Yes, the writing is really stretched out and you have to move the bars in order to read it. I find the easiest way to read this way is to use the keyboard arrows to manuever.

Disclaimer: I do not own Zelda, characters associated with it, etc, etc, etc, you know what I mean.


The Speed of Destiny
By Monkey Of Doom

Read, Review, and Enjoy!

~Monkey of Doom~


Chapter 1: Back to the Past

It was dusk in Hyrule. The sun went down, casting fading rays of orange and red hues over the lush, green landscape. A lone rider, silhouetted against the darkness, scanned his surroundings. Sharp, cerulean colored eyes pierced the night air. A wolfos howled, and the steed snorted nervously. Realizing his horse’s obvious discomfort, the rider spurs the proud creature off into the night. It had been 3 years since he had seen this land, since Link, the Hero of Time, had left to seek his fairy companion Navi in the magical land of Termina…

“You are leaving this land already...aren’t you? Although it has only been a little while, I feel as if I’ve known you forever…”

As the night air enveloped him, Link remembered...the friends, the land he had left behind...and her. Golden hair, light-hearted laughter…

“I want you...to have the Ocarina of Time…do you remember the Song of Time? It reminds me of us…”

The Song of Time. It proved invaluable in his quest in Termina, for without its aid, he most certainly would have died in the fiery crash as the moon descended toward the world…

Malon…Saria…Darunia…Nabooru…Ruto…Impa…Rauru…yes, even Mido…and especially Princess Zelda…he remembered them all, but did they still know who he was?

Ahead of him loomed the tall, steel walls of Hyrule Castle Town. Even from this distance Link could see the torches that shown like beacons.

Riding into the Town, Link was amazed at the changes that went on during the 3 years he was absent. There were many more buildings, and the town square was bustling with activity, even in the evening.

Guiding his horse, Epona, into a nearby stable, he entered a bar. It was dimly lit, filthy, and full of drunks, but it would do. Going up to the bartender, Link asked:

“Is there a room I can stay in for the night?”

The bartender grunted, the smell of alcohol wafting from his mouth.

“All depends. Got any rupees to pay for it?”

Link rummaged in the pocket of his emerald green kokiri tunic. Lifting up a sparkling purple rupee, worth fifty green ones, he handed the gem over to the bartender.
Grunting, the bartender nodded.

“Room 11 is open. Here’s your key, don’t make too much noise”

Taking the key gratefully, the eighteen year old Hylian male climbed the stairs to the top floor.

“Eight...Nine...Ten...Eleven! Here it is”, Link muttered, counting the numbers on the doors. Opening the door, he walked into a small room with medium sized bed and a chair. It looked like no one had been in here to clean for awhile. The entire place was dusty and cobwebs matted the ceiling. It reminded Link of the Skulltula houses he visited in Termina, particularly the one in Great Bay. Locking the door, Link unloaded his Gilded Sword, Mirror Shield, Arrows, Bows, Longshot, and his other various items obtained during his travels. For awhile, he just sat on the edge of the bed and admired his trophies. They sat, gleaming as if they’d never seen any use, ready for action. With a groan, Link fell into the mattress, not caring about the beetles that scurried out of his way, and fell into a deep sleep.


Chapter 2: Reunion

The Princess of Hyrule sat on her windowsill, gazing out at the bustling Castle Town. Even in the wee hours of the morning, Castle Town would be full of activity and life, and from her magnificent balcony, the Princess Zelda could see it all. Zelda sighed, resting her chin on her upturned hand, which was clothed in a long, white glove. The dress she wore was pink, with white trimming the edges, and a golden crest in the middle of her chest. The symbol of the Triforce, three golden, shimmering triangles of immense power, was embroidered on the hems of her dress. The dress was very elegant, but not overly long, and stopped around Zelda’s feet. Looking at the Triforce, Zelda felt a pang of emotions. Was it sadness? Anger? Happiness? Perhaps a combination of all three? Thinking back, deep into the recesses of her mind, the young Princess thought about those 7 long years in the alternate dimension, in which the Evil Ganondorf was king, and only one man dared defy the Dark Lord. Link was that man. Armed with the Master Sword, legendary slayer of evil, and the Light Arrows, Link struck down Ganondorf in a pitched battle at the very top of Ganondorf’s dark citadel. And even when Ganondorf, using the Triforce of power, re-incarnated in the body that resembled a giant monster pig, Link defeated him there too. Zelda remembered how Link was so quick to defend her, how he smiled at her when they thought Ganondorf was defeated forever. She missed him.

Her thoughts were interrupted when a sharp knock rapped on her door.

“Zelda, let me in please!” Although the voice was muffled, Zelda could tell it was her nursemaid, Impa.

Opening the door, Zelda found Impa, sharp and crisp, in her light weight mithril armor, at the ready with two long, elegant daggers at her side. Countless scars adorned Impa's faces, arms, and legs, but Zelda knew that Impa bore them as medals, testaments to her valor and tenacity on the battlefield. Although her first appearance often scared outsiders, Zelda really knew that Impa was a kind and gentle lady.

“Hi, Impa! Does Father need me?”

Impa smiled. “No, but we are to go shopping for the upcoming ball. We need plenty of food, as delegates, kings, princes, and princess from all other countries will be coming.

Zelda rolled her eyes and scowled. “Impa, I hate balls! I always have to dance with some stupid Prince! And the music is so corny!”

Impa smiled. Zelda was a teenager now, and hated those “old fashioned” songs that were always played at balls.

“Well, we can talk about it later”, Impa replied. “Come along now”.

Zelda and Impa descended a winding staircase to the servant’s quarters. There, Zelda picked up a brown robe with a hood attached.

Pulling the hood over her green eyes, Zelda pulled back her hair and pulled her face into the shadows of the hood.

“Okay, Impa, I'm ready”, Zelda replied.

Walking into the market, Impa and Zelda went to many stores, getting food for the ball. Passing a rowdy bar, Zelda’s eyes lit up.

“Impa, can I go in there? Come on, it will be fun to see what a real bar is like; I’ve heard they’re full of excitement and adventure.

Impa rolled her eyes. Zelda had conveniently left out the part that most of the “Action and adventures” were caused by drunkards, but, since Zelda rarely got out of the castle, Impa supposed she could cut Zelda some slack.

“Okay, fine, but don’t stay in there for more than 5 minutes, and don’t come crying to me and complaining that the bar smells terrible”

“Thanks, Impa!” Zelda ran off into the bar. Now that she was away from Impa, she could escape through the backdoor and explore the rest of Hyrule Castle Town. Zelda looked around the grimy bar and noticed a big, tall man, who stank of alcohol, slouching behind the counter. Going up to the man, she was about to ask where the backdoor was, when something far more interesting caught her eye.


Chapter 3: Morning Wake-Up Call

Link was sitting on a bar stool. His sword and shield strapped to his back, and all his various other items in some traveling bags, Link sat around looking at the customers. Yawning, Link saw two big drunkards with no shirts, babbling about some bar fight they got into yesterday. He noticed a young red-haired man sitting at another stool, sipping his beer with a distant look on his face. The last person was dressed in brown robes, with a hood covering his face. Some golden hair fell swept out of the hood, but that was all Link could see from the new person. Not noticing anything out of the ordinary, Link got up and climbed the creaky stairs to the top floor. Link was planning to explore Castle town, visit Malon, and ride Epona back to the Kokiri Forest. Considering how well the Castle was guarded, he thought it pointless to try and visit Zelda. Link had left some rupees in his room, so he was just about to open the door when a voice spoke quietly behind him.

“Link?”

Link whirled around quickly, gauntleted hands in a defensive position. He noticed it was the person with brown robes he had seen earlier.

“Hello, who are you? And how do you know my name?” Link replied, eyeing the figure with a look that plainly said “I don’t trust you”.

The brown robed person began to laugh, and pulled the hood of her head.

“Don’t you remember me, Link?”

Link’s jaw dropped. Right in front of him was Zelda! Hands falling limp at his side, Link quickly replied “Oh hi Zelda”. A red blush was faintly visible on Link’s face.
However, Zelda just laughed and hugged him. “I missed you”, she whispered in his ear. Link returned the embrace, and said “I did too”. After they let go off each other, Zelda followed Link into his room, and Link began to tell Zelda everything about his life since
The day he had left Hyrule for Termina, 3 years ago. At the climax of his story, in which he was retelling his epic battle with Majora, the cursed mask, Link suddenly remembered something. “Oh, I almost forgot, here's your Ocarina back” Link said, as he handed over the blue Ocarina of Time to its rightful owner. Zelda smiled happily and placed the ocarina on her lap. Continuing the story, Link was yet again interrupted by a loud rapping on the door. “Zelda, are you in there?” An anxious voice sounded.

Zelda responded, “Yes, Impa”. Opening the door, Zelda tried hard not to look guilty as Impa stared down at her. “What were you doing missy, hiding in a room that hasn’t been cleaned since the goddesses created Hyrule?” bellowed Impa, her face red with anger.

“Uh…She and I were talking about my adventures…” Link began with a grin.

Impa looked shocked. “Link? After 3 years you’ve finally come back?”

So Impa, Zelda, and Link all set down at the bed and talked about Link’s harrowing adventures in Termina, from his encounter with the skull kid, to all the quests he undertook, to the temples he defeated, and finally to Majora’s Mask itself.

Link reached into a bag by his bedside and pulled out some masks. “These are the useful masks I collected in Termina” Link explained. He pointed toward a mask with the face of a Goron. “This is the Goron mask; it turns you into a Goron.” Pointing to a Zora Mask and a Deku Mask, Link continued. “These, you can probably guess, transform you into a deku scrub or a Zora. Believe me, you don’t want to be a Deku scrub”, Link said, remembering his short time as a Deku Scrub. He was so short and the dogs attacked him! He had been mauled twice by that white terrier in South Clock Town. Impa and Zelda laughed, and Impa soon said: “Well, I must be off. Plenty of groceries to get for the Festivities tonight. Winking at Zelda, Impa said “I’ll let you off the hook today so you can explore the town with Link, but behave missy!” than Impa was gone, leaving the door swinging on its hinges. Exiting the musky room and closing the door completely, Link turned to Zelda. “Sooo…where do you want to go my fair princess?” He grinned. Zelda slapped him playfully on the head and said “let’s go explore the back alleys! And remember; call me Zelda, not Princess.”

Exiting the bar, Zelda and Link whittled away the morning explore the interesting shops and games there. They spent almost an hour running around in side the treasure box shop, and they purchased some potions which Zelda was getting for her Father, King Harkanian. “He’s not feeling well”, Zelda said as she handled a purple potion and read what it healed. “No one knows what’s making my father sick, but I’m sure it’s only a cold or something. Purchasing 2 red potions, and 1 yellow potion, Zelda thanked the old hag who ran the potions shop and they continued on their way.

Eating lunch at an old restaurant, Link and Zelda debated where to go next. “Why don’t we go to Lon-Lon ranch?” Link asked. “Sure! I haven’t seen Malon in ages!” Zelda replied happily. “You know Malon?” Link queried. “Yes, I met her when she and her father Talon were delivering milk to Hyrule Castle”, Zelda replied. Link was surprised, but glad that Zelda and Malon were friends with each other.

Leading Zelda to the Stables, Link went in to fetch Epona. “Whew!” Link whistled. It smelled horrible in here. The stables smelled of manure, and it appeared that no one had bothered to clean them for awhile. Finding Epona, Link let her out and Epona gave him a grateful whinny. Although Epona was a horse, Link could have sworn he saw a relieved look on her face.

Back outside, Link helped Zelda onto Epona and climbed up herself. Zelda was surprised that she was in such close proximity with Link, but she silently enjoyed the warm body heat coming from him. Spurring Epona into a fast trot, then a gallop, Link skillfully maneuvered Epona through the bustling crowds of castle town, which seemed to have increased in the afternoon, even with the Hylian sun beaming heat rays down on them. Spices and exotic smells wafted into Zelda’s nose; Link was so lucky that he could go wherever he wanted whenever he wanted, while she had to stay inside a stuffy castle and read literature while dreaming of the wide world where she could travel. Zelda was so immersed in her thoughts that she didn’t notice that Epona had already carried them out into the lush, green grasses of Hyrule Field.

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Epona gladly cantered out into the fields of Hyrule, with the noon sun blaring down at them and the blue skies moving like a sea of never ending water. Zelda felt exhilarated as the wind rushed by as she clung tightly to Link, afraid she would fall off when Epona jumped an obstacle or made a sudden stop. Zelda had rarely gone out into Hyrule Field, and when she did, she never had any time to enjoy its beauty. She only traveled out of the Castle to go on diplomatic missions to other countries, or to the Zoras or Gorons. Seeing Lon-Lon Ranch ahead, Link slowed Epona down and entered the narrow gate. “We’re here”, Link grinned to Zelda. “It’s so beautiful Zelda murmured, her emerald eyes still taking in the sight of the endless fields of grass as her long, golden hair flowed behind her.

“Goddesses she’s beautiful” Link thought to himself.

His thoughts were interrupted when a loud yell came from the stables.

“Link! Zelda! Epona! The red haired farm girl named Malon ran up to them, still carrying a jug of milk. Setting the jug down on the ground, Malon hugged Epona’s neck, who snorted happily. “Hey guys how are you? I haven’t seen you or Epona in 3 years!” Malon exclaimed happily to Link. “Well we were out adventuring…”Link murmured, suddenly feeling guilty at taking away Epona for 3 years. “It’s okay!” Malon laughed when she saw Link’s face. “Really! Now come on inside and we can have some milk!” Malon led Epona to the stables, while Link and Zelda went to the main house.

Malon’s home was a giant ranch. The buildings had red tiles, and inside the houses were made of wood. The main house had a small, wooden table, some stairs leading to the bedroom, and was overflowing with white feathered Hyrulean cuckoo.

“Is something wrong, Link?” Zelda asked, noticing his discomfort. “Uh…well I kind of have cuckoo-phobia…” Link said, embarrassed. Trying not to laugh, Zelda asked “Why?”
Link sighed heavily. “It all started when I was in Termina. I didn’t have any rupees to buy a dinner, so I...tried to kill a cuckoo and roast it for dinner. But it didn’t turn out so well, because as soon as I attacked the cuckoo it started to crow and a bunch more flew in and started pecking me! They really hurt, and they just kept on coming! So I ran.” Link laughed. Zelda laughed as well.

Malon came in. “Hey guys, what's so funny?” she asked good-naturedly. Zelda explained all about Link’s mishap with the cuckoo, and Malon laughed as well. “You don’t kill Hyrulean cuckoos”, Malon explained. “Hyrulean cuckoos are a special breed. Some even reckon that they are wizards in a cuckoo form. You don’t killing Hyrulean cuckoos for meat; you kill chickens.” Malon laughed again.

“Now she tells me”, Link grumbled, remembering how many bumps were on his body after the cuckoo attack.

The whole table laughed, and Malon, Link, and Zelda sat and talked while drinking Lon-Lon Milk, and eating, as Malon pointed out, roast chicken meat.

Finally, the evening shadows began to set in and the sun started to go down.

Staring out the window, Zelda remarked “Oh, Din! I told Impa I’d be back by 7:00! It’s almost 6:30!” Hurriedly, Link and Zelda thanked Malon for her hospitality and left the ranch to return back to the castle.


Chapter 4: Words of Wisdom

Link had dropped Zelda off at the gates, where she had silently crept into the castle. Scanning the passage way that led to her room, Zelda decided the coast was clear. Creeping up the velvet carpeted stairs like a panther, she almost made it to her room when-

“Zelda!”

The yell stung her ears. Turning around, expecting her father, she was instead surprised with Impa.

“Impa?” Zelda asked. Impa sighed and looked angry, and then her face broke into a smile. “Had fun today, didn’t you?” She said. Zelda nodded with a grin on her face. “Yes, we went around Hyrule Castle Town, then Lon-Lon ranch. Impa smiled. “Well, I’m glad you had fun, but its time for you to get a new dress for the ball next week.

Zelda groaned. “Impa…” She began. Impa looked equally cross. “Zelda…” She said warningly. Zelda rolled her eyes. “Okay, okay, you win!” Zelda laughed, and allowed Impa to take her to the Dresser. However, her mind was still on her adventures today with Link…

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Link collapsed into his bed, exhausted but happy. He had got to spend the day adventuring in Hyrule Castle town with Zelda, and then he and Zelda got to stay at Lon-Lon Ranch and talk to Malon. Tomorrow, Link was planning to visit his sworn brother, Darunia, and his best friend, Saria. If he had time, he might even visit Ruto and the Zoras, or Nabooru and the Gerudos. Link drifted off into an uneasy and restless sleep…


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“We must sacrifice her, now! We need her blood to restore Ganondorf from the Sacred Realm!”
“Silence! Fool! Do you know how delicate this stage of the operation is? He knows that she is here! He knows! He might even be here right now!
“B-But Master, I-“s
“Imbecile! Did I not tell you to be quiet? We must wait for Lord Ganondorf’s orders, lest this all be for nothing. If the Hyrulean Army finds out where we are, our heads are going to roll, literally!

“Master! Look”
“Aaaaargh!”

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Link suddenly woke up in a cold sweat. What was that about? That dream he just had? Were they really trying to restore Ganondorf? Who were they? And who were they trying to sacrifice? Link had a feeling that the events hadn’t happened yet, but they would happen very soon…turning back under the covers, Link once again slept…

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“Well?”
“My Lord, you kn-
“Silence! I have not come here to waste my precious time with your mutterings and rambles! How are the mages proceeding?”
“T-They are making excellent progress on the seal. However, there is one thing that binds the se-
“Yes? Tell me! Now!”
“Y-Yes my Lord. T-The mages have broken through the magical barrier. They only need a potion to throw into t-the abyss. Then everything will be complete.
“What potion? The oracle never talked about that!”
“M-my-my Lord…the potion we speak of is a special one. We require certain…ingredients. Blood from The Sage of Time, and Blood from the Princess of Destiny…while mixing these powerful liquids in a health elixir, these words must be uttered to bring the potion of death into being…The Flow of time cannot be changed, the vines of destiny cannot be untangled. The one with power for both shall be at our mercy, with their blood the Dark Lord will rise; therefore, the Speed of Destiny shall be changed forever…”

“Hmm…The Princess of Destiny and the Sage of Time…That can only be…
“Who is it, My Lord?”
“Fool! Isn’t it obvious? We must take the blood from the Princess of Hyrule, Zelda!

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The sun rose, casting faint hues of purple and red across the sky. A sleepy Hyrule awoke, and slowly, the Castle Town came to life.

Link was wandering around in Castle Town, trying to find a good place to eat breakfast. He really felt in the mood for a good omelet, but none of the shops seemed to sell them. He finally settled for some apples, and rode Epona to Kakariko Village while munching on the red fruit.

Upon reaching the sleepy town of Kakariko, Link dismounted upon and led her to a stable. Thankfully, this stable was well kept, and didn’t stink of horse manure.

“I’ll be back soon, okay Epona?” Link said softly to his horse. Epona snorted and Link fed her an apple.

Now Link looked to the daunting task of climbing Death Mountain. He could have warped to the top, but he gave Zelda the Ocarina of Time back, so he had to climb the beaten path.

3 hours later, dusty and sweating from climbing the red rocked mountain, Link made it at last to Goron Village. It was the same as Link remembered it. There was a small table with rocks on it, and there was a cliff that Link could look over and down into the path he had just climbed. Looking down at the entrance to Dodongo’s Cavern, Link could see many strong, tan colored Gorons forming a caravan, carrying Dodongo Rock Sirloin. Link remembered when he opened the entrance to the cave in the alternate timeline using a bomb plant. Of course, nobody but he, Zelda, and the sages knew about the alternate timeline. Or so he thought…

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Link entered the giant city of Gorons. Quickly running down the worn stone steps, Links surprised many a Goron. Since they did not remember the alternate timeline, they didn’t recognize their two-time savior. What was a Hylian doing in their city anyways? Link ignored their stares and quickly went to Darunia’s Chambers. Luckily, Darunia was outside, carving some rock. “Hey Darunia!” Link said enthusiastically.

Darunia looked up, puzzled for a moment. Then he shouted. “Link! Sworn Brother! It’s good to see you again!” Link was enveloped in a bone crushing hug from Darunia, and they started to chat about the “old times”, AKA the alternate dimension.

Link stayed with Darunia until noon-it was lunch time, and Link didn’t feel like eating rocks. “See you later Darunia, I’m off to Kokiri Forest!” He called out. “Goodbye Sworn Brother, come back and visit again!” Darunia bellowed.

An hour after leaving Darunia, Link made it back to Kakariko. The village was bustling now, and Link marveled at how much the village had changed in 3 years. There were new houses all over the place, and another archery range. Link played a round of archery, just for old time’s sake, and, he needed the 50 rupee prize, as Link was getting low on cash.

Getting Epona out of the stables, Link urged Epona to go faster to the Kokiri Forest. “Yah! Hurry up, Epona!” Link shouted, laughing. Epona seemed to enjoy the race, and went faster then the wind. At around 2:00 P.M., Link arrived at the entrance to the Kokiri Forest. “Thanks, Epona.” Link said gratefully.
Epona made a noise as if to say “You’re welcome” and went of to graze in some grass. Turning back toward the entrance, Link felt apprehensive. He was an adult body now. How would the Kokiri react? “Hoo boy”, Link muttered to himself as he stepped into the magical woods.

Entering the village, Link was swarmed by children in green tunics, asking him questions. Link recognized them all, except he doubted they knew him.

“Who are you mister?”
“Are you trying to hurt us mister?”
“Maybe we should get Saria to help…”
“How ‘bout Mido?”
“Lets go ask the Great Deku Tree!”

At this, all the children ran away, toward the Great Deku Tree’s clearing. Link had forgotten; since he and Zelda had repaired the alternate timeline, the Great Deku Tree was never cursed by Ganondorf; therefore he was still alive and well. Running to keep up with the children, Link bypassed the little wooden homes. The air was full of fairies and magic. It felt good to be home.

Link paused outside his childhood home. Although all the other houses were “Trees”, his house was the only true tree house. Perched high in the branches of a strong, gray oak, his house was relatively small, but quiet. It was where Navi first approached him, saying the Great Deku Tree wanted him. Hesitating a little, Link climbed the ladder up. Suddenly, and without warning, the aged ladder snapped, causing Link to fall about 2 feet on his rump. “Damn” Link muttered, more out of embarrassment than pain. Link suddenly heard a chuckle right behind him. Turning around, he found Saria.

“You won’t be able to get up into your tree house anymore without using the longshot”, Saria said matter-of-factly. She smiled and offered Link a hand. “It’s good to see you again, Saria”, Link said warmly. “Good to see you too”, chuckled Saria. They sat on the grass in front of Link’s house, talking a little, until a fairy flew up to Link. “Sir, the Deku Tree wants you”, the tiny creature said. “Oh okay”, Link said, plopping himself up and brushing off some grass. “Nice seeing you again, Saria”, he grinned and followed the fairy away. “Good to see you too, Link”, she said smiling, and turned away to the Lost Woods.

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“Ah, thee has come to me at last, Link”, the Deku Tree spoke in a loud, commanding voice. “I bear greetings toward thee, yet there is something at hand that shalt not wait”.
Link waited for the Deku Tree to go on. “Ganondorf, Evil Dark Lord, is planning to escape the Sacred Realm. His fiends and minions seek to free him and unleash chaos upon our world. He must be stopped!” The Deku Tree paused a moment. “Ganondorf, although still contained in the Sacred Realm, has unfathomable power. He has already poisoned the King of Hyrule. Link suddenly recalled Zelda telling him, “My father isn’t feeling too well, but it’s probably just a cold or something”…so that’s what was happening. “Link, Hero of Time, Savior of Hyrule; Find the Princess of Destiny. There isn’t much longer…” With that, the Deku Tree’s voice started to fade.

Link got up and prepared to leave. He wanted to ask the Great Deku Tree more, but he knew that the Deku Tree only knew so much. “Thank you Great Deku Tree”, Link said, and with that, he ran from the woods of his birth, leapt on Epona, and rode as fast as he could toward Hyrule Castle.

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Zelda sighed. She had just gotten back from the dresser, who forced her to stand for 4 agonizing hours while dress after dress was fitted onto her. Zelda was tired, especially her legs, and only wanted to rest. Or maybe be with Link. She was in her beautiful courtyard right now, with flowers of all different kinds of colors and a small stream to complement it. This was where she had first met Link, in the alternate timeline.

A noise distracted Zelda from her thoughts. Breaking out of her reverie, she noticed it was coming from a thick bush off to her left. Standing up cautiously, Zelda raised her palms upward and took aim at the bush.

“YAH!!!!” Zelda cried as she unleashed a bolt of magic toward the bush. The person behind the bush managed to jump away before the magic bolt hit him.

