Warning: On AO3, this story has a tag for an abusive relationship and this is where things get worse in that regards. I could change some other things to put this below an M rating, but not the scene here.

Chapter 19: Trail of the Great Wyrm

As the morning wore on, the air got cooler. Some of it was from the higher elevation, but some had to be from the winds from the north. Link rode Balrog on the worn road through the mountains and pines, keeping an eye out for the fort. There were Bokoblins and Moblins roaming the road as well. While he could simply ride past most, a few forced him to stop to fight. Uneven grounds or steep cliffs kept him from simply finding a way around them.

He found the trader's fort at couple hours before noon, at least by the position of the sun. Surprisingly, there seemed to be a number of refugees from Hyrule. Perhaps they thought that this place was far enough away to be peaceful. They were working on the buildings inside the fort from his view behind the bars at the gate. There was damage on the outside of the walls too: cuts from bladed weapons, splintered bashes from clubs, blacked marks from magic. From that, he could tell monsters had tried to attack and failed.

The guards were quick to meet with him. "Where'd you get that horse?"

Figuring the horse would be intimidating to the refugees, Link dismounted to dismiss him. "It's a summon spirit I got by defeating it. I'm traveling to the northern land in pursuit of a dragon; may I come in?"

"You don't seem like the magic sort," the guard said, relaxing some but still being cautious.

"I'm not," he said. "Someone helped me."

"Well keep your summons and weapons away while you're inside," the guard said, going to the side to life the smaller gate.

"I will," Link said.

"It is surprising to see someone traveling on their own in these days," the other guard said. "Most everyone came here to hide from the large red dragon that's been roaming Hyrule Field."

"I've defeated that one," Link said, holding up the Septdraco for them to see.

"If you have, then you certainly have nothing to fear on your own," the guard said, impressed. "Let the traders know and we might be able to get the refugees back home if there's only normal monsters on the road."

"I never thought we'd be grateful there were just normal monsters on the road," the first guard said.

"The knights and soldiers should be able to protect the roads now," Link said, coming through the gatehouse so they could close up again. "I'd still be careful with civilians."

Some of the traders didn't want to take only his word on it, saying that they'd exchange messages with those in central Hyrule soon. But on asking about their wares, he found out that they didn't have any cold weather gear to sell. It was understandable as it was early summer for the rest of Hyrule. One of them did have a larger quiver for a reasonable price, including a discount for trading in his old one in exchange. Although the armors he was getting off the Septdraco dragons meant he didn't need light arrows as much, it was still handy to have more arrows available to take out other monsters with.

There was a general store in the fort too. As it was permanent here, they did keep cold weather gear in stock year-round. "You don't seem like one of the refugees out there," the shopkeeper said after greeting him. "Not with gear like that, especially two swords."

"I just arrived, on the trail of the Great Wyrm," Link said.

"Isn't that the dragon that can cause earthquakes?" the shopkeeper asked curiously. When he nodded, she went on to say, "It's been by here for sure, that's why we've got to fix up the fort now. I actually spotted it myself with some binoculars. It was just enormous, kind of like a centipede with its segments except it was slugging through the mountains like a snake past blades of grass. You'll need some guts to go up against that beast."

Shrugging, he said, "It's not going to be as bad as it looks. I'm more in need of gear to fight up there in the cold."

"Well we've got you covered well there," she said, waving towards the display of coats and other heavy clothing. "Though, how good are your boots? They look like a horseman's type."

"Right," he said. "They got me through the desert, though ice can be a problem."

She came out from behind the counter. "Here, how about you try these boot grips we have? They're made by the northern folks to get across snow and ice equally well. If those boots can keep your feet warm enough, the grips will make it so you don't have to buy new ones just for the ice."

"That would help," Link said, checking on the grips she showed him. He knew his boots were comfortable enough at most temperatures, so he wasn't worried about them in the cold. But making sure he had good traction in icy conditions would help. He bought those along with a new riding coat, hat, gloves, and leggings. The shopkeeper advised him to see the local blacksmith about getting horseshoes to take the northern fields better as well. If he still had Epona with him, he would see to that too.

When he went to leave after an early lunch, the guard offered him a map of the trade road. "There's shelters at regular intervals so travelers can take care of wagons and steeds. Anyone's free to camp at them, just make sure to clean up after yourself."

"Right, I stayed over at shelter S7 last night," Link said, checking on the map.

"S7?" he asked in shock. "But that distance..."

"You saw my horse, right?" Link asked.

