A/N: I apologize for this update to take so long! I've been SO busy as of late...but now I'm back and dedicated and determined to finish this story! Thanks to all my loyal reviewers! Oh, and also, the rating of this story will remain T and will never go above that. I had some people who were worried about graphic stuff and the like, so no worries, everyone!
Disclaimer: I don't own a thing. Wish I did. But don't.
Chapter 14: A Mistaken Promise
Never in her entire life had Princess Zelda been more frightened. It seemed as if her end was coming far too early for her taste. However, despite the little choice she had had in the matter, this situations was no one's fault but her own. Ganondorf was strong, too strong, and Zelda was too weak to resist aiding him when he had broken free of Sacred Realm of the Godesses. Why the sages had released him was beyond her comprehension, but now she was paying the ultimate price.
She could feel the hot stench of his rank breath against her skin, as his hold around her wrists tightened. Crying out, she brought both legs up and managed to tip them both over, slamming her head into his...giving her just enough time to stand up and grab a torch off the wall. Using the magic of the sages that she possessed, she managed to lite the torch...it would do little to ward off Ganondorf, but any amount of time she could buy before being brutally murdered would be welcome.
"So, you think to fight me, little Princess?" Ganondorf taunted her, standing up now.
"My mistakes are my own, and I shall see no one else suffer for them," Zelda replied bitterly. "It took me too long to figure that out."
Ganondorf snorted. "Gaining some sense, I see? A little too late, Princess Zelda. The powers that freed me are too strong, and soon...they will overtake all of Hyrule, including your precious Hero of Time."
Zelda's expression hardened. "I will not let you touch any of them. Hyrule is under my protection, and the protection of the Godesses. You will never get away with it."
It was then when Ganondorf let out a blood-curling laugh, one that sent shivers through Zelda's frail body. His eyes glowed a darkened red colour, glowing with inner dark power, a gift of dark magic from his people, the Gerudos--though one could scarcely say that he belonged to them anymore. The King of Thieves took a menacing step towards the defiant princess.
"That is where you are wrong, Princess," Ganondorf chuckled coldly. "The Godesses no longer have any say in what myself and the dark powers do. They are helpless beneath the might of approaching darkness that will soon spread across the land. They might as well be dead."
Zelda let out a small gasp. "You lie. The Godesses' power is impossible to overrule..."
"Think what you will; it will not matter in the end," Ganondorf said, his tone cold as ice. "But that is all beside the point. You have betrayed me, and now you will pay the ultimate price: your body first, your life second."
Darkness swarmed the room once again, putting out the flame on the torch Zelda was holding tightly. She swung it blindly at the darkness, but it was a futile attempt. Frigid laughter filled the expanse of silence that had consumed the room. Zelda's breathing quickened as she tried to think of a way to escape. After realizing there was none and she was, in fact, going to die...she backed up against the wall and pushed her hand forward, the Triforce on it glowing with an inner power. If she was going to die, she was going to take this beast of a man with her.
But as she outstretched her arm to send a blast of light into the room, her wrist was grabbed and twisted. She cried out in pain, using her other arm to fight the invisible and deadly foe. The laughter once again reverberated through the room, chilling her to the bone. Suddenly, there was a searing pain around her neck and she felt herself flying through the air, moments before she slammed into the adjacent wall. She would have blacked out then if it hadn't been for her defiant and stubborn nature willing her to stay concious...willing her to fight this foe, if only for Hyrule.
"You cannot...win," she wheezed, rubbing her bruised neck.
"Dear Princess Zelda, you underestimate my power..." Ganondorf's slightly amused voice replied...and then it turned solemn, "As you did before when you attempted to have me sealed within the Sacred Realm."
"Link will stop you," Zelda stated boldly, though her voice was weak...betraying her doubt.
Ganondorf reached down and lifted her chin so that her eyes met the dark coals of his own. To Zelda, it was as if she was staring into the very face of death. "I think not. For what has recently been revealed to me, thanks to you, is the Hero of Time's one true weakness."
He didn't need to say what it was because Zelda already knew. Link, the Hero of Time, almost immortal through the power of the Godesses and his own Destiny, had one weakness...this was true; Zelda had witnessed, and manipulated it, firsthand. Link's weakness was his love for Malon. The Princess of Destiny wanted to curse herself aloud for being such a fool and letting herself be a pawn in Ganondorf's plot.
"Ah, you do know what I am talking about, don't you?" Ganondorf chuckled, squeezing Zelda's face with his scarred hand. "Now, Princess, we have postponed your punishment long enough. We all have our destinies, you know, and it is about time you fulfilled yours."
Zelda stifled the scream she felt rising and struggled pathetically against Ganondorf's hold. I'm going to die, thought she fearfully--though her fear was not for her own life, but for what would happen when Ganondorf possessed her power as well. His dark cohorts, along with him, would overpower Link with ease and then Hyrule would be plunged into unending darkness and despair.
And it was all her fault.
In a way, however, this had been beyond her power. But she wouldn't think about that. She had almost killed Link, the man she'd always secretly admired and loved; she had sought to force him to love her when she should have known that would never work. It was that love that Ganondorf had used against her, ultimately destroying her...turning her into a creature of darkness, not unlike himself.
