Chapter Six

Zelda squirmed, her hands chained above her head, as she stood in the center of a room underneath a trap door as Cadus smirked.

"Do you realize what's happening?" He said, lifting her chin up. She spat in his face.

"You're about to get your ass kicked." She said. Cadus lifted his hand back, bringing it down hard onto Zelda's face, a cry of pain escaping her.

"That is no way for you to speak to a king." He said angrily. Zelda growled, scowling at her brother.

"You are no king, Cadus. You aren't even royalty. When they get here-" Cadus's hand hit her again, this time harder, as blood trickled down her chin.

"Good, keep quiet, and wait for the games to begin." He said, walking away into the shadowy outline of the room, leaving Zelda bleeding.

Link and Rego arrived at nearly the same time, running into each other at the entrance of the castle, now locked. They looked at each other intently, the tension rising as the situation got graver. Rego spoke first, removing his mask to look at his father with regretful eyes, his face disheveled.

"Father, did you fe-"

"Yes, and we have to get in there. We need to focus, and save our other issues for later, for now we need to save your mother." Rego reluctantly nodded.

"I'm sorry." Rego said. Link shook his head.

"Now is not the time." He said, looking up at the castle gate.

"But it may be the last time." Rego continued. "I let anger drive my actions, fuel my movements. I lost my being. I'm sorry." Link sighed, looking over at his son.

"One day, you'll realize that without mistakes, you aren't human. This job... we try to save as many people as we can. Sometimes that doesn't mean everybody. But if we can't find a way to live with that, next time... maybe nobody gets saved." He pulled his bow from his quiver, notching a bomb arrow as he rose it towards the gate.

"Get ready." Link said, pulling the arrow back.

Cadus strode down the entryway to the castle, his mind controlled men following behind him, weapons in hand. His face wore a scowl, and his posture was angry.

"Link and his spawn are just over this wall. Keep them occupied any way possible." He ran from the hallway, fleeing deep into the castle.

He entered the throne room, a large gaping hole in it's center, blown away by explosives. In the whole, which went down exactly 25 feet, his men were working.

"Is it going to plan?"He asked his men, who were busy building wooden stairs and platforms in the throne room. One of them looked up at him, nodding his head.

"Everything's ready, it's gonna be an explosive finale." He said with a smile, as Cadus grinned.

Zelda stood, chained up in a standing position, above the throne room, her eyes drooping as he focus depleted. Cadus walked over to her, smiling sinisterly.

The men waited for hours with swords drawn, as the area outside of the castle quieted, an eerie silence falling over the castle. Cadus watched from a secure location, growing angry with whatever Link and Rego were planning. As he began to feel safe, the gates of the castle burst open in flames, shaking everyone in it, the large marble doors breaking, falling in pieces to the ground, a cloud of dust coating the air. Link and Rego leaped through, armed and ready, to be met with their own men.

"Where is Zelda?" Link asked one of the soldiers. The man responded with a blank look, his eyes glossed over with grey. He rose his sword, running at Link, who, confused, blocked the attack expertly. Rego's eyes narrowed.

"Father, this is Magic. Someone is controlling them." Link nodded, as he looked around the room, where the soldiers all unsheathed their swords.

"Smart little bastard." Said Cadus's voice, echoing through the halls. Link and Rego looked up, searching for the source.

"Where is my wife?!" Link screamed. Cadus's chilling laughter floating through the halls, as he mocked Link.

"She's quite safe. A bit tied up at the moment, but safe. You'll get to her in a moment, but first, you have your soldiers to save." Link cocked his head in confusion, as he looked at the soldiers, who's eyes widened, looking at each other, viciously attacking. Link screamed, as his men began to kill each other, Cadus's voice disappearing. Link ran towards his men, but to no avail. They fell like flies, and Rego looked in horror. Cadus appeared above them, on a catwalk leading into the throne room, Zelda tied up in his arms.

"When you're ready, oh brave knights!" He cackled with rage, disappearing through the doorway to the throne room. Link and Rego glanced between the door above them, and the soldiers killing themselves. Link made his decision, pointing Rego towards the door.

"We can't save all of them, son." He ran towards the steps leading up to the catwalk, sword in hand, his son following closely behind him.

Link leaped through the door, looking around him. The throne room had changed drastically, a large wooden stage constructed below them, with Zelda standing in the center, chained to a pole, and hundreds of mind controlled soldiers standing all around them. Cadus stood on a newly constructed second catwalk, across from them, safe from any harm. He stood, a menacing grin on his face, dark armor covering his body, a strange device strapped to his belt, and a box in his hand. His cape slowly blew in the wind made from the hole below them, as he stared at Link and Rego. Link stared back, an anger present in his icy blue eyes.

"The games are over, Cadus. No more jokes, no more theatrics. Let my wife go." He said angrily. Rego's gaze flew to his mother, who was gagged, her clothes torn as she stood helplessly watching her husband and son. He looked back at Cadus, who's grin faded into a scowl.

"You are in no position to make demands. All you can do, is listen. And I have a story to tell." He said, angrily. "You see, many years ago, I was the firstborn child of the King and Queen of Hyrule, and the public loved me. I was the pride of the kingdom, and everyone loved me...save for my parents. While kept hidden from the rest of the kingdom, I was expected to have the Triforce of Wisdom. But instead, I was not the bearer, much to the...devastation of my parents. Impa, your precious little guardian," he poked at Rego " was insistent that I did have it, and that it had yet to show itself. Then..she was born." He pointed to Zelda.

