AN: Heh… sorry this took so long. I wasn't that into this chapter, so it felt like a chore. But thanks for all the reviews, if you reiewed you are officially awesome.
Responses:
Outofstategrl: Nah, I don't mind questions at all. I'm basing this off of how mellow Ganondorf seemed in TWW, it seemed like he cooled off over time. He was definitely very different; I just sort of went with that Ganondorf for this story. Thanks for the review!
ZombieDragon: the game doesn't give a title for the bosses, but the names are on the internet, probably from Nintendo. You can try googling them or something, I can't remember where I learned them. I know the first boss is called Gohma, I don't know the second, The head in tower of the gods is Gohdan, the bird is Helmaroc King, I don't know the giant poe, and the final temple boss, the green worm thing, is Molgera. Thanks for the review; I guess I was a little preoccupied with Ganon and Link's confrontation to go very in depth with the battle outside.
Link Fangirl01: Huh? Asked what? Now I'm confused… uh… thanks for the review?
halomasterchief: One thing I've always liked about The Wind Waker is how much more interesting Ganondorf's character was. He wasn't just some random evil ruler trying to kill everything. Oh, and by the way, I feel the same about the final boss fights. Twilight Princess had the best of them all, although I personally liked the Wind Waker one a bit better than the Ocarina of Time one, with the water pouring down and all. They were all great, of course.
Simbiot2.0: Aha! I caught that "b" in "update." I am immune to your mind control powers…
The Ritos dropped the trio off at the Tower of the Gods, where The King of Red Lions was waiting. Tetra was lying limply on the boat, Link was staring into the water, and Naito was looking concerned as he watched Tetra. One of the Ritos, Quill, told Naito that Tetra was simply unconscious.
Valoo had caught up to them and was now perched on the white wall lining the tower.
"Lord Valoo! You are not a moment too soon. We are deeply grateful."
Valoo answered in ancient Hylian, so Naito didn't understand. Link did, but he didn't offer a translation, listening silently instead. "It is too soon for us to relax. Ganon cannot be destroyed by wrath and fire." The great dragon said.
"I am aware of this. Still, our first priority was to get these two out of Ganon's grasp. You realize what has happened to the sword?" The boat replied.
"I have. Very well then, I leave you here. We are counting on you." The dragon said, taking off and flying north and the ritos did the same.
"Naito! Link! We must return to the world beneath the ocean!" The King exclaimed as the ring of light appeared again.
They cruised into it, and were slowly drawn beneath the surface again. They came out below in front of the familiar Hyrule Castle. As soon as they hit the bottom, Naito began questioning Link.
"You are the Hero of Time?" He asked.
Link didn't respond.
"But… how are you here?" Naito asked.
"I was here in the castle, and I was frozen like all those monsters were. For some reason, I awoke earlier." He said after a long pause.
"So you defeated Ganondorf, like in the legend?" Naito asked in awe.
Link nodded.
"And you have the Triforce piece?"
Link nodded again.
"But… why are you here?"
Link looked at him briefly, and then stared up at the water above. "I don't know." He said bluntly.
Naito looked ready to say something else, but just then Tetra began to stir. Both Links looked down at her as she slowly sat up.
"Ow… you guys are alright? Say… where the hell am I?" She asked, scrambling to her feet.
A voice spoke suddenly through the stone Tetra had given Naito. "You must bring her to the room where the Master Sword dwelt."
"What? Who are you… how are you talking through that stone?!" Tetra shouted uselessly at it.
The voice spoke again, "You are Tetra? You must follow these two immediately."
"Don't you sound important… alright, we're coming!" She snapped, stepping off the boat and heading toward the large doors. Link and Naito scrambled after her.
The three entered the castle silently, walking toward the large statue. It was open for them, revealing the staircase beneath. They headed won, their footsteps seeming deafening in the silence of the large building.
The first thing they saw when they got down was a large figure in a red robe, with his back turned to them. He was standing about where the Master Sword once was. The trio walked up behind him, stopping a few paces away. All was silent until Tetra spoke up.
"Well? Are you the one talking through my stone? Answer me!" She commanded to his back.
Silence rang out for several seconds before he responded, "That stone of an advanced version of the gossip stones spoken of in Hyrulean legends. I created it."
"You? The royal family's gossip stones? What the hell are you talking about?" Tetra asked irritably. Naito looked confused, but Link was watching the figure with an odd expression in his face, surprise, anger, and relief all seemed written there.
"Don't you understand? This is the place of legend… Hyrule… and I am its king." He said grimly, whirling to face them. "Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule. Do you recognize my voice Naito? I am the King of Red Lions."
"You!" Link gasped, before Naito could respond. "Wha-… what… WHY AM I HERE?!" Link burst out.
The king regarded him carefully. "It is unclear to me why you were sent here. Know only that the goddesses must have a purpose for sending you here. Hundreds of years ago… the goddesses drowned Hyrule, for it was the only way to protect it from Ganon. The goddesses commanded many people to take refuge in the mountaintops before sealing it away. These were your ancestors." He said, turning his attention to Naito and Tetra.
