Urgh. Trust me to do stupid things for the sake of page count. This first scene was meant to be part of the introduction chapter. D'oh. This chapter really has a lot of Zelda in it, and so will all other chapters.

I happen to dwell upon a certain somewhat-lovable villain this chapter. Half of this story was a prompt given to me by a friend; how would you punish a man of absolute evil?

The answer is simple. To make an antagonist suffer... strip him of his presence and force him to play 'protagonist.' Don't get me wrong. He will never be a 'good' person, EVER. But... it always rings to me that the demon's evil in him consumes him... and he doesn't quite know why he has the drive to conquer and destroy. But he enjoys it all the same. Because he's evil.

Recently I have stumbled upon an author named Seldavia, who has given me a whole new appreciation for Ganondorf and all his evil bastard mind-games. I am seriously impressed with her command of not only funny humor (It takes an epic touch to make Ganondorf amusing, yet keep him in character) but serious themes and mind-blowing command of original characters. I will get around to reading/reviewing/worshiping her work as soon as I have time. I thank her for the review as she has made me realize the need to up the bar for my own work.

In any case, here is the chapter. I hope I'm okay at writing Link and Zelda. Link never has any lines, and Zelda can be... cliche to a fault in the games. -sigh- Here goes nothing...

DISCLAIMER: Me no own. You no sue. Or I throw you in my stew.

CHAPTER ONE: CONFRONTATIONS

--

Link…

I call you once again, Hero of Time. Arise from your sleep.

Link…

Before he even knew where he was, before he opened his eyes, Link's hand had started to move to the hilt of his sword. But as he found nothing but empty space where a hilt should have been, he instead awoke to this strange place.

Was it a place? The surroundings were blank to the point of nonexistence. Empty tracts of nothing stretched out to eternity.

What…? I was falling asleep… what? What happened to me? I lived, grew old and…

Link, you have been dead for a long time. As have been your loved ones. This sleep is the cold sleep of death and the embrace of the great beyond.

The voice was soft and sweet, but also a little sad. Link twitched in his rest, taking in the tone fully. It bore something that made him feel small and insignificant, something that impressed upon him the fact that this voice was so much greater than he was.

Why wake me? I am dead. Why can't I sleep? Who… are you?

I am known as Faore. It was I who breathed life into your soul, and into the soul of the green earth. And you are my one and only champion, and have been through infinite incarnations. Through time and space a part of your spirit roams, ready to battle when dark times come to pass.

Then why? Why do you need me, from death? Isn't there… another me?

Your soul is passed down through the ancient magic blood of Hyrule's people. And it is now too thin to house my power, even magic at all. Nay, the world is too weak. It has ceased to be my sisters' beloved Hyrule- and faded away into a mere phantom. And if all three champions do not join power at once, it is sure to become something even less.

Three champions?

The champions: the chosen of we three sisters. They have lived many lives, but your incarnation in particular is the vital key and our only choice. You are the Hero of Time; the specific power you wield is vital in this quest. You alone permit travel into this warped, far-distant world.

Who will the two others be?

You will know them very well. And I ask you to be patient and not act on old habits. This new threat is far more serious than blood grudges and the splitting of the Triforce. You will understand soon; I need not burden you with useless words, my chosen hero.

I see.

And do you accept?

…Yes. If I… if it is so important that I can't stay dead, then I must say yes.

I cannot thank you enough. Link… you have suffered much for us, too much. We will never forget this. Someday, you will find that you have been repaid.

But deep in his heart, Link knew that he needed no payment. Not even from a goddess.

--

"Morri? Morri? Are you sleeping?"

A digital clock ticked out one single passing minute, glowing numbers striking 1:23. Quietly, the person in the single bunk flipped over, mattress squeaking slightly at the movement. "No," Morrigan Rengard said, cracking open a silvered eye. "What's with the late night, Dizzy?"

"Do you want to take a shower? I know it's late and all, and your shower day's tomorrow, but… y'know?"

Dizene frowned deeply in the dark, hoping their whispers weren't awakening the employed counselor to the right. The camp assigned showers every other day to avoid long lines. But at that hour of night, there was no possibility of having to wait.

