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
18
Zelda was weeping.
Collapsed against the still form of her guardian, the princess sobbed; deep cries that bespoke whole volumes of sorrow.
Zelda was weeping.
She cried for what had been, and now, what never would be again.
Zelda was weeping.
She mourned for Hyrule's bravest, and she mourned for a kingdom that would rebuild itself without a Hero of Time to stand such vigilant watch of Hyrule's loving, generous people, who may very well live in fear of what might happen without their Hero to protect them should a crisis ever arise. She wept in fear of what would happen when none was found worthy to take up the Master Sword in defense of Hyrule to stand and fight.
Zelda was weeping.
She mourned for all of this, and more. For while she knew that Fate, and the Goddesses, would choose another, there would never be anyone again…quite like him.
Zelda wept; and her people and fellow Sages wept with her. Indeed, all of creation cried out with Princess Zelda against the injustice that had taken the life of one so devoted to light and peace.
Zelda was weeping, and while she wept, the universe stood still, poised in a moment of all-consuming cessation for the selfless Hero that had died in the night.
Kate looked on, numb with anger and sorrow. She watched the sad scene, taking in every last detail. The Master Sword rested on the ground beside the fallen Hero, still gleaming in the dim light, though said glow was muted; as if in respect of the sacrifice given. The heartbroken princess wept on Link's chest; tiny, ethereal Navi, the faerie of whom Link had spoken, Kate was sure, was slumped against Link's shoulder, shedding tiny faerie tears for her lost companion.
Finally, Kate felt her own eyes beginning to burn as hot tears rolled down her face and she, too, started to weep. John wordlessly held her close as she shook from the silent cries. "It's not right," she murmured, voice cracking. "We saved his life just for this? It's not right…"
Zelda sniffed and dried her eyes, pulling herself up. She gazed with infinite sadness down upon the lifeless face of the Hero of Time. With one small, shaking hand, she reached down to brush his sandy hair from his face. Then, her eyes filled with tears once more as she traced the lines and contours of his face, as if committing it to memory. "Never in life," she said, voice carrying a small quaver, "was my guardian this much at peace." She laughed once, short and bitter.
The silence was consuming. There wasn't much anyone could say to that.
"Kiron," the dark-skinned redhead turned to the grizzled general. "What do we do now?"
He looked up at her from where he knelt on the cold ground, his face sad, eyes haunted and hopeless. His shoulders were slumped in defeat. "What can we do?" he countered, voice quiet; hushed. His eyes flickered back down to Link's body, then back up, the pain evident. "It's over."
"It can't be," she said stubbornly. "There's got to be something we can do!"
"Like what?" Kiron asked calmly.
The Gerudo's mouth formed a reply, but the golden eyes filled with pain, and she sighed, head hanging.
John swore. "This is so damn stupid," he said furiously. "That bastard never should've gotten away with it…"
A pillar shifted and fell in the ruin, and every pair of eyes snapped up to watch for further clamor.
When there was none, John's eyes narrowed. "Katie, hand me that sword. Kiron, can we borrow yours?"
The general nodded and handed over his blade.
John took it and offered Kate one. "Let's go check things out." He turned back to Kiron. "Watch over them?"
The general nodded. "Aye. I'll keep my eyes open. Be careful."
John nodded and turned back to Kate, who had taken the Master Sword from him, and the pair of them stepped into the ruin's impact circle. They picked their way through the rubble, scanning for signs of movement.
The ground began to rumble and shake beneath their feet, and out of nowhere, the rubble exploded outward as a figure shot up into the air. John acted on reflex and threw Kate to the ground to shield her from the flying granite with his own body.
In horror, they stared up at the figure that emerged from the pile of broken rock.
It was Ganondorf.
And he wasn't happy.
Kate pushed her partner off her as gently as she could and they both scramble to their feet, swords ready.
Though he was fighting for each breath he took, Ganondorf looked at them and started to laugh. "Fools!" he thundered. "Don't you know that the Hero of Time was the only mortal who could truly control the Master Sword? He was the last pitiful chance you had to defeat me! Don't you get it? I have won!"
He thrust his arms into the air and a cold glow surrounded him. "And now," he shouted, "I'll destroy you one pathetic little scum at a time…I look forward to crushing your bones to powder!"
The light moved around him, warping and shifting and molding him into a new form. Something demonic slammed a cloven hoof down on the ground, followed by a second as it came to rest. In each malformed, enormous hand was an equally malformed, enormous blade of iron, and golden eyes glowed malevolently down at the two transplanted Californians.
Kate gaped. And in two short-spoken, succinct, potent words, summed up the situation: "Ah, hell."