“Yow! Zelda, don’t you recognize me?” Link asked grinning.
“Link I’m so sorry”, Zelda began.
”That’s okay, it was partly my fault for scaring you anyways:, Link let out a laugh. “But, Zelda, there’s something I need to tell you…”

Link pulled Zelda toward him and told her all the things the Great Deku Tree had prophesized, from Ganondorf’s planned escape from the sacred realm, to her Father’s poisoning by Ganondorf…


Chapter 5: Deaths, Parties, and Kidnappers

King Harkanian lay in his bed. His once rosy face was now pearly white, and he looked much older then he actually was. His hair had turned from gray to pure white, and some strands and tufts of hair were falling out. He was in intense pain, and his whole body felt like it was on fire. He was unable to move, his joints had become stiff and brittle, and it felt like his fingers would snap off if he moved them.

“By the goddesses, what’s happening to me?” King Harkanian thought, flashes of pain spreading like wildfire through his body. His eyesight began to darken. He remembered flashes of memories…his wife dying by giving birth to their daughter Zelda…Zelda playing in the garden…the child named Link that Zelda always seemed to be around when she was young…

Suddenly, with an unexpected spasm, King Harkanian’s eyes bulged, and he let out an ear-splitting scream, right before he collapsed in his bed. The last thing he ever saw or heard was Zelda opening the door to his room screaming “Father! Father!”
Then, he succumbed to the darkness within, as death overtook him.

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Ganondorf paced around his chambers inside the Sacred Realm. He had just felt a disturbance of energy and emotions. Ganondorf smiled. The King of Hyrule had just passed away. His time for vengeance was almost here. Ganondorf stopped pacing and laughed a cruel, throated yell. Looking around at the once Sacred Realm, it was now defied by his unholiness. Darkness swept through the land and many of his minions slaved through the area. Ganondorf smiled; it was time to contact the avatar, and see how progress was on breaking the seal.

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Zelda was in her room. Her eyes were red and puffy from her father’s death. Tears ran down her cheeks, and her dress was stained dark from tears.

“Why?? Goddesses, Nayru, Farore, Din, why did my father have to die??” Zelda moaned. She buried her face in her pillows just as a knock on her door sounded. Zelda didn’t reply, so the door opened and Link stepped in.

Link took a deep breath. “Zel, I’m sorry this had to happen…” Link began. Zelda looked up at him, her pale skin tear-stained. “Why, Link?” She whispered. “Why did he have to die?” Link bit his lip. It hurt him to see Zelda in so much pain. He wrapped his arms around her and gently said “Ssssh, it’ll be alright, it’ll be alright”, even though Link knew it wouldn’t. Because King Harkanian was dead, and Ganondorf was the killer.
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It was at the funeral of King Harkanian two days later. Zelda was dressed in a long, black dress, with a black veil over her face. She was mourning for her father, and so was everyone else in Hyrule. She watched as the casket of her father was carried by a procession into the graveyard at Kakariko. He was buried at the Royal Family tomb, where Link had learned the Sun’s Song in the alternate timeline. King Harkanian was inside a grand, black casket adorned with golden trim, and big, bold letters:

R.I..P KING HARKANIAN

Inside the Royal Family Tomb, he was laid to rest alongside his wife, the first Zelda. His daughter was the second Zelda. Putting out the flames on the torches, the priests sealed the doors to the Tomb, so grave robbers wouldn’t loot the rest of the Royal Family. Taking one last look around the tomb, Zelda looked at the casket of her father. When he had died, he seemed so peaceful. He couldn’t feel any more pain from the curse Ganondorf had put on him. Feeling a hand on her shoulder, Zelda turned around. It was Link. Slowly, they walked out of the tomb and back to the castle. The last thing Zelda saw before leaving was the shadows in the tomb, cast by the dying light from the flickering torches.

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“My Lord, the Hyrule Ball is tonight.”
“Yes, we shall strike tonight. We must capture her, not kill her. Do you understand?”
“Yes, My Lord. It shall be done.”
“Good. Now begone with ye! I have more important tasks to complete”.

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Zelda stood in front of the mirror and looked at herself critically. Although she was saddened by her Father’s sudden death, Zelda was not one who would brood on unhappy memories. Instead, she was focused on the Hyrule Ball. Although Zelda didn’t like balls, and would normally be angry, she was happy on this particular ball. She had invited Link to the party. Link could turn even the most dull, monotone event into a fun and fulfilling adventure. Plus, he was her friend, and wasn’t snobby like all those princes who wanted her hand in marriage.

“Zelda, dear, are you ready?”
“Zelda smiled. “Yes, Impa. Hold on a second, I’m coming.”

Zelda was wearing the same dress that she wore when she was captured by Ganon in the alternate timeline. It was elegant, royal, and very fine. It was Zelda’s favorite dress, even though it wasn’t very lucrative. Simple, sweet, and to the point. Zelda stepped outside her room.

Impa was waiting for Zelda, and Link was behind Impa, dressed in a Black tunic with a royal sash around his waist. His Golden Gauntlets were on, and he wasn’t wearing his trademark hat. “He looks different without his hat”, Zelda thought. “It makes him look cute, though”, she decided, grinning inwardly. Link’s hair was untidy and he had obviously tried to comb it down, however, his golden locks could not be tamed by a simple brush.

Zelda smiled at Link then Impa, who was wearing her usual: Mithril Chain mail, and her two customary daggers. However, Impa also had a bow in her hair, which clashed horribly with Impa’s other garments. Zelda noted Impa’s obvious displeasure about the bow; Impa was a bodyguard, not some fair damsel from an exotic country.

Link blushed slightly at the sight of Zelda. She was beautiful. He quickly tried to hide his blush. “You..er...look nice”, Link stated awkwardly. Zelda smiled at Link, sending chills down his spine. “You look good, too”, Zelda replied, smiling even more.

Link and Zelda were escorted down to the ballroom by Impa, who immediately took of her bow. Link scanned the ballroom with the trained precision of a veteran of many battles. He noted several rich looking princes and dukes, most having their eyes on Zelda. He also saw some ladies staring at him and giggling. Link shifted in discomfort. He hated it when people stared at him.

Zelda saw, with some amusement, that Link seemed paralyze with fear. He can liberate 6 temples filled with baddies, but still not be able to dance?
Taking his arm, Zelda led Link to the dance floor, just as a slow tune started up. Laughing Zelda put her hand on his waist and grabbed his other hand firmly with hers.

“Don’t worry, Link, dancing is a piece of cake! Ill dance with you”, Zelda whispered teasingly.
Link smiled. He felt a pleasant tingle when Zelda took his hands with hers. “Okay he said”, as Zelda started to dance. Link just revolved on the spot, letting Zelda do the complicated Waltz. He noted with amusement that the ladies seemed disappointed, and the men were looking at Link with intense dislike in their eyes. Why do they care so much if Zelda was dancing with a friend? But maybe…it went deeper than that? Was it more than just a friendship?

Link pondered these befuddling questions until the end of the dance, in which another prince hastily asked to have the next dance with Zelda. Zelda grimaced, but she accepted, knowing that if her father was still alive, he wouldn’t approve if she declined the dance.

Link felt a pang of jealousy watching them dance, but he quickly sated it with some food from the table. It was a delicious meal, and afterwards, he and Zelda danced more.

It was after the 5th dance that Zelda whispered “This is getting boring…let’s go into the courtyard.” Link grinned. “Okay”, he responded.

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A lone, dark figure, sat at the edge of the ball. He fingered the 2 knives in his pocket as he stared at the Princess dancing with a blonde haired boy. Master Ganondorf had told him to take her alive, not dead, but his patience was growing thin. He wasn’t about to commit a kidnapping when there was 30 people in the same room watching. Just when he was about to lose his temper and yell as loud as he could, he saw Princess Zelda and the blonde kid sneak into the courtyard together without anyone else noticing. The figure cautiously followed the couple, who was unaware that somebody was following them.

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Link and Zelda sat down on a bench, in a secluded corner of the courtyard. The bench was situated under a towering Willow tree, as its large, sweeping branches, hid the 2 inhabitants from view. Link was nervous; he was alone with Zelda, late in the evening. However, at the same time he also enjoyed it. Their position commanded a wide view of the courtyard; even at night the courtyard and the plants in it seemed to glow with magic.

“It sure is beautiful”, remarked Link, trying to make small talk.
Zelda smiled. “What’s beautiful?” she asked with a curious and innocent look on her face. Link’s hands started to sweat a little. “Um…” Link stammered. “Th-The flowers and trees are beautiful…” Link was blushing, but since it was dark Zelda couldn’t see it.

Zelda paused for a moment. “Is there anything else?” Zelda whispered into his ear in an almost seductive tone. Link blushed even more and his face grew hot. Link thought he was crazy for saying this, but before he could stop himself, he whispered hoarsely “You are”.

It was Zelda’s turn to blush, yet she felt immensely pleased; this was what she was hoping he would say. Without another word, Zelda’s face drew slowly toward Link’s, and their lips met in a passionate kiss. The world seemed to dissolve around them, and the kiss seemed to last an eternity. When it ended, Zelda wished it could have gone on longer. But as she pulled in for another kiss, a knife suddenly flew out of nowhere and slammed into the Willow tree, inches from Zelda’s face. Zelda shrieked and Link jumped up, scanning the darkness. A cold, cruel voice rang out of the gardens, but Link couldn’t identify where it was coming from.

“I think that’s enough, you two lovebirds.” What sounded like a coughing laugh followed the statement, and suddenly Link was thrown to the ground as some one kicked him hard in the chest. “Damn, I wish I brought my sword” Link thought, but now was the time for quick-action, not quick thinking. With his excellent reflexes, Link punched the offender squarely in the gut. “Eat that, bitch”, Link snarled. The attacker merely laughed and pulled out his other knife, as he attempted to stab Link through the throat…

Zelda watched in horror as Link was attacked by an unknown figure. After a moment of shock, she pulled herself together and began to cast a spell. After 6 seconds, she focused on the attacker just as he pulled out a second knife. Releasing the magical energy she had harnessed, Zelda heard the man scream in agonizing pain, but not before he had stabbed Link in the shoulder. Link yelled out, and pulled the knife free from his shoulder. “Link!” Zelda yelled. She ran toward him until the figure appeared right in front of her. “You aren’t going anywhere”, he sneered. “Master Ganondorf has some plans for you.”

With that, the kidnapper hit Zelda with something hard and metallic. The last thing Zelda heard before darkness overtook her was Link yelling “Zelda!!!”



Chapter 6: The Cult Of Darkness

Zelda woke up with a huge headache. She didn’t know where she was, but she was in a small room with a door and a bed. A horrible smell wafted into her nose, and she felt a throbbing pain on her head, reaching up with her right hand, she felt a huge bump on the top of her head. That’s when she remembered the ball, and the kidnapper hitting her on the head. At first she was sad, but then she remembered the kiss she shared with Link; that warmed her up and she became happy, even though she was in a dank, dismal dungeon that stank of rot. However, her happiness was short-lived.

“Aaah, your highness is awake”, said a cold voice, filled with sarcasm.
“What do you want with me? And where am I?” Zelda demanded, looking for the speaker.
“You are in the home of the Cult of Darkness, and we want you…” the voice paused for a moment, letting her to digest the words, “to return Ganondorf from the Sacred Realm.”

Zelda felt shock at his last words. They wanted her to return Ganondorf here? Were they mad? And how did they know Ganondorf was in the Sacred Realm? Only she, Link, and the Sages knew about the alternate timeline.

Zelda was shaking when she answered. “I will never help Ganondorf escape from the Sacred Realm. You can torture me all you want, but I will never help.”

“Aaah, but you will help us. It is not a choice Dear Princess, as you shall see soon enough.” With that, the voice went away, and left Zelda shivering in her new prison.

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Although under intense pain, Link had managed to follow the kidnapper unnoticed using Epona, after he picked up his sword and shield. It was hard, as every once in awhile the kidnapper would look to see if Link was pursuing him. Link had to be very careful to follow the kidnapper unnoticed. After about 2 hours of riding, the rider had brought Zelda to a hole in the ground. Taking one last careful look, the rider had gone into the hole. Link had waited for half an hour, then he went in. He had staunched the flow of blood, and wasn’t in much pain. When Link went in the hole, he was amazed. A small city of houses was built into the grotto. In the distance, he could see small, black figures, meeting at a giant stone block. Along the walls were carved runes, and pictures seeming to depict people being sacrificed. Link shivered. Would they sacrifice Zelda?

Link moved along quietly, remembering how Zelda had kissed him under the Willow tree. He was so preoccupied with his thoughts, he almost ran into some of the people dressed in black robes. Proceeding more carefully now, Link edged along the houses. It seemed most of the people were at the stone block. The stone block was about a mile away, and on a hillside covered with trees. Running up to a small tree and hiding behind it, Link proceeded up the hilltop unnoticed by hiding behind trees. Near the top, he had a perfect view of what the brown-robed people were saying and doing.

One of the black robed people, who Link suspected was the leader, began to speak.

“This meeting of the Cult of Darkness shall come to order!” the leader said.

So, they were cultists, huh?

At once, all the cultists stood at attention. The leader, after looking at their formation and being satisfied, began to speak.

“We are here to return the Great Lord Ganondorf from the Sacred Realm. Once he is back to Hyrule, the ancient prophecy shall be fulfilled.

At once, all the cultists started to murmur.

“From the ashes of defeat, the Dark Lord shall once again rise. King of Evil, he shall be resurrected by the blood of the Sage of Time, mingled with the blood of the Princess of Hyrule…The Evil King shall be destined with 2 fates: to defeat the Hero Of Time, or once again succumb to the powers of Time and Destiny. It is he alone who can change the Speed of Destiny, and release the evil that has been chained for so long…”


Link had heard enough. “King of Evil, he shall be resurrected by the blood of the Sage of Time, mingled with the blood of the Princess of Hyrule…” That meant they were trying to sacrifice Zelda! Link had enough. While the cultists continued to mutter the prophecy, Link left the hill in search of the prison holding Zelda.

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Zelda sat glumly on her bed in prison. She had waited in here for 2 hours, and she was getting very hungry. The whole castle was probably on alert, and Link’s face was probably plastered onto posters with the words: WANTED: For kidnap of Princess Zelda, 10000 Rupee Reward for bringing him in, alive or dead. Just great.

Suddenly, voices were heard. Zelda perked up. They were getting nearer. A high pitched voice squealed: “We must sacrifice her now! We need her to restore Ganondorf from the Sacred Realm!” This time, a deeper voice answered. “Silence! Fool! Do you know how delicate this stage of the operation is? He knows she is here! He knows! He might even be here right now!”

Zelda was confused. Were they talking about Link? Suddenly, the high pitched voice interrupted her thoughts. “B-But Master, I-“. The deep vice again. “Imbecile! Did I not tell you to be quiet? We must wait for Lord Ganondorf’s orders, lest this be all for nothing! If the Hyrulean Army finds out where we are, our heads are going to roll, literally!”

Again, the high-pitched voice spoke, and this time it seemed to be scared.

“Master! Look!”

Suddenly, the deep voice screamed in pain. “Aaaaaargh!.” There was a dull thump as if a body just hit the floor. Zelda wondered what in Nayru’s name was going on.

“Master!! Nooooo!! Wh-Wh-Who are you? Please don’t hurt me!! Please!!!”

Zelda recognized the next voice and was elated, for it was Link who spoke next.

“Where’s the Princess?” When silence followed, Zelda heard Link demand again, “Where’s the Princess?” With a gasp, the high pitched voice squealed: “In there, if I give you the key will you spare me?” Link didn’t answer. Suddenly, Zelda saw the door in front of her open, and in the light stood Link, sword and shield in hand. In the background was also a fat, balding man in brown robes, who was cowering in fear in the corner. His “Master” was lying in a pool of drying blood.

“Link!” Zelda said happily as she kissed him briefly on the lips.
“Let’s get out of here quick!” Link was already running down the passageway. Zelda followed him, but when they made it outside the prison, in their haste, they failed to notice two Cultists who were observing them at the very moment.

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Inside the Sacred Realm Ganondorf grew restless. His instinct told him that something was not right, and his instinct never lied. Channeling his power, Ganondorf spoke to the leader of the Cult through telepathy.

“Renald, is everything going according to plan? My instinct tells me something is wrong, and my instinct never lies.

“Lord Ganondorf, I assure you that nothing is amiss. You shall be resurrected in a matter of minutes. We only need to get the princess here.”

Something in Ganondorf’s mind clicked. The Princess!

“Renald, check on the Princess!”

“But, My Lor-…”
“Do it! NOW!” Ganondorf bellowed as loud as he could using telepathy.

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The Cult leader named Renald sighed. Renald was a man around his thirties, with black hair, a black, greasy mustache, and small, beady black eyes. He also had a black goatee, and wielded a huge, black sword, with some stains of red on it. He also wore a sacrificial dagger, with many gems encrusted in its golden hilt. While the other cultists were opening the rift to the Sacred Realm, or preparing the unholy potion, Renald signaled for one of his aides to check on the princess. Turning back to his mages, Renald saw that they had a giant, black rift with streaks of purple mixed in. All they needed to do was add the princess’s blood to the potion, throw the potion into the rift, and the Evil King Ganondorf would be restored. Then, Hyrule would succumb to the might of Ganondorf, and he, Renald, would become Ganondorf’s Lieutenant, wielder of unfathomable power and riches! Renald contented himself for a few minutes, imagining what he could have with all that power. Suddenly, his aide came back.

“Lord Renald!” The Aide was breathless. “The princess has escaped, along with a blonde man dressed in black.

Renald mulled this over in his head for a moment. Hakishish, the person is sent to kidnap Zelda, reported a blonde haired man in a black tunic. Maybe he was the Hero of Time? At this thought, Renald felt a pang of fear, but then pulled himself together.

“Send 20 people to stop them. Blockade the exit, and have the mages continue working on the rift. Spread the message!”

While his aide spread the message of the prison break, Renald put on some lightweight chain mail and prepared to fight. He wanted to see just how good the Hero of Time was.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...

“Uh-oh…looks like they’re positioning archers on the hill.” Link yelled, looking over his shoulder.

Zelda didn’t turn around to look. She was already going slowly enough in her party dress. “Link do you think we’ll make it in time?” Zelda asked.

“I sure hope so”, Link said. Suddenly, 3 soldiers with shields and wicked, curved scimitars leapt out from nowhere and attacked Link.

“Damnit!” Link said as he deflected their blows. Using his Mirror Shield, a treasure from the Spirit Temple, Link deflected their blows and retaliated with slashes from his own Gilded Sword.

Zelda watched as Link fought off the 3 cultists. Link had killed one, while he was working on the other one, Zelda let out a stream of energy that blasted the third soldier out of existence. Right after that, arrows whined by as the rangers on the hill began their attacks. Out of the corner of her eye, Zelda saw 20 other men fast approaching.

“Link we have to get out of here now!” Zelda screamed.

Link finally finished off the remaining enemy and they made a break for the exit. In front of them, Link saw 2 workers, frantically trying to blockade the exit.

“Oh no you don’t!” Link snarled, stabbing one in the back. The other worker, seeing his fallen comrade, retreated.

Helping Zelda over the barricade, Link didn’t notice Renald until Zelda yelled that someone was behind Link. Swiveling around quickly, Link managed to block the blow from Renald’s two handed sword before it chopped his head off.

Renald laughed. “Is that the best the Hero of Time can do?” He mocked.

Link grit his teeth and unleashed a wave of attacks on Renald, who blocked them all.

“For a leader of some mad cult, you aren’t half bad”, Link sneered.

Renald responded by unleashing a wave of attacks that Link parried easily with the Mirror Shield.

Zelda watched the battle the whole time. She was scared that Link would get wounded, but she had faith in him; he was the Hero of Time after all. Zelda was so engrossed in the battle that she didn’t notice the range hiding behind one of the houses until the arrows hit her on the shoulder. Zelda cried out in pain.

“Link!”

Link turned around. Seeing Zelda there, bleeding with an arrow in her shoulder, hurt him more than a dozen cuts from a sword. Blocking Renald’s attack, and ramming Renald in the face with the Mirror Shield, Link ran to Zelda, who already had the arrow out of her shoulder.

Link grabbed Zelda and they quickly found the exit out of the grotto. Helping Zelda onto Epona, Link got on, and they fled like the moon was about to crash into Hyrule.

“Thanks Link”, Zelda whispered as she clung tightly to him. She kissed him on the neck.

Link grinned from pleasure, and all the battle fatigue seemed to wash away in a second. “No problem, my pretty Princess”, he said teasingly. They rode Epona all the way back to Hyrule Castle Town, with Zelda clinging to Link tightly as she fell asleep.

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Renald was disbelieving. He outnumbered them 30 to 2 and they still managed to escape! Not only that, but they had killed 7 of his Elite Guards! Renald was furious. But at least he had the blood of the Princess. When the arrow hit her, blood dropped from her wound onto the ground. Extracting as much blood from the ground and arrow as possible, Renald dumped the small amount of blood into the potion. At last, Lord Ganondorf could be free! Renald began to mutter the incantation.

“The Flow of time cannot be changed; the vines of destiny cannot be untangled. The one with power for both shall be at our mercy, with their blood the Dark Lord will rise, therefore, the Speed of Destiny shall be changed forever…”

At the completion of the spell, the potion bubbled furiously. Renald took the bottle that the potion was in and threw it into the rift separating the Sacred Realm from Hyrule. At first nothing happened. Then, a giant pulsing began as the rift shuddered and small electric bolts shot from it. And from the center of the rift came deep, booming laughter…

Ganondorf, King of Evil, was once again free.


Chapter 7: The Onslaught Begins

Commander Jim Arkaynis sat at his desk and sighed, looking at the most recent reports.

“Stalfos attacks on settlements near Lon-Lon Ranch…Several Moblins seen carrying off 2 girls and 1 boy…whole village razed by group of moblins…entire company of Hyrulean Soldiers slaughtered by Moblins…riot in Castle Town, started by 6 people in brown robes...Stalfos attacks on 2 travelers…Mad Scrub ambush of a Shield Company on a routine patrol…

Frustrated, Commander Arkaynis swept all the papers off his desk and growled.

“It doesn’t make any damn sense! We haven’t seen Moblins, Stalfos, or Mad Scrubs in years! Why are they suddenly appearing now!?

Looking back at reports, Commander Arkaynis looked at the casualty numbers.

“234 Civilians (estimated) killed, 40 soldiers KIA, 103 soldiers are MIA, 452 Civilians have disappeared, 6 Shield Soldiers KIA, squad of Cavalry Archers on patrol are MIA, 3 towns have been razed, 5 captured by Moblins and Stalfos…”

Finished with the Casualty Report, Arkaynis read reports from his field scouts.

(Occupation Forces)
“47 Moblins (Estimated) occupying Hylian Town of Green Fields, 54 Stalfos (Estimated) occupying Hylian Town of White Peak, 32 Moblins (Estimated) occupying Hylian Town of Little Ridge, 60 Stalfos (Estimated) occupying Zora Trading Post at Lake Hylia, 34 Moblins (Estimated) occupying Great Bay Town in Termina.”

(Enemy Troop Movements)
“Moblins on Patrol near Zora River, Large group massing near Lon-Lon Ranch, Stalfos building siege equipment near Goron Town of Hard Stone, Mad Scrubs holding positions on ridges, cliffs, and hills…

Reading each report only made Commander Arkaynis angrier and angrier. When he finished the last report, he closed it with a snap and muttered under his breath, “It doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t make any damn sense! What will I tell High Command?”

Staring off into space, Commander Arkaynis was about to fall asleep when a sudden, brilliant thought crossed his mind.

“It’s crazy…and the general populace won’t want to believe it…” Commander Arkaynis muttered “But it’s the only way that makes sense.” Yawning, Commander Arkaynis wrote down a conclusion course and his recommendation of action. Handing the report to his aide, who immediately sped off to deliver the message to High Command, Commander Arkaynis sat back into his chair and fell to sleep.

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FLASHBACK-3 DAYS AGO
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Link sat nervously in his chair. The Hylian Court had him on trial for “abduction of the princess” and “intentional harm of the princess”. Zelda was his lawyer, arguing that it wasn’t Link who had hurt her, and that Link had saved her. She told everyone that the War Lord Ganondorf had re-appeared. In this timeline, Ganondorf was simply known as a warlord; however, since Link and Zelda had sealed him in the Sacred Realm in the alternate timeline, Ganondorf the warlord has simply disappeared. He was still known in the history books as Ganondorf the Warlord, but because of the events in the alternate timeline, he disappeared and was never able to become Evil King again. Or so the Sages thought. In truth, the barrier on the Sacred Realm appeared to be only temporary, and that eventually, Ganondorf would be able to get free.

Suddenly coming back from his thoughts about Ganondorf, Link noticed that the Jury left the room to discuss the outcome. Zelda sat down and gave Link a small peck on the cheek. “Don’t worry I’m sure you’ll be fine”, she said, although her face was white and Link could tell she was scared. What if they sentence me to death? Link suddenly thought. What if they torture me? What if it’s too late to stop Ganondorf?

