Long, long ago, before time had begun to flow, before the vast openness of the space beyond this world came into being, before the stars had made their first light, before the world we live upon was created, and before the many forms of life on this world took their first breaths, there was only one thing, a vast unending expanse of pure energy, the Sacred Light. There was no time, no night or day, nothing other than the Sacred Light, it existed alone in and around itself in utter harmony and peace, however, all things come to an end.
Within the Sacred Light, the energy that composed it wavered for a moment, and in that instance, darkness enshrouded that small portion of the light, the shadow spreading like a cancer throughout the Sacred Light's being. In order to save itself, the Light cast off the darkness ridden part of itself, for the first time feeling pain. The Sacred Light slowly drifted away from it's infected parts, a type of resentment building within it as what was formerly part of it became engulfed in the shadows, becoming the Great Darkness. The Sacred Light used the energy that it was composed of, channeling the golden light into weapons, burning bolts of energy that destroyed more and more of the Great Darkness, tearing away at it the same way fire burns through parchment.
The Great Darkness attempted to defend itself, but every attack was met with more force from it's other half, before finally, it took what little light it had left, splitting it into three distinct shapes, infusing each one with the shadow energy it possessed, thus the first Druthulidi were born. As they had light at their core, they were able to resist the Sacred Light's defenses, fighting through each bolt and blade of energy as they advanced towards the Light's domain.
As they reached their quarry, they roared their names, Demise, Majora, and Mahlik. For the first time, fear was felt, as the Sacred Light knew it could not defend itself from the children of the Darkness. As the three drew near, the Sacred Light came to the realization that it could indeed fight back, doing so by matching it's attackers in form. The Light split from itself three separated entities, one for each part of it, Din the Crimson, Farore the Emerald, and Nayru the Cerulean.
The majority of the Sacred Light had infused itself into three forms, the power of these three, the Goddesses was so immense, they easily dispatched their attackers, but from whence they came the Druthulidi always returned, growing in power with each battle. It wasn't long before the Goddesses realized what must be done, they called to their sibling, the last remnant of the Light for help, and it answered, transforming into the fourth Goddess, Hylia the Gold. As the Druthilidi returned, Din, Farore, and Nayru engaged them in a battle that shook the universe that had taken shape around them, but as they fought, Hylia flew to the Great Darkness, avoiding the many attacks it launched towards her until she found herself surrounded by it, it's tendrils and blades of dark energy tearing at her as fast as she could heal when suddenly salvation came in the form of the Fierce Deity as he is known, using his Helix Blade to cut through the Great Darkness and allow Hylia to find her way to its heart. The two combined their powers to open a portal, a rip in space that lead to a dimension between realms. The two fought the Darkness back, cutting Demise, Majora, and Mahlik off from it's power, allowing Din, Farore, and Nayru to defeat them and aid their sister and new ally in forcing the Great Darkness into this portal. To contain the Great Darkness, the Fierce Deity and the Four Goddesses sealed it's prison within an enormous sphere, that sphere being our world, home to the five lands and the other continents beyond them.
After this, Demise, Majora, and Mahlik were trapped within a barren desert realm for their transgressions, the newly created universe thriving without their presence. The Fierce Deity and Four Goddesses placed stars throughout the cosmos, creating many wonders to be illuminated by them, but greatest among all of these creations was the world we live on. As Din, Farore, and Nayru made the decision to rest, they combined small fragments of their essences with those of Hylia and the Fierce Deity, creating the first humans, choosing one to be reborn throughout the ages to tell this story and share with the others that inhabited the world the tale of the Great Darkness, the Druthulidi, and the Goddesses. Before departing though, the Goddesses Din, Farore and Nayru created the artifact known as the Triforce, a large triangular construct created from their own individual power, each section corresponding to the properties of the Goddess it belonged to. To care for the Triforce, Hylia chose to live on in the mortal world, looking after the humans while she scattered the pieces of the Triforce across the land, the forest Deities being birthed from ground where the individual pieces landed while the Fierce Deity went off in search of other Gods and Spirits, knowing the battle wasn't yet over.
oOo
Din clasped her hands, the enormous visual she had conjured up dispersing into glowing particles as she did so.
"Any questions?" the Goddess asked.
"I've heard many stories...but never that one, no matter how far I've looked back through the Gate of Souls, I've never seen it." Cia responded.
"That's because even the power you command is limited, it can only see back to the time in which it came to be." Din answered.
"And the one who was chosen to carry on the legend of the Druthulidi and Goddesses, what of him?" Erris asked.
"Why don't you ask him?" Din answered, gesturing to her right.
All eyes settled on Elgon, astounded expressions on their faces.
"I might be in a young body, but my spirit is definitely getting on in years." the Light Sage remarked.
"You're...you're older than me." Cia stammered.
"He's older than all of us." Impa stated.
"Not me." Din said plainly.
"Back to the subject at hand, you defeated Demise once...you can do it again, right?" Impa asked.
Din sighed as she gazed out the nearby window, darkness having overtaken what was mid-afternoon. "I can try, but keep in mind, last time I faced him, I was in my primordial form, pure divine golden energy, I didn't have the mortal constraints I do now, I still don't know this body's limits and have yet to have a chance to practice regulating the flow of my power once I call upon it...for all I know I could just end up like my sister, Hylia." Din said, nodding towards Zelda.