"Why are you telling us this?" Tetra asked. He focused his steely gaze on Tetra now. He pulled something from his robe, and held it out to them. Link felt his Triforce piece resonate, as he saw what the king was holding. It was a shard of brilliant gold, a triangular frame. As he held it out, Tetra's necklace floated out from her jacket and out in front of her, and Link saw a small triangle on it, glowing.
"The necklace you wear is part of the sacred treasure of Hyrule; the Triforce of Wisdom. Your mother gave it to you to protect, correct? It is time for you to awaken, not as Tetra, but as Zelda! Descendant of the princess of Hyrule!" He said, thrusting the piece of gold toward her.
The shard on her necklace broke off and combined with the other piece, slipping into the frame and forming a solid gold triangle. It shot out rays of light, and then shot forward into Tetra's chest. She gasped and a flash of light blinded all who watched. As it cleared, it revealed that Tetra had changed. She now sported a white dress and elaborately done hair, triforce earrings, and white gloves. Naito stared at her in awe, Link's expression was unreadable.
"My name… is Zelda… I'm… a princess?" Zelda stammered.
"You are confused… all will become clear. For now, we must stop Ganon. Naito! I am sorry you were caught up in this. But now it will only get more dangerous. He will search frantically for Zelda, and that means he will grow more dangerous. Innocent lives will be lost. All is not lost however; I have a suspicion about what happened to the Master Sword. We must head back above the surface immediately. Zelda… it is too dangerous for you to get involved. You must stay here, where it is safe. Link, Naito, we must head back above the waves." The king said, slowly fading away.
Link turned to go and Naito followed, but they stopped as Tetra spoke up. "Link… Naito… I'm so sorry. It's all been my fault, Aryll, you two getting caught up in all this… I'm truly sorry." She said in an oddly serious tone.
Naito smiled nonchalantly, turning and waving it off. Link didn't turn, but before heading off he said, "It is not your fault. It all comes back to Ganon."
Back above the surface, the boat, or king, began to explain his theory. He told them how he believed the two sages who gave the Master Sword its power must have been killed. He explained that they must awaken two new sages and bring them into the main chamber of their respective temples. He also told Link where to mark on their sea chart, one to the far north and the other to the far south.
"Now then. We must get going. Staying in one place for too long is no longer safe, lest Ganon should locate us. Sail to the south! Some indication of the new sage will be in the temple." The king said, as Naito adjusted the sail and Link took up his position at the rudder. As the wind picked up, they sailed off to the south.
Just as their destination rose up from the horizon, they saw it. A large ship with Ganondorf's symbol on the flag was heading in from their left to intercept them. It was a bit smaller than then Tetra's. Link swore softly, locking the rudder in place and slinking around Naito to the front. He readied the cannon, steadying it against the rocking motion of the boat. He was counting on the fact that Ganondorf seemed to want them alive, no doubt for the Triforce of Courage.
As soon as he deemed them close enough, Link lit the fuse. The bomb launched out of the cannon, soaring through the air and landing in the water just beside the enemy ship.
Link swore, and then almost fell over as the boat shook. A bokoblin on the other ship had fired a small cannon, but instead of a bomb or cannonball it was what looked like a fish on a chain. The fish wasn't actually a fish, but it resembled one and had teeth. It snapped shut automatically on the boat, securing itself to them. Link tried to pull it off, but to no avail.
The ship let them sail by, but as the chain pulled tight they were jerked to a stop. Link and Naito barely stayed on the boat, which spun sideways before stopping. Naito lowered the sail, amazed the boat hadn't been damaged. They started to move again, being reeled in by the other ship.
"What do we do?" Naito asked quickly. Link was examining the chain, and got a sudden idea. He reached into his second bomb bag, and as he had hoped he had a bombchu. Just one, but that could be enough. He turned to Naito and whispered some instructions.
"Get the sail ready. Prepare to continue on to the island."
Naito nodded, getting into position. Link pulled out the bombchu, which was about as big as his fist. He set it on the chain, and it started forward. It nearly fell off, but it had a strong grip and just continued along upside-down on the underside of the chain.
The bokoblins pointed curiously, unsure what it was. They knew five seconds later when it exploded, smashing the cannon it had been fired from to bits. The fish-thing let go suddenly and fell into the water, chain trailing uselessly after it. While all this was happening Link had shouted for Naito to go, and by the time they were free they were sailing toward the smudge in the distance.
The ship turned to try and pursue them, but Link had prepared. He charged an ice arrow, aiming a bit in front of the ship. He summoned more ice than usual, draining a good chunk of magic. He released, and it instantly formed what he wanted. A large iceberg with a jagged top rose as if from nowhere. It was way too late for the ship to turn, and the ice tore a large chunk off of the hull before it was destroyed. The ship began to list to the side, losing what little momentum it had gained. It was almost completely under by the time it was merely a speck in the distance.
AN: Next chapter will be up in a while, shouldn't take as long. Please review!