Small ripples formed on top of the water as his fingers slowly began to move, the green glow of the room filling his eyes as he came to, small lights flitting about right above him.
Thrakon clenched his fist before taking a deep breath, being ejected from his restful state as the feeling of the ground shaking and the vision of the skies turning crimson and raining down destruction upon Clock Town coming back to him. The Mercenary slowly stood up, his breathing returning to normal as he checked his surroundings. The walls were a bright green color, white and blue energy particles flowing over them. He stood on an embankment of white sand, a shallow pool of water in the middle, white pillars in a circle around him and stone tiling around them as a light shone from above, illuminating the small beings floating about in the middle.
"Fairies." Thrakon said, approaching them slowly before stepping to the side, another fairy flying passed him and joining the others in the middle.
"You should thank them, I couldn't have healed you without their help." a female voice called out.
"Mother?" Thrakon asked as he turned, finding the Great Fairy in her human form standing in the dark edges of the room.
"I was barely able to save you in time." she said as she stepped out into the light.
Thrakon took a step back, eyes settling on his mother. "What about Ginthorne and Ceryn...and all the other men fighting to defend Termina? You couldn't have saved them?" he snapped.
"Their deaths occurred too quickly, the fact you are half-Fairy helped you hold on long enough for me to retrieve you." she explained.
"What happened to them? Their bodies?" Thrakon asked.
"Destroyed along with Clock Town." the Great Fairy answered.
Thrakon fell back against a pillar, putting a hand over his face. "They can't even have a proper burial." he muttered.
"If it's any consolation, in the Sacred Realm, the terms of your burial mean nothing, you are judged only on the contents of your character. Your friends are sure to find peace." the Great Fairy answered.
"It's not closed off here?" Thrakon asked.
The Great Fairy raised an eyebrow at her son expectantly.
"Din told us that Ganondorf closed off the paths to the other worlds once he took on his current form...there are thousands of spirits wandering Hyrule right now, are you telling me it's not the same here?" Thrakon asked.
"The Spirits of the dead here are moving along without incident..with the exception of Ikana, but, it seems the Spirits in that place like to stay." The Great Fairy answered.
"This could mean Ganondorf's powers aren't as far-reaching as we thought, maybe he's weakening I have to tell the other's I have to..." Thrakon said, trailing off.
"It's perfectly understandable if you don't want to leave just yet." the Great Fairy said.
"Reading my mind?" Thrakon asked.
"Your expression." the Great Fairy responded.
Thrakon wanted to tell her to leave him be, to stay strong and keep up his invincible persona, but the damage was done. "I'm not a Soldier." he said turning to his mother. "I'm not a Knight either, the Princess offered to make me one but I declined...I've been a Sell-Sword all my life, these military campaigns were never my strong suit, I just would get paid to take on an assignment, complete it and that would be it. The battles I was paid to take part in before were just that, only battles...I signed on the help the Hero because it seemed like the best place to be...I didn't expect to fight Gods, Demons and Monsters, the likes of which hadn't been seen for millennia...I didn't expect to see whole Cities destroyed and I didn't expect witness genocides the likes of which will never be forgotten."
The Great Fairy took a step forward, putting her arms around her son, tightening her embrace. "I understand your pain, but we can't stop now, we must keep on going, for the sake of all of those that have survived and continue to fight for their place under Ganondorf's rule."
"You can come with us, maybe with you on our side we can win." Thrakon replied.
The Great Fairy cast her head down, closing her eyes before speaking. "I've already run away." she said. "This place, this Fairy Fountain...it's not my home, far from it, actually. We Great Fairies have our own domains, our own Fountains...but Ganondorf knows where they are, so we had to flee to the smaller Fountains he couldn't find."
"If he could find your own domain why can't he find you here?" Thrakon asked.
"Our Fountains are shielded from the sight and senses of Demons. Unfortunately though, there are records in the Royal Library of where our homes were located...we didn't know until Ganondorf arrived at Hyrule's only Great Fairy Fountain...Hyrule no longer has a Great Fairy." she said quietly.
Thrakon clenched his teeth at hearing the Hyrulean Great Fairy's fate, but pressed on. "And because of that you're just going to hide in this hole in the ground trying to wait until Link and Zelda take care of Ganondorf for you? I hate to break it to you, but whatever that thing is, it's not the Ganondorf I heard stories about as a child, he's not a monster, he's a God." Thrakon exclaimed.
"I know!" the Great Fairy shouted, her voice reverberating throughout the Fountain, the Fairies jolting to the other side. "I watched as he nearly defeated Din, she's the strongest of the Celestial Gods and she couldn't defeat him."
"The Celestial Gods?" Thrakon responded.
"Celestial Gods are the Gods created from the pure energy that existed before creation, while other Gods, such as the Four Giants, the Wind Fish and Levias, were created from leftover Creation Energy within the earth. the Great Fairy explained. "And nearly all of the Gods I've listed have been killed or sealed away by Ganondorf...as for the Wind Fish I lost the ability to see him a while ago...I have yet to know why."
Thrakon pounded a fist against a nearby pillar, raising his gaze to meet his mother's. "Well, I guess if you're not going to take a stand I better be the one to do it."
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, I never meant for this." his mother replied.
"I'm not disappointed." Thrakon said with a sigh. "I was just hoping that after a childhood without you, maybe we could fight side by side and win that way."
"I know this is difficult, but with Nayru and Farore gone, we Great Fairies must survive to help the Five Lands recover after this is over."
"Farore is gone?" Thrakon asked.
"I can sense the life energies of all the other Gods and Goddesses, I stopped sensing hers just twenty minutes ago." the Great Fairy revealed.