"All right," Morrigan agreed after a minute. Quietly, she got up out of bed and gathered her towel and bath things, following her friend out of the dormitory with practiced stealth. They slipped on flip-flops and started up to the showerhouse, the stars winking brightly overhead. "But you're going to tell me what this really is about."

The other girl lowered her gaze to the dark path in front of her, silent until they reached the featureless gray building down by the sheds. Even when they slipped inside and turned on the light, she said nothing.

"Don't think I can't tell that there's something on your mind," Morrigan convicted. "It's not like you to be nocturnal. That's more down my alley, and you know that."

Dizene sighed as she began to strip off her pajamas, not really caring for modesty. They were both girls, so it didn't really matter. Blinking, she squinted to see the fuzzy surroundings as she set her glasses on the little shelf by the door. "Well, it has to do with this one guy…"

"From the boys' side of the camp? Don't bother- they're the biggest jerks in all of Vesper. Really."

"Yeah, that's the problem," Dizene said as she moved both her and her friend's clothes out of the way and turned on the hot water, filling the room with steam. "You know that guy that sits on the boys' side of the mess hall at the table on the end? The redhead one?"

Morrigan took some shampoo from the bottle and proceeded to undo her twin french braids. The resulting mass of soapsuds made it look like she was wearing a fuzzy white wig. Dizene knew that Morrigan could be intimidating at times, but the fact that Dizene wasn't afraid of her was only impressed here. It was hard to be frightened of this monster with razorblade-eyes when she was completely naked with a head full of bubbles.

"Yeah… that guy. What was his name again? Devin? David? Duke?"

"Darek. Darek Mengsk."

"So what about him?"

The first time she had used the showerhouse Dizene had been embarrassed; she had wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Nobody but her mother had ever seen her unclothed self, and suddenly she was forced to share the image with around ten girls at a time. But not this late at night- only Morrigan was there. And Morrigan was not so cruel as the other girls to mock her shyness, which was somewhat of a conundrum. At the end of the day, everybody was a monster but the monster. "I have canoes with him," Dizene said.

"Like I said, so?"

Dizene frowned and began to lather up too. "He's a jerk," she said. "A REAL jerk."

"What did he say?"

"He's had his eye on me for a while," admitted Dizene.

Morrigan gave a lopsided grin, turning away with a slight chuckle. "Not hard to see why, Dizzy, I mean," she snickered, tracing the girl's extremely feminine curves in the air.

Dizene managed to blush with her entire body. "Morri! You say that like you're a guy!"

"Sometimes I wonder, though," Morrigan laughed. "I mean… with this anti-chest? And these nonexistent hips? Maybe somebody up there just gave me the wrong equipment…"

The sound of the running water muffled the washcloth that went flying at the dark headed girl. "Take that, Flatty Mc. NoBoobs!"

Through the silly insult, Dizene bit her lip slightly. Even if Morrigan didn't have the most typically enticing body, there were times when Dizene felt inadequate. Flatty Mc.NoBoobs aside, Morrigan was quite fit for a girl her age, and it showed.

"Oh, so says Captain C-cup!" Morrigan countered with mock-offense. "Take this!"

Morrigan proceed to throw a small bar of soap at her friend, but Dizene countered it by batting it away right back at Morrigan's forehead.

"Ow! Okay, okay, you win," Morrigan snickered, rubbing the soap spot on her face. "I give, I give. But back to the point… this guy Darek likes you?"

At once Dizene's eyes fell. "Not me," she said. "But um… my body, I think."

"And…?"

"I don't like him at all. He's a jerk," said Dizene. "And he said… he said…"

Morrigan was becoming grim-faced as well. "What did he say?"

"That I was going to like him. No matter what it took. And now he won't leave me alone! And he's been getting more desperate…"

A few minutes of quiet pierced the scene like the hot water pelted from the showerheads. It was a heavy, ominous silence. Morrigan had a deep but relatively harmless envy for her single friend. Often she found herself wishing she were more like Dizene; that her pretty face wasn't marked by something fierce.

"Dizzy, this isn't good," she said. "Actually, this is bad. Very bad."

"I know."

Morrigan's demeanor acquired a distinctly frightening hint of anger, a fearsome scowl dominating her eyes. "Diz! This is more than an 'I know!' How long has this been going on?"

