Chapter 7, wow. This chapter was almost as much of a blast to write as Jabu-Jabu was. I hope I did it justice.

RRRP:

ChangelingRin (FF): Probably. I did make sure to add interesting rewards to the more useless rooms in certain dungeons, like the Spirit Temple. I'm surprised that there was less fervor over Nierak, because that guy was actually laughing gas given physical form. Really, though, Nierak was super fun to write just because he's a complete whackjob.

Agent3Novi (AO3): Wow, thanks! Good to know that my entrance into the Archive is well-received. Once again, Link is infused with snippets of my most recent Master Quest playthrough along with some other elements. And if you think Ivan is precious, I would like to direct you to our lord and savior, Nierak the Dark Mage.

DISCLAIMER: [insert disclaimer here]

Chapter VII: The Chapter where Everything Goes to Shit

The trees were more gnarled here. Link was strolling through a part of the forest that was particularly isolated from the Kokiri, and thus was never nurtured by the forest children. The trees here were gargantuan, twisted around themselves in complex arcs, like the elderly.

Like Link.

Link had taken to walking around this area as soon as he had gotten back from Zora's Domain. It helped him think, and it was nice to finally be somewhat isolated once again. He felt drained when he was around too many other people. Ivan liked it, too. Apparently, his partner had spent much of his time here before he had met up with Link. It was, in the fairy's words, 'how a forest ought to look.'

The sprite was fluttering alongside him, keeping him company. He'd reappeared from Castle Town the other day, having told Princess Zelda that the Spiritual Stones had been obtained and were safe in Kokiri Forest. Link had hidden them in a chest, and then buried it below the earth right underneath the ladder that led to his house. The Hero was pretty proud of that; nobody would think to look there. Not even Ganondorf.

Link had come back to the forest with much fanfare, and the Kokiri had more or less demanded that he recount every instant of his sojourn outside of the Forest. He told them his about his first journey, instead. Somehow, it felt so much more fitting than the grit of his most recent escapade. It was probably because how the Kokiri were, well, children, and thus didn't take too well to the violence that pervaded Link's newest story; plus, the outside world had to be unappealing enough that the Kokiri wouldn't want to leave, and die in the process. The Hero had gotten all the way up to Lord Jabu-Jabu, but no farther.

"Hey, Ivan?"

"Da?"

"Before you were my partner… what did you do? I mean, I've never seen any fairies that weren't either bonded to a Kokiri, languishing in a Fairy Fountain, or a Great Fairy."

"Fairies in general tend to congregate around Fairy Fountains only to… recharge, so to speak," Ivan explained. "That is why there are so many of them in the fountains, especially around densely populated places."

"I mean… okay, but that wasn't exactly my question. I was asking about you specifically. You know so much about me, I want to know more about you."

"Well," the sprite began, "Ivan is something of a historian. Ivan spent centuries studying the ancient history of the Goddesses and their creation. Because Ivan did not converse much with other fairies, he spent much of his time learning of the old times. Perhaps it is because of that... that Ivan... was selected to be leetle man's partner."

"You seem awfully hesitant when you say that," Link said suspiciously. "Are you lying to me?"

"What? Of course not! Ivan would never hurt you!" Ivan announced.

Link allowed a grin to cross his face. "Yeah, yeah," he said jokingly.

He figured it was time to turn back, towards the brighter spots of the forest.

"Takzhe…"

"Yeah, Ivan?"

"Ivan has been wanting to ask you abouta something for a while now. Back when we destroyed King Dodongo, you mentioned something about… being Hylian?"

"Yeah. I'm a Hylian, raised as a Kokiri," Link explained. "My mom came here to escape the Unification War with infant me, and entrusted me to the Great Deku Tree. Why do you ask?"

"No- no reason. Ivan was just wondering."

"Oh, okay," Link said. The village was just up ahead, and Link was happy.

!0*0!

Before he could even properly exit the Lost Woods, Link heard his name. It was Saria, and the boy saw his Kokiri best friend rush over to him with some kind of white rectangle.

"There you are! We've been looking all over for you! Where'd you go?"

"On a walk," Link explained curtly.

"Oh. Well, we found this on the bridge into the forest. It was addressed to you. Mido wanted to open it, but none of us let him."

The Hylian gingerly took the paper from Saria and instantly recognized Zelda's handwriting. What was a letter with Zelda's handwriting on it doing in Kokiri Forest?

He opened the envelope, wondering what was inside. There was a letter, written on white stationery. Link unfolded the letter and perused it, instantly realizing that it was written in reverse; i.e, from right to left as opposed to left to right.. Thus, it took him a few minutes to actually figure out what the letter said.

