A/N : Today's chapter I think is the longest one that I have written so far. It is pretty much nonstop action and I hope I have made everything clear and easy to picture/follow here in the first part of the climax. I hope you all enjoy and I wish you all the most epic of weeks!

ArianandXaia: Oh, wow, 2 reviews? Thank you, you definitely made my day :) no worries, I have done that myself before XP Oh my gosh, your right, he does say that doesn't he? I feel about as dumb now as I did when I finally figured out that Jack Frost's voice in Rise of the Guardians was Kirk's (It took me to the very end of the movie to see that (and I call myself a Star Trek fan D: ) well since it's like an unintentional direct quote, I might rephrase that a bit. I would like a TP sequel too. I am glad you like Aveil, and the master sword might indeed help a bit XD Thanks again.

Scarlet Curls: Thank you for the two reviews! I totally agree with you about Twilight Princess, I think those are mostly the reasons I loved the game so much. So Ditto is the level headed one and Fannie is more of the passionate obsessive romantic? XP I think they make a great team. Slap royalty? It's a good thing you hit Fannie instead XP What about her so frustrated you might I ask? And more importantly how did you get a hold of his hat?

Storm Dragon Wolf Princess: I would like to see that too. :) Thank you for the review!

LovelyKiridia: I love your account name :) Well, you shall have to wait no longer to find out what's wrong with Link and what he is going to do next. I agree with you about a sequel and about not liking technology in Zelda, there have been far too many favorite tales/series of mine that have been ruined that way and I would not wish to see that happen to Zelda. Thanks for the review!

sirmrfish: I totally agree with you there! Thank you for the review and your kind well wishing! You have to wait no longer. XP

CupcakePride101: daaww thanks :3 I hate skulltula's too. I would like to see that also :)

silverheartlugia2000: Thanks XD Don't worry they shall both do their best :)

Yami no Nokutan: hee he, sorry about that *aside to self* at least she has not seen how this chapter ends yet. XP Thanks for the review and Link will never give up without a fight :) Actually the first time was intended to be symbolic, his hat marked him as a hero and he lost it when he lost his status of hero. He wore the cloak of an outlaw until he regained all he lost. This time was more or less for dramatic effect XP thank you!

Also special thanks to: staticblast1, Naruto Sakura Uzumaki, QuoVeridis, xXx skytale xXx and Arison Nakaru, your reviews and support are more than appreciated, Thank you guys so much!

The Mark of Courage

Zelda and the warlord slowly circled each other in the murkiness of the massive hall. Ganon's throne room was immense but eerie and shadowed. The light that came from the torches and small vaulted windows was cold and slight. The sound of the light patter of her tread was nearly completely overshadowed by each of his heavy decisive steps. He was all together too confident, too proud, too self assured. His purposeful stance and bearing was no doubt in use in an attempt to make her lose her nerve. She however, felt more anger than anything else at the use of this tactic; he was mocking her.

With several calculated movements, Zelda tried to ease the eminent battle away from where Link lay so he would not get caught in the crossfire. She was hardly aware the frantic pulsing of her heart now, or the rush of nerves and adrenaline that narrowed all into a single fixed point of focus. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. Even as all her concentration narrowed onto the warlord, she seemed to gain a heightened sense of her surroundings as well, illuminating their field of combat into a clam clarity that was in stark contrast to her tumultuous feelings.

As they circled, Ganondorf watched her with his icy yellow eyes, waiting for her to make a slipup or create some opening, an opportunity to strike and end everything in a few death-bringing moves. She kept her sword at the ready and watched her enemy. She never took her eyes off of his massive frame. Still he did not make a move to rush her or start their fight. Cold sweat began to drip down her forehead as the daunting tension of waiting for the inevitable made her jittery. 'Perhaps that was exactly what Ganon wanted,' she thought with a grimace.