"A week. I didn't want to bother you, but it's getting pretty bad…"

"A week? Damnit, Dizzy!" she snarled. "Tell me earlier next time! And you're saying that you can't drive him off yourself? Have you tried everything?"

Dizene took to rinsing the conditioner out of her long hair. "Everything. So I'm telling you."

Most of the other girls would have fled from Morrigan with her expression in such a fury. But Dizene knew nothing would happen to her- when it came to the little things Morrigan was all roar and no claws. "Damn right you are!" she scowled, but her eyes softened slightly as she lost the moment. "Look, Diz, I'll take care of everything that I can. He's not going to bother you, I promise."
"Do you think you can really do something about it? The counselors don't even believe me… Are you being serious?"

"Deadly," Morrigan growled. "This is the sort of thing that turns into rape, Dizzy. And no way will I let it on my watch. I'll deal with him tomorrow."

"What are you going to do?"
"Talk to him in private. And if it comes to it, I'll just have to make my point some other way."

Dizene whistled. "Awfully peaceful for you, Morri."

"Don't get me wrong, but I want to find out what I'm plunging into for you before I throw anything around."

They really had no idea, Dizene realized. They had no idea about either of them. The boy couldn't understand that Dizene, pretty as she was, was not interested. Nobody could understand that underneath Morrigan's fearsome snarling exterior was a fearsome snarlingheroine, ready and willing to ruthlessly trample whatever she had to if it saved the people she loved.

"Thank you, Morri," Dizene said. It wasn't that she wasn't brave enough to stand up for herself. She had stood up for herself all week, in fact. But even she needed backup sometimes. "You really are a great friend."

"You doubted it?" Morrigan laughed, good humor returning. But only for a moment, until that black head of hers was finally rid of shampoo. "Agh! My hair is eating my face! Soap in eyes! Soap in eyes!"

--

Somewhere in the spiritual realm, the King of Evil strained at his golden fetters. His rage knew no bounds. For years now, his strength had not been enough to break the barriers trapping him in the world of eternal spirits.

Damn the sages, he roared. Damn that Zelda. Damn that Link!

All alone, with only a rare guess at time, he struggled on and on. He had won! He had already won! But then… then… somehow he had been defeated and lost. He had the feeling it had happened in the past, too…

It was a driving, alien need. He NEEDED to escape, he NEEDED the Triforce, he NEEDED to kill that Link boy…

But do you know why?

The sudden voice in the not-air startled the angry Gerudo, hanging in the air like a desperate death sentence. Reprimanding and harsh. Disappointed, even, like a cross mother.

"Who is there?"

I asked you a question, boy. Do you know why you are driven to slay these people? Do you know your own cause?

Ganondorf had a cause. He knew his 'new order' and the poor state of his Gerudo people. But his order was not an order of kindness for his kin. It was the product of something else, a screaming thing that he was driven to at any cost despite reason. Thus he was in no state to think or reason when he was confronted by this voice, after his machinations had been shattered. "I WILL obtain the whole Triforce! Hyrule will be mine once again!"

Pathetic. You do not. I ask you why, Ganondorf. Why do you wish for such things?

The question fell hard like a hammer's blow. And then Ganondorf, King of Thieves, Evil Wizard, realized that he didn't know the answer himself. It was a part of him, the screaming desire for power and blood. It consumed him. It's voice whispered alongside his own, his own pleasures found in mind games, torture, and other preoccupations supported and reinforced. It convinced him that was what he truly wanted. Yet he needed not the voice of his inner self.

You are merely a puppet player, Ganondorf. A host, within which a greater evil festers. Never forget this.

"Nobody will ever control me! It is I that control! I… I am the great Ganondorf!"

And I am Din, the goddess that beat the desert out of the raw earth and shaped the world in its wholeness. How does it feel to meet someone bigger than you, Gerudo?

"Impossible…"

I thought so. Listen well, puppet Ganondorf. You were not my choice. I never chose you when you plucked my power from the sacred realm. It is your namesake that is the key to your Triforce, why you were destined to hold it.

"…"

Long ago, in ancient times, when my world was new, the great demon of evil Ganon stole my piece of the Triforce from my own bosom. It was at that moment that the Triforce scattered, my sisters chose their champions… and my power became the toy of a monster.