"Well you would need an unnatural horse to do that," the guard agreed. "Most people take two to four days on this road. You might be able to make Atris today."

He folded up the map and put it away in his bag. There looked to be a few smaller trails off the main one, although he didn't anticipate getting lost. "I just have to make sure to be somewhere before it gets dark, right?"

"Right, good thing you know. If you don't quite make it, the Rabbit Inn in Atris is more lenient about taking in travelers shortly after sunset. Otherwise, you're out in the cold on your own."

"All right, thanks for everything," Link said. He already had his coat and other gear for the cold on, so hurried on northward.

Having a supernatural horse helped again when the snowbanks appeared and the mountain trails got patches of ice over them. Balrog just did not care what the land below his hooves was like and kept on going as he always did. And his natural shield helped as well. Link didn't have to worry about getting piercing cold air rushing right at his face and could take the time to look over the landscape below the mountain road. While he'd seen such places in his dreams, there was a thrill to seeing another land far different from what he'd grown up in around Taven. For a little while, all these trials he was going through seemed far off.

The unnamed northern region was a vast spread of white from high in the mountains, with glistening spires stretching up incredibly high. Over it all, the sky was full of thick gray clouds in one part, but then clear and bright blue on another. It was like a wool blanket was spread over the land that the local goddess wanted to keep cold. Perhaps that was the purpose behind the tall spires. But where was the Great Wyrm? If it was so massive, he should be able to see it among all that white.

As he came down, he spotted the town of Atris at the end of the road. Bubbles of white buildings stuck out of the snow, unlike the usual rectangular buildings he knew. The sun was sinking towards the horizon, but he still had three hours to go. As he came down, he saw others staring at his black horse with blue flaming hair. Did they think he was a threat? He wouldn't blame them if they did.

Most of those in his sight were short people, wearing large fur-lined cloaks that covered them head to toe. But there was one approaching the road dressed in hefty armor covered in a wolf pelt. Link brought Balrog to a halt before entering the town itself and waved to the warrior to at least indicate that he didn't have his weapons drawn.

The warrior didn't seem concerned and waved back. He had a battle axe at his side. "Hey there, odd time to get a traveler this way."

Link nodded. "I have a special horse here. I'm looking for a dragon that's come here recently, the Great Wyrm. Have you seen it?"

"A dragon?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "There's been a lotta earthquakes the past week."

"That'd be it. Have you seen it?"

"Not myself, but I went looking," he said. "There's been rumors that a few women saw the mountains crawling around before all the earthquakes started. The people over in Ilara have been talking of strange things too, particularly a moving hill. You could reach their town tomorrow, it's on the coast."

Recalling how the lay of the land was, Link felt like pressing on. "The coast? My horse could make it that far by tonight. And that dragon needs to go as soon as possible since it could create earthquakes across the continent if it digs itself in."

"And you mean to go up against that?" the warrior asked, impressed.

"Yes, it must be done."

"I hope the goddesses are with you on that mission. Who are you and where're you from?"

"I'm Link Verden, from the forest town of Taven."

"Good, well don't be taking your time here if you mean to get over to Ilara. Just be careful, they don't get to talk to southerners much." He then gave more specific directions to reach the other town.

While it was getting late when he set out for Ilara, the snowy lands were small and Balrog easily made it across to the coast where the tiny village was. There was no inn, but it turned out to have a tavern where everyone in town gathered for dinner. The villagers weren't sure what to make of a stranger joining them at first, but once he said that he was there to kill the Great Wyrm, they gladly accepted him and offered him a bowl of the soup they'd made that day. It didn't have any meat in it aside from the beefy broth, but it was a tasty winter soup.

They gave him plenty of good information on the Wyrm too. "It's got itself all blended into the snow already," one man said. "Did you get a look at the big lump of a hill to the southwest of here? That ain't supposed to be there."

"The little one next to it is part of the Wyrm too," another said. "And it's got to be the head cause it moves about from day to day. Sometimes you feel the ground rumblin' a bit at night as its digging around, then it'll twitch or something and everything gets shaken topsy-turvey."

"It'll probably shake a lot when I go to fight it tomorrow, so be ready for that," Link said.

"That's fine as long as you do get rid of it and the ground stops being all a quiver," a woman said.

As Ilara didn't have an inn, he was offered an empty home for the night. The elder and her daughter even came over to help him start up the fire and make sure the water was running. "Just don't be going out once it gets dark, cause that's trouble," the elder said. "And don't come out til the dawn; nobody does that around here. It gets so cold out there that your blood will freeze solid if you try going out without the sun."

