Chapter 30: Legendary
Link's world stopped as he sat helplessly, watching as Zelda drove the sword into her chest.
Please, please, Link pleaded to the Goddesses. Let this be a vision. Don't let this be real.
He could see her eyes squeezed shut, and then her dress as it spread out beneath her fallen body. The sword stuck from her like the Mater Sword to the pedestal.
In a dark haze, Ganondorf appeared, as Zelda said he would, and gripped the wall as he stared at Zelda's still body. He let out a loud, enraged scream, falling to his knees and holding her dimmed hand, the symbol of the Triforce no more than a faded tattoo.
Link pushed himself to his feet, wiping away the tears he hadn't realized had fallen before he tightened his hold on the Master Sword. This was it. This was what Zelda died for.
"You!" Ganondorf balked as he turned to Link. "This is your doing!"
The Dark Lord pulled a massive sword from behind his cloak and ran at Link with it raised above his head, a loud cry bursting from his mouth as he moved. Link met his strides, the Master Sword ready, and the two swords collided in a loud echoing crash through the sacred temple.
Link could feel the brunt force of their mutual impact, and he willed all of his strength into forcing back Ganondorf's sword. With a strangled cry, Link sent Ganondorf stumbling away, heaving before he twirled the sword in his hand, ready to come to blows again.
Ganondorf was slow, slower than Link had anticipated, but he was strong. Using his speed to his advantage, Link swung the sword repeatedly at Ganondorf's armor, causing the Dark Lord to flinch and groan as the powerful weapon pierced his armor. With a shout, he jumped away from Link before rushing right back, swinging his sword down hard.
Raising his shield as quickly as he could, Link missed the brunt of the impact, but still, he felt that one. Shaking his arm, he went to strike Ganondorf, only to be met with a magic-infused fist, the power on his bone combined with the energy from the magic had him flying back, breathing heavily and struggling to stand.
Ganondorf was over him immediately, and Link pushed his hands forward, rolling backwards and away from a crushing swing of the Dark Lord's sword. There would be no capture today. One of them would have to die.
Spurring forward with his momentum, Link rolled behind Ganondorf, catching his cape and driving his sword into the Demon King's back. Ganondorf's scream was strangled, but he managed to turn, deflecting Link's next several blows. The clang of metal reverberated through the hall again and again as swords clashed.
It was a while before either connected their blades again. Ganondorf still had some tricks up his sleeve and jumped away from Link, avoiding several strikes simply by out-maneuvering him. Link, in turn, was able to do the same as Ganondorf furiously assaulted the young Hero.
Without warning, Ganondorf's feet rose off the floor and he began to float above Link, much as his phantom had done. With a grunt of effort, Ganondorf began calling power to himself before slamming down to the ground, lifting Link off his feet and onto his side.
Ganondorf began to float again, sending one of the energy balls at Link. Link, however, already knew what to do. Deflecting the ball back at Ganondorf until both of their arms hurt from the effort, Ganondorf missed, and the impact sent him to the ground. Link raced forward, and drove his sword through Ganondorf's chest. The King of Evil's eyes bugged out as he gasped repeatedly.
"I will not… be brought down… by some kid…"
Ganondorf let our another loud scream before spinning to face Link, his eyes red with hatred. He began to run toward him with the sword still sticking out from his chest, his body blurring, changing. Great horns protruded from his skull as his body jerked forward, massively widening until his entire torso was beast-like and covered in fur. His legs thickened and claws appeared from his hands and feet, his hands disappearing in a wave of darkness until only animal claws remained.
Link looked behind him towards the altar, looking for somewhere safe, and was surprised to see that Zelda's body had disappeared. He brushed his sweaty hair from his face and held up his shield.
Dark matter had begun to shoot out from Ganondorf as he transformed, bouncing into the temple walls and sending large crumbling pieces of stone flying down to the ground. It was worse than an eruption of Death Mountain, pieces of stone the size of boulders crashing down from the roof, walls, pillars. Glass shattered, and the room shook. Link took a good one to his arm, his shield not enough to shelter him.
He took a moment to look himself over. He was bleeding in several places. There was dried blood on his face that he tried to wipe off, and his tunic was littered with spots of red. He hadn't felt most of them. But his sword arm was still strong, and that was all he needed.
Ganondorf had slowly begun to ease into his new form, the energy no longer sporadic, though the building's integrity was compromised. Link stayed put, hoping that the great beast would be crushed by falling debris as they fought, but that was not how Ganon wanted the fight to happen. It stood up on its hind legs and let out a roar, no traces of humanity left in its voice or mannerisms.
