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
23
Link darted beneath a precariously hanging column and dove beneath the tail of the huge behemoth that was Ganon, coming up with the Master Sword in hand. Ganon still hadn't seen him yet, and he wanted to preserve the element of surprise. He kept concealed and made his way carefully to where Kate and John were huddled. "Hey! John! Find cover!" he hissed.
John stared. "Link!" A pause. "You're not dead?"
Link cracked a grin. "Not anymore. Now get her to safety!"
John nodded, knowing there was no time to waste and that the Hero would explain everything later at a safer time, and gathered a still-unconscious Kate into his arms, dashing for the other end of the battlefield where Kiron and the others sat.
Link, however, swung the Master Sword in a blue blur, bringing it down with a roar against the behemoth's huge tail.
Ganon roared in agony as the sacred Blade of Evil's Bane bit into his flesh, and whirled, baleful golden eyes widening in absolute shock at the Hylian warrior before him. With a snarl of rage, he swung one huge blade at Link, a blow that would have cut the boy in two had it connected.
Link dodged nimbly out of the way, much quicker to move than the lumbering monster, and clambered up onto his back. Calling forth Din's crimson flame, he watched it flare up around his hands as it had in the dungeon on Death Mountain, and shook his head. It wasn't enough. "Hotter!" he shouted at it, and the crimson flame grew brighter, flames beginning to lick at the Master Sword's steel blade. "Hotter!" he commanded again, and the flames began to snap and roar around the sword. With an approving nod, he reversed the blade in one hand while clinging to the monster's back, and brought it swiftly and unstoppably down into Ganon's back, right at the base of the nearly non-existent neck.
Ganon bellowed in agony, stumbling at the fire that hit when the sword bit through his skin and down into muscle and bone.
Though the blood pouring out and spurting upward nearly blinded the boy, Link gritted his teeth and pushed on, twisting the blade in Ganon's back. He gave it a savage yank, widening the wound and dragging another howl from the beast. More crimson blood flowed out, and Link squinted past the redness to the tendon and muscle he could see surrounding the top of Ganon's spine. He pulled the Master Sword out while Ganon thrashed and writhed, trying to remove his aggressor from his back, and slammed the great blade down once again, severing the tendon and muscle in one sweeping blow. He leaped free, diving and rolling to his feet just out of range of the behemoth's collapse.
Ganon hit the ground, body shuddering violently at the burning pain that refused to stop.
Link walked slowly around to stand before his enemy's face, the goddess's flame still burning around his hands and along the blade.
"Now, boy! Finish it!" Impa roared, hands cupped over her mouth so he could hear her. "He's down! Strike! End this for Hyrule!"
Link's jaw set, and his eyes went hard and cold when they rested on Ganon's own golden gaze. "Rot in hell," he growled at his tormentor, and, lifting the blade, let loose with a roar of unbridled fury at everything, every moment of torment, pain, aggravation…
Everything he'd ever suffered and lost at the hands of the King of Evil. The flaming blade whistled repeatedly through the air, cutting ant slicing at Ganon's face, the fire glowing brighter and brighter with each degree increase of Link's rage. He didn't stop until the light from the fire was so blinding that he was lost inside its angry glow.
When the light finally faded, the last of the flames flickering away, Link had one hand on the Master Sword. The blade was buried to the hilt in the forehead of the Gerudo King, right between his eyes; his huge body seizing and shuddering in his last throes of pain and death.
He gave one last, rattling breath, and was still. Link withdrew the sword, and put its point against the ground. Dropping to his knees, he leaned against it, his forehead against the hilt's crosspiece, eyes closed. The slick coating of Ganon's blood covered him now nearly head to toe, and as his friends watched, Zelda swallowed hard and walked over to stand silently behind her champion. "Link…" she started, reaching out a hand toward him.
"Don't," he said sharply, though his voice shook with the effort to keep everything in check. "Don't touch me."
Whether he shook because the blood or the hurt inside, she wasn't sure…
But the subtle, soft shake of his shoulders as he breathed betrayed him.
Tears were falling from the face of the Hero of Time, cutting clean paths through the red that stained him, dripping on the ground. Zelda bit her lip, wondering how much of the pain was her fault…and knowing that she was to blame for more than she wanted to know about.
"Tell me one thing," he said, voice barely audible.
"Anything," she vowed, dropping to her knees beside him, unheeding of the blood that began staining her own clothes and skin.
He turned tortured blue eyes to her, the haunted, agonized orbs making her want to cry and pull him close and give whatever comfort she could. She held back, though. He sighed, eyes closing for a moment, and when they opened again, the pain in them seemed so deep that Zelda couldn't keep from shedding a few tears of her own as her heart twisted. "I'll tell you anything," she whispered again.
He looked away. "Just tell me it's over," he pled. He bowed his head once more, forehead coming to rest against the sword's hilt. "Please just tell me it's over."
She put one hand over her mouth, her own tears flowing freely as she wept in silent acknowledgment of his pain. "It's over," she whispered. "It's finally over."
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A/N: Well, that wraps up Act 4. This is almost done, kiddies! And then it's back to work on my Metroid Prime novelization, which will go up here along with the Fusion one. Hope you've enjoyed Culture Shock as much as I enjoyed writing it, and thanks so much for all the positive feedback!