"She was with Link and the others...this means something terrible has happened." Thrakon said worriedly.
"Would you like to go back?" his mother asked.
"No...I need to return to Hyrule, the further I go from it the further I am from ending this...there has to be some kind of resistance in Hyrule." the Sell-Sword replied.
"In the mountains, Snowpeak Fortress to be exact...but it's under siege." the Great Fairy answered.
"Send me there...with whatever's happened to the Hero and the others, I have a feeling they'll need someone close to home when the moment comes." Thrakon replied.
"This is what you really want?" the Great Fairy asked.
"You can sense emotions, you know I want this." Thrakon answered.
"Very well, stay safe, my son." the Great Fairy said, striding forward and embracing Thrakon one last time, teleporting him away from within her arms.
oOo
Link couldn't even acknowledge the fallen body of Marin, instead having his eyes locked on Oreck, his former childhood friend and fellow Guardsman.
"It's been a long time." Oreck stated.
Link slowly walked over to him, not once breaking eye contact, Oreck watching uneasily as the Hero approached. "By the Goddesses you're really here." Link breathed.
"Yes...I-" was all Oreck could manage before Link's fist caught him dead center in the face, Oreck stumbling back only for the Hero to dart back in and catch him on both sides of his face with two consecutive hooks before jabbing him in the throat and landing an uppercut that sent him sprawling onto the ground.
"You killed Kallil!" Link roared as he drew his blade and dropped onto one knee, planting it firmly onto Oreck's chest before positioning the tip of the blade right above his throat.
"It wasn't me." Oreck wheezed, his throat still recovering from Link's punch.
"I know it wasn't directly you, but you helped Kanthos capture us, you stood by and watched as he bludgeoned our best friend to death! He didn't even stop there, Kallil's skull was completely collapsed and you did NOTHING!" Link said, moving the sword up and slashing it across Oreck's face.
Oreck let out a cry of pain. "Link please!"
"And you'll wear that as a badge of shame forever!" Link said as he rose to his feet, Oreck placing a hand over his face as blood ran from the cut.
"I have no excuse other than the fact I was jealous of you...I did those things, but I've had a lot of time to think about it." Oreck answered.
"I don't care...I can't care." Link growled. "You not only aided in the killing of our best friend, you helped them abduct Elgon and force Majora into his body...you fought for Ganondorf with that damned Mask he gave you...and you killed many of your own people."
"Then kill me." Oreck answered.
"No." Link replied.
"Why?!" Oreck cried out. "I've been alone in this place since that Sorceress sent me here months ago...I've barely been able to stay alive and all I've been able to think about are the things I've done...kill me and get it over with."
"You don't deserve it...I already had to send Kallil's body back to Oak Hollow, I will not fail your family the way I failed his." Link replied. "I may want to kill you, but you deserve to live with what you've done."
Link and Oreck stood in silence for a moment, the tension finally being broken by Din and Cia appearing.
"Link, Zelda's been..." Cia began, shifting her gaze over to Oreck.
"Who is this? I don't recall seeing him here before." Din stated.
"I forgot I sent you here...how have you not starved to death?" Cia asked.
"There's...some wildlife here, thank you very much." Oreck answered.
"Not as if you deserved any better." Cia retorted.
"Everyone be quiet for a moment!" Link shouted. "What were you saying about Zelda?"
Cia sighed, shifting her attention to Din. "Farore wasn't truly Farore..."
"I'm aware...is Zelda..." Link said, trailing off.
"Semira took her, the Prince and their father tried to save her, but they ended up being taken, too." Din answered.
"And you just let this happen?!" Link cried out.
"I think I'm just going to go over there..." Oreck said, stepping away.
"You're not getting away, stay right there!" Link growled.
"We didn't 'just let this happen'." Din hissed. "We were focusing our powers elsewhere, Semira took advantage of the moment and enacted a spell she already had prepared."
"Well, where did she take them? We can't waste any time in going after her." Link replied.
"Let's find out." Din said, striding over to Marin's body, eyeing Oreck all the while. With one swift motion Din grasped Marin's shoulder, a blue flash emanating from within her body.
Marin inhaled sharply, using one arm to flip herself over onto her back, her eyes flicking back and forth from person to person, before she stopped and laid still, a single tear falling from her right eye. "She left me..." she whispered.
It was then the remaining Knights of Hytopia teleported into the vicinity, courtesy of Ralo.
"What's going on here?" he asked.
"She betrayed all of us to Semira." Cia responded.
"Semira?" Trystane asked.
"In short; Farore wasn't Farore and instead was a Dark Goddess masquerading as her, she took us all by surprise and managed to take the Royal Family as she left." Cia explained.
"This can't be true, certainly there's another explanation." Aquos suggested.
"It's true, and you all just let her in as if the 'Knights of Hytopia' are some semi-exclusive club." Link growled.
"How dare you? I don't care if you are the Hero, I will teach you some respect!" Ralo replied.
"Everyone calm down!" Din boomed, the ground shaking and lightning cracking overhead, everyone, Link included,going quiet immediately.
Ralo eyed Link before stepping passed him and over to Marin. "Where has the Dark Goddess taken King Daltus?! Tell me now and I may spare your life, traitorous wretch."
Marin made it look as if she was about to answer before springing to her feet and taking off running, leaping into the air only to fall flat on her chest, gasping as the air was knocked out of her.
"I was supposed to...I can't transform..." she said in a panicked tone.
"I took that ability away when I resurrected you." Din said. "The Sages are attempting to use their powers to find Zelda and her family, but I have a feeling asking you will be faster."
"Hyrule Castle, she took them to Ganondorf." Marin answered.
"That was quick." Traegen remarked.
