About time I updated something. I was up till 3 am this morning writing this, but I went through and made corrections before submitting this. Just to give you all a head's up, the next fic I update will likely be The Legend of Link and the Teufort Nine, so keep an eye on it.
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Chapter Eight: The Champions Unite
The Witch-king and the rest of the Nine silently watched as the newcomer shattered the bridge, sending the Balrog crashing into the river below.
It was not a stoic silence, more a silence brought on by shock.
"They took out the bridge," Morgomír uttered in a way that seemed to question why none of them had thought about that potential setback.
The Witch-king snarled as he whirled around and stomped past the other Nazgûl. "Get our troops out there and fix that bridge!"
Khamûl and Morgomír shared a glance before following their lord into the Fortress. Meanwhile, a sizzling, smoking, very wet, and very angry Balrog climbed its way out of the chasm, and all the smaller beasts wisely gave the foul-tempered demon a wide berth as it stalked off somewhere to dry off and regain its strength.
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Hyrule Castle…
The atmosphere of the royal strategy room was thick with tension. Link couldn't help but wonder whether they had, willingly and knowingly, invited the lion into their own home, as he, Zelda, and the Sages all warily glared at the one and only Gerudo King Ganondorf seated across from them at the far end of the table.
Ganondorf, for his part, ignored the hostile looks and steepled his hands together, leaning forward. "Am I to assume that you all have questions?" he asked quite calmly.
This seemed to dispel the tense silence, and Zelda, ever the diplomat, took the lead in what they were all certain would be an interesting conversation. "The manner of your escape was most alarming, Ganondorf."
"You can thank the Twinrova for that," Ganondorf replied coolly.
"As I suspected," Zelda muttered. "Why, then, did you come back?"
"To help you," Ganondorf answered with a knowing look. "And I think you already knew that, otherwise I would be back in that stinking dungeon rather than this room."
Zelda was silent for a few moments before she answered, "Why help us? What are you after?!"
"The complete eradication of Demise's lingering hatred from my soul, for starters."
That had not been the answer any of them save Nabooru were expecting. Zelda spent a minute finding her voice again before she stuttered, "W-what? You know…?"
Ganondorf leaned back and matter-of-factly replied, "I know a great many things that may surprise you, Princess of Hyrule. My eyes have been opened by the Goddess of Power Herself, and I decided I didn't like what She had to show me. I came because not only do you need my help, I need yours. I need the help of your Sages to purge my soul of Demise's influence once and for all. Only then can I join you two as the third of the Triforce's Champions. I would much rather be Din's champion than Demise's puppet. I have no intention of becoming a mindless beast of pure power and rage that doesn't even remember why it wants the Triforce."
Zelda opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water, and eventually Link took over for her.
"How do we know we can trust you?" Link asked, his voice heavy with suspicion.
"Perhaps Nabooru can answer that for you," Ganondorf answered with a smirk.
All eyes were now on Nabooru, who scratched the back of her head sheepishly as she said, "Uh…after Ganondorf drove off the Twinrova Sisters…"
"Wait, he did what?!" Link exclaimed, looking back at Ganondorf.
"The Twinrova…disagreed with my decision not to follow in Demise's footsteps. So I banished them from our lands. Now, if you would be so kind as to allow my half-sister to continue…"
Link coughed awkwardly and allowed Nabooru to resume.
"Anyway, after those old hags were kicked out, Ganondorf and I went to the Altar of Spirit together. And after Din gave me Her blessing, She spoke to Ganondorf, though I didn't hear what She said to him. But Din spoke to us both, and I saw him pledge himself to Her as Her Champion. As soon as that hideous parasite is out of his soul, we can definitely trust him."
"There is another reason it would be to all your great benefit if Demise is fully purged," Ganondorf spoke up. "Long ago, the Demon King cursed all of Din's favored peoples into forced servitude and an existence tainted by darkness. Din desires their freedom. Moblins, Lizalfos, Darknuts, Wizzrobes, and countless other monster tribes. These tribes were favored by Din, just as Nayru favors the Hylians and Farore favors the Kokiri, Zoras, and Gorons. Freeing them will give us access to an army large and strong enough to challenge Sauron's full might."
