Seven Years, the epilouge

Here is the end of over a year's worth of writing... gosh, what to do next? Do you guys want the story right after this one, or the one right before?

Zelda stared glumly down at the small green book in her lap. It was a beautiful crisp fall day in Hyrule, but the young princess failed to notice the beauty of the gardens that surrounded her stone bench. The last three years had been hard for her. First there was the palace. If Impa had thought that living on the run for seven years, much of which was spent in a cave, would break the princess of her longing to be free of the restriction of official palace life, she had been dead wrong. Now every rule, curfew, restriction and order chaffed at the tomboyish fifteen-year-old worse then ever.

Not that Link helped. In fact, he was probably number two on the list. He had stopped by the palace the day after they had defeated Gannondorf, but it had only been a short visit. Zelda had gathered from several not-so-subtle hints that Link was really only there to check in, and would much rather have been at Lon Lon ranch. Link had only actually remained in Hyrule for about a fortnight. After that, he had road off on Epiona, saved the Hylian province of Turmina from some evil force she hadn’t understood, rescued the outer island colonies from a vicious pirate king named Og, or Oggy or something to that effect, returned to save Hyrule again, earning the title “Wind Walker,” single-handedly thwarted a Greudo rebellion in the Turmina sector, saved her father from drowning in Lake Hylia, and even succeeded in killing Pagogze, the spawn of the Shadow Phantom that was threatening to destroy all Hylian life. The fact that had been allowed to accomplish so much in three short years made her near confinement to the palace even more maddening.

Third was the constant aggravation of being the only one who remembered anything. She had searched for the members of her old team, most of which she easily located. She had found Draq easily enough, though he was still as standoffish and distant as ever. She figured Draq was someone who need a close comradeship with people before opening up to them, and while she might remember having one with him, the dark soldier had no such memories. His brother Scela was out studying medicine with the lake scientist, and was quite friendly with Zelda, despite his complete lack of memory. She enjoyed chatting with him on Royal trips to Lake Hylia, and had even succeeded in getting him past the point of only seeing her as “Princess Zelda.” Fiona was doing quite well for herself, but also suffered from a loss of any memory pertaining to Zelda, or ‘Shiek’ as the case was. Not having the ones who had been her closest fried even remember her name had been quite a knock.

Number four had nearly induced vomiting on occasions. Keef had apparently always been a palace dwelling Shiekah whom she had merely never paid attention to. However, now that her figure was beginning to reach its fuller potential he was beginning to pay a lot more attention to her. Though not a servant of Gannondorf, Keef was still every bit as arrogant as she remembered. Zelda had actually found it within her to wish her father would hurry and pick a suitor for her so the sickening Shiekah would leave off his endless quest to lure her to his bedroom. She had complained about the irritating Shiekah to Impa once, but Impa had merely smiled and replied that she was sure Zelda could hold her own against Keef. Zelda personally thought this joke lacked in taste.

Of course not everything was dark. Link and Malon were still great friends, despite Link’s annoying propensity to flirt with the increasingly beautiful ranch girl and Malon’s complete lack of remembrance of the alternant future she had first met Zelda in. She and Link had related the whole story to Malon (Zelda decided it would be best to leave out the Draq part, seeing as how she had Link now, and Draq was working as a Hylian Guard in the village and courting Fiona quite seriously), and the ranch girl had believed the whole thing. In addition to her friends, Shiek had been enjoying quality time with Impa, who seemed to finally be relaxing and opening up to the world around her. It seemed as though the dark Shiekah elder had spent her entire life training for a battle, and now that the battle was over she felt as though she could finally participate in the joys that harsh martial life had denied her.

This was connected to another reason Zelda should have been happy. Over the past year, she had noticed the way Impa and her father had been looking at each other, the way they seemed to brighten when the other was near, so it came as no surprise when her father took her aside on day to ask how she would like to have her former guardian for a mother. Fiate and Impa where to be married within the fortnight, and she was going to be Impa personal attendant, the highest honor the bride could bestow.

Sighing, Zelda looked back down at her journal. In all honesty she knew the real reason she was depressed. She could have handled the palace life, Link’s sometimes annoying personality, Malon’s occasional airhead-ness, the way everyone had forgotten her, and even Keef revolting pickup lines, if Toran were there with her.

She had been sending people to look for Toran since the day she had returned, and she had even asked Link to keep an eye out for the young swordsman on his travels abroad, but it was all to no avail. The real problem was how little Zelda actually knew about Toran’s past. He had been an orphaned, abandoned, and living on the streets by age six, and had never remembered his life before that. She had sent people to scour the village where she had first met Toran, but they had never found anything. On one level this didn’t surprise Zelda. Toran was a sharp guy, and he wouldn’t be wrong in his opinion that any soldiers or royals looking for a scruffy thief probably meant to throw him in prison in the best of cases, and were after his hand in the worst.

It wouldn’t matter anyway, she thought glumly, leafing through the pages of her journal, he wouldn’t remember anything more then the rest of them, and honestly I don’t know if I could take that…
Sighing again, she brushed a fallen leaf off of the page she was looking at, closed the book and rose. She was to eat dinner with Impa that night, which meant pretending to be happy and smiling a good deal so Impa wouldn’t suspect anything with wedding so close. It wasn’t easy, as even a madly in love Impa was still overly observant. Zelda sighed for seemingly hundredth time since sitting.

It was going to be a long evening.

If the dinner with Impa was long, the wedding ceremony had taken an eternity. Zelda had stood at the front of the Temple of Time, next to the alter in her long red dress trimmed with black. They were the colors of Impa’s Shiekah Clan, so Zelda had decided to forgo reminding Impa that blue, white, and purple were the traditional Hylian colors for the personal attendant. She had thought about changing her eyes to Shiek’s normal red to match the dress better, but in the end had decided against it. She still used her Shiek disguise to sneak out of the palace from time to time, and she didn’t wish to blow her cover.

At the ball immediately following the ceremony, Zelda was standing near the long table of snack foods wondering how much chocolate she could devour before breaking out with more spots then one of Scela’s three-eyed toads, when someone tapped her shoulder.
“Hello Zel, it’s been forever! How are you?”

Zelda turned to see her second-cousin Jistine, and smiled warmly. She and Jistine had always been close, ever since the two girls had been crawling babies. Jistine was loosely related to her through her mother’s side of the family, but girl barely qualified as even a second-cousin. She was from the Akinda family, which had always been Zelda’s favorite Royal House. They lived out by the lost wood, and the family was full of people like Jistine who thought anything indoors that didn’t involve cards or dice to be “boring,” the Akinda family was know to produce some of the most famous Hylian warrior/explores/adventures to have ever lived. Zelda had even thought Link, who couldn’t remember his mother or life before his adoption by the Kohria might be descended from the Akinda line.

“I’m fine Jistine… and you?”
“Oh, you know me and balls,” the pretty brunette laughed. Despite her professed dislike of fancy events and official gatherings, Jistine was generally one of the better dressed Hylians at dances. She loved to be whirled across the floor by any man who would oblige, and generally dressed to ensue there would be many takers.
“I do hope your father and Impa will be happy together, Zel… they seem to love each other so…” Jistine lowered her voice and leaned closer, “it was a positively boring ceremony though. Please don’t tell Impa that though, she was so nice when I last spent the night over here with you. That seems ever so long ago…”
“Just over two years… it was my birthday remember?”
“Has it been so long? Well, then you haven’t ever seen my new brother!” Jistine cried, grabbing the princess’ hand, “come on hurry!”
Zelda allowed herself to be pulled along, slightly curious. She hadn’t heard that Jistine’s mother was expecting.

A group of girls around her and Jistine’s age had gathered in a corner, giggling wildly.
“What is it about girls and babies,” Zelda asked, chuckling.
“Baby? Why, you do know the story don’t you?” Jistine asked as they approached the group of girls who seemed to be listening to someone talking, “he’s my new brother, but he’s not a baby… Remember when I was about, um, six I guess, my twin brother was kidnapped? Everyone in Hyrule was ever so upset and all, but we never found him. Later we caught the kidnappers, but they said brother had escaped the very day they caught him… well, we’d eventually given up hope of finding him, but early last year, Deka the forest Shiekah who lives near us found him!”
By now they reached the throng of girls, who burst out laughing as though the speaker they had been listening to had just finished a joke.
“Oh please, tell us another one!” one girl nearly purred.
“Well, I promised Jistine I’d do the next dance with her,” answered a voice that literally caused Zelda’s heart to stop beating.
“Oh brother,” Jistine cried, pulling Zelda through the last circle of girls, “I have a good friend I want you to meet: Princess Zelda.”

A short, athletic-looking young man about Zelda’s age turned. His dirty-blond hair looked as though a royal hair-dresser had tried to train its lank mop, but given up in frustration. He was wearing very sharp-looking red, green and yellow clothes, with a red katana over his shoulder and traditional green cloth tied around his head. He looked a little better fed, but the boyish smile and hazel eyes beamed out a familiar message of content and friendship. Zelda heard Jistine talking, but it sounded as though she was at the end of long tunnel.
“This is my brother-”
“Toran…” Zelda cut in, using the name the young many had given her at their first meeting so many years ago, “Toran of the village well…”
Jistine’s mouth pulled into a mock pout, and she crossed her arms defiantly.
“I thought you said you hadn’t met…”
“We haven’t,” said Toran, nodding respectfully to Zelda, “but I see you’ve been telling stories about me. Forgive Jisty, highness; she has a rather exaggerated view of what life on one’s own is actually like…”

He didn’t remember her. She knew it wasn’t his fault, but for some reason it still made her mad. He should remember, the little snot; just because he was a royal now was no reason to forget about her. The cute Hylian girls surrounding him didn’t help his situation in her mind.
“Toran,” she nearly growled, grabbing his wrist, “you’ve got some explaining to do…”
Yanking his arm, she nearly drug the young noble away from the group of girls who were squealing their protest. Jistine had a similarly befuddled look on her face, but Zelda didn’t feel the need to explain just now. She continued to stalk towards the door to a balcony, dragging a confused Toran in tow.

“Ok buddy,” she said, whirling on him once they reached the seclusion of the balcony, “what? You think just because you’re a big-shot duke’s son now that you can forget all about your little friends?”
“Um,” Toran was obviously confused, “aren’t you the princess?”
“Don’t change the subject, Toran… you never did like admitting you had hurt someone,” Zelda growled, placing her clinched fists on her hips and aggressively leaning forward.
“Who’d I hurt?” Toran asked, still befuddled.
“What about ME?” Zelda asked, stamping in frustration.
“Are you sure you know me?” Toran asked, cocking an eyebrow and taking a cautious step back.

Zelda couldn’t take it any longer. Darting forward, she wrapped her arms around Toran’s neck and pulled him into a deep kiss. Toran’s eyes widened in sock at first, but after a second, he seemed to meld into the kiss. The hazel eyes closed, and his strong arms slipped around her, squeezing her tighter. Suddenly, Zelda felt the back of her hand begin to burn slightly. It seemed as though something was flowing out of her and into Toran. A slight breeze played with her long yellow hair, and Zelda felt complete for the first time since returning to her childhood.