While Link wasn't sure if it could really get that cold, he didn't want to offend the locals. "All right, I'll do that."

But even before they'd left, Link decided to let Gale come over. Especially if everyone did keep to the night-time superstition; there'd be no disruptions to them tonight. He wrote a letter to let him know.

When Gale appeared in the underground house, he was smiling and had brought over some cocoa. "I figured if you're going to be in a cold snowy place for the night, you might as well make the best of it."

"Right," Link said, smiling back. He'd put the Septdraco in his bag and hid that in one of the closets, as he didn't want the dragons disrupting them. "It is a beautiful place by day, though I don't think I could stand to live in the snow all year round."

"And you seem to be in better spirits tonight." He came closer and took his arm.

"You do too."

"Well you called on me, so of course I'm happy." There was something to his tone that didn't strike Link as being right; it made him think of the last letter and the warning to be careful. "The fire in town also burned itself out for the most part, so I didn't have to be paying that constant heed. Perhaps it won't make much sense to you, but it is nice to have the town at least gone. It's been around for far too long. It's just a pity that what you pointed out was likely true, about the cycle of legend continuing even with Zelda's death."

Not wanting to think about her now, Link asked, "Does wanting the town to be gone have to do with your past memories?"

"Somewhat," he said. "I could tell you over the cocoa."

"Oh, sure, I saw a kettle here." He went to the kitchen area to get hot water and some mugs.

Gale followed him and decided to tell him while the kettle was going. "Do you know how long that town has been there?"

The lands changed, the other towns came and faded, but Hyrule Castle and its town changed little. "I feel like it's always been there, for many generations."

"That's right," he said, leaning against a counter. "It's been destroyed a few times, mostly by me. But it always is rebuilt there. There are many reasons for that, but they all tie back to Hyrule being a spoiled child."

"Really?" That was an odd way to put it, a view he'd not heard before.

Gale nodded. "You yourself said that this northern land was beautiful but harsh. The trade road is as good as it is because these people rely on goods from the south to survive, especially in the many foods they cannot raise here in the snow. Similarly, Sudai can be a beautiful land. It's blessed with rich earth, renewed by the spring floods of the river. At the same time, the water is a great hazard. The dampness makes it a good environment for rot, leeches, and mosquitoes. Disease is a great factor and we have to import medicines to combat it, among other necessities."

He spoke like he had great fondness for Sudai. If Demise was aware alongside Gale, the demon would use that against him. Was that why it had two of the dragons in it? The Sulfur Dragon was supposed to be roaming, but Prism was in a place important to Link. He wouldn't put it past Demise to have subtly sent both Sulfur and Rotting to Sudai.

Gale had his eyes closed now, remembering. "One time long ago, the Gerudo Desert was the same. It wasn't a cursed place of death, but a beautiful place with oasis after oasis leading towards the great Spirit Temple. There was a wealth of jewels and useful metals in that area, including gold. Still, we were lacking. Much of the land was dry and poor for agriculture. And with the great sandstorms and cyclones that could arise, an increase in wind could be a prelude to death. As you keep traveling the outer provinces, you'll find this pattern repeated. Many lands have a special beauty and small wealth, but there's always something lacking or a danger to all who live there."

Was it the same for Taven? Or were they close enough to the traditional Hylian lands to be different? Link was pretty sure that his hometown was a core part of Hyrule in part because of the forest guardian being in his dreams of older eras of Hyrule.

"But Hyrule is overflowing with blessings. Divine power resides there, filling the lands with life and power. Their farms are so productive that they only have to use a small portion of their territory to have feed everyone there; they have plenty to trade to regions that are wanting like this place. While it does house a place called Death Moutnain, it's a volcano that's actually not that dangerous. They've tamed it easily for energy and constantly bring out metals and gems that cover their other needs. There's plenty of clean water and the winds are gentle. Is it any wonder that other lands get jealous and want to take those blessings for their own?"

"No," Link said.

Gale grumbled and shook his head. "Looking on history, it becomes clear that it's foolish to try. But I was chosen by a Hylian power, so I keep trying. Someday, this cycle will end and the world can move on."

"We could do what we want then, wherever we want to be," Link said.

He did smile at that. "Heh, that would be nice. I don't recall anything like the trains you mentioned."

That was because it was from a branch of time that had killed off Ganon's soul and left Hyrule to drown in its mistakes. "It's still out there, I'm sure," he said.

"Maybe we could find it."