"Dear Link," he read aloud. "Ivan informed me that you have collected all three Spiritual Stones and that you are headed back to the Kokiri Forest with them. Words cannot express the joy that I feel, knowing that Ganondorf's plans have been thwarted. As you probably know, the Summer's Day Festival is in four days, and I wish to formally invite you to the castle to attend the festivities. My father wishes to meet you as well, so please do come.

Signed,

Princess Zelda."

Link looked at the letter, then at Saria, then back at the letter, then at the exit to the forest. "The Princess has invited me to visit Hyrule Castle and meet her father, the king. To not go would be considered impolite. So I have to be there by Summer's Day, which is in… four days! I ought to get going as soon as possible so that I'm not late."

"When will you be back?" Saria asked, worry evident in her voice.

"Probably a week. Not too long," Link assured. "I'll be gone before nightfall."

!0*0!

Two long days had passed. It had consisted of Link walking purposefully through Hyrule Field towards the castle itself, Ivan following along. The people in the villages appeared tense, as if Link as a human being was unable to be comprehended. The Hero in question was just glad that the Kokiri had agreed to make him some new gloves, although only Saria and the Know-it-all Brothers knew the true reason.

He was approaching Lon Lon Ranch. The horizon was colored with vast swaths of pinks and oranges as the sun set over a group of innocuous-looking clouds. He could see Talon and a slightly disgruntled Ingo standing at the entrance, grinning. Link waved back, but was slightly confused when he didn't hear Malon's voice floating across the ranch. As it turned out, she was in Castle Town for Summer's Day, staying with a family friend.

It was a quiet affair, really. They ate a meal that didn't sit well to their guest, who wasn't used to eating a good amount in one sitting anymore. They had prepared a soft bed for him in the attic of the ranch house, but it was somehow even fluffier than his wooden bed in Kokiri Forest. This was saying something, as the forest children could make several planks of ice held together with rusty nails feel like a sun-kissed cloud. Naturally, Link couldn't handle the sheer amount of bend the bed had to it, and took the floor instead.

At least Ivan appreciated having an entire Hylian-sized bed all to himself.

!0*0!

Link left the next evening at Talon's behest. The ranch owner refused to let Link not stay for a full day, even if Malon wasn't there to keep him company. It was overcast. It smelled of rain. It sure wasn't a good day to have a festival, Link noted wryly.

The drawbridge of Castle Town was closed. That made sense, as it was the middle of the night. Then again, surely he wasn't the only person going to Castle Town for the festival, right? It was the day before Summer's Day, so it should be at least a little bit less barren.

Just as Link thought that, the drawbridge started lowering. He could make out a white horse galloping towards him. If Link squinted, he could see Impa and Zelda on that horse. He waved, assuming that they must have come out to greet him.

But the horse never stopped. In fact, it almost bowled over Link, who barely got out of the way in time. Zelda was staring at him with fear in her eyes. She threw something over her shoulder, into the moat. Something blue.

Link stood there, numb. What was going on? That was the Ocarina of Time, right? Why was Zelda running away from the castle? The last time Link saw anything like that was the day when-

Oh, Goddesses.

The Hero of Time whirled on his heel and saw Ganondorf's steed breathing down his neck. The solid black stallion reared up before the gates to Castle Town, then set itself back down on all fours. Ganondorf's eyes were glowing a hateful gold, and speckles of blood stained his torso.

It started drizzling. Then it started pouring, rain falling out of the sky in droves. Thunder echoed across the darkened expanse of the sky.

Ganondorf said nothing. Slowly, his head swiveled downwards to glance at Link. He stared for a solid minute before his voice drowned out the pouring rain.

"The Goddesses are laughing, aren't they?" he snarled, his expression contorting into one of pure hatred. "First they sent a mortal, and now they send a child?"

Link froze, hand halfway reaching for the Kokiri Sword strapped to his back. Ganondorf remembered. Ganondorf remembered. Why Ganondorf?

The King of the Gerudo dismounted from his horse, glaring violently at Link with his luminescent eyes. The Hero of Time unsheathed his blade, knowing it wouldn't be able to so much as scratch the future King of Evil.

"Pathetic," he scoffed, scorn dripping from his deep, gravelly voice. "You're not even old enough to wield the Goddess Sword. Is this little shit what the great Hylia's Chosen has become? Is it?!"

Link didn't respond. He didn't know what to say. He was ten feet from Ganondorf and Ivan was hiding in Link's hat, hyperventilating.