She wanted to tell Link, to apologize to him...but she feared it was too late. Never would she see the light of day again, and she doubted there would be much light in the realm she would go to when her soul left her body, if what Ganondorf had said about the Godesses was true. She didn't doubt that he and his dark partners had already assaulted the Sacred Realm. No relief came to her in those dark moments when her life seemingly flitted across her eyes, and Ganondorf's grasp around her tiny neck tightened considerably, choking off her air supply...slowly forcing her spirit out of her body.
Dying had always seemed like such a frightening thought, but right now, she wanted nothing more than to depart from this torture. However, Fate had other plans for the Princess of Destiny.
Just as suddenly as the torture had started, it stopped suddenly, and she gasped for air. The door was open, allowing the bright rays of sunlight to filter in. The ominous clouds in the sky had given way for the healthy light of day. Whether it was by Fate or pure luck, Zelda was no longer alone with the King of Darkness. Shock registered in both the Princess and King's eyes as they looked towards the door.
In that single moment, Zelda had never been more pleased to see the green clothes of the Kokiri.
Link, having recieved a strange feeling of approaching doom--which he was getting more and more frequently as of late, had rushed in, Master Sword in hand. He was like an angel of the Godesses as he swung his blade masterfully around, each swing meeting Ganondorf's hard blade precisely. Zelda could do nothing but watch, praying to the Godesses that they would protect the Hero of Time.
So consumed with the fight taking place between Good and Evil, that she barely felt the two arms grab her under her arms and begin dragging her out of danger. She barely had enough strength to glance upwards but when she did, she saw that her rescuer, along with Link, was none other than Malon. She doubted that the farmgirl was doing it out of care for herself, but to help Link. Nonetheless, she owed her a debt of gratitude that she would see paid.
"I have her!" Malon shouted when she managed to drag her through the door, though her eyes remained focused past the doorway on the battle that was taking place between the man she loved and the creature she loathed.
Soldiers swarmed around Malon, gently lifting Princess Zelda and carrying her away to a safe place within the castle where healers could help her. The remaining soldiers charged in, prepared to help the Hero of Time, but it was too late. They entered and found Link lying unconcious to the side of the room, and the King of Darkness no where to be found. This worried them all, but there was little they could do.
Malon rushed to Link's side, cradling him in her arms. "Link! Wake up, Link!" she cried.
Link shifted in his sleep, mumbling something too faintly for Malon to hear. She brushed aside some stray strands of blonde hair away from his face. His eyelids fluttered open then, and she met his blue, unfocused gaze. "Malon?"
"Link," she smiled. "Welcome back to the land of the living."
"Land of the living, yeah right," Link scoffed, groaning and Malon helped him stand. "Wait! Where's Ganondorf?!"
"He's gone, Link," Malon informed him. "We came in, and he was no where to be found--"
"Where's Zelda?" Link asked, his voice hard.
"I got her, like you asked, Link. The soldiers took her to be healed; she was wounded pretty badly." This last comment made Link's expression soften.
"Are you all right?" he queried.
Malon nodded. "Ganondorf seemed too surprised by your entrance to even notice me." The mention of the King of Darkness made Link frown, but the frown was short-lived as Malon hugged him tightly. "Oh, Link. I'm just glad you're safe."
Link smiled softly, welcoming the embrace. "It has been a trying day, hasn't it?"
"Trying day? More like a trying decade," mumbled Malon, breathing in his familiar scent. "Maybe now peace will finally be restored to Hyrule and we can--" Malon cut herself off mid-sentence.
Link raised an eyebrow. "We can what, Malon?"
"Nothing," she said too quickly. "Let's just get back to Lon Lon Ranch..."
"I need to speak with Zelda first," Link said. "I have a feeling Ganondorf will be back all too soon, and if anyone knows anything about it...it will be Zelda."
Malon frowned. "Link, you don't have to do this. I mean, you did your...job...you defeated Ganondorf, you saved Hyrule. You don't have to keep fighting and putting your life on the line. Let someone else do it." The words tumbled out of Malon's mouth before she could stop them; they sounded extremely selfish to her, but it didn't seem to faze Link even a little bit.
"Malon, you know I can't just leave Hyrule to its fate. If Ganondorf is back, then it's my duty to defeat him...again."
"It's just..." she sighed, flustered with the entire situation and herself. Finally, she found the words to explain how she felt. "I'm afraid, Link."
She seemed so vulnerable when she said those words and Link hugged her more tightly. "I won't let anything hurt you, Malon. I will protect you, like I always have."
"I'm not afraid for myself, Link," Malon replied. "I'm afraid for you. You can protect me, but who will protect you?"
Link was taken aback momentarily by the question. He was so accustomed to risking his life for the greater good and had never really had to think of himself. Now he had Malon, whom he loved, and wanted to protect. If he was gone, no one would be there to protect her. That was intolerable in, and of, itself.
"I'll be careful," he stated quietly.
"I've seen you be...careful, Link," she said skeptically. "I don't want you to be careful."
"Then what do you want me to do?"
"Be safe," Malon whispered to him, love in her tone.
"I will--"
"Promise me," she pressed vehemently.
He lifted her chin up to stare into his brilliant blue eyes, a determined and focused look in them. "I promise you, I will be safe."
Malon giggled, "Good. After all, I'd be nothing without my Fairy Boy."
Link smiled, though he had a feeling that that promise would be a lot more difficult to keep than it was to say.
A/N: Please review! No flames, though. Constructive critism is always nice! The more reviews I get, the more frequently I'll update. I believe that's a fair trade, eh?