"This cocoa is really good," Link said. It was a mundane thing to say, trying to stimulate more talk. From the way his eyes wandered, he was trying to stave off other desires.

"I had to bring you the best," Ganon said. Giving him some information was fine, enough to open his eyes to other ways of seeing things. He just couldn't give Link any information that would let him regain control.

Smiling with a glint of joy in his eyes, his will to resist was waning. At some point, this had seemed frivolous. Love was something that could be used against people. Link looked over at him, knowing what he wanted this time. And he was still trying to hold himself back. "It seems extravagant, though. I've only had hot cocoa on special occasions during the winter, and nothing like this."

He could simply force his way now, take his clothes and not give him the option to back out. Link might even accept that in his current mood. Yet watching him slowly let himself be corrupted, getting to the point where he might beg for it, that would be more satisfying in the end. "It was something I could have daily if I wanted. Sometimes the small comforts of a noble life are most worth it."

"Maybe, but I don't think I'd want to live that way." He seemed to be getting bored of the topic, or unconsciously looking for an excuse to stop talking.

"Well someone who believes in me like you do is so rare that I'd say you are unique in history," Ganon said, shifting to add fuel to those unconscious desires. "I've never wanted to spoil a lover quite as much as you."

He didn't need words for his response to that.

Again, for a moment, it seemed like nothing of what was going on mattered. He could forget about it all. Then again, "I shouldn't be up so late. I do have to fight a dragon tomorrow."

Gale still tried to convince him otherwise with his touch. "If you keep taking them out so swiftly, the time we have like this will be even less."

That hurt to hear, but did clear his mind some more. "I'm sorry."

He thought about it, then moved away some. Link wondered if it might be worth it to… no, he had promised the kids to be a hero. "Well let's not talk about things like that. I'll leave you be if you really insist. But before that, how about you sing for me?"

Link felt embarrassed at that question. But for Gale, maybe? He liked his flute playing, maybe more music would help inspire him. But, singing? He was getting comfortable with talking, but he was sure he'd be worse at singing. "Uh, no, I couldn't do that."

Gale tensed a little. "Come on, you have no reason to be shy around me any more, not like this."

"I don't want to sing," Link said. He hadn't even sung for the horses, although sometimes he hummed to calm one down.

"You won't sing?" He almost sounded angry now.

He felt a chill at that, and yet he knew he couldn't make himself do it even if it made him feel ashamed to know it was a silly anxiety. "Sorry, but I don't want to. I won't."

Before he even saw him move, Gale had him pushed against the bed again. But this was not pleasant; it was terrifying from the immense pressure on his chest and neck. "Don't apologize so meekly, just do what I say."

Gasping for a breath overrode everything else in his mind; Link grabbed at Gale's arm and tried to push him away. He could fight back or just run out of this. But it was going to be bitterly cold out there. And even like this, he didn't really want to hurt him. Unable to think of much more, he got hold of Gale's arm in both of his hands. "Please... stop. Don't hurt me, please. Stop this."

He held back a little, staring blankly at him like he wasn't sure what to do. Then his anger was back, his eyes seeming truly demonic. Gale had to be holding back from killing him, right?

The moment of struggle gave Link time to get his thoughts back together. "I wouldn't mind doing what you say. While we're like this, I mean. If they talk about us later, they won't talk about this. They won't know about it; they won't believe it anyhow. That's why I don't care right now what people think about you. It doesn't matter now, so please, don't listen to your dark voices and please don't hurt me. I'm, well I'm still really uncomfortable with singing. I'll play the flute if you want me to, but please don't ask me to sing again."

"You really don't want to be talking about these meetings we have," Gale said, although his threat held no force in it this time. "You'll suffer if you do and it won't all be me."

Link nodded, sitting back up now that he could. "I won't, promise."

"I won't either," he said, lowering his head. "I promise. You shouldn't be the one apologizing. I'm sorry, I lost control there."

"It's all right," he said, reaching over to him. He was shaking, a different person from the one who came in. "Don't worry about it. I've been listening to you; listen to me in return and I'm sure we can work things out."

"I hope so, for your sake."

In the morning, Gale was gone again. Link noticed that he'd cleaned up the guest house, not leaving a trace that there'd been a second person there. Good, he wasn't sure how the people of Ilara would think of this and he didn't want to abuse their hospitality. He took a shower before preparing for the day's battle; it helped him to feel better about what had gone on last night. Aside from the one incident, it'd been wonderful. And he'd even apologized for that, so hopefully there wouldn't be anything like that going on again in their private time.