Zelda, understandably, was not convinced. "Tell me, then. Why should any of us believe you?"
Ganondorf quirked an eyebrow. "Besides how I'm literally offering myself to your Sages? Use those gifted eyes of yours, then. As Nayru's Chosen, you were granted the gift of foresight and the ability to see the truth of a person's heart in their eyes. That's how you caught on to my plans as soon as I had set foot in this castle, is it not?" He leaned forward, folding his hands and fixing his gaze on the princess. "Look into my eyes. Look past the hate in your heart and in my own, and see for yourself whether I am sincere in my words."
Tense silence followed as Zelda stared back, her eyes burrowing into his own, searching his very soul. Neither of them so much as blinked.
I…I see so much more in those eyes now, Zelda realized to herself. Before, all I saw was greed and hate. I still see them there, but…they seem…almost at war with…other things. Those eyes have witnessed the future, just as I have. These are the eyes of a man who has seen his destiny and wants no part of it…
Finally, Zelda looked away first, releasing a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
"I-it's…incredible," she whispered in disbelief. "Beyond the lust and hunger, there is truth in his words. He truly realizes he carries the legacy of Demise and wants to free himself from it."
"Perhaps…there is one more way to prove beyond a shadow of doubt, that he speaks the truth," Impa abruptly spoke up, still not entirely convinced this wasn't an elaborate deception. "Perhaps one of us should speak with Sage Rauru in the Sacred Realm. Given his position, he is close to the Golden Goddesses, and if this is truly Their will, They will certainly have spoken with him on the matter."
"Whatever you must do, I suggest you do it quickly," Ganondorf answered with a hint of impatience. "The sooner Demise is purged from my body, the sooner we can act. I would estimate we only have a few days before Sauron's forces repair the bridge I destroyed."
"Agreed," Nabooru added. "And they'll probably make this one bigger and stronger, to accommodate those giant creatures with the towers on their backs. They're utterly useless in the confines of the canyons that border the desert, and I'm certain the enemy knows it. The old bridge just would not have supported that much weight."
"That should give us enough time to muster all our available forces," Darunia said. "I agree with Ganondorf, surprisingly enough. The sooner we get this done, the better."
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Inside the Gerudo's Fortress, the Witch-king once more took the palantír in his hands and called for his master. The Seeing-stone flared up as Sauron's Eye took shape before condensing into the Dark Lord himself.
"Report."
"Durin's Bane was effective at driving back the enemy, Master," the Witch-king replied. "Today, victory is ours, but it did not come without minor cost. They took out the only bridge out of this canyon as they retreated."
"And that is minor, how?"
"The bridge would have needed to be replaced anyway," the Witch-king answered. "It would not have been able to support the weight of the Mûmakil. I already have our men working on a larger, sturdier bridge to accommodate all our troops and allow us to move our vast armies more effectively into the mainland."
"How long?"
"No more than a week, My Lord."
Sauron did not sound placated in the slightest. "That is a week our enemies now have to marshal their full strength and dig themselves in."
"Which is why I ask once more for more troops, enough to crush them all in one fell swoop."
"Name them."
"Khamûl, Morgomír, and I require our Fell Beasts. I also request the aid of the Dragon Lord, and as many giant bats and crebáin as can be spared. I desire an aerial advantage as well. I also need another ten thousand troops, and some Mountain Giants and Ogres. And finally, I need ten catapults, preferably with Isengard bombs, as well as five ballistae. I've no doubts our next battle will be on open field. And this time, I intend to win it."
"See that you do, Er-Murazor. All the requested troops will be sent immediately. But do not delay. These are the last troops I will send to aid you. They should be more than enough to crush your enemies. If you fail me again, my Witch-king…I will personally lead the next assault myself, and you will experience a punishment like no other, one that will make you beg for a death we both know cannot come. Is that clear?"