A movement in the corner of her eye, caused a reflex reaction which made her snap her attention off Ganondorf for a moment in the fear of some trap or device she had missed. The motion however had nothing to do with the warlord. It was Link who had drawn her eye. She saw him stir and his eyes flutter open.

He seemed completely disoriented and confused. Without lifting his head or moving much, he seemed to be sweeping his unfocused gaze across the room from where he lay. He took stock of his surroundings, and the situation. She saw him flinch as his eyes strove to focus on the area where Ganondorf stood. Then he switched his line of sight to her. Their gazes met.

There was something wrong with his eyes; they were dull and lightless, almost clouded over. His facial expression was completely blank and vacant. He simply stared at her, unseeing. There was no hope, no interest, no acknowledgement, there was just nothing. Zelda began to feel a cold biting sensation of fear, horror, and disappointment began to take a clutching hold inside her heart. He blinked several times before his eyes began to drift shut again in a mixture of exhaustion and hopeless disinterest.

'Perhaps, he simply had not recognized her in her disguise and face paint,' she frantically hoped, 'but that did nothing to explain the bleak disinterest, the blankness. Then suddenly, before they closed fully, his deep blue eyes widened with surprise, shock and even recognition. He was not as far gone as she had feared, for he knew her. He looked as if he were about to speak when he clenched his teeth in a grimace and let out a soft moan that quickly turned into a broken cry.

That cry sent shivers cascading down her spine; there was only one other time she has heard him scream like that, and that was on the day she had let him down, the day she had been forced to turn her back when he needed her. The clutching feeling inside her heart magnified itself tenfold when all the shame and guilt at the memory added itself to the mix.

'What in Hyrule?' she wondered, 'no one was touching him and yet he sounded as if someone were torturing him.' She remembered he had also acted similarly when Ganondorf unlocked the chains and blasted the door shut to block off any escape. Her mind suddenly bridged the parallels and realization hit her. She whirled towards Ganondorf just in time to leap out of the path of a huge sparking ball of magic electricity.

The warlord had no intention to stop after one miss, and he intensified his efforts, firing his magic projectiles hard and fast, trying to break through her defenses. Using some magic of her own, she managed to create a shield and deflect one of his sparking balls back to him. He blocked it by raising his hand. The motion caused it to ricochet back, straight for her. Throwing herself to the side, she narrowly missed being electrocuted.

He near accident gave her an idea. The next missile Ganondorf threw at her she deflected at close range, leaving him no time to employ a defense. With a yelp of pain, he staggered back but, before she could get in a hit of her own however, he had righted himself.

The concentrated look of haltered on his face told her instantly that he was through toying with her and their fight was about to get desperately serious. With a flourish, he drew his sword. It was made of a gleaming white metal, massive in size, its edge deathly honed. He had stolen it from the sages, which was why its brilliant pure hew so contrasted with his black hearted soul. He took up a fighter's stance and she readied her own sword. His blade was a broadsword so she readied herself to fend off the heavy powerful offensive strokes associated with the sword form. She readied her weapon and prepared for a clash of sword fighting styles.

She favored flourishing dance like defense technique that was used with her rapier. Her blade was light, allowing her to fight fast and agilely without wearing herself out too quickly. It was most successful in quick thrusting attacks. Unfortunately, she would have to rely heavily on agility because her blade did not have the power and cutting force that Ganondorf's contained. Ganon advanced and charged forward with a massive downward slash. Zelda rolled neatly out of the way and their blades met. Ganondorf was stronger and was pushing her back. She knew she had to disentangle herself before he struck.

She helplessly wished that Link could fight by her side. He was undisputedly one of the most, if not the most, talented swordsmen in all of Hyrule. It was because he was well versed in nearly all sword fighting techniques and could adapt easily based on the situation. He often mixed the best parts of many styles and combined them into one of his own. He was even well versed in some Sheaka fighting styles like *Yagyu Shinkage-ryu, a style that emphasized flowing, subtle movements, and encouraged the use of disarming techniques instead of killing.