"What if we help the Hero out of his prison, we could awaken Farore, right?" Naora asked.
"Possibly, but we would need to see Link released first, and that would be a challenge even for me." Din explained.
"I have an idea." Aren interjected, all eyes turning to the young Sheikah man. "Why not call upon the Fierce Deity, you undoubtedly know where he is."
"Could he help us?" Impa asked.
"No." Elgon answered, looking over to Din.
"What? Why not?" Do you not know his whereabouts?" Impa asked.
"We know exactly where he is, and it won't help us." Din answered.
The group looked around the room confusedly before Elgon broke the silence.
"Over two-thousand years ago he sealed Majora into the Mask he was bound to, and in doing so, bound his spirit into the same mask. Majora later separated them when he was freed, but kept the Fierce Deity bound to a mask in the likeness of his own face, in which he is still trapped." the Light Sage explained.
"And we don't know where that mask is, even I can't sense it." Din said.
"Is it as if it were trapped in a place made by godly entities with the intention of hiding powerful items so that they could not be found by other...well...godly entities?" Erris asked.
"Obviously." Din said, narrowing her eyes.
"I may know where it is." Erris replied.
"Well? Out with it then!" Naora shouted.
"When I was in league with Ganondorf, there are secrets he shared even she didn't know about." the Prince said, nodding towards Naora, the Gerudo woman sending a glare his way. "In his past lives, he has employed a system of 'dungeons' to hide and contain valuable items of power. While he did not do that in this life to such an extent...he did open one dungeon, he called it "The Crypt of the Gods", told me he was hiding something in there he couldn't afford the Hero getting his hands on, I think that mask was the item in question." Erris said.
"You couldn't have revealed this sooner?" Impa growled.
"I did!" Erris shouted. "I lead Viscen and a team of soldiers straight to it! But it needed someone who held at least one part of the Triforce to open it! It's not my fault that Viscen is bad at delivering mission reports." the Prince retorted.
"Fine then, how do we get there?" Impa asked.
"It's deep within the Hyrulean desert, but keep in mind, we do need a holder of a Triforce piece there to open it...and even when it's open, that won't be the last thing standing in the way. You may recall the night when an infected group of guards attacked to Castle Town, this was all caused by the "Son of the Horror" as you know, well, the creature that grotesque thing was the son of resides inside the Crypt, and it's not something you will ever be ready to face." Erris explained.
"I'm certain." Din said. "Not of that, any creature that was created by a Druthulidi would be short work for me...but I am certain that is where the mask is hidden, that explains why I can't sense it...and the fact that Demise wants to keep the Hero from getting to this item lends more credence to your theory." she said.
"Why's that?" I mean, why would Ganon want to keep Link away from that mask?" Cia asked.
"I was there, I can answer this...after all this time, the truth must be known." Elgon said.
"Very well." Din said, nodding in response.
"When I was still the "Chosen Hero", I fought with Hylia and the Fierce Deity against Demise, Majora, and Mahlik. You see, during the battle, Demise claimed Hylia's life...it was only with the Triforce of Wisdom that she was able to save herself...in a way, she was able to tie her life-force to it, as long as it lived she would be reborn, albeit in a mortal form. The Fierce Deity did the same when he imprisoned Majora in the mask, he put almost all of his power into the mask and his spirit...but before he did so, he split himself into two, his mind and his body...his body still remains with us, a fragment of the Fierce Deity's soul still inside of this body, being reborn throughout the ages with his lover Hylia...the Fierce Deity left his physical form behind as a link to the outside world...his Link." Elgon finished.
A hush had fallen over the room, each and every occupant staring at Elgon in disbelief.
"Well...I suppose that would explain his somewhat inhuman feats." Erris said.
"All this time...Link has been the Fierce Deity in human form." Cia muttered.
"Not exactly." Din responded. "He is a part of the Fierce Deity, a fragment if you will, a physical body that was granted part of his soul, his true power, his memories, his original personality, it's all lost to him, contained inside the mask." Din answered.
"I've heard the story of Link's journey in Termina, and his eventual donning of the Fierce Deity's Mask to face Majora...if he was reunited with his...other parts at one point, why did he not stay that way, and how does he not know?" Impa inquired.
"Because it wasn't yet the time for the two to come together, the other half of the Fierce Deity's essence held back their memories, prevented the reunification and made the mask disappear from Link's possession once they had played their role." Din replied.
"So the mask has it's own consciousness?" Aren asked.
"Of course it does, even when it's separated from Link, the other part of him within the mask still speaks to him, aids him...I believe it's taken to calling itself 'The Hero's Shade'." Din answered, twisting a red lock of hair around her index finger.
"Does she know?" Naora asked, gesturing towards Zelda.
"My little sister? No, she does not, no one ever knew except for Nayru, Farore, the Fierce Deity's other side, and myself...but now there's all of you." Din answered as she stood up, pacing across the room.
"Is there something wrong?" Impa asked urgently.
