I know, this one release fast considering it's length. Fun fact, I actually wrote this chapter BEFORE 13. I know, odd, but I had such a great idea that I had to write it as soon as I could. But hey, I think this one came out pretty well! Enjoy!
-Joost

The Fierce God Given Life
Chapter 14: The Hurricane

Link was unbelievably nervous. He fidgeted with the cuffs of his shirt while sitting on his bed. They weren't uncomfortable, but he just had to do something to ward off his growing anxiety. Skull Kid stood just a few feet away, staring at him as he fiddled with his sleeves. After about five minutes of Link constantly messing with his attire, Skull Kid sighed and finally decided to speak up.

"Link, you need to calm down." Skull Kid told his friend. He put a hand on Link's shoulder, and the former Hero of Termina took a deep breathe at last. "There we go, man. Just stay cool."

The two friends heard the front door of the inn open. It was Jim, all dressed up like the other guys upstairs. "Is the night still young?"

"You're late!" Skull Kid berated. This was important to Link, and Jim was just moseying around like it was nothing. Jim simply shrugged in response, leading to a groan from Skull Kid's beak. The stress was getting too much for Link, and he put his hands to his forehead.

"Hey, pal. Your tie ain't right…" Jim pointed to Link's shirt, his tie was crooked and part of it was hanging down, free. Link reached up and felt his tie, then made a look of confusion. He had no idea how to do these things properly. The things Anju taught him years prior just flew out the window. "Oh, hang on, ya' big oaf."

Jim walked to his friend and fixed his attire. Huffing in relief, Link slouched on the wall behind him. Today had to be perfect. It had to be; it was for her.

The three guys exchanged looks at each other until a certain fairy flew through the window across from them. Tael, with a miniature clipboard in his hands, looked around desperately for his friends, but it took him a minute to simply look down and to the right.

"Guys! We got to get ready! She'll be here in ten minutes!" Tael yelped, pointing at his papers. The others looked at each other with some worry, but Link somehow managed to top all three of them.

"I- I can't do this…" Link began hyperventilating and pacing around the room. He nearly fell over before just sitting down, hand on his temple. Sweat rolled down the side of his face as his friends tried to calm him down. "This… this was a bad idea… Maybe we should just call this off!"

The others consoled Link, gathering around him and helping him to his feet.

"Link, you need to relax. For all our sakes. We can't help you pull this off if you're being a nervous mess…" Jim held Link by the shoulders and looked his friend in the eyes, and he eventually made his way back to calm. His heart still raced, of course, but he regained control over his breathing after a minute.

"Okay… Okay… I'm calm. I think." Link reassured his friends, and then closed his eyes. He balled up his fists and inwardly told himself he could do this. His determination returned, and he left the inn and went to North Clock Town. There, he and his best men waited for a certain someone.

It took some time, but Romani and her friends soon appeared by the entrance North Clock Town. She descended the stairs that were by the Clock Tower. She wore the most beautiful dress Link had ever seen. Her snow-white gown gleamed in the moonlight that shined down on them. Link's heart melted as she slowly made her way to the alter. Everyone who was in their seats were entranced by her.

Kafei, clad in some ceremonial robes, approached the two.

"Do you two have your wedding masks?" Kafei asked. The biggest smiles grew on Link and Romani's faces as they retrieved their masks. The masks of the Sun and Moon.

The ceremony was perfect. Everyone ate and drank in the cool spring night, fireflies providing some lovely light alongside the torches not too far away, and grasshoppers chirping in the distance. The bell atop Stock Pot Inn was ringing with an echo of beauty.

"Everyone? I'd like to make a toast!" Skull Kid stood from his seat at the table, raised his cup, and everyone turned their eyes towards him. "The toast is… to the bride and groom! To Mr. and Mrs. Link and Romani!"

"Mr. and Mrs. Link and Romani!" The crowd cheered in unison as they held up their drinks. Link was extremely flustered by his friend's gesture, and Romani kissed him on the cheek. She loved when he was embarrassed beyond words, she could kiss him as much as she liked without any protest.

"Come oooonnnn, Link. Let's cut the cake!" Romani playfully held the knife for their wedding cake, and as soon and Link saw, he quickly rose from his seat and took the sharp object from his wife. She chuckled a little as he held the knife with a firm grip. Romani knew just what to get her husband out of his silly chair, and she helped him with their cake and passed it out to everyone in attendance.