She lunged forward, balancing her weight between her two feet for stability. Ganondorf contemptuously and easily blocked her thrust and she danced neatly back.

She was grateful that he had temporarily stopped using magic, not only for her sake but also for Link's. She could tell that it hurt him badly every time the warlord used magic. She did not know how Ganondorf had accomplished this, but it was as if he was draining Link of his power and using it for himself. Suddenly, his words about making Link 'his' began to make sense in her mind, along with the twisted energy inside of Link. He was siphoning Link's life force and triforce of courage, in order to power his own magic. Link had not gone willingly though and every time Ganondorf tried to suck at him, like a spider draining its prey of everything save and empty husk to be discarded, he would fight back, and it was fighting back that was hurting him. She shuddered to think how much stronger the warlord would be if Link was not trying to block him in every way.

If Ganondorf was using Link to get power, then she could logically infer that he did not have the strength himself. Following that line of thought through to conclusion could she not then surmise that, if she could somehow sever the connection, Ganondorf would virtually lose his magic wielding capabilities? Though her conclusion was likely correct she discarded the thought almost instantly; she did not have any idea how to even try to go about that. She had already been unable to do so earlier, and the desperateness of the situation would not conjure a sudden knowledge or ability, it was far beyond her skill. One discarded idea, however, did not change her ultimate resolve. Her opponent was a sick monster and she was determined not to let him win. He thought that he could easily defeat her with his swordsmanship, but she would not allow him his desire of an easy victory.

As they fought on, it became apparent that they were close to being evenly matched. Zelda was able to doge and parry anything he threw at her and he was able to do likewise. The prideful smug smile he had been wearing vanished from his face to be replaced by a look of determined anger.

Zelda was surprised she was doing so well and so, apparently, was her enemy. Her elated sense of victory was fleeting however, for Ganondorf started to mutter some nearly inaudible incantation. As he did so Link let out a broken moan from where he lay, his entire body wracked with shudders of agony. Ganon was preparing for some magic attack, she realized as she dodged a vicious slash.

Her opponent's form wavered oddly and she took several steps back, unsure of what was going to happen next. Link gave an agonized cry that echoed through the near empty hall around them as Ganondorf quadrupled before her eyes. The four Ganons readied their swords and steadily advanced upon her. A cold sweat beaded her brow. 'As if one warlord hadn't been enough,' she thought miserably. She did not know if the extra ones were only projections to confuse her or if they were actual physical manifestations. All she knew was that she could not let them surround her or she would be done for.

She backed up quickly, trying to keep the warlords from outflanking her. She tried her best to deflect and dodge the spontaneous attacks from the four copies of her enemy. Three of them lunged at the same time and she narrowly missed decapitation from three sides. As it was, one of the swords grazed her cheek and she felt the blood from the gash trickle down her face. She tried to back away from the flailing swords as she reeled from the blow, but she bumped into something solid. Fear clenched her throat and chest so hard that she could barely breathe; she had backed herself into a corner. She had been outmaneuvered.

With a wild cry of rage, she intensified her fighting. Deciding to take a gamble, she focused all her efforts on one of the Ganons. She broke through its defenses with a wildly intricate sword maneuver and killed it, ignoring the deep slash it inflicted upon the shoulder of her guard arm. Unfortunately, she soon saw that it was one of the copies and not the actual Ganon. The one she killed fell to the floor and vanished. Her gambit had been for nothing and her outward lunge to finish off one, left her open and unguarded. The real Ganon blasted her with an intensely powerful wave of magic and, this time, Link's scream was mingled with her own.

She was smashed into the back wall of the throne room with at a force that threatened to crack her ribs. All the wind was knocked out of her and she gasped painfully for air. With a malicious grin, Ganondorf created a small ball of electricity and hit her with it. She screamed again in pain and terror. The sparking magic coursed painfully through her and she found she could not move.