"I can barely feel it...but...I...I think...I sense him, I sense Link." Din said urgently.
"What? Has he escaped?" Elgon asked, shooting up from his seat.
"Not quite...but with my help, he will." Din answered.
"Let us come with you." Cia said, her staff materializing in her hands.
"No, it's too dangerous, I can do this on my own, Ganondorf won't be able to track my movements when I warp us away from wherever it is I find him." Din answered.
"Wait! Before you go..." Naora said, extending a hand.
Din turned towards the Gerudo woman, tilting her head to the side.
"I need to know, The Sage of Water...Kyra...is she still alive? Last I saw of her she and the Forest Sage were running to the Great Deku Tree's domain...since then I have no idea what's happened to that part of the city, but I know it can't be good." Naora said.
"Fret not, all of the Sages are most definitely alive, I'd tell you if at any point one were to die." Din answered.
Naora breathed a sigh of relief, dropping back into her chair. "Thank you." she said.
"Don't thank me yet, we still have to retrieve them, so all of you can assemble your energies...and resurrect my fallen sister." Din said as bright orange beams of energy shot up around her, the woman eventually vanishing in a flash.
oOo
Link exchanged nervous glances with Oren and Mathias, the two men gritting their teeth as the room fell silent, the men and beasts on the higher floor's balconies watching them impatiently as Kanthos stepped forward, withdrawing his blade as Shilara teleported beside him, blue flames encircling her hands.
"Unless you want another scar to compliment the one I gave you earlier, you would do well to back away." Link warned.
Shilara let out a harsh, high pitched cackle, looking at the Hero and company with a manic grin. "Three men against all of us?" she called out, gesturing towards the army around her. "Even Kanthos and I alone could take the three of you with little effort! Hero of Legend or not, you can't win." Shilara hissed.
Kanthos traced a gloved finger down the scar that trailed diagonally across his face, it was still slightly sensitive, but it's existence was a constant reminder...of him. "Look at you...a little boy who's let a magical trinket get to his head...you know...I prolonged my life for centuries by stealing the life from others...I had to begin fighting for my life at age thirteen. That would mean I've gone undefeated for six-hundred and seventy years...and then you come along and knock me onto my back and disfigure my face...I have never been made SUCH A FOOL OF!" Kanthos roared. "I was feared! Feared beyond anything else in my land! They called me the Scourge! The Demon! Everything you can imagine that would instill fear...I was held in much the same regard that your people hold Lord Ganondorf in...and I will show you why!" Kanthos exclaimed.
"Now!" Link exclaimed.
Mathias tossed a handful of Deku seeds at the sorcerer as he made his way towards them, the flash momentarily stunning everyone as Oren placed both hands on the ground, the shadows stretching towards and spreading over Kanthos and Shilara.
"Graaah!" What's going on?!" Shilara screamed, her rage building.
"No! I won't let you get away!" Kanthos yelled, managing to slow the Shadow Immersion process as he laid both eyes on Link.
Mathias lunged forward, catching a bolt of energy thrown by Kanthos with his shield, the force knocking him onto his back.
"Link, I can't hold them for much longer." Oren said through gritted teeth.
"You don't have to." Link answered, finally pulling a loose brick from the floor.
"They're coming!" Mathias called out, hordes of monsters leaping from the higher floors and onto the main one, human soldiers filing into the room from multiple stairwells.
"Alright...run!" Link yelled.
Oren released Shilara and Kanthos as their army caught up to them.
"Get them!" Kanthos yelled, suddenly going silent as a red light filled the Great Hall.
"What is this?" Shilara asked as a red glow spread through the masonry from the space that the Hero had pulled the brick from, rapidly spreading up the walls and onto the ceiling.
"Pay not attention and catch hi-" Kanthos said as the horde gave chase, being cut off as a tremendous roar filled the room, all occupants looking up wide-eyed as flame poured from a set of sigils on the ceiling, men screaming and beasts roaring in pain as fire poured over every balcony and every walkway, filling each stairway and burning through everything it touched as it flowed all the way down to the main floor.
Link thrust open the Castle's doors, and along with Oren and Mathias, dove to the ground as flame burst from the opening.
"What was that?" Mathias asked as the three regained their footing and resumed their sprint.
"Zelda and I didn't want a repeat of what happened in the Great Hall when Erris first attacked...so we devised a way to fight back." he said.
"You scrawled a spell into the masonry." Oren stated.
"Not just any spell, Din's Fire, we planned on activating a shield around our forces while the other cast the spell, it's much easier without having to worry about the shield." Link answered.
"Do you think it got all of them?" Mathias asked.
Link, Oren and Mathias looked back, the wall of flame being blown aside as Kanthos and Shilara emerged unscathed, a contingent of soldiers behind them.
"Looks like they had the shielding idea too." Mathias said.
"Looks like it." Link answered, turning the opposite way. "We need to keep on going." he continued.
The three tore through the near empty streets of Castle Town, the sound of Kanthos and Shilara's group echoing through the once heavily traveled thoroughfares.
"Come on!" Link said, grabbing Mathias by the arm and pulling him into an alleyway, Oren darting in soon after.