-Act IV-
Convergence
23
Link darted beneath a precariously hanging column and dove beneath the tail of the huge behemoth that was Ganon, coming up with the Master Sword in hand. Ganon still hadn't seen him yet, and he wanted to preserve the element of surprise. He kept concealed and made his way carefully to where Kate and John were huddled. "Hey! John! Find cover!" he hissed.
John stared. "Link!" A pause. "You're not dead?"
Link cracked a grin. "Not anymore. Now get her to safety!"
John nodded, knowing there was no time to waste and that the Hero would explain everything later at a safer time, and gathered a still-unconscious Kate into his arms, dashing for the other end of the battlefield where Kiron and the others sat.
Link, however, swung the Master Sword in a blue blur, bringing it down with a roar against the behemoth's huge tail.
Ganon roared in agony as the sacred Blade of Evil's Bane bit into his flesh, and whirled, baleful golden eyes widening in absolute shock at the Hylian warrior before him. With a snarl of rage, he swung one huge blade at Link, a blow that would have cut the boy in two had it connected.
Link dodged nimbly out of the way, much quicker to move than the lumbering monster, and clambered up onto his back. Calling forth Din's crimson flame, he watched it flare up around his hands as it had in the dungeon on Death Mountain, and shook his head. It wasn't enough. "Hotter!" he shouted at it, and the crimson flame grew brighter, flames beginning to lick at the Master Sword's steel blade. "Hotter!" he commanded again, and the flames began to snap and roar around the sword. With an approving nod, he reversed the blade in one hand while clinging to the monster's back, and brought it swiftly and unstoppably down into Ganon's back, right at the base of the nearly non-existent neck.
Ganon bellowed in agony, stumbling at the fire that hit when the sword bit through his skin and down into muscle and bone.
Though the blood pouring out and spurting upward nearly blinded the boy, Link gritted his teeth and pushed on, twisting the blade in Ganon's back. He gave it a savage yank, widening the wound and dragging another howl from the beast. More crimson blood flowed out, and Link squinted past the redness to the tendon and muscle he could see surrounding the top of Ganon's spine. He pulled the Master Sword out while Ganon thrashed and writhed, trying to remove his aggressor from his back, and slammed the great blade down once again, severing the tendon and muscle in one sweeping blow. He leaped free, diving and rolling to his feet just out of range of the behemoth's collapse.
Ganon hit the ground, body shuddering violently at the burning pain that refused to stop.
Link walked slowly around to stand before his enemy's face, the goddess's flame still burning around his hands and along the blade.
"Now, boy! Finish it!" Impa roared, hands cupped over her mouth so he could hear her. "He's down! Strike! End this for Hyrule!"
Link's jaw set, and his eyes went hard and cold when they rested on Ganon's own golden gaze. "Rot in hell," he growled at his tormentor, and, lifting the blade, let loose with a roar of unbridled fury at everything, every moment of torment, pain, aggravation…
Everything he'd ever suffered and lost at the hands of the King of Evil. The flaming blade whistled repeatedly through the air, cutting ant slicing at Ganon's face, the fire glowing brighter and brighter with each degree increase of Link's rage. He didn't stop until the light from the fire was so blinding that he was lost inside its angry glow.
When the light finally faded, the last of the flames flickering away, Link had one hand on the Master Sword. The blade was buried to the hilt in the forehead of the Gerudo King, right between his eyes; his huge body seizing and shuddering in his last throes of pain and death.
He gave one last, rattling breath, and was still. Link withdrew the sword, and put its point against the ground. Dropping to his knees, he leaned against it, his forehead against the hilt's crosspiece, eyes closed. The slick coating of Ganon's blood covered him now nearly head to toe, and as his friends watched, Zelda swallowed hard and walked over to stand silently behind her champion. "Link…" she started, reaching out a hand toward him.
"Don't," he said sharply, though his voice shook with the effort to keep everything in check. "Don't touch me."
Whether he shook because the blood or the hurt inside, she wasn't sure…
But the subtle, soft shake of his shoulders as he breathed betrayed him.
Tears were falling from the face of the Hero of Time, cutting clean paths through the red that stained him, dripping on the ground. Zelda bit her lip, wondering how much of the pain was her fault…and knowing that she was to blame for more than she wanted to know about.
"Tell me one thing," he said, voice barely audible.
"Anything," she vowed, dropping to her knees beside him, unheeding of the blood that began staining her own clothes and skin.
He turned tortured blue eyes to her, the haunted, agonized orbs making her want to cry and pull him close and give whatever comfort she could. She held back, though. He sighed, eyes closing for a moment, and when they opened again, the pain in them seemed so deep that Zelda couldn't keep from shedding a few tears of her own as her heart twisted. "I'll tell you anything," she whispered again.
He looked away. "Just tell me it's over," he pled. He bowed his head once more, forehead coming to rest against the sword's hilt. "Please just tell me it's over."
She put one hand over her mouth, her own tears flowing freely as she wept in silent acknowledgment of his pain. "It's over," she whispered. "It's finally over."
----------
A/N: Well, that wraps up Act 4. This is almost done, kiddies! And then it's back to work on my Metroid Prime novelization, which will go up here along with the Fusion one. Hope you've enjoyed Culture Shock as much as I enjoyed writing it, and thanks so much for all the positive feedback!