that lined the room. Ganondorf turned that baleful golden stare on the determined lieutenant, who slid to a stop, suddenly frozen in place by the piercing stare. The King of Evil's eyes narrowed, glowing with a sudden crimson fire. Akana's mind screamed for a defense, for him to move out of the way, for something, but he couldn't seem to get his feet to respond to his brains commands, and simply stood there, frozen by his fear. Ganondorf took an appraising look at Akana and smiled.
He raised a hand and watched clinically as a ball of pulsating black energy swirled about his fingertips. And still, Akana was helpless to do anything. He had to stand and merely watch as the great ball of darkness shot toward him. The ball made contact, sending the soldier flying. He careened through the air, to slam hard against the far wall, and there was a sickening crunch as something cracked. Akana slid limply to the floor and didn't move.
Kiron just prayed it wasn't the boy's neck. Still gasping, Kiron very quietly started to swear.
Moments later, he would learn that being on one's knees is a very bad place to be when one has just pissed off a very large, very dangerous man. Ganondorf sauntered back over to Kiron and delivered a swift kick to the general's ribs that set him writhing on the floor in pain. Ganondorf kicked Kiron twice more just for the fun of it, smiling when he heard the snapping sound that told him that he had broken ribs. Satisfied that he had made a good example of the Hylian general, he delivered the final blow-a beam of pure darkness that that sent Kiron spiraling down into oblivion.
Oh, damn…Kiron thought, This was really stupid. Goddesses forgive me if I've gotten anyone killed…
Before he lost consciousness, Kiron heard Ganondorf start to laugh as he ordered that Kiron and his men be rounded up and sent to the dungeon while they awaited his decided punishment.