"It seems we've lost them for now." Oren stated.
"I don't understand, why not just warp in front of us?" Mathias asked.
"Ganon may be supressing trans-location spells within the city as a security measure." Link stated.
"Fair point." Mathias replied.
"We can't stay for long, the longer we're out here, the more of their forces they'll send out to find us, the alleys within the city will be the first place they look." Oren stated.
Link gritted his teeth, turning his gaze towards the Great Deku Tree's massive form looming above the wall to East Castle Town. "The Kokiri..." he said. "Mathias, what happened to the Kokiri?" Link asked pointedly.
Oren turned to Mathias, raising an eyebrow.
"We didn't kill them if that's what you're asking, when Ganondorf broke through that wall you have around the forest, there was no one there, no one but the Great Deku Tree." he answered.
Link inwardly sighed in relief, he knew the Great Deku Tree wouldn't allow his children to be slaughtered, even if it meant sacrificing himself. "And what of the Great Deku Tree?" Link asked.
"Ganondorf seems wholly unconcerned with him." Mathias answered.
"For now." Link responded.
"I hate to cut your conversation short, but we need to move on." Oren said.
Link and Mathias nodded in agreement before heading down numerous dimly lit alleys, eventually finding the Northern Gate seemingly unprotected.
"It's a trap, it has to be." Link said.
"I don't believe we have another option." Oren replied.
"Well, with that stunt we pulled in the Great Hall, I don't think we can afford to be apprehended." Link answered.
"I'll go." Mathias said, beginning to step out.
"Wait." Link said, grabbing the Knight by the shoulder. "We don't know if it's safe."
"Exactly, I'll go first, and if it is a trap, I can distract them long enough for you two to get through." Mathias answered.
"Link, it may be the only way." Oren stated.
"With all I've done, I owe it to you." Mathias said.
"We'll go together." Link replied, drawing his sword.
Oren and Mathias exchanged glances before doing the same.
"Okay...get ready...now!" Link yelled.
The three men charged into the street, weapons drawn as they made their way to the gate.
Link skidded to a halt, whirling around as he observed it all, Mathias and Oren doing the same.
"There's no one here." Mathias stated.
"Maybe they haven't made it this far yet." Link replied.
"Maybe so, but we should still proceed with caution." Oren said quietly.
The trio placed their hands on the massive bolt that sealed the gate, each looking around warily. The only sounds around them were small bits of the damaged buildings crumbling, the more damaged parts already having fallen away.
"We have to be careful, with everything as quiet as it is, the sound of the bolt moving will be heard all the way across town." Link said, Mathias and Oren nodding in agreement as they slowly slid the bolt out, each short grinding noise setting them on edge until the job was done.
Link, Oren and Mathias slowly made they're way out into Hyrule field, the snow covered ground crunching underfoot.
"It looks like we made it." Mathias said, a hint of excitement in his voice.
"It's strange, though, you have to admit that." Oren responded. "No guards, no patrols, nothing."
"There could be a patrol somewhere on the perimeter of Castle Town making their way here now, that's just more reason for us to get moving, preferably before the sun rises." Link answered.
Mathias and Oren exchanged glances, the Knight removing a time piece from underneath his chest plate.
"The sun has already risen, it's mid-afternoon right now." he said, showing Link the time.
The Hero spun around, gazing up at the sky as it registered, the sun's glow was faint, barely visible beyond the shroud of shadow that ensnared it. "Ganondorf." he growled.
"He blocked the sun's light somehow, plunging the land into complete darkness for days." Oren explained.
"There's nothing we can do about that now, is there?" Link asked, a hint of anger in his voice. "We best get moving."
"What happened to all of the bodies?" Oren asked quietly, leaning towards Mathias.
"Rickard Gavan was given the task of seeing to that most of the bodies were taken south of Castle Town and burned." Mathias answered.
"Most?" Oren asked pointedly, momentarily turning to Link to see if the latter was listening.
"What can I say? ReDeads don't need to eat, sleep or drink and can paralyze any living thing with their screams, they make for good sentries." Mathias said, a downcast tone to his voice.
"When this is all over, you will stand trial for the part you played in this." Oren replied, a hint of uncharacteristic aggression and disgust in his voice.
Link crested the hill ahead of them, his grip tightening as his feet ground to a halt, Mathias and Oren doing the same a large ring of fire roared to life around them, the snow inside melting instantly as the flakes that fell were blown away from it.
"You've kept us waiting a decently long time, nice of you to finally show up." Kanthos said with a grin.
"We were getting impatient." Shilara sneered.
"Where are your friends?" Link asked, narrowing his eyes.
"A little too obsessed with killing, they are, we're here to bring you back...well you, the other two are expendable." Kanthos said.
"You two are out of your depth." Oren said, unsheathing his Great Sword.
"We'll see about that." Shilara answered, summoning a ball of flame into her hand.
Link glanced to his side, giving Oren a nod before they both took off at their opponents.
Kanthos lunged forward, a blade materializing in his hand as he clashed with Link.
"Not so strong without your special sword, are you?" Kanthos growled.