She could do nothing but blink as he walked up towards her laughing. She watched him approach, her eyes wide with terror. There was nothing she could do to stop him; she had failed. She had failed her kingdom she had failed Link she had failed everyone. She knew he would either kill her or do whatever he had done to Link to her, or worse he would find a way to steal all the pieces of the triforce. She was a fool to think she could have ever prevailed against a foe.

"You are mine now, princess," he sneered.

~x~X~x~

General Tarsius stared on at the turn of the battle in dismay. It was almost as if the enemy had known of their attack. The first wave of solders had met with heavy resistance at the fortress gates. He had had to call a retreat and his army was crouched behind hastily built trenches and shields. They were pinned down by heavy fire. His own archers were picking off the enemy as fast as they could but the situation was looking bleak. Their battering ram had failed. The gate had been heavily fortified by an odd orange magic barrier, no doubt created by Ganon himself. It had the look of amber glass fused together in pieces made of triangles. It was impervious to all their attacks. He did not know how long the spell would last or how to break it. His only consolation was that Rhydd was about to lead the charge of ladder climbers. He hoped that his troop was drawing the enemy's attention and fire enough for Rhydd's attack force would have a better chance of making it over the wall, since breaking through was momentarily impossible. He rallied his troops to reform their attacking line to keep the foes attention.

Soon the sounds of hard fought battle met his ears. His hopes sank. By the sound of battle Rhydd had met with just as heavy resistance. It was like false king knew every one of their attack strategies in advance. His final hope was that Areya's silent group of thieves would make it over, and that Serhild would manage to defeat the dark lord; weather on combat or with the arts of an assassin, it made little difference to him. One thing he knew for sure, if something didn't happen soon he would have to order a retreat. A bowman at his side fell to an enemy's shaft. He clenched his teeth. He did not know how many more losses his troop could take. He did not know how much longer the rebel force could hold out.

~x~X~x~

Zelda watched in pain filled silence as her enemy advanced upon her. She tried to swallow her fear. She would not allow herself to die afraid; if she did, then Ganondorf would be the victor. Her eyes alighted upon Link's far too still form. He was laying on his side and he looked unconscious again, she was still on her own. Clenching her teeth, she vowed to meet whatever end she faced bravely. Ganon sheathed his silvery blade, stopped right in front of where she lay, and reached out a leather gloved hand towards her neck. She willed herself to move out of the path of danger but could not. He let out a dark laugh as his hand drew nearer. Glaring, she spat in his face. With a roar, he kicked her prostrate form savagely several times before wrapping his hands around her throat in a choke hold.

She let out a gasping cry as she struggled for breath. She could not even lift her own hands to try and loosen the death grip. Her body became frantic for the air that she would never get. Her vision began to blacken in some areas and she seemed to be seeing a calm wavering gold light in others. This strange light was in stark contrast to her terrorized body and mind. She wondered wide-eyed if this was what it felt like to die, how it felt to have your life force slip away against her will and the will of her sputtering heart, while she could not nothing to stop it.

Inexplicitly, Ganondorf's hold loosened abruptly and he turned to look quickly behind him as if suddenly sensing danger. With a roar, he hurled himself to the right but he was not quite fast enough, there was a gleam of metal that slashed in his wake and a loud smacking sound as if someone had cracked a whip. Ganondorf let out a howl of surprise and pain, releasing her to face his attacker. Zelda took in a deep breath of life giving air and, at the same time, she took in what had happened. She gaped in disbelief, and Ganon looked just a surprised as she was. Link had gotten to his feet, in his hand was the master sword that she had laid aside. His deep azure eyes were blazing with a cold angry fire, his mouth twisted in a snarl. Despite his worn disheveled appearance, he stood straight and tall, facing his foe as if he were indeed fearless. There was no mistaking him for anything other than a warrior, a hero.

"Don't you dare touch her," he growled deep in his throat as he positioned his body to stand in front of her.