"She betrayed me, I was promised my home, my family and my friends back...but she never planned to do any of that for me." Marin said as she sat up and pulled her knees to her chest.
"Fine then, we're going to Hyrule Castle." Link said. "Cia, open the Gate of Souls."
"Have you lost your damn mind?!" a voice cried out, everyone turning to find Impa striding towards them. "All of us combined might be a match for Ganondorf alone, but he has Ghirahim, Kanthos and Semira with him..plus his armies."
"You're not the only one who lost something, Hero, we were supposed to keep them safe and we failed." Oren said.
"You don't even have your Triforce of Courage anymore." Cia reminded him.
"If what you say truly is correct." Link began, turning to Din. "I have more potential I have yet to uncover. I am the Fierce Deity, right?"
"You're half of the Fierce Deity." Din corrected.
"So, I can retrieve the other half and my power will be whole again and I can...I can get Zelda back." Link said frantically.
"Hero, you need to calm yourself." Din said.
"How am I supposed to stay calm knowing Zelda is most likely already dead?!" Link yelled, placing both hands over the back of his head.
"Okay then." Cia said. "Let's get you back to full power and win this."
oOo
"So you, you all were away when Ganondorf attacked your home?" Erris asked, lacing his fingers.
"Do you doubt our story?" the man at the end of the table growled, Sir Gabriel giving Erris a cautious look.
"No, no, of course not." the Prince answered. "I was just wondering how this many of you managed to avoid...well...what happened."
"Some of us are Naval Soldiers and others are traders and merchants and in being so were not present when this 'Ganondorf' joined with The Scourge and laid siege to our home." the man answered.
"When we landed in port there was no one there, the cities...they were silent." Another man said. "We had families, and we've had to come to terms with the fact that they're most likely gone."
"Hell, for all we know our friends, brothers, sons, fathers...they could all have been taken to be used as expendable pawns by this Demon." a merchant called out.
"You're sure of this? Your whole population has been exterminated?" Kayala asked.
"Not the whole population, you see, our home is a small one, it didn't take us long to search every City and Village before we found small groups of survivors who told us what happened." The man at the end of the table said. "They told us of a Foreign army invaded our land and killed everyone in sight...so we set out in search of this army and eventually found ourselves here."
"Well, fortunately for you, you're in the right place, but unfortunately we're not faring much better against Ganondorf ourselves." Erris answered.
"But this Knight, Sir Gabriel, he told us there was a Hero who was sent by the Higher Powers to vanquish the Demon who destroyed our home."
"In the past, you would be right...but in this era things are more complicated." Erris began. "The Ganondorf we're dealing with has absorbed two other powerful entities and now outclasses even the Goddesses themselves."
"How would he know this? This man is obviously insane or a liar!" a Sailor called from the back of the room.
Erris shot to his feet, flames erupting over his body as his eyes turned a bright red. "I do not lie and my mind is quite healthy." he growled.
All of the Foreign Sailors backed into the furthest reaches of the room, looking on in horror.
"He...he has the powers of the Scourge!" the man who formerly sat at the end of the table stammered.
"No! It's not like that!" Sir Gabriel said. "Magic users are very common in our region."
Erris calmed himself, quelling the flames and looking upon the men. "Excuse that little outburst...I just would very much like to finish my statement."
"Then do so, please." Sir Gabriel said.
"It's true that Ganondorf is stronger than the Goddesses...you see, our Deities are very active and take a large role in our lives, so it's not to shocking we have one fighting with us down here." Erris said. "And because Ganondorf is so strong, our...'Hero', needs time to build his strength. I'm just trying to tell you that this whole situation isn't a cut and dry war, it will take time."
"Whatever the situation may be, we'll fight alongside you...but we must meet this Hero and this Goddess first to verify your claims." the Man said.
"That is fine with me." Erris answered.
"One more thing before you go." the man called after Erris. "You say your land has many with abilities like the Scourge...does that mean he's nothing special here?"
"Listen, we just call him Kanthos." Erris answered, noticing the Foreign Sailors cringe at his name. "And while he's exceptionally strong, even by our standards...he's been defeated multiple times before, I've seen it." Erris said with a grin.
There was an excited murmur among the Sailors before the man walked towards Erris and held up his fist so the bottom faced Erris. "My name is Castion, I'm the ranking officer among us, I used to be a Captain, think I'm probably an Admiral now." he said, nodding towards his fist.
"Very nice to finally be on a first name basis." Erris said, slightly confused as he reached up and patted the man's fist.
Gabriel waved to Erris from behind Castion, holding his fist up and making a forward motion with it.
Erris turned back towards the Captian, the man looking at him strangely before Erris bumped the bottom of his fist against Castion's, the man grinning before grabbing the Prince by the shoulder.
"We have an alliance now." Castion began. "I'm going to gather the other Captains and we'll find you when we're ready to meet your people, this Hero and the Goddess you speak of."
"Very well." Erris said as he exited the room.
"That went well." Princess Kayala said as she caught up with him.
"Which part? The one where I scared them, or maybe the part in which I messed up their version of 'shaking hands'?" Erris asked.
"Don't be too hard on yourself, you just secured a new ally." the Princess replied.
"An ally who's quite casual about the fact we have a Goddess traveling with us." Erris said before pausing. "I never thought I'd get used to saying that."
"It's not something I ever expected to experience myself." Kayala said with a laugh.
"Hopefully Castion can get his men together so I can bring them to meet Din and Link pretty soon here...I have other plans." the Prince said.
"Like what? Not much to do in a world ruled by Ganondorf, I'd imagine." the Princess answered.
"I'm going to Labrynna and getting my country back." Erris answered.
"Wait...you...and you alone?" Kayala asked.