It fell down on all four legs and charged, like a boar, straight into the walls surrounding the altar. The building shook several times and began to fall faster than before. This time, Link knew he was intent on bringing the temple down, and the bridge to the Sacred Realm with it. He raced forward, desperate to stop him before the damage was done, but the beast spun around, slamming the wall with its great tail, and lowered its head before charging at Link.
In the best case of luck he'd ever experience, Link managed to jump just to the side of the great horns, catching the fur and holding on as Ganon skidded into the wall. The door shattered and the ceiling's loss was too great, toppling the entire wall of the temple. Link let go and jumped thought the fallen doors, racing away from the collapsing structure and into Market Town.
The residents were already running and screaming as they had heard the commotion and seen the smoke. Only a few remained, watching from the path.
"Move! Run!" Link screamed, physically pushing some of the townsfolk out to the side.
It wasn't long before they realized why.
Ganon burst into town, hollering an unearthly sound. Link raced toward Hyrule field and held his side, catching his breath as he waited for Ganon to follow. He wasn't let down, and the great beast reared back onto its two legs, summoning two great swords in its hands. One hit from those had to be fatal, Link thought.
Ganon swung them wildly, as if he had no control over his limbs anymore, brute force and power all he had left.
A long shadow passed over Link, and an owl swooped down from the sky, clawing and scratching at Ganon's face leaving the beast covered in scratches, blood dripping down his mouth as he hollered. The owl kicked away and flew back to the sky, its eyes on Link.
With a nod of thanks, Link wiped the sweat from his hand and watched as Ganon flailed, stabbing his sword into the grass nowhere near Link.
Taking advantage, Link ran forward, rolling underneath the beast's legs and hacking at its tail, ankles, and thighs. Roaring in pain, it tried to shake him, and Link felt a burst of pain, his vision turning black and spots along his vision. When his eyes cleared, he realized he'd been thrown across the field, the entire right side of his body soaked in blood.
But it didn't hurt.
"Get up, Link! Now's your chance!"
The blue eyes of Princess Zelda stared down at him. There was a shimmering light around her body, but her eyes were wide and focused, fixated on Link.
His breath caught and he rose to his feet.
"I can only stop the pain for so long, Link. The Sages are holding him! Go!"
Though he wanted nothing more than to talk to Zelda for a few minutes more, he raced back across the field to Ganon with the princess in tow. Each of the Sages stood around him, a light emanating from their hands as Ganon flailed, desperate to escape.
Link skidded to a halt as his hand began to glow. He turned to the Princess and noticed her hand was also lit up. She stared at it in surprise, urging Link on. "We'll hold him! Use the Triforce!"
Hurrying up to Ganon, Link held out his hand, the piece of his Triforce flying into the air. Zelda followed suit, and the two pieces snapped into place. He thought about what Ganondorf had said in his vision, and he closed his eyes.
With a loud crack, the whole Triforce appeared in front of him, just within his grasp.
His fingertip brushed the surface. It was cool, yet burning hot at the same time. He was suddenly caught up in a thousand intense sensations, a soft voice whispering into his ear.
"What is it your heart desires?"
Link collected his thoughts, sure to make the most of this moment. With a deep breath that he let out slowly, he reached out with his heart and let the Triforce feel his wish.
"Then it is yours, Hero."
Heavy. That's all he felt as he drifted through the white void. It was this great weight that sat upon him, threatening to send him falling.
With great effort, he pushed it away and felt himself fly up through the air. Time itself had disappeared as he drifted to an d from the white space and into another world, a world beyond.
"Link?" he heard. It was enough to snap him to attention, and see his surroundings. He was falling. Up or down, it didn't matter. Ganon was beside him, trapped in midair same as he was. There was a figure engulfed in red flying beside him, watching over him as he raced through the void.
A hand reached out and grabbed his collar, a green light shimmering in the field of white.
"Not yet, Hero," she whispered.
Link woke up, gasping for air. He was in the field, his head nestled against the soft grass. Sitting up, he groaned in pain. His arm was in a world of pain, as was most of his body, but when he looked down at himself, there was no blood on his clothes or in the grass. There was no sign of Ganon. There was no sign of anyone.
It was over. It was finally over. Yet, Link felt remarkably empty. He stood up and headed into Market Town, prepared to assess what damage he'd done.
To his surprise, Town was lively, bustling, happy. It was as if they hadn't just seen a raging beast level an entire temple and destroy their town. He limped to the temple, needing to know. He had to know.