White pussy blood ran down Ganon's back where Link had hit him hard with the flat of his blade. It had had the same effect as a whip. Only the warlord's reflex reaction saved him from getting hit with the razor edge of the master sword and taking the full force of the swing.

Ganondorf reached for his sword. A guttural grunt of rage and pain was the only response he gave to the green-clad youth's challenge. Link faced him, his own blade at the ready. They began to circle; reminding Zelda of how they had looked the day they had fought more than a year ago. They both had the same look of determination in their eyes, the same silent challenge. The same silent promise of a fight to the death seemed to be stamped upon their destinies. Their single minded purpose declaimed that they both knew, and accepted, that only one of them would be left standing in the end.

Something was different though, last time Link had looked strong and immovable. This time, his face was drawn and he was trembling from exertion, his breathing was already heavy.

Zelda watched on in horrified fascination as they started to fight, she did not know how long Link would be able to hold out in his weakened state. Despite his obvious disadvantage, Link faced his opponent with surprising strength as if he were drawing on some store of power hidden deep inside himself. As steel met steel in an intricate display of mastery, it became apparent that Link was the superior swordsman. Ganon was not able to get past his defenses and Link's furious offence was driving him slowly back. She had never seen Link fight so desperately before.

There was no way that Link could defeat the warlord in any sort of prolonged battle in his weakened state, so trying to calmly deflect and tire out his opponent would be a fight he would inevitably lose, his only hope would be to overwhelm his foe before he tired. It was not his usual tactic but he was in dire straits, and it seemed to be working.

Zelda's fingers twitched as she regained feeling and a slight bit of mobility. She smiled as she found she was able to clench and unclench her fists. Ganondorf's magic was wearing off.

She saw the warlord's face shift from anger to disbelieving worry as Link pushed him further and further back. With a neat twist of his sword Link stuck Ganon's sword arm heavily with the pummel of his blade and in the same motion swung it forward and around causing Ganondorf's gleaming white blade to fly from his grasp. It clattered harmlessly to the ground. Ganondorf quickly drew his dagger.

Link advanced forward in a jump-strike his sword above his head ready to bring it down with the added impotence of his own weight, which would leave nothing but death in its arching wake. Ganondorf's dagger did not have the reach he would need to counter the move. His look of dismay as he saw his fate descending upon him, turned unexpectedly into a smug smile of satisfaction.

He held his palm upward, his fingers curling around it like a vultures claws. Before Link could reach him, Ganon began to form a sparking ball of magic electricity. Link stopped mid-jump and dropped his sword even as he landed by its side. He fell to his knees with shuddering cry of pain.

"I will teach you to deify me, slave!" Ganondorf cried angrily but triumphantly. "I have had enough of your insubordination; it's high time you paid the price."

Ganondorf focused his stolen power and started swelling the flaring ball of magic to an enormous size. Link collapsed fully to the ground his broken cry of agony increasing in volume as Ganon's magic ball grew. The warlord did not stop and Link's hoarse scream reached a feverish pitch that threatened to break Zelda's heart even as is echoed inside her pounding head.

"No!" Zelda screamed. Link was at Ganondorf's mercy, she had to help. With a furious effort brought on by desperation, she tried to raise herself, but for all her effort she could not raise her arms or legs more than a fraction of an inch. As she watched Link suffer in horrified helplessness, something happened. With a loud crash, a small savant's door near the edge of the throne room burst open in a shower of sparks.

Jade flew towards Ganondorf in a streaking line of green. Her sharp fangs were bared and her talons were stretched out to their fullest. Her flight was as graceful and as swift as an eagle diving for its prey. She smashed into Ganon's face shrieking furiously.

"Not hurt my Zelda's Yink!" she yelled in a furious piping yowl. She scratched, clawed, and bit for all she was worth, adding little sparking busts of flame whenever she could.

Ganondorf's magic ball dissipated in a shower of sparks. Link stared, his eyes wide and mouth slightly agape with surprise at his unexpected savior. Ganon shrieked with pain and ran for his sword.

