Chapter 10 - Returns
With each passing step toward the crater, Link could see more clearly the destruction this object had caused. The landscape around the crater, which had before been abundant in life, lay now in ruin. The nearby trees had become a pitiful existence void of life; their trunks scorched and cracked in places and their leaves absent - burnt right off their branches from the heat produced by the sheer high velocity that the object had been traveling at. Some of the trees closer to the crater itself still housed a relentless flame, and this flame slowly consumed them as these unfortunate fragments of life withered and fell to the ground, dead. The grass around the scene, as well, had been seared to a brown tinge of death. It was so bad that the grass that had been growing where the object hit had seemingly vaporized; only loose impediments of dirt, small rocks and charred wood lay in the crater with the object.
The setting sun cast a gold glare in his eyes, but Link relentlessly drove on. He had no idea how far ahead of Nate he had gotten, but the lack of audible, heavy footsteps behind him told him that Nate had fallen behind.
Steam was still rising steadily from the crater when Link had finally gotten there. It did little to alter his vision, and really only served as a nuisance as Link looked over the side of the crater. It was pretty big, about twenty feet from edge to edge and maybe another ten feet deep. Link could still feel a faint hint of heat residing in the ground as he stepped onto the lip of the crater. He could not think of a time that he had seen something move that fast. When he used his bow, his arrows traveled at a fairly fast pace, but they would pale in comparison to the speeds of this object when it was in flight.
Link peered into the crater, but at first, he did not see anything out of the ordinary. All that he detected were the layers of dirt held in tact even after the collision. Could it be a fluke? No way, a crater wouldn't suddenly appear for no reason. Was the object alive, and able to walk away even? That couldn't be it either, nothing could have survived as devastating impact with the ground as that.
But it was upon a second glance that Link noticed a black object all the way at the bottom that he had simply mistook for a very black layer of dirt the first time. The object was nothing like Link had been imagining. It was some sort of being, small in stature and only three feet tall, at most. It was pure black all around, except for its bright, orange hair. Somehow, it looked familiar.
With the agility of an expert thief, Link leaped into the crater soundlessly. He quickly turned the being, which had been lying on its stomach, over onto its back. Realization washed over him as he got a good, long look into this being's face.
Link forgot all the circumstances about him and smiled ecstatically at his imp friend from long ago. Almost five long months it has been, and yet, here she was. Midna.
Soon, though, Link realized something was terribly wrong. Her skin was a deep and pure black, and lacking the blue markings that he had been accustomed to seeing on her. Her chest rose and fell slightly as she took faint breaths, but otherwise she gave no indication of life. And to top it off, she was an imp again. And the person who changed Midna into an imp last time was none other than the Dark Lord himself.
Carefully, Link picked up the motionless form of Midna and cradled her at his chest. He let his emotions get the better of him, and he began to sob tearfully, saying rhetorically, "Midna, no…please wake up…" over and over again.
"She'll wake." Called out a voice behind him.
Link spun around to face the voice, but eased up as he realized it was Nate, standing coolly at the edge of the crater and looking at the small imp in Link's arms.
His tone was short and emotionless, but Link was more concerned with what was said rather than how it was said. "Nate?" Link questioned puzzled. "What do you mean? Do you know what this is about?"
"Yeah, I know a lot about it." Nate replied vaguely, still standing confidently on the brink of the crater.
"Nate," Link said, glancing down at Midna. "What's going on? You're starting to creep me out."
Nate seemed ready to answered, but Link heard a different, all too familiar voice answer instead. "Nate, that's enough. We wouldn't want to 'creep' our Hero out, now would we?"
Link looked around him for the source, but he could not find it amidst the smoke and the charred, uneven ground. What Link did see was a changed Nate. His eyes looked at him, not with compassion, but with determination. He was grinning uncharacteristically at Link, almost making it look like he felt he was higher than Link.
It happened all at once. Link was watching Nate suspiciously when Midna gave a faint cough in her slumber. Instinctively, Link turned his attention to her, only to have his hopes shot when she made no other movements. Seconds later, Link heard the sound of tiny pebbles, falling down into the crater from behind him. Again, Link turned to face it.
It was as if his very life was being sucked right out of him, when he saw that figure emerging from over a tall lip. A lip which had been sealed from sight at the angle that Link had approached the crater from.