"I'll go directly to the Throne room and see who's taking a seat there." Erris answered.
"But, what if you do succeed in...whatever you do to whoever his sitting on the throne...and in the end...your people don't want you back?" Kayala said.
Erris stopped, turning his gaze downwards. "I've considered this, but there will always be those who are Loyal to House Ambi as we've been the ruling family for centuries."
"I'm just afraid you won't be able to rely on that alone." the Princess responded.
"I just...I just can't imagine Labrynna is in any better condition than it was when I ruled it. Yes, the land suffered because of Mahlik's presence...but I've learned from my mistake, Mahlik is no longer part of me...I...I feel as if I'm a completely different person now, I can't kill as easily and I just don't feel as full of anger and hate as a I used to...I don't just want to be a better ruler, I want to redeem myself." Erris said.
"I myself have hope that your people are awaiting your return...I just worry about you." Princess Kayala said.
"You...worry about me? Just a few hours ago you wanted me no where near you." Erris said, cocking an eyebrow.
"That was before you took me back, before I saw how you struck up an alliance with those men whose home Ganondorf took from them, I can tell you just want what's best for everyone now and you actually care about making things right." Princess Kayala answered. "Also...everyone may have found it frightening but I kind of liked your display in the Council room." she added with a small smile.
"You can actually see all of that in me?" Erris asked.
Kayala took a step closer before locking eyes with Erris. "I'd like to thank you for finally getting me back home, but did you just do it out of the kindness of your heart?" she asked with a smirk.
"I..." was all Erris could manage before Kayala embraced him, the Prince looking down at her before their gazes met, the Labrynnian Prince and the Gamelonian Princess sharing a kiss before parting.
"Maybe our countries can have a stronger relationship once this is all over." Kayala said.
"I believe they can." Erris answered.
oOo
Tendrils of shadow struck the Master Sword, crashing against the surface and invading every centimeter of the blade only to be repelled once more by the Sword's power.
Ghirahim bared his teeth, growling at the blade. "You always thought you were better than me." he said. "I could see through that cold exterior...I know how you thought...I'm a Sword Spirit too and a far superior one."
The Master Sword hung on the wall opposite him, completely motionless and seemingly devoid of life.
"I can sense you in there, Fi, you may not be able to answer me now, but soon I will brake this pitiful relic and consume you." Ghirahim hissed. The Sword Spirit prepared for another assault only for what felt like a massive weight to be dropped on the Castle, a powerful energy descending upon them.
Ghirahim gave the Master Sword one last glance before running from the room.
"Nice of you to join us." Rickard Gavan said as Ghirahim strode over to them, his normally arrogant gait being replaced by a slow and more careful approach.
"That presence..." Ghirahim said.
"It's emanating from her." Kanthos answered.
Ghirahim circled around the two to find a woman standing in front of Ganondorf, Princess Zelda, her father and Brother behind her whilst the Courtiers looked on in stunned silence.
"You two can stay up here shaking in fear of her, but I'm going down there! If you haven't noticed, the Princess, her brat of a brother and her previously assumed dead father of theirs are down there and I'd very much like to get a word in." Rickard said with a grin.
"We'll go with you, no use in standing up here and playing spectator." Kanthos said.
"If the Master tolerates her presence, then she must be worth getting acquainted with." Ghirahim said with a slightly excited tone.
oOo
Ganondorf stood, all of the Courtiers watching as he strode towards Semira in his Hylian guise.
"Look at this, all of my sons together again...you're quite a bit closer than the last time I saw you." she quipped.
"Take off your disguise, show the people of Hyrule what you really look like!" Zelda said as she shot to her feet.
The crowd of Nobles began to murmur excitedly as Princess Zelda looked out across all of them.
"He's not what he appears!" she called out.
"No!" a voice cried out.
Everyone turned towards the prison of the frail and gaunt Minister Hawkwood as he gripped the bars, leaning against them for support. "You shouldn't be here! He'll kill you!" he yelled in anguish.
"What is going on here?" Ganondorf growled, Kanthos, Rickard and Ghirahim taking their places aside his throne.
"Hm...too much of an audience for my liking." Semira said as she turned to the crowd and waved a hand at them.
Zelda, Audrik, Daltus, Ghirahim, Kanthos, Rickard and Ganondorf watched as the Nobles and Courtiers and even Ganondorf's forces came to a complete standstill, the room going quiet as the color in their eyes faded away.
"Now go on." Semira said, waving her hand as the mass of people shuffled out of the room, each and every person stumbling over and bumping into each other as they went while seeming wholly unperturbed by it.
"So you can take control of a small group of humans and make them leave a room, I've enthralled armies and made them fight for me." Ganondorf remarked as flames spread over his body, burning away his "Agahnim" disguise.
"Yes, but that took preparation and spells, did it not?" Semira asked with grin.
Audrik turned to the King, meeting his gaze. "What do we do?" he whispered.
"I have an idea" King Daltus answered, failing to elaborate.
"Did you come here just to deliver them and mock me?" Ganondorf hissed.
"You really are going to stand there and refuse to acknowledge your own mother?" Semira asked in a faux sad tone.
"Secure them." Ganondorf said to Kanthos, Rickard and Ghirahim, the three moving towards the Royal Family while Ganondorf focused on Semira. "You're the Darkness that birthed us given physical form, I know this much, how are you here?"
"When you brought the Goddesses down from the heavens, the little twist you put on the spell freed me also...I don't know if you've noticed but I had some trouble constructing my own form, so I borrowed Farore's body." Semira said with a smile.
Zelda grimaced as Ghirahim passed by her, his disturbingly wide smile greeting her.