Link gritted his teeth in response before fading to the side, Kanthos stumbling passed him as Link slashed at the sorcerer, the blade cleaving through the man's shoulder plate. The Hero charged forward, unleashing a spin attack, Kanthos leaping over it and shooting a bolt of electricity at Link, the Hero deflecting it with his blade, before charging at Kanthos and stabbing, the sorcerer bringing up a pillar of stone to catch the strike before shooting a blast of energy straight through, hitting Link in the chest and knocking him to the ground.
"Not so impressive now, are you?!" Kanthos roared as he raced over to Link, stabbing his blade into the ground only for the Hero to roll to the side to avoid it.
Link quickly regained his footing, performing a downward diagonal slash, a leftwards horizontal slash and a quick series of stabs, Kanthos deflecting the slashes before teleporting away from the stabs.
Link spun around, catching Kanthos' blade with his own. "Warping behind me? How predictable." Link said before Kanthos darted back, growling through gritted teeth.
"Take this!" Kanthos yelled, shooting a stream of energy at Link, the Hero blocking it with his blade, looking back as he was slowly pushed towards the wall of flame that surrounded them.
Oren performed a jump attack, the Gerudo woman teleporting out from underneath before appearing next to him, she brought up her hands, shooting blasts of energy and flame, Oren catching each with his Great Sword. Shilara growled as she stepped back, barely avoiding a slash from Mathias before shoving the Knight away with Telekinesis.
"I won't go down that easily!" Mathias yelled as he charged forward.
Shilara again attempted to force him away with her telekinesis, screaming in rage as he continued his path. "How?!" she bellowed.
"You have this to thank." Mathias said, opening his hand to reveal a talisman with multiple ancient sigils scrawled over it. "It helps me resist some weaker magic." he said tauntingly.
Shilara cried out, blue flames erupting all over her body as she shot forward at Mathias. "I'll take that thing and shove it down your throat!" she yelled.
Mathias brought up his blade, only for Shilara to melt the sword away as she landed, throwing a blast of flame directly in front of him, tossing the Knight onto his back.
"Now you die, painfully." she growled.
"You shouldn't have been paying so much attention to me." Mathias said with a smirk.
"No, NO!" Shilara screamed, turning to find the shadows the wall of flame cast racing towards her, the tendrils snaking up her body as they blotted out her vision and hearing.
"Now!" Oren yelled.
Mathias ran towards Shilara, knife drawn before being blown towards the edge of the circle, Oren and Shilara going with him as Kanthos fired an enormous blast of energy at Link, the sheer force tearing apart the ground around it.
Link shook as he tried to hold back the blast, after all, he was nearly starved and had been stuck in his cell for days. he was hardly in fighting form.
"I'm going to kill you, just like I did your friend in Gamelon!" Kanthos roared.
Link's eyes shot open, memories of Kallil rushing back to him, feeling a pit in his stomach as he recalled playing games as children, joining the Lanayru Province Guard, heading out towards Castle Town...recruiting him for the mission that lead to his death...it was his fault. Link felt the rage growing inside of him, images of his old friend's face flooding his mind as the adrenaline coursed through his veins. "Don't you dare speak of him." Link growled.
"And when I've defeated you, I'll force you to watch as I smash your other friend's skulls in!" Kanthos yelled.
Link called upon his Triforce piece, finding himself pushing back against the blast as his Gold Aura materialized around him, images of his friends, images of Zelda flew through his mind...Zelda...he had to make it back to her, he had to. With a deafening roar Link charged into the blast, the energy merely flowing around him like water in a stream.
"What?! No! This is impossible!" Kanthos yelled, barely having enough time to let out a yelp as Link's hand emerged from the blast, the Hero clamping a hand over the Sorcerer's mouth.
Link drove his blade through Kanthos' shoulder, the sorcerer making a muffled yell of pain as he dropped his arm, the energy stream fading away. Link's eyes were filled with a golden glow as his aura pulsed around him, wind whipping through the field as the ring of flame was extinguished. "You have no right to speak of Kallil." Link said as he dropped Kanthos.
The Sorcerer fell to his knees, holding a hand over his shoulder. "I took his life, I have every right." he said defiantly as he stood up, a grin growing across his face. "That Scepter of Gamelon, I wish I still had it...that thing was solid, within a few blows I'd beaten through 'Kallil's" skull and made it all the way down through his forehead, I'm rather sure one of his eyes fell out during the process...but there was so much blood who could really tell?" he laughed.
Link cried out, raising his sword into the air, eyes going wide as Kanthos raised both hands, gathering all of the energy he possessed in only a matter of seconds. "Goodbye, Hero! I'll give Ganondorf your regards!" he shouted.
Oren, Mathias and Shilara shielded there eyes as a brilliant flash filled the entirety of Hyrule Field, the shockwave again knocking them from their feet.
"The Master wanted your life for himself, but I'm sure he'd permit thi-AHCK" Kanthos began, suddenly crying out as blood filled his mouth.
As the smoke cleared, he found himself eye to glowing golden eye with the Hero, his clothes were tattered and burnt, but he was unscathed. Kanthos looked down as blood dripped over his lips, finding the Hero's blade plunged through his chest. "H...how?" he stammered.