"And she had it, instead of you." Rego spat, his eyes narrowed beneath his mask. Cadus frowned.

"Unfortunately, yes." He continued. "And the public, and my parents, fell in love with her, and I became more of an outcast. So I killed my mother. Not even Zelda knew of it, till now that is. Only father and Impa knew how the queen fell down a flight of stairs to her death." Zelda screamed, though her cries of horror was muffled by the gag. Link looked at Cadus with disgust.

"You're a monster." Link said. Cadus put his hand up, a small box clutched tightly in it.

"Ah, yes. A monster indeed, but one more genius than you could comprehend, hero. I was banished from Hyrule, where I studied for years. I heard of you, and became fascinated. Zelda did not choose the Triforce, so I don't blame her. You however...you gave the one peice I could have claimed, to Ganon. You, I have searched for. I knew Impa would raise up your little bastard son, and I knew he would seek vengeance, and that he would break you. See, I knew that I could not kill you. Stronger men than me have tried, and failed. But if I could break you from within, from your own son's betrayal, I could win." Link looked at Rego, his eyes widened as he realized the severity of the situation.

"Cadus...okay. I get it. Just...let Zelda go, and I'll surrender. I promise." Cadus clicked his tongue, holding the small box up.

"But see, I don't want you to surrender. I want you to suffer." He rose the box up, so Link could see a small red button on it. Link held his breath, as he glanced down at Zelda quickly, before looking back at the box. Cadus pressed it, and in an instant, the large stage erupted into flames, engulfing Zelda's body, as debris flew up around the throne room. Link fell to his knees as Rego screamed, gripping the railing of the catwalk as the explosion ended, leaving Zelda's burnt body chained to the pole, flames slowly burning it. Cadus exhaled, looking at Link as he broke, staring at his wife's dead body. Again, Cadus grinned.

"And now I have won." He looked at Rego, anticipation in his eyes, as Rego stared back, anger, and rage in his. In a single bound, he leaped from one catwalk to the other, sinking his claws into Cadus, who yelled in agony, before bursting into laughter. Rego pulled his hand up, blood dripping from it, as he repeatedly punched Cadus in the face, blood splattering everywhere. His chuckled weakened, as he looked up at Rego, a wide smile across his face.

"You..think I didn't plan this? I knew...you would be enraged...your thoughts would be cluttered...leaving me..a master over the wizardry of the mind...to consume you." His hand shot towards Rego's masked face, but Rego grabbed his arm, fighting him back. Cadus struggled, his hand getting closer and closer to Rego's face, before finally making contact, sticking to his face as Rego screamed. Black Enegry poured from his hand, as he grinned wildly. Link sat, still in shock and horror, as Rego's body began to be absorbed by Cauds. Link stumbled to his feet, losing his balance, his mind too crazed to think of what to do. "Rego..!" Was all he managed to say. Rego's face, slowly being pulled into Cadus, turned to his father.

"Father...help me..!" He said, before yelling in agony, as he was completely absorbed. A fully morphed Cadus stood up slowly, his face similar to Rego's. He stared back at Link, his eyes glowing red. Link said nothing, tears flowing down his face.

"What happened?" He said, dazed. The being across from him, who took his son, grinned.

"You lost." He turned to walk down the catwalk, leaving Link alone. But Link grabbed his hookshot, shooting over to it, barely standing.

"Rego!" He said. Cadus stopped walking, facing away from Link. He turned back, his red eyes glaring.

"Rego, don't let him hold you!" Link said, stumbling forward a few feet towards him. Cadus laughed.

"Your son is gone. He is mine now, and I have taken his power. The Triforce is mine." Link glared at him.

"Son, speak with me. It's me, your father." Cadus's eyes instantly softened slightly, as his face turned from one of hatred to slight regret. He stepped forward, towards Link. Link sighed.

"Son, please...fight him..." He walked closer to Cadus, standing but a few feet away from him, Cadus inching closer. His face was confused.

"It's...too late." He said, his face softening again. Link shook his head slowly.

"No. Come back to me, help put away your mother's murderer." He was now inches away from Cadus, who was shaking. Cadus struggled, his hand slowly moved to the device strapped to his belt, a seemingly broken sword hilt. Cadus grunted in anger.

"N-no..." Link outstretched his hand.

"Please, son. Don't let him have it. Don't let him have the Triforce."

At the mention of the golden triangle, Cadus's eyes suddenly turned full of rage, and his hand grabbed the hilt, quickly bringing it up. A blade of deep red fire erupted from the end of the hilt, sizzling through Link's chest, exiting through the back. Link's eyes widened in shock and pain, as his mouth opened to speak, though no words came out. Cadus's eyes stared deeply into Link's.

"The Triforce is mine." He pulled the flame from Link's body, leaving him gasping for air, his body falling back, over the railing, and falling below, landing beside the burnt body of his wife.

Whoa.

I just killed Zelda AND Link. In one story. Is that a cliffhanger? I don't know.

While my views have admittedly lowered quite a bit, I'm thankful to those who read anything I make. I put a HUGE amount of work into this story, this chapter in particular, and I consider it to be the best chapter I have ever written. It took me a long while to make it, since I've been dealing with a lot, grief mostly, and the decision to kill one of the characters mother was a tough one to make, considering my current situation, but I loved how it turned out. This is the end of this story, and maybe even my fanfiction journey, but who knows...reviews and feedback fuel me, so I'd love to hear some! :D Thank you all for reading, and I'll see you next time!

-Darth Ganon