As Link philosophized the answers in his hand, 20 minutes passed by. All the Sages were at his trial, as well as some Hylian Commanders and Generals. Although Link did not know it at the time, one of the commanders observing the trial was Commander Arkaynis. Unlike the others, Commander Arkaynis was interested in news that Ganondorf the War Lord had returned. It would explain all the sudden appearances of Moblins, Stalfos, and those Black-Robed people…


The Jury came back into the court room. The leader of them, a tall Zora with strong limbs and silver eyes, made the announcement. “We find Link guilty. He is to be placed under house arrest for the rest of his life. Princess Zelda shall also speak with a psychologist, just to make sure Link didn’t brainwash her.” At this, Zelda interrupted loudly, exclaiming that “I am not mad, and Link is innocent! As Princess Of Hyrule, I demand you free Link at once. Her guards had taken her away, and that was the last time Link had seen Zelda for 2 weeks.
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END OF FLASHBACK-BACK TO PRESENT
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General Leo McSell was reading Commander Arkaynis’s report with a frown on his battle-hardened face.

Field Message
To General McSell, Head of Army
From, Commander Arkaynis, Army Field Commander

Sir, I have reason to believe that the sudden appearance of Moblins, Stalfos, Mad Scrubs, and the ilk, are due to the return of Ganondorf the War Lord, just as Princess Zelda stated in her defense for the man named Link. Ganondorf is the only option as to why all the monsters have re-appeared. After all, Ganondorf the War Lord was known to employ fearsome beasts in battles. Although it sounds crazy, and the civilians and general populace won’t like it one bit, our only option is to prepare our forces for the onslaught and send out soldiers to re-capture the towns.

Sincerely,
Commander Arkaynis, Army Field Commander

P.S. I would like permission to enlist the man named Link in my army. If what Zelda said is true, Link should be an innocent man, and I’ll need all the help I can get.


General Leo McSelll re-read the entire message twice. Was Commander Arkaynis crazy? But at the same time while General McSell was thinking these thoughts, the logic part in his brain told him that Commander Arkaynis was right, this was the only option.

Not believing what he was about to do, General Leo McSell dipped his feather into some ink and began to write…

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Link stared outside his window, wearing a forlorn expression on his face. He was inside a special house provided by the Hyrule Monarchy, and he was under guard by ten guards at least every time of the day. At least they had been kind enough to let him keep his weapons and items. But the thing that they had denied Link was letting him see Zelda. He missed her so much…emerald eyes, flowing golden hair, and a mischievous smile with full, red lips…

The last he had heard of Zelda, she was being examined by a psychologist (The 5th one, as Zelda had slapped the others and said THEY were the nut cases), and she was to be crowned Queen in 1 week, since her father had died. At age 18, Zelda would be the youngest Queen ever to take the Hyrulian Throne, and at least with her in charge she would understand Ganondorf’s threat much more than those petty officials who had taken over temporarily for the 2 weeks following King Harkanian’s death.

Link was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn’t notice that someone was literally pounding on his door. Sighing, he got up and opened the door…

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General Arkaynis stood at the threshold of the doorway, looking crisp in his steel chain mail, purple plumed helmet, and steel tipped spear, accompanied by 4 Royal Guards. These were the best of the best; the elites of the Hyrulian Army; their skills were almost unmatched. When Link opened the door, he was surprised to see the young military commander standing at attention at his doorway with 4 royal guards. Link had heard about the Royal Guards. They only came if there was something really important. Link gulped. Were they about to execute him?

General Arkaynis gave Link a swift military salute. Eyeing the young, blonde man, General Arkaynis spoke in a firm voice to Link.

“I am General Arkaynis, Field Commander of all active Hyrulian troops. We believe that you have crucial information to the war effort, and the Hyrulian Military would appreciate it if you cooperate with us.”

Link’s head swam in confusion. War effort? Who were they at war with? Surely not Ganondorf?

Link replied after a moment of hesitation. “Glad to meet you General Arkaynis; how may I assist?” Link raised his eyebrows.

General Arkaynis paused for a moment. “Maybe we should go into your room”, he told Link. Link agreed, opening the door for him.

General Arkaynis signaled to his Guards and they left silently, flanking the doorway and corners of the hall. “These guys are real professionals”, Link thought.

Going to a chair, General Arkaynis motioned for Link to sit down, as if he owned the house. Pulling up a chair, Link sat.

“So what do you want with me?” Link asked.

“Read this, please”, General Arkaynis said as he pushed a paper toward Link, with the words “TOP SECRET-MILITARY ONLY” printed on the top.

Taking the paper, Link read it.

Message from General Leo McSell, Head of Army, to all Hyrulian forces.

Ganondorf the War Lord has returned. That is the only way that all these monsters are suddenly appearing. All forces are to be mobilized at once and ready for battle.

Special Notices:


Link is to be set free from his house arrest sentence.

Commander Jim Arkaynis is now Field Commander of all active and ungarrisoned Hylian troops. He is now promoted to Field General.


After those 2 notices, more followed, with a list of promotions and Troop movements. Link however, was more interested with General Arkaynis. He had told Link earlier that he’d be crucial to the war effort.

“Anything else you need from me, general?” Link asked.

General Arkaynis took a long breath and blinked.
“I need you to tell me everything about Ganondorf; from the strategies he uses, from the monsters he employs, his strengths and weaknesses, everything.

So, Link spent the next hour filling in General Arkaynis on everything he had requested. General Arkaynis listened intently, and Link was surprised that the General actually listened and agreed with Link. After all, most of the Hyrulian Generals were hotshots and simply thought Link was blowing off steam about Ganondorf’s return.

At the end of the discussion, General Arkaynis asked Link a few more questions, and then spoke.

“Link, I have talked to the Princess and she says that you are good with the sword, as well as an expert on fighting Ganondorf and his minions. I’ll need every man I can get, so I would appreciate it if you enlist with the Army.”

Link was startled. After a moment of silence, Link responded.

“Sure, where do I sign up?”

General Arkaynis smiled. “Right now, Captain”.
Although General Arkaynis knew that most new recruits started out as Privates, Link’s knowledge on Ganondorf’s tactics and strategies would only be an asset, wasted if he was forced to fight on the frontline.

General Arkaynis sat up. Extending his hand, his smiled at Link. “Good to meet you sir; meet at the drawbridge in 0600 hours; we will be departing to re-capture the town of White Peak from Ganondorf’s Stalfos.

Link shook General Arkaynis’s hand and smiled. “I’ll be there”, Link replied.

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Zelda was bored. She had nothing to do. They had finally released her from the psychologists, who weren’t really professionals. They were just old men with fancy diplomas claiming they can solve any psychological problems. Zelda was sitting in her courtyard, under the Willow tree that she and Link first kissed under. She missed Link, and hoped that General Arkaynis would get him out of house arrest soon.

Zelda lay down on the bench under the willow tree, deciding to take a nap. Right when she closed her eyes, she felt a pair of lips pressing on hers. Zelda’s eyes bolted open and she sat up, looking for who had kissed her. To her amazement, and happiness, it was Link!

“Link!” Zelda said as she hugged him and kissed him back. “I’m glad you’re back,” She said.

Link laughed, and said “Well it was General Arkaynis who got me out”.

Zelda smiled. “Sit down”, she offered.

Link sat down on the stone bench and said, in a more serious tone “I’ve joined the army as a Field Commander”.

Zelda bit her lip. Whenever Link was fighting she got nervous that something bad would happen to him. “Link are you sure…?” Zelda began.

Link only smiled. “Don’t worry, Zelda, I’ll be alright.” He said, as he ran his fingers through her smooth, golden hair.

Zelda smiled and rested her head on Link’s lap, and fell asleep.

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At 0500 hours Link was already up. He had his Gilded Sword and Mirror Shield strapped to his back, 4 bottles full of red potion, his Fairy Bow, and his arrows. Riding Epona to where the Army was mobilizing, Link met up with General Arkaynis, who he was now friends with.

General Arkaynis looked up from one of his Field Reports.
“Good to see you, Captain Link. You company is the 10th Cavalry, they’re located near the left flank.

“Thanks”, Link said, as he rode Epona to his Company.

Link’s company had 5 heavy chargers, knights wearing plate mail armor with lances, 2 scouts, and 5 mediums, wearing chain mail and swords.

They were all very nice to Link, and treated him as if they had known him for a long time. He had made friends with all of them, but he was mainly friends with Morris Penn, and Thomas Ganthos, both of whom were heavy chargers.

At 0600 hours, they got the order to move out. They were attempting to re-capture the town of White Peak from the Stalfos. They outnumbered Ganondorf’s forces 3 to 1, and morale was running high. As Link looked back at the small crowd around the drawbridge, he saw Zelda. He waved to her, and she blew him a kiss. Turning back to his squad, Link and the other members of the Hyrulian Army traveled another 2 hours before reaching the town of White Peak, which was very close to the Kokiri Forest…

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Chapter 8: The Fall of Castle Town

Link and his company, along with the rest of the Hyrulian Army, approached the Town of White Peak. It was a small town, nestled between some mountains, and the buildings there were made completely out of wood. The town didn’t even have a militia; so it was easy for Ganondorf to take control.

“All Soldiers, move in! Kill any monsters you see, and minimize civilian casualties!” General Arkaynis shouted.

“Yes Sir!” A chorus of voices from the soldiers responded.

A cluster of archers and siege engineers started to bombard the town with rocks and arrows. After 5 minutes of the bombardment, the Army moved into the town.

Running into the town, the Hyrulian frontline infantry became trapped as Stalfos closed in on all sides. Desperate to break out, the Infantry fought with the Stalfos, as the cavalry attacked the moblin support units.

Link watched the carnage in the battle. He was used to fighting of course, but he had never seen battles where hundreds of soldiers charged at each other and killed, only to gain a few small yards of ground. Link spurred Epona into a charge, and his Gilded Sword became bathed in red as he stabbed a moblin, straight through the stomach.

Two Stalfos stepped up to engage Link, and Epona whinnied in fright. Arrows whistled past Link’s pointy ears, most narrowly missing him. Swinging his sword up high, he struck down one Stalfos while blocking the attack from the other using his Mirror Shield.

In the middle of the Army Column, the Infantry broke into a panic. They had lost a good deal of men already and the Stalfos were closing in. The fact that they were animated skeletons with burning, red eyes didn’t help either.

Link watched as one swordsmen put up a futile attempt to destroy a Stalfos. He slashed away the Stalfos head, arms, and legs, but by the time he had killed the Stalfos he was already surrounded by more of them, who chopped him down quickly with their brutal, rusted metal swords.

Meanwhile, the Cavalry was having trouble fighting the Moblins. These Moblins were big, and wielded huge clubs that caused shockwaves by just hitting the ground. Using these to crush horses carrying the cavalry man, the moblins then began to brutally beat the fallen riders, as blood splattered their chests. Pulling out his fairy bow, Link quickly aimed and released an arrow at a moblin who was about to crush an unfortunate rider with his huge, lethal club. The arrow struck home in the Moblin’s eye, and as the moblin screamed in rage and pain the fallen rider got up and slashed the moblin repeatedly with his steel long sword.

General Arkaynis rode up to Link, who was fighting off 2 Stalfos while trying to control Epona at the same time.

“Little…bastards”, Link yelled as he cut down the 2 Stalfos quickly and efficiently.

General Arkaynis was having his own problems as he fought off a charging moblin. The moblin speared General Arkaynis’s horse right through the flank, ripping its flesh and sending blood all over Link, General Arkaynis, and the Moblin.

General Arkaynis fell, and the body of his fallen steed crushed him, trapping his legs under the weight of his horse. General Arkaynis struggled, but couldn’t get free. The moblin loomed over him, a lopsided grin on his bloodied face, and as the Moblin was about to jam his spear into Arkaynis’s throat, an arrow suddenly flew from nowhere and hit the moblin squarely in the chest. Screeching in pain, the Moblin stumbled as 2 more arrows became embedded in his face. The moblin fell down on his own spear that impaled him, and foul tasting blood drenched the face of General Arkaynis.

After helping the General out from under his horse, Link scanned the rest of the battlefield. The Infantry was almost completely wiped out, and corpses were piled on top of each other. The ground had turned from a dark brown to a blood red. Pleas for help could be heard from dying or wounded men, and the Cavalry Division was completely surrounded by moblins.

Suddenly, as if to save the day, the ranger battalion arrived, and let loose a volley of arrows that chopped down most of the moblins. With their flanks clear, the Cavalry charged into the Stalfos that were chopping down the Infantry like hogs in a slaughter house. The Cavalry began to trample and slash at the Stalfos, and Link could here Morris Penn yell at the Stalfos “Little Bastards! Eat cold steel!”

The banners of the Hyrulian Army were still fluttering proudly, guarded by 3 Cavalry members who were busy fighting 10 Stalfos. Charging in to help, Link struck down a Stalfos as the bones shattered from the impact of the Gilded Sword. Striking down another one, Link didn’t notice the Stalfos sneaking up on him until Epona whinnied and jump out of harm’s way to save her Master. Although Epona did save Link from having his head chopped off, his arm was hit by some jagged metal and it started to bleed freely.

Patting Epona, Link said “Good girl”, and started his attack run on the Stalfos that had injured him.

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2 hours later, the battle had ended. The Hyrulian Army emerged victorious, but it was not a glorious victory. Out of the 324 Hyrulian Soldiers sent to attack, only 165 made it out alive. Almost half pf the attack force was gone. Link looked around the battle field. Many of the houses were destroyed by the bombardment, and everywhere there were wounded men being attended to by medics with red potions in hand. Link drank one of his own red potions, and the wound on his arm healed instantly, as if someone was zipping it up like a jacket. Everyone in his company was alright, except that 1 scout, named John Timb, had died when a spear slugged him through the stomach, and two heavy chargers, one being Morris Penn, suffered light wounds.

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General Arkaynis ordered that the Hyrulian Army stay at the battlefield and rest for the night. It was already evening and all the men needed to rest and recover, for even though it technically was a victory, it felt more like a defeat. Only when they outnumbered Ganondorf’s forces 3 to 1 could they defeat him, and they lost many men and soldiers in the fight. Even though Link agreed with General Arkaynis that they should stop and rest for the night, he still had an odd feeling that something was not right…

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Ganondorf walked around in his new quarters, inside the Cultist City. Seven Long Years contained in the Sacred Realm, and finally he was free. He still couldn’t believe it, but here he was. Ganondorf had flaming orange hair, dark, black, plate mail and leg armor, and a medium sized sword, ornately decorated with gems and patterns, and his most valuable weapon; the Triforce of Power. At the moment, Ganondorf was waiting for one of his scouts, who were spying on the Hyrulian Army’s advance to the town of White Peak. A knock came on Ganondorf’s door.

“Come in”, Ganondorf said in a growling voice that sounded more like a bear.

“The scout came in. His face was white and pale. “He’s probably scared of me”, Ganondorf thought, amused. “Well?” Ganondorf spat. “What are their movements?”

The scout visibly trembled but told Ganondorf. “Sir, they have reached White Peak and are resting for the night.

Ganondorf smirked. They had taken his bait perfectly. “We strike tonight”, he said triumphantly. Tell General Renald to organize the troops and have them march to Castle Town. Their orders are to burn everything and spare no one. Blockade the city so Queen Zelda can’t escape. The scout scurried away, eager to escape from Ganondorf. Ganondorf watched him for a moment, then gathered his weapons and armor.

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Private Matthew Jones sat on top of the left watch tower, situated just behind the west gate. He yawned. It was midnight, and his shift was over. He was just waiting for his replacement to get up here and relieve him. He yawned again and shifted his head. Suddenly, he noticed a speck of bright light coming from the west. Then 2 more lights. 5 more…10…
Private Jones gasped. An entire army of lights was marching toward Castle Town. And they were torches, carried by Ganondorf’s Moblins! Even from this distance the Private could see their ugly, disfigured faces. Private Jones knew terrible stories about the moblins, who were Ganondorf’s frontline soldiers. They would torture a man by tearing his guts out and ate them right in front of the screaming man. Private Jones reached for the alarm bell…

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Queen Zelda awoke from her sleep with a start. She had been dreaming about Link, and her first thought was if he was alive or not. Then Zelda realized the alarm bell was ringing. Surely Ganondorf wouldn’t attack so soon…?

Suddenly, Zelda’s door burst open, and there stood Impa, flanked by 8 Royal Guards. Impa’s face was stern and anxious. “Zelda…” Impa began.

Zelda blinked. “It’s Ganondorf, isn’t it?” She said in a whisper, afraid it was true.

Impa bowed her head. “We must get out of here. Ganondorf will kill you if he finds you. Let’s go!”

Zelda followed Impa and the guards to the stables where they mounted their horses. Galloping across the drawbridge, Zelda realized that she was scared.

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The bell was ringing. Private Jones yelled out as loud as he could. “All soldiers man the battlements! Moblins spotted with siege weapons! Man the battlements!” Private Jones pulled out a bow and some arrows and started to fire at the torches. He saw a moblin carrying a torch stumble with an arrow imbedded into his face. Private Jones was scared. He was a new recruit, no battle experience at all. He could already feel his heart dropping and his hands were sweating profusely. “Damnit, there’s so many of them”, he thought to himself. “We’ll never defeat them”.

The moblins had gotten closer to the Castle Town walls now. More Archers were on the battlements, firing lethal volleys of arrows at the moblins. Line after line of moblins fell, but the whole field seemed to be swarming with them. The moblins returned fire with crossbows, firing crude, heavy metal bolts. Out of the corner of his eye Jones saw some fellow archers scream and fall off the battlements. The Moblins were so close to the battlements, Jones could actually hear them jeering at the defenders. Reaching back into his quiver for another arrows, Jones realized he was out of ammo…

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General McSell was already on his white bay stallion, rallying his troops against the coming tide. “Hold positions! Hold positions!” He shouted repeatedly. Archers were on the wall, firing down at the moblins, while some soldiers braced themselves against the gates, trying to prevent the siege weapons from breaking through. General McSell was about to shout a war cry, when he heard something that terrified him more than anything else he had ever heard or seen in his 23 years of service to the Hyrulean Army. It was a deep, booming gong noise, and as it rang out the gates bulged suddenly. “Goddesses, they’re trying to ram the gate down”, General McSell thought in horror. “At this rate they’ll be swarming Castle Town in minutes”, he muttered. Already, Civilians were outside of their homes, wondering why soldiers were running to their battle stations. The children weren’t saying anything, just staring at the battlements and listening to the screams of fallen soldiers. HIS soldiers, McSell realized. The woman were crying and screaming, and the men were finding any weapons they could, with grim expressions on their face. Suddenly, flaming arcs lit the sky as the catapults and trebuchets in Ganondorf’s army started their attack. Smashing into houses and buildings, and sometimes humans, the ordnance from the Catapults and trebuchets tore away at Castle Town. General McSell was brought back to reality as a second booming noise sounded, and the gate bulged even more. McSell knew his time was almost up. Gathering his soldiers, he prepared them for possibly their last battle.

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Zelda and her Elite Guard was passing the Temple of Time when Zelda yelled to them “Stop!” Bewildered by their Queen’s sudden order, the Elite Guard watched as Zelda dismounted and ran into the Temple of Time. Walking into the temple, Zelda commanded the temple. “I, The Sage of Time, require entrance to the lair of the Master Sword! Let me pass!” The Door of Time grated open, allowing Zelda into the next room. The Master Sword sat alone in the pedestal of time, waiting to be claimed. Grabbing the sword, Zelda ran out of the room. Closing the Door of Time, Zelda ran back outside and mounted her horse, clutching the Master Sword. “If the Master Sword falls into Ganondorf’s hands, our only chance of defeating him will be gone forever.” She explained to her Guard. They nodded as if they understood, and riding to a secret passage that connected Hyrule to Kakariko Village, Queen Zelda made her escape from Castle Town, from the people she loved. “I will have my revenge one day Ganondorf”, Zelda thought bitterly. “I swear it”.

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General McSell rallied his troops and gathered them in a tight line. He would try to protect his country, his home, even if it cost him his life. He had around 4000 soldiers in Castle Town. The bulk of the Hyrulean Army was spread out, leading assaults on towns captured by Ganondorf. The booming noise came again. This time the gate didn’t hold. Busting open, it sent splinters of wood and timber flying everywhere. And before the smoke had even cleared, Moblins rushed in, trying to fill their desire for blood.

“Army of Hyrule! Do your duty for your country and your Queen!” General McSell shouted.

Shouts and Yells rang through the line. “For the Queen and Country of Hyrule!”

Soldiers in the front line positioned their shields in front of them, ready to deflect the Moblins first attack. They would be the first to die.

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Sergeant Alfred Endurez was in the front line. As the leader of the first line, he would be the leader of his men, their spark of hope in a dreary future. Seeing the moblins charging at their line, spears already glistening with blood, Alfred yelled to his troops.

“Brace yourselves!” He managed to yell before the Moblins hit them like a tidal wave.
For the most part, the spears the moblins carried were deflected off shields and shattered; this gave the soldiers the perfect chance to attack their unarmed foes. Alfred stabbed an unarmed Moblin with his sword. “Bitch! That’ll teach you to mess with Hyrule!” Alfred screamed. He didn’t care anymore if he died or not. He already knew he was going to die. He just wanted to take as many moblins down as he could before going to the Realm of the Goddesses. Screaming a war cry, Alfred struck down another moblin, severing the head off clean. Blood splattered on Alfred’s shiny chain mail, but he didn’t care. Going into a fury that none of the soldiers would ever think their Sergeant was capable of, Alfred screamed and slashed at a moblin, just as two spears punctured his chain mail, rupturing his heart and killing him almost instantly.

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After their Sergeant died, the soldiers began to lose morale. Although they managed to push back the moblins, there were too many of them. Eventually, the whole first line of Hylian Soldiers fell, and the second line stepped up to take their place.

General McSell was screaming orders like a madman . “Don’t let them flank you! Use your shields! Large group of Moblins coming in from the east!” However, no matter how hard General McSell tried, he just couldn’t hold off the endless tide of moblins. Desperate, General McSell did the one thing that he had never done before. He ordered a retreat.
“Second Line, hold the moblins off! Third and fourth lines, retreat to the castle!” General McSell yelled. He knew he had just left the second line in certain doom, but it was the only way to buy some more time. Spurring his horse back towards the castle, General McSell didn’t even dare to look back at his home, which was now smoldering and destroyed, a shadow of its former glory.

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Captain Grant Tobias was leader of second wave. He intended to make sure that he gave the General enough time to garrison the castle. He hoped against hope that Castle Town would some how manage to push back the attack. Bu he knew they couldn’t. Wave after wave of moblins crashed into the second line. Each wave weakened the second line. The second Line had 1,000 men in the beginning. Now, it was reduced to 300.

The second line was too weak to form a line. Now, the men were tightly bunched up, shields surrounding their heads, a desperate defense for desperate defenders. The moblins surrounded them, growling, sneering, blood dripping from their mouths, sometimes even an object that looked disturbingly like human flesh could be seen hanging from their mouths.

Captain Tobias braced himself. This was it. He wanted to yell to his men, to tell them to fight for Hyrule and the Queen, but something stopped his message dead in its track. Paralyzed with fear, Captain Tobias found himself staring at The War Lord Ganondorf, looking cruelly at him like he was some side show freak. With a huge grin, Ganondorf grabbed Captain Tobias before he could move. Choking the man’s throat until blood gurgled from his mouth, Ganondorf laughed cruelly until poor Captain Tobias was dead. Throwing the mangled body to some Moblins, who jumped on it, tearing flesh everywhere, Ganondorf strode forward. There were more important things to do.

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Ganondorf strode toward the Temple of Time. On the way, he noted with amusement the pitiful resistance the Hylians were putting up. It was entertaining, but Ganondorf had another bone to pick. Walking into the Temple of Time, he summoned a ball of magical energy. Repeatedly hurling it at the temple, he weakened the barrier created by the sages. With a sudden roar, Ganondorf shot his hand upward and the Door of Time exploded. Walking into the next room, Ganondorf was angered to see the Master Sword was already gone. Queen Zelda must have taken it.“Damn them! Damn them all!” Yelled Ganondorf. If he got his hands on the Master Sword, he could’ve destroyed it and then he would be invincible. But no matter. Smiling cruelly, Ganondorf walked out of the
Temple. If he couldn’t have the Sword, or the Queen, Ganondorf would have Hyrule.

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General McSell and the remaining 1957 troops entered the Castle. Manning the keeps and walls, his army stood ready and grim, waiting for the hammer to fall. They didn’t have long to wait. Before long, Moblins were running up the narrow valley towards the castle, screaming, jeering, and triumphant at their victory in Castle Town. The Archers on the walls pulled back their bowstrings, and the whistle of hundreds of arrows could be heard as they streaked toward the moblins. Many moblins fell, but they just kept coming. General McSell was amazed that Ganondorf could get so many soldiers. How was it possible? Before he could think of an answer, he realized with horror that the Moblins were scaling the walls with grappling hooks. The soldiers tried to throw the grappling hooks back down, but they were covered in some acidic liquid that burned when touched. Even the Castle wasn’t a safe haven anymore.