After the main party, everyone was preparing to leave to head home. Link and Romani had some plans to stay at a special cabin in Snowhead for the weekend to really 'enjoy' each other. Epona was even saddled with a special seat for the newlyweds. Before Link or Romani could hop onto their ride, the swordsman teacher pulled his former student aside for a moment.

"I must say, my boy, while I have found you to be a little… well, how would I say this…" The master snapped his fingers, a telltale sign he was concentrating, until Romani was able to chime in with a good word to match his sentence.

"Reckless?" Romani added playfully, a smirk across her face. She had a knack for being able to finish others' sentences.

"Yes! That's exactly the word!" The swordsman chuckled at the ranch woman and then put his arm around Link's shoulder. "However, today, my student, I cannot complain."

"Thank you, sir…" Link's felt some modesty well up in his heart. His teacher had been a little rough on him during his training all those years ago, but Link was happy he could make it to his special day.

"Romani? Shall we get- "Link couldn't finish his thought. Romani was by Epona, but everyone around them went completely silent. He didn't notice the stars that freckled across the sky slowly vanish.

"Romani?" Link called to his wife, waving a hand high in the air. She didn't respond.

Then she went limp.

"Romani!" Link immediately tried to catch her before she hit the ground, but he was too late. Everything turned to black, and a red mark began to pool around the two. A red gash started to stain Romani's dress. Blood. Link only heard a deep cackle resonate around him. It was one he knew, but it was a faint memory.

And then he finally woke up. But his reality wasn't all too worse from his nightmare.

Anju was worried. The sun had already set, and Link still hadn't returned to the Inn. She told him to return by at dinner! The innkeeper inwardly scolded herself, but at the same time, it didn't feel right to. She had a feeling something was terribly wrong.

Tearing her gaze from the window, she went back upstairs to the other occupants of the Inn. Opening the door, she saw Skull Kid laying on the first bunk casually, Tael by the window at the end of the room, and Tatl sitting on the table, arms folded.

"Well? Where is he?" Tatl demanded to know where her friend was. Anju wasn't the only one who happened to be concerned for him.

"I… I still don't know. I'm sorry." Anju replied. When she left, Tatl turned around with a huff, frustrated. She didn't like this feeling she had. She was so unused to worry. Only when she and her brother got separated in the catacombs so long ago, or when Link and her battled Majora, or when Link was rushed to Clock Town covered in blood did she ever feel this way before.

"Tatl, please relax." Skull Kid pleaded, rising from the cot. He never liked seeing his fairy companions like this.

"I don't know if I can!" Tatl yelled, her fists scrunching up. She pondered something within her head for a little bit. Her face had a look of disgust at her own idea, but slowly morphed into resentment. "I'm… I'm going to go and look for him."

"Huh?!" Tael said from the window, looking at his sister.

"What are YOU gonna do about it! I'm worried, alright?" Tatl's voice was a little shaky. It was hardly noticeable, but it still made her usually snarky tone a little less sly.

"Then we're going with you!" Skull Kid said, pumping his fist in the air and grabbing his staff.

"Ugh… Why am I always left with these two…?" Tatl rubbed her head, exhausted from her headache. But she still complied, leading her friends out of the Inn and to where she had a hunch Link may be. Ikana Canyon.

Link woke up in a dark, musty room. The only light he could see was far in the distance. Small torches encompassed the room. The only thing he could see other than the dim light was the moon, shining through a gaping hole in the center of the ceiling.

"You… are so interesting…" A voice said. Link looked up. He saw a robed figure. He recognized them almost immediately. The Garo Master.

Link tried to stand, but he found himself constrained by two Garo foot soldiers. How long they must have been standing there waiting for him to awaken might've been impossible to figure out.

"Good evening, oh Hero of Termina…" The Garo Master turned to face his audience. The wise, calm voice Link first heard when they first met in the Stone Tower Temple had disappeared, making way for a sadistic, almost glee-ridden tone. As if he was on the verge of laughter every time he uttered a word. Something terrible had happened to this once righteous warrior since the moon vanished from the sky.