There was not a day I pained for the world, for those that suffered under the demon Ganon's power… my power. Therefore, to right myself, I forged the holy blade that you call your bane- the Master Sword. It was my hammer that beat the metal, Faore's heart that gave it life, and Naryu's magic that sent it to the world below. I watched this sword and my sister's champions do battle with the beast again and again through the annals of history, each time subduing the demon to the brink of death… but no further.

"…"

Until one fateful time… the champion of Faore managed to kill the beast and retrieve my Triforce. I have never been as happy in my existence as I was that day when my power was returned to peaceful hands. The sages of old then bound away the Triforce, never to fall to the dark again.

But Ganon, although destroyed in body, survived. The spirit lived on and wandered the world… until it took residence within you, Ganondorf. The name and innate power you hold were like an open door to it. You have never truly lived, puppet. You have never developed a soul of your own. You have been used. You were simply a body of flesh and blood.

"Never. You lie to me! Why do you tell me this? What do you hope to accomplish? I will escape this place!"

Indeed you shall, Ganondorf. And you already have, or at least 'another you' has. Ganon has already figured out a way to take your form and leave you to the dust. Long ago, 'you' escaped. Or Ganon has escaped, bearing your shape and face.

"Then why… why am I still rotting in this wretched place?"

Because you are a body no longer.

Expert strategist and mastermind he was, the answer caused him only to wrinkle his brow in confusion. "…?"

You missed it, Ganondorf. Ganon has stolen your body and left your soul behind in its place, causing 'you' to walk mortal Hyrule once more. And of course, in the past the hero has already defeated 'you' again multiple times. But it is not the same 'you.' Ganon could never truly escape the bonds holding him here. So he left you, Ganondorf, here to rot while the rest of him escaped and stole your very name and existence. Though between you and Ganon… your souls are nearly identical. That was the last part of his plan.

"My plan… his plan…?"

His plan. Do you truly remember being in control when you transformed into the monster, Ganondorf? His failsafe plan… he molded your soul from birth to closely resemble his, assimilating his identity as your own, yet leaving you your name. In a manner of speaking, you truly are him. But in this way he was able to switch you for himself, to escape this prison while dooming you to oblivion- the sages hardly noticed the exchange. Your body is long gone. You are merely an unfinished spirit; an echo of what has been, bound here for all time.

"Then… I… then go back, goddess! Go back to your stories and your champions. Go back to Ganon... me. I do not need you."

Time has flowed farther along than you think. A sea has covered and departed the world. Mountains have been built and leveled. Ganon has been long dead, in body and soul. You are all that remains of him. My sisters' champions cannot come forth- the magic of Hyrule has faded. This is why we call again souls from the distant past to save our world that is now in jeopardy from a new, greater power- beyond the horror of a single demon of darkness.

"Then go. I'll have no more of you. Go find your champion."

I already have.

"Then leave me here! Leave me to this hell!"

Ganondorf Dragmire, I henceforth claim you as my favorite. My power rightfully belongs to you now. You have not stolen it. Upon this empty thing you call a heart, the Triforce of Power has begun to engrave itself- though until you fill it with a true soul to call your own, it is useless. In the name of my sisters and myself, I release you from this prison. Boy! Go and see that my beloved Hyrule will be there in a thousand years!

He was struck by lightning. Every part of his soul seared and burned with raw energy, heating into an intolerable brand that suffered him every agony imaginable. His once-flesh was on fire, burning black. His skin bubbled and boiled, like hot wax melting away. Something in his deepest, darkest core was ripping, fraying with a caustic pain until something suddenly ripped away from it, cast away into the dark.

Ganondorf screamed.

The golden bindings vanished, causing a single lost soul to tumble down… down… back to a mortal realm…

--

Link stumbled about blindly in the woods. It was not because he was lost. Oh, no- he had grown up in a magic forest for crying out loud! It was just that… he didn't know where he was.

It being dark, and all. Without a lamp.

But he did have the Master Sword. That was a good thing, right?

"Ow!" he grumbled as he mistakenly wandered into a patch of brambles. It was much easier when he had a fairy to light his way. At times he had missed Navi. But after years of searching… he had accepted the fact that Navi had fulfilled her purpose in Ganondorf's defeat. She had moved on to greater and better things. And so too did Link.