"Jade, look out!" Zelda screamed as Ganon's hand clasped around the hilt of his blade.

Her warning came too late. Ganondorf swung his sword upward and caught Jade. With a hissing yelp, she tumbled to the ground, her leg and side darkening with her dark red, nearly black, dragon blood. With a shuddering sigh she closed her eyes.

"No," Zelda screamed again. Ganondorf turned away without the slightest pause to finish hurting Link. A sudden burning tingly sensation accompanied he longed for ability to move. Zelda's feeling came back fully and she leapt to her feet.

With a furious battle yell, she charged Ganon at full speed. Her enemy whirled around just before she reached him and blasted her back to the far wall of the throne room with a pulsing wave of magic. She had the wind completely knocked out of her for the second time.

Ganondorf turned his attention back from Link, who appeared to hardly be breathing, and towards her. Her sword lay near Link; she was weaponless and, on top of that, she was out of ideas. She did not know what to do. Her breath came in shaky gasps and burned down her raged bruised throat as her body tried to get air into her starving battered lungs. She felt herself began to tremble as the dark warlord stalked inexorably forward; he was so much stronger and wielded so much more power than she. She was as done for as she had been when she was paralyzed before his feet.

Suddenly, she caught sight of that same calm gold light that she thought she had seen when she was being strangled. Her eye was drawn to that quiet light as swiftly as a moth to a candle flame. Looking frantically around her, she saw the faint wavering outline of a glowing gold wolf: the hero's shade. His form was far more diminished since the last time she had seen him; he held almost no substance except for the faint aura of light. He was sitting near her pack of supplies and her bow. He fixed his one eye pleadingly on her as he lifted his head to the sky in a silent howl before he vanished entirely. She suddenly understood. An idea flashed through her mind and she forced her aching body into desperate action. She suddenly knew how to severely limit Ganon's ability to use magic.

She dodged a blast of magic and ran with all her remaining strength to her pack a quarter of the way across the room, in the opposite direction of the advancing enemy. Once she reached her satchel, she rummaged desperately for something she had buried at the bottom. Ganon strode nearer, his eyes glittering murderously. Her hand clenched around the item she wanted. Without unwrapping it, she reached for an arrow and tied the objet point forward to the metal tip. Grabbing her bow, she ran behind one of the pillars of the throne room. A powerful blast of magic hit the pillar just narrowly missing her as she dove for cover. The blackened marble structure shook threateningly as it was hit again and again.

Zelda took a deep breath knowing that she only had one shot. Ripping the cloth from the tip of the arrow, she leaped out from behind her cove,r bow at the ready. She exhaled slowly, made a quick height adjustment to compensate for the weight at the tip, and fired in one fluid instinctive movement that had been drilled into her by years of practice. As soon as the arrow left her bow she knew it had been a good shot. She immediately dropped flat to the ground to avoid getting struck by any retaliatory fire.

The arrow found its target. It slamed into Ganondorf's upper shoulder.

"You think a puny arrow is going to stop me, princess?" He growled as he ripped the arrow from his flesh and tossed it aside. "You are going to have to try a lot harder than that-"

He stopped speaking abruptly and swayed where he stood. He let out a yelp of pain as he doubled over. His body seemed to become covered in a blanket of shadow as he convulsed violently. His muscled form began bulge fluctuate and shift as he crouched, his face was locked in a clenched frown of rage, pain and utter confusion.

Zelda had tied the twilight shard to the tip of the arrow. The hero's shade's presence and form had given her the sudden flash of inspiration. If the stone could morph both she and Link than surly the warlord was not immune, or that was what she had hoped. She had found out by experience that the person who transformed was only as strong as the animal they became. Thus her actions could sever her intended target's connection to power or, in Ganon's case, severely limit his ability.