The soldiers on the walls screamed in horror as moblins jumped up from the grappling hooks, swinging clubs, stabbing with spears, or just biting and tearing a man in half with their sharp, yellow teeth that were bigger than a man’s elbow. In what seemed like no time flat, the moblins had breached the upper walls and were inside the castle, McSell realized in horror. The moblins were looting and burning paintings, rooms, and disfiguring dead soldier’s bodies. McSell was horrified. He tried to muster a defense, but there were too few soldiers. Most had been slaughtered up on the walls. Gathered in the grand ball room, the last 100 soldiers with General McSell barred the doors and prayed to the Goddesses that they would die a painless death.

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Ganondorf was inside the castle now. As soon as they cleared out the survivors, he would need to resurrect his Citadel of Evil again, floating over a lava pit. As Ganondorf approached the Ballroom, a moblin came up to him.

“Lord Ganondorf, we have the last survivors trapped inside”, the moblin said in a rough voice.

Ganondorf smiled. Summoning an electrical fireball, he blasted open the doors to the ball room. Immediately, 20 soldiers rushed him. With a simple wave of his hand, they all flew back, their heads smashed as they hit the wall at 5 miles per hour. Ganondorf grinned at the other soldiers, as if daring them to attack. One soldier, decorated in elaborate plate mail and a purple cape, came up to Ganondorf, with 10 Royal Guards. Ganondorf smiled as he recognized General McSell. Before the General even had a chance to strike Ganondorf, Ganondorf drew out his sword and threw it straight into the General’s helmet. It pierced the metal easily as a gurgled scream filled the air, and blood started to drip from the helmet’s visor. At this, Ganondorf stated: “You all bore me”, and with a sweep of his hands, all the soldiers in the room, including his own moblins, screamed in agonizing pain, their faces became warped, as their necks twisted slowly around and the bones began to shatter…


Chapter 9: The Resistance

General Arkaynis and his army woke up at 0600 hours. Packing their gear into bags and lifting them onto horses, the Hyrulean Advance Strike Force moved from the town of White Peak back to Castle Town. It took 2 hours to move from the cliffs of White Peak back to Hyrule Field.

Link was in the front row of the army, while his Company was in the back. Link had been talking to General Arkaynis, about the feeling he had last night that something was not quite right.

“It’s probably just stress”, General Arkaynis reasoned. “Battle fatigue, that’s all.”

Link was still tense and worried though. He wanted to get back to Castle Town and see how Zelda was doing. Being a Queen had a lot more responsibilities than a Princess, and after all, Zelda was only 18.

Climbing a hill, Epona suddenly whinnied and stopped. Link had no idea why; however, he soon realized that the smoke rising in the distance came from the direction of Castle Town.

“Dear Goddesses”, Link muttered. Spurring Epona to go faster, Link reached the bottom of the hill, and soon realized his fears were correct; Castle Town had been reduced to mere rubble. Even from this distance, Link could see the fires and smoke still burning.

The once proud and regal walls defending Castle Town had fallen, shattered into blocks of steel. The left Guard Tower was destroyed, while the right had smoke pouring out of its sides. Link could see the houses inside Castle Town. They were broken and destroyed, warped from the heat of the fire. By now, the rest of the army had caught up with Link. As if not believing their eyes, all the chatter stopped, and only the snorting of the horses could be heard. One of the men started to weep. Link couldn’t blame him. He wanted to charge in there and defeat every single one of Ganondorf’s monsters until he found Zelda. His eyes started to water. What happened to Zelda? For the first time in 5 years, Link begun to cry. He wept for those souls who had died in vain to save their country, for the civilians that were caught in the crossfire, and for his love, his queen, his Zelda. Link’s only glimmer of hope was that Zelda somehow managed to escape. But what about the Master Sword? Link suddenly thought. If Ganondorf got his hands on the master sword and destroyed it…there would be no way to defeat Ganondorf!

“Link. Link. Link!” General Arkaynis said, punching Link lightly on the arm. “You okay?”

“Link pondered the question. “Not really”, he said. “But I guess there isn’t much we can do”, Link said with a resigned sigh.

General Arkaynis seemed to sense Link’s sadness. “Come on, lets go to Death Mountain”, General Arkaynis said.

Link looked up, his eyes bright with tears. “Why are we going there?” He asked.

General Arkaynis responded. “Death Mountain is our fall-back position. In case a situation like this happened and left the Hyrulean Army crippled, our fall-back position and fortress is in Death Mountain.

Link processed the thought. Than he remembered one day 4 years ago. He and Zelda had been playing near an abandoned house in the back alleys of Castle Town…

Spotting a hole big enough for three people to fit snugly inside, Link walked up to it.
“Hey Zelda, what’s that?”

Zelda walked up to Link and stared at the hole.
“Oh! It’s a secret passageway” Zelda replied, climbing in.

Link climbed in after her.
“Really? Where does it go?

Zelda thought for a moment. Impa had told her once. She had said it was for emergencies only.
“To Kakariko Village”, Zelda replied.

Zelda and Link traveled in the secret passageway for ten minutes and emerged in Kakariko Village, near the Potion Shop. Then, they had played with the cuckoos until dusk, when they traveled back to Castle Town…

Link pondered these thoughts. Zelda had told him that no one but she and Impa knew the secret passageway. Could Zelda have possible escaped?

The Hyrulian Army was moving now, toward Kakariko Village. Link prayed to the Goddesses that Zelda was alright.

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After riding all night long, Zelda, Impa, and the Royal Guards had made it to Goron City. There, they had filled in Darunia about the attack on Castle Town, and Darunia had listened gravely.

“The Gorons shall help the Hylians”, Darunia said, “But I am unsure if we can hold off Ganondorf for long. If Castle Town fell to Ganondorf, than certainly Goron City will too.”

Darunia had talked with Impa and Zelda about battle plans, and afterwards they were shown separate rooms to sleep in. Zelda hoped to create an effective resistance against Ganondorf; Hylians, Gorons, Zoras, even Kokiri. At the thought of the Kokiri, Zelda remembered Link. She wondered how he was doing; a part of her felt empty without him by her side. Zelda turned to the small fire in the fireplace and let the warmth dance around on her face and arms, wishing it was Link’s body heat warming her instead.
Closing her eyes, Zelda fell asleep on the Goron made bed, which was surprisingly soft, considering it was made by a race who ate rocks and slept on mountains.

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The Hyrulean Army marched into Kakariko Village wearily in the night. They were given a hero’s welcome by the villagers. Any news of a victory, not matter the losses, improved the morale of civilians. But for the battle hardened veterans, the so called “Victory at White Peak” was more of a defeat, and lowered morale severely. Moving up onto Death Mountain, they spent the next few hours urging their horses and feet up the trail, and at midnight they managed to reach Goron City.

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Zelda woke up the next day, feeling terrible as she remembered the downfall of Castle Town. Leaving her room to find Impa, Zelda was surprised to see many Hylians moving about Goron City. Stopping one of them, she found out that the remnants of the Hyrulean Army force sent out to capture White Peak had arrived in the city at midnight. Zelda realized that Link was in that group, and set about Goron City looking for him. After an hour of searching, Zelda couldn’t find Link anywhere. Her stomach dropped. Had something happened to him? Going back into her room, Zelda’s mind was bombarded with these questions, anxious to know of Link’s fate. However, Zelda’s fears were alleviated when she saw a figure in a green tunic sleeping on her bed, sword and shield still strapped onto his back. Zelda quietly walked over to Link’s sleeping figure and watched as his chest went up and down as he breathed. Zelda’s fears and tensions all seemed to evaporate as she gently caressed his cheek. Link stirred and woke up, but stayed on the bed.

Opening his eyes sleepily, Link looked at Zelda smiled. “Hey”, he said to her, stretching his arms a little.

Zelda smiled and kissed him on the lips. “How did the battle at White Peak go?”

Link happiness dissolved in an instant. He thought for a moment and scowled. “Horrible”, he remarked. “We lost about half our force, and only defeated about 100 enemy forces. And, the moblins had already killed all the civilians when we got there”, Link said dejectedly, running his hands through his dirty blonde hair.

Zelda bit her lip. This bad news lowered her morale even more.

“Link?” Zelda asked. “Do you think if we made a resistance, would it be able to effectively combat Ganondorf and eventually reclaim Hyrule?”

Link mused over it. “Hmm..” Link thought. “It depends on how many we have, their skills and amounts of training, and supplies and food.”

Zelda thought for a moment. “We should send envoys to the Zoras. And if you can Link, you should travel to Termina and request their assistance as well.”

Link remained silent. He hadn’t thought about Termina. The Hylians there had an army of 3,000. However, if the Gorons and Zoras there were willing to help…

“We could give it a shot”, Link said. “Any little bit will help. And according to our scouts, Ganondorf lost around 10,000 of his soldiers at Hyrule Castle Town. His army is probably down to 10,000-20,000 troops.”

Zelda brightened and quickly did the math. “Well, there are 150 Hylians here, 4,000 Goron soldiers…” Zelda thought about some rough estimates. “The Zoras maybe have around 5,000 soldiers they’d be willing to spare…” Zelda looked at Link now. “How many soldiers do you think Termina could spare?”

Link’s brain was buzzing, as for the first time, he thought they may actually have some hope. Hmmm…well the Hylian Militia there has maybe 3,000 soldiers, while the Zoras and Gorons combined may lend us 3,000-5,000 soldiers. But, it may be tough to convince them to join us. They have little or no idea who Ganondorf even is!” After a moment of silence, Link added “But if we can get maximum amounts of soldiers from each side…that’s 15,000-17,000 troops.”

Zelda beamed, as a ray of light seemed to pierce her darkened mind. “It’s decided then”, She declared. We’ll tell the Sages and soldiers about our plan, and send diplomats to the Zoras. And you can travel to Termina and recruit help there.”

Link thought it over. If all went well, they’d have some serious firepower to combat Ganondorf. Plus, the powers that the Sages wielded were nothing to laugh at. And Link still had his masks…

Link shivered at the thought of the Fierce Diety’s mask. It was even stronger than Majora’s Mask. When Link had used the Fierce Diety’s Mask against Majora, it allowed him to defeat Majora’s Mask with incredible ease. However, at the end of the battle, it seemed that darkness invaded his mind. Memories of terrible moments filled with terror had swamped Link’s brain, and he thought he had heard a taunting voice deep within the background, daring Link to embrace his Dark Self. Link shuddered, and Zelda noticed it.

“What’s wrong?” She asked, putting her slender hands around his body and hugging him.

“It…It’s nothing”, Link said.

“If you say so.” Zelda still sounded unsure. “I’ll talk to the Sages about our plan. You get some sleep.” Kissing Link softly, she got up and closed the door. Link flopped onto his bed, remembering terrible things that he had encountered while wearing the Fierce Diety’s Mask.

Dark lighting and rolling thunder…stormy clouds…an image of a child crying in the corner…a giant, gelatinous tube that reeked of rotten flesh…an unknown fear, stalking him and sucking the life out of him like the wind snuffs out a candlelight…a giant moon, its horrible, leering face taunting him…a mask with horns on it, staring at him so intensely he could feel the evil radiating from it…

Link continued to have dreams of the horrors he had encountered in the mask. And there was still the unknown voice that taunted him, like a specter of the dark, as if saying “Come back to me…embrace your evils…turn to me…” Link shuddered in his sleep and groaned, groping for an imaginary sword and shield, trying to protect him from the creeping darkness…

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Nabooru listened intently as Zelda spoke about her plan of action against battling Ganondorf. It sounded pretty good, and Nabooru was pretty sure that she could also get the Gerudo to join the fight. After about a half hour of talking, Zelda finished.

“Any questions?” She asked, as if talking to some children in a classroom.

Nabooru raised her hand, feeling childish as she did. “Ganondorf will most likely not meet us in head to head combat unless he is sure he can be victorious. If we arrange this coalition, we must hide our true numbers from him and wage a guerrilla war until the time is right. Also, we should contact Malon at Lon-Lon ranch. She will have many horses available for the war effort, and cows for meat and milk.”

Zelda nodded in agreement. “Could point”, Zelda said. Nabooru knew that the Sage of Time had wisdom beyond her years; not all 18-year olds can manage a resistance force effectively. At the present moment, Saria had raised her hand.

“How will we get food to feed the army, and supplies to arm it?”

Zelda thought hard. She had totally forgotten about that part. “Well…” Zelda replied slowly. “For the weapons part, the Hylian Army is already well equipped. The Zoras have their razor sharp fins, and the Gorons can roll, pound, and crush. And the Gerudos
Are all armed with scimitars and halberds, right Nabooru?”

Nabooru nodded her head, arms crossed on her chest.

“That only leaves the food part”, Zelda thought.

Zelda began to speak. “The Gorons can harvest rock from Dodongo’s Cavern themselves, right Darunia?”

Darunia nodded and spoke. “We already have a surplus of 10,000 rocks”, he said proudly.

Zelda nodded. “The Zoras have many fish, as well as the ones from Great Bay in Termina.”

Ruto spoke up now “Yes, we do have a large amount of fish, but only enough to feed our army for a few weeks. We would be alright with the resources from Great Bay, but it is still undecided if they will join us.”

Zelda nodded her head. “I’m sure they’ll help us; after all Link saved them all from total destruction.” Now, all that was left is the food for the Hylians. If both the Zoras and Hylians shared fish, the supplies would run out very quickly. However, it was their only option until they found another way. Zelda spoke up again. “It looks like the Hylians and Zoras will have to share fish for the time being.”

Food will be stretched thin until we can find an alternate source of food for the Hylians”, Rauru spoke up.

At that point a debate started to rage across the room. Where would they find more food to support the Hylians? Impa, who hadn’t spoken once during the planning, suddenly yelled out.

“Quiet! We’ll need to collect food from Towns and Settlements still under our control. That should bring in quite a bit of food, as most Towns are farming communities with plenty of surplus food.”

Zelda beamed at Impa. “Thank you. How much food do you think we can pull from them?”

Impa thought a moment. Well, there are around 300 small towns all over Hyrule. About seventy-five percent of them are Farming or fishing communities. So, I think we should get enough for at least 5-6 months.

Zelda thought. “Okay, Ruto, you tell your people about our plan of action. Darunia and the Gorons already know about this. Impa, organize the 150 soldiers we have here. Have them move out and collect food from the towns in Hyrule. Get the citizens of Kakariko to help too; I’m sure they’d do anything for you Impa”, Zelda added with a sly grin. “I’ve already asked Link to travel to Termina, so I believe that’s it.”

All the Sages nodded in agreement. Simultaneously, balls of blue, green, and tan formed and disappeared. Rauru, Impa, Darunia, and Zelda remained here. Leaving, Rauru and Darunia retired to their rooms. Impa was about to leave, when Zelda called her back.

“Impa? Get your race to help us too. I’m sure they’ll make excellent scouts and spies against Ganondorf.”

Impa grinned. She had almost forgotten the Shiekahs. “Yes, your Highness”, Impa said good-naturedly as she went to her room.

Zelda smiled. For the first time in the past two miserable days, Zelda thought that things were actually going right.

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Zelda walked back to the room she and Link shared. Link was groaning and turning in his bed, and sweat beaded his forehead. Zelda faintly heard him mutter “No...no…get away…” Then Link turned around again and punched an invisible foe. Zelda was worried about Link. Walking over to the bed, she gently placed her hand on his forehead and wiped away the sweat and kissed him on the lips. At once, as if something had just saved the day and washed away the darkness, Link stopped muttering and punching the air. His frown became a smile, and his breathing returned to normal. Zelda gently laid her head down on his chest, and as she nodded off she heard Link mutter her name happily. “Zelda…”

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Six days had passed since Zelda had offered her plan. Ruto reported that the Zoras had agreed, and were already busy training their army and fishing. Nabooru had also managed to convince 500 Gerudos to join the fight, and she had a large surplus of rice and vegetables for her army. The soldiers that Zelda had sent out to collect food had already collected a large amount, and spies of the Shiekahs reported that Ganondorf was busy building a fortress, instead of moving on the offensive. Everything was going perfectly. Morale had increased, and the people of Kakariko manufactured weapons, armor, and wooden siege weapons tirelessly each day. Already, giant barricades and guard towers loomed over the entrance to Kakariko Village, with trained Archers manning them day and night. There were always patrols up and down Death Mountain Valley Trail, and every day civilians drilled, their thirst for revenge driving them more than anything else. Everyone joined, the men, woman, and even children.

Realizing these might be their last few weeks or months together, Zelda and Link spent as much time together as possible when they weren’t busy with their duties. Link was leaving in two days, and Zelda wanted to spend as much time as possible with Link. She had temporarily given control to General Arkaynis, who was doing very well. She could tell the soldiers trusted their General more than their Queen, but Zelda didn’t really care. In battle, it was best to leave the experienced people in charge.


Zelda and Link were sitting on the cliff at the top of Death Mountain. The Big Goron workshop had long since moved out, so Link and Zelda had their privacy. At the moment, they were busy passionately kissing each other, after eating lunch and talking about battle plans for the resistance. Zelda’s mouth was open, granting Link’s tongue access inside of her mouth. Zelda’s eyes were closed, enjoying the feeling as Link softly caressed her sides, his mouth never leaving hers. Zelda moaned slightly in pleasure and dug her fingernails into Link’s back.

“Link…” Zelda whispered softly into his ear.

This only drove Link on, as his kisses intensified and his hands moved higher up Zelda’s beautiful and slender body.

A sudden chuckle startled Link and Zelda. Pulling away from Link, Zelda was enraged to see Impa standing there, trying not to die from laughter.

“IMPA!!!!” Zelda bellowed, her face red with anger and embarrassment. Link stood awkwardly in the background. He was still fairly shy of Impa, even after knowing her for seven years.

Impa laughed at the look on Zelda’s face, tears of mirth streaming down her face. Her little Zelda was growing up. Remembering why she was here, Impa cleared her mind of any thoughts of what Link and Zelda were doing up here by themselves, and cleared her throat. Speaking with urgency, Impa began to talk.

“Sorry for interrupting, but I have some rather serious news.” Impa said gravely.

Zelda’s anger disappeared as she saw the look on Impa’s face. “What is it?” Zelda asked, her voice full of anxiety.

Impa looked disheartened at her next piece of information. “The Zoras were attacked today by a group of Moblins. Although they managed to defend themselves, the Zoras lost around 2,500 soldiers in the battle, and they lost a great deal of food when the Moblins located their supply stash and lit it on fire.”

Zelda’s face drained. “How many moblins were killed?” Zelda asked.

Impa thought a moment. “Around 1,400. Also, the Shiekah spies report that Ganondorf has hired 5,000 mercenaries, and has already set 27 Towns and Communities aflame.

Zelda looked at Impa in horror.

Impa continued to go on. Trying to cheer up the Queen, Impa told Zelda some good news. “A group of freedom fighters we had not known about before have joined our cause. They number around 2,000 strong, and were responsible for ambushing Ganondorf’s forces as they crossed the plains, trying to reach Lon-Lon Ranch. Also, several Hyrulean Army Divisions, sent out to re-capture towns taken by Ganondorf before the fall of Castle Town, have reported to Death Mountain and are awaiting orders. They are around 3,000 soldiers strong, although about 2,340 of them are injured.”

Zelda thought for a moment. “Ask Ruto how the Zora Army is holding up, and transmit this news to the Sages. Also, have some lumberjacks from Kakariko travel up Zora’s River and build a small fort guarding the water bank for the Zoras to garrison some defense troops in. Have the newly arrived soldiers report to General Arkaynis for orders.” Zelda stopped, thinking a little. Something in her head clicked. “Has Malon arrived yet? Is there any news from Lon-Lon ranch?” Zelda asked.

Impa replied quickly. “Yes, Malon has arrived safely, bringing 200 horses and 400 cows. She is currently being escorted from the ranch to Death Mountain by 3,000 soldiers.”

Zelda sat down. Although the attack on the Zoras was disheartening, at least they had gotten some reinforcements, food, and steeds. Zelda thought that it wasn’t as bad as it couldn’t have been.

“Okay Impa, thank you for the information. Go and inform the Sages, please.” Zelda said.

Impa nodded her head and transformed into a purple ball of light. As the light disappeared in a blinding flash, Zelda sat back down and turned to Link.

“Now, where were we?” Zelda said as she kissed Link on the lips, with a mischievous grin on her face as she wrapped her long arms around him and pulled him close. Link grinned and returned the favor to Zelda…



Chapter 10: Termina

General Arkaynis set at his modified office in Goron City. Link was leaving for Termina on a diplomatic mission in 1 hour. General Arkaynis wanted to see his friend off, but first he had to read the reports from his forces. He was, after all, now Supreme Commander of the Hyrulean Army. Picking up a report from his Shiekan spies, General Arkaynis began to read.

Field Report from: Shiekan Spies in the Castle Town sector, Lon-Lon Ranch sector, and Zora’s River sector.

Castle Town Sector: Ganondorf has erected a giant, black fortress where Hyrule Castle used to stand. Moblins have rebuilt the walls surrounding Castle Town and have garrisoned them. The Temple of Time has been destroyed, and Moblin Camps are placed on the ruins of Hyrule Castle Town. Estimation of 10,000 Moblins inside Castle Town, and 2,000 Stalfos. There are also 50 Iron Knuckles, armed with battle axes and maces.

Lon-Lon Ranch Sector: 450 moblins, 50 stalfos, and 3 iron knuckles have seized the ranch. However, Malon, her horses, cattle, and 3,000 guards have arrived safely in Kakariko Village and are proceeding up Death Mountain.

Zora’s River Sector: 100 Moblins have attacked the newly built fort guarding the approach to Zora’s River. All moblins were killed, 46 Zoras were killed, 20 wounded. Another patrol of 200 moblins is approaching the fort, which has sustained heavy damage. The Zoras will probably be unable to hold of the moblins, and reinforcements are needed (50-100 soldiers should help hold the fort). Moblins will arrive by next day.

Everything seemed to be going well in the Hylian Sectors. Quickly writing up an order for 150 soldiers to move to the Zora Fort ASAP. Giving the message to his aide, General Arkaynis quickly got up and stretched, noting the time. Fifty minutes until Link left. Easing back down into his chair, General Arkaynis rubbed the sleep from his eyes and picked up the next field report.

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Zelda and Link were in Zelda’s room, packing up spare food and supplies he would need for his trip. Taking the royal seal of Queen Zelda, Link stuffed the manuscript into his tunic pocket. Termina was a colony of Hyrule’s, and would most likely come to its aid if presented with the Queen’s direct orders. Link looked into his two traveling bags. The trip would only take four days, so he had enough food, cloths, supplies, and money to last him. He was taking his Mirror Shield, Fairy Bow and thirty arrows, and the Master Sword, which Zelda had rescued from the Temple of Time. Link paused in his work, looking at the Master Sword. The honed, steel blade shone radiantly, like the Mirror Shield did when engulfed light. The sword felt light, and Link was glad to have his old Companion back. The Gilded Sword had served Link faithfully too, and Link had put the sword on a desk in his and Zelda’s room. Sheathing the Master Sword, Link thought for a moment. He could hear Zelda on the other side of the room, looking through some boxes for anything that may help Link in his adventure. Link paused and thought he should take along some masks. Opening his bag, he pulled out the Stone Mask and Transformation Masks. Link was about to close the bag when something caught his eye. Although he didn’t want to, Link craned his head into the bag as if some invisible force was willing him to. There, in the very bottom of the bag, the Fierce Diety’s Mask stood looking up at Link, with those cold, white eyes. “Come to me…Embrace your Dark Self…”

Link shuddered and quickly close the bag. Immediately, he felt better. Sighing, he realized that he had some sweat on his forehead. It wasn’t that hot, was it?

Link was so pre-occupied with his thoughts that he didn’t notice Zelda sneaking up on him. Laughing, Zelda pushed him onto the bed and kissed him quickly. Link smiled as he returned the favor, wrapping his arms lovingly around the woman he loved.
For awhile, Zelda and Link just sat in the bed, with Zelda snuggling comfortably on Link’s chest. Suddenly, Zelda broke the fragile silence in a whisper that sounded almost like she was afraid.

“Link…will you come back alright?” Zelda asked him, looking up at Link with her green, emerald eyes.

Link blinked at her and smiled. “Of course I will”, he said, running his hands through her silky blonde hair and smiling.

Zelda, however, remained frowning. “Link, there’s something odd. Whenever I catch you staring at your masks, you always seem to block out everything happening around you. I can sense something is wrong Link. Please tell me.”

Zelda felt Link’s body tense, as if suddenly slapped by someone. “I only want to help Link.” Zelda said.