"You may be strong, but Light always drives away the Darkness." Link said, pulling his blade from the man's chest.
Kanthos coughed twice more before falling to the ground motionless.
The three turned to Shilara, the Gerudo woman having a look on her face that alternated between fear and anger. "You! You will all pay for this!" she said, slowly stepping back.
"Let's end this now." Oren said, raising his blade.
Suddenly Shilara's face split into a manic grin, her eyes darting between the three. "I hope you didn't use all of your energy, Hero...because you're really in for it now." she said.
A bright orange flash consumed her, the Gerudo girl having vanished.
Mathias turned, finding Kanthos was gone, too.
"What is this?" Oren asked.
The winds began to pick up and tear through the snow covered fields, thunder boomed overhead and the ground beneath them shook as a tremendous crack filled the air, Link, Mathias and Oren shielding their eyes before lowering their arms and looking up.
Stunned gasps escaped Mathias and Oren while Link ground his teeth.
"You three have caused me much trouble...I had such high hopes for you in particular, Mathias." Ganondorf said, gesturing towards the Knight. "And you, you are more resourceful than I recall, even though you did have the help of a wretched Sheikah." he growled at Link.
Link cried out, his golden aura surging as he raised his blade, charging at Ganondorf.
Ganon raised an arm, catching Link's sword with his bare hand before delivering a punch to his chest, sending the Hero flying onto his back, his aura fading away.
Oren ran in front of Link as Mathias tended to him, the Sheikah man quickly placed his hands on the ground, shadows quickly shooting towards Ganondorf.
"You Shiekah truly are pathetic." he remarked before telekinetically tossing Oren away, halting the Shadow Immersion.
"I saved you from imprisonment and this is how you repay me." Ganondorf growled.
"You forced me to serve you through fear!" Mathias said as he picked up Link's blade and raised it.
"If you move aside and allow me to take the Hero and his Triforce of Courage, you will be allowed to live." Ganondorf growled.
"We both know that's not true." Mathias answered.
"True." Ganondorf said. The Demon King raised his hand, and with a snap of his fingers the Knight exploded in a red flash, staining the fresh snow around them a deep red.
Link awoke at this, raising his left hand to his face only to find that entire side of his body covered in blood, none of it his own.
"Where are your Goddesses now?" Ganondorf growled as he raised a hand at Link.
"Behind you." a feminine voice called.
Ganondorf dropped his arm, a chill traveling up his spine as he turned.
"Din."
oOo
Termina-Clock Town
Cia raised her staff, attempting to bring up an image of where Din had gone, finding nothing.
"What's the problem?" Impa said urgently.
"There's something there interfering...something so powerful it's interfering with the Gate of Souls." Cia answered.
"Ganondorf?" Elgon asked in a downcast tone.
"If he's there Link's pretty much already dead." Erris said, pounding his fist against the wall.
"But Din is there too." Naora argued.
"Din did say she may not be able to handle Ganondorf in his current form." Aren said hesitantly.
"I think we need to focus on the matter at hand." Impa said, suddenly going quiet.
With lightning fast reflexes she grabbed the wrist of her attacker, twisting it and throwing them to the ground, the knife falling out of their grip.
Cia went still, finding a knife at her neck, Erris doing the same as a scimitar was leveled at the back of his head.
In the corner of the room Aren had his assailant in a choke hold, slowly backing away from two others.
Elgon sat quietly as three black clad warriors closed in on him, swords drawn.
"What is this?!" Impa yelled, holding her attacker down as the other warriors closed in on her.
"Wait! Everyone just stop!" Noara yelled as she ran into the center of the room.
Everyone turned to her as the Gerudo woman's eyes settled on three figures standing near the window. "It would really help them trust you more if you tried a gentler approach." Naora said.
The three individuals by the window looked as if they were about to speak before each and every black clad warrior was thrown up against the nearest wall and held their telekinetically.
"That wasn't my doing." Erris said.
"Or mine." Cia replied.
Elgon merely nodded to his right, all eyes settling on a now conscious Zelda, the Princess scowling at the trio near the window. "Who are you?" she asked aggressively.
"Princess, please, show them mercy." Naora said.
Zelda released her telekinetic grip, all of the warriors falling to the floor.
"Only if they share with us their identities" the Princess answered.
The three at the window exchanged glances before removing their masks, in the center stood a young Gerudo woman who bore a strong resemblance to Naora, and to her sides, an older Gerudo who appeared to be in her late fifties and a Hylian man who was around the same age.
Zelda, Elgon, Cia, Erris, Aren, Impa and Naora looked around the room as the other warriors removed their face coverings, revealing all of them to be Gerudo.
"Sandrine?!" Naora shouted.
"Hello, Sister." the young Gerudo woman in the middle answered. "Safe to say I was not expecting to see you in the company of the Princess...did you tire of killing and conquering with your betrothed?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
"I made a mistake, staying by his side, I know that now." Naora responded.
"You know, I was only seven years old when you abandoned us for him and his psychotic sister, Mother was so ashamed." Sandrine explained.
Naora grit her teeth as she thought back to that night, leaving with Kai...with Ganondorf without a second thought.