Suddenly the King of Thieves sprung forwards, fists spewing dark energy. Link didn't have time to react, and Ganondorf snatched the child by the scruff of his neck as dark magic held him fast in the warlock's grip. Link kicked his legs in the air with vigor in a vain attempt to hit his opponent, but they weren't long enough to so much as tap the older man.

"Death would be a mercy to someone as insignificant, worthless, disgusting, feeble, despicable, contemptible, unsatisfactory, and pitiful as you," the murderer spat. "Besides, you hold the keys to the Sacred Realm, do you not? Killing you would set me back centuries."

Link said nothing. This time, it was because he physically couldn't breathe.

An explosion of dark energy burst from Ganondorf's hands, and Link painfully fell to the wet earth with a loud crack. Instants later, he felt the madman's boot connect with his ribs, sending Link rolling twenty feet along the sodden grass, leaking blood from the corner of his mouth. Shakily, the boy got his arms underneath his body, but he put too much weight on his left hand and he collapsed again.

He heard Ganondorf pool dark magic in his palm, effortlessly creating a searing ball of plasma between his fingers. Given Link's current state, it wouldn't take much for Ganondorf to end his life right then and right there. He instantly regretted releasing his fairies in the forest; he could have used them right then.

"Let's make a deal, shall we?" Ganondorf said, sickeningly sweet. "You draw the Master Sword in the Temple of Time, and I will let your death be quick and painless."

"G… go to hell…" Link said breathlessly, every inhale and exhale sending wave after excruciating wave of agony down his body. He got his legs underneath him. Ivan had disappeared from his hat. Odd.

"Oh, you want to play it like that, do you," the king spat. "Okay, let's make another deal, you little shit. You draw the Master Sword in the Temple of Time, and I won't slaughter everyone you love. Slowly. And painfully. In front of you. And I won't make their screams come back to haunt you every time you close your revolting, childish little eyes."

"Fuck off, Ganonwhoref!" Link bellowed, finally managing to stand on his own two feet.

"Intriguing," the monster snorted. "Even after all of this, you're still trying to resist me? I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Repulsive as you are, you are somehow still Hylia's Chosen. With that revelation in mind, let me tell you a fact."

Link glared. He couldn't do much else. Hell, he could barely even keep upright, much less fight back.

"Every day that passes in which you don't draw the Sword, I will decimate a settlement of you worthless mortals," Ganondorf said, raising his hand. "I think that ranch should be a good enough start, don't you agree?"

With an ear-splitting screech, the massive ball of dark energy streaked past Link's vision, leaving the Hero of Time blinking madly in an effort to get rid of the spots in his eyes. But the momentary brightness was dwarfed by the massive explosion that swallowed Lon Lon Ranch. The farm erupted in flames, black smoke rising over the dark horizon. Somewhere, a clock struck midnight, its warbling tolls a deathnell for Malon's home. It was Summer's Day.

Ganondorf started hollering something in some guttural language Link couldn't comprehend before mounting his steed and galloping off after Zelda. Link didn't hear him. He was already running, taking step after agonizing step towards the ranch. After a hundred meters or so, he collapsed, the adrenaline having completely dissipated from his system and leaving Link utterly drained.

!0*0!

"Ivan heard the explosion! What happened?!" Ivan demanded, beating his wings furiously. Link couldn't remember how he got there, collapsed in the mud in the pouring rain, but he wasn't delirious enough to not notice the jar of Red Potion Ivan was carrying. Snatching the jug from the fairy, who sighed in relief, Link took the flask and chugged it all down, feeling his egregious wounds magically close.

He spent a short eternity sitting there, listening to his heart pounding, the rain falling, and the flames flickering. Then he got up again, and kept running, Ivan following close behind.

"Leetle man, what happened?"

"Ganonwhoref happened!" Link yelled back. "He remembers, Ivan. He remembers everything. He knew I was the Hero of Time, he knew-"

"Nyet, leetle man. Ganondorf does not remember you as the Hero of Time. He remembers you as the Hero of the Sky, for he is the Hatred incarnation of the Demon King Demise. Or at least, he said as much in the language of demons. In other words, we're doomed."

Link stopped, suddenly feeling relieved and terrified at the same time. Was that even possible? "So… Ganondorf is actually Demise? And who the hell is Demise?"

"Ivan will explain later! Ivan can barely hear you over this storm!"

It was true. The rainstorm had gotten worse, and lightning bolts pounded Hyrule Field with deafening cracks, sending plumes of dust up into the dreary sky.

The rain didn't stop Lon Lon Ranch from burning. Its flames were like a great beacon, making it impossible to miss.