It was standing tall, untouched.
He looked behind him, checking to see if someone was playing an odd trick, messing with his tired mind. Limply, he pulled himself toward the doors and pushed them open.
"Link," Rauru said, standing in the center of the room. "That was well done. I'm proud of you."
"What's happening? The temple, the people? Is Ganondorf dead? Was that all another vision?"
Rauru smiled. "It was all real. It happened, and you rid the world of the Prince of Darkness. The townsfolk, they remember. However, they do not remember when it happened, so they appear to be moving about their daily lives. The temple, however, well, it seems that it was a part of your wish when you touched the Triforce."
Link grimaced and held his side. "I don't think I wished for the Temple of Time to be rebuilt."
Laughing, Rauru shook his head. "No, I don't imagine you did. But from what I can tell, you wished for a restoration, of sorts. Restoration of peace, of Ganon's imprisonment, of things destroyed to once again become whole."
"Was that all?" Link laughed. "I can't remember being there. I guess it was a hefty wish. I'm surprised the Goddesses allowed it."
"The one who touches the Triforce with a pure heart is granted their heart's desire, no matter how large or small."
Stepping off to the side, Link could see something in the distance, something sprawled on the ground in front of the altar.
Link looked over to Rauru, and the old Sage nodded.
Breaking out into a sprint, despite his aches and pain, Link ran to the altar, clearing the steps with a single jump, and skidded to the ground on his knees.
Zelda was lying there, her eyes closed, her chest free of any wounds.
Link pulled her into his lap and ran his hand through her hair. Her eyes fluttered open, his touch awakening her. Link started to laugh, a breathy sound that caught in his throat as he watched her wake up.
She gasped and immediately brought her hand to her chest, feeling for the fateful sword to still be impaled there. When she didn't feel it, Zelda sat up and looked behind her. At Link.
"What did you do?" she asked, her own surprised laugh taking her by surprise. She ran her hand along Link's cheek, wiping away a fresh tear.
He smiled and turned his head, kissing her hand. "I saved the world. I am the Hero, remember?"
She couldn't find it in herself to joke, not right now. She was alive, fresh with new life. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she kissed him. For the first time, it was filled with the promise of a future, with a life itself. She stayed in his arms, reveling in the sensations that spiraled around her.
Link believed that even if he'd been an amnesiac, he could never forget this moment. His hands ran through the fine fabric of her dress, her hair, her skin. He never wanted to let go.
"I'm sorry to interrupt," said a voice off to the side. Impa was standing with her arms crossed just below the altar. She didn't look too sorry. "But there's someone I thought you should see, Princess."
Zelda looked behind Impa to the entrance of the doorway. A figure clad in a long red robe stood upright, tall, alive.
"Father!" Zelda cried, taking off towards the door. She threw herself into her father's waiting arms. He felt weak, but she held him tightly, letting the tears fall.
"My Zelda," he whispered into her ear. "I'm so sorry."
"Don't be. It's over."
Link stood on the balcony early the next morning, watching the sun rise. He hadn't wanted to get out of bed, wanting to stay beside Zelda all morning, but he had to see the sun. The dawn of a new day. Streaks of yellow shot out from the sun like the Goddesses' light itself as the sky was clouded with purples, oranges, reds, and yellows.
"This is because of you," he heard Zelda say from behind him.
He held out his hand and she took it, wrapping it across her as she rested against Link. He shook his head. "There would have been nothing for me to finish if you hadn't done what you did."
"Do you regret trying to stop me?"
Link smirked and rolled his eyes, knowing that she was just gloating. "No. I don't."
Zelda lifted his hand and looked at it. All three Triforce pieces were faintly glowing. On her hand, only the dark outline of where the Triforce used to be. "Everyone will know you as the Hero soon. You'll be legendary."
He tightened his arm on her. "They should be thanking you, the princess who gave her life for her people. Not me. The Legendary Zelda."
Grimacing, she shook her head. "Something about that sounds wrong…"
"The Legend of Link?" he mused.
"Don't get a big head," she laughed. It felt good to laugh again.
"Where do we go from here, Princess?"
He could hear her grumble, but she didn't comment on it. "Ganondorf's minions are still lingering around Hyrule. I was going to see what I could do to eradicate them. It's not a command, but would you come?"
Leaning his chin against the top of her head, he nodded. "Of course… Zelda."
She sighed, contentedly and pulled his arm closer to her. The sun was rising above the horizon.
The first day of peace.
The first day of a new Hyrule.