"Good to see you again, Princess, just like old times." the Dark Sword Spirit said.
"King Daltus of Hyrule!" Rickard called out in a joyous tone. "It's pleases me to see you're alive."
"How did I know I'd see you here?" the King growled.
"Because your family has been stepping on mine for centuries, the fact I'm allied with Ganondorf is your fault, really." Rickard said with a smirk.
"Just make this easy and put your arms behind you." Kanthos said.
"I'd rather make this difficult if you don't mind." Audrik retorted.
"Fine then!" Kanthos shouted, hitting the Prince with a jolt of electricity that sent him to the floor.
"Now!" King Daltus called out.
Rickard looked down as the ground cracked under his feet, a tree root swiftly bursting forth, striking him in the face and knocking him to the ground immediately, more roots springing out from beneath the masonry and binding him in place.
Audrik's form dematerialized into shadow, slowly sinking to the floor before it flew at Kanthos, the Foreign Sorcerer trying to fend it off as it wrapped around him.
Ghirahim, momentarily distracted by the scene turned his back to Zelda, the Princess placing her palm on his back, a circle of sigils appearing on him.
"What did you do to me?" the Sword Spirit cried out.
"I've learned a lot since we last met, I hope you like being a blade." the Princess said as Ghirahim shifted into his sword form, the sigils trapping him like that, Zelda grinning slightly as the sword twitched and warped whilst Ghirahim tried to regain his sword spirit form.
"You fools!" Ganondorf roared as he descended from the raised area his throne sat atop.
"How well executed, I'd expect nothing less from Hylia the Gold." Semira said quietly.
In a moment Zelda took on a Golden Aura, shooting forward and delivering her palm to Semira's midsection, sending her skidding back on her heels.
Ganondorf turned to Zelda, extending a hand and shooting a blast of Dark Energy towards her, Zelda countering with a torrent of light, the two streams battling to extinguish the other, Zelda cutting hers off to dodge to the side as Semira shot a bolt of darkness at her. Ganondorf made to follow, suddenly finding none other than his former self standing in front of him.
"I won't let you do this." Kai stated.
"Get out of my way." Ganondorf growled quietly.
"Let's see how well you fight with me right in front of you the whole time." Kai answered.
Audrik ran over to Kanthos, producing a rapier from thin air and turning it towards the Sorcerer.
Kanthos finally burned the shadow away and caught the rapier telekinetically, raising another arm to strike the Prince as the King summoned another root, the plant binding the Sorcerer in place.
"It won't be that easy!" Kanthos called out, teleporting out of the root's grasp and reappearing behind the King, delivering a blast of electricity to his back and knocking him to the ground before lunging at Audrik.
The Prince sent a hand made of shadow towards the Sorcerer, Kanthos using light energy to rip through it. Audrik responded with a blast of flame, Kanthos stopping in his tracks and shielding himself as it exploded around him. The Prince brought up his own shield as Kanthos redirected the flames at him.
Meanwhile, Zelda dodged a ball of flame from Ganon before teleporting away from another of Semira's shadow tendrils.
"Show me your full might, Hylia, I'm not interested in this 'Zelda' character you've created!" the Dark Goddess yelled out as she shot blasts of shadow at the Princess.
Zelda cried out, her Golden aura overtaking her, two wings of light extending from her back as the crest of the Royal family appeared as a shining energy construct above her head, her eyes glowing gold as she locked her gaze with Semira's. The Princess shot forward, gripping Semira by the throat, channeling light energy into the Goddess of Darkness, Semira growling in pain as it burned her. "Return the Triforce parts of Wisdom and Courage." she demanded.
"Try and take them." Semira hissed as her eyes turned black.
Zelda cried out in pain as Semira's hand turned to pure shadow, the Goddess driving it into her chest as Ganondorf shot a bolt of crimson electricity at Zelda, striking her in the back.
The Princess thought of her brother and father as she fell to her knees, her thoughts turning to Link and what he must be fearing at the moment. "I won't fall to you!" Zelda called out as she shot to her feet, sending Ganondorf onto his back with a blast of light energy before turning to Semira.
"Yes, yes! Access your true power!" the Dark Goddess called out.
Zelda raced at her, beams of light shooting from her wings and cutting through Semira, the Dark Goddess cringing with every one. As soon as the Princess was within arm's reach, Semira struck her out of the air with a darkness infused backhand. Zelda recovered quickly, shooting a bolt of light at Semira, the other Goddess raising a shield to deflect it.
"Fighting my Daughter isn't going too well for you, I see." King Daltus said as he approached Ganondorf.
"I won't hear it from you." the Demon King said as he glanced towards the apparition of his former self. Ganondorf focused on the King, raising his hand, a blast of energy coming to life in his palm."
"You're not even somewhat shocked I'm alive?" the King asked.
"I knew you'd escaped, maybe if you tried to return to the throne I'd have killed you, but seeing as you crawled away to hide and allowed your Daughter to ascend, it was of no concern to me as my plans were proceeding on course." Ganondorf explained as he stalked towards the King. "You have no place in this and you are of no consequence." Ganondorf said as he released the blast at Daltus.
The King grinned as he telekinetically raised Ghirahim, still locked in his blade form, to shield the blast.
Ganondorf growled and raised an eyebrow, his eyes going wide as the King threw the sword at him. "This game is over!" he called out as he caught the Elder Blade by the hilt, breaking the spell on it before releasing his grip, Ghirahim returning to his Spirit form.
The King teleported away, coming to a stop a few meters away from Ganondorf, raising a hand letting loose a torrent of flame.
Ganon walked straight into it, the fire failing to even singe his clothing as he strolled through. "You overestimate your own might." the Demon King said as he extended a hand from within the flames, clamping it over Daltus' and stopping his attack.