Link paused. She only wants to help, so why won’t I tell her? A sudden sense of darkness shadowed Link’s mind, as he saw a face, with pale, white eyes, a jagged scar on the cheek, with untidy blue-white hair. The face was sneering, and Link realized it was the face of his Fierce Diety’s Mask. “Come on Link. If you embrace me, it will be so much easier to defeat Ganondorf, just like Majora…” Link’s mind suddenly went haywire, as if his whole battle with Majora was replayed in front of his eyes. He was only a kid then, he had no idea of the evil that the Fierce Diety’s Mask contained. Watching as his younger self transformed into Fierce Deity, he felt as if a sudden surge of power flowed through his veins, transforming his body, his mind…his soul. Link watched as the Fierce Diety struck down Majora’s Mask repeatedly with such ease, that a part of Link wanted to embrace the mask. To make him more powerful. To save his kingdom, his friends, Zelda. But another part hated the idea. A battle waged across Link’s mind, which was in turmoil over the choice he had to make. “No…I can’t do it”, a small voice, that sounded like how Link talked when he was younger, rang out in his mind. “Don’t be a fool!” A powerful, loud voice boomed. “Ganondorf is much stronger than he was when you originally defeated him. You need ME this time…face it…you need me…”

Zelda watched as Link seemed to freeze up. His eyes stared at the room sightlessly, and his muscles became even tenser. Zelda wondered why he had this reaction. She loved this man, and he wouldn’t allow her to help him. Zelda felt helpless. She sensed the inner conflict in Link’s mind, yet did not know what caused it. She also felt darkness, a darkness so intense that it seemed to white out Ganondorf’s power altogether. But she couldn’t pinpoint where it was coming from.

“Link”, Zelda whispered gently. He still did not wake from his trance. Zelda sat up. For some reason, it seemed that Link couldn’t even here her, as if he had zoned out on her. Shaking his arm gently, Zelda repeatedly said his name aloud. “Link…”

A sudden voice seemed to pierce the darkness that was Link’s mind. The two sides ended their battle, as a ray of light seemed to shine out of nowhere, whispering his name.
“Link…Link…” The ray of light became clearer for Link to see. It transformed into the shape of a woman, a woman so lovely that Link could only stare in awe at her beauty. “Link…Link” She whispered. Link now knew what his path was. His path was her.

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Link awoke from his day dream. In front of him, lay Zelda, prodding him gently. Seeing Link was awake, Zelda hugged him.

“I’m sorry Link.” She whispered. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Link stroked her hair gently, lovingly, as he kissed her passionately.

“It’s ok. You didn’t upset me. It’s just…just something I don’t want to talk about.”

Zelda understood and kissed Link again, sitting on his lap. “We should get going soon”, Zelda said. “In about 15 minutes.”

Link kissed Zelda as she eagerly kissed him back, their bodies warming each other. The sense of darkness that had invaded Link seemed to dissipate under Zelda’s touch, filled with light so radiant that it blinded Link’s senses. Link held onto Zelda’s arms as he kissed her with passion that Link never knew he had. Zelda received his kisses eagerly, and not to be outdone, kissed him right back. They continued for several more minutes, enjoying each other’s presence, trying to spend as much time together as they could before Link had to leave for Termina. Zelda knew he would only be gone for four days, but there was something that troubled her. That sense of darkness she had sensed earlier, it seemed to be coming from Link’s mask bag…

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Link was mounted on his faithful steed Epona. She was well groomed and she had been fed well. All the Sages were gathered to see Link off, as was his friend General Arkaynis. Zelda had said she had to get something, and told Link not to leave before she came back. Link was talking to his friends, looking like the Hero of Time again, with his shiny, Golden Gauntlets, Green Kokiri Tunic, and white underclothes. He also wore his trademark green hat, with his Mirror Shield and Master Sword slung proudly over his back, putting on a lights show as the gleaming sun reflected off their hard, polished surface. His Fairy Bow and quiver was covered by his sword and shield. As he was talking to General Arkaynis about the war effort, Zelda came rushing back. Hugging Link and kissing him quickly on the lips, Zelda bade him a good journey. Reaching into a pocket sewn on her dress, Zelda pulled out the blue Ocarina of Time.

“I thought you might need it”, Zelda said as she smiled and handed the mystical instrument over to Link. Link grinned and pocketed it. “Thank you”, he said.

Mounting Epona, Link started to ride off, as he waved to his friends. Looking back, he saw everyone smiling and waving at him; however his eyes paused on Nabooru. She might be useful on his trip to Termina…

Galloping back to his friends, Link dismounted and went straight to Nabooru. She looked surprised at Link’s sudden approach.

Link began to talk. Nabooru, there are some Gerudo who live in Termina, off the Great Bay Coast. I can get the help of the Gorons, Zoras, and Hylians in Termina, but the Gerudo and I kind of have a…bad history with each other”, Link said sheepishly, remembering the time he broke into their Fortress and rescued the four Zora eggs.

Nabooru looked thoughtful. “Hmm the Gerudo I sent to investigate the Termina region? They haven’t contacted me in about a year, so I thought they were wiped out.”

Link looked taken aback. Obviously, Aveil, the leader of the Termina Gerudos, had disobeyed some orders from Nabooru. Link began to speak. “Well, they are still there, maybe 400 of them? Aveil is their leader now, they seem to take orders only from her. I bet if you, their supreme ruler, came and asked them, they would probably join you and abandon Aveil.”

Nabooru smiled, pleased at the title “Supreme Ruler”. Nabooru was thoughtful for a moment. “Well, I haven’t gone adventuring in awhile, and I do want to find out why Aveil lost contact with me. If what you said is true, we might have to fight her in order to get the Gerudos to join us.” Nabooru smiled again, as Link waited patiently for her answer. Four hundred soldiers weren’t that much, but the Gerudo were some of the best and four hundred of them could easily hold their ground against an entire Hylian Army Division. Nabooru smiled again. “Sure, I’ll come.” Brandishing two intimidating scimitars, Nabooru quickly fetched her horse, as she and Link headed for Termina.

“Bye everyone!” Link called. He looked at Zelda one last time before departing.

Zelda waved back at him. Her eyes were watery; what if she never saw him again. But she reminded herself that Link was the Hero of Time, both in Hyrule and Termina, and would most likely not meet any hostiles during his travels.

“Goodbye Link”, Zelda whispered before heading back into Goron City.

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Link and Nabooru began the descent down Death Mountain. About half-way down they found Malon and her enormous guard of soldiers and cattle moving slowly up the trail. Link and Nabooru had to wait 2 hours for the huge convoy to pass, and then they proceeded down into Kakariko Village.

By the time they got to Kakariko Village, it was already dusk and many bright lights shone in the windows of the houses. There were still many people up and about however; carpenters still built weapons and siege machines, while guards stood at watch near the gates of Kakariko Village. Link and Nabooru exited the giant, wooden gate, and proceeded down the old, worn steps to Hyrule Field.

Epona was glad to be in Hyrule field again. Neighing and whinnying, Epona pranced around joyfully and it was hard for Link to control her. Eventually, Link got Epona under control and he and Nabooru once again headed off on their quest. After riding hard for about ten hours under the pitch black night, Link and Nabooru managed to get to a large path that led through a forest. This was an alternate path to Termina, so they wouldn’t have to go through the Lost Woods. Link and Nabooru proceeded on the path, underneath the swaying trees in the forest. Everything was quiet, the only sounds were coming from the gentle clip-clop of their horse’s hooves. Two hours later, the sun was about to rise, and the end of the forest was in sight. Reaching the end of the forest, Link looked up at the horizon. It was a pale yellowish orange, and a sign next to the exit of the woods said:

“Welcome to the Hyrulian Colony of Termina!”

Link stretched and yawned. Nabooru did also. Talking to Nabooru, for the first time since Death Mountain, Link turned to her.

“Let’s get going and find an inn to sleep in for the day. We can get some soldiers tomorrow.”

Nabooru nodded, and they went inside the city of Termina to find the Stock Pot Inn.

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Nabooru followed Link through the city. They were in a district which Link called “South Clock Town”. Nabooru was amazed. She had rarely seen any other places besides the Gerudo Fortress. To her left was a small bazaar with many odd looking items set on wooden tables. Dogs chased each other around the marketplace and she saw the big, fickle Akindo Nuts selling their wares. When she and Link were done with the diplomatic mission, she would have to come back and look more closely. While she followed Link, she noticed many stares at her. Nabooru assumed they were because they had never seen a Gerudo this close. Many men walked up to Link every now and then to chat about “Old times”. Apparently, they still remembered that Link had saved them all from the moon. One of the men, a fat man with dark brown hair approached Nabooru and looked her up and down. Nabooru noticed he had a hungry gleam in his eye.

“Link, this girl belong to you?” Them an asked in a deep voice that smelled of beer.

Link tried not to answer and he shifted uncomfortably. Nabooru, however, was quick to take action.

“I belong to no man,” Nabooru spat, baring her teeth and drawing her double scimitars that glinted in the moonlight.

A local guard on the night shift saw the trouble. Rushing over, his armor clanking noisily, the guard drew his steel-tipped spear. Raising his voice, the guard spoke, obviously proud that he was the one in authority.

“Is there any trouble here?” The guard asked in a gruff tone.

Link turned to face the guard, “No sir,” Link said, but before Link could finish, the guard gasped and dropped his spear.

“You-You’re Link! The Hero who saved us from the moon!” The guard gasped as if seeing a ghost. “Looking Link up and down, the guard added “And you’ve grown up.”

Link smiled weakly. “That’s me,” Link said. “But please don’t wake up the whole city. We just arrived and need some sleep.”

The guard nodded. “Of course.” Turning to the drunk, he said “I don’t want any trouble out of you.” Turning to Nabooru, the guard commanded to her “It’d be wise not to travel around the city with those drawn,” the guard said, looking pointedly at Nabooru’s scimitars.

Nabooru nodded, and sheathed her weapon. The drunk shuffled away, and the guard bid Link and Nabooru a good night before returning to his post. Link led Nabooru through a tunnel that led to “East Clock Town,” as Link put it.

“These people aren’t very creative with names,” Nabooru thought with amusement. Following Link up to a large, worn down building. Nabooru read the sign in front of it. “Stock Pot Inn”. Nabooru followed Link inside the inn, and saw a large parlor with a couch and a counter. Behind the counter was a red-haired woman who was fairly skinny. Catching sight of the two, the woman began to bow when she stuttered unexpectedly and looked at Link. Gasping, the woman cried “Link, is that you?”

Link grinned and nodded.

The woman rushed from behind the counter, as if not believing her eyes. Yelling, she said “Kafei, get over here!”

A purple haired young man, roughly Link’s height, emerged from another door, looking confused. When he saw Link however, his face broke into a bright smile. “Link! Good to see you!” He yelled happily, shaking Link’s hand.

“Good to see you too, Kafei. And you too Anju.” Link said, hugging his friends.

Nabooru stood awkwardly in the background, not sure if she should intrude upon this personal moment. Finally, Link and his friends broke from the embrace. The purple haired man noticed Nabooru. Looking a little bit apprehensive, he asked Link “Who is this?”

Link responded. “She’s my friend. We’re trying to recruit soldiers to fight Ganondorf, and since Nabooru is a Gerudo she might be able to persuade the Gerudo in Great Bay to join the fight.”

Kafei’s eyes widened, while Anju let out a small gasp. “Ganondorf the War Lord is back?” Kafei said, stuttering a little. “I thought he disappeared seven years ago!”

Link nodded grimly. “We thought so too, until Ganondorf came back and destroyed Hyrule Castle. We are waging a guerilla war on Ganondorf, but we need more troops and supplies. We came to Termina to recruit help. Hylians, Gorons, Zoras, even Gerudos. We need to make a stand against Ganondorf.”

Kafei contemplated the dire news silently. Quietly, he said “I shall inform the Garrison here.” Kafei opened the door and left the room. Anju seemed to be in a state of shock, but then recovered.

“Would you like a room for the night?” She asked.

“Yes, please,” Link said.
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Daylight shined through the windows. Nabooru opened her eyes, shielding herself from the bright light. Looking around the room, she noticed that Link was gone. Standing up, Nabooru yawned, and opened their room’s door. Walking down a flight of stairs, Nabooru found Link chatting at the counter with the man named Kafei. Link noticed Nabooru and smiled.

“You’re up? Good, because we need to get an early start. The Hylian Garrison here wants to see my story before they send any soldiers to help. After the meeting, I’ll show you the Gerudo fortress. You try and persuade the Gerudo to join, while I’ll go to the Zoras and Gorons. I’ll meet you back at this hotel after the meeting is over in about an hour. If you need any help, ask Kafei here.” With that, Link exited the hotel.

Nabooru sat down on a stool near the counter. Looking at Kafei, Nabooru asked “Is there a good place to get breakfast?”

Kafei responded fairy quickly, as if he was scared that she would chop of his head if he didn’t answer fast enough. “Well, you can go to the omelet shop around the corner, or you can settle for some porridge here.”

Nabooru nodded. “I’ll take the porridge please.” Kafei hastily slid a bowl of hot porridge over the counter, where Nabooru began to eat. It wasn’t half bad. When she was done, Nabooru excused herself and went back up to her room, deciding to wait until Link came back.”

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Link was in a small, dimly lit room. Across from him stood six guards standing at rigid attention, and two Generals.

The General began to speak. “It’s could to see you again Link. I trust you remember me?”

Link squinted and realized the General was the man he had seen arguing with Mayor Dotour three years ago about weather to evacuate the city before the moon fell. Back then, he was only a Captain, but Link guessed that Mutoh had been promoted.

“Hello, General Mutoh,” Link said.

Mutoh laughed. Then he got to business. Speaking in a clear, sharp voice, the General spoke to Link. “So, you say Ganondorf the War Lord has returned and captured Hyrule Castle? If that is true, then this is dire news indeed.”
Link nodded. “The Hyrulean Army has been scattered and need back up against Ganondorf. We estimate that Ganondorf has an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 troops. Most are garrisoned in former Castle Town.”

General Mutoh mulled the information over in his head. “So, you came to Termina to recruit soldiers from the Hylians, Zoras, Gorons, and possibly Gerudo?”

Link nodded. “Yes, and we don’t have much time. We need to hurry before Ganondorf destroys the Resistance forces.”

General Mutoh thought it over carefully. “Very well. We shall send 2500 soldiers to your assistance. When should we send them?”

Link considered it. “Send them tomorrow, at noon. Have them assemble outside the South Gate.”

General Mutoh nodded. “Very well. Good luck on your mission. May the goddesses fly with you.”

“Thank you”, Link said, and left the building. He was surprised that General Mutoh had lent him the troops so quickly, however, he had no time to waste. He would get Nabooru and show her the Gerudo fortress. Then, he needed to see the Gorons and Zoras.

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Link and Nabooru had left the Stock Pot Inn. There were riding on their horses, slowly making their way through the thick crowds of East Clock Town. The noon sun beat down on their backs, as people stopped and stared at their savior with this Gerudo girl accompanying him. Link and Nabooru tried to ignore the looks and made their way past the guard on duty at the East Gate. Emerging near the Great Bay entrance, Link spurred Epona faster. Nabooru followed Link, spurring her horse to catch up with Epona. Epona jumped over the multiple fences surrounding the Great Bay without effort. Nabooru was startled by the sudden appearance of fences, but managed to jump the fences too. After several more fences, Link and Nabooru entered the Great Bay area. Dismounting their horses, Link and Nabooru set foot on the sandy beach. The wind was fairly strong, and small gusts of dirt and grit flew into Nabooru’s eyes. Rubbing her eyes hard with her knuckles, Nabooru cleared her eyes and took a closer look at her surroundings. There was a giant sea, with sparkling blue waters with an occasional fish leaping out of the water. On land, there was a worn down house with cob webs covering the entrance to Nabooru’s left; on her right was a small shack, with a lush, green garden with several plants growing in it.

Link handed Nabooru a blue mask that resembled a Zora’s face. “Here,” Link said. “Put this mask on and you’ll transform into a Zora. From here, head west until you reach a giant wall. Dive down and you should see a small entrance to the fortress. From there, you’ll have to do it yourself. If you get in trouble, you can just teleport away since you’re a Sage, right? When you’re done with the mask, bring your hand up to your face and pull. Then, you’ll transform back into your normal self. When you get the Gerudo Army, meet me at the South Gate tomorrow afternoon.” Link was already pulling out his Ocarina. Nabooru nodded. She understood.

“I got it.” Putting the mask on, Nabooru transformed into a Zora with Gerudo cloths clinging to the body. Jumping into the water, Nabooru waved to Link before she disappeared beneath the crashing waves of Great Bay. Watching Nabooru disappear, Link pulled out his Ocarina and played the Song of Soaring. A blue light surrounded him as he felt his body lifting upward. A flash of bright light…

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Nabooru streamed under the waves gracefully. Swimming this fast like a Zora was extremely fun. Nabooru did a few twirls in the water, watching as the water rippled past her streamlined body. Presently, Nabooru looked up and saw a giant wall. Diving deeper, Nabooru found a small passageway after a few minutes of searching. The passage was small, and Nabooru noted several jagged rocks near the mouth of the tunnel. Carefully maneuvering herself through the cave, Nabooru was suddenly blinded by a bright light. Slowly treading to the surface, she saw a huge fortress, bigger than the Gerudo Fortress in Gerudo Valley. Gasping Nabooru noticed several patrol boats moving around. Diving back under the water, Nabooru swam to a dock, where she managed to pull herself up undiscovered. Pulling off her mask, Nabooru became a Gerudo again, fully clothed and dry. Walking through the enormous entrance, Nabooru entered the imposing fortress.

Entering the fortress, Nabooru took note of a large guard tower in the middle, with several archers positioned strategically at the top. Nabooru quickly dodged behind a large crate and scanned the rest of her surroundings. There were a lot of entrances, with ten Gerudo patrolling the perimeter of the Fortress. Nabooru recognized one of the guards. It was First Lieutenant Aesha, the person who Nabooru had put second in command of the Termina expedition. Standing up, Nabooru walked up to Aesha in a calm and controlled gait. Immediately, several bows were notched and swords flashed as they were drawn. However, when the Gerudo realized who it was, they were struck dumb with amazement. Aesha stuttered when she saw Nabooru.

“Naboo-Nabooru!” Aesha stammered, snapping to attention. “I had no idea you were coming!”

Nabooru eyed Aesha. “I came here for some answers. First off, why have you ceased communications with the Gerudo in Hyrule?”

Aesha stammered again. “W-we-I mean Aveil ordered us not to report back to you. She wanted to start a new Fortress and challenge you for leadership of the Gerudo”

Nabooru raised her eyes. “How did Aveil convince everyone here to help her?”

Aesha seemed a bit more confident and not as nervous. “Using her Elite Guards of course. She beat about twenty Gerudo until they died, and threatened to do that to any traitor. Her Elite Guards keep a very close watch on us, just in case.”

Nabooru nodded. “I have come back to lead the Gerudo to war. Ganondorf the War Lord has returned to Hyrule and captured the Castle. We need to defeat him, even if it means working with the Hylians, Zoras, and Gorons.”

Aesha had a steely glint in her eyes now. Gerudo were born for battle, not matter the circumstances. “Yes, Ma’am.”

Nabooru smiled. “Good. Inform all the loyal Gerudo to assemble here in ten minutes.”

Aesha scurried off to complete Nabooru’s demands. Nabooru was surprised she was being obeyed, but Aveil must be driving them pretty hard. Five minutes later, 347 Gerudo were assembled, awaiting Nabooru’s orders.

Walking up to each rank and inspecting them, Nabooru nodded. Just as she reached the last row, a loud voice boomed from across the Fortress.

“And just what are all of you doing?!” Aveil’s voice was crisp and clear. Obviously she had no idea that Nabooru was here.

Nabooru stood up. “I am here to lead the Gerudo in the right direction, so that we may not be led astray by…traitors.” Nabooru put special emphasis on the word traitor.

Aveil seemed shocked that her former leader was here, but she quickly regained her composure. “Guards, kill Nabooru,” Aveil yelled.

Immediately, Nabooru’s army stepped forward to defend their leader. Even Aveil’s Elite Guards cowered in fear. Nabooru smirked.

“Well, Aveil, do you still want to fight now?” Nabooru said, gesturing to her army of Gerudos.

Growling, Aveil charged at the army, along with seven Elite Guards. “She’s gone mad,” Nabooru thought as Aveil and her Guards were quickly sliced up by Nabooru’s army. The rest of the Elite Guards immediately surrendered, opting to join Nabooru.

“Well, that’s better,” Nabooru spoke. Quickly filling in her army about the situation in Hyrule, Nabooru gave orders to move out. The Gerudo had a secret exit where they could leave on foot, so they didn’t need to go under that tunnel that Nabooru had come in through. As her army moved out, Nabooru took one last, pitying glance at Aveil’s mangled corpse and shook her head.

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After the flash of light, Link appeared at the entrance of Zora Hall. Moving into the giant building, Link immediately found a bunch of Zoras swarming around him.

“Link! You’ve come back!”

“It’s Link!”

“Hey, remember me?”

“Can I have an autograph?”

Link managed to push all of his fans off to find Lu-Lu smiling at him. Walking up to Lu-Lu, Link shook her hand.

“Good to see you again, Lu-Lu. I wish it was under better circumstances.” Link decided to cut right to the chase, and not to waste precious time dawdling.

Lu-Lu’s happy expression quickly changed to a questioning look. “Why? What’s so bad?”

Quickly, Link filled Lu-Lu in about Ganondorf’s return and his plan to unite the races in an effort to defeat Ganondorf. Lu-Lu listened gravely. She would do anything to help Link, since he had saved all of Termina from the falling moon, not to mention her own babies.

“This is serious,” Lu-Lu mused, thinking all of Link’s information over. “I can send maybe 2,000 Zora warriors to assist you. Everyone here is crazy for you and would do anything to help. Besides, if we don’t get rid of Ganondorf, eventually he’ll come to Termina.”

Link nodded. “Thanks Lu-Lu. Fill in the Zoras about this. Tell them to meet at the South Gate in Clock Town tomorrow afternoon. I must go and tell the Gorons.” Lu-Lu nodded and watched as Link pulled out his Ocarina and played the Song of Soaring. Link disappeared in a flash of light, and Lu-Lu departed to tell the rest of the Zoras about the dire news.

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Link reappeared in the warm weather in the mountains, where the Goron lived. Pulling out his Goron mask, Link quickly transformed into a yellow-colored Goron and curled up into a ball. Rolling from the Smithy down to Goron City, Link stopped when he reached the Goron Temple. Pounding the ground with several earth-quaking stomps, Link opened the door to the temple and stepped inside. Taking off his Goron Mask, Link wandered up to the Royal Chambers. Many Gorons stopped and talked to him, but Link continued on until he reached the Chambers of the Goron Leaders. Running around was the five year old Goron that Link had seen on his last visit to Termina. The little Goron was playing with the elder Goron, the leader of the Goron tribe here. Both stopped and looked up at Link, gasping with surprise when they saw the green clad boy, now a young man.

“Link!” The little Goron squealed, running up to him and hugging him. Link picked the little Goron up and laughed, but looked pointedly at the Elder Goron. Understanding the message, the Elder Goron took the baby Goron out of Link’s hands and ushered him out of the room. Then, the Elder Goron closed the door to the room so that only he and Link were inside.

“Link! It’s been awhile since I last saw you! What brings you back here?” The Elder Goron paused, then added, “It is bad news, and by the way you looked at me.”

Link sighed. “Yes, Ganondorf the War Lord has returned. He has captured Hyrule Castle and the resistance forces need all the help they can get. We need some Gorons to help us.”

The Elder Goron gazed into space thoughtfully for a minute. “Well…” he said slowly “I could lend you 1,000 of my finest soldiers. I’m afraid that we don’t have a very large army.”

Link smiled. “We’ll take as many as we can get. Can you have them at the South Gate in Clock Town by tomorrow at noon?”

The Elder Goron nodded slowly. “Yes. We will be there. We shall help defeat Ganondorf the War Lord!”

Link thanked the Elder Goron and left Goron City. He would have spent more time, but he needed to rest. He had a feeling that tomorrow would be no picnic.

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Zelda stood in her room, reading a book by torch light. Although she was trying to read, her mind was really on Link. Where was he? Was he okay? Also, Zelda was afraid to sleep. For some reason, Zelda felt that if she closed her eyes than a terrible evil would sweep over her, consume her…

Zelda looked at Link’s mask bag. The sense of evil was coming from there, but Zelda didn’t want to open the bag. Shuddering, Zelda wished that Link was here. She wished that Link was comforting her with his strong arms, kissing her lips, rubbing his face next to hers. Zelda felt safe and secure when Link was here, and without Link it was like a dam had broken and water surged through the hole. Zelda continued to read, trying to ignore the evil presence in Link’s Mask Bag.

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Link groaned. Light streamed through the windows in his room. Getting up, Link pulled on his clothes. Nabooru was still not here, so Link guessed she was still gathering her army. Link tried not to think about what could have happened to Nabooru if her mission went wrong. Opening the door, Link moved down into the kitchen where Kafei had left some porridge. Link ate the porridge, while thinking about a wonderful dream he had last night. It was where he and Zelda were alone inside a warm room, with a flickering fire as they were wrapped in a thick blanket and giggling like mad. Link wished Zelda was here, but he contented himself with the knowledge that he would see Zelda in two days. Her long, golden tresses, emerald eyes, soft, pale skin….