The bright, white wound at his chest was Ganondorf's distinguishing characteristic. To his enemies, it shown brighter than the sun its self, for it is said that if you ever got close enough to see how bright it really was, you'd be dead within a few seconds. The gleaming, red gem on his head, his tall, muscular body, his arrogant smile; every expression of his was the exact same as the man who had been haunting his nightmares down to the minute details. His hair, dyed a deep blood red, glimmered with a devil's hue as he gazed down upon the Hero of Twilight.
"Well, well. Hero." Ganondorf said, making no move for the sword at his back. The very sword that should have killed him many years ago. "Surprised?"
Link was at a loss for words. He was rapidly beginning to find it hard to breath, let alone talk. His arms almost released Midna from shock and fury.
"It's been a while, Link, Hero of Twilight." Ganondorf smirked. "I had begun to miss you. No matter. We're both here now, and that is all that matters, hmm?"
"How-"
"How am I here?" Ganondorf grinned. "I could go off on a long, drawn-out explanation that you do not have the mind power to comprehend, but I'll make it simple on you. I have learned how to control the yellow triangle in my hand."
Link stared back at the Dark Lord blankly. When would somebody give him a straight answer? It was infuriating to say the least, but Link had come to expect it of the man who liked to talk almost as much as he liked to kill.
"What happened after our fight?" Ganondorf asked, a look of condescension on his face.
"Well," Link replied slowly. "You just sorta…vanished."
"Vanished?" Ganondorf laughed. "That's what you thought happened? The ignorance runs deep in you, boy." He paused to show his arm, which had a golden triangle seared into it. "It was the Trifore. The Triforce teleported me out of there while you weren't watching. You had me nearly dead, for a few moments you had me worried. But you let your pride get in the way of your sense and I was able to make my escape."
"What kind of trickery is this?" Link retorted feebly.
"The Triforce, boy, the Triforce!" Ganondorf said forcefully and impatiently. "You know nothing of the power which I contain in my veins which was given to me by the goddesses. If I had the mind to right now, I'd show you, first hand, the power which I wield." He smirked.
"Then why don't you do it? Show me your power!" Link roared.
"Oh, no, I am no fool." Gnondorf replied calmly. "My power is rapidly returning to me, but I am still weak. The injuries you've caused me still have not had the time to heal. I would be at a large disadvantage."
Slowly, Link made a move for his sword, still sheathed at his back. "Then now would be my opportune time to strike!"
"I see you have grown wiser since our last battle." Ganondorf taunted loudly. "Good. But I must advise you to not do that. Even in my weakened state, I doubt that you are prepared for me now. Look around you. You like this arid wasteland I have created out of half of East Hyrule Field? What, you thought that Midna just showed up on her own? Perhaps, but don't you think she would have found a more suitable way to return to Hyrule than thundering down from the sky at the speed of light?"
Link gasped as he noticed the truth in that statement. Midna was supposed to be locked away from the land of Hyrule, wasn't she? "What have you done to her?" Link snarled angrily.
"What?" Ganondorf said, grinning innocently. "I just wanted to reunite you with your precious imp, was that such a bad thing? I knew how much she meant to you, so I brought her to you."
"Shut up! If you want to live, you'd better tell me what you've done to her."
"Ah, but where's the logic in that if you are going to try to kill me anyway?" Ganondorf smirked. "I'll tell you, but I'm just saying, you had better think things through before you threaten someone like that next time."
"Just tell me!" Link roared impatiently, his arm resting on the hilt of his blade, still in the scabbard.
"She's just sleeping." Ganondorf said ominously. "To get her back, all you need to do is wake her up."
The mysterious, foreboding tone with which Ganondorf said that bugged the hell out of Link, but he decided to drop it. The less he spoke with this creep, the better.
"Before I depart, Hero, there is one more thing I must tell you, concerning Nate."
Link, in the couple of minutes his attention had been fixed on Ganondorf, had completely forgotten about Nate. Link spun around quickly, to see his friend in a very dark light. He held himself up in a completely different manner; an evil manner.
Link gazed at Nate horrifically as Ganondorf said, "This is my apprentice, Nate. Quite skilled in the arts of deception, is he not? Although, nobody has to be that skilled to be able to deceive you."
Nate grinned maliciously. Link could fell a tear welling up in his eyes as he said pitifully, "I-is it true?"