"Shall I?" Ghirahim asked, extending his arm as a sword materialized in his hand.
Zelda stood opposite Semira, the Dark Goddess regarding her with a carefree smile. "I've been waiting for this ever since it was you that struck the final blow that cast me into that prison...sure Din, Farore, Nayru and the Fierce Deity held me at bay, but it was you that defeated me...and unfairly so."
"I don't remember this." Zelda responded.
"And that alone is proof you still haven't accessed your true power..maybe you don't want to become Hylia again, either way, it works for me." Semira said as she teleported behind Zelda, landing an elbow to her back.
The Princess whirled around and loosed a blade of light energy at her, Semira, dodging it and striking Zelda with a tendril of shadow, the Princess flying back and barely regaining her balance before Semira flew in, hitting Zelda directly in the chest with a blast of dark energy.
Zelda let out a cry of rage as she sent a barrage of light blasts at Semira, the Goddess teleporting further away, managing to deflect them with shields composed of darkness.
"Surely this can't be all you're capable of." Semira sneered.
The Princess' golden aura surged, her eyes glowing brightly as she brought her hands together, channeling all of her light energy into one single stream of energy that tore across the the floor of the Great Hall, carving a path through the stone and casting a blinding light over the entire room.
Semira grinned, spreading her arms wide, her body dispersing into a massive wave of darkness, washing over Zelda's stream of light energy, snuffing it out like a candle's flame and slamming into the Princess, Zelda crying out as her aura dissipated, eyes returning to normal and her wings of light shattering.
The Dark Goddess returned to her human form, strolling over to Zelda and grabbing her by the shoulder, lifting her up to her feet. "Do you see it, Sister? Do you see you're family's ultimate fate unfolding before your eyes?"
"P-please...just kill me and let them go." Zelda said as she watched Ganondorf telekinetically bind her father, Ghirahim preparing the killing blow while Audrik tried to defend himself from Kanthos' attacks, visibly becoming more and more exhausted with each one.
"This chaos...this cruelty...it can all end with this universe! You see, little sister, complete destruction is not only the true answer, it's true love, for pain and suffering will cease to exist along with everything else." Semira explained.
"You're forgetting one thing." Zelda growled.
"You must be mistaken, I am a Goddess, my memory is eternal, it is beyond perfect." Semira said with a smirk.
"I guess you just never found out then...that the Triforce of Wisdom, the one you're containing within your own body...after Nayru's death I became it's source of power, and it's still linked directly to me." Zelda said as she closed her eyes and concentrated, reaching out to her part of Triforce, calling upon it's power and focusing her energy into it.
Semira gasped, stepping back and clutching at her chest. "What are you doing to me?" she hissed through clenched teeth.
"What you did to Nayru." Zelda said as she stood over the Goddess. "Time to suffer for what you've done!" Zelda said, releasing the Triforce of Wisdom's energy, golden flames erupting from Semira's eyes and mouth, smoke pouring from her as the light energy tore open her flesh, burning it severely.
Ganondorf, Ghirahim and Kanthos turned their attention towards the two as Semira let loose a shriek that shook the entire Castle, even Rickard Gavan ceasing his struggle against the tree roots that held him in place.
"Ghirahim, to me!" Ganondorf called out, the Sword Spirit morphing into his blade form and entering Ganondorf's grasp as the Demon King teleporting across the room to where Zelda stood.
Daltus made to follow, a sudden pain shooting through his leg as he fell to the ground.
"Lord Ganondorf was courteous enough to free me before he left." Rickard Gavan said, his sword dripping with the King's blood. "I've severed the tendons behind your knee, so you won't be getting away from me...we're going to have some fun, you and I!" Rickard called out.
Zelda turned towards Ganondorf as he brought up Ghirahim, making to bring the blade down on her head as the Princess brought her hand up and let loose a wave of white energy.
Ganondorf brought Ghirahim back down into a defensive position, his eyes narrowing as the wave passed straight through him with no effect, his eyes widening in realization. "Kanthos! Gavan! Kill them both!" he exclaimed.
Audrik glanced towards his father as their assailants made to strike the killing blows, the wave of energy passing over them, both men disappearing into it as it simply passed through both of Ganondorf's Generals.
"Where did they go?" Rickard spat.
"It was a trans-location spell disguised as an energy attack." Kanthos growled, striking his blade against the ground in frustration.
"It's just you, me, and you're two minions...three if you decide to let Ghirahim take his Spirit form." Zelda said, holding out her right hand, her rapier materializing within her grasp.
"It looks like now you're the one who's forgetting something, Princess." a raspy voice called out.
Rickard and Kanthos stopped in their tracks, both looking on in a horrified manner as Semira's horribly burnt and skeletal body stood up, her few singed locks of hair hanging over her face.
Ganondorf remained unfazed, staring straight ahead. "Your victory celebration was...premature." he said with a smirk.
Zelda materialized another sword, backing away from the two.
"You've ruined this body...I'm in need of another." Semira said.
Zelda charged up what little energy she had left, shooting a blast of light at Ganondorf, before charging at him, only for the Demon King to block both of her attacks with Ghirahim. The Princess broke from the their clash and spun around the Demon King, making to stab him in the back, Ganondorf merely whirling around faster than she could realize and grabbing her by the throat.
"It's over, Princess." he said, shooting a jolt of electricity into her body before dropping her.
Zelda managed to land on her feet, looking up to find Semira's severely ruined form eye to eye with her. The Princess gasped, letting out a cry of alarm as the Dark Goddess grabbed her by the chin, wrenching her jaws open.
"Funny it should end this way." Semira stated before opening her mouth inhumanly wide.