"I believe you have something that is… ours." The Garo Master snatched Link's bag and pulled out the item he desired. The Garo Mask. He held it into the air and what seemed like hundreds of eyes appeared, lurking in the shadows. "This… This, my friends, is how this child was able to detect us!"

The Garo Master threw the mask into the air and deployed his flaming sabers. He whipped the item, and it was slashed in two, the cloth burning right before their eyes. More ninjas emerged from the darkness, and all began to howl with laughter. Link attempted to struggle his way out of the grasp of his captors. Suddenly the Maestro of the Garo rammed his metallic foot into Link's stomach, the wind escaping his lungs and forcing him to crumple to the floor. The audience of espionage continued their mockery until the sound died down.

"Oh insolent one…" Link thought he recognized that line but could hardly think at all suffering the pain of the blow to his torso. "We are the hurricane that you have found yourself dancing within… but now there is no escape!"

"Your… Your words are strong for a spirit!" Link managed, desperately trying to catch his breath. The army of darkness only laughed in response to the boy's foolish words. He had no idea what had happened to the race of spies during these past few months.

Deploying his flames again, the Master lassoed Link up and pulled him towards his metal mask. The heat was searing, but it hadn't singed his tunic yet. "You really think… all that remains of me in this word is a spectre?"

"Ever since you soothed that cowardly shadow… our souls have been given…" The last word uttered had a long emphasis. "…life!" The master turned to his army, a deranged glint in his eyes. "We are no longer what, my friends!?"

There was a deafening chant that served as a response. "Spectres!"

The Master threw Link back to his comrades, who took hold of him once more. There were a few burns on Link's tunic, but he wasn't injured. At least at the moment. Link attempted to wriggle out of the arms of his enemies, but he eventually gave up and went limp.

"Your desire for answers is inconceivable!" He taunted the hero. The beast turned, throwing his cloak in the air dramatically before it descended to his back again. "We have obtained centuries of knowledge during our time as spirits."

"Boy… If you were to join us… we could finally help quench that thirst that wells deep within your soul. Think about all the thoughts we could satisfy inside that feeble head of yours!" The Master spoke with an insane cackle, his mental state damaged by his thirst for power.

"You could finally have the answers to everything. The reason this world is the way it is!" The Garo held his fist high, a devilish grin hidden underneath his mask, gleaming in the moonlight. He desired for his enemy to join him. Someone as skilled as the Hero of Termina would be quite useful. However, Link didn't know how to respond. He just stood in silence for a moment until something randomly popped into his head.

"The world is not enough." Link said plainly. He didn't look at his captor, but simply into the distance.

The Master turned back around with bewilderment. He tried to hide his anger by insulting Link's judgement. "Meaningless phrase!"

"Family motto…" Link replied.

Enraged, the Garo Maestro unleashed a powerful slash of his sabers. Link was freed from the grasp of the others but was sent flying a few meters. He landed on the ground, now with a melted piece of his tunic and a burn on his arm.

"WHY!? Why do you do it?!" The Master's voice was tyrannical. He screamed and bellowed with desperation. "Why do you choose to continue to fight?! Risking your own life?!"

Link grunted, struggling to get to his feet. He unsheathed his sword and readied his shield. He winced but did his best to overcome the pain by sheer determination. He refused to answer the question. The act of standing once more was an answer in and of itself.

The Garo Master made an animalistic growl and lunged at Link. The hero parried with his sword and their battle began. The flaming sabers flew wildly, embers getting emitted at each clash. The whip-like weapon wrapped around the Gilded Sword and Link's unbreakable grip was used against him and was thrown across the arena with it.

The two combatants clashed as the audience cheered for their leader. Link was able to get a strike in on the creature, but then he jumped into the air and vanished. Link forgot what would happen next and was met with a pummeling from the Garo Master as he descended onto his back. After a rough stomp, the swordsman leaped off him.

Getting up, Link prepared himself for another lasso, but was met with a blinding flash followed by sparks. The sabers had struck his sword, but they didn't wrap around. They were solid now? A cackle came from Link's opponent, and he began a barrage of attacks, each making Link get forced backwards more and more. But when Link attempted to counter one of the Garo's blows, he could only reel in shock at what happened next.

The Gilded Sword sustained too much abuse and cracked. Then with another hit, it broke in two.

