Chapter 10: Clash with Ganon

Zelda and Ashwin could hear some commotion up ahead. They spotted a band of Kokiri in a battle with a squad of moblins. Being much smaller in size, the Kokiri struggled with their swords, but were holding their own for the time being.

"We might not be too late." Zelda directed Epona into a faster gallop. "We must proceed directly to the Great Deku Tree."

Ashwin leaned off the side of the horse as Zelda guided them through the battle line. In one motion, Ashwin drew his sword from behind the shield on his back and slashed at one of the moblins across its back. The moblin arched backwards in pain before it was run through from the front by the Kokiri it was facing.

At last, they reached the clearing at the Great Deku Tree. Ashwin was horrified at the scene before him. Several moblins stood in a circle around the tree, each holding a torch to it. The flames climbed up the gigantic trunk. Smoke filled the air. Nearby, Ganon stood overseeing the operation.

"Princess Zelda." Ganon looked over at them with a grin, looking sinister in his all-black armour. The flames matched the colour of his red hair. "Your Triforce was wise enough to find me, but not wise enough to keep you away. You're too late. The Great Deku Tree is ablaze and will soon be burnt to a crisp."

Ashwin, filled with rage, dismounted immediately and drew his sword and shield.

"Ashwin, we must work together. Attack the moblins. Let me engage with Ganon". Still mounted on Epona, Zelda drew her bow, placed an arrow against its string and pulled back. Before the release, the Triforce symbol on her hand holding the string, began to glow bright yellow. The head of the arrow dazzled with a radiant light. She let fly.

Ganon, with a twisting motion of his hand, created what appeared to be a ball of electrical energy in front of him to intercept the arrow. The two collided in a brilliant flash and were both gone. Zelda released more of these light arrows, but Ganon continued to impede them in the same manner.

The moblins dropped their torches and drew their spears, heading towards Princess Zelda. Ashwin charged into action to intercept them. He leapt at the nearest one and brought him down with a downward slash of his sword. The next few began to encircle him and thrust at him with their spears. Ashwin sidestepped one, guided the next away with his shield, lashing out with the Kokiri blade whenever he could, occasionally bringing down one of the bulldog-headed soldiers. Although they were not particularly skilled combatants, they were larger, stronger, greater in number, attacking from every side. Initially, he picked a fight with the troup assigned to burning the Great Deku Tree, but during the clash, more of them emerged from the forest to join in the skirmish. Ashwin began to tire. How many more of them would he have to face? The odds were becoming overwhelming. Ashwin had his shield over his head now, blocking close attacks from these moblins who were much taller than him. One of them, thrusting his spear at Ashwin, had the spearhead scrape off the edge of his shield and caught Ashwin's arm. Ashwin felt the burning sting of the laceration in his upper arm.

Some of the moblins further from the centre of the conflict sensed that the battle would soon be won and turned their attention to Princess Zelda.

Zelda could see the moblins now closing in on her, but continued casting the magical light arrows at Ganon from atop Epona. "Do not lose heart Ashwin! The Triforce is with you!" Her voice was loud, but calm and firm in the face of this adversity.

Ganon was gnashing his teeth in frustration. The constant barrage of powerful magic from Zelda was a severe nuisance that required all of his attention.

Ashwin had learned to channel the power of the Triforce of Courage in battle, but now he needed to draw deeper, unlocking more of its potential. Its power that he felt in his heart, now ran through his entire body. He gripped his sword tighter. The triangle on his hand began to dazzle in a bright yellow light. He spun the edge of his sword all the way around him. The edge of the sword radiated bright light and emitted a ring of energy as Ashwin traced the circle around him with it. The ring grew larger as it moved outwards, blasting the moblins in its path. The shock threw many of them backwards. Upon seeing this, the remaining moblins began to falter.

The flames had now climbed all the way up the Great Deku Tree, consuming it. The expression in its bark was one more of sorrow than agony. It opened its mouth and sounded one final creaking, thunderous, roar of rushing wind. An ear-splitting cracking could be heard as two massive branches slowly broke off the tree and began falling. Panic ensued below as all tried to escape. As the branches crashed to the ground, embers exploded upwards from the flames. Initially, the embers looked like a normal result of a conflagration. However, as they rose into the air, they did not fade. They accumulated and began travelling in a circle around Ganon.

Ganon was still distracted by his struggle with Princess Zelda. The swirling of red energy around him became thicker as it closed in on him. The expression on Ganon's face turned from aggravation to disbelief. Eventually, the energy was tight to his body, paralyzing him.

Zelda drew another arrow against her bow. The head of the arrow emitted a shimmering, blinding light. Time seemed to stop as she held it. Upon being released, the arrow streaked across the field in a golden band, terminating at Ganon's body, piercing his black armour and embedding itself into his heart. The look of fear and surprise on his face turned into a grin and then it froze. Ganon began turning into stone. The energy from the arrow and the circling embers dissipated and left behind a statue of the dark wizard.

Ashwin and the moblins had ceased their bout to watch this. Upon seeing their master defeated, the moblins routed, heading for the woods. Kokiri warriors in the trees could be seen chasing after them, driving them deeper into the woods.

Zelda had dismounted from Epona and now collapsed on the ground. The duel had completely drained her.