Zelda's eyes went wide, a scream escaping from her as Semira ejected a mass of darkness from her mouth and into Zelda's, the Princess trying to resist as the shadows invaded her body, overtaking her mind and saturating her flesh. "Sleep." Semira's voice echoed in her head, Zelda fighting for control as everything went black.
Ganondorf, Kanthos and Rickard watched as Semira's former body collapsed into ash, Zelda standing opposite them, frozen in place. Kanthos and Rickard jumped as she let out a sharp gasp, shakily dropping her arms to her side. She turned slowly, her skin fading to a dark grey as her veins bulged beneath her skin, each blood vessel taking on a black coloration, the Princess' hair turning black as her eyes did the same, a dim white glow taking the place of her irises.
Semira let out a pleased sigh as she looked herself over. "This is so much better."
oOo
A violet glow illuminated the small village of Oak Hollow, no other light sources challenging it as the residents slept.
Link stepped out of the Gate of Souls, followed by Oreck.
"I could still be useful." his former friend argued.
"Be quiet." Link answered as they did their best to silently make their way through the Village.
"But I want to help." Oreck countered.
"You're chance of helping us went straight out the window when you aided Ganondorf." Link said, coming to a halt and turning to face Oreck. "As much as I want to take revenge on you for what happened to Kallil, I can't fail another family. You're going home, to your family and no one will ever know what happened. You're going to live a quiet life and never breathe of word of what's happened between us or your role in Ganondorf's schemes to anyone." Link growled as he resumed walking.
"But I want to atone." Oreck answered.
"You don't get the right to do so, you chose your path and you chose wrong, you don't get to choose again. Just consider yourself lucky I brought you home instead of putting my sword through you." Link said, motioning towards the house nearest them.
"You just want me to go home...and forget all of this?" Oreck asked.
"I'm asking you to go home, but only because I don't want to fail your family the way I failed Kallil's...I'm not asking you to forget anything that's happened though...you have to live with that...Goodbye, Oreck." Link said as he turned and began walking away. He could feel Oreck's gaze sticking to him, closing his eyes and sighing as he heard Oreck open the door to his home and enter before closing it behind him. "It's better than you deserve." Link muttered, stopping in the Village Square.
Visions of the Village's small market that would spring up there on weekends entering his head, the Hero smiling as he remembered how he, Kallil, Oreck and Marin would play there as children...when things were simple...before his destiny...his true nature came calling. He struggled to move on as he recalled his last day in the Village, how Nika had played with the other children in the very spot he stood. Tears came to Link's eyes as he looked over at his home, the moon illuminating it from above, all of the windows dark as his mother and sister slept. For a moment he entertained the notion of visiting them, waking them to assure his family he was okay...but he decided against it, heading towards the Gate of Souls...it was better this way.
oOo
Link returned to his quarters to retrieve a pack of supplies, fastening it to his back and placing his shield over it. He glanced at Oreck's Goht mask, he had placed a warding spell on it, but still felt as if it would disappear the moment he took his eyes off it.
A sudden knock came at the door, the Hero turning to face it. "You better not be trying to dissuade me." he called out.
"I wouldn't dream of it." Edward said as he entered Link's chambers.
"Edward, I haven't seen much of you on this journey." Link said.
"Well, an engineer isn't much use in a place full of Sorcerers." the man answered.
"Did you come here to seek my sympathies?" Link asked.
"No." Edward said, momentarily taken aback by Link's tone. "I came to offer you this." he said.
Link turned, finding he man holding out what looked to be a long tube with an oddly shaped piece of wood on the end. "What is this?"
"An invention of mine. Essentially you pull this trigger." he said motioning to a small nodule on the wooden portion. "And it drops the hammer up here which ignites the powder and shoots whatever projectile fits out of the barrel." Edward explained. "I call it a rifle."
"Sounds like a bow and arrow could do this 'rifle's' job just fine." Link answered.
"A bow and arrow can't pierce Goron Steel." Edward replied.
"You're telling me that device can puncture a plate of Goron crafted steel?" Link asked.
"Indeed." Edward answered proudly.
"If this is true." Link said as he took the rifle. "When this is all over and I am King, you have quite the commission coming your way." he said, managing a slight smile.
As the two made their way outside, they were stunned to find Erris had returned, bringing some strange company with him.
"You can all calm down!" Erris called out. "This is Captain Castion, he's here as an ally."
"Who's the ranking officer?" Castion called out.
"That would me be." Impa said, striding forward. "General Impa of Hylian Army, pleased to make your acquaintance." she said.
"I hear we have a common enemy." the Captain answered.
"What's going on here?" Link asked.
"New allies apparently." Elgon answered.
Castion turned his attention away from Impa and towards Link. "Are you him? The Hero who has defeated the Scourge and will banish the Demon who's razed our homeland...and where is this Goddess?" the Captain asked, pointing at Link.
"Yeah, that'd be the guy...don't know where Din is, though." Erris grumbled.
"You look a lot like Kanthos." Link said.
The Foreign Sailors recoiled at his name, the Captain taking up a defensive posture. "He is from our land and thus bares a resemblance to us, but we are not to be compared."
"My apologies, I assume he's 'The Scourge'." Link answered.
"You assume correctly." Castion answered. "Your friend tells us you've defeated him."
"I've fought him and won, but I still have yet to kill him." Link said.
"Vengeance will be ours." another Sailor yelled, the other men raising their fists and cheering in agreement.
"Yes, yes, yes!" That's all well and good, but shall we get back to business?" Impa asked.
Castion nodded at Link before turning towards Impa. "Of course. Will you introduce us to this Goddess?" he replied.