The Witch-king bowed his head. "Yes, Lord."
"Now begone. Do not trouble me again until victory is yours."
The palantír faded back to its empty black as the Dark Lord departed, leaving his greatest servant to his task. The Witch-king turned to see Khamûl waiting for him by one of the entryways, likely having been listening in.
"Bring Morgomír and the others here. And also our generals. We will use this time to devise a battle plan for our next engagement."
Within minutes, all nine of the Nazgûl were gathered together in the Witch-king's chambers. With them came many leading commanders and emissaries among the native forces of the Dark Lord; upon the death of Gothmog, the High-chieftain among Orc-kind had become another ancient survivor of the War of the Last Alliance eons before, Shagnâkh, an Orc of broad stature and grim face even among his own kind, with a blind left eye hidden by a small patch of chainmail he had sewn himself into his own eyebrow that dangled freely; among the warlords of the Easterlings of Rhûn there was the greatest among their chiefs, who lorded over the largest of their many cities of gold and bronze, and his name was Saradej, and he wore the helmet and bronze-scaled armor of his people, but beneath it were striking fabrics of indigo and red; among them too was the mightiest of the Urûk-hai of Isengard, Saruman's first and deadliest, and he was Lurtz, tallest among the Urûks, and his black hair was tied in a partial bun, allowing some to flow freely down his back, and the mark of the White Hand was stamped upon his cruel face; and from the deserts of Harad was also Nohándu, the first of the Haradrim chieftains to discover the mighty Oliphaunts that roamed the great bamboo forests of Far Harad in the south, and his desert rags were accompanied by tokens of topaz and bone, and on his back was a great war-frame, adorned with bits of bone and framed by the filed-down tusks of his first Mûmak, while his grim face was painted with a dark-red warpaint, and his nose was pierced by a decoration much like the tusks of the great beasts; and there too were the two Goblin Kings of Moria and the Ettenmoors, Durbûrz and Gorkil respectively; and lastly there came Sharkû, senior among all the Warg-riders and probably older even than Shagnâkh, and he was bald save for a few remaining strands of ugly brown hair, and his grizzled face was marred by three long scars received long ago from a Warg whom he had not showed proper respect.
With all his commanders gathered, the Witch-king unfurled the map of Hyrule and discussed his newest stratagem.
"We will divide our infantry into three separate columns. The largest column in the center will contain the main body of the Orc army, as well as the Goblins. I myself will lead this contingent, and with me will go Shagnâkh, Gorkil, and Durbûrz, and Durin's Bane behind us. The left column shall contain the Easterlings and Haradrim, and shall be led by Khamûl, Saradej, Nohándu, and one of the Mûmakil. The right column shall contain all the Urûks of Mordor and Isengard, and also the Corsairs and Dunlendings, and the other Mûmak. Morgomír shall lead this force, alongside Lurtz. We will soon be receiving bats of Dol Guldur and the crebáin of Dunland to take control of the sky, and Drogoth shall lead them. Scattered throughout all three columns will be our beasts of war and siege machines. Finally, the remainder of the Nazgûl shall lead our cavalry into battle. Sharkû and his Warg-riders will flank our enemies on the left, and the Easterling cataphracts on the right. Three Nazgûl will lead each force."
"What is the purpose of splitting our armies thus?" Khamûl asked.
"The next battle will be of a scale unseen since the War of the Last Alliance," the Witch-king replied. "Our enemies are certain to field every available soldier they have when it comes. It will be difficult to maintain effective communication throughout our army as a whole, as we do not have the means nor the terrain to replicate Azog's methods as of yet. Splitting our vast armies into smaller, more manageable forces that each treat themselves as a separate entity will allow them more maneuverability. This fight will be so immense that each of you will essentially be commanding a separate battle."
"And what is our common goal?" Morgomír asked.