-Act IV-
Convergence
18
Zelda was weeping.
Collapsed against the still form of her guardian, the princess sobbed; deep cries that bespoke whole volumes of sorrow.
Zelda was weeping.
She cried for what had been, and now, what never would be again.
Zelda was weeping.
She mourned for Hyrule's bravest, and she mourned for a kingdom that would rebuild itself without a Hero of Time to stand such vigilant watch of Hyrule's loving, generous people, who may very well live in fear of what might happen without their Hero to protect them should a crisis ever arise. She wept in fear of what would happen when none was found worthy to take up the Master Sword in defense of Hyrule to stand and fight.
Zelda was weeping.
She mourned for all of this, and more. For while she knew that Fate, and the Goddesses, would choose another, there would never be anyone again…quite like him.
Zelda wept; and her people and fellow Sages wept with her. Indeed, all of creation cried out with Princess Zelda against the injustice that had taken the life of one so devoted to light and peace.
Zelda was weeping, and while she wept, the universe stood still, poised in a moment of all-consuming cessation for the selfless Hero that had died in the night.
Kate looked on, numb with anger and sorrow. She watched the sad scene, taking in every last detail. The Master Sword rested on the ground beside the fallen Hero, still gleaming in the dim light, though said glow was muted; as if in respect of the sacrifice given. The heartbroken princess wept on Link's chest; tiny, ethereal Navi, the faerie of whom Link had spoken, Kate was sure, was slumped against Link's shoulder, shedding tiny faerie tears for her lost companion.
Finally, Kate felt her own eyes beginning to burn as hot tears rolled down her face and she, too, started to weep. John wordlessly held her close as she shook from the silent cries. "It's not right," she murmured, voice cracking. "We saved his life just for this? It's not right…"
Zelda sniffed and dried her eyes, pulling herself up. She gazed with infinite sadness down upon the lifeless face of the Hero of Time. With one small, shaking hand, she reached down to brush his sandy hair from his face. Then, her eyes filled with tears once more as she traced the lines and contours of his face, as if committing it to memory. "Never in life," she said, voice carrying a small quaver, "was my guardian this much at peace." She laughed once, short and bitter.
The silence was consuming. There wasn't much anyone could say to that.
"Kiron," the dark-skinned redhead turned to the grizzled general. "What do we do now?"
He looked up at her from where he knelt on the cold ground, his face sad, eyes haunted and hopeless. His shoulders were slumped in defeat. "What can we do?" he countered, voice quiet; hushed. His eyes flickered back down to Link's body, then back up, the pain evident. "It's over."
"It can't be," she said stubbornly. "There's got to be something we can do!"
"Like what?" Kiron asked calmly.
The Gerudo's mouth formed a reply, but the golden eyes filled with pain, and she sighed, head hanging.
John swore. "This is so damn stupid," he said furiously. "That bastard never should've gotten away with it…"
A pillar shifted and fell in the ruin, and every pair of eyes snapped up to watch for further clamor.
When there was none, John's eyes narrowed. "Katie, hand me that sword. Kiron, can we borrow yours?"
The general nodded and handed over his blade.
John took it and offered Kate one. "Let's go check things out." He turned back to Kiron. "Watch over them?"
The general nodded. "Aye. I'll keep my eyes open. Be careful."
John nodded and turned back to Kate, who had taken the Master Sword from him, and the pair of them stepped into the ruin's impact circle. They picked their way through the rubble, scanning for signs of movement.
The ground began to rumble and shake beneath their feet, and out of nowhere, the rubble exploded outward as a figure shot up into the air. John acted on reflex and threw Kate to the ground to shield her from the flying granite with his own body.
In horror, they stared up at the figure that emerged from the pile of broken rock.
It was Ganondorf.
And he wasn't happy.
Kate pushed her partner off her as gently as she could and they both scramble to their feet, swords ready.
Though he was fighting for each breath he took, Ganondorf looked at them and started to laugh. "Fools!" he thundered. "Don't you know that the Hero of Time was the only mortal who could truly control the Master Sword? He was the last pitiful chance you had to defeat me! Don't you get it? I have won!"
He thrust his arms into the air and a cold glow surrounded him. "And now," he shouted, "I'll destroy you one pathetic little scum at a time…I look forward to crushing your bones to powder!"
The light moved around him, warping and shifting and molding him into a new form. Something demonic slammed a cloven hoof down on the ground, followed by a second as it came to rest. In each malformed, enormous hand was an equally malformed, enormous blade of iron, and golden eyes glowed malevolently down at the two transplanted Californians.
Kate gaped. And in two short-spoken, succinct, potent words, summed up the situation: "Ah, hell."