Also, and this was the best part of all, as far as she knew, only the master sword could break the spell and evil could never touch the master sword. She saw Ganondorf try to use his stolen magic to stop his transformation but he realized what was happening too late and was powerless to stop it.

Ganondorf stood in the center of the room, no longer a strong warlord but a massive forest boar. He was about half the size of a full grown bull, and his huge tusks were just as sharp and deadly as a bull's horns. Zelda readied herself to face the creature all the while trying to recall anything she had ever learned in history or science about boars along with knowledge on how to hunt them. A long spear hung decoratively on the wall near where she stood and she ran for it. She tore the weapon from its bracket in the wall. Ideally, she needed to have a crossbar in the middle to keep the animal from charging the length of the spear, as boars could easily do, and gore her before it died. She shook her head, knowing she would just have to make do. The boar was steadily closing the distance between them and she knelt bracing the spear against the ground and her right foot as she had seen the hunter do, then she raised the tip upwards so it was about at the beast's chest height.

She prepared herself for the massive impact, but as she did so, something she had not been expecting happened. The massive boar turned away from her at the last moment and charged its massive body of pure fury straight at Link.

Link still lay where he had fallen, completely weaponless. His sword was few feet to the right of his prone body. Zelda's mouth formed in a scream that would not come. This had not been part of her plan.

Link's eyes widened as he perceived the danger and he struggled to rise. His efforts were to no avail. The boar ran at him, his mouth open in a hideous squeal. He tossed his massive bristled head, shaking his razor sharp tusks in fury.

At the last possible moment, Link managed to roll to the side, out of the monsters path and towards his sword. It now lay directly before his feet, point outward. Before he had a chance to try and reach for it, Ganon righted himself and charged again. Zelda watched in shock as the boar narrowed the space between them in only milliseconds of time. Just before the monster hit, Link put his foot down hard on the pummel if the sword and it shot upwards at an angle, perpendicular to the floor. His timing was impeccable. The murderously sharp blade pierced up through the leathery hide of the boar, right where Zelda imagined its heart to be. Ganon let out a horrible squealing shriek.

The sword was not enough to halt the boars momentum and it skidded forward as it fell, traveling the entire length of the sword before collapsing, trapping Link under the entirety of its crushing weight and razor tusks.

With a cry of dismay, Zelda raced towards the carnage.

Thank you all for reading, and thank you for the reviews, they are truly an inspirational and motivational blessing to read. Thanks also to all who have followed and favorited. You guys are totally amazing. If you have any questions don't hesitate to PM I will be waiting right here under a 'please do not kill the author for leaving you with such a deplorable cliff-hanger' sign (besides if you kill me you shall never get the rest of the conflict resolution) O.O

*Fun Fact- Yagyu Shinkage-ryu is actually a Samurai sword form.

Question: Why is it, do you think, that Ganondorf often takes the form of a pig in the Zelda series? And why also a wolf (also bunny once) for Link?

Well I am not quite sure on that one but my best guess, although Ganondorf does tend to have the mannerisms of a greedy pig, It might be more, maybe slightly based off of coat of arms and heraldry symbolism commonly used in the middle ages (I am only guessing this because style and culture wise Zelda does seem to be based off the middle ages (based on their clothing styles, I might say starting closely after the fall of Rome and onto about the 13th century (Twilight Princess) But I am afraid I might be showing my inner history and gaming geekynes so I digress.

Anyway, in heraldry a boar symbolized strength and bravery, or one who would fight to the death. A wolf symbolizes one who persists through long sieges and, it often meant they were honored for doing so in the end. That seems to fit Twilight Princess Link pretty well if you ask me. ALttP Link turning into a bunny, a rabbit symbolizes one who strives for or prefers/enjoys peace and a more laidback life. I don't know if that particularly fits since that Link struck me as a bit of a bad-boy what with the killing of knights, but I think he wanted peace pretty badly. I could be wrong and it could be more based on Japanese symbolism though, or it could be nothing more than a cool idea with no deeper meanings at all XP What do you think?