After moments that seemed to last forever, Zelda pulled her head back slightly, finally breaking the kiss.
“Goddess Shiek…” Toran whispered, “that was even better then I had dreamed it would be…”
“Toran?” Zelda looked back up to him, eyes brimming with tears, “you remember?”
“Yeah, I do…” he said, a slightly confused look on his face again, “I remember us as a team, I remember everything we did, I remember getting caught and having to fight you, and after that I remember being kind of warm and cold at the same time… then I remember being eleven again, back in the village. It’s like it was all a dream…”
“Yeah, I know… she whispered.
“I take it we won?”
Laughing, Zelda burrowed back into Toran’s chest. Everything was going to be fine.



Dingat 2nd

Best birthday of my life! Link, Malon, Jistine and, of course, Toran all came over to daddy’s hunting lodge near the woods and we’ve spent most the night playing all sorts of games, telling stories, and stuff. It’s probably almost dawn now. Daddy was wanting to throw a ball for my birthday, but Impa said that since it was my 16th birthday I could spend it as I pleased. Then daddy wanted to invite Ruto, but Impa said that wasn’t a great idea either. He was concerned she might feel slighted; Impa assured him that wasn’t the case. Impa is such a wonderful mother. Speaking of Impa, I have wonderful news! Yesterday she whispered to me that she believes she might be expecting a child. Wouldn’t that be glorious! I am hopeful for a little sister, but a baby brother to torment would be fun as well…

I need to go. All of us want to sneak out and look for fairies at dawn when they are most plentiful. I will write soon!



-Fina-

Seven Years part 25.66

Dont forget to read 25 before this one... I don't often update on back to back days so make sure you caught the last one!

It took a second for Zelda to orient herself when she was able to refocus. She was still in the purple crystal, suspended near the ceiling of a large room. She figured she was about two stories in the air, and looking down actually caused slight vertigo to play through her. The walls, ceiling, and floor of the room seemed to be made of a heavy grey stone that screamed impregnable. There were massive, bright blood-red, tapestries that hung on the walls and there seemed to be a large flowing red rug coving most of the floor. The wall directly behind her was covered with a mass of pipes, varying in size. They reached down to some strange looking desk-like table that was unlike anything she had ever seen. There seemed to be small white flat shingles covering it in two neat rows, and odd pedals sticking out of its bottom. Not long after she gained a sense of her surroundings, the object of her unmitigated hate stalked in.

Gannondorf was wearing a smile that clearly screamed “everything is going my way.” There was a bounce in his heavy step that could almost be called gleeful, and his powerful shoulders where held at a jaunty angle. Shaking back his long red hair, the Greudo smiled up at Zelda as he headed towards the odd desk.
“Young Princess Zelda, have you ever heard the instrument of the Greudo people?”
“Can’t say I’ve had the pleasure,” she nearly spat in response.
“Well, then, this is your lucky day,” Gannondorf paused to let the obvious irony of the comment sink in as he slipped into the low bench before the desk, “the organ is an instrument of grace and beauty… but its driving force is power!” his finger slammed onto the white shingles, and Zelda was instantly enveloped in a massive churning cord that seemed to shake the entire room. Notes, cords, tones all mixed into a surging melody that coursed around her. Despite herself and the awful gravity of the situation, Zelda had to note the beauty of the song. The throbbing sound of the organ lessened slightly as Gannondorf eased on his keys and pedals.

The magus was obviously enjoying his playing, but apparently wanted to add a healthy does of taunting into the mix.
“I am the best of all the Greudos at the organ, but then it is an instrument of power… and if someone knows power, it would be me, no?”
“If power means raping, killing, and butchery, then yeah, I gotta agree that you’re the man…”
“Oh, don’t be like that, princess…” Gannondorf laughed, “I go through all the trouble of playing this new song just for you, and you can’t even compliment me? Now, there’s the real atrocity…”
“I’ve heard better…”
“I thought you said this was your first time,” Gannondorf smirked. The volume soared up again as he reentered the opening stanza. Zelda waited until a second lull was reached before firing off another barb.
“You don’t get it do you Ganny? That organ of yours has power, but without the wisdom to write the song, or the courage to play it for someone, the power is useless. Just like you and your pathetic attempts to crush the other two part of the Triforce!”
“Just like your father!” Gannondorf spat, actually showing an emotion other the sardonic glee for the first time but not missing a beat in his haunting melody, “You arrogant Hylians think you know everything don’t you? It is true I did not anticipate the breaking of the Triforce, and none of our Greudo writing spoke of it, but unlike you I have not been idle these past seven years… tell me, oh Sage of Wisdom, is it a natural state for the Triforce to be divided?”

The question was obviously rhetorical, and Zelda had no intention of answering at any rate. However, she wondered where Gannondorf was going with this. Seeing her hesitate, the magus smiled back down at his keyboard.
“Of course it is not. They rebind easily enough, as my research into Greudo lore, as augmented by my acquired access to Hylian, Zora, Gordon and Shiekah myth and legend, shows. I do not intend to crust the other parts of the Triforce, I intend to take them!”
“YOU’RE INSANE!” Zelda knew there were many things about Gordon, Zora, and certainly Greudo lore that she was ignorant on, but this bordered on idiocy, “The two parts of the Triforce have bound themselves into mine and Link’s very essence. There is absolutely no way you can join with them!”
“You’re right princess, not while they are still in you…” another swell in the music stopped the conversation, but Zelda had already caught the general drift of Gannondorf’s point. Once her and Link were dead, he would cause the two remaining Triforce sections to rejoin his, giving him the ultimate power of the complete Triforce.
That’s why he hasn’t killed me yet, she realized, he needs Link and I to die within seconds of each other, otherwise my Triforce part would seek out a new host before he has a chance to bind the three together. When Link was able to fight through so many temples, Gannondorf must have realized that he held the last Triforce part, and he knew if Link walked over Hyrule long enough I would show up. This whole thing is a trap! Gannondorf never wanted anyone to kill Link, he was just waiting for me!
“You knew! How long have you been planning this!”
“Oh, I started suspecting our dear little friend held the Triforce of Courage about the time he creamed my Shadow Phantom. I must admit, that still vexes me… I figured he’d kill my poor mothers, but it was a necessary test, and Twinvolta had her day two centuries ago. Some legends just need to die, no?”
For once, Zelda had to agree with the vile warlord.
“For a few years I had thought that the lad Shiek might be the possessor of Naria’s Courage, but there was never a great deal of compelling evidence other then the stories the people told. And in the end, Shiek turned out to be a girl… albeit a rather boyish one.”

Zelda crossed her arms and fumed over this for a bit.
For someone who keeps staring up my dress he’s got little room to say THAT, she glowered, scowling down at Gannondorf, who seemed to be becoming increasingly absorbed with his organ.
“Tell me,” he finally said, glancing back up to her, “do you even regret killing that little lackey of yours?”
“You BASTARD! You absolute and total BASTARD!” Zelda screamed slamming her fists against her crystal cage. Rage was like a fuzzy feeling of love compared to the loathing that nearly suffocated her now.
“Oh, the first time necessity demanded killing someone so close, eh? The desert forced me to do it much sooner, but it was hard; just ask your new friend Naburoo. It smarts the first time, but you soon get used to it. But, you won’t ever have to, of course…”
Naburoo is the Spirit Sage? That’s seriously screwed up… Zelda thought as Gannondorf looked over to a large gold-framed mirror hanging near his organ.
“Well, well… the kid just dispelled the Forest Barrier from around the tower. Works fast, doesn’t he?”
Zelda decided Gannondorf wasn’t really looking for her agreement, so she felt compelled to give it.
“Sure does… and after he drops the remaining barriers he’ll be making short work of you too!”
The wizard chose to ignore the jab, continuing to stare into the mirror as he played. Realizing that discussion was going nowhere, Zelda crossed her arms again and tried to find a comfortable position.

The two remained like that as the hours dragged on; Zelda scowling out into space and Gannondorf playing deep haunting melodies on his organ. Every so often, Gannondorf would whistle, or chuckle, or even give a shout of excitement. Zelda figured he must be watching Link’s progress through his mirror, monitoring the hero’s approach with some twisted glee. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Gannondorf threw back his head and released a vile guffaw of laughter.
“Light Barrier dispelled! Now he can enter this tower… and now the real fun begins…. Once in this tower, he will be close enough to grab his Triforce section. I have four Dark Knuckle knights waiting... even with Naria’s essence, it is unlikely the kid will ever see this room. Though I could find it in me to wish he does.”
“You’re gonna choke on those words, Ganny.”
“We shall see, princess, we shall see.”

By the time the large door to the room burst open, Zelda had chewed her fingers to the knuckle. But there he was, standing with the Master’s Sword drawn, and the faithful Navi floating above him. Gasping, Zelda pushed her hands against the prison and tried to yell a warning about what Gannondorf had planned, but she didn’t look as though he could hear her over the organ.

“I had rather hoped you would make it this far…”
“Oh, you got a death wish or something?” Link took a step into the room as he slung the jab.
“Do you feel it?” Gannondorf asked, something akin to awe in his voice, “the pieces are resonating, trying to reform!”
Rising from his organ for the first time, Gannondorf turned, holding up his massive right fist. A glowing Triforce shown out, and at the same time Zelda felt her own hand begin to burn. He was right; the Triforce was starting to bond.

Everything that followed seemed to take an eternity.

Zelda gasped as a large portion of the floor fell away, revealing a massive drop that would surly be fatal. Link jumped at Gannondorf, who was now floating several feet above the floor near the center of the room. The magus responded by reaching out with his right hand, sending a ball of energy straight at the charging hero. Link pulled his Greudo Mirror Shield to block the blast, but the energy ball cut through it like paper. Link was blown several feet backwards, and actually through the portion of the floor that had fallen away. The hero of Time reacted quickly though, and no sooner had he disappeared from view when the sound of the Hookshot rang out. Link came flying back into view, the grapple and chain tossing him back onto the ledge. Gannondorf was sending another energy ball at Link before his feet had even touched the ground. This time Link nimbly dodged the ball of energy.

“The arrows you idiot!” Zelda screamed, banging both fist against her prison, “I gave you those arrows for a Din damned reason!”
She was sure there was no way Link had heard her, and even if he had, she was force to admit Gannondorf wasn’t exactly giving him time to draw an arrow to shoot. The Magus was flinging magic blasts at Link with a speed Zelda would not have thought possible. Link was moving fast too though. Aside from Gannondorf’s initial hit, not a single blast had found its mark. However, at the current rate of things, Link would be much more like to start slowing down then the wizard, as Gannondorf was hardly moving from the spot he hovered over.

And the it happened.

Gannondorf shot out another ball of energy, and Link foot slipped on the smooth stone causing his leg to slide out from under him, bringing him to his knee.

