Chapter Twenty-Eight: A Grave Predicament

"You came in the nick of time Kaepora," said Link as they flew over the edge of a small precipice.

"Yes I did. You can thank Navi for that. She saw me flying near here and told me of your fight with the King of Evil. She thought that you might need my help, and she was right."

"So…"

"No Link. We will talk more when we're safely on the ground. Until then, I want you to think about any questions you want to ask me. We won't have much time to talk once we do land."

"All right." Link closed his eyes—growing somewhat dizzy from the gigantic owl's erratic flight pattern—and thought about all that Ganondorf had said and how it seemed to be true when he was able to defeat him with hardly any difficulty at all. Ten minutes later, he opened his eyes as he felt his feet touch ground. He saw that he was now on the edge of the massive desert that lay between the Forest of Gormoth and Hyrule. Floating in front of him was Navi.

"Oh Link. I'm so relieved. I was worried sick about you. What happened?"

"Other than the fact that I couldn't even hurt Ganondorf in the slightest, nothing at all," he sighed.

"Why couldn't you hurt him at all?" she inquired.

"Apparently, and this is just what he says, I no longer have the Triforce of Courage. And from the way I felt during that battle, I would have to agree with him."

"So now you know," muttered Kaepora Gaebora.

"Know what?"

"That the gods took away the Triforce of Courage from you. You shouldn't have left Hyrule Link. Doing so angered the gods. You forsook their land for an alien nation. That is why they took it away from you. They were punishing you."

"Ganondorf said something about it splitting up into pieces."

"Yes, that's true. In order to prevent just anyone from gaining the third piece of the Triforce, the gods split it into pieces and hid these pieces throughout Hyrule."

"So I just need to find the pieces then."

"No Link. You can't."

"What do you mean I can't? I've found plenty of hidden things before."

"You don't understand. You will never bear the Triforce of Courage again. It has moved on. It has been hidden until the next person deemed worthy by the gods to wield it finds it."

"But why?"

"It is the gods' decision. It is not my purpose to meddle in their affairs; it is only my purpose to be their messenger. You no longer bear the Triforce of Courage Link. You will not be the one to defeat Ganondorf."

"But I still have the Master Sword! I can defeat him!"

"No Link. You can't. It was the Triforce of Courage that gave you the ability to match Ganondorf in battle. Without it, you will never be able to hold your own against him. He will always defeat you, because he will always hold the Triforce of Power."

"But he left Hyrule too! Why didn't the gods take away the Triforce of Power from him?"

"The same rules that apply to you do not apply to Ganondorf."

"What does that me-?" started Link before he was interrupted.

"It means that Ganondorf didn't abandon his duties, which is why he is not being punished by the gods. You did abandon your duties though Link. It was your duty to protect Hyrule for the rest of your life with the Triforce of Courage in your possession. But instead, you chose to leave Hyrule for the land of Termina . You abandoned your duties for your own needs. Ganondorf did not abandon his duties."

"And what are his duties?"

"It is his duty to be the enemy."

"That doesn't make any sense," butted in Navi.

"Of course it does," replied the knowledgeable owl. "There has to be evil in this world; otherwise, there is no need for good. People need to be challenged by evil, to maintain their integrity, to keep them strong, and to make them the best that they can be. If life were easy, what would be the point of living it? Ganondorf is the gods' way of making sure that everyone in the world has their fair share of challenges; it is the gods' way of keeping the people in line and reminding them which is superior, their own personal needs or the deities above that created them."

"So are you actually telling me that I can't defeat Ganondorf?"

"Yes Link. I am sorry. But there will be another. Another in the future who will reconnect the Triforce of Courage and defeat the King of Evil at last."

"But if I have the Master Sword, if I can strike him with it, one powerful blow with it will kill him, right?"

"Yes, but without the Triforce of Courage you will never be able to get through his defenses and deal the lethal blow."

"But I can train myself. I can become a better fighter. I know I can. I can defeat him!"

"No Link. You can't. No amount of training will put you at the same level as the bearer of the Triforce of Power. As I said before, I am sorry it had to come to this, but you are done. You are no longer Hyrule's savior."

"So what would you have me do? Return to Kokiri Forest and watch as Hyrule goes up in flames? You would have me sit idly by and watch the land I love be destroyed by Ganondorf and the Twilight?"

"You will not sit idly by. You still have a purpose Link."

His ears immediately perked up interestedly. "Oh really? And what is that?"

"Unfortunately, I am not the one to tell it to you. But I know who is…"

"Who?"

"Now that the King of Evil has been released from the Sacred Realm, the Sages that sealed him within it have been reawakened. They are once again conscious of their abilities, and their duties. The one who will tell you what it is you have to do, what it is you can do, is the Seventh Sage, the Sage of Time. It is the princess, Zelda."

"Zelda. So Zelda knows what it is I have to do?"

"Yes. And we must leave immediately. Even now, the King of Evil and his wicked father are readying themselves for the war that could be the end of Hyrule. We don't have much time; in fact, we might not have enough time at all. But nevertheless, we must try. Navi, settle onto my back and Link, let me pick you up with my talons once again. I will fly you both to Hyrule Castle . There you will speak with the princess and she will tell you what our plan is. The plan that is our only hope of stopping Ganondorf before he can take control of Hyrule. Now, would you like to hear what I said again?"

"No! I understood it the first time, just like every other time you've told me something. Let's just hurry." Kaepora Gaebora nodded, which was difficult with the cluster of feathers around his neck, and grabbed the Hero of Time with his mighty talons, lifted himself into the air with Link and Navi in tow, and flew off into the desert in the direction of Hyrule Castle. It would take them one day to reach their destination, and by that time, Ganondorf and Astralose's army would have finally emerged from the Lost Temple, ready to strike Hyrule with all of their pent up fury.