Finishing his porridge, Link got up and stretched. Finding Kafei and Anju, he thanked them for their hospitality. This may be the last time Link ever saw his friends again.
Exiting the Stock Pot Inn, Link moved out of the South Gate. He was planning to be at the staging point early, to prevent confusion and chaos.

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Hours passed, and noon approached. Link heard the faint sounds of armor and weapons, and the steady thud of feet. A cheer rose from the walls of Clock Town, as the army assembled outside the South Gate. General Mutoh was in front, leading his troops on his war horse. Link jumped down and met the troops. Only five minutes after the Hylian troops had assembled, the Zora Army came marching from the Great Bay area. That was two armies. Banners from both armies fluttered proudly in the breeze. Confetti showered down on the armies. Then, there was a deep rumbling. Link realized it was coming from the large, yellow balls streaking towards their direction. Within reaching a few meters of the waiting armies, the balls stopped and formed into Gorons. Standing at attention, were three armies. Only Nabooru was left.

Link waited nervously for Nabooru. What if something had happened to her. One Minute passed. Then two. Soon, ten minutes had passed. There was still a tremendous amount of noise. Then, off in the distance, Link saw a red banner. A giant mass of Gerudo approached the Hylian, Goron, and Zora armies. And at the head of the Gerudo army stood Nabooru, with a huge grin plastered on her tan face.


Chapter 11: Before the Assault

Link, Nabooru, and their weary army crested a cliff. Although they had intended the trip to be only four days long, it became five. In the distance, was Death Mountain, smoke pouring out of its top lazily. Even from this distance, the defenses from Kakariko Village could be seen.

“The resistance forces must be worried that we were all killed,” Link thought, as he gazed up at Death Mountain. The army would probably be able to reach it by nightfall. Morale in the army was high, because when Link showed them the Master Sword, they were convinced that they were destined to defeat Ganondorf with the Hero of Time on their side. Link was still worried. He had no idea if the resistance forces even existed anymore; they could have been easily destroyed by a large scale attack from Ganondorf’s moblins.

Nabooru caught up to Link. She didn’t like hanging out with the rest of the troops, for obvious reasons.

“Hey, Kid, you all right?” Nabooru asked, looking slightly concerned.

“Won’t know until we get back to Kakariko Village,” Link replied, his brow furrowed in thought.

Nabooru shrugged. “Don’t worry, the resistance forces will be alright. Death Mountain is pretty much a death trap for an attacking army. The defenders can just roll boulders down when the attackers try to climb up the mountain path. Ganondorf would be crazy to attack right now.”

Link saw Nabooru’s point, but his mind wouldn’t be assuaged until he saw that everything was alright, especially Zelda.

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Zelda sat on a small ledge overlooking the Death Mountain trail. Link and his army didn’t come last night, and she was starting to get worried. It was in the evening now, and the sun had set. A chill wind blew across Zelda’s face, making her long, golden hair flutter in the wind. Zelda continued to stare down at the trail. She had decided to stay here for two hours, just in case. Hearing foot steps behind her, Zelda found herself face to face with Malon.

“Hey,” Malon said, sitting down next to Zelda. She was wearing her ranch cloths, and her fiery red hair was in a pony tail.

“Hi,” Zelda responded, looking back down at the trail.

Malon seemed to sense Zelda’s distress. She squeezed her friends hand and whispered “Don’t worry. He’ll come back alright.”

Zelda looked at Malon. “But what if he doesn’t?” Zelda said.

Malon didn’t answer. Instead, she gazed down at the trail. Malon knew that Zelda cared for Link deeply, as they had known each other since they were 10, and Malon hoped that Link would come back soon. A gust of wind ruffled Malon’s hair, and she shivered.

“Come on, Zelda, let’s go back in,” Malon said, pulling her friend’s arm.

Zelda didn’t respond. Instead, she stood up and craned her neck, as if hearing something. Turning excitedly to Malon, Zelda said “I can hear something! Come here, listen!”

Malon went to the spot where Zelda was, and cupped her hand around her ear. A faint noise reached her, like the thunder of thousands of feet. Now they were closer, and she could hear voices. Deep voices, with laughter and jokes. Malon knew that this wasn’t an army of Moblins coming; Link must have arrived.

Malon turned to Zelda and smiled broadly. Zelda beamed back, and started to run to Goron City.

“Come on, let’s go tell the others!” Zelda shouted, almost flying off the ground in her excitement. Her pearly black slippers would probably be ruined, but Zelda didn’t care.

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Link could see the entrance to Dodongo’s Cavern. Gorons were at the entrance, coming and going, carrying hefty loads of rock on their broad backs. When the Gorons caught sight of Link and his army, they started to babble excitedly and dropped their loads to watch in awe as the Coalition of Zoras, Gorons, and Hylians snaked its way up to the entrance of Death Mountain.

Catching up to Link on his chestnut-brown war horse, General Mutoh proudly displayed the Termina banner. Generals from the Goron and Zora races displayed their banners too. Up on the cliffs Link could see a large amount of figures gathering, all making a tremendous amount of noise and waving to the Coalition. Link waved back at a familiar figure situated between the Sages Darunia and Saria, grinning at Zelda’s happiness as she jumped up and down, acting unlike a princess. Malon was also next to Zelda, and Link waved at her, as well as the Sages, who waved back. His friend General Arkaynis went riding out to meet the Coalition as confetti danced around the army and giant carts laden with beer and wine were drawn out. Many Zoras, Hylians, and Gorons rushed in and out of the city to gather food for the coming party. General Arkaynis rode up to Link, grinning broadly.

“Good to see you! And it looks like you brought a lot of soldiers! Ganondorf won’t stand a chance!” Arkaynis said light-heartedly. Link laughed, and rode Epona to Zelda, while Arkaynis and Mutoh discussed plans and quarters for the newly arrived troops.

Riding Epona quickly to the cliffs where Zelda, Malon, and the Sages were, Link dismounted and hugged Zelda, kissing her on the lips as Zelda laughed with joy and mirth. Malon ran over and congratulated Link, and then hugged Epona as the brown horse quietly nudged Malon as if to say “Didn’t you miss me?”

The Sages were all gathered, looking at Link with great happiness. As soon as Link let go of Zelda, Darunia crushed him in a huge Goron hug, and the Sages gathered around him, babbling like children. All their merry-making was cut short, however, when General Arkaynis’s voice boomed out.

“Soldiers of the Zora, Goron, and Hylian races! We are honored to have you all here! Tonight is to be a night of great merry-making and feasting, before we strike down Ganondorf and his armies in the weeks to come!”

Loud cheers arose from the ranks, as banners of blue, red, and gold fluttered proudly.

General Arkaynis continued to speak again. “We will be having a party up here at Goron City, and down in Kakariko Village, so things don’t get too crowded. Plenty of food and drink for all races will be provided! When you are done for the night, there are temporary lodgings for the new forces down in Kakariko Village. For now, I thank you for your coming assistance, and hope that you may enjoy this night to the fullest!”

More cheers erupted as General Arkaynis ended, and Link thought Ganondorf could probably hear all the noise in Castle Town. Link laughed at the thought of Ganondorf cooped up in his dark throne, and suddenly hearing loud cheers and yells from inside his evil realm.

The soldiers had started to disperse; many were going back down to Kakariko Village, where there was more room and things to do. Link smiled at Zelda, and hugged her again, stroking her fine, golden strands of hair.

“I missed you,” Link murmured, lost in the scent of Zelda’s sweet perfume.

Zelda smiled at Link and whispered to him “I missed you too my brave Hero. How was Termina?”

Link responded. “I was constantly tired, running diplomatic missions every day. How can you stand being a Queen?”

Zelda laughed, and it was the most beautiful noise he had ever heard in his life. “Well, we don’t spend all our lives going to other countries to sign peace negotiations.”

Link laughed and kissed Zelda again, relishing the touch of her smooth, soft skin. Grabbing Zelda’s hand, Link led her down to a table.

“Come on, let’s eat some food,” Link laughed, realizing he had eaten nothing at lunch.

Zelda smiled playfully and ran along, sitting down at a table with the rest of the Sages and General Arkaynis. Soon, Malon came back from the stables, and the whole table became engaged in conversation. The whole table was buzzing with talk as drinks and food disappeared almost as fast as they came. Darunia got quite drunk, and was playing cards with General Arkaynis. Not surprisingly, Darunia lost quite a large amount of rupees that night.

“Damn it!” Darunia yelled after losing his tenth game of Hylian Poker to Arkaynis. Grunting, Darunia shoveled fifty rupees over the table to General Arkaynis, and they began to play again. Link watched for awhile, but decided to go somewhere else with Zelda. He and Zelda went up to Big Gordon’s old sword shop, at the top of Death Mountain, where Impa had discovered them kissing. Dangling their feet over the edge of the cliff, Zelda held onto Link tightly, as they both stared at the darkening sky. Already, little torches were appearing in Kakariko Village, as shops prepared for nightfall.

Link softly caressed Zelda’s sides, and the female Hylian closed her eyes in pleasure. Zelda kissed Link on the lips as his fingers felt the smooth, silky material of her dress. Zelda whispered to Link “I was so scared when you didn’t come back yesterday. I thought your trip was only supposed to be four days?” Link smiled. “The army went slower than expected, and some soldiers got lost in the forest.”


Zelda ran her gloved hands through Link’s dirty blonde hair, and said “It doesn’t matter now. You’re back.” Zelda moved her hands down to Link’s abdomen and hugged him tightly, while closing her eyes. Link hugged Zelda back and buried his face in her golden hair, and for a long time they just sat there, savoring each other’s presence, glad they were back together. Link inhaled Zelda’s scent, moving his hands up and down her back and kissing her again and again on her forehead. Zelda smiled and kissed Link back, moving her gloved hands inside his tunic and feeling his bare skin, tough from the days spent fighting, and yet, soft as a pillow. Link felt a warm sensation of pleasure spread within him as Zelda felt his bare skin, her smooth, red lips meeting his in a long, passionate kiss. After that, Zelda lay down and rested her head on Link’s lap and she held his hand tightly and fell into a quiet, blissful sleep. Link lay awake awhile longer, listening to Zelda’s rhythmic breathing and feeling her body warmth. After awhile, Link lay down and fell into a deep sleep…
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Darkness surrounded him. “Where am I?” Link thought in confusion. The warmth and happiness he felt with Zelda was gone; instead he felt despair, pain, sorrow grief, anger, and loneliness. A deep voice boomed out from the shadows. “This is your darker self. Your TRUE self. You were destined to come here.” Link looked around frantically for the voice, but all he saw was shadows. Disturbingly, some shadows seemed to be moving.

The voice spoke again. “Embrace me. I can give you power, wealth, fame, anything you want. Just embrace me.”

A surge of power shot through Link. He felt strong, rejuvenated, as if his constant battles and fatigue were washed away in an instant, to be replaced by a seething power. His eyes and hearing sharpened, his muscles bulged, as his eyes became white, and a jagged scar formed on his cheek. He became taller, stronger…his green tunic was replaced by a bluish-white one, and his white under leggings became black. The Master Sword and the Mirror Shield were replaced by a huge sword, with two blades twisted together to form a wicked magical weapon that pulsed with power.

But all this power was driven by hate, anger, and all the things that evil thrived on.

Link realized who he was. He was now Fierce Diety. Ganondorf suddenly appeared from nowhere. Laughing, Ganondorf tried to attack Fierce Diety. Responding with surreal speed, Fierce Diety slashed Ganondorf’s arm in half, and as blood gushed out, Fierce Diety laughed as he struck off Ganondorf’s head, blood spraying from the severed neck, as Fierce Diety reveled in the carnage and gore, as hot blood stained his tunic. Ganondorf’s mangled corpse disappeared, to be replaced by Majora. Striking down Majora with ease, Fierce Diety laughed as an entire army Moblins and Stalfos appeared, surrounding him, growling with blood lust. Laughing, Fierce Diety struck them all down, one after another, without ever being touched. Suddenly, Fierce Diety changed. He was Link again. But now, he felt powerless, cold, and miserable. He felt weak, as if Fierce Diety was some kind of drug he needed in order to go on. The deep, gong-like voice boomed out again. “All this power is yours…if only you embrace your dark self…your TRUE self….” With that, the voice faded away, leaving Link shivering in the cold, curled up in a ball as the shadows enveloped him.

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Link woke up in a cold sweat. It was early morning, and the sun’s rays cast shadows of brilliant orange and red across the sky. Looking down, Link saw that Zelda was still asleep in his lap, breathing peacefully and a smile on her face. Link felt warmed at the sight of Zelda, however, his thoughts quickly focused back on his dream. It was so real…
Link suddenly shivered. He felt so weak. Doubt came to his mind. “Maybe my dream was right. Maybe the only way to save Hyrule and defeat Ganondorf is to use the Fierce Diety’s mask,” Link thought. Beside him, Zelda stirred slightly and turned on her back, still dreaming of pleasant things. Seeing Zelda seemed to calm Link down. He was being foolish. He shouldn’t let some stupid dream affect his thoughts. Besides, the Fierce Diety’s Mask was evil, and Link would probably never use it again.

Still…

Link got up. Gently laying Zelda’s head down on the ground, Link went into the Death Mountain Crater. The crater was hot and burning, and smoke stung Link’s eyes, but he would only be here for about a minute. Quickly finding a secret passageway in the wall, Link traversed the hidden path until the air became lighter and the climate was a little bit cooler. Link emerged in Darunia’s Room, behind the giant Goron statue. Darunia was nowhere in sight, presumably still drunk. Link quietly slipped out of Darunia’s room and went to the second level of Goron City. Finding the room he and Zelda shared, Link opened the door and closed it. The room was quiet and dark, and had an eerie presence about it. Lighting the torches on the wall, Link went over to his mask bag.

Opening his Mask bag, he sorted through his Goron, Zora, Deku, Stone, Bunny, and Blast Masks until he found the one he was looking for. The Fierce Diety’s Mask. It’s pale, blue eyes gleamed in the torchlight, and its face was dark and had an odd feel to it. The mask looked like it was smirking, and the scars were stretched out on the mask. Link got an odd tingle down his spine when he gazed at the mask’s eyes, like he had been briefly electrocuted. Picking up the mask, Link went toward the torches and thrust the Fierce Diety’s mask into the flames. Waiting for about a minute, Link pulled the mask out of the dancing flames to see that they had…no effect. The mask was still intact, and it now appeared to be laughing, as if Link was foolish to try. Angrily, Link went to his equipment and pulled out the Megaton Hammer. Taking the giant steel hammer, Link pounded the mask repeatedly. After 10 tries, Link had left a huge hole in the ground, but in the very bottom, the Fierce Diety’s Mask still remained. Unbelieving, Link stepped down into the small crater and picked the mask up. A sudden voice scared Link more than all the monsters he had ever fought combined.

“Are you quite done yet?” The voice was quiet, threatening. It sounded like an echo, as if reverberating through several canyons and cliffs. Link looked at the mask. Although the lips weren’t moving, Link realized it was talking.

“You can’t destroy me, Link. I am an entity far stronger than you can conceive. I am part of you. Face it, Link. I am a part of you. Without me, you are just a pathetic excuse for a hero.”

Link furrowed his eyes at the mask. “Liar. You were never part of me and you never will.”

The mask laughed. “Tsk, tsk. Link, when you wore me in your battle with Majora, I became one with you. Do you wonder why you’ve been having these dreams lately? They are not just coincidences. They are your destiny, your true self. You must become one with me, Link. You must become evil like me. Only then will you be able to defeat Ganondorf.”

Link angrily replied. “I defeated Ganondorf in the past timeline without your help! If he’s been trapped in the Sacred Realm for seven years, I find it hard to believe that he could have improved his fighting skills in any way!”

The mask laughed again. “But Link, he is more powerful. He still retained the Triforce of Power all these years, hasn’t he? And with the Triforce of Power in the Sacred Realm, its power increased even more, giving Ganondorf a huge amount of magical energy and spells he can use. He can and will defeat you, unless you use ME!”

Link stumbled a little. If the Triforce of Power had increased Ganondorf’s power as much as Fierce Diety had said, then this was real trouble. Link staggered back a little, then flung the Fierce Diety Mask into the darkest corner of the room, and Link ran outside back to the top of Death Mountain.

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Zelda woke up, and realized it was early morning. Link wasn’t with her, and she wondered where he was. Wrapping her arms around her body, Zelda got up and started to go down the trail back to Goron City. Before she started, however, she heard footsteps behind her, coming from Death Mountain crater. Link came jogging out of the crater, coughing a little as the noxious fumes entered his nose.

“Link!” Zelda said. “Why were you in Death Mountain Crater?”

“I went to our room…to figure something out…” Link said, out of breath.

“What were you trying to figure out?” Zelda asked.

“Sit down, it’s a long story,” Link said. Zelda sat down, her dress sweeping the ground elegantly, as Link told Zelda all about his dream, and what Fierce Diety had said. When Link was done, Zelda thought for a few moments in silence.

“Link…try not to think about what Fierce Diety mask said. He might by lying just to get you to where him and become evil. If Ganondorf did increase in power, wouldn’t our Triforces have responded to it?”

Link tore off his Golden Gauntlets and look at his hand. The Triforce was a dull color, roughly the same color as his tanned skin.

“Guess you’re right,” Link said. Still, he had a nagging feeling…

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Three days before the armies were scheduled to move out and attack Castle Town, a scout came up to Goron City and reported 10,000 Moblins were moving toward Kakariko Village, armed with siege weapons. General Arkaynis had ordered 8,000 soldiers down to Kakariko Village, and some 2,000 archers stationed on the Death Mountain cliffs. The wooden stockade defenses surrounding Kakariko Village was stripped down in favor of hastily assembled stone walls, similar to the ones at Castle Town. There were two guard towers filled to the brim with archers, and a huge pit with sharpened stakes was dug in front of the Kakariko Village entrance. Pots of heated coals were stationed at the top of the Battlements, and everywhere armor and weapons were made faster than ever by the blacksmiths. The soldiers stayed at their posts, grim expressions on their faces as rain started to pour down; not a good omen. The scout had reported that the Moblins would make it to Kakariko Village by nightfall.

Zelda sat alone on a cliff. She had a staff in hand, and was preparing to cast spells at the moblins that would soon be rushing in frenzy below her. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up into the piercingly blue eyes of Link.

“Hi,” Zelda said quietly, kissing Link as he kissed her forehead.

“Hey,” Link said. Kissing Zelda softly, Link said “I just came up here…in case I die…to say I love you.”

Zelda kissed Link. “I love you too, Link. You mean everything to me…I don’t want to lose you…”

“Shhh,” Link said, rocking her slightly, holding her in silence. After a few minutes, they heard shouts and screams from the battlements and the screams of wounded soldiers.

“I have to go,” Link said before slipping into the darkness. Zelda watched him for a few seconds and then turned to the task at hand, gripping her long, slender staff tightly.

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General Arkaynis was on his horse, commanding the troops as best as he could on the hectic battle field. Many soldiers on the battlements had already fallen. His scouts had reported that many moblins had died by the stake pit, and many more were killed by all the archers, but General Arkaynis was not at rest. He would remain worried until he had defeated Ganondorf’s moblins, and saved Kakariko Village. Nearby, the Sages were healing wounded men and using their magic to create a barrier for the entrance gate, making it harder for enemy battering rams to knock it down.

As General Arkaynis watched two archers fall from the battlements, blood seeping from wounds caused by crude crossbow bolts used by the moblins, General Arkaynis wondered where in the name of the Goddesses Link was. Right on cue, Link’s red coated horse Epona came cantering up to General Arkaynis, bearing a rider clad in green.

“Glad you’re here, Link! I need you to help command some companies and raise the morale of our troops.”

Link nodded and spurred his horse to the battlements. Dismounting, and climbing up the ladder to the top floor of the battlements, Link drew the Master Sword and rallied the troops, shouting war cries and shooting Light Arrows from his Fairy Bow. The soldiers, seeing the glint of the legendary Master Sword in their presence, began to fight with renewed vigor. Scores of arrows rained down upon the moblins, dropping hundreds of moblins on the spot. The moblins returned fire with their cross bows, and trebuchets and catapults began to batter down the walls. Dumping hot coals and boiling water down, the soldiers of different species listened in grim satisfaction as screams of agony issued from below. Moblins threw up grappling hooks covered in acid upon the battlements and began to climb. Link put away his bow and took out the Master Sword and Mirror Shield.

“Alright, troops! They’re coming! Get out your swords and shields and prepare to fight! The moblins will be coming up one by one, so try to attack each of them before they can fight back! Spread out, so a blast from those Catapults can’t take out a whole group of you!” Link yelled, brandishing the Master Sword as his troops cheered.

The first Moblin rose up on the grappling hooks and was instantly slaughtered as three battle axes simultaneously hacked away at its body. The next few moblins met the same fate. However, the moblins got smarter, and bombarded the battlements with huge rocks flung from their trebuchets, smashing many unfortunate soldiers under their weight. With most of the battlement clear, the Moblins easily gained access, fighting off the few remaining survivors, and ripping at their flesh with their sharp teeth. Link realized the situation on the battlements was hopeless. Fighting off some Moblins, Link covered some soldiers while they made their escape down the ladders. Then, Link cast Din’s Fire, setting 12 moblins on fire. Quickly pulling out his Long Shot, Link quickly managed to escape to a building’s roof before he was sliced in half by a huge broadsword.

On top of the roof, Link surveyed the carnage as one of the watch towers began to smoke as the moblins set it on fire. The battlements had been abandoned, and now the moblins were trying to break down the gates. The Sages’ barrier should hold for a while longer, but there was no time to waste, Jumping down from the roof, Link quickly regrouped with General Arkaynis as they rallied the troops in a defensive line. Archers on the cliffs were given the signals to ready their bows, and many civilians, men woman, and children, hung around with swords and knives, sometimes even with cooking pans and wooden sticks. The moblins on the battlements had been chopped down by the waves of arrows coming from the Hyrulean Army Archers, and the Gorons were curled into balls on the hill sides, ready to roll down and attack the moblins at any time. The Zoras held out their razor sharp fins in a defense stance, and some were using their fins as boomerangs. The Sages were on a hillside, preparing a large number of magical fireballs for unarmed people to throw at the moblins.

Suddenly, the gates boomed and creaked, as if a huge strain was being put on it. The Sages’ barrier flickered and then went out. War cries from both sides could be heard as the giant gates were knocked down and a huge army of moblins followed.

General Arkaynis was calm, directing his troops from a hilltop. “Shields up! Swords ready! Archers, fire your volleys!” A sudden storm of arrows was let lose and hundreds of moblins were chopped down, only to be replaced by hundreds more.

“All soldiers! Prepare for battle! For Hyrule!” General Arkaynis bellowed, drawing his own sword and shield. All the soldiers were ready, needing to satisfy their lust for revenge. “For Hyrule!” They shouted in unison.

A second wave of arrows crashed into the moblins, earning loud cheers from the United Hylian Coalition Forces. The frontline Hylian Soldiers braced themselves as the first wave of moblins hit them.

Link grit his teeth and watched as the Hylians and Moblins duke it out. He was on a hill with General Arkaynis and 2,000 Cavalry troops, ready to charge down and skewer the moblins on their sharp blades. The Hylians were chopping down the moblins quite efficiently with the help of the Zoras and archers. From another hilltop, Link saw the fireballs that the Sages had made earlier being thrown at the moblins, who returned fire with their vicious crossbows. From the hill where Zelda was stationed, Link saw a stream of light followed by several loud wails and screams as it impacted the moblins. The Hylians jeered at the moblins, cursing them for everything the moblins had done.

“Bloody bastards! We’ll kill you all and send you to the Goddesses for punishment!” One of the soldiers shouted, slicing his moblin in half with a huge two handed sword. The soldiers surrounding him shared similar statements as they hacked down the moblins. The moblins, not to be outdone, crushed many soldiers under the blows of their huge maces and stabbed many soldiers with lances. The moblins were covered in blood, with bits of human flesh in their mouths as they ripped the heads of their victims and ate them, licking their huge mouths as blood gushed down from the sides. The first line began to crumble, and Link quickly shot a Light Arrow over the soldiers, giving them support and morale. Link took out his bow and began to shoot at the Moblins. One arrow for each moblin. From the corner of his eye he saw another blast of light from Zelda as it slammed into more moblins, making them scream in agony and pain as the magic coursed through their bodies. The moblin crossbows started to take its toll on the Zoras, who didn’t have anything to protect them. The Zoras fell into a retreat as the Gorons rolled in to fill the gap created. With their huge fists, the Gorons pounded away at the moblins, their rock hard hides protecting them from the brunt of the moblin crossbows.