Zelda nearly screamed. Link, however, kept his head. In a seemingly desperate, last-chance move, Link’s left arm swung out, striking at the ball with the Master’s Sword. To Zelda’s surprise, it batted the energy ball away like a club. Gannondorf was obviously shocked too. So shocked, he forgot to dodge the energy ball as it careened back into him. Howling with pain and surprise, Gannondorf clutched at his head, shaking it violently to clear it. He never saw the Light Arrow coming. The arrow imbedded itself in Gannondorf’s chest, resealing a blinding flash of light as it struck. As Zelda’s vision cleared, she saw Gannondorf sinking to the ground, screeching with almost animal agony. He had not even hit the ground before Link was flying through the air at him, Master’s Sword held with both hands over his head. Link brought down the sword with a terrible shout, right onto the arm Gannondorf vainly tried to shield himself with. There was brief struggle which was to close, hurried, and confused for Zelda to pick out the details, but a massive blast of light followed by a thunderous crack heralded its end. The blast sent Link flying back against the far wall with a crack, and totally busted her crystal prison. There was a long drop to the floor, but Zelda landed it lightly, thanking the goddesses for her Shiekah jumping training.

Gannondorf was back in the air, but something was different. His arms were flung out stiffly, and his whole body seemed bent back in pain. An unearthly scream was being torn from his lips, and it almost looked as though his skin were cracking. Eclectic streams of magical energy shot out of the magus, smashing into the walls, floor, and ceiling. Then with a final flash, Gannondorf, the Grate King of Evil, burst in a blast of magic energy and was no more.

“Link!” Zelda cried, darting to his crumpled form across the room, “oh Narue, please let him be alright.”
A muffled groan told her that the Hero of Time was at least alive, if not in an overly happy state. Groaning again, Link rose to his feet, taking the hand she offered to steady him.
“Ok Zel… Sage of Wisdom or not, revealing yourself like that was probably the second dumbest idea you’ve ever had, closely trailing the time you let Gannondorf enter the Sacred Realm and just ahead of the time you forgot to inform me the Master’s Sword would put me to sleep for seven years.”
“YUP, HE’S AS GOOD AS NEW…” Navi remarked with something of a sigh.
Laughing with relief, Zelda wrapped her arms around Link’s neck, ignoring his whimper of protest.
“Link, it’s better then we even hopped! Gannondorf is GONE! You did it!”
As if intentionally cutting any celebration short, the tower groaned and shook violently.
“Maybe he is, but those last couple of blasts totally killed this tower!” Link cried, grabbing her hand, “let’s get out of here before the place comes down on our heads!”
Link turned to lead her out the doors he had com in, but falling debris had totally blocked the exit, glancing around, Zelda spied a gapping hole in the wall, obviously caused by the tremors violently shaking the tower.
“Link, follow me,” she cried, darting for the opening.

Something inside her had told Zelda the hole was their best hope, and her uncanny intuition had done its work again. About a yard below the hole a balcony jutted out of the tower. After a quick drop, she and Link were darting down stone stairs that ran along the out side wall of the tower. After descending a ways the steps led to a small landing with a door to reenter the tower. Link kicked the door open and disappeared. Zelda heard a sharp war cry and the sound of a skeleton shattering as she ran in after him. Link stood in the wreckage of a Skultoid, eyes darting about for a method of further decent.
“Door to your left,” Zelda cried, pointing at a busted frame that revealed a descending staircase. Link ran towards the door, sword still drawn. As she darted after him, Zelda felt the tower shudder again, causing more debris to fall from the collapsing upper floors. The two reached a door at the end of the stairs, and Link reached for the handle. Grabbing his hand, Zelda pointed at the crack where the door met the floor and shook her head. There was a reddish orange glow coming under the crack, and she was willing to bet falling torches and tapestries had set some of the lower floors alight. Link looked around, mind obviously running in overdrive. Another violent shudder wracked the tower, and he shook his head at her.
“Nothing for it,” he said, turning back towards the door.
“Then let me,” Zelda insisted, extending a hand. She felt a strange burning sensation shoot down her arm, from the shoulder to the very tips of her fingers then blasting out in bolt of energy. It smashed into the door, blasting it into the room with a crack. She looked over to Link who was gaping in awe at her.
“What was that?”
“Um, not sure,” she replied, grinning sheepishly.

The next room was full of burning furniture, rugs, heat, and support beams that were groaning ominously.
“I saw that door on my way up,” Link cried, pointing at a door on the far side of the room, “it leads to a bridge to the courtyard. If we take it we can bypass the lower floors. It’ll be the quickest way out.”
Zelda nodded, and they both made a brake for the door, darting around the burning and falling wreckage. Zelda saw Link’s foot become entangled in a torn rug, but before she could call a warning the hero tripped, falling headlong onto the floor. She stepped closer to help him up when another Skultiod emerged from the burning wreckage. Link cursed, trying to push himself up, but the hulking skeleton was on them before he could take his feet. Heedless of the fact that she was now in a floor length dress, Zelda jumped forward between the Skultiod and the fallen Link, poised to fight. Her left hand shot out, connecting with the Skultoid’s collar bone and knocking it off balance. Taking advantage of the Skultiod’s wobbling stance, her right hand reached out and grabbed the hollow of its ribcage. Yanking it closer, she brought head forward with a cry, smacking the skeleton’s head with a vicious head-butt. It crumpled to the floor like a broken doll. Link retook his feet and grabbed Zelda’s hand, yanking her to his side and just out from falling debris that landed where she had been standing, crushing the Skultiod. Whistling at the close call, Link dragged her towards the door.
“Where’d those moves come form?”
Zelda felt her face flush, thinking how silly she must have looked fighting in her palace attire.
“Guess I forgot I wasn’t Shiek for a moment…”
“Well, forget it more often; I think the boyish part of you is fun… oh by the way, your crown is bent now…”
Zelda muttered a curse as they darted through the door. Reaching up, she felt where the gold was dented at her forehead, obviously an after effect of the head-butt.
Impa always told me I should avoid that attack, she thought, smiling dryly.

Zelda followed Link as they ran through the door and across the courtyard. As they stood on edge of the rocky yard, the tower began to collapse in earnest, floor falling on floor. Finally, in a massive cloud of dust and smoke the tower fell in on its basement floors, disappearing into a flat rockish mound. Zelda continued to look out over the rubble that cluttered courtyard, unable to take in everything that had just happened. It was finally all over; only the ruins of the tower sticking up like jagged teeth spoke of Gannondorf’s dark reign. A chilling wind cut across the courtyard, the howling sound it made as it wrapped around the ruins was ominous and rather creepy. Whistling Link stepped towards the fallen tower.
“Well, that was a rush, huh?”
“That’s one way of putting it,” Zelda replied, shivering. Her dress was sleeveless, and not overly thick; it wasn’t doing much to keep the wind at bay.

Suddenly there was another rumble that came from the ground near the center of the round courtyard, from where the tower had collapsed on itself. It wasn’t anything like the massive tremors that had been shaking the tower earlier, but it did make the hair prick on the back of Zelda’s neck.
“Did you feel that?” Link asked, stepping cautiously closer to the disturbance.
“Oh, Link, get back here!” Zelda called, raising a hand.
“The lower caverns must still be taking in debris… the whole yard must be slowly sinking into the caves beneath us,” Link mused as he walked closer to the sound, totally ignoring her.
“Princess!” it was Impa, agitation clear in her voice, “where are you? Where is Gannondorf?”
“He’s dead; Link and I are standing outside what’s left of his tower…”
“Impossible, if Gannondorf were dead we sages would have sensed the Triforce of Power entering a new host!”
“Well, if he IS alive he’s buried under a mountain of rubble and-”
Then it hit her.
“LINK RUN!” Zelda screamed, taking a step towards where he was standing near the center of the courtyard.

But it was too late.

Fire burst from the ground in a circle, flames cutting her off from Link almost creating an arena with the Hero of Time in the middle. At the same time the ground at Link’s feet exploded, sending him flying back. He hit the ground hard and the Master’s Sword flew from his hand, landing blade first into the ground next to her feet. And then out of the Debris and dust of the upheaval, Zelda saw it emerge.

It was like something out of a nightmare.

Throwing back its head, the huge monster brandished the two massive swords it held and bellowed at the sky.
“DIN’S POWER HAS FULLY AWAKENED IN ME! BEHOLD GANNON; EVIL’S INCARNATION!”
Gannon’s looked back down, and the monster stalked forward. Armed only with his shield, Link took a step back obviously unsure of how to proceed. Link was tall with broad shoulders, but he seemed small and pathetic before the giant Gannondorf had become. Gannon was a massive beast, fully fifteen feet tall and built as thick as a Moblin. He had an ugly piggish face, complete with boar-like tusks and a think stubby tail that just dragged the ground behind him. He was indeed the image of raw power.

Or more aptly, the raw power of evil.

Zelda quickly turned and grabbed the Master’s Sword out of the ground. Turning back to the horrific sight before her, the princess quickly realized that the flames encircling Gannon and Link were no ordinary fire. They burned in a perfect circle on the stone, never lessening in intensity. It had to be magic fire. Gannon was no doubt controlling the flames, which Zelda instantly realized meant two things. First, it prevented her from getting the Master’s Sword to Link, but it also meant if Link could distract Gannon long enough the monster might drop the fire to focus solely on killing him, letting her get the evil slaying blade back to him.

Link was obviously less focused on long-term strategy and more focused on staying alive. Gannon was huge, but apparently extremely fast as well, and each of his duel swords was fully as long as she. The hero had realized that his shield would be useless against powerful onslaught on Gannon brute strength, and re-shouldered to leave both arms free, maximizing his maneuverability. Dodging a massive sweep from Gannon’s left sword and flipping backwards over a right jab, Link wound up next to her.
“Ok Sage of Wisdom, idea, fast.”
“Cause him enough pain to make him drop this barrier,” Zelda called, as Link began to dash away, “use your arrows and the Biggeron Sword!”
She wasn’t sure if Link had heard her last suggestion, but hoped it had gotten through.