"Nothing to say, big sister? I have so much to tell you! You see, I've been made Chief recently due to mother's failing health, it was quite a burden, you know...with the constant attacks from Hylians angered by Ganon's actions, actions you aided him with." Sandrine accused.
"I left his side long ago...mother...is she here?" Naora asked.
"She is, but I doubt she'd want to see you, she doesn't have long anyway, seeing her shame of a daughter after eleven years might just be all it takes to kill her." Sandrine replied pointedly.
Zelda exchanged glances with Impa, Erris and Elgon shrugging at each other as the two women argued.
"If you aren't here for me, than what are you here for?" Naora shouted.
"Her." Sandrine said, gesturing towards Zelda.
"What do you want of me?" the Princess asked.
"We want to offer you our help in this war." the older Gerudo woman said as she stepped forward.
"Why would you offer us your help, you're Gerudo, Ganondorf is your King, is he not?" Zelda asked.
"The days in which we bowed to him have long passed, he is our enemy as much as he is yours." Sandrine said.
"We offer our help because we want to take responsibility for what Ganondorf's done." the older Hylian man said.
"A Hylian man, among Gerudo, you're a bit too old for it now, but dare I say sex slave?" Erris asked with a smirk, only to roll his eyes when the Gerudo woman behind him leveled a scimitar at his neck.
"I'll have you know he is my husband!" the older Gerudo woman replied.
"I am Orvik, and this is my wife Khali." the Hylian man said. "It is an honor to meet you Princess, I saw you once long ago when you were just a little girl and I a younger man." Orvik said.
"Thank you, now Orvik and Khali...you said you wanted take responsibility for Ganondorf's actions. Forgive me if I am confused, but might you mind expanding on your statement?" Zelda requested.
Orvik and Khali shared unsure glances while Sandrine shifted uncomfortably behind them.
"Our Daughter's name is Shilara and our son's Kai...but you know him better as Ganondorf."
"You're Ganondorfs parents?!" Impa exclaimed.
"That's impossible, during each and every one of his reincarnations his mother died in childbirth, impregnated by some Hylian man who left as soon as he was finished with her." Elgon said.
"The Goddesses had different plans for us." Khali replied.
"Obvioulsy." Zelda began. "Now, if you do come face to face with Ganondorf and Shilara, what is it you hope to accomplish?" Zelda asked.
"We believe Shilara can be reasoned with, that she can be brought back to her senses." Orvik answered.
All occupants of the room shared a derisive glance before turning back to Khali.
"But Ganondorf...he is our son and our responsibility...we brought him into this world...and we want to help you take him out of it." she said.
"You want to help us kill him?" Zelda asked.
"We want to end the suffering his evil is causing." Orvik answered.
"And we're ready to lend you our entire army to help." Sandrine said.
"If this is truly what you want, than I accept your aid." Zelda said, extending a hand.
Orvik and Khali turned to Sandrine, the young Chieftain stepped forward and locked eyes with Zelda and extended a hand, the Princess extended her arm, taking hold of Sandrine's forearm as the Gerudo woman did the same for her, the two bowing their heads.
"What is that?" Erris asked.
"The customary way Gerudo people seal their agreements." Elgon said.
"I'm honored to have you on our side." Zelda said. "Just one question, how did you know we were here?" she asked.
"We prayed to the Goddess of Sand and she told us where to find you through dreams, our weapons were strictly precautionary." Sandrine answered.
Zelda nodded, slowly leaning to the side before she collapsed outright, Impa darting in to catch her.
"Cia, get everyone outside." Impa called.
The Sorceress nodded, tapping her staff against the floor, teleporting everyone away.
"Princess? What is it? Did she do something to you?" Impa asked.
"Impa...no." Zelda answered. "The Triforce of Wisdom...I finally made it accept me as it's new source in Nayru's stead. It's taking a toll on my body..but I'll learn to handle it."
Impa smiled, placing a hand on Zelda's head. "You never cease to amaze me, Princess." she said.
"My sisters, how are they?" Zelda asked.
"Farore is resting in that room." Impa said, extending her arm towards the doors on the far side of the main room.
"She can't awaken...her Triforce, it's too far away, Link, we need to save him." Zelda said frantically, trying to stand.
"Zelda...Din is already doing so." Impa said.
"Din is the strongest of the four of us...but I have to go, I have to help her...I have to see Link!" she said urgently. Zelda felt her heart grow heavy as she realized she and Link had not been together in over a month, only seeing each other shortly during the battle for Castle Town.
"Princess, rest, if anyone would be capable of rescuing Link it's Din, in all my lives I have never sensed a stronger energy.
Zelda eased herself back against the bed, looking up at the ceiling, Link being the only thing she could think of.
oOo
Hyrule-The Lost Woods
Trystane thanked the Goddesses for his ice-centric abilities for the thousandth time as they were all that presented him from freezing over. The Sky was black as usual, the snow falling heavier than before.
There was a sudden clattering sound behind him, causing the Knight to draw his sword and turn to face...snow falling from a tree branch.
"Goddesses! Where am I?" he exclaimed, exasperated.