Even so, he did miss that light of hers.

There were no monsters about, for that he was thankful. He had fought many things in the dark (Ganon included) and he simply didn't care for it at the time. Not when he didn't know where he was. He even doubted he was in Hyrule. The way the air tasted, the sound the grass made as it whistled, the pattern of the stars… it was different. Everything seemed different all of a sudden.

Of course it seemed different. He wasn't aching… his back wasn't stiff… it was easy to stand up straight again.

"Trust me to get used to having an old body," Link groaned. He had lived out his own life once… and suddenly he was returned to the physical age of seventeen again. It was quite an exhilarating shock to the system, being able to do things again that he had been forced to give up. No, it was even better than that first time he had tasted the strength- this body he now thrived in was forged by Faore herself, perfect and tailor-made for him alone.

And his mind, like the mind of Zelda, seemed to be perpetually stuck at this age. Even when he grew old, he didn't feel old. He never acted old. Perhaps that was a side effect of being the Hero of Time.

He heard a noise in the bushes off to the left, and instantly his hand flew to the Master Sword. It was a reflex ingrained into him even when he was a small child, to reach to where he would later keep his sword. It was eerie- as if he had been born with the instinct to reach for a blade.

Rustle. Rustle.

"Hello? Are you a person?" he called out awkwardly. If it wasn't a monster, there was no reason to attack. And one of his greatest fears was hurting someone with this sword he carried that was absolutely innocent… not that he would ever admit it.

From the bushes, a surprised, female voice gasped. "L… Link? Is that you?"

"Zelda!"

Link sheathed his sword immediately in relief and went over to help up the tangled princess.

"Link! It is you! Thank the Goddesses!"

"Zelda, what are you doing out here? Your dress is all caught in the thorns- hold still…"

As Link did his best to put the twisted material right in the darkness, Zelda summoned a small fire spell to light his work. "I died, didn't I? I grew old and died… so did you…"

"Yes," Link confirmed as he wrestled with the spiny branches. "Faore- she brought me back here. Said something about how we can't come back as new people again… so she picked me as her 'champion' or something like that."

"Yes, Naryu said the same to me," said Zelda as she helped with her own dress. "You know, this is sort of bothersome. Perhaps I should find some new clothes fit to travel…?"

Link seemed to agree, finishing at last. "As soon as we figure out where we are… which might be hard."

"It's a forest. I thought you could navigate the Lost Forest."

"This isn't the Lost Forest. I know you can tell it's not magic at all. Nothing's magic," Link said. "It's so dead-feeling here. Like there's no more life left in the world."

Zelda lowered her face sadly. "It does feel very bleak," she agreed. "So… this isn't Hyrule?"

"I don't know. We have to find out."

With an energy that seemed deceptive for the amount of clothes she wore, Zelda turned to the cold tree-trunks around them. "What do you suggest? You're the expert adventurer, after all."

"This way is as good as any," Link started, but then his head shot up, a cold shiver invading the clearing in a kind of shockwave. A faint pulse of red light throbbed dimly in the distance on the other hilltop they could see through the clear in the trees. Link realigned his destination. "Or… this way."

"Link, that energy… I've felt it before. Long ago… back when-"

"I know, Zelda. That's why we have to go."

"Then let's go! Follow me- I can light the way!"

--

"What… what is this?"

His first stirrings by the river were only echoed by the quiet mirth of a goddess in his head. Ganondorf's eyes were plastered open, breathing harsh and ragged from shock.

The pain was gone, he knew. It was a worse pain than even his own defeat. But that was not what so unnerved him.

He was… alive.

More alive than he had felt in what must have been centuries. The beat of his own heart was intoxicating, a sweet sound that he relished above all, he vowed. He could tell that his innate power was held back… restricted, but that didn't stop him from feeling it. It coursed and throbbed in him, empowering to the point of earning harsh, triumphant laughter.

But that was not what he felt at that point in time. That was not what so unnerved him.

"What did you… WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?"

His bellow was answered by the quiet, firm voice inside his head.

Do you take insult, boy? I have told you that your body has crumbled to dust. I have constructed a new one for you.