The battle seemed to take forever, and Zelda nearly died herself countless time as Gannon’s twin blades whipped inches from Link’s body. Gannon continued a relentless, dogged attack, with Link barely staying a step ahead. After a few minuets that lasted a life time, Link ducked under a scissor like cut from both swords and rolled between Gannon’s legs. As he came up from the roll, Zelda saw that he had drawn his bow, and even managed to pull a single arrow out of the magic Kohria bag. Twisting as he came up, Link drew the bow in a fluid motion and released the shaft right as Gannon whirled. The arrow thudded into Gannon’s massive chest and exploded in a burst of Light Magic. Rearing back, Gannon roared in pain, allowing Link to dart in while drawing the Biggeron Sword. Zelda saw him drive the massive blade into Gannon’s exposed belly, causing the vile creature to scream in agony. Link was blown backward, skidding several feet on his back when he landed on the hard stone ground. The Biggeron had shattered, leaving only the hilt and a few inches of broken blade in Link’s hand, but it had done its work. As Gannon screamed in rage, his fire barrier dropped for the slightest of moments, giving Zelda time to toss the Master’s Sword near where Link had fallen. An instant later the fire barrier was back up, Gannon was charging forward with renewed vigor, and Link was once again dodging for his life. Gannon continued on like a jugernaught, apparently fully healed from the wounds the Biggeron had dealt him. Link was appidly backing away, faltering to notch another arrow as he evaded Gannon’s constant offence. Finally he got a shot off, aimed perfectly at Gannon’s pig-like head, but a quick x-block with the twin swords deflected the arrow with a shower of light sparks. Then Gannon moved in for the kill. He gave a massive left sweep, which Link ducked, and followed immediately with a jab from the right blade, meant to turn the Hero of Time into a Hylian sishcabob. Link was quicker then Gannon had given him credit for though. Jumping lightly, Link notched an arrow and pulled it full length while in air. He landed on the upward flat of Gannon’s outstretched right blade and released the arrow. It caught the stupefied Gannon square in the face. Gannon’s head became wreathed in a blinding light and the creature’s entire body began twisting in bizarre spasms. Link had leapt from the blade the second his arrow had left the bow, drawing the Master’s Sword in midair. A split second after the arrow hit its target, the sword did; a slash that entered at an angle running from the right cheekbone, through the eye and scalp and out the back of the piggish head. Link landed behind Gannon, and whirled to see what the creature would do next. Gannon roared as nearly a quarter of its head fell to the ground in a stream of black blood. Suddenly, Zelda sensed the Triforce of Power surge with power, and she suddenly realized how Gannon could be trapped.

Gannon was about to on all the power of Din’s essence to regenerate from a fatal wound. Link would never be able to kill Gannon, but when Gannon channeled all its magic energy into regeneration it would be vulnerable to her and the sages. As if to confirm her theory, the fire barrier dropped again, and this time the faint dark shroud that surrounded Gannon dissipated.
“SAGES, NOW!” she screamed “Help me seal this evil fiend into the Dark World!”
She felt a massive surge of power shoot from her at Gannon’s howling form. Beams of colored light were shooting at him from everywhere, forming a swirling bubble. Pink, red, green, blue, purple, yellow and gold all whirling into a massive glowing light that nearly blinded her. She felt all her power surge out of her body. She heard Gannon scream with pain, shock, rage, and pure hatred. She saw the colors seem to explode in blinding flash. She heard a deafening crack.

Everything went black.

Then there was a swirling grey vortex, almost a whirlpool of storm clouds. And there sinking into it was the form of Gannondorf, Great King of Evil.
“Curse you Sages!” he screamed as his body sank into its new prison, “Curse you Zelda! Curse you Link! One day I will break this barrier that seals me in the Dark World, and I will return to Hyrule and devour your children! Do you hear me, Sages! I WILL RETURN!”

And just as suddenly Zelda found herself in the Temple of Light surrounded by the other Sages.
“Your highness!” Rauru began. Zelda noticed that living in the Sacred Realm had not altered the old sage’s impressive waistline. His owlish features wore a satisfied smile, and his arms were crossed over his large belly in his usual stance of contentment.
“Your highness, we have done it! Gannondorf is sealed in the Dark World. He will no longer trouble Hyrule.”

Zelda looked about the Temple of Light, marveling at it. She had never actually seen the chamber of the sages before this, and it was quite a sight. The sages stood on six pillars that surrounded the platform she now stood on. The platform and pillars seemed to be on a deep lake, replenished by waterfalls coming from somewhere well above her ability to see. Turning slowly she looked up to each sage.

Naburoo gave a smirk and a quick nod, hands resting defiantly on her perfectly formed hips. Sage or no, the Greudo and Hylian races seldom got along. Next was Saria, holding a hand over her mouth and obviously giggling. The forest girl waved her other hand and gave an excited little hop. Darundia, the Gordon King, gave a huge grin, and beat his large fuzzy chest in the traditional method of Gordon applause.
“Well done, princess! Worthy of your father!” he called.
Zelda nodded at him, and turned to see Ruto, openly scowling at her.
“How’s my fiancé?” the Zora princess asked flatly, arms crossed and hip tossed saucily to the side.
“Sleeping with a ranch whore,” Zelda smirked. As she turned she heard both Ruto stammering with anger and Naburoo roaring with laughter. Obviously the Greudo rebel liked Ruto about as much as she did.
Guess we’ve got more in common then we thought, Zelda chuckled as she turned to the last sage.

Impa was smiling down at her with a face that had lost all its former cloaks and emotional shields. Tears of joy were openly running down the scarred face, and love shone out of the violet Shiekah eyes. Zelda felt tears brimming in her own eyes as she held her arms open for an embrace. Impa leapt down from the short pillar onto Zelda’s platform and enveloped her in a hug.
“Oh princess,” Impa murmured into her soft yellow hair, “I am so very proud of you. I love you so very much.”
“Impa,” Zelda cried into her guardian’s chest, “I thought I’d never see you again…”
“You will not rid yourself of me that easily your highness. Some one has to look after you through your second childhood after all…”
“My second childhood?”
“Oh yes, that” Rauru coughed importantly, generally a sign that he was about to pontificate on a subject so long and complex that no one would understand it even after his explanation, “you see, highness, Gannondorf is sealed away permanently, in the Dark World, a place that transcends time. As such, when you next play the Song of Time on the Ocarina of Time, the seal to the Sacred Realm will be reestablished, and Gannondorf’s contributions to this world’s time flow will be eradicated. At least, from the point when he entered the Sacred Realm himself. Ergo, while you will still possess the essence of the Triforce of Wisdom, and Link will continue to hold the Triforce of Courage in his sway, you, and all reality, will be sent back to the very day Gannondorf touched the Triforce.”

Zelda looked at Impa, total loss on her face.
“Meaning the past seven years will be reset,” Impa clarified, still draping an arm over her shoulders, “you will be twelve again, you will be at Hyrule Palace, and your father will still be alive and on the throne. Probably wondering where Gannondorf his powerful and trusted ally has gone if I know Lord Fiate… Aside from Gannondorf’s mysterious and sudden absence, everything will be exactly as it was that day we fled the palace.”
“So no one will remember anything?” Zelda asked, still confused.
“Sans we sages, only the Hero of Time will have knowledge of this alternate future,” Rauru answered, “but honestly, who would really want to remember such dark days…”
“I guess I get it,” Zelda lied. The whole thing really seemed way out there to here.”
“Then go!” Rauru cried, triumph in his voice, “the Hero of Time is awakening from a healing sleep I put him into. Bring this chapter of the History of Hyrule of a close!”

The temple faded into an odd bluish swirl, and Zelda felt as though she were standing in the middle of the clouds. Link was in front of her, looking more then slightly disoriented.
“Zel?”
“Link, you did it! We sealed Gannondorf away!”
“For now…” Link said, shaking his head, “you heard what he said, he’s coming back for us… and our parts of the Triforce.”
“Maybe Link… but we can deal with that if it happens. I’m sorry about taking your childhood from you Link…” Zelda faltered somewhat, thinking of all she had coast everyone with her ignorance, “sorry about putting you through the torments of fighting through those temples… sorry for everything.”
“Hey, Zel,” he stepped closer, pulling her into a brotherly hug, “that wasn’t your fault, you know? It was all Ganny. You did what you thought was right; how could I get mad about that?”
“Thanks Link,” she sniffled, “but the time has come to give you back what I took…” straightening, Zelda held out a gloved hand, “give me the Ocarina of Time… I can’t take away the memories or pains, but I can give you your time back. Regain your childhood Link, and please, come and see me at the palace, ok?”
Link nodded and handed over the ocarina. Taking a deep breath, Zelda began to play the Song of Time, letting the haunting cords flow like water from the small flute.

The blue world grayed, and faded. Zelda lost herself in a swell of blackness.

The ocarina looked larger in her hands, which where now clad in fingerless gloves. Cold stone was beneath her bare feet, and a large, open, wood chest was before her. She looked at her arm, and was surprised at the thinness of it, white sleeves clinging tightly to the limb.

“Zelda? What are you doing down here? You know I don’t want you in the treasure room alone.”

The voice made her heart freeze. Turning slowly, she saw him as she had always remembered him. Strong arms, thick neck, and a powerful frame that seemed gigantic to her twelve-year-old body,

“Daddy!” she cried, running towards him.

The tall man laughed, kneeling down to scoop her into a hug.
“Where’s Impa? I thought she was watching you… hey, what have you got there?”
“The Ocarina of Time,” she declared, holding it out for him.
“Now, you lady, you should know better then to touch this! This is one of our family’s greatest treasures, it has more power then you realize.”
Zelda couldn’t help but smile at this.
“Of course it does daddy; I’m only a little girl!”

-End Final Chapter

Seven Years part 25

The next part of 25. Expect a 35.66 to finish us off...

“No! Toran no!” Shiek clutched him closer, heedless of the blood that was running freely from Toran’s chest, “I don’t want to settle down with Link! I love you! I always have! Please don’t leave me here! You can’t go now; now that I finally see everything… no… please…”

But he was already gone.

It took Shiek a second to realize it, but there was no denying the fact. Toran’s breathing had stopped and his heart no longer beat. She wasn’t sure if he had heard any of her confession, but there was a slight, sad smile on his face; as though he had finally found some peace. Shiek prayed desperately that wherever he was, Toran knew that she longed to be with him. Curling into a ball next to him, Shiek sobbed until there were no tears left in her. Finally she sat up on her knees and hugged Toran to her again.
“Goodbye, my love...” she whispered smoothing back the tangled hair from his forehead, “I will never be complete now, even if all the world came under my rule. I have died with you Toran, and I shall never live again…” Bending down, she pressed a kiss to his lips. Laying Toran flat, Shiek tugged the katana out of his body and crossed his arms over his chest. She stretched out his legs, crossing them at the ankles in the Hylian fashion for a servant of the empire. Lifting his head gently, she placed the sword under it like a pillow, after the Hylian warrior tradition. In her mind, Toran had as much claim to ‘Guardian of the Empire’ as the knights long buried in the graveyard.

She sat for a long while, staring mutely at Toran’s corps. After a final prayer, Shiek rose and applied herself to an escape plan. She walked over to the wall she had been chained to, let her hands brush the wall. It was a yellowish, dusty, soft stone, and as she dug at it her hands filled with yellow powder. The softness gave her an idea, and Shiek turned back to Toran’s body.
“Sorry Toran,” she whispered, pulling the katana from its sheath, “but I need you sword one more time.”