"Maybe later...for now please follow me." the Sheikah woman said, the men following her and the other Sheikah into the Temple of Souls.
"Are you ready?" Link called out.
"For...?." Erris asked as he turned to face Link.
"I don't know if you've noticed, but Zelda's been taken and I need to be at full power." Link answered.
"I feel like I've missed something." Erris replied.
"I'll tell you all about once we get to the Crypt of the Gods." Link said.
"Once we...Crypt of the Gods?" Erris stammered.
"Wait!" Saria called out as she ran up to them.
"We have something we wanted to discuss before you go." Elgon said.
"This can't wait?" Link asked. "If you haven't noticed, Zelda's been captured!"
"I know, we'll make it quick." Elgon said.
"Fine, go ahead." Link replied.
"During the battle for Castle Town, we Sages failed to come together and use our powers...we were thinking, if we got another shot at Ganondorf and were able to combine our powers against him we could break him back into the three individual Demons." Elgon explained.
"We'd have all three of them to deal with, but Ganondorf wouldn't be nearly as powerful." Saria said.
"You may only have to two to deal with two if all goes according to my plans." Erris said.
"You're still thinking about that ridiculous notion of resealing Mahlik inside of you?" Elgon exclaimed.
"It would eliminate one of them right away, my body still bares all of the containment spells and I've had years of practice suppressing his consciousness...I could hold him until a more advantageous time, releasing him when we're not in fight and preferably have a ritual ready to send him to the Dark World and such." the Prince answered.
"Works for me, now let's go." Link said.
"I've got the Hero's support, looks like I win." Erris said with a shrug before following Link.
Cia stood near the entrance to the garden waiting for them, her staff at the ready. "Be safe." she said to Erris, embracing her son.
"You don't have to worry about me, with what I've been through this might even be a bit of fun." Erris said.
"You've never been inside one of Ganondorf's dungeons before." Link replied.
"Focus on the location." Cia said as she raised her staff, the Gate of Souls opening before Link and Erris.
The Labrynnian Prince raised his hand, lending his power as well as his knowledge of their destination to the portal. "I've got it." he announced.
"Let's go then." Link said as he and Erris went through.
Cia watched them disappear through the gateway, hesitating for a moment before closing it.
oOo
"Load those ballistas and put anything you can find in the cannons!" Lord Halland called out, bracing himself as another impact shook Snowpeak Fortress.
"My Lord, we've only two Ballista bolts remaining!" a Snowpeak Guardsman replied.
"Well, put them to good use!" the man responded. He walked over to the edge of the wall, looking on grimly at the hundreds of men below.
"Come on! We didn't give you those weapons so you could sit there and stare at them!" The Bulblin King called out as he rode his Boar around the last line of their army. "And you! Keep on loading up those catapults!" he yelled at the Bulblins operating them.
The freed prisoners of the Arbiters Grounds Prison hesitantly raised their bows, firing up towards the Fortress' walls as the Bulblins surrounding them made sure they followed orders.
"Put some effort into it!" King Bulblin called as the prisoners and Bulblins were doing their best at breaking through the thick ramparts.
"If we don't do something soon they'll break through to the lower levels and there'll be hell to pay." Lord Halland said.
"We could pour some boiling oil over the ledge." a Guardsmen suggested.
"Very well, it will stop them for the moment." Lord Halland replied as he raised his shield to deflect an incoming arrow.
"My Lord, look!" a Guardsman called out.
Lord Halland hurried over to the men, looking down as what looked like a repeated green flash went off behind the enemy lines, the flashes dying down as a man appeared in the middle.
"Who the hell is that?" a Guard called out.
"I haven't the slightest." Lord Halland responded.
King Bulblin snarled as he turned towards the newcomer, raising his axe and charging at him.
The nearest Bulblins turned, letting out a screech of fright and surprise as their King, still atop his Boar flew through their lines and into the makeshift prisoner army, coming to a stop in the middle, the King falling off and remaining motionless.
All eyes turned to Thrakon, the man dusting off his gauntlets. "There seems to be quite a few of you...so how about we get started?"
oOo
This chapter was a long time in the making, I hope the wait was worth it!
Guest: I'm so happy to hear that you like how the story's going, even though our Heroes are in the darkest of places! As for Erris, you're not the only person to have this opinion, it's easy to forget what he's done, even for me, but maybe there's still redemption for him...we'll see! Thanks for reviewing!
Ultimate Blazer: Thank you so much and sorry for the wait! Here's more! Thanks for reviewing!
GerudoSpirit: I'm glad you like Semira! I hope you like the direction I've taken her character in! AS for your own fic, I say go for it! The more evil Deities the merrier! At the end of Link's Awakening, the makers of the game REALLY hit you with the feels, they show all your friends on Koholint Island, children included, fade away into nothingness after Link defeats the Nightmare Creature, Dethl. Knowing this going in you almost don't want to finish the game. At the end, for the player, there's an image of Marin, who's presented as Link's pseudo-love interest in the game, with wings, suggesting that the Wind Fish, being a God, granted her wish and made her real to an extent. The thing is, Link after waking up would've just thought of her as an element of a dream and that's all. Link would've just gone on with his life and returned home without giving her a second thought. I put myself in her shoes and imagined how pained and angry I would be, my whole world having been taken away and the person I loved having abandoned me. It was really something to think about. Thank you for your detailed reviews! I'm glad you like my characters so much!
A huge thank you to all of those who clicked follow and favorite on my story and I, you all make writing this possible!
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! We're closing in on the end here. I began this story January 13th of 2015, it's been more than three years in the making and it feels like I just started it yesterday! Thank you all so much for the ongoing support! It means more than you know!
-Prometheus17