"I… you…"

The face that stared back in the flat eddy of the creek was undoubtedly his own. His own searing, feral eyes stared back at him with characteristic viciousness. But… it was a face he had not seen in many, many years. It was the young, handsome face he had seen on his seventeenth birthday, what felt like a lifetime ago. That was before he had mastered the darkest magic of the two called Twinrova… before he cast away 'Prince' and became 'King.' No, better-looking than he had been back then… it bore an almost ethereal quality to it. It was his reflection… but warped into a picture of handsomeness.

And as for the nose? I have to admit that was selfishness on my part, my boy. I couldn't stand the dreadful thing…

"I… I am Ganondorf Dragmire, the King of Evil! Give me my face back!"

His own voice had shifted pitch into the one that he spoke with as a young man- not quite as intimidating and rough as he would have preferred. And the ears… they had subtly pinched to points in the vague semblance of a Hylian- the Goddesses' chosen people. He had relinquished half a head's-worth of height and a fair deal of muscle mass with his age- though he knew he was as physically strong if not even stronger than he was that last battle with the dratted fairy boy.

In short, it was not only his face that had changed. The body he had been given was that of an attractive young man. While this may not have seemed like a terrible fate, it was a swift kick in the ego for Ganondorf. Who would ever bow to a King of Evil who looked naught but seventeen years old?

This is your punishment, Ganondorf. You may be my champion, but you still must atone for your sins. You are no longer king of anything. You are Ganondorf, Champion of Din, and nothing more. I prefer to think of it as… a 'clean slate.'

"You can keep your clean slate. I will not stand for this atrocity!"

But the voice was gone, the laugher fading swiftly until he was left alone with his own thoughts. He clenched his hands, the symbol of the Triforce burned through his glove, branded upon his flesh. With this power came a punishment, a punishment that was deceptively terrible.

A crashing came from behind the now-young Gerudo as he straightened up slowly, a dull and bleak acceptance washing over him. Reality was calling, and even if he didn't like it he had to accept it or rave on about delusions. The sound behind him was the more serious problem now. He reached to his back to find there was a brand-new great-sword there, a weapon he had sorely missed using in his epic battle with the Hero of Time. He had forsaken it for the sake of the Triforce of Power. He had been arrogant. And he was not so blind now.

"Ganondorf!" a horrifyingly familiar voice called out behind him, and a gasp that he knew just as well echoed out behind him. A ring of piercing holy steel keened out in the dark, the leaves rustling upon the night breeze as if to answer the cry. Slowly, the King of Evil turned around, cape flowing behind him in a trail. He met the determined gazes of Link, the Hero of Time, and Zelda, Princess of Hyrule, with an equally aggressive sneer: that of an already-wounded animal.

He could see their eyes go wide with astonishment, Link's stance falter a fraction. They were staring at his face. His cruelly, insultingly warped face. His shattered presence- his broken pride. It was then he readied the shining blade of destruction to meet them.

"So I am," he sneered. "And I see that you two pests have had more grace than I. Though, you've lost that dratted fairy."

Link flinched subtly, the voice of his opponent ringing in his ears. This was the King of Evil, right? This was who he was born to defeat? This person… who was barely older than he was? "What are you up to?" he called, determination bolstering his resolve. Face as handsome as his own or not, he would not excuse an evil man!

"Me?" Ganondorf sighed. "Nothing at the moment. Go torment others, you brats."

It was true. He had done nothing this time, and frankly, he didn't want to deal with the pair at the time. Not with his strength restricted so. He was no fool; an encounter with these two had proven fatal before and it was not one he wished to repeat any time soon. But... he knew in the back of his mind that this was a chance. It was a chance to right himself and even the score- to slay those that had dared defy him.

"Be careful, Link," Zelda frowned, readying a slightly larger spell. "He has lied in the past, don't forget."

Link nodded. "I couldn't for my life, my princess," he whispered, but then regarded the Gerudo King again. "Ganondorf, I have been sent by the Goddesses to rid this land of evil! This time, I'll seal you away once and for all!"

And with that, he sprang, courage shining in his moonlit eyes. Zelda let her spell fly, straight at Ganondorf. Never could the man dodge both- he was no god!

"Insufferable boy! This time I'll succeed in killing you," Ganondorf roared, great blade smashing down upon the Master Sword with monster force That whisper beckoning inside him, he was all too pleased to heed it: destroy the boy…destroy them all…

BLIK

"What in the world…?"