Shiek returned and stood at the base of the wall. She had estimated the ledge to be too high up for a jump, but she was hoping it wouldn’t prove too high for two. Gaining a slight running start, Shiek placed one foot one the wall and jumped, reaching above her as high a possible. Bringing the sword forward with all her strength, Shiek drove the blade deep into the wall. Pulling herself up quickly, Shiek placed her feet on the sword’s handle, leaning against the wall for support. She quickly rose to her feet and stretched her arms above her head. Her fingers just curled over the lip of the ledge, allowing Shiek to haul herself up to the spot Gannondorf had been watching them from. The heavy door appeared unlocked, so she turned back for one last look at Toran’s bloodied form. When all this was over, she would be coming back for the body…

Shiek had never been in this portion of the Spirit Temple, and like all Greudo buildings the design seemed to be purposefully made to confuse anyone walking the halls. Shiek tried to keep to the shadows and out of sight, but was woefully aware that her lack of focus was putting her in real danger. Fortunately all of Gannondorf’s minions seemed to be out searching the land for Link, and before too long Shiek found herself in a more familiar section of the temple. After another hour, Shiek found herself in the large main cavern of the temple looking up at the large statue of the Gruedo’s Desert Goddess. From there, it was an easy trip through some narrow passages to outside the temple. She was still on the second floor, a balcony formed by the open left hand of another massive statue of the Desert Goddess that adorned the front of the temple. Heaving a sigh, Shiek looked up at the unforgiving desert sun.

“LINK! TO YOUR LEFT!”

Shiek looked down and saw her ‘hero’ dodge a sand monster, lashing out with his sword. She watched him almost mechanically, like playing with a toy that had lost its luster. Link was so smooth, so lethal, so good, but for some reason is moves seemed systematic and formulaic to her now. She realized now that every time Toran had drawn his sword, it had been out of love for her; Link fought because it was something he was good at, just eliminating one threat so he could move to the next. After having witness Toran’s sacrifice for her, Shiek found it hard to believe Link actually fought for anything or anyone other then himself.
Maybe I’m being too hard on him… Shiek thought, watching as Link engaged another sand monster, I wish Impa could hear me now…
But Impa was dead. As dead as Draq, Scela, Toran, and everyone else that had been close to her.
Face it princess, she thought as she glumly watched Link walk onto the steps up to temple, for all your caring, you’re nothing more then a walking curse to almost everyone. Only one person has survived a lengthy connection with you, and it probably has SOMETHING to do with the Master’s Sword he’s lugging around… Oh well, time to go help one last time…
With that, she dropped down behind Link.

“Shiek! Dude, you’re alright! I was pretty worried about you…”
“And I you,” Shiek replied, stepping closer, “but I see you bested the Shadow Phantom.”
“Yeah, and woke another sage… let me tell you that Shadow Temple is one seriously whapped out place. As if the monsters weren’t enough, the place was loaded with traps, torture devices, and…” he trailed, giving Shiek an odd look, “you ok man? You look positively awful.”
“A good friend of mine died today for the cause,” Shiek murmured, knowing full well this was the pain on her face.
“Oh, Din, that’s bad man,” she looked up to his face and was surprised to see what looked like tears in his eyes.
“It’s worst then that,” Shiek went on, something compelling her to continue, “Gannondorf had his body under mind control, but he was able to fight it off long enough to give up his life to save mine,” her voice cracked slightly, and she stopped before emotion caused her to obliterate what little shards of her disguise were left.
“Goddess, that’s gotta be rough… look man, will get justice for him, right? I mean, that’s one of the things we’re fighting for: Avenging our fallen comrades, right?”
Shiek nodded mutely, and rubbed the back of her hand across her eyes. Sniffing loudly, she pointed to the warp point several yards away.
“The Ocarina of Time and the Master’s Sword are the boat in which you can navigate the river of time, Link… Traveling through this temple may require the mastery of time itself… should you need to return here in years already past, use this song of the desert,” pulling out her harp, Shiek pulled the first few cords. Link followed along, but his mind was clearly elsewhere. After the song was done, Shiek looked mutely at Link, who returned her gave with a touch of pity in his eye.
“So who was he?” Link finally asked.
“Toran…”
“Look, Shiek,” Link said, taking a step closer. Shiek took a step back, not really wanting Link to get close to her.
“You should probably get to the temple Link, this one might take awhile.”
“But are you sure you’re ok? I mean-”
“I should get back to the village… we were taken before I had finished readying the clean up…”
“Don’t worry about that, it all looked fine when I walked through it after I made it through the Shadow Temple.”
“I just, don’t really want to talk ok?”
Link looked like he was about to protest when a whirling gust of sand came between them. Taking advantage of the distracting wind, Shiek slipped away leaving Link to face the heat of the Spirit Temple.



It was not as though Lon Lon Ranch was not really the place Shiek wanted to be, but there really was nowhere else for her to go. As she materialized at the warp point she had left in the loft, Shiek felt the melancholy that was crowding her cloud even more. She and Toran had fought a lot because of the ranch, but they had had some good time here two. She couldn’t help but smile as she looked at the pile of hay they had fought in several nights ago.

“Highness, can you hear me?”

Shiek almost screamed with joy. Unless she was just hallucinating, the Shadow Sage was not Jethro Skultulia as everyone had thought, but her own beloved Impa.
“Impa, is that you?” Shiek asked, almost unable to believe that something so fortunate could happen on such a dark day.
“Yes, Princess it is… Though if your friend Link had taken a moment longer I would have died before he arrived.”
“Oh Impa! I thought you HAD died… thank the Goddesses!”
“Is everything alright? I had a feeling that something must have been up.”
“No, it’s not! Toran and I were captured by Gannondorf! I came away ok, but Toran died to save me,” Shiek felt tears welling up in her, “Impa, he’s gone, and you’re right I loved him, and I’ll never get him back now!”
“Princess, please,” Impa’s was in no way able to hide the pain in her voice, “you need to focus. I know your pain over Toran must be great, but you do not see every angle yet, and you have to be ready both physically and mentally for the final battle with Gannondorf. Where is Link now?”
“The Spirit Temple,” Shiek sniffed, wondering where Impa was headed with this.
“Then I think you should sleep until Link exits the temple… I will have Rauru send him to the Temple of Time, and we will contact you then. Please, forget everything and get some rest.”
Shiek wondered how exactly she was supposed to do that, but merely gave an assenting thought before closing the connection. Sighing, she sank down in the hay, staring glumly off at nothing. Knowing Impa was alive, well, and, of all things, a sage was a great relief to her; but the loss of Toran was just as heavy.

Shiek’s eyes looked glumly to the door as it squeaked opened. A familiar odd tune informed Shiek that Malon was entering the barn before she actually came into view.
Malon… she’ll understand… Shiek had lost anything even close to resentment towards the ranch girl with the loss of Toran. She understood now that Malon had never tried to wrong her, and it was her own blindness that had caused whatever tension might have existed between them. The red haired girl breezed into the barn, oblivious to the princess slumped in the corner. She grabbed up a pitchfork from against the wall and turned to the hay, still humming brightly. When Malon saw Shiek she started and almost dropped her pitchfork, giving a squeak of surprise. It only took a second for Malon to recognize her though, and she quickly regained composure.

“Oh, Shiek…” she said, smiling, “You startled me! What are you doing-” suddenly gasping, Malon stepped closer, a hand drifting to her mouth, “Shiek, what’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
Shiek mutely shook her head, suddenly unable to talk.
“What’s wrong Shiek?” Malon pressed, setting down the pitchfork and clambering up the hay to settle next to her, “please, you look like the world is ending or something…”
“I… just…” her voice caught, and Shiek knew tears had to be spilling out by now.
“Hey, it’s ok,” Malon whispered, sliding her arms around Shiek’s shoulders, “you don’t have to hold it in and be tough you know… we all know you can cry.”

And she did. Hugging Malon back with all her strength, Shiek sobbed into her comforter’s soft shoulders. Somehow she choked out the story of Toran’s death between the sob and ragged gasps for breath. Pulling back she looked at Malon and saw tears flowing freely from her sky blue eyes.
“Oh Shiek,” Malon said, her voice quavering, “I was close to Toran too, but nothing like you… I’m so, so sorry… you loved him didn’t you?”
Shiek nodded, then hugged Malon in close again, muffling her words into the girl shoulder.
“Yes… I did… but I never told him… he deserved so much, and yet I kept pushing him away. I was so, so stupid…”
“I think he knew…” Malon murmured back, stroking Shiek’s long yellow hair, “and I know he loved you…”

The two girls sat in the loft morning the loss of lover and friend. After several hours, Malon rose and gave Shiek a rather forced smile.
“I think it would be good if we ate something… I’m gonna grab us some food, ok?”
Shiek gave a similarly unconvinced smile, and nodded. She watched as Malon exited with a feeling of gratitude mixed in her sorrow. Malon really was proving her worth as a friend. For all her flirtatious, annoying, and sometimes infuriating manner, the young woman had a very caring heart and deep compassion for others’ suffering. Rising, Shiek walked over to the corner she had stashed the box containing her diary and crown. Pulling out the green book and pen, Shiek flopped back down in the hay and began to write.

I’m sorry, but I really have no idea of the date anymore… Even if I could work it out I just don’t have the strength. I finally realized just how much I love Toran, and he’s gone… it’s all too late. Of course, Link and I can still save Hyrule, but now that Toran is gone I just don’t know if I have the will to help…

Malon has been wonderful. She really is a better friend then I deserve, and I’m sure her and Link will be so happy together. I guess that should give me some motive to fight; I still have SOME friends alive who deserve a better life then the darkness of Gannondorf.

Soon Link will see me foe who I am, and then comes the last leg, in all honesty I fear it. It’s not that I think Link will be unable to protect me as seal Gannondorf into the Sacred Realm, and not even that I am unable to perform the act… it’s just that this resistance has been my life for so long, and in one moment it will be over and I will be queen. Even that did not used to bother me, but now I realize it’s a change I will have to face alone, with no one to help me. At least Impa will be here for me… but oh how I wish Toran’s strength could aid me.

Shiek looked up as the door squeaked open again, and offered a weak smile. Malon smiled back over the steaming tray she carried.
“Tea?” she asked, setting the tray down on a small crate, “I wasn’t sure how exactly you would like it, so I just fixed you a cup of my favorite raspberry with honey. There’s toast and jam too…”
“Thanks Malon, it all looks wonderful…”

Shiek sipped at the tea, which she pretended wasn’t awful, and munched at the toast to be polite. In reality, she had no desire to be eating, but Shiek realized Rauru and the other sages might call upon her to seal Gannondorf at any moment. She needed to keep her strength up for the sake of everyone. The two girls engaged in sparse moments of small talk, but for the most part ate in silence. Malon was just about to convince Shiek to comb out her hair when Rauru called.

“Princess Zelda, it is time. Link is on his way to the Temple of Time. Meet him there and tell him the rest of the story. The hour of Gannondorf’s destruction is near.”