He was close enough to hear the pained whinnying of horses as the stables caught alight. He had to move quickly. He owed Talon and Ingo that much.

Link sprinted into the ranch, instantly throwing himself into the ranch house. He couldn't get far; the entirety of the wood floor was engulfed in flames, and roasted cucco corpses littered the floor.

Then he saw it. A single charred hand, reaching towards the door. Then there was another, right next to it. Two left hands, one significantly fatter than the other. For an instant, Link feared it was Malon before quelling the thought. Malon was in Castle Town. It had to be Talon and Ingo. Yes, of course.

His eyes lidded with tears. He had to get out. He had to go and fix what little he could.

It was his fault, anyway.

Link left the ranch house, and realized that the stable was lost. Half of it was consumed by a massive crater, and the rest was slowly burning. He couldn't smell any cows burning, so he assumed they had gotten out.

Then the Hylian turned his attention towards what he had always assumed was a grazing area, complete with a race track and a large pen. The pen was on fire, naturally, flames ever expanding in a growing circle. The horses and other livestock had mostly congregated between the ranch house and the pen, given that there wasn't any fire there yet, but with the expanding flames it wouldn't last that way for long.

Unthinkingly, Link pulled out his ocarina and played Epona's Song to calm the horses. They stared at him down their long, equine snouts for a bit before trotting over to the boy with the fairy as he fervently blasted note after note after soul-rending note.

While still playing, Link led the horses towards the back of the ranch, where there was a large wooden fence that hadn't yet been consumed by flames. Without an experienced hand, Link couldn't coax the horses to jump over the fence, as it was simply too tall. So, because he had no other options, he threw his weight at it. Even over the deafening thunder and crackling of fire, the Hero could hear the wood start to snap. Again and again, Link rammed the fence, frequently stopping to play Epona's Song in order to quell the horses' panic.

After far too much time, the fence gave way to Link's struggling, a large hole appearing. It was big enough for even the largest horse to fit through. Now the issue was that of getting them out. He can lead a horse to water, but he couldn't make it-

Link was nearly trampled by the livestock as they escaped the burning Ranch, leaping out of the hole in the fence and out towards Hyrule Field. Once all the horses were out, Link, seeing that there was nothing more he could do, followed suit.

He looked out at the ranch one last time. Just as he did so, he saw the large tower in the back of the ranch collapse in on itself, cementing Link's failure to protect this mirrored world.

At least the rain was letting up.

No, that was a problem, because now he couldn't hide the tears that oozed down his childish cheeks.

He ran off into the night, away from the crackling flames of the ranch, towards Kokiri Forest. He had no choice. He was going back to being an adult again. A tiny part of him couldn't wait, and the rest of him was sickened by it.

!0*0!

"You never did tell me who Demise was," Link said a few days later, an involuntary shudder coursing through his being despite the warmth that accompanied the new summer.

They had picked up the Spiritual Stones in the Lost Woods and were on their way back to Hyrule Castle Town. It would take a little longer than usual, given that Link had planned a trail that would take him as far away from Lon Lon Ranch as possible, but would still get him there rather fast. Unfortunately, his route had taken him through several towns, all of which had been burnt to the ground and their denizens slaughtered by the hundreds. Ganondorf's doing.

Link's fault.

"Ivan already explained it to you," Ivan said hesitantly, clearly trying to avoid the subject.

"No, you didn't," Link pushed. "Could you tell me about him?"

"It, leetle man. Demise is essentially the essence of all hatred in all of existence. It lusted after the Triforce eons ago, before even the Great Fairies were born. And with an army of eldritch abominations, Demise started a war with the surface dwellers over the sacred triangles. But the goddess Hylia sent some of the surface dwellers high into the sky, as she became mortal to keep Demise sealed away until someone with enough Courage could rise to slay the Demon King.

"Thousands of years later, a youth by the name of Link rose to the challenge, of sorts. This youth forged the Master Sword and used it to fight Demise in the ancient past, finally ending the demon.

"But Demise was not finished. With its dying breath, it cursed Link, forcing all those who bear the courage of the hero and the blood of the Goddess into a cycle with no end, borne on by an incarnation of Demise's hatred. That language Ganondorf was speaking was the language of Demons, thought lost to time forever. That, coupled with the fact that he referred to you as the Hero of the Skies, can only mean that Ganondorf is that incarnation of Demise."

Link walked on for a minute or two, processing what he had just heard. "So I'm just part of an endless cycle to put down Demise's Hatred incarnations without cease?"