"Argh!"

"What… what is this?"

A bright flash of golden light seared the scene, a lonely deer downstream fleeing into the woods in terror. The Triforce set deeply into their hands burned like molten sunlight; each of them was frozen in place- Zelda's spell dissipating instantly in the air, the two swordsman halted mid-swing by some invisible force.

Chosen Champions Three

Quarrel not in your quest

Favorites of the powers that be

The darkness hence is a greater test

Link, Faore's Courage

Zelda, Naryu's Wisdom

Ganondorf, Din's Power

Go forth for Hyrule in her darkest hour!

The light and heavenly voices faded, leaving weapons to fall to the ground in a clatter. In unison, they all collapsed to their knees, shockwaves still throbbing painfully in the air. Slowly, they all got to their feet to try again, but found they were unable to move or even breathe if their intent was to attack.

Ganondorf howled with rage as the golden power seared violently on his hand and deep inside of him. And slowly, the violent demon voice was snuffed out, leaving the Gerudo in a somewhat confused state. All of a sudden, he didn't know what to make of the situation: he didn't know what to do. He wanted to kill these insects so badly but… he couldn't will his body to move and do so. And by all darkness- his soul, it hurt…it hurt…

The other two seemed in a similar state, Zelda's breathing harsh and ragged with shock, Link gritting his teeth and struggling with undaunted fortitude.

And then, they all realized they couldn't fight this power any more.

Zelda lowered her head with grudging acceptance. "So, we all must work together. Lest the Goddesses destroy our souls for disobedience."

"Feh!" Ganondorf scoffed. "Never. I'll sooner d--NGH!"

He collapsed to one knee again, clutching his chest in horror. He couldn't speak. He couldn't even think. Every time the thought of denial or betrayal came, his soul was burning alive, wrought with excruciating pain. It was like he was a dog on a leash, earning punishment every time his mind strayed from his master's wishes. But it was hard not to think of ripping the princess and the boy apart. He was going to go insane from the pain… or 'insaner,' if that made any sense.

"Ganondorf," Link said through gasps as he hesitantly put away the Master Sword. "I don't like it either. But… I'm not willing to die. Are you?"

Ganondorf went silent, but then frowned harshly and snapped upright. Tossing his cape over one shoulder and sheathing his own great sword, he began to walk away into the night, trying to avoid the two that prompted internal agony. "I will never die," he said, but was alarmed when the two others began to follow him. "Leave me alone!"

"I don't trust you, Ganondorf," Zelda said. "But I will trust the Goddesses. If they say we must travel as one, then I will obey."

"And I will not leave Zelda alone in your grasp, Ganondorf," Link said with an eye of distrust. "You know that better than anybody."

Ganondorf spat at the heavens in pure spite, attempting to focus only on the darkness around him. "Goddesses! They have never favored me, or my people. They can be damned for all time. I could not care less."

But the last syllable of his words was harsh and strained as he felt a bizarre warm tingling sensation on the sides of his head. Immediately his hands flew to his temples as he registered the gasps of the two idiots on either side of him, a slight heated, humiliated flush staining his face. His ears were rapidly lengthening and tapering, until after a few seconds they were those of a true Hylian. His scowl grew as he heard the princess beside him restrain giggles, and Link burst into good-humored laughter.

"I think they heard you," Zelda said. "And they want you to hear them!"

--

Phew, that's chapter one. I really hope I got everybody right. Especially Link and Ganondorf. Ganondorf I have based slightly off of Seldavia's mostly because he seems to be the most in-character one I can find, but it's slightly hard to write him when he can barely think straight himself. Poor guy.

And I've already ranted about Link.

As for the world they are in (kudos to those who can spot it's name in this chapter) it will be elaborated on next chapter. Basically, it's what I get for being bored and making up fictional countries and cultures. And as for the two OC ages, I promise this won't be a 'fangirl-insert' story. The ages are coincidental, with nothing to do with myself.

Anybody that can spot the reference to Ocarina of Time gameplay/a boss battle gets a cookie.

Thank you for reading if you have. If you can leave a review, I would appreciate it. There is no quota for this chapter.

Who am I being serious? Check back soon!