As Shiek strapped on the last touches to outfit, Malon picked up the tray and gave her a melancholy look.
“So what now?”
“Link and I have to go have one last showdown with Gannondorf, this will be it…”
“You know,” Malon said, staring down at the tray in her hands, “it’s gonna be really dangerous… I’ve seen what Gannondorf can do, and I know you have too. You know this is a suicide mission… Daddy’s back now, and the ranch is getting ever so much better… you and Link could just stay here with us. We could-”
Shiek shook her head violently. In all honesty, the idea was very appealing. Right now, she would have given anything for it all to just be done and over. But in her heart, Shiek knew giving up was something she could never do.
“I have to go, Malon. You know Link won’t stop with this job half over, and if I’m not there to seal Gannondorf away he will die… Master’s Sword or no. Besides, I have to go… I owe it to my people…”
“Your people?” Malon asked cocking her head to the side inquisitively.
“Yes Malon… I’m Princess Zelda.”
Malon nearly gagged on a surprised gulp of air, and Shiek used the moment to quickly exit the barn and disappear into the evening shadows.



The Temple of Time loomed ominously in the dark of the evening. Shiek couldn’t help a slight shudder from running through her as she looked up at the dark, cold stones that comprised the front of the temple. She had seen the green of Link’s back disappearing into it as she walked up. Swallowing hard, Shiek gathered her strength and walked inside.

Link was looking about expectantly as she walked in. When he caught sight of her, the blue eyes softened and he gave a half smile.
“Hey Shiek, doing better?”
Shiek couldn’t bear to look back at him. Instead she gave a dismissive wave while scrutinizing the stone floor.
“I’ve been waiting for you hero…”
“I know, Rauru said you’d be here.”
“No, I mean for long time,” she went on, finally looking back up to him, “I need to tell you another story of the Triforce; one passed down by the Shiekah people. You know well the story of the three goddess who left their essences that became the three parts of the Triforce. These parts were sealed in the Sacred Realm, which could only be reached through this temple. The first of the Hylian kings knew of this, and sealed the doorway to that realm so that none could abuse the Triforce. The Triforce contains complete balance within itself, Power, Wisdom, and Courage. Long had the Shiekah known that if someone who’s heart did not have these ideals balanced within them touched the Triforce, then it would break into three parts. Gannondorf, the Great King of Evil sought to attain the Triforce, but for all his knowledge he did not know this fact. When he took hold of the Triforce, it shattered, breaking into its three pieces which each sought out a suitable protector. Gannondorf, insatiable in his quest power, absorbed the furry of Din’s essence. The essence of Naria’s courage sought out the brave heart of the Hero of Time, the one who could wield the legendary Master’s Sword… you, Link. And the final piece, Narue’s Wisdom, sought out the last sage, the Sage of Wisdom, the sage who was destined to rule the others.”
Shiek took in a deep breath, and raised her right hand to face level, holding the back out for Link to see. Grasping the wrist with her left hand Shiek closed her eyes, letting the full power of the Triforce flow through her for the first time.

Shiek had never known for sure what would happen when she awakened fully as a sage. Fear of Gannondorf’s watchful eye had kept her constantly in the shadow, and as a result she had always operated on a low portion of her actual power. What she had never expected was a complete reorientation in her form magic use, as well as the power. She felt what seemed to be a strong gust of wind envelop her, as well as a blinding flash of light. When she opened her eyes, Shiek found herself standing in a long purple dress. Her long yellow hair was pulled back over her shoulders, falling over her shoulders with a few lose strands falling over her temples and down over the front of her dress. Apparently the Triforce had also seen fit to give her a crown muck like the one she had kept for so many years. Golden earrings fashioned after the Triforce dangled at her pointed ears. Clasping her hand in front of her, Shiek realized the Triforce had added elbow length white gloves marked on the back of the hands with elegant golden Triforces.
Ok, that’s just a little TOO cheesy… I’m really gonna miss being a warrior…

Looking back to Link with her large blue Hylian eyes, Princess Zelda swallowed hard and continued on.

“I’m sorry I had to met you in disguise Link, but Gannondorf has been scouring Hyrule for me ever since that day I fled the palace-”
“Zel?”
“Yeah, like I said, sorry about that, but-”
“You were Shiek that whole time?”
“Well, more importantly-”
“You were Shiek that time I trashed him in this temple?”
“Yes,” Zelda sighed. This really wasn’t the time for explanations of the fine details, and she was getting a reminder of how annoying Link could be.
“Din,” Link muttered, kicking the stone floor, “sorry about that…”
“Don’t worry about it… besides, the whole thing is my fault in a way. That day, seven years ago, we were so young… I thought as I fled the palace that I should give you the ocarina of time; I thought you could use it enter the Sacred Realm; I thought you were our only hope… but something I could have never expected happened. The Master’s Sword sealed you away for so many years, and Gannondorf used the doorway you had opened to try and take the Triforce. All of this is a most unfortunate turn of events…”
“That’s one way to put it,” Link murmured. He still had a look of shock in his eyes, and Zelda figured he was having difficulty taking all this in.
“Yes, it is MY way of putting it… but now that all the sages are awake we can seal Gannondorf away and end this darkness. The sages and I will perform the final task, and I ask you to protect me during this last strike against the vile magus. Here, take this,” she finished handing Link a small bag filled with powder, “this is fairy dust used to make Magic Light Arrows. These are the only weapon that can penetrate Gannondorf’s dark magical shields.”
“That’s comforting,” Link muttered as he took the bag, “well, I guess this is when we head to Ganny’s tower and- Goddess, Zel LOOK OUT!”
Zelda saw Link lurch towards her, but the scene was suddenly tinted deep purple. Her hands went out to grab his, but the purple tint seemed to stop her, like glass. Glancing wildly around, Zelda saw that she was trapped in a large purplish crystal. Link was pounding on the other side, screaming out a question she could barely hear.
“What?”
“I said,” his voice still sounded muffled, but it was getting clearer, “are you alright?”

Before she could respond, a familiar evil guffaw of laughter echoed through the temple.
“Well, Princess Zelda, I must congratulate you on evading me for so many years… I will confess that it even became highly vexing at times. However, I knew if I let this boy wander over Hyrule long enough, you’d show up.”
Zelda felt a scream freeze on her lips. Suddenly all her limbs became as lead, and her purple cage began to rise towards the ceiling.
“I only made one small mistake,” Gannondorf’s voice boomed on, “and that was to slightly underestimate this kid’s power…”
Zelda looked down to where Link was standing, biting his lip in obvious helpless frustration, Navi darting about in panic.
“No,” Gannondorf mused, sounding as though it was meant more for his benefit then the two Hylians, “it was not the kid’s power I underestimated; it was the power of the Triforce of Courage!”
Zelda saw the temple shimmer below her. She was being teleported, and it didn’t take the Triforce of Wisdom to tell her where Gannondorf was taking her.
“Hey kid, if you want to save your friend, I’ll be waiting in the top of my tower…”
She saw Link run for the temple door, already drawing the Master’s Sword.

Then she was out of the temple, and in the last place she had ever wanted to be: Gannondorf’s Tower.

Seven Years Part 24.5 and the first part of 25

Dark... be strong...

This had to be the worst night of her entire life…

Somehow, Shiek was able to take her feet. She had to get out of Lon Lon; she was honestly in fear that something would snap, and she would pull another Keef move all over the red-haired witch currently sleeping with her hero. She staggered into the barn, ripping the dress off herself. Shiek had always felt very plain, and tonight wasn’t helping. No one could ever have mistaken Malon as a boy for so long… For the first time ever she realize how much of her femininity she had shed over the last seven years. Somehow she pulled on her shiekah clothing and lurched toward the ranch entrance.

Stumbling out of the ranch, Shiek realized she hadn’t actually breathed since seeing Link walk off with Malon. Sucking in a ragged breath, she staggered forward, feeling tears burning her eyes. Something inside of her had died with Malon and Link’s kiss, and she would give anything to have the rest of her die with it. Swallowing hard, she plunged across the field towards the village. She could have easily used the Requiem of Shadow to quickly warp to the village graveyard and its one minute walk to Impa’s house, but Shiek wanted to walk slowly over Hyrule Plains contemplating everything and at the same time nothing; emotions surging within her, yet not feeling a thing. It was as though she were hitting some kind of concussive overload deep in her heart, and, unable to handle the flood of pain, sorrow, and burning rage, her emotions were merely shutting down. She wanted to cry on Impa’s shoulder, yes; but she wanted to take a good long run first.

Shiek was just entering the village when the storm hit new and harsher levels. She figured it had to be around midnight, but do to the emotional and physical stress her quick jog across Hyrule Plain had left her with she had no real sense of how much time had past. Sighing, she stepped into the dark village.

And then it hit her.

Her sixth sense of impending doom and nearby evil had always been eerily accurate. Shiek had always believed this was connected to the essence of the Triforce of Wisdom which she held, as though it enhanced her ability to sense dark presences. However, never in all seven years of her guardianship of Narue’s love had Shiek felt the sensation so strongly. The gripping black fingers of evil clutched at her like the claw of some predatory bird swooping for the kill. Something in the village was terribly wrong…

Checking on Impa was the first thing Shiek thought to do. Impa had been waiting for her at the house after all, and she might have an idea as to what was afoot, or at least have a good guess. Shiek darted towards Impa’s house, all the while glancing cautiously around for signs of danger. Wrapping on the door, Shiek noticed that the storm was gathering force, as if building towards some sort of climax. Shiek cursed herself for not noticing the direction of the storm’s origin before; a storm blowing down from Gannondorf’s Tower was rare, and she was will to bet less then totally natural.
“Impa! Impa? Are you there?” receiving no answer, Shiek thought it best to just enter. Quietly slipping the door open, she prayed silently that whatever evil was afoot had yet to find her guardian.

The house was totally devoid of life, sans the cow in its corner stall. Walking over to the table, Shiek looked desperately around the room for any sign that the shiekah elder had been there. There was nothing. Walking over to the small bed on the far side of the house, Shiek sighed and sank down. The feeling of dread and doom was as strong as ever, and Shiek rubbed her throbbing temples as she closed her eyes. The second her eyes closed, Shiek’s body threw itself backwards of its own accord, slamming hard onto the bed.
What in Din’s name? I can’t open my eyes! Why can’t I move?

Her hands clinched into tight fists, pulling hard at the covers on the bed. Suddenly color burst before her eyes, like swirling paint splashing over her vision. Then she saw the yawing entrance of the Shadow Temple, eerily vivid in her mind’s eye. A dark purple shadow was churning like a live beast in the entrance. Slowly it began to take form, a massive body, and a glaring yellow eye. The vision flash back and blur, streaking out of the graveyard and toward the village well. Shiek’s heart began to race as she suddenly felt air rushing by her as the mouth of the well grew to swallow her.
“RELEASE ME NOW!”

Shiek jerked out of the vision and back to the bed with a scream. Realization hit her like a fist. The phantom monster that Impa had resealed was breaking loose, and her guardian must have returned to the Shadow Temple to restore the barrier. Something told her it wouldn’t be happening this time though…
“Impa, wait!” Shiek cried, running to the door.