The pieces clattered to the ground and the army of darkness bellowed with laughter. The Garo Master stabbed Link's burned shoulder and brought him to the ground. His eyes were visible through his mask, bloodshot and filled with malice. He drove his blade further into his enemy.

"You are beaten… oh Hero of Termina." The Maestro taunted. Link could only gasp in pain as his nerves nearly began to go into shock. "Now… with the master of time defeated… we'll be able to show the people of this world true pain."

The sadistic torturer brought himself closer to Link and whispered. "Even your pathetic family… perhaps that little ranch girl you're so fond of will like to meet us."

The infernal creature cackled as Link tried to muster up some strength. Memories of everyone he came to love in Termina flashed before his very eyes. And soon enough, he found something.

Tatl and Tael finally ended their struggle to lift Skull Kid up the cliff and into the main area of the canyon. Both simply gave the imp a look when he got to his feet.

"Heh heh… Sorry guys." Skull Kid lifted his mask and smiled thankfully at his friends. The two fairies scoffed as they continued on their way. There were no Nejirons, Bubbles, nothing to impede them.

"You really think he could be here, sis?" Tael asked as the group walked.

"I'm positive…" Tatl muttered. She felt nervous being here again. Knowing that the Garo could be watching from anywhere almost made her seem paranoid. Tael did his best to keep his sister calm during their journey.

They searched around for a while, calling Link's name, flying higher into the air, anything they could to find their friend. When the group came into view of the river, the fairies groaned at the sight of another cliff.

"Not this again!" Tatl complained. She was about to say something when an enormous crash occurred on the side of the mountain just to their left. Several robed figures went flying, soon landing on the ground, unconscious.

The three looked up at the source of the destruction, and Tatl didn't like what she saw. Link, in the form of the Fierce Deity, fighting with the Garo Master. Tatl's worry only grew. "Oh no… Oh no, oh no, oh no!"

"Who is that?!" Tael exclaimed.

"It's Link…" Tatl muttered. The others just looked at her in shock before they realized they had company. Several of the Garo began to awaken. Skull Kid readied his staff and bludgeoned the closest one into submission. The thing fell back to the ground and didn't move. He knew he wouldn't have nearly enough time to take care of all of them, if he even could.

"Guys?! What do we do?" Skull Kid pleaded. Fear riddled his voice. Tatl didn't respond, watching the fight between Fierce Deity Link and the Garo Master take place above her.

Link didn't say a word as the flames whizzed past him. For being on the edge of a mountain, he was granted a surprising amount of space to dodge the attacks. The Master went for Link's gauntlets, but they had no effect on the other-worldly metal when they constricted around them. The Garo tried to pull the god towards him to attack, but instead he was hurled into the air and past his mighty opponent.

The sword master landed on the rock, making a few pebbles chip off and rain down on the group below. Rising to his feet, the two combatants stared each other down before the robed one cackled. The deranged man solidified his weapons and charged towards his adversary, but the attack was filled with rage, thus it was predictable.

Link stepped to the right and grabbed hold of the flaming blades with his bare hands, and they went slack again almost instantly. The Garo Master knew what the hero was about to do, and silently pleaded with a shake of his head. His beg was ignored as Link took his enemy's forearms and pulled.

The weapons were torn off the Master's arms, and the act was followed by a scream of agony. Like the flames meant nothing, Link tossed the appendages off the cliff, and they hit a Garo that was approaching his friends below, making it disappear with a burst of green fire. Not knowing what to do, the Maestro resorted to a fist fight against the Fierce Deity.

Back on the ground, Skull Kid sent one Garo Robe flying into the river with a swing of his staff. Tatl and Tael lifted one of the fiery limbs that fell to the ground earlier and threw it at another, bringing it to its knees before it vanished in blazing green. The trio knew they couldn't keep this up forever. They were fighting a losing battle, and their only salvation was preoccupied.

As the cliff they fought on thinned, The Garo Master and the Fierce Deity exchanged punches. A few throws of bloody stumps were blocked, a few weren't. The red fluid was starting to drizzle onto the others on the ground. The Master latched onto the powerful god's arm and kicked the pit of his leg, making him take a knee. Then he decked the Hero of Termina in the face nearly ten-times over while a smirk grew under his mask.