The Hylian first line fell as a secondary line stepped up to replace it. Most of the Hylian Archers had run out of arrows and were now picking up short swords and daggers, while the Sages and Zelda sent a mini storm of flaming rocks down upon the moblins. The moblins had already lost a huge number of soldiers compared to the Hylians; it was suicide for the moblins to continue the battle. Yet, they still did, fighting with wretched tenacity. If they failed here, Ganondorf would torture them all until they died anyways. Snarling and yelling war cries, the moblins slowly began to push back the Hylians and Gorons. The Goron Line fell first, allowing the moblins to attack the Hylians from their exposed flank. In the savagery that followed, the second line was destroyed, as the remaining soldiers retreated to the Death Mountain cliffs, where the bulk of the army waited, ready to ambush the moblins.

General Arkaynis, Link, and the 2,000 Cavalry troops suddenly rushed out from the cliffs. Taking the moblins by surprise, they trampled down many moblins and sliced many more. Link dodged a moblin’s mace and skillfully steered Epona to the moblin’s flank, allowing him to chop with ease at the moblin’s unprotected side. Blocking a blow with his Mirror Shield, Link saw a Hylian Knight get skewered by a moblin sword, blood seeping freely through the unfortunate soldier’s tunic. Several more died in quick succession. Link narrowly avoided a sword thrust, but was less lucky when a spear grazed him on the arm, drawing blood. Link winced in pain but continued to fight on. General Arkaynis was nowhere to be seen, but at least the cavalry seemed to be beating the moblins back.

Sudden streams of light burst over Link’s head; the moblins in front of him screamed in pain and crumpled to the ground. Link saw that the moblins had a few hundred remaining soldiers.

“Charge!” Link yelled, spurring Epona faster. The rest of the Cavalry followed suit, and many moblins fell as the Cavalry advanced. Killing off the bulk of the remaining moblins fairly quickly, the remaining 200 moblins began a disorderly retreat. Many Cavalrymen chased after them, cutting down many more moblins as they tried to outrun the Hylian War Horses.

Eventually, the Cavalry gave up the chase, and the entire Hylian Coalition Forces yelled out cries of joy.

They had won their first battle against Ganondorf, and the tide was starting to turn.

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Link wandered through the mass of dead bodies that littered the battlefield. Many people were trying to rescue wounded soldiers, and Link was looking for anyone he could find.
Link heard a groan, and turned toward the noise. Looking down, Link saw a battered and bloodied face among the heaps of bodies. Pulling the man from underneath some bodies, Link realized it was General Arkaynis. Quickly fumbling for a blue potion, Link asked worriedly “Are you all right?”

General Arkaynis groaned. “Once you give me some of that potion I will be,” He said with a smile on his face, although his voice barely came out in a whisper. Link quickly poured the potion down General Arkaynis’s mouth, and saw some of the cuts on the General’s face disappear. Link helped General Arkaynis over to some nurses, who took him away to a tent. Link looked up at the battlefield. The Coalition had suffered about 2,600 soldiers’ dead, with 3,400 wounded. All 10,000 moblins had been killed, reducing Ganondorf’s Army severely. The Coalition still had around 12,000 troops fit and ready to fight, and about 100 siege weapons. Their next move was Castle Town, and that was where Link would lose it all.

But it was for a good cause.

Someone grasped Link’s hand quietly and kissed him on the lips. Link realized it was Zelda, and he embraced her, kissing her back.

“We lost so many soldiers,” Zelda said quietly.

“Yes, but we severely weakened Ganondorf’s army in the process. We should have enough soldiers to make an assault on Castle Town,” Link said.

Zelda hugged Link.

“We should probably look for more wounded soldiers.” Zelda said softly.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Link said, as he picked his way through the sea of corpses, looking for anyone that still had a chance to live.

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Sexual Scene coming up! So if you can’t handle situations like that, skip this part and go to the next chapter.


The attack on Castle Town was delayed for another five days. The bodies of the dead Coalition soldiers were buried in the Kakariko Graveyard, while the moblin bodies were burned. Civilians worked double time to repair the damage that the moblins had done to Kakariko Village. Walls and Guard Towers were rebuilt, in case the Coalition had to fall back if their attack on Castle Town failed. Currently, most of the work was done, and the soldiers were allowed to have a day off. The next day, early in the morning, they would set off for Castle Town, hopefully reaching it by late afternoon. The plan depended on battering down the city walls and gates with their siege weapons, then clearing Castle Town of any hostilities. From there, if the Coalition didn’t suffer too many casualties, they would siege Ganondorf’s Citadel, with Link hopefully defeating Ganondorf before he could kill too many Coalition troops.

Currently, it was nightfall, and many troops feasting and enjoying what could possibly be their last night alive. Zelda and Link were in their room, packing up their belongings. Although Zelda had promised Link she would stay here, she had secretly decided to go fight under the guise of another soldier.

Link was looking into his mask bag again. He pulled out the Fierce Diety Mask. He stared into its pale eyes, and quickly put it into his travel bag. He didn’t want to take the Mask, but for some reason his arm automatically put it into his bag and wouldn’t let Link take it out. Link was panicked. Was the mask taking control of him? It had invaded his thoughts and dreams before, was it taking control of his body now? Link slowly packed some spare blue potions into his bag, and looked at his arsenal of weapons. He would be using the Master Sword, Mirror Shield, and Fairy Bow with the Light Arrows. Setting down all his weapons, Link sat down on the bed, psyching his mind up for what he was about to do tomorrow. Zelda sat down softly next to Link and kissed his cheek while wrapping her long, slender arms around him.

“Is everything you need packed?” Zelda asked quietly.

“Yeah.” Link kissed Zelda, running his hands through her soft hair. Zelda buried her face into his shoulder. This was possibly the last time she’d see him alive again.

Link noted Zelda’s tension. “Don’t worry Zelda, I’ll come back alright.” Stroking Zelda gently, Link laid her back on the bed, kissing her avidly. Zelda stretched on the full length of the bed, closing her eyes and enjoying the sensation as Link kissed her lips, forcing his tongue inside her mouth, stroking her softly. Zelda moaned in pleasure, and pulled Link down on top of her, as she returned his kisses. Slowly, Zelda’s hands moved to Link’s tunic, and she removed it from Link’s body, exposing his bare chest, which had several cuts on it and many muscles. Link enjoyed the sensation as Zelda’s bare hands moved across his chest, gently massaging it. Link’s kisses traveled from Zelda’s mouth down to her neck, and Zelda moaned in desire, wanting more of Link.

“Link…” She whispered breathlessly, clutching him and staring into his eyes with wisdom beyond her years.

Link responded by slipping Zelda’s dress off of her, and his kisses moved onto her breasts. Zelda let out a cry of ecstasy, as she arched her back, exposing more of herself to her hero.

Link quickly tore off his under garments; they were now both fully naked as Link began to slowly move his hands down, brushing her hips and coming to her legs. Zelda kissed Link, and rubbed his chest with her hands, gently whispering his name.

“Link…” Zelda said. “Please…love me…”

Link watched as Zelda spread apart her legs, revealing a woman’s most private and personal spot. Link slowly lowered his body, and suddenly plunged deep into Zelda’s body, as they both let out cries of pleasure. Link went as deep as he could go, before filling Zelda with his essence, joining their bodies as one, and becoming lovers for the first time. Link pulled out and collapsed into Zelda’s arms, both wanting more of each other. Link wrapped his arms around Zelda and kissed her as they began to sleep. When the two young lovers had fallen asleep, and darkness covered their bodies, the Triforces of Wisdom and Courage suddenly glowed brightly, on the hands of their bearers, shining through the darkness like a light tower on a dark night.


*Author’s Note* Thanks for all the Reviews! I’m glad that many of you enjoy the story! This is the longest chapter, so Read, Review, and Enjoy!



Chapter 12: Destiny’s Duel

Some Sexual Content at the beginning, so skip this part until you reach the notice.

When Zelda woke up, the room was still fairly dark. Looking over to the clock, Zelda realized that the soldiers were supposed to move out in another three hours. Zelda laid her head back down onto Link’s chest. Both of them were completely nude, and Zelda’s cloths were scattered on the floor. Snuggling up to Link, Zelda thought about what had happened last night…She and Link were more than friends now, they were lovers. Zelda smiled and kissed Link on the forehead. Link stirred and woke up. He looked groggy for a moment, then realized Zelda was the one who kissed him. Link smiled and kissed her back.

“I hope…it wasn’t more than what you wanted…last night,” Link said.

Zelda smiled. “Of course not,” Zelda replied, grinning as she kissed Link and exposed her ample breasts to his cerulean eyes.

Link held her tightly and buried his face into her hair, inhaling her scent and stroking her back as Zelda rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes.

Link became aware that something wet was running down his chest. Looking at Zelda, he realized she was crying.

“Zelda…why are you crying?” Link said.

“What if you die today?” Zelda said, squeezing him tighter as if trying to re-assure herself he wouldn’t.

Link stroked Zelda’s hair. “Don’t worry Zelda, I’ll come back alright.”

Zelda didn’t respond. Instead, she kissed Link and hugged him tighter.

After about two more hours, shouts and footsteps could be heard as troops got ready for the assault. Link and Zelda got out of the bed, and dressed into their clothes again. Link got his travel bag that he would put on Epona later, picking up the Master Sword and the Mirror Shield, and slinging them on his back, Link quickly kissed Zelda and rushed out of the room. Zelda followed, determined to help Link in the battle.

End of Sexual Part, you can resume reading

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Zelda was sitting at the top of a ridge. The troops were about to depart, and Zelda was going to follow the troops at the end of the line. Presently, however, Zelda was scanning the sea of moving bodies and weapons, until she found what she was looking for. Link was sitting proudly on top of Epona about fifty yards away, and looked to be like a real hero should, with a proud steed and the legendary Master Sword glinting in the sun, as if threatening it to become dark and cloudy. Zelda watched Link and after awhile, Link turned in her direction. Link grinned and waved to Zelda. Quickly looking around to make sure that the troops weren’t about to leave, Link quickly rode Epona over to where Zelda was situated. Dismounting Epona, Link sat down next to Zelda and held her hand, gazing into her eyes with a serious expression on his face.

“You’re going to try and join the army, aren’t you?” Link said quietly.

Zelda was taken aback. “Um…no, of course not,” Zelda said.

Link kissed Zelda and smiled, but said very seriously “I’m only worried about you, Zelda. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Zelda hugged Link. “I know,” She whispered.

Suddenly, a horn blew, followed by the cries of the soldiers as many banners were raised proudly into the clear-blue sky.

“Gotta go,” Link said, quickly jumping on Epona and maneuvering back into the crowd of soldiers. Link’s place was taken by Malon a few minutes later.

“Hey Malon,” Zelda said, smiling at her friend.

“Hey Zelda.” Malon sat down as she and Zelda listened to Generals Arkaynis and Mutoh’s speeches.

“Do you think we stand a chance?” Malon asked, in a timid voice. This was the first time that Zelda had actually heard a hint of fear in her friend’s voice.

Zelda thought about the question. “Yes,” Zelda said in a defiant voice. “I know we can defeat Ganondorf.”

Malon looked at Zelda quietly for a second. “Not to be pessimistic, but what happens if our attack fails?”

Zelda didn’t answer the question, although she knew the answer. “If this attack fails,” Zelda thought, “Then Hyrule will be doomed to centuries of misery and decline.”

The speeches had ended, and now the army began to move out. First, the Hylian Infantry moved down the Death Mountain trail, banners and flags proudly fluttering in the wind as songs and shouts could be heard. The Zora and Gorons followed, with the Cavalry trailing. Last came the Sages, accompanied by the Generals and Link. Link gave one last fleeting glance before Epona cantered down Death Mountain Trail, brining him out of sight.

Zelda stood up, with her palms outward. “What are you doing?” Malon asked in alarm.

Zelda didn’t answer. Instead she closed her eyes and muttered some ancient Shiekan words under her breath. A light enveloped Zelda, as she grew taller and stronger. Her Royal Silk dress was replaced by a blue tunic and a white cloth, which bore a red “Shiekan eye.” The light surrounding Zelda dissipated, and Malon gasped in wonder and amazement.

“Goodbye Malon.” With that, Zelda, turned into Sheik, threw a deku nut and disappeared.

Malon winced as the bright light blinded her temporarily. When her eyes cleared, that person was gone. Malon knew that Zelda probably had changed herself into another form so that she could fight. “Two can play at this game,” Malon thought as she raced to get a horse and her bow and arrows. Jumping onto her horse, Dust, Malon suddenly dismounted and found some blue potion bottles. “Just in case,” She thought.

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The noonday sun beat down on Link’s neck. He probably had sunburn, because whenever he moved his neck it tingled with aggravation. General Arkaynis and Mutoh were talking, but Link wasn’t very interested. He was more worried about Zelda. He knew that she was probably following the army, and although a part of Link was glad that she was here, another part was anxious and scared for her safety.

“Snap out of it,” Link thought. “Zelda survived for seven years in the alternate dimension without anyone’s help. She can take care of herself.”

Four hours had passed since the army had left Death Mountain, and the Army was in Hyrule Field now. The Siege Weapons they had picked up at Kakariko Village was trailing off to the side, with an armed escort. The Coalition would reach Hyrule Castle in about three hours, if nothing bad happened. The army had already been ambushed by ten Mad Scrubs, and although no one was hurt, Link was still worried. The sound of hoof beats behind Link made him stop and turn around. A few yards behind him was a fairly small figure, with a bow and quiver slung on its back. Link recognized the horse as Malon’s favorite, which she had called “Dust.” A few seconds later, the figure came into sharper focus and Link realized it was Malon.

“Malon?” Link yelled out, unbelieving. General Arkaynis stopped to look at the new figure, while General Mutoh continued to move up with the troops.

“Link, who is this?” General Arkaynis asked, more bewildered then concerned.
“She’s Malon, she’s the daughter of the owner at Lon-Lon Ranch. Malon slowly rode Dust up to Link and General Arkaynis.

“Hi,” Malon said. Before either of the men could speak, Malon said “Don’t worry, I can take care of myself. And Zelda can too, so you don’t have to be too over-protective. Besides, you’ll need every soldier you can get.”

Link closed his mouth. Apparently, nothing he said or did would get Malon or Zelda to stay behind in safety. They wanted action. A small part of Link couldn’t blame them, either. However, General Arkaynis frowned.

“You say our Queen is going to war with the army also? Milady, maybe you should fetch the queen and head back, this battle will be extremely dangerous.”

Malon scowled, and ignored Arkaynis. Dust cantered up to Epona as they both whinnied happily. Arkaynis followed, although he was clearly not happy. For most of the journey, Link talked with either Malon or Arkaynis. Arkaynis and Malon made some small talk, but for the most part let Link be the middleman.

After about an hour away from Castle Town, the rest of the army seemed to get nervous. The songs and talking had been hushed, and the only sounds that could be heard were the whinnies of the horses and the sounds of thousands of feet tramping across the plains. Link was mostly quiet now, as he listened to Malon and Arkaynis talk. They seemed to be getting along better now. Link was thinking of Zelda, and wondering where she was. Battles were much easier to fight without knowing that your friends and loved ones were not in the danger of perishing. Turning his head to the right, Link stared at a willow tree that was dipping his magnificent branches into the Zora River. For a second, Link thought he saw a shimmer of blue among the green leaves, and a pair of red eyes, before they quickly vanished into the coming darkness.

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Sheik quickly disappeared behind the willow branches. Sprinting long, even strides, Sheik hid from rock to tree, keeping pace with the slowly moving Coalition. The walls of Castle Town were visible now, and the Coalition quietly set up their Siege Weapons and formed into ranks and lines. The archers positioned themselves in hills and ridges, while Sheik could see the Sages standing at the top of a high hill. They were already preparing magical projectiles to hurl at the enemy. Even from this distance, Sheik could see Impa meditating to collect her strength for the coming battle. Sheik’s legs felt a little bit wobbly, but she was, for the most part, under control. It was probably just battle anxiety. Sheik dove behind a rock, and readied her chain link that she often used as a flexible weapon. She also armed some throwing stars underneath her sleeve, which concealed a miniature device capable of launching several small projectiles quickly. Sheik got within range of the Castle Walls, ready to strike down any Moblins with her throwing stars. These were her people that Ganondorf had tried to enslave, and now, it was time for revenge.

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Link was off to the side with some Cavalry soldiers. Malon had gone off the join the archers, and General Mutoh and Arkaynis had left to command the other forces. Link felt fairly jittery. This would be the battle that decided the fate of Hyrule, and it would culminate with Link’s duel against Ganondorf. “Not a very good way to end the day,” Link thought. “Or, perhaps your life?” Link froze. The Fierce Diety Mask was speaking again. Link suddenly remembered that he had packed the Mask into his bag.

“Shut up,” Link growled. No more noise followed, which was a relief, as the first line of archers began to stretch their bows back, looking for a mark atop the Castle Walls.

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Renald paced back and forth inside the Castle. Ganondorf had promoted him to General, and Renald was in command of the forces guarding Castle Town. Renald was a good fighter, but he wasn’t so sure about his skills at commanding an entire army. Especially a giant, rabid, deformed army whose soldiers represented overgrown and mutated pigs.

A moblin stepped up to Renald. “Sir, our guards have told us a giant army has amassed itself outside our walls. They are preparing to attack.”

Renald froze. He never thought he would actually have to command his soldiers in a fight, especially one of this multitude.

Footsteps echoed behind Renald, and Ganondorf stuck his face into Renald’s.

“You know what to do, General,” Ganondorf said, a grin playing cruelly across his face. “Don’t fail me.”

Renald nodded and went off to the armory to fetch his armor and broadsword.

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“Fire!” Yelled the Captain in command of the entire Siege Weapon Company. Simultaneously, several catapults and trebuchets flung their payload into Castle Town, as screams erupted from their walls. Arrows from the archers whizzed over their heads as the Siege Company reloaded its array of weapons. General Arkaynis rode up to the Captain on his white horse.

“How goes everything, Captain Lewis?”

Captain Lewis nodded, watching as another wave of ordnance from their Siege Weapons struck home.

“Everything is preceding as planned, General. No problems here. When you want the barrage to stop, just signal us.”

General Arkaynis nodded, and rode his horse off to another section of infantry. The skies began to darken as screams from both sides began to fill the air, as the most important battle in the entire war began.

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Malon squinted through the darkness. A flare sent by the Sages quickly illuminated a large portion of the Castle Walls, exposing several Moblins. Malon quickly let her arrow fly and she watched as her target fell off the Walls. Another hit. Malon quickly reloaded her bow. It was getting too dark to see the targets clearly. Most of the archers had started to advance, in order to get a clearer view of the enemy. Malon spurred Dust down the hill, and let out a cry of exhilaration as she let another arrow fly. This was he chance for revenge, for everything that Ganondorf and his army had done to Hyrule. Adrenaline pumped through Malon’s bloodstream, and her hearing and senses sharpened. Quickly loading and aiming another arrow, Malon saw another moblin go toppling down. She was close enough to hear the screams of the soldiers now. In front of Malon, a fellow archer suddenly slumped as a crossbow bolt, fired by the moblins, buried itself in the unfortunate victim. Several more archers followed, groaning as their blood spilled onto Hyrule Field. Malon skillfully made Dust zig-zag around the area, making her a harder target for the moblins. Staring up at the Castle Walls again, Malon realized that one of the moblins was tracking someone, its eyes furrowed in concentration. Quickly shooting the moblin, Malon realized that it was tracking her. All that archery practice with her cousins Cremia and Romania did pay off.

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Link quickly rode Epona through the mass of Coalition forces. Giant Siege Towers were quickly approaching the Castle Walls, and many soldiers jostled each other to get inside one, hoping to full fill their lust for revenge. A giant battering ram approached the Gate, and as a giant boom echoed across the yells and cries of the soldiers from both sides, the giant gate fell down, splintering as shards of its body flew in every direction.

Almost at once, a huge mass of soldiers moved into the gap, met with charging moblins and crossbow bolts. The moblins also began to pour boiling hot water down onto the soldiers, and Link saw several of their faces twist in agony as giant boils and burns covered their faces and exposed body parts. This did little to deter the Coalition Attack; on the contrary, even more soldiers rushed in, stabbing, yelling, and jeering as countless moblins fell before them. Link quickly moved into the sea of troops. Many of them were yelling insults like, “Die, Bastards!” or “Eat my sword, Bitch!” The moblins, in turn yelled out their own insults, as they ripped apart several soldiers with their giant, crude teeth as blood splashed everywhere. Link quickly stabbed a Moblin through the throat with the Master Sword, and skillfully parried a blow to his head with the Mirror Shield. The soldiers seemed to gain heart at the sight of the legendary blade and the Hero who wielded it. Slowly, the moblins were pushed back as more Coalition forces flooded Castle Town. On the walls, the Siege Towers had lowered their ramps and many soldiers spilled out, as they overflowed the walls and easily slay the moblins manning their positions. Link guided Epona to a deserted area and dismounted her. It would be too hard to maneuver his horse in the chaotic battlefield. Brandishing his sword, Link yelled as a moblin advanced upon him, growling with anger. The moblin’s spear was tipped with blood, and some fresh meat hung from the moblin’s mouth. Blood and foam dripped from his black gums as the Moblin quickly lunged at Link, trying to skewer him onto the wall. Link nimbly dodged the blow and struck the moblin in the side. The moblin howled in pain as its blood stained the blade of the Master Sword. Quickly stabbing the moblin again, Link watched as the moblins battled with the Coalition forces.
Already, many soldiers were wounded and crying for help.

Three moblins approached Link, wanting revenge for their fallen comrade. Link quickly slay one with his Master Sword, but was forced to go on the defensive as the two moblins tried to bring two hammers down onto Link’s skull. Link dodged the first blow. Quickly bringing up the Mirror Shield, he also successfully blocked the second blow, although his arm was numb. Link backed into a corner. Suddenly, several steel objects were flung into the air and embedded into the first moblin. A chain link quickly followed, striking down the second moblin. Sheik jumped out from the shadows, reloading his throwing star device. Although there was a wrap around Sheik’s mouth, Link could have sworn that she was smiling.

“Hello, Zelda.” Link said.

“I guess you did need my help,” Sheik said, laughing lightly. Picking up her chain link, Sheik and Link charged into battle to aid the Coalition forces, who were pushing back the moblins through the rubble-strewn streets of Hyrule Castle.

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General Mutoh was in the middle of the fighting. He was surrounded by Termina soldiers who wore heavy iron chain mail shirts and used large kite shields and razor-sharp swords. So far, the battle had been progressing well. The Coalition forces were pushing back the moblins, and if this rate continued, Castle Town would be theirs in a matter of hours. Waving his giant war blade, already stained crimson with blood, General Mutoh was rallying his troops when his eyes caught sight of a man wearing huge, plated black armor with a full helmet that shielded his face. The man was slaughtering Coalition forces with his huge broadsword, and each swing would bring down one more soldiers in a violent spray of blood.

“So this must be Ganondorf’s Commander,” General Mutoh muttered. General Mutoh spurred his horse forward, eager to engage the enemy leader.

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Renald had decapitated another Hylian soldier when he noticed a man on a horse charging toward him with a huge war blade, easily twice his body length. The man wore steel armor, with a cape fastened around him like a toga. Renald remembered one of Ganondorf’s briefings of the main Coalition Leaders, and he recognized this man as General Mutoh. Quickly pulling his sword out of his last victim, Renald brought his bloody sword up and shifted his body weight. General Mutoh had a horse, so he would have to be extremely careful in fighting him. General Mutoh came charging, and Renald quickly side-stepped before he could be impaled by Mutoh’s sword. As Mutoh’s horse raced past, Renald lunged his sword into his foes’ horse. The horse cried out in pain and panic, but General Mutoh did a hasty dismount before the horse could crush its rider underneath its weight. Now, they were both on even ground.

As the battle raged all around them, Generals Mutoh and Renald charged at each other, screaming in fury, with their blades poised outwards in a blocking stance. When they were about two feet away, General Mutoh suddenly swung his weapon down onto Renald’s head. Renald managed to block the blow in time, and retaliated by doing a complicated two-step around General Mutoh’s parried blade and quickly slicing at Mutoh’s unprotected left flank. Mutoh managed to jump away just in time, and as Renald’s sword clashed against the hard ground, Mutoh kicked Renald in the helmet, sending Renald crashing to the ground. Renald quickly realized that he was in a bad position to continue the fight, and quickly tripped Mutoh before he could be sliced open by Mutoh’s war blade. Now, it was Mutoh on the ground and Renald who held the advantage. Quickly stabbing Mutoh, Renald’s blade pierced Mutoh’s steel armor and ruptured one of his lungs. Mutoh recoiled in pain and coughed up a large amount of blood and phlegm. Before General Mutoh could make another move, Renald quickly stabbed his enemy in the chest viciously. As General Mutoh took his last breath, Renald withdrew his blade from his dead enemy’s body. Scanning the battlefield, he noticed with some panic that his moblins were still being pushed back. Turning to his left, Renald saw a man clad in a green tunic sprinting towards him, followed by what looked like a Sheikah. Renald realized with horror that the blade the Green Tunic Man wielded was none other than the Master Sword.