Running full tilt out the door, Shiek raced toward the center of the village. And then there it was: the now ominous opening of the village well. Her breathing became slightly more rapid as she approached opening, apprehension building. The Shadow Phantom was said to be a spirit comprised of all the hate and ill-will the Hylian Royal Family had earned over the years, and even as nationalistic as Shiek was she still was forced to recognize her country’s sorted past; any beast that lived off of the hate and anger generated by her ancestors was undoubtedly a fearsome one, and its reaction to the last surviving member of the Hylian line would probably be less then friendly. She took a step closer to the well, swallowing hard. Instinct screamed at her to run, but her feet continued to step closer to the well, as if drawn by some force outside of herself.

“Hey, Shiek!”

She somehow tore her eyes away from the well and towards the sound. Link was running up the stairs that lead up from the village entrance towards her and the well. She was about to call at him to hurry and save Impa when the Triforce of Wisdom sensed a massive change in the magic structure of Hyrule. The Shiekah Barrier had just snapped.
“Link! Get Back!” she was able to scream before a formless purplish-black cloud exploded out of the well. There was a sound like a beast gone insane with rage and pain, and then the cloud enveloped her, latterly sweeping her of her feet and whirling her in the air.

To Shiek, it felt as though the phantom was sucking the blood out through her pores drop by drop. But for some reason the phantom didn’t finish its job. Instead Shiek felt herself flung against the neighboring building’s wall with a sickening crack. She fell a good yard and crumpled to the ground. Through a haze of pain she saw Link jump the last three steps, drawing the Biggeron Sword in a fluid motion. She tried to call a warning, but it was too late.

Link slashed vainly at the cloud, but it was clear he had no idea what he should be aiming for. His sword passed through it, and then he too was caught up. The phantom had more fun with Link then it had with her. Shiek could see his silhouette being tossed back and forth in the whirling purple cloud before he was thrown to the ground with an audible smack. Shiek tried to rise and offer at least some challenge to the beast, but her body screamed its inability to move. She could do nothing but watch as the phantom made a quick circle above the village. The roofs of the builds burst into flame at the touch, the hen house at the back of Impa’s house exploded, and the screams of the villages awakened inhabitances rang out. Then, circling quickly once more the cloud whirled towards the Shadow Temple and flew off with a roar. Obviously the reason it had left her and Link alive had more to do with the necessity of returning to the temple then any mercy the phantom might have.

Shiek’s vision blurred and colors were bursting in front of her eyes. People were beginning to run out of their houses now, crying out in alarm and panic. Dragging herself across the ground, Shiek pulled herself alongside Link’s motionless body. Blood was trickling from his nose, and his breathing was coming in ragged gulps.
“SHIEK! THE BOTTLE IN LINK’S BAG HOLDS A WILD FAIRY! HURRY!”
Navi had barely finished speaking before Shiek was digging through the magical Kohria bag. Pulling out a small bottle, Shiek shook out a pink fairy, which darted around her and Link. Shiek had only seen wild fairies like this one once or twice. They were very difficult to catch, but if you released a cadged one it would use its power to heal its liberator. After releasing a shower of pink light over herself and Link, the fairy darted away, quickly disappearing in the smoky night. Shiek felt her physical pain subside, but the mental and emotional stress of the event was still radiating through her. Link coughed once, then pushed himself to his elbows, wiping the blood away from his nose.

“What in the name of heaven…”
“What in Hell is more like it,” Shiek replied, jumping up, “It was Bonga Bonga, the Shadow Phantom… The shiekah people had long held it at bay but Gannondorf was able to break the seal. It most likely is returning to the incantation room in the Shadow Temple to restore its corporal form…” She glanced worriedly from the smoldering village to the path up the hill toward the graveyard and the entrance of the Shadow Temple, “hurry Link! Go help Impa in the Shadow Temple. Protect her as she restores the barrier. I’ll handle the villagers.”
“Right, um… how do I get there?”
“Oh!” Shiek pulled out her harp, pulling a few cord quickly, “This is the Requiem of Shadow… it will take you to the temple’s entrance.”
“Great, will do…” Link pulled out his ocarina and took in a breath.
“Link! This temple is like nothing you have seen before… it is a museum of pain, death, and torture… please be careful, and do not let the fear of the place squeeze the life from you limbs!”
“Got it… be extra careful…” and with that, he was gone.

Shiek ran up the stairs that led to the foot of the village watch tower. The villagers were beginning to gather their, panic and confusion clear on their faces.
They need me to be strong for them… must get a plan… she thought as she ran into their midst.
“It’s Shiek!” one young woman cried, pointing, “she’ll know what to do!” Shiek recognized the voice as Fiona’s.
“Yeah, or just bring more trouble on us…” it was one of the Gorshii brothers, the timid one, “I saw him standing by the well just before the thing came and wrecked the place… maybe it was all his fault!”
“Oh shut up,” it was Fiona again, “we all know the legend of Shiek… he’s done more to keep us free then anyone…”
There was a general mummer of approval, and Shiek felt better knowing at least the people of the village respected her.
“Besides, anyone who want’s Shiek has to come through me…”
Sucking in a quick breath, Shiek glance at the speaker and saw Toran stroll into the crowd. Taking her hand, he pulled Shiek back slightly, away from the growing crowd.

“What’s going on? I saw the smoke as I was heading down the mountain from Gordon City. You ok?” the concern in the hazel eyes made her blush slightly, but Shiek was able to nod.
“I’m fine, but we have a major disaster on our hands. The phantom shadow broke its barrier and ravaged the village before heading off to the temple. If Link and Impa can’t stop it, then Gannondorf might be dropping to number two on our list of things to kill.”
“Should we go help them?” Toran asked looking worriedly up towards path to the graveyard.
“No, we need to help these people… I know you’ve been going flat out at Gordon City all day but if you could-”
Shiek’s words were cut off by an insane cackling laugh. Both her and Toran whirled towards the sound, and Shiek nearly screamed at the sight. It was something she thought had existed only in Greudo folklore; something to scare the children into obedience and give them hope about their nation’s future.

It was Twinvolta.

The twelve-foot, stunningly beautiful, and certifiably insane, witch that was the ‘guardian’ of the Greudo people. Brandishing her two wands, the flying witch swooped over the burning buildings, cackling insanely. Before either Toran or Shiek could move, the tall witch dropped in front of them.
“Well,” she shrieked, holding her glowing wands out, “the last of the fools who dare to oppose Gannondorf, our most glorious son… we had no idea you’d be here… though we did hope. Well, your pathetic little resistance is about to end…”

Toran stepped in front of Shiek, drawing his katana and falling into an open defense stance.
“Over my dead body, witch,” Toran growled, obviously bracing for an attack.
“Ah, but where would be the fun in that? We want you alive, and so does his greatness, Gannondorf.”
“You always refer to yourself in the plural? Cause it’s getting annoying…” Shiek asked, rolling Toran protective arm to stand next to him. She didn’t know what Twinvolta capable of, but she knew that her and Toran would face it together. Recent falling outs aside, Toran had always been a great friend, and if it was his time to die, he wouldn’t be alone.
“Oh go on shiekah clod,” the witch actually sounded offended, “display your ignorance of Greudo culture… you obviously have no idea who we are…”
“Shiek,” Toran muttered under his breath, still keeping his glare fixed on Twinvolta “get out of here… if you a break for it I’ll slow them down… I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to hold her, but it should give you time to-”
“Forget it Toran,” clenching her fists, Shiek took up an open defensive stance, “we live or die together…”

Toran looked as though he were about to utter a protest when Twinvolta raised her right wand above her head and shot a jet of fire at them. Shiek rolled to her left, avoiding the blast. She watched Toran duck under the stream of fire, rolling forward. He came up jumping, and brought his katana around to strike the tall witch’s neck. An odd crack rang out, followed by Twinvolta’s insane peal of laughter. Shiek stared in shock at Toran, who in turn was staring in shock at his sword, which had shattered on the Greduo’s neck with even marking the perfect, dark, skin.

“Oh Din…” Toran was able to gasp before Twinvolta’s left hand whipped around in a vicious backhand strike. The swordsman was sent flying backwards to fall in a crumpled heap at Shiek’s feet. Falling to her knees, Sheik helped steady Toran, as he pushed himself up on an elbow, sucking in a ragged breath.
“What do you think, Katsum?” Twinvolta asked, a smirk twisting the corner of her mouth, “don’t they look like mighty warriors? Oh yes, Kamonai, I say we take them back to the temple now… we can have real fun then!”
Shiek tried to think up anything to do, but before any escape plan came Twinvolta raised her left wand, shot out a jet of ice, and the world went black.




A hazy blur of yellow was the only thing that registered in Shiek mind when she opened her eyes; that and the throbbing pain in her shoulders and arms. Closing her eyes tightly again, she shook her head variously once or twice to clear it. The action quickly showed her why there was a strain on her arms. Opening her eyes, Shiek glanced about. She was chained by her wrists to a wall in a room that did not appear to have any discernable way in. just yellowish, stone block walls. She was chained to what appeared to be a flat stone wall, while the other side of the room swept in towards her wall at the corners, making the entire room a large half circle. Very high up in the curved wall was a window, stain-glassed with the Greudo symbol for the sun. The yellow stone, the architecture, the Greudo symbol… she could only be one place: the Spirit Temple.

After gauging the surrounding, Shiek gave a closer look to her physical state. Tight mettle clasps held the back of her hand unmoving against the wall. They had obviously been designed to hold someone at least several inches taller then her, and the mettle was cutting her cruelly as her entire weight pulled on her wrists. Other then the stiff pain this caused in her arms and shoulders, Shiek didn’t feel anything else amiss. She was overjoyed to see that her captors had neglected to remove her mask. Hopefully she and Toran could get out of this without having to abandon the ruse. For his part, Toran was nowhere to be seen. There were another set of restraints in the wall next to her, but they were unoccupied. Either Toran was in another part of the temple, or he was-
No, they just have him elsewhere… Shiek tried to convince herself, or maybe he got away instead of standing there to get frozen like an idiot… I can’t believe I did that…

Shiek found that by standing on her toes, she could relieve some of the strain and breath easier. Closing her eyes again, Shiek tried to come up with a plan.
Ok, just because I can’t see a door doesn’t mean there isn’t one… they had to get me in here somehow didn’t they? Of course they could have used magic, but let’s just focus on getting out for a second. If Link knew where I was, he could come and spring Toran and I, but I don’t really have a way to get in touch with him. Unless… SARIA! I’ll contact her and have her relay a message to Link!
Shiek cleared her mind and tried to connect with the Forest Sage, but she was met only with an odd crackling, popping sound. Trying harder to focus, Shiek strained to connect with the little sage, but the interference only grew louder. Shiek felt a tiny trickle of blood begin to ooze from her nose, and opened her eyes, breath coming in hard. The temple obvious had some form of magical shields, blocking it from the outside world.