"My forces, the largest contingent, will strike them directly in the center and keep them occupied, while the other two slowly work their way towards flanking them on either side. Our cavalry units will then close off any hope of escape by swinging around the main battle and covering the rear. Once they're trapped, we'll keep hammering away while our aerial units strike from above until all enemy forces are eliminated. No prisoners are to be taken."
It was at this moment that Lurtz boldly spoke up, for he was one of the few who was not outwardly intimidated by Sauron's wraiths. "Not a bad plan, in theory. I see a problem, however. We have no idea what our enemies are planning. We do not yet know the full strength of their numbers, or even what their own tactical plans may be. Our crebáin are good for more than just fodder and shitty food."
If he was offended by the Isengarder's interruption, the Witch-king gave no indication of it. "As Saruman's second-in-command, those birds answer to you, correct?"
"And I bet he's the one tellin' 'em to shit all over our tents," Shagnâkh grunted under his breath.
"Look for that petty bullshit amongst your own kind, snaga filth," Lurtz sneered, having overheard the comment.
"Fuck you, maggot," Shagnâkh sneered right back. "At least I wasn't born from a pile'a mud!"
The two of them growled and snarled, preparing to reach for their weapons.
"I will kill you both if you start a quarrel in my presence," the Witch-king interrupted in an icy tone that managed to quell even Lurtz's growing temper.
The two of them quieted down and removed their hands from their weapons, but spent a moment glaring hatefully at one another before turning their attention back towards the Witch-king.
"This is our base plan. But we will use the crebáin to gain information to modify it as necessary. Now, if that is all, get out."
No one hesitated for an instant.
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Rauru had indeed spoken the truth, that Ganondorf had been visited by Din Herself and instructed to approach Zelda and the Sages for help. So now the six Sages were gathered together in the Chamber of the Sages, with Link and Zelda off to the side, watching the proceedings. And finally, Ganondorf himself stood on the Triforce symbol in the middle of the area, where Link remembered having always appeared after slaying a dungeon boss.
Rauru, senior among their order, was an old man with a bald head and white sideburns that connected with his mustache. His robes were of red and gold, flickering in the ethereal light of the chamber. "Ganondorf Dragmire," he began, his voice full of wisdom and authority. "On behalf of the Goddess of Power, welcome to the Chamber of the Sages."
Ganondorf, for his part, responded by idly tapping on the glass-like surface of the blue prism of energy surrounding him. "Is this really necessary?"
"I'm afraid it is," Rauru responded calmly. "There's no telling what will happen once we begin. The process will awaken what remains of Demise's spirit, and he will do whatever he can to preserve himself. The most dangerous thing he could do is directly possess your body, thus endangering yourself as well as the Sacred Realm."
Ganondorf folded his arms and sighed heavily. He didn't like it, but he knew the old man was right. Even in this grossly-diminished form, he knew Demise could not be underestimated. "Very well."
"It is also possible that Demise may try to bribe you with promises of power or other such things," Rauru continued. "Should he do so, can you resist his temptations?"
At this, Ganondorf threw his head back and laughed bitterly. "And what can he possibly give me? There's hardly enough left of him for one to even call him a ghost! Our great Goddess of the Sands showed me the truth of whatever bribe he might come up with. He will not deceive me."
"There is one final thing," Rauru went on. "I must warn you; when the process begins…it will be the most painful experience of your life. It will be a pain not unlike having your arm ripped from your body by a great force, only it will be a piece of your soul that is being torn off. Are you prepared?"
"There is an old Gerudo proverb that I shall answer you with," Ganondorf replied grimly. "That which does not kill you will make you stronger."
"An important lesson for all, I daresay," Rauru responded with a surprising note of humor. "Shall we begin?"
Ganondorf closed his eyes and took a deep breath to steady himself for what he knew was coming. Releasing a shuddering breath, he opened his eyes and affixed Rauru with a steely gaze. "I'm ready."