By the time he came out, the sun had been up for an hour and the villagers were already at their daily work. He summoned out Balrog and headed out towards the oddly shaped lump of a hill outside of Ilara. The marking might be harder to find since the Great Wyrm blended in with the snow. But the fact that it wasn't moving gave him more time to search around it.

He looked around the Wyrm; other than the exactness of its shape, it looked just like a snowy hill. When he passed by it, he couldn't even see eyes or the like. There was no reaction to him investigating. Even when he got closer, it didn't move. Link put his right hand near it and noticed that a ring was trying to turn blue. This was a dragon and he had to rouse it out of this slumber.

Well, he did have to keep his word. He took Balrog out to a good position near the head of the Great Wyrm, dismounted to dismiss him, and then checked on the Septdraco. This was a terrifying power. Even so, he pulled out the red ring to summon the Clockwork Dragon. "Let's wake it up."

"I could pulverize Wyrm, but fine," Clockwork said, making the air around him glow red. This armor was unusual in form, having thin plates between hefty braces like a harness. The boots were heavy and large, reminding him of those used to sink in water. However, there was something heavier on the back of this armor. The odd structure focused on keeping that steady and supported. "You won't have as many cannon shafts as I do, but it'll still overwhelm anyone."

Feeling grateful that Gale had lost control of the dragons hearing that, Link mentally ordered the dragon to fire on the fake hill. A swarm of flaming rocks flew upwards to rain over the slumbering dragon, accompanied by the following barrage of magic beams. The Great Wyrm roared, rearing back and making the earth tear apart around it. Now that it was was alert, its scales turned a muddy blue. It opened white eyes and looked down at him amid the falling dirt and snow. And its seal marking still wasn't visible.

Link dismissed the armor so it didn't hinder him and got on Balrog to gallop around. The Great Wyrm moved slowly, not able to twist fast enough to keep an eye on him. Around back, he finally spotted the seal on its back just below its head. It wasn't something he could reach easily with his sword. But with it moving slowly, it was easily enough to shoot with a light arrow. It screamed, causing another brief earthquake.

Not bothered by the earthquake because Balrog wasn't, Link braced himself as blue magic surrounded him and pulled him into another realm.

"Good morning, Princess Zelda," the one-armed Zora said, bowing to her. In an acknowledgment of human society, he came wearing a white vest and black shorts.

"Good morning, Captain Rosso," she said, smiling and giving him a curtsey. "Thank you for coming promptly."

"I couldn't have come this soon if it wasn't for your shadow mage crossing the distance with magic," Rosso said. Seemingly satisfied with polite niceties given, he gave her a stern look. "Although no one in our community can believe that you'd charge Link with treason. Why do so?"

She had already spoken with a few of the other sages about this; Gregio had been particularly hard to convince about the matter. "Link has been fooled into siding with Ganon, on a hopeless cause of trying to save his soul. I don't mind speaking with you and a few others about it, but we are trying not to let things get inflated with rumors."

Unconvinced, he shook his head. "There were rumors from the moment you released that charge. Yet he's recently managed to take out that clockwork terror that's been threatening us with the Master Sword. Are you certain that he's sided with Ganon?"

"Yes, he's been seduced and is becoming more selfish than a hero should be. I would like to offer him a second chance and save him from a bad position. But he won't listen to me." A hero should be even more ideal than a knight, fighting to protect others and restore peace. Although, the knights of Hyrule under her father had been less than ideal. And she couldn't explain how he could be in love with Ganon and still be accepted by the sword. It made no sense.

"I don't think calling for him to be arrested is going to help him listen to you any better," Rosso said. "If he is being foolish, I wouldn't mind talking him out of it."

"One of the other sages knows him very well, so we're trying to get the two of them to talk," Zelda explained. "Another voice of reason might help. But that comes later. Once the last of the sages arrives here, we're going to talk about sealing Ganon away so he's no longer a threat to everyone."

"I could wait, but I'd rather state up front that I don't think that will work," he said, not wavering in that belief.

She had heard that this Zora was blunt in manners, but this surprised her. "What makes you think that?"

"Because it never works. His past incarnations have been sealed away, but they're always broken out at a later time. One group had the audacity to seal him into another world even, but that just made their world and later ours a nightmare. If this is simply a temporary measure to give us time to work out permanent means of destroying Ganon, then I might go along with that. But we had best not let up our guard after he is gone and simply leave the problem to future generations."

"Of course not," Zelda said. She had some ideas about how to do that.

"I don't think any of us wish to be ones who continue to mess things up," Rosso said.