It had been nearly half a day since he had woken up on the battlefield, his wound miraculously healed. He cursed the fact he decided to take this route to Termina, the Lost Woods were the fastest way though, if you could find your way through them and into Termina's Southern Swamp, that is.
Trystane stopped to lean against a tree, scowling momentarily as the snow on the branch above him fell onto his head. As he brushed it off he noticed something in the distance, a large black spot in the center of a clearing. Slowly he lifted himself from the tree he laid against and approached it, eyes going wide as he looked down at it.
It was a deep pit...a mass grave filled with hundreds of Bokoblins, their frozen bodies being buried by the falling snow.
"Sad what happened to them." a voice called out.
Trystane turned swiftly, holding his sword aloft, the snow beginning to swirl behind him.
The man who stood across from him looked to be in his early sixties, long gray wavy hair reaching down to his collar bone and a white, thick beard adorning his face.
"They were so tired of being Ganondorf's pawns and the Bulblins prey, Bokoblins never seemed too smart, but they knew their own history, they finally did something to change it and this is what happened to them." the man said.
Trystane recalled that many had thought the Bokoblins had either joined Ganondorf or fled outright when they didn't aid in the battle like they should have, but this, no one ever imagined this.
"That truce they had with the Hylian Military, that's some serious history, though, no one had ever managed to broker an agreement like that with a race of beasts other than Ganondorf." the man explained.
"Who are you?" Trystane asked.
"Me? We'll get to that in a second. I've come a long way to find you, Sir Trystane of Snowpeak, I was observing the battle, I saw you die, and I saw you get right back up and walk away. That is probably the most exceptional ability I have ever come across, I could use someone like you." the man said.
"What do you mean "use" me?" Trystane shot.
"I've come to you representing a guild of people with extraordinary abilities, and I'd be honored if you'd come with me to learn more about and possibly join us."
"What guild is this?" Trystane answered.
"We are called 'The Knights of Hytopia'." the man answered.
"The Knights of Hytopia? But they're just a legend, an ancient one, Hytopia no longer exists." Trystane replied.
"The Knights of Hytopia have operated behind the scenes for years, safeguarding Hyrule from threats and aiding in battles unbeknownst to all but ourselves...that spell that blocked magic in Hyrule field, it wasn't your friends who undid that, we broke that spell." the man explained.
Trystane lowered his blade, it made sense to him, as Impa and company wouldn't have known of the catacombs under Hyrule field nor would they have had the time to take care of Ganondorf's warding spells.
"The existence of The Knights of Hytopia is a closely guarded secret of the royal family, if Ganondorf didn't think me dead, I would have told my son and daughter of it someday, though, I believe Zelda already knows, with all of that knowledge from her past lives." the man explained.
"You...you can't be..." Trystane said, lowering his blade.
"King Daltus Nohansen Hyrule, at your service."
oOo
Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed this, definitely one of my longer chapters! I thought you deserved it after the long wait! We've got Din versus Ganon, Zelda's awakening as the new source of the Triforce of Wisdom's power, the Gerudo paying a visit, and the King himself!
Sorry for the long wait, I don't know if I've ever shared this before, but I'm currently a member of the management staff at a large movie theater and the last few weeks have been brutal, I've been very low on time, but I've been writing this story little by little so I could finally bring you a new chapter! Thank you so much for your patience!
Gerudospirit: Why thank you! I wanted to make this Ganondorf a force to be reckoned with and I'm glad you see it that way! I was hoping to really create a mental image of what Minister Hawkwood was seeing at that moment, like, something that would really stick with you, and hopefully that did the job! Din, it was hard writing her because the only time we ever really see her is in her Golden Form at the beginning of Ocarina of Time, no real personality to speak of, but I just thought, powerful, confident, and brutally honest. I'm glad you liked all she had to say, I always envisioned the Goddesses feeling very wronged by Ganon and his theft of the Triforce of Power.
I am also glad you liked that bit about Thrakon's mother being a great fairy, I was wondering how that would be received, it makes me happy you enjoyed it.
About the key thing, I wanted to do something brutal that really made me uncomfortable to think about, and that's just what I thought up. I'm glad you thought so highly of that scene! As for the part at the end with Link's commentary, I notice that people in the games always talk to him as if he just made some smart-ass comment to them, so I wanted to play on that as well as the fact most people who play the games seem to think he's mute.
Thank you for kind words, especially about my vocabulary and action scenes! Thank you so much for your support!
Tetraforce theory: I don't know why you stopped reading either but I'm glad you're re-reading the entire story! I know it'll be a while before you see this, but thank you for reading and reviewing!
Guest: I can assure you I have not quit and unfortunately I haven't even bought Breath of the Wild yet, work and my home life have just been consuming me lately and I'm sorry the update took so long. When you say waiting for a new chapter is like waiting for a new Zelda game, I hope you mean in terms of excitement ;). Anyway, I am glad you follow my story so closely and am so grateful you look forward to another chapter so much! And yes, I am still alive, thank you for your concern and thank you for reviewing, I hope to hear from you again in the future!
Well, there we have it, thanks to all of those who clicked favorite and follow on my story and myself, I am very grateful, you are all amazing!
Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Best regards,
-Prometheus17