Rauru inclined his head before glancing at the other Sages. "You Sages that have inherited the holy powers of old," he intoned. "By the grace of the Golden Goddesses, let us cleanse this poor soul of evil and purge our sacred world once and for all of the lingering taint of this black servant of Majora!"
All six Sages raised their hands in the air as a ball of light energy colored like their respective elements glowed above each of their heads. The whole time, Link and Zelda's eyes were on Ganondorf, and both could see how he tensed, bracing himself as the orbs became beams of light that then struck him all at once.
Link was pretty sure the scream from Ganondorf that followed would haunt him for days.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGH!"
It was not the bellow of rage Link was familiar with; it was the howl of a man whose entire body had seemingly gone up in flames. Zelda gulped as she saw Ganondorf fall on his knees, rattled by his cries of agony.
And then Link's heart skipped a beat as he heard Ganondorf utter, "M-make it stop…! It hurts…it hurts!"
The Gerudo King was now convulsing on the floor, seizing violently. Nabooru in particular looked profoundly disturbed by this, and for a brief moment her own Spirit energy wavered, but Rauru noticed quickly, snapping his head in her direction.
"Do not falter, Sage Nabooru! For his sake, do not falter!"
"Aaaargh…make it stop!" Ganondorf cried, and they did not fail to notice that Ganondorf's voice was becoming deeper, and his body was slowly starting to become more beastly. His fingernails were growing into claws, and his hair was starting to become longer, almost flame-like. "MAKE IT STOP!"
Link and Zelda both paled. "Oh Goddesses…" Link uttered in horror. "He's turning into Ganon!"
With a noticeable look of alarm, Rauru cried, "Demise is trying to possess him!"
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Ganondorf's entire world was one that contained only soul-ripping agony. He could feel it pulsing in every part of his body, and deep within the core of his being. He could barely draw in breath, and his whole vision had gone white. He kept screaming, even though his throat had gone raw.
And for the first time in his life, Ganondorf Dragmire begged.
"It hurts! MAKE IT STOP! …P-please…make it stop…"
I can make it stop…
The voice came from the very edge of his subconscious, deep and strangely-soothing. Yet Ganondorf was in too much agony to answer, yet the pain seemed to dull a bit.
I can make it stop…
Were he in full possession of his faculties, he would have been horrified by the words that came out of his mouth.
"P-please…I beg you…"
Let me in, and I will make it stop. I will make sure no one hurts you ever again.
"Please…anything…"
Good…good…that's it. Open your mind. Let me in, and it will all be over…
It hurt so much. He could no longer remember why he even felt this pain, because to him, it seemed as though it had existed forever. He just wanted it to stop.
And then he heard another voice, piercing through his mind with stunning clarity. It was higher-pitched from youth, and strangely familiar.
Ganondorf! You have to fight him! Don't believe anything he tells you! He's the cause of your pain! Fight him!
Before Ganondorf could even fully register this, another voice, also familiar, broke through the haze of suffering.
Ganondorf! Your people need their king! I need my brother! You can't give in, not when you're so close!
"N-Nabooru…?"
Then the dark voice returned, and this time it sounded more threatening.
Do not listen to them. Only I can save you.
And then one final voice made itself heard, that of a boy, a boy he knew all too well.
I know you can do it, Ganondorf! You don't have to be his puppet! You have to keep fighting, even if you're afraid! Only you can end your pain! Not him! Only you can end this! You are NOT Demise!
It seemed then that the pain began to fade, and Ganondorf began to reclaim himself as their words rang in his mind, beating back his agony and giving him strength he didn't even know he had.
DO NOT LISTEN TO THEM, FOOL! YOU BELONG TO ME!
Ganondorf gritted his teeth, strength returning to his body, and at the edge of his vision he could see a vaguely human-shaped figure of pure darkness looming over him, angry but impotent, and he glared at the source of his suffering.
"No."
The figure reached a hand threateningly towards him, its eyes burning like hot coals.
"I belong…to no one."
All watched in awe and wonder as Ganondorf shakily stood, his eyes now pure amber, and the Gerudo King then threw his hands skyward and unleashed a defiant roar.
"I AM NOT YOUR PUPPET! GET! OUT! OF! MY! BODY!"
Link and Zelda were thrown off their feet as a foul miasma of dark malice exploded out of Ganondorf's body, shattering the prism in the process.
"Sages!" Rauru cried. "Trap him, now!"
The six beams of light blessedly left Ganondorf's body and swirled around the gathering darkness, and soon the sagely beams became magical chains that entrapped the darkness as it condensed into a more-recognizable form. Forced on his knees, his eyes were now black, empty pits, and his wild mane was cold like ash and still, nothing like the raging flame it had once been, but the diminished figure of Demise stared them all down defiantly nonetheless, his sharp teeth bared as he struggled futilely against the Sages' chains. Light and Shadow held his two arms in place, while Spirit and Forest enshackled his legs. Water kept his broad body restrained, and Fire was firmly locked around his neck.
"Urgh…curse you, Sages," Demise rumbled angrily.
Rauru spared him only the briefest glance of contempt, and then pointedly looked away. "The Demon King is detained! But there is only one way we can destroy him for good. Link…take up now the Master Sword, and smite what remains of this agent of pestilence!"
Link gulped as he drew the mighty sword from its pedestal, feeling that familiar energy pour through his body, that rush of adrenaline and hope. The Master Sword glowed blue in his hands as he turned back towards the scene.
"Wait. Perhaps you might spare me a moment of your time?"
Link and Zelda both jumped at this as Link looked down at the divine weapon in his hands. "D-did the Master Sword just talk…?!"
To Link's confusion, Rauru did not appear surprised in the slightest. "Ah, 'tis been a long time since I've heard your voice in this chamber, my dear Fi."
Link nearly dropped the sword in shock as a crystal-blue figure emerged from the Master Sword, taking the cerulean glow with it. The Hero of Time gawked at the strange figure now floating in front of him. It had a distinctly-female appearance, with two wing-like flaps of fabric instead of arms. Its hair, if it could be called that, tapered to a rounded point over the top of its head, and a large blue gem grew from her chest. She almost looked like a living statue of gentle blue, graceful and poised.
"Greetings, Master," she spoke to Link in a voice that was devoid of emotion, and yet somehow conveyed a sense of wistful sadness all the same. "I regret not having a chance to speak with you when last you had need of me."
Link blinked several times just to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. "W-who…are you?"
She spun gracefully in the air, the movement producing a crystalline sound like a high-pitched bell. "I am Fi, the Spirit of the Master Sword. I went into a deep sleep long ago to assume my task of maintaining the Master Sword's power, but in this sacred chamber I can awaken for a brief time and speak with you."
Fi glanced towards the restrained Demon King, her gaze empty but intelligent. "Many eons ago I confirmed the eradication of the Demon King, and yet all these centuries later, he stands before us again, though diminished in power by one-thousand two hundred and fifty percent. But this time, it is not Hyrule he has wronged, or the Goddess, or the Hero. This time, he has wronged one man in hopes that he would wrong others. Ganondorf Dragmire of the Gerudo, you are descended from a hero who was instrumental in delaying Demise's restoration long enough for the Hero of Sky to dispatch him. This is why Demise cursed your people to only produce females save for one male every century, in hopes that one would prove to be an ideal host. I calculate an eighty-five percent chance you desire to execute the Demon King yourself."
Ganondorf took a moment to process everything that had just happened before he sardonically muttered, "I think the chance of that's higher than you're plugging, lady."
"Demise's slight against you was personal in many ways. I can think of no better executioner for him."
Fi turned around and fixed her distant stare on Link. "Master…for this one act, I grant the descendent of Groose the right to use my power to silence the Demon King once and for all. Will you give it to him?"