"That's not how Ivan would put it," Ivan corrected. "You're part of a cycle to save Hyrule. And this is the first time in history that Demise's curse has actually been seen; the last Heroes of Men have all fought the Wind Mage Vaati, who doesn't hold a candle to Ganondorf, much less Demise."

"Then is Zelda part of the cycle too?"

"Where there's a Link, there's a Zelda," Ivan certified, "but Zelda does not reincarnate. The Printsessa is the mortal incarnation of the Goddess Hylia. The Zelda's are all descendants of one another, but they are not connected outside of that. Ponyal?"

"Yeah, I think I do," Link verified. "Thanks, Ivan."

"Ivan is happy to help," the sprite said amicably. The conversation had carried them all the way to Castle Town. The whole atmosphere of the place had shifted so dramatically since the last time Link was there. It was quiet, or at least as quiet as Castle Town ever got. Not to mention that it was deserted. Compared to the first day he had entered the castle, it was a ghost town. Link supposed everyone was in shock over the death of the king.

Then he saw Malon.

Evidently, the ranch girl had had enough sense to not rush to the burning farm as soon as she saw it, and had instead stayed in Castle Town with that family friend of hers. But even still, she had lost that intrinsic happiness that was usually present on her features. If she was taller and Link didn't know her, the Hero would have thought she was a grouchy old lady.

As soon as she saw Link, she sprinted up to him and threw her arms around him, sobbing something fierce. Not quite knowing what to do, Link slowly and awkwardly wrapped his arms around her and soothingly rubbed her back. The few people that were in the square shot sympathetic glances towards the pair, as Malon cried into Link's shoulder.

"Thank the Goddesses you're not dead, Fairy Boy," Malon finally got out over her heaving sobs.

"I'm glad you had the sense to not rush to the Ranch like I did," Link replied softly. "I made sure some of the livestock got out into Hyrule Field, although they could be anywhere in the field."

"What about my daddy? And Uncle Ingo?" Malon asked.

There it was- the question he'd been dreading.

"Malon," Link began, putting a bit of distance between himself and his friend. "I… I couldn't get there in time. I'm sorry."

They stood like that for a long time. Then Malon took a deep breath, struggling to not let any tears fall down her face. "Thank you for telling me the truth. When I asked, I was terrified that you'd lie to me."

Link was confused. "You're not mad at me?"

"Of course I'm mad," Malon scoffed, looking at Link like he was crazy. "I'm sad, angry, and sort of tired. But I'm not mad at you, Fairy Boy. There was nothing you could have done. It's not like you were the one who blew up the ranch."

Now tears were falling down Link's face. "But it was because of me that the Ranch was destroyed! I may not have been the one to cast the spell, but I happen to have something that Ganonwh- Ganondorf wants desperately. And in order to make me give it to him, he blew up the Ranch. So it is my fault, and that's the truth. I'll be back in seven years, Malon. Don't wait for me."

With that, the boy turned man turned boy again forced himself out of Malon's grasp, skeletal hand fingering the Ocarina of Time. He walked to the Temple of Time, as his legs felt more like lead by the second. He fought to plod down the blood red carpet right down the center of the temple, hands shaking as he played the Song of Time in front of the altar. The six simple notes nearly destroyed him.

With a flash of light, the three Spiritual Stones appeared before the altar, spinning in a circle before coming to rest at the three indented areas on the table; Water to the left, Fire in the middle, and Forest on the right. The Triforce engraving over the Door of Time glowed a vibrant gold, and the great stone door slid open to reveal a large dais.

"Leetle man… Is that…" Ivan started, flying into the now open room. "The Master Sword… Neimovernyy. Never thought Ivan would see it."

Link didn't hear him. His mind was consumed with Ganondorf's maniacal laughter, echoing through his brain. Only Castle Town will fall if I do this, he told himself. Everyone will be okay. They all go to Kakariko. Everything… will be just… okay…

With a new resolve, the Hylian forced himself to ascend the pedestal, each footfall a foreshadowing of his doom. His childish hands gripped the Master Sword's deep blue hilt, and mustering all his strength, he drew it from the stone, tears bursting from his eyes, as the blue light swallowed him and reality tore itself to pieces around him.

"Geh heh heh! Excellent work!"

Link tuned out Ganondorf's little speech. It hurt too much to listen.

The light consumed Link's mind once again, and he remembered no more.

I told you that this was the chapter where everything went to shit. Also, I really hope I set this up in such a way that Link still draws the Master Sword without compromising his character. Ganondorf's threat was just forceful coercion.

NOOTTD: An actual metric ton of Skyward Sword references. Also, Ganondorf Side-B to Down-tilt = best combo.

Review please!