But the sadistic smile faded when the angry god pushed him off and stood up, spitting some blood and a tooth onto the rock wall beside them. The stain appeared black in the moonlight. The Hero scowled, and the missing tooth reformed in seconds, and the cracks in his armor sealed up. Link didn't have time to think and went for the mask, grabbing hold and starting to pull. He slammed his foot and pinned down his opponent by the chest. The Garo Master's bloodcurdling scream echoed through the valley as his metal covering parted from his face gradually.

Once the mask separated far enough, Link made free hand go to the knife hand position and he chopped off the ligaments that connected the mask to the face of the Garo. It was like it was a part of him. He threw the metal onto the ground and crushed it beneath his boot. Blood squirted from the Garo warrior's facial wounds and Link kicked him off the cliff. He fell onto the group of Garo soldiers that gathered just below, decommissioning them, to the relief of Tatl, Tael, and Skull Kid.

Fierce Deity Link jumped down and landed between his friends and the pile of Garo.

"This… This isn't over!" The Garo Master shouted. His words felt oddly cliché to Link, and he stood expressionless. The swordsman hid his face behind his cloak. "Have you no honor in battle? Relieving me of my hands and mutilating me?!"

"I was merciful. I could've cut you down with my sword any time I desired…" Link's words were cold, and his double-helix blade materialized in his hands. His display of power had the intended effect on his audience.

Link's voice as the Fierce Deity was nearly incomprehensible to mortals. Tatl and Tael could only understand it because of their connection to the Goddess of Time. They were descendants of servants to the Great Fairies, after all. Skull Kid could understand his friend because of his lingering bond to magic, a side-effect from Majora's Mask corrupting him months before.

Fear washed over the Garo and his servants before they vanished in green smoke. They understood the message.

Link didn't smirk at all at his victory, only falling on one knee and becoming consumed by light again. His shoulder wounds reappeared, and his tunic reformed into its damaged state. He gasped and nearly fell to the ground before Skull Kid caught him by his other shoulder, helping him stand.

"Link!" Tatl rushed to Link and slapped him on the cheek. This time it actually kind of hurt. "What were you thinking?! Coming here and fighting the Garo!? And with the Fierce Deity's Mas- "

Tatl's words halted when she realized Link didn't have the mask. It still resided under his bed at home. Link caught his breath. "I- was kidnapped by them. Taken here…"

Link rose a shaky hand and pointed to the cave at the mouth of the river. Tatl knew where they had taken him now. The Secret Shrine, the room that once housed the rematch against the Garo Master having been terraformed to meet the needs of the returning clan of spies.

"But… I don't know how I…" Link looked up at the mountain, panting. The destruction riddled across the mountainside from where he threw the Master and several of his minions outside was quite visible. "…how I did that."

"Link, that doesn't matter now. We need to get you home." Tael said, doing his best to heal up what he could of Link's wound. His skills had improved since the last time he tried healing. Luckily it wasn't bleeding now, but there were still burns and a gaping hole in his shoulder that needed to be tended to.

With that, the four made their way home. It took hours, but they finally got to the Stock Pot Inn in the wee hours of the morning. Anju and Kafei were still awake, sitting in the lobby.

"Link!" Anju rushed to her son as soon as she saw him. She looked all over his body for any other injuries, the panic in her voice all too clear. "Are you ok? What happened to you? Who did this?"

"Mom, Mom! I'm fine." Link chuckled a little and his words soothed Anju. She brought him in for a hug. Kafei ran off to fetch some wraps for Link as his wife and the boy embraced.

"Ow… Ow, ow, ow." Link felt a shooting pain in his arm as Anju's hug grew tighter. The innkeeper hadn't realized she was starting to hurt him until he spoke up. However, it was Kafei's turn for hugs once he returned with bandages. The family embraced for a while before they went upstairs to patch Link up.

About an hour later, Link sat on his bed, a bandage wrapped around his shoulder and arm. It should heal normally without the need for a potion. Anju and Kafei didn't leave his side, tending to his every need, regardless of if it wasn't much.

For once, Link wasn't thinking about the events of the battle he just experienced before. He would make time later to worry about all that. For now, all he could think about was his family, and all they could think about was him. However, he fell asleep before he could tell his parents what actually happened.