This only made Nate laugh emotionlessly. "There were moments which I thought you had found me out." Nate grinned. "With the sword, back in the Zora kingdom, so on. But I strove to be much more discreet, after these events. And now, here we are."
It all clicked for Link then. Nate had been working for Ganondorf the whole time. Ganondorf wanted to know more about the Master Sword and about how to combat it. That must be why Nate seemed so interested in it. And why he asked about how it was made.
Nate was just there as a spy. Just to learn about what Link can do. And as sorrowful as that made him feel, it did tell him one thing that he did not previously know about Ganondorf. He was scared. He was insecure, and didn't want to attack until he knew more. Something that was very uncharacteristic of Ganondorf, normally the impulsive one. And even amidst the sadness, that did give him a little hope.
"Your keen ability to remain naïve and ignorant may just have saved Nate's apprenticeship, Hero." Ganondorf said in a low but piercing voice. "Perhaps that is the only thing he is grateful of you for."
Link could fell a tear running down his cheek, but tried to keep his composure as he said pitifully to Nate, "W-why?"
"Why?" Nate mocked. "Because my master said you would be easy to take advantage of. An assumption that, once again, proved to be flawless."
"You've come a long way, Nate." Ganondorf proclaimed. "It won't be too long now till you overtake my other, not quite so loyal apprentice."
Nate smirked, knowing full well what had happened to his former apprentice. "I think you'll find that I am more loyal to you than that disreputable brother of mine."
"I hope so, my apprentice, I do hope so…"
In the blink of an eye, Link unsheathed his sword with his free hand and directed it at the Dark Lord, still hovering on the lip of the crater.
"You'll pay, Ganondorf." Link said tearfully. "So called 'Dark Lord', remember this, you will pay. You pay for all that you have done to Hyrule. You'll pay for what you did once and did again to Midna. You'll pay for what you did to the Twili's. You'll pay for what you've done to me!"
Ganondorf burst out laughing. "Did I not just tell you of the power I have because of the Triforce? Did I not make clear that I can wipe you out in a second?"
"You forget that I have the Triforce too. Every power that you have, I can possess."
"And what are you going to do?" Ganondorf smirked disbelievingly. "Teach yourself?"
"Is that not what you did?" Link retorted. "I am a quick learner."
"You'd better be, to learn in such a short amount of time what I learned in hundreds of years." Ganondorf smirked. "Or are you just that stupid and optimistic?"
"Don't—call me stupid!" Link roared. "You're the stupid one for having gotten me angry!" Still cradling Midna with his left hand, Link lowered himself into a battle stance, his eyes piercing daggers through Ganondorf's heart.
"Come, Nate. Let's get going." Ganondorf said calmly.
"Wow, who would have guessed. The Dark Lord—a coward?" Link taunted.
"I do not lower myself to standards of unearthly taunts, young hero. My pillars do not crumble that easily. But, let me be the first to point out that you may have something more to add to your list of woes." Ganondorf said slyly. Nate had just arrived by his master's side by the time he finished.
"What more have you done?" Link sighed emotionlessly.
"I could tell you…but, I'd rather not. You see, torture of the mind is much more rewarding than torture of the body. More amusing to watch, see? The way the victim cracks under the pressure of emotional guilt sends a shiver down my spine every time." Ganondorf smirked. "I will, however, as my departing gift, leave you with a hint. Here it is: a place you once knew well is not what it used to be, and a girl you once knew is no longer where she used to be."
Link's expression of emotional indifference immediately changed to one of horror and disbelief.
Ganondorf laughed, as did Nate. "See? There it is!" Ganondorf mocked. "See how that just withered your soul? Can you believe how powerful words can become when used correctly…?"
"So…so you just made that up?" Link asked quietly.
"I don't know." Ganondorf smirked. "You tell me."
Link's expression reverted back to apathy. No matter how emotionally torn he was feeling, he would not give Ganondorf the pleasure of knowing it.
"Alright, Nate, I think we have pleasured Link with our acquaintances quite long enough."
Nate grinned and said viciously to Link, "Sorry our friendship couldn't work out." He then grasped Ganondorf's shoulder.
All of a sudden, Ganondorf's left hand lit up gold as Ganondorf closed his eyes. An instant later, the two were engulfed by a great gold light. The light got brighter and brighter still, until it suddenly just vanished from sight, taking Ganondorf and Nate with it.