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Link quickly sprinted toward the man in black armor who had just felled General Mutoh. The black armored man looked at Link and let out a tone of mocking.

“You were too late to save him, you know. He died a horrible and painful death by my hands,” Renald mocked.

Link growled. “I’ll show you pain, Renald.” Link had finally recognized Renald’s voice from their brief encounter in the Cultist’s City.

Drawing the Master Sword and the Mirror Shield, Link arranged himself in a battle stance, with the Mirror Shield pointing upward. Renald had armor, giving him more protection, but the armor limited Renald’s mobility and speed. Link planned to exploit that weakness.

“Sheik,” Link yelled out. “Go find General Arkaynis and inform him about General Mutoh. Stick with him, I’ll be fine alone.”

Sheik nodded and disappeared in a bright flash of light. Link turned his attention back to Renald.

Link yelled and charged at Renald, brandishing the Master Sword. Renald let forth a cry of fury and met Link’s blade with his own bloody weapon. The two swords rang against each other and the sound of their steel parts resonated across the chaotic battlefield. Link quickly rolled away from Renald and brought the Master Sword down on Renald’s skull. Renald quickly swerved his blade to the sight. Link managed to block the blow with his Mirror Shield just in time, but his attack had failed.

Renald and Link stalked each other, moving like warriors combined with panthers. Never letting their eyes off each other, they spent every second anticipating their foe’s next move. Link realized that Renald would not attack Link.

“He knows his armor will make it hard for him to attack me since I’m so much faster.” Link thought. “If I want to defeat him, I have to go on the offensive.”

Link quickly faked a chop toward Renald with his Master Sword. Renald tried to parry but realized it was a fake swing. Link took his chance and stabbed the Master Sword at Renald. Although he landed a solid hit, Renald’s armor protected him from the brunt of the attack. Link did a back flip away from Renald before his enemy had a chance to cleave his body in half. Yelling another war-cry, Link charged forward at Renald. He had a complicated plan worked out in his mind that could defeat Renald, but if he made one mistake…

Renald quickly brought out his sword to parry the coming blow and bent his legs forward to act as dams against the coming force. However, when Link attacked, he brought the Master Sword down with all his strength upon Renald’s outstretched weapon. Renald’s weapon was thrown to the ground as Link continued his assault by jumping to the side and quickly executing a jump attack at Renald. With no weapon to defend him, Renald tried to move away from Link before the blow fell. However, Renald’s armor weighted him down, and the Master Sword ripped open the armor on Renald’s back, making a deep gash that was close to Renald’s spine. Renald stumbled, and dropped his sword. The last thing Renald saw before his eyes became shrouded with black fog was Link, who was already running to join the other troops in the fight.

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General Arkaynis spurred his horse forward. A young man that called himself Sheik
Had told Arkaynis about Mutoh’s death, and that Link was already fighting the enemy general. Arkaynis knew Link was more than a match for anything in Ganondorf’s army, so Arkaynis wasn’t worried about his friend. Instead, Arkaynis concentrated on directing his troops in battle. Although the Coalition was pushing the moblins back, they had suffered an immense amount of casualties. General Mutoh’s death lowered morale even more. General Arkaynis knew that they could capture Castle Town, but wasn’t sure if they’d have enough manpower to storm Ganondorf’s fortress. At least Queen Zelda hadn’t shown up in the fight yet. A moblin charged at General Arkaynis. Caught off guard, Arkaynis couldn’t bring his shield up in time before the moblin-

Fell dead at his feet. Bewildered at his good fortune, Arkaynis looked around for his savior. The girl named Malon that he had talked to earlier rode up to him, with another arrow already notched and ready to fly.

“You owe me!” She yelled, grinning, as she charged off into battle. Arkaynis stood in shock for a moment, before gathering his wits and charging his horse into the fight. He was one lucky man.

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Ganondorf sat atop his black stallion, observing the unfolding scene. Renald had fallen, and his moblins stationed at Castle Town were at their knees. He would have to garrison his fortress and try and defeat the Coalition forces there, especially with the Hero of Time and 5,000+ soldiers running around through his evil domain. If he didn’t work fast, he would be returning to his cozy hole in the Sacred Realm for another eternity.

Scowling, Ganondorf charged his stallion back inside his fortress. Moblins were on top of the walls, ready with crossbows. Some Gerudo that were still loyal to him accompanied him as an Elite Guard. Turning around, Ganondorf brought his hand up and with a sudden surge of energy, destroyed the drawbridge leading to his Citadel of Evil. Moblins retreating from Castle Town begged for him to save them from the wrath of the Coalition onslaught, but their pleas fell on deaf ears.

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Link followed the rest of the Coalition on foot. They had pushed the last of the moblins out of Castle Town, and they were preparing for the attack on Ganondorf’s Citadel. Already, the archers and siege weapons were moving in, while the Coalition regrouped.

Link looked out at the battlefield. The whole area smelled of death and blood. Many of the buildings had caught on fire, and the place was piled high with bodies. You couldn’t walk anywhere without stepping in someone’s guts. The Coalition had suffered heavy casualties. A little more than half their attack force had died. The Hylians had been reduced to around 3,000 men, while the Gorons and Zoras combined had little over 1,000 soldiers. Nabooru still had most of her Gerudo soldiers, and Zelda, Malon, Arkaynis, and all the Sages were alright. Although they had suffered a lot of deaths, General Arkaynis decided to attack Ganondorf’s fortress once the siege weapons arrived and everyone was organized. Link checked all his equipment. He had only the Master Sword and the Mirror Shield since most of his equipment had been packed into bags that Epona carried. Link had left Epona near the slums of town, and hoped that she was still alright. However, he didn’t have any time to check now. The siege weapons had arrived, and everybody was reorganizing.

Walking toward the Coalition forces, Sheik surprised Link by jumping down from one of the roofs. Link hugged Sheik, and they continued to walk toward the Coalition forces.

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General Arkaynis stood at the head of the Coalition, escorted by twenty Royal Guards. Stopping his horse, he surveyed the army. He saw the faces of Link and the mysterious man named Sheik that had talked to him earlier. Also, he saw Malon, who had saved him earlier from certain death. General Arkaynis began to speak.

“I know that we have suffered many losses here,” Arkaynis began. “We have lost countless soldiers of the Hylian, Zora, and Goron races. We have lost some of our leaders, and have lost on of our generals, General Mutoh.” At this, some soldiers gasped aloud, for they had not heard yet of their leader’s demise.

“Hyrule has much to thank for this help. Termina, and all the races, have worked together for one common goal: To defeat the War Lord Ganondorf. We have lost many brave soldiers today, and we will lose many more, but if we don’t defeat Ganondorf here, many more lives then just us will be lost. Our families, our friends, everything that we hold dear will be taken from us if Ganondorf is not stopped. That is why we still have one more step to the road of victory. Once we capture Ganondorf’s Citadel, and slay the War Lord, our victory is complete. He shall no more slay our women and children, kill our soldiers, and burn and loot our towns! We do this for the Queen, for Hyrule, and for all free countries so that our descendants may live in a life where there is no misery, or death, or fear.”

When General Arkaynis finished his speech, the soldiers let out a weary cheer. They only had one more hurdle to jump, one more obstacle in their way, before they could win.

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The Sages stood near the back of the Coalition. As the army started to move out, the Sages began to talk amongst themselves.

Saria, the green haired Kokiri girl, and Sage of the Forest, began to speak. “Once we storm Ganondorf’s Citadel, we need to get Link to fight Ganondorf. Once Ganondorf is at our mercy, we can once again imprison him in the Sacred Realm.”

The rest of the Sages nodded their heads in assent.

“We should also make a bridge using our combined powers to ferry the Coalition troops over into Ganondorf’s Citadel,” Ruto, a Zora, and Sage of Water, spoke.

“Yes, and we must do it quickly. With every second, many soldiers will fall. The Coalition soldiers are sitting keese for the moblins up on the walls,” Rauru, an old man with graying hair, and Sage of Light, said.

“Where is Nabooru?” Impa asked.

She is leading the Gerudo into battle, after all, she is their leader,” the Sage of Fire, Darunia said.

The Sages nodded and began to channel their power as the soldiers moved out for their final destination: Ganondorf’s Citadel.

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“Fire!” Captain Lewis yelled, as the catapults and trebuchets under his command fired their ordnance at the Citadel walls. Many parts of the Walls collapsed or broke off when the heavy rocks, flung by the Siege Weapons, hit their targets, and many moblins fell screaming into the lava pit that the Citadel hovered upon. A hail of bolts, fired from the moblins, met the Siege Weapons, and many men manning the Siege Weapons fell.

“Keep Reloading! Keep Reloading! The archers will provide cover fire!” Captain Lewis yelled. The archers had already fired several volleys of arrows at the walls, and many moblins had fallen. But, for every fallen Moblin, two more took its place. Slowly, the Coalition began to take Casualties after soldier after soldier was hammered by metal bolts and throwing knives.

Nabooru watched the battle with dismay. Leaving her Gerudos for a few minutes, she returned to the Sages and began to use her power to help them channel energy into forming a bridge onto which the Coalition could storm Ganondorf’s tower. After a few more minutes, the Sages unleashed their combined powers. Arching across the sky like a dragon, the colors of blue, green, red, yellow, purple, and orange flew across the sky. Settling down onto the chasm that separated the ground from Ganondorf’s Citadel, the colors slowly formed a bridge that was composed of the six colors that heralded the Sages. Yelling war cries and shouts, the Coalition forces moved across the bridge and into the Citadel. Returning to the Gerudo, Nabooru led her troops into the heart of the fighting, while the archers and siege weapons still inflicted heavy damage upon the moblins on the Citadel Walls.

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Link was one of the first into Ganondorf’s Citadel, followed closely by Sheik. The inside looked exactly as he remembered it in the alternate timeline. The inside was dark and gloomy, and in the middle of the huge, sloping room, was a giant tower. On the sides of the room were many blue doors. In the alternate timeline, the blue doors led to the Barriers, but Link suspected that this time they led to the walls and battlements, since a huge flood of moblins left the doors to engage the invading Coalition forces. Link killed a few moblins, but he didn’t stay long. The Coalition could more than handle itself, and Link’s real objective was up in the tower.

Where Ganondorf was waiting.

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Link and Sheik entered the tower, alone. The rest of the Coalition forces were still fighting off the moblins. Inside the tower, a winding staircase with red carpet to Link’s left sloped upwards. It was exactly like the alternate timeline, but thankfully, there were no fire keese here to hinder him or Sheik.

Sheik stepped around the room, scanning her surroundings with piercing red eyes, hands up in a combat position. Her chain link was at the ready, and her throwing star launcher was full of the tiny, steel stars.

“So, should we head on up?” Sheik asked. Link nodded silently and gripped the Master Sword tight. “If this is like the alternate timeline, we should have to fight some stalfos, lizalfoes, and iron knuckles on the way to Ganondorf.”

Sheik nodded and began to walk up the stairs. Suddenly stopping, a blinding light robed Sheik’s body and Link had to shield his eyes. When his eyes stopped stinging, he opened them and Zelda was standing there.

“It’s hard to cast magic in a Sheikah uniform,” Zelda said.

Link nodded and smiled. “Sacrificing speed and mobility for power?”

Walking up the staircase together, the giant door, engraved with markings of ancient Hylian text, and embossed with gold figures, opened automatically for Link and Zelda. Stepping into the cavernous, circular room, the door closed unexpectedly behind them and two Lizalfoes popped out of nowhere. The first Lizalfoe, which resembled a giant, walking lizard with green scales, sharp claws, and a curved scimitar, jumped forward and immediately engaged Link and combat. With practiced efficiency, Link stepped aside at the last second and cut the Lizalfoe in half with the Master Sword. The other Lizalfoe shrieked and was about to avenge its fallen comrade when Zelda hit it with a fireball. The screaming Lizard ran around the room, ablaze. After a second fireball, the lizard was put out of its agony. The door on the other side of the room opened, and Zelda and Link stepped over the smoldering body of the dead lizard to reach the door.

Link and Zelda once again walked up a flight of stairs, carpeted in red velvet, and met another door. Opening it, neither was surprised when the door shut and locked behind them, and two stalfos jumped from the ceiling and attacked.

“Stalfos can only be hurt by metal,” Link yelled, remembering when he tried to use Din’s Fire on one in the Forest Temple in the alternate timeline. Zelda nodded and cast a spell at one stalfos. The spell changed into a green bolt in midair, and wrapped itself around the legs of the first stalfos. Repeating the spell at the second one, both stalfos were unable to react before Link slashed them apart with the Master Sword.

“Nifty spell,” Link remarked, thinking it had been his easiest battle ever fought.

Zelda smiled. “I have something bigger in store for the iron knuckles,” Zelda remarked dryly.

Opening the other door, Link and Zelda walked up another flight of stairs to the next room. This room had three iron knuckles in it. Two of the iron knuckles wore white armor, while the last wore black armor. They all lay immobile. Link cautiously went up to one of the iron knuckles. Quickly stabbing it with the Master Sword, Link retreated as the wakened iron knuckle charged at Link. The other two iron knuckles also awoke, going for Zelda.
Link quickly stopped in his tracks and faced the iron knuckle. The iron knuckle swung its huge, rusted battle ax at Link. Right before the battle ax could cave in his skull, Link did a back flip, and the battle axe became lodged in the marble floor. While the iron knuckle tried to pull its weapon out from the ground, Link repeatedly slashed and stabbed at the iron knuckle, once even smashing its helmet with the Mirror Shield in a shield bash. The iron knuckle fell down and vanished into flames of blue. Link wiped the sweat from his forehead and turned to see how Zelda was doing with the other two. With horror, Link realized Zelda had her eyes closed and was standing still: a perfect target for the two iron knuckles.

“Zelda!” Link yelled. Zelda ignored him. Link rushed toward Zelda, trying to stop the two iron knuckles from killing her before-

Zelda yelled, opened her eyes, and turned her palms upwards. The whole room seemed to dim, and the iron knuckles stopped in confusion. A giant, shimmering globe of light emerged near Zelda’s hands. It started to glow, and its size began to increase until it swallowed the two iron knuckles. With a resounding boom, the giant glow vanished, and with it, the iron knuckles. At the spell’s end, the room became light again, and a feeling of heaviness that had come onto Link during the spell suddenly disappeared. Shaking his head a little, Link went over to Zelda.

“Nice work! I didn’t know you knew so many spells.”

Zelda smiled. “I practiced a lot during my free time. The Royal Library had a lot of spell books.”

Leaving the room, Link and Zelda proceeded up the last staircase. They stopped in front of the door in which Ganondorf was in. Link turned to Zelda and grabbed her hands with his.

“Zelda…you don’t have to go. This is my fight, I won’t mind if you leave.”

Zelda’s face hardened. “This is as much of my fight as yours. Ganondorf enslaved and killed my people. I would never leave you alone to face that monster.”

A part of Link felt relieved that he’d have some company. “Just in case…we don’t make it…I want to tell you that I love you,” Link muttered, his face turning a pale shade of red.

Zelda smiled and kissed him. “I love you too. Don’t worry, we’ll make it through together.”

Turning back to the task at hand, Link and Zelda opened the door and walked into the chamber to confront the Evil King himself.

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Renald slowly regained consciousness. Where was he? Opening his eyes, he realized he was lying in Castle Town. He remembered the battle, and how Link had defeated him. However, Castle Town seemed to be fairly deserted. Did Ganondorf push back the Coalition?

Listening intently, Renald heard shouts and screams coming from the north, at Ganondorf’s Citadel. The battle was still going on, not just here. After registering that thought, Renald realized he was in great pain. “I need a potion,” he thought desperately. Scanning his surroundings, Renald spotted a horse with red fur and a long, luxurious white mane. It was carrying some packs. “Maybe those packs have potions,” Renald thought. Crawling toward the horse, Renald grabbed the pack. The horse jerked and neighed violently, running off a short distance. However, when the horse ran, the bag snapped off and fell to the ground. Renald cursed. What if the potions smashed?

Taking a look inside the bag, Renald was surprised and dismayed to see only masks not potions. There was a mask shaped in the faces of a Goron, Zora, and Deku Scrub. There was also another mask, with whitish-blue hair, a jagged scar running up the cheek, and white eyes.

Intrigued, Renald picked up the strange mask. As he held it, a sense of power washed over him. He felt invigorated. Gazing in wonder at the mask, Renald felt the evil and darkness in it. If he could somehow unleash that power, he would become powerful. Maybe even more powerful than Ganondorf. Grinning, Renald tucked away the mask and began to walk out of Castle Town. It would be tough living for a few years, but he would make it.

If only for this strange mask.

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Link and Zelda entered the room. It was easily much bigger than the previous rooms, and light streamed through the windows. In the middle of the room, sitting in a huge chair, sat Ganondorf. He grinned cruelly at his new guests.

“Hello, old friends! Long time no see, eh?” Ganondorf laughed as he said it, relishing the fact that he was about to get revenge on his two greatest arch enemies, Queen Zelda and Link, the Hero of Time.

Both Link and Zelda scowled at Ganondorf, which brought more laughter.

“So, you aren’t happy? No welcome for your friend who was trapped in the Sacred Realm for seven years?”

Link glowered. “And we intend to send you there for the rest of your life, too,” Link said. “I don’t know how you escaped this time, but we’ll make sure that your next visit is a one way ticket.”

Ganondorf snorted. “Hardly.” Raising his hand, Ganondorf sent a wave of purplish energy that surrounded Link and Zelda. When it left, both Link and Zelda felt weak.

“He’s drained us of our magic,” Zelda said, trying to cast a fireball and failed.

Ganondorf smirked. “Very clever deduction. Now, it is I who has the advantage.”
Raising his hand, Link and Zelda saw the Triforce of Power shimmering on the back of Ganondorf’s tanned skin. The Triforce of Courage shined on Link’s hand, and the Triforce of Wisdom gleamed on Zelda’s.

“So, once again, the Triforce parts meet,” Ganondorf said in a whisper, with a maniac gleam in his eye. “But once I’m through with you, both of them will be mine!”

Link stiffened and drew his sword and shield.

Ganondorf eyed the Master Sword wearily, although he still laughed in mockery. “Maybe we should have a duel,” Ganondorf remarked. “No retreating, no magic, no potions, and no Queens to help out.”

Link stepped up. “Fine. But you can’t retreat either!”

Ganondorf laughed and drew two black blades, encrusted with gems on the pommel. “I don’t intend to run. It is you who should be considering that,” Ganondorf said. With a surge of energy, Ganondorf jumped from his chair, bringing the two blades crashing down on Link. Link raised the Mirror Shield to block his head from the blows just in time. Retaliating with a swift uppercut with the Master Sword, Link and Ganondorf began to circle each other, with Zelda watching in the background.

Ganondorf took a sudden lunge at Link. Link quickly did a back step and parried the blow. Jumping forward, Link tried to bash Ganondorf’s face with the Mirror Shield. Ganondorf stepped back just in time before the reflective surface of the Mirror Shield caved his ugly face in. Ganondorf laughed at Link’s attempt.

“How did you escape the Sacred Realm?” Link asked while slashing at Ganondorf with the Master Sword.

Ganondorf dodged the blows. “My faithful servant Renald and his friends brought me back into being.”

Link viciously launched another set of attacks on Ganondorf. “But how did Renald know about you? Only a few people in the other timeline would remember all the other events, and I doubt Renald was one of them!”
At this, Ganondorf grinned smugly. “When you were transported into the past, there were so many people that were being transported back to the past that the Flow of Time formed some loopholes. In once of those loopholes, I was imprisoned in the Sacred Realm. In the other, however, I was still in Hyrule. These two created fluctuations; how could I be two places at once? So, Destiny and the Goddesses intervened. I was to be imprisoned in the Sacred Realm for the time being, until a faithful servant in Hyrule who retained the memories revived me. It was only a matter of Time until I was released.”
Ganondorf grinned smugly. “You could call it the Speed of Destiny.”

Link absorbed Ganondorf’s words. It did make sense; after all, everyone and everything was transported back in time, some loopholes MIGHT have formed from the massive amount of matter and time reversing its pace.

Link took a few more slashes at Ganondorf. Falling back into a defensive position, Link raised the Mirror Shield over his head and absorbed the shock from Ganondorf’s counter-attack.

“It doesn’t matter, Ganondorf. Once you’re defeated here, there’s no coming back,” Link said.

Ganondorf grinned. “IF, I’m defeated!” Ganondorf raised both of his swords, and they glowed bright red. Swinging both of them at Link’s Mirror Shield, it sent Link sprawling to one side of the room and Link’s Mirror Shield to another. Zelda shrieked and ran to Link’s side. Link groaned.

“I thought you said no magic! What kind of Duel is this?”

Ganondorf grinned. “You bore me. I have other things to do than fight you two.”
Ganondorf advanced to where Link lay, still recovering from the blow. Zelda shielded Link with her body.

“Out of my way, Girl!” Ganondorf bellowed. Pulling back his fist, Ganondorf punched Zelda squarely in the face. Blood splattered over Link as Zelda crumpled in a heap; there was a gash on her right cheek, and it was bleeding freely.

Link’s body suddenly filled with anger. All the pain and weariness seemed to have left his body, to be replaced with cold fury and raw power. Link jumped up quickly and slashed at Ganondorf’s hands with the Master Sword. One of Ganondorf’s hands was chopped off, as green blood sprayed Link’s face. Ganondorf snarled with anger.

“Bastard!” Ganondorf roared, thrusting his other sword at Link while Link did the same with the Master Sword. Time seemed to freeze as both attackers lunged at each other with their swords. With no shields or barriers to stop the swords, each plunged into a body. Ganondorf fell back groaning as the Master Sword was stuck into his chest. Green blood poured freely out, and Ganondorf made a futile effort to pull the sword from his body. It wouldn’t budge.
Meanwhile, Link took Ganondorf’s sword in the side. His rib-cage fractured, Link stumbled in pain over to Ganondorf. He had just enough energy to do one last task. Stepping over to Ganondorf, Link pulled out the Master Sword. With his dying energy, Link managed to strike Ganondorf in the heart. Ganondorf screamed as the Master Sword pierced his black heart. A pool of green blood matted Ganondorf’s chest, signifying his ruptured heart.

“It’s over,” Link muttered. Just before he fell unconscious, Link heard Zelda run over to him, yelling his name. Then his vision went dark.

Epilogue

(1 year later)
Zelda walked around in the Castle Garden, humming to herself. She was 19, and already was Queen of Hyrule. She spent a lot of her time at meetings with diplomats, and rarely had time to herself like this anymore. Although Ganondorf had destroyed Castle Town during his brief reign, the citizens of Hyrule had labored to rebuild their home. With help from Termina, Castle Town was as good as new, and most of the remaining forces of Ganondorf’s had been flushed out. When Ganondorf was killed, his evil Citadel slowly transformed back into Hyrule Castle. Zelda supposed Ganondorf must have used a powerful spell to alter Hyrule Castle’s shape so much.

Looking around at her lush, green garden, filled with flowers, Zelda realized how close of a call it had been. All of this could have been for nothing, if the attack had failed. Bending down to pick a yellow flower, Zelda was surprised when a pair of hands clamped over her eyes.

“Link!” Zelda laughed, as Link twirled her around in the air, smiling. When Link set Zelda down again, she hugged him. “How are the wounds healing?” She asked.

Link felt his rib-cage. He winced a little, but said “Fine.”

Zelda and Link walked underneath the towering willow tree and sat on the stone bench, the very place where they shared their first kiss.

“So,” Zelda said, looking at Link expectantly.

Link put on an innocent look. “So, what?”

Zelda laughed and pushed Link. Link grinned too.

“Link!” Zelda said. “You can’t hide it from me! Our Triforces have a special bond, so I can read your mind if I want to.”

Link put on a mock-angry face. “Hey, I’ve never been able to read your mind!”

Zelda smiled. “That’s because you aren’t an adept enough mage,” Zelda said.

Link chortled. “Well, I guess I can’t hide anything from Miss Mind Reader, eh?”

Getting down on one knee, Link took Zelda’s gloved hand, and pulled out a small, velvet covered box from his tunic pocket…

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Renald sat in a dark room. The mask he had found on that fateful day, sat opposite from him.

“So?” The mask echoed in his voice. “Have you formulated the plan yet?”

Renald smirked. “Yes, of course.”

The mask seemed to narrow its eyes, although nothing moved. “What is the plan then? How will you capture the Hero of Time? I want him alive, not dead.”

Renald smiled. “The child.”

The mask became angry. “What are you talking about Renald? What child?”

Renald looked smug. “The child of destiny. The child of the Triforces of Courage and Wisdom. That child.”

The mask smiled as he saw the brilliance of the plan. “Ah, of course. When shall we start?”

Hoped you liked my story! I have the sequel up!
Read, Review, and Enjoy!
~Monkey of Doom~