Slumping back down Shiek groaned. There would be no rescue anytime soon it seemed. Link would be coming to the Spirit Temple next, but that would be provided he didn’t die in the darkness of the Shadow Temple. She had not had the time to tell Link the full truth of the dark place. Haunted with the spirits of those wronged by the bloody advancement of the Hylian Empire, the temple was a place few even ventured into. The caves that housed the rooms of the foreboding Shadow Temple had been fashioned and finished long, long ago by the shiekah people, but it had been Shiek’s great, great, grandfather that had first used the temple on a regular bases. He, along with a powerful and corrupt merchant in the village, had used the temple as their ultimate dungeon. Shiek had only heard this bloody era spoke of once or twice, and always in whispers. Torture devices used so frequently they were stained red, cells filled with rotting prisoners that had forgotten their own names, the stench of death and sulfur, bodies tossed into bottomless caverns; it seemed as though her ancestor had been lacking in the famous Hylian virtue and nobility. Under her grandfather’s reign, the massive dungeon was given to the shiekah as a gift for the allegiance. The shiekah had modified into the Shadow Temple, a monument to the brutality that the Hylian people were capable of. Only the bravest of the shiekah ever approached temple, and few stayed there long. Impa had only entered it once before Gannondorf’s takeover and, to Shiek’s knowledge, only twice afterwards.

It was a place built of evil and pain, and now the Shadow Phantom had returned there to gather strength. Like it or not, there was real danger there for Link, and even if he were to defeat the phantom, it was unlikely that it would be a quick process.
Of course, Shiek though wryly, glancing at her cuffed wrists, I really have no idea how long I’ve been here either…

Shiek as also very worried about one more thing. Where was Toran at? The fact that he wasn’t sharing a cell with her might be reasonable, but it was still unnerving. She kept finding her thought wandering towards him, wondering if he were still alive and well. After some time, Shiek realize almost in shock that not once in the entirety of her capture had she thought of the ordeal with Link and Malon, and she had only thought about Link’s danger in the Shadow Temple once or twice. The thoughts of Toran and praying over and over for his safety were all that had filled her mind. Shiek felt a guilty pang run through her at the realization. Even after learning about Link’s real ‘true-love,’ she still felt as though she owed it to him to stay devoted. He had done so much for her after all: defeating the dragon, awakening the sages, saving her kingdom, and he had done it all without really asking what he was supposed to be getting out of it. How could she turn her back on him now?

Shiek was jarred out of contemplation by the sound of a heavy iron door swinging open. It came from above her head, and Shiek instantly realize how the room had been built. Quite a ways above her, the wall must stop, pulling back to form a ledge. From this ledge, someone could observe the pit below them, but some one smashed against the wall, like her, would not even be able to see the ledge. There was a slight scuffling sound, followed by Toran wail as he was pushed off the ledge. He hit the ground and rolled, coming up unharmed from the fairly high drop. He instantly jumped to his feet and glared up at someone Shiek couldn’t see on the ledge.

“Yeah, give me my katana back and try that you dumb witchs!”
“Don’t be silly kid! We’re the ones that broke your first one!” the door clanged shut, cutting off two wild peals of laughter. The laughs obviously belonged to Katsum and Kamonai, Gannondorf’s foster parents. No doubt about it now; they were definitely in the Spirit Temple.

Toran’s clothes looked ragged, as though he’d been through some king of rough treatment, but his body seemed oddly untouched.
“Toran,” she gasped, straining against her bonds.
“Shiek!” he noticed her for the first time and took a step closer, “you alright?”
“Just woke up not too long ago, you?”
“Wish I could say the same thing,” he winced slightly, shivering involuntarily, “I was awake when we got here. That one huge witch dissolves in a cloud of smoke into those two, and while one of them took you away the other introduced me to some of the best torture I’ve ever seen. Then the other one returns, revives me with some kind of fairy, and proceeds to have her way with me. The first one gets another fairy and we start all over… they didn’t get much in the way of information from me, but it didn’t seem like there was really anything they wanted to know… they were just having fun beating the living snot out of me over and over… psychotic witches…” he shuddered again.
“Any idea how long we’ve been here?”
“Based on something Katsum said, I think we’ve been here just over a day,” Torn replied, stretching, “I’m not sure why they healed me before throwing me back in here… but it’s at least one thing to be grateful for…”

Toran walked over to her and started examining the bond on her wrists. Shiek watched as he tried vainly to find the clasp that held them shut, but it was as though she had been born with them on.
“Don’t worry about it,” Shiek said trying to force a smile, “it’s not that bad, just a little stiff on my shoulders.”
“Well, here, try this,” Toran offered, moving back in front of her, “I’ll sit down beneath you and you can sit on my shoulders… I know it wont be the most comfortable thing ever, but it will at least take the weight off your shoulders.”
Shiek nodded and Toran sank down cross-legged, scooting so his back rested against the wall. Shiek pulled herself up slightly as he did so, sinking back down to rest on his shoulders like a chair. Her arms were now straight out from her body, and as the strain on her limbs and shoulders subsided she also found it was easier to breath. Looking down at Toran, who was grinning back at her, she offered a half smile.
“Thanks Toran…”
“Don’t mention it…”

They stayed like that for quite some time. Toran was obviously exhausted, and dozed intermittently through the hours they sat there. Several hours had past, and Toran was snoozing again, when the door opened with its screaming whine. Toran’s head jerked up as he jolted out of sleep, and Shiek winced slightly, glad she was only dressing as a male. Her sixth sense was telling her something more vile then just the insane witches had entered, so she quickly allowed Toran to roll to his feet. He took a few steps back to see who had entered, and gave a visible start. Shiek swallowed; this was probably bad.

“Well, well, well… Shiek and Toran… the two hero that my pathetic subjects sing about all the time…”
Shiek gulped. This wasn’t bad; it was worse… It was a voice she’d have recognized anywhere… Gannondorf, the Great King of Evil.
“I must admit, I have been less then amused, one might even say frustrated, with the increscent meddling you two symbolize. Both of you have quite merit as warriors; even after that brat Keef sold you out you still managed to allude me. Shiek, as I understand it, you actually killed the little snot in combat… I must admit, you have skill. And Toran, the mighty swordsman… nothing more then a thorn in my mighty side of course, but any great ruler has to be able to discern talent. I was greatly surprised you defeated my best Dark Knuckle… you would make a fine dark warrior yourself. Draq would be so proud; provided you hadn’t killed him of course…”
Shiek looked in shock at Toran, who was wincing. The young swordsman shook his head though and actually looked rather brave as he shouted back up at the warlord.
“I’ll never serve you, you psychotic, power-hungry, joke of a king… I serve Hyrule, and its rightful queen, Zelda,” he paused, looking as though he was desperately trying to find a stinging last line, “so there!”
Shiek felt a proud smile pull at her mouth. Toran might not have a large repartee, but he was brave and willing to fight for the right.

Gannondorf obviously didn’t find the scene as dramatic. Throwing back his head, the powerful magus guffawed a booming roll of vile laughter. Even though she couldn’t see him, Shiek knew exactly how he looked, arms crossed, legs planted firmly, red hair curling over his shoulders.
“You’ve got guts kid… and lots of them… I’m not sure which of the two of you I want more, so I’m really going to enjoy this…” the bonds suddenly sprang off Shiek’s wrists, and she crumpled to the ground. Gathering back her strength, Shiek stood up and walked next to Toran. She turned to face her nemesis, and found him just the way she had pictured him. His brown eyes narrowed cruelly as he looked down on them, a smile twisting his mouth.
“Here,” he called, tossing down a katana. It landed with a clatter at Toran’s feet, who glanced down at it with surprise.
“You two fight to the death… the winner will join me as my new lieutenant. After Draq and Keef, I could use some new blood.”
Shiek looked from Toran back up to Gannondorf, shocked that even the evil tyrant could be so out of touch. Both she and Toran would die before trying to kill each other. Toran must have been giving Gannondorf the same puzzled stare, and the warlord’s heavy shoulders slumped with a sigh.
“I was hoping we wouldn’t have to do it this way… but in the long run it doesn’t really matter… I’ll leave you conscious Toran, so you can saver your victory or defeat all the more. You,” he thundered, voice changing tone slightly as he pointed to Toran, “kill him.”
Shiek wonder what the magus thought this would accomplish, when she heard Toran give a strangled gargle. She turned to see what was wrong, and gasped in horror. Toran’s body had gone strangely rigid, his eyes wide as they turned to give her a sideways look.

“Can’t. Hold. On. Much.”

Shiek took a set back and looked up at Gannondorf, who was obviously enjoying the scene unfolding before him.
“Well, Shiek? How deep do your ideals run? Kill or be killed… and trust me, I pay better then death does…” Gannondorf laughed at his own joke as Toran bent to pick up the katana.

Toran’s eyes were displaying an odd mix of horror at his action and the mental battle going on inside him.
“Shiek, look out!” he cried as he darted in and slashed to take out her legs. Shiek preformed a quick back flip, landing in a defensive crouch. Gannondorf’s laughter rolled on as he watched Toran press in for another assault. Shiek jumped back, barely avoiding a chest-high swipe of the glittering blade. Whirling, Toran followed with an over the head chop aimed to slice her in two. Shiek dodged to the left, noting how Toran had used a strike that left his entire right side exposed to retaliation. Her fighter’s instinct almost took advantage of the opportunity, telling her to brake his knee with one swift kick, but Shiek found herself unable to follow through. Spinning away she watched as Toran spun, falling back into an attack stance.
“Damn it Shiek,” he growled low under his breath, “don’t hold back… kill me and get out of here…” it was then Shiek realized that Toran’s sweeping blow had been intentional. His body was attacking her of its own accord, but he was using moves that he knew would open him up if they didn’t land. Shiek shook her head, and rolled under another strike. She was going to think of something, anything, but she would not kill Toran; she didn’t think she could, even if she had thought it was the best course of action.

Gannondorf was obviously thoroughly enjoying the fight. He was even shouting random encouragements when Toran preformed an extra complicated killing blow, or Shiek an extra skillfully timed dodge. Shiek couldn’t help but wonder how long it would be before the warlord got board though. It wouldn’t take long for him to figure out that neither combatant was really trying to kill the other; in fact Shiek was willing to bet he already had realized the fact, and was simply enjoying the countdown to that one blow she wouldn’t dodge. She continued to dodge blows, as the door opened above them.

“Gannondorf!” it was Katsum, “I have some bad news!”
She heard Gannondorf sigh, and risked a quick glace up at him as she ducked under another slash aimed at her neck. He was glaring at the old hag of a witch, arms crossed and foot tapping with impatience.
“I am busy… what, pray, is so important as to interrupt my entertainment?”
“That pesky kid, the one that woke up and has been wandering around the country side, he killed the Shadow Phantom about three hours ago!”
Gannondorf sighed and gave a dismissive gesture.
“He was sealed once before by the rebels, and we unleashed him… we’ll just have to do it again…”
“No you idiot; he KILLED it! It’s gone, poof, dead, bye-bye, not-coming-back, obliterