Seeing Castle Town in its current state made Aeris sick, the once proud marble fountain laying ruins surrounded by crumbling buildings and broken windows made her heart ache, but the shambling corpses were the worst. They had no reaction as she passed other than slowly turning their heads toward her and moaning dejectedly.

She lowered her head and quickly made her way through the ruined streets. The trek from Kakariko has taken longer on foot than she had anticipated and she was behind schedule, Link wouldn't be far behind her.

She needed to hurry.

A wave of intense heat washed over her as she peered down into the chasm surrounding the dark Castle, the thick red liquid that oozed from the crack in the earth's surface spit and churned mixing with a strange black and violet haze that filled the air.

"Fantastic," She spoke to no one. "How in the hell am I supposed to make it across this?"

She cast her gaze back to the darkened spire of the castle, gone were the white marble walls and blue shingled roof, replaced by angular black parapets and spires. The whole building gave off a menacing aura as it hovered above the pit of liquid fire.

She was weighing the pros and cons of attempting a running leap when the ground beneath her began shaking violently enough to knock her off of her feet. She watched as a flat stone large enough to reach across the pit rose out of the flames and hovered before her, liquid fire dripping from its surface hardening into black stone.

She rose to her feet, brushing soot and black sand from her clothes. "Well then," She grabbed her bag from where it had fallen and stepped onto the black stone. It held firm under her and she made her way across it slowly. Once she was across the stone crumbled to pieces and fell back into the pit sending sparks of violet and red flying into the air.

The entrance to the castle loomed before her, there was no turning back now.

"If you want to save Princess Zelda, come to my Castle!"

Link's mind was spinning, Sheik was Zelda and nothing made sense anymore. He should have known, should have expected that the princess would stay close enough to observe the events unfolding and he should have known that the strange Sheikah was hiding something and yet here he was staring at the place where only seconds before Zelda had been standing.

"Link we need to get to the castle," Navi's small voice drew Link from his thoughts.

"I know, just give me a minute," He glared at the golden triangles on the back of his hand.

He hated it, hated what it made him, hated what it was asking of him.

"Link," Navi bobbed in the air in front of his face. "The Princess,"

"I KNOW!" Link snapped at his companion and she shot back from him. Link had felt many emotions on his journey, but this was his first encounter with rage. It bubbled up from deep in his chest and brought with it white hot tears.

He wrapped both hands around the hilt of the Master Sword and drew it from its sheath. The silver blade glinted in the light of the temple, mocking him. He screamed and heaved the blade over his head and threw it as hard as he could across the room. Metal clashed against marble as Link sank to his knees, hands balled into fists in the hem of his tunic.

He scrambled to remove the Hylian Shield from his back and threw it away from him, the silver gauntlets followed, piece by piece he stripped himself of his gear and scattered it around him on the perfect marble floor of the Temple of Time, until all that remained where his tunic, hat, and the indigo ocarina that had started it all.

His knuckles turned white as he gripped the ocarina, tears still poured down his face blurring the world around him. In his hands he held an item that was capable of bringing him through time and space but it couldn't bring him back. It couldn't bring him back to before all of this happened.

It couldn't…

With another scream Link hurled the Ocarina across the room. It clattered against the marble floors before coming to rest just before the pedestal where the sacred stones rested.

If Zelda would have just waited none of this would have happened. Ganondorf wouldn't have accessed the Sacred Realm and Hyrule wouldn't lie in ruins. Link collapsed, the marble floor was cool against his skin as soft sobs wracked his body

If she would have just waited.

Aeris made her way up the spiraling staircase, unease settled in her stomach like lead weights. Thus far none of the monsters that inhabited the castle had acknowledged her presence. Each time she would enter a room every monster would stand stock still their heads slowly turning to watch as she passed.

She was nearing the top of the central spire, and anxiety was eating away at her. The odds of her plan actually working were slim, but she had to try. She entered a room with two Iron Knuckles standing guard, their helmets scraped against their armor as their heads turned to watch her pass, the sound of metal on metal sent chills down her spine.

The door in this room slid open as easily as all the others had and she climbed one final set of stairs before emerging into a large room with stained glass windows for walls and a large organ sitting on a dais against the far wall.

Standing before the organ was Ganondorf or more aptly Demise wearing Ganondorf's body. He was softly taunting a woman trapt in a pink prism, he cast a glance over his shoulder as Aeris entered a sly smile spread across his face at the sight of her.

"Aeris, I must say," He cast his hands up, sending the prism up toward the ceiling. "Black suits you,"

Link was exhausted, this castle was unlike any of the temples he had ventured to thus far, in the way that it encompassed all of them. Six barrier rooms, one for each of the Sages, modeled after their designated Temples.

With each barrier he had to use the Light Arrows given to him by Zelda, but each one he used felt like it was drawing energy from him, from his life source. By the time he brought the final barrier down he was ready to collapse, sweat poured down his brow and soaked his tunic making the fabric stick to his body restricting his movements.

He took a moment to breathe once he was back in the main room and took a swig of one of the red potions from his satchel. The red liquid did little to ease the aching in his bones but did help perk him up a bit.

"How are you holding up?" Navi spoke softly, Link's earlier outburst was still fresh in her mind.

"Fine," Link's response was clipped and his tone harsh. "I just want to get this over with,"

Navi bobbed slightly and retreated to her usual place inside of his hat leaving him alone with his thoughts as he trudged on deeper into the castle.

With the boss key securely in his bag Link downed the rest of the red potion, coughing harshly as he swallowed too quickly. He panted harshly, struggling to find the will to continue on. He wanted to quit, to lay down the Master Sword and his shield and just walk away, let someone else finish it. But, he continued on moving more like a machine than a man.

He dispatched the Iron Knuckles in the next room with little effort, relying on muscle memory. From that point he moved without taking in his surroundings, pushing forward with one goal in mind.

He continued climbing undeterred until he came to a stop before the final door, the door he needed the key in his bag to open. "Link," He turned a tired eye to Navi. "Please be careful,"

He smirked at his companion and slid the key into the slot.

What lay beyond the door made Link stop in his tracks. The prism that Zelda had been imprisoned in was suspended above a grand organ and sitting at that organ playing a menacing melody was Ganondorf, but what took Link by surprise was the woman leaning against the pillar by Ganondorf's side.

Her black hair was pulled into a high ponytail and rolled into tight curls, she was wearing a black gown adorned with gold and rubies with bishop sleeves, but there was something about the outfit that he had seen before that he couldn't quite place.

She turned her head slightly at the sound of him entering, he met her green eyes briefly before she turned away from him, smirking darkly. He had never seen her in a crown before, but the simple circlet of interwoven gold strands that came to a point between her brows made him realise for the first time that she had indeed been and still was a queen.

A wave of energy washed over him as the Triforce of Courage on the back of his hand began glowing brightly, filling him with renewed vigor. Ganondorf chuckled still playing his chilling song as the light from the Triforce of Wisdom began glowing from its place with Zelda.

"The Triforce parts are resonating…" The sound of the organ slowly receded as Ganondorf stopped playing and Aeris moved to place a hand on Ganondorf's shoulder. "They are combining into one again…"

Aeris turned to glance at Link over her shoulder, there was something dark in her eyes that Link had never seen before. This was not the Aeris that he had come to know, this was not the Aeris that had cradled him and sang softly as he had a nightmare.

"The two Triforce parts that I could not capture on that day seven years ago…" The Gerudo man turned to look at Aeris. "I didn't expect they would be hidden within you two, but Aeris my dear you've done wonderfully leading them here to me," The woman giggled lightly. "And now, finally, all the Triforce parts have gathered here!"

Link stepped back as Ganondorf rose from his place wiping his cape around himself dramatically, there was more of an orange glow to the man's eyes than Link remembered. "These toys are too much for you!" He clenched his fist displaying the Triforce of Power that he possessed. "I command you to return them to me!"

Link stumbled back speechless as Aeris stopped Ganondorf from advancing toward him. "Allow me my King," She flashed her husband a sickeningly sweet smile when he whipped his head toward her. "This snivelling brat isn't worth your time, let me take care of him,"

Ganondorf ran a thumb over Aeris' cheek and chuckled. "You're just full of surprises today aren't we?" A chill ran down Link's spine as Aeris giggled and pressed a kiss to the end of Ganondorf's nose. "Very well," He returned to his seat at the organ. "Bring me his head,"

The Hylian woman turned to face Link her face unreadable as she stalked forward slowly unsheathing her daggers. Link shakily unsheathed the Master Sword and held it out toward her. "Aeris I don't want to do this,"

"Aww Link," She blinked at him slowly her skirts billowing around her as she moved. "What's the matter?" He stepped back. "Don't you trust me?"

He barely had time to blink as she surged forward, using both of her blades to knock the Master Sword from his grasp, only leaving him with his shield to defend himself from her rapid fire onslaught. He peered at her over the top of his shield, her green eyes bore into him as her daggers glanced off of the shield.

Her attacks were coming to quickly for him to reach for the Kokiri Sword, each one sending shockwaves through the shield and up his arms. "Link," Her voice cut through the haze his mind had receded into. "Trust me," He dropped his guard surprised by the sincerity in her voice and face. Only for her to slip a blade under the edge of his shield twisting his arm painfully to the side.

White hot pain coursed through him, his gaze drifted down to the source of the pain and he found a red and gold hilt lodged between his lower ribs. His eyes widened as blood blossomed around the blade, he slowly looked back up to Aeris and she had the audacity took look pained by it.

He stumbled back, his shield clattered to the ground his hands flying to the dagger sticking between his lower ribs. He sank to his knees, but his eyes never left hers, he coughed and the taste of iron flooded his mouth as blood spilled past his lips.

He slowly laid back, each weak breath he took was like fire. He tried to drag himself backward as she approached him, but she grabbed him by the front of his tunic and slipped something into his hand. "You're going to be fine," He glanced down at his hand and found a tiny bottle with a small pink fairy inside.

He screamed as she drove her second blade down into his right shoulder, the pain was unbearable. He teetered on the edge of unconsciousness, but willed himself the stay awake.

He needed to be awake.

"It is done my King," Aeris turned back to face the organ. Zelda was screaming and banging her fist against the prism the held her.

"Well done," He laughed cruelly and extended his hands lowering the prism holding Zelda back to the ground. "Now for the Princess," Tears coursed down Zelda's cheeks and she stared at Aeris, hatred burned in her intense blue eyes.

Aeris watched as the prism lowered, her hands drifted to her waist and slowly began untying the belt that hung loosely around her hips. Once she held it in her hands she tied the cords that made it into a crude slip knot.

She slowly stepped in front of Ganondorf while his focus was solely on the princess and looped the end of it over his hands and pulled it as tightly as she could. He cried out and fell to his knees. She quickly tied her own hands in a similar fashion and looped the remaining length around their forearms trapping them together. "Link now!" Ganondorf roared as the prism holding Zelda burst and Link slowly rose to his feet a fairy restoring him to his peak condition.

"What are you doing?!" Ganondorf struggled against the red and gold cords but she dug in her heels forcing him to stay put.

"Have you hurt me?" She cast a glance to Link and Zelda, to see Zelda helping Link remove her blades.

"Stupid girl, what do you think…" His form convulsed and a low groan left his lips. "Y...YES!" He panted lightly. "I have,"

She smiled. "Have you shared in my laughter?"

He threw his head back and roared loud enough to shake the walls. When he faced her again his eyes were solid flickering orange. "Insolent WENCH!"

She jerked him forward. "Have you shared in my laughter?"

Link retrieved the Master Sword still wincing from the pain as another groan filled the air followed by a soft 'yes'

"Have you burdened me?" A tear slowly rolled down her cheek.

"More than I ever hoped too," His voice was small and shaky as he spoke with his head bowed.

"Have you shared my dreams?"

A deep growl reverberated through his chest. "YOUR DREAMS ARE FILLED WITH DEATH AND DESTRUCTION!"

"And what of the soft ones? Have you shared those?"

He lurched forward with a scream of pain. "I have,"

"Have you caused me anger?"

"I have," He panted heavily his entire body quaking.

He looked up at her with watery golden eyes. "Have you honored me?"

"No," His voice was barely a whisper as he collapsed into her. "Hurry,"

She turned to Link and Zelda with tears in her eyes. "Do it," Link grabbed Zelda's arm as she stepped forward. "DO IT!" A soft sob fell from her lips. "Please,"

Link stepped back as Zelda raised her hands and the Sages appeared around her. "Ancient Creators of Hyrule! Open the sealed door and send the Evil Incarnation of Darkness into the void!"

Aeris turned back to Ganondorf and smiled down at him and for the first time in years he smiled back.

"YOU, CURSE YOU… ZELDA!" A new voice filled the air around Link and Zelda as the Sages worked. CURSE YOU… SAGES!" The walls shook as the demonic voice roared. "CURSE… YOU LINK!"

The light was slowly ebbing away when the voice issued its final curse. "SOMEDAY... WHEN THIS SEAL IS BROKEN… THAT IS WHEN I WILL EXTERMINATE YOUR DESCENDANTS!"

"AS LONG AS THE TRIFORCE OF POWER IS IN HIS HANDS… I WILL RETURN!"

Link and Zelda found themselves in a vast space of clear blue skies and fluffy white clouds. Link was crying softly mourning the loss of a friend.

"Thank you, Link…" Zelda's soft voice echoed slightly as she spoke. "Thanks to you, Demise has been sealed inside the Evil Realm! Peace will once again reign in this world… for a time."

"And what of Aeris and Ganondorf?" Zelda made a strange face at Link's question.

"All the tragedy that has befallen Hyrule was my doing…" Link scoffed lightly. "I was so young… I could not comprehend the consequences of trying to control the Sacred Realm. I dragged you into it, and countless people have suffered."

She bowed her head lightly. "It is time for me to make up for my mistakes…You must lay the Master Sword to rest and close the Door of Time… However, by doing this, the road you have traveled through time will be closed…"

"Link, give the Ocarina to me… As a Sage, I can return you to your original time with it," Link quickly dug through his satchel and pulled the blue ocarina out.

He gazed down at the instrument solemnly and slowly turned his gaze to Zelda. There were small tears building up in her eyes. "Though, you could stay here. The people of this time will need someone to help boost morale as we rebuild," She smiled softly. "The choice is yours,"

Link thought for a moment weighing the pros and cons of staying here or returning home before looking Zelda in the eye.

"I want to…"

A/N: *Cackles maniacally* I'm sorry guys I didn't want to, but I had to… for sequel reasons. THAT'S RIGHT YOU HEARD ME! Sequels as in plural as in two or more…

I actually have three planned… two direct and one spin off that takes place in Wind Waker.

The main story will be following the child timeline and I know what you're saying "But Dovah how does that work?" the answer: screwy time shenanigans… meaning this story isn't over just yet. I plan to work up to the events leading into Twilight Princess before ending this and starting that sequel.

But, definitely keep an eye out for the Wind Waker sequel if you're interested in that

I wanted to leave this chapter's ending ambiguous so that the transition into the Wind Waker sequel could work a bit better if you want to read that.

Let me know what you guys think about my plans!