Link raised the Master Sword, inspecting it with a pensive look on his face. Finally, without a word, he strode across the chamber and stood before Ganondorf. Ganondorf realized he could not easily read the boy's expression, for it contained many things and yet nothing at all. It was the gaze of someone wise beyond their years, who had seen far more than a boy his age should have, one who had just decided to trust someone he had once called a bitter enemy.
Link held up the navy-blue handle of the Blade of Evil's Bane, never taking his eyes off Ganondorf. "She's right. His life isn't mine to take. Not this time."
Ganondorf gingerly lifted one of his broad hands, hovering hesitantly over the handle of that legendary blade, the blade he knew would have proven to be his downfall throughout eternity. And then, he cast all doubt aside at last, and his hand closed around the Master Sword. Ganondorf felt a rush of power shoot down his spine as he held the Master Sword for himself. Somewhere behind him, Zelda gasped in bewilderment and wonder.
This power…it was different from what he had known. It was cool and calm, nothing like the burning rage he had grown accustomed to under Demise's influence. Just holding it in his hands seemed to heal his soul, and as he inspected the holy blade in his grip, he felt more whole, more alive than ever before.
His eyes finally glanced up at the Demon King Demise, and they were no longer poison-yellow but hazel, and his face became hard but not cruel. With the Master Sword in hand, Ganondorf approached the kneeling Demise, standing before the source of all the torment that had ever plagued him and his people.
"I could have given you everything," Demise snarled, pulling once more against his bonds to no effect. "Together, we would have taken the Triforce. Together, we would have been unstoppable."
"All you would have given me is chains," Ganondorf answered coldly.
"I would have made you a god."
"You would have made me an animal."
Demise struggled against his chains once more. "You would give up immortality just to serve another higher being?!"
"Yes. Because She offered me something you can't…the freedom to choose. I'm choosing my own destiny. And now, I'm choosing to ensure that you can never again trouble this world."
Demise growled. "You…!"
Ganondorf never allowed Demise to finish. With one deft stroke of the Master Sword, Ganondorf beheaded the Demon King, ending him once and for all. All watched in grim silence as the head and body crumbled to ashes, which then disintegrated as well, leaving no trace behind of the ancient fiend.
Ganondorf just stood there, staring at the spot Demise had once occupied. It was over. It was finally over.
"Ganondorf!"
Ganondorf turned just in time to see Nabooru envelop him in a fierce hug, and he let out a grunt of surprise at the sudden contact. Smiling, he then patted her reassuringly on the back, and she eventually let go. He then looked up to see Rauru standing before him.
"It is done," the Sage of Light spoke with finality. "Demise is truly purged from this earth. In time, those creatures of Hyrule once bound by his curses will return untainted to our fair land. You must go forth now and gather them all. You will need them to oppose the might of Sauron, for even as we speak more troops are pouring out of the portal to reinforce the Witch-king. Once that bridge is repaired, the gates of the Dark World themselves will open. You must be ready."
Ganondorf just nodded respectfully at the old man before offering the Master Sword back to Link. "This is yours by right. I thank you for letting me use it just this once."
Link nodded wordlessly as he took back the evil-banishing blade.
"Link," Rauru abruptly spoke up. "There is only one way you can beat back the darkness bleeding into Hyrule. You must take up the Master Sword once more. You are ready for its power as you are now, thanks to all the knowledge and experience you have gained."
"But…if I have the Sword, then that means the gate to the Sacred Realm will be open!" Link exclaimed, worried about the repercussions.
Rauru nodded. "Yes. A necessary risk, but you three were chosen by the Golden Goddesses themselves. You are their Champions. Even though it sleeps here in the Sacred Realm, the power of the Triforce flows through you nevertheless, for you are its Guardians. Trust in that power, and it will lead you to victory."
Darunia flashed them all a confident grin, clapping a meaty hand on both Link and Ganondorf's shoulders, making them both stumble comically. "Well, what're we waitin' for?! Let's go take this fight straight to those punks!"