Chapter 2: Zelda's Tri-force piece
Zelda stood in water. It was ankle deep, and was very cold. "How can the great fairies live in this?" she asked herself. Hyrule castle town was now successfully evacuated, and now in the safety of the great Fairy fountain. No evil sprits could penetrate the barrier that the Fairy fountains had put up. Zelda smiled. It was her duty to protect her people. Currently she was using her Tri-force piece, the one of wisdom to watch Ganondorf and Link battle. She believed that Link could win. Slowly the ground began to shake, as Ganondorf had just used his final move.
Zelda stopped watching. "No…" She muttered collapsing to the ground, submerging most of her body in the water. A tear or two trickled down her face and landed in to the water. She took a few seconds to recover before standing up and walking towards a guard. "Guard!" She said.
"Yes princess?" the guard responded.
"Lend me your bow and arrows!" Zelda ordered. The guard handed over the bow and arrows obediently. Slowly Zelda walked towards the edge of the barrier. Most of the guards were tired from fighting off some earlier forces, where they had been wounded and had to retreat. This was of course before Link, and Ganondorf showed up. Yet Zelda could sense some other force out there, right outside of the barrier. One not of Ganondorf, no this force was much stronger and eviler than Ganondorf. She feared that it might be able to break the barrier and hurt her people. But she couldn't let that happen.
She loaded her bow with an arrow and walked out of the barrier. Slowly she walked outwards, being rather cautious. "I know you're here I can sense you!" Zelda shouted.
"Good…" a raspy voice laughed. Something darted towards Zelda and it coiled around her like a snake. "Don't try to resist!" It then turned into a bright blue color. Doing her best to resist from the beasts control, she quickly tried to put up a barrier. The Tri-Force of Wisdom suddenly pulsed and a golden aura surrounded her, repelling the blue light for a few seconds. However she was overpowered, and the blue light went into Zelda. Slowly Zelda's eyes were covered with darkness.
A hand was over a glowing crystal ball that was letting out a strange and violent crimson aura. "You idiot…" A rather raspy voice said. "Ganondorf…" A crimson glow illuminated the area revealing that the hand over the crystal ball was just that. A hand, the only covering was a white glove. "Your lucky… That Link wasn't killed by the attack…" He just looked away. "Its time to pay another visit to you Ganondorf!"
Ganondorf was relaxing at Hyrule castle. He was sitting in the kings seat. "I'm free…" He muttered. For about the 20th time in the past 3 minutes.
"A little to soon to be celebrating…" The hand shouted out. Appearing in front of Ganondorf, in a puff of smoke.
"I'm no longer under your control, Master Hand!" Ganondorf looked at Master Hand. "The seal of smash was destroyed by Link! And since he is dead I no longer need it!"
"But you greatly mistaken Link is very much alive… your attack didn't kill him!" Master Hand smiled wickedly.
"WHAT?" Ganondorf shouted, a little afraid, and a little shocked. He put as much energy into the attack as he could. And Link was still alive. He saw Link get obliterated by the blast… Unless his eyes were playing tricks on him. "Ya that's it… You're lying!"
"Fool!" Master Hand shouted. He snapped his fingers and a mirror appeared. It was a small circular one; in it was a reflection of Ganondorf. Yet it was different. It showed a young childish Ganondorf free of all evil.
"What is that?" Ganondorf asked.
"It is a mirror" Master hand replied. "One that has the capabilities to suck out your life force! And put them into someone else!"
Master Hand began to chant something. It was in some ancient language. Ganondorf could understand some parts as the ancient hylian language, but everything else was just gibberish. Ganondorf's whole body pulsed. A wind began to pick up and suck Ganondorf towards the mirror.
"Don't try to resist…" Master hand laughed. Slowly a white aura came off of Ganondorf, and went into the mirror. "This is the energy that you gained after absorbing the monsters… there evil energy!" The white aura stopped. "I have taken all but a small fragment of your energy… Just enough for you to live, as for your energy, it will go to someone who will gladly have the Seal of Smash on their hand!"
Ganondorf collapsed down on the ground, weakened. "And just who will that be?" He asked breathing heavily.
Master Hand looked down at Ganondorf. "Save your energy… You'll need it!" The doors to the throne room opened. And in walked Zelda. She had a look in her eyes. Like she was daydreaming. On her right hand was the Seal of Smash. She bowed in front of Master Hand. The mirror floated over infront of Zelda, and all of the energy went into her body. "Now then Zelda, go find Link in the Lost woods and finish him off!"
"Yes Master!" Zelda said in a monotone voice.
The forest was dark. And on the ground lied Link, he was unconscious. The Master Sword was a few feet away from him, and his body was badly scratched. His tunic was now scraps of fabric, and the few pieces that remained were stained in blood.
"Uh…" He moaned awakening. Links eyes darted around. He then realized where he was. The lost woods. An area of Hyrule that had great magical properties. And was as mysterious as the Tri-force. Link looked around. He didn't recognize the area he was in. But then again the Lost woods always looked different.
There was something different in the air. Link could feel it, something was missing. The song, Saria's song. The song that would normally guide those who were lost in the woods to safety. To avoid what fate would be in store for them. To be transformed into a skull kid.
Link stood up, and grabbed his sword. "First matter of business…" Link muttered to himself. "Find the fairy fountain!" The fairy fountain was a place that would heal your wounds, and magic power. It was placed in front of the forest temple to make it easier to find. However due to Saria's song not being played, the temple would be a lot harder to find. There was one other alternative.
He took out a Deku Stick. This stick Link used to practice sword fighting in his earlier days. While one day training, a butterfly had landed on the stick. And instantly it transformed into a fairy. However this trick required patience. And so he began to wait. The wounds on his body were searing out in pain. He however had to remain perfectly still. Within a few minutes several butterflies were in the area. "It's only a matter of time" Link thought.
One was coming closer and closer, it was preparing to land. Several small silver objects came rushing through the air. It pierced the butterflies, killing all of them. Link was shocked. He looked up quickly at where the needles came from. Quickly his fears were confirmed. Glaring at him with empty eyes, was Princess Zelda, disguised as Sheik. On her right hand was The Seal of Smash.
"No…" Link stood there stunned, thinking that Zelda was the last person in the world who would have the seal placed upon her.
"Link I assure you that the next time, the needles will not miss!" Sheik said in the monotone voice. With a swift movement of her hand Sheik, created five more needles. She threw them at Link, who quickly rolled out of the way to avoid them. Sheik looked rather mad and ran towards Link, trying to kill him; she fired more needles at Link who just used the Master Sword to deflect them, into a nearby tree.
"Zelda stop this I won't hurt you!" Link quickly shouted. Sheik however didn't hear this and dashed at Link, drawing a sword at her side. She slashed diagonally at Link who parried out of the way, and rolled behind Sheik, slashing her on the back. Realizing what he had done, Link jumped back a few feet. He had suddenly just been overcome by a strong thirst for blood mixed in with the need to defend himself.
Sheik grabbed a few more needles, and quickly turned around, and threw them at Link. Link evaded the attack once again. Anticipating this Sheik quickly threw down a smoke bomb, covering the area and confusing Link. She ran behind Link with her super speed. Drawing a needle, she placed it right next to Link's throat. "Allow me to tell you something to ease your mind!" Sheik whispered into Link's ear, no longer monotone, but now talking with a three-tone voice. "The Zelda you know is dead!"
"I still won't fight you…"
"Then die!" Sheik shouted. Sheik was about to put the needle through Link's throat when she was suddenly pushed away. Not looking back at Sheik, Link ran away as fast as he could. But despite what speed he had, Sheik was a lot faster normally, and in his current injured state Sheik was bound to be even faster. She appeared right in front of Link, shocking him a bit. "Your slow…"
Link just looked at Sheik. "Its evident that you won't hurt me…" Sheik began to do several hand movements. Link knew what these movements were. They were for invoking the ancient powers of the Sages. As Zelda was the seventh sage, she could use the power freely. Yet Link noticed something in the past few months. It was almost as if her power wasn't fully awakened like the other Sages. It was almost that Ganondorf controlled the seal that stopped Zelda's true sage power from awakening.
In Sheik's hands was now a bright ball of light. Looking at Link she trusted the ball of light at Link's chest. Sheik immediately began to back away as almost instantly Link then fell onto the ground and immediately began to violently shake, much like he was experiencing a seizure. Slowly a burn mark began to appear where Sheik had struck Link, and the shaking stopped. Sheik went down to the warrior and checked his pulse. Slowly she got up and walked away.
"I'm surprised that you are still alive…" Sheik laughed. "As what I gave you was more of a dark power of the Sage of Time! I think it might be best if I explain it… What I just gave you was a regeneration technique, allowing you to regenerate small cuts, to limbs. However there is a side affect. You feel the pain twice… thus most people who get this curse, die by insanity!"
Link slowly got up, and was rather speechless, he was shaking as he had just felt all of his wounds from Ganondorf's battle heal at once. "What is the purpose of this?" Link asked, rather disgusted.
"Master wants you as an elite soldier on his team!" Sheik responded. "He said if necessary kill you! As he is fairly certain that the Seal of Smash can bring back the dead!" Slowly Sheik grabbed several needles and prepared to fire them at Link. "Now then you can join on your own free will, or become a monster much like a Redead!"
Link grabbed the Master Sword off of the ground, and he faced Sheik. "I can't fight for evil!" Link said looking down at the Tri-force of courage. "Even if there is part of an evil entity inside of me, I will fight it with all my strength, I can't turn into the very thing I was fighting!"
"You can't or you won't?" Sheik asked, glaring at Link.
Link just stood there paralyzed. "I won't…" Link muttered back. "Just like I won't hurt you!"
Sheik prepared to throw her needles. "Then I'll kill you!" Sheik shouted. She stared at Link for a few brief seconds. 'Yet why can't I find the desire in my heart to kill you…' Sheik thought to herself, the Seal of Smash glowed for a brief second. She threw the needles at Link who jumped out of the way. Quickly Sheik appeared in front of him and reached for a small pouch hanging on his belt. She cut it open with a needle and grabbed a small circular green item. She then jumped back. Clutching the item in her hand, making sure that Link acknowledged that he just had something stolen. Underneath the covering of Sheik's mouth, she smiled. "The spirit of the forest… is in my hand…" She opened it to reveal the forest medallion.
Link gritted his teeth. Inside the medallions lied the powers of the Sages. He couldn't let Sheik get any other of the Medallions. Link grabbed his Mirror Shield. Ready to use it to deflect any of Sheiks attacks, and prevent her from getting any more medallions. Sheik to got ready for the next attack, she gathered several needles, and threw them at Link. Link used the mirror shield to stop them. Quickly he jumped away from where he was.
Sheik continued to throw several more needles and Link continued to use his shield to stop them. Suddenly Link felt something wrap around his neck, without time to react he began to choke. Sheik had just pulled out her chain. With out warning some electricity went through it. Link flinched in pain. "Now prepare to die!" Sheik laughed throwing several needles. Link cupped his hands together and a bright green light appeared. Strong gusts of wind came out of the light pushing back Sheik, and causing the needles to fall on the ground useless. Horror filled Sheik's eyes as a golden aura surrounded Link rendering the chain useless. It too fell down onto the ground.
"Zelda… I've said it over and over again!" Link stared at Sheik. "I don't want to hurt you" He raised up his right hand, the palm of it facing Sheik. "But you leave me with no other choice…" The green light appeared once again. This time a blue light followed it. Link threw them at Sheik. Quickly a barrier much like that of Nayru's love surrounded Sheik. Yet it stopped her from moving. Links Tri-Force of Courage pulsed. And so did Sheik's Seal of Smash. Slowly the 5 remaining medallions floated up.
"Light and Spirit!" Link shouted. "Free Zelda's soul from the Seal of Smash!" A yellow, and orange beam of light went towards Sheik, hitting her.
"Link!" Sheik shouted. Back to normal for a moment. "I don't think I have much time to talk… but you have to stop holding back! He is too powerful… They are too powerful!"
"Who are they?" Link asked.
"They are the organization of four beings who use the Seal!" She lifted up her right hand to show the Seal of Smash that was mostly faded away. But there was a small golden glow; slowly it radiated a dark energy. One of pure evil. Link could feel it on his Tri-Force piece to. He could normally not feel it, but compared to when Ganondorf had the Tri-Force of Power, this was much more intense! It began to draw in the medallions that were floating in the air, towards Zelda.
"No!" Link shouted rather surprised. "Water, Fire, Shadow! Lend them your strength!" Try as they might the others were being drawn towards Sheik, until it was in her possession.
"You should stop running from the darkness!" Sheik laughed. "I did…" She held out the 6 medallions right in front of her. She however began to fiddle with the shadow medallion. "So this is what you used to revert Ganon, and Majora back to their original forms! Oh well it ends now!" They slowly floated up, and energy pulsed through them.
The 6 medallions formed a circle and shot energy beams at the center of the circle. Forming a rainbow colored ball, a beam of light then shot towards Link. Quickly thinking Link pulled out the mirror shield. The energy hit, and it was unable to be reflected. With out much warning the mirror shield broke, and the beam went through what was left, and through Link. Link looked down at his chest, and stomach, there was a gigantic hole right through it. Destroying the seal that Sheik had put on him. He just stared with horror.
The pain was immense. "Damn…" Link muttered. "How… am I going to get out of this one…" The pain was growing by the second. Yet something deep inside of Link was continually saying "I won't die… I won't die… I can't die…" There was a strong will to live. Far beyond anything that Link had ever felt before, 'no' Link thought to himself, 'I have felt this before, in the battle with Ganon!'
He stood up and faced Sheik. And he gripped tightly onto the Master Sword. There was a burning sensation in his hands. It shocked Link for a second and he dropped the Master Sword, as it went into the ground he noticed that the skin around the hole began to turn purple. Slowly the hole was covered up and the pain was gone. Link stared at it. "Of course!" he muttered. "Majora's Mask has the ability to recover… And the Master Sword must have been keeping its evil power at bay…" The skin was no longer purple and now a regular flesh color. Where the burn had once lay, it had vanished. "Ready for round 2?" Link asked Sheik.
Sheik was shocked. "The attack should have killed you!" Sheik said beginning to walk backwards afraid.
"Well it didn't!" Link laughed. He was rather relived that he was ok.
Sheik charged forwards towards Link, with intention to kill. Link quickly grabbed the Master Sword, off of the ground and swung it. Hitting her right arm. It made a small cut. "So you hurt Princess Zelda's body!" Sheik said. Out of nowhere a bow and a quiver of arrows materialized. "Well now I know that you will no longer be holding back. Prepare to feel the wrath of the dark arrows!"
Sheik grabbed several arrows and fired them at Link. They all missed Link, and hit a tree behind him. It took about 5 seconds for the tree to rot, and fall down to the ground. Link stood there for a few seconds dumbstruck. "Now what will you do?" Sheik asked. Link all ready knew the answer. He didn't move, and he just faced Zelda.
"I'll tell you what I'm going to do…" Link closed his eyes, as though the move that he was making he would soon regret. "Absolutely nothing!"
Sheik just smiled. "If that is the best you can do, it ends now!" Sheik shot another Dark arrow. This one hit the Master Sword, and sent it flying out of his hands. Link just stood there as Shiek held up another dark arrow. A smile just went across Link's face. "To smile at death don't you fear it?"
"I smile because I know you will be unable to fire." Link replied closing his eyes. "Your body might be controlled by that weapon, but your emotions can also control you. You will not find the strength in yourself to kill me!"
It was silent for a brief moment. Only the sounds of Zelda struggling with herself to let the arrow go. "Why?" she asked.
Link let off a small chuckle. "The heart is unpredictable," he replied simply.
"Then if that is the case, I'll make the stupid Seal kill me!" Shiek shouted.
"No!" Link shouted. He moved his hand and sent a gust of wind towards Sheik. It destroyed the costume, and revealed Princess Zelda underneath. Link looked at Zelda, her hair blowing in the wind. Forcing her back. "Zelda…" he muttered. "I don't want to hurt you and I can't let that seal hurt you either… and only now I can realize that… Zelda… I love you… Zelda" There was suddenly a look of fear in Zelda's eyes. As she stepped back afraid. The wind stopped blowing. Link embraced Zelda, and looked at her. Zelda embraced Link. Looking at each other they stared. And slowly Link kissed Zelda.
"I love you too Link…" Zelda muttered, and she kissed Link. The crimson Seal of Smash glowed for a second before shattering. Link and Zelda stopped their embrace and looked at each other. When Zelda suddenly fell down. "AHHH!" She screamed. "MY SHOULDER!" From Zelda's shoulder came a monster, much like that of a dragon.
"You failed Zelda…" it muttered. "Your weak Hylian heart fell victim to a worthless emotion!" The dragon opened its mouth and on its tongue were the 6 medallions that Sheik stole from Link. "But this wasn't a complete failure… At least I got part of what Master wants!" The dragon then took to the sky. Zelda fell to the ground weakened.
"DAMN!" Link shouted. Punching a near by tree. "DAMN!"
Ganondorf was incased in a crystal formation. Only his head was free. He was watching the fight between Link, and Zelda, on the small mirror that Master Hand used to drain his energy. "Heh… Looks like Link won!" Ganondorf laughed at Master Hand, for some reason amused by the outcome.
"He only won the battle, but not the war…" Master Hand laughed. "I knew from the start that Zelda's love for Link would destroy the seal! But she served her purpose…" The strange dragon like creature landed and handed over the medallions to Master Hand. Slowly Master Hand absorbed both the Dragon, and the medallions. A dark aura surrounded Master Hand. "Link only has 1 other thing that I desire… The Tri-Force of Courage, once I obtain that his part in this book will be over."
Ganondorf looked at Master Hand "Link's part will run much deeper than that, he will come after you until the end of time!"
Master Hand laughed. "Your right… but I have prepared for that!" Master Hand pointed his finger at the ground, a small energy ball appeared, and that energy ball formed into an egg. "This is a dragon's egg! It has about one tenth of my current power… But Link will soon realize that this Dragon is nothing that he has ever fought before!"
Ganondorf just laughed. "The sages won't let you get away with this…"
Master Hand just began to laugh maniacally. "You fool! Why do you think I wanted the medallions? It was so that the Sages couldn't interfere! They are under my control!" From the shadows stepped the 6 sages. Each of them had a seal of Smash on their right hand. "Give the dragon the rest of your power!" Master Hand said. Each of the Sages held out their hands and their energy went into the egg. The sages collapsed and the egg radiated with green, red, blue, black, yellow, and white auras.
"No Nabooru!" Ganondorf shouted. Ganondorf stared at her, he loved her. Slowly the Dragon came out of the egg.
"Now eat them!" Master Hand ordered. "And absorb their remaining energy!" Ganondorf closed his eyes as the sages were eaten.
"I'm sorry…" Ganondorf cried, looking away in shame. For letting a friend die was by far the worst act that a Gerudo could do. For the first time in his life Ganondorf felt powerless.
Master Hand began to laugh manically. His voice filling those who heard it with fear. The laugh could be heard all over Hyrule.
"What is that?" Link asked, hearing the laugh. He was thrown into fear. He envisioned himself a dark room, yet a small light was coming from behind him. It was the Master Sword. He was quickly sent back into reality as he fell backwards.
He was carrying Zelda on his back, both of them now on the ground. His wounds were once again opening causing him a bit of discomfort. Most of all they were having difficulties navigating to the Kokiri village; if they didn't reach there soon both of them would die.
"That is evil…" Zelda gasped. "That is the Master H…" She breathed heavily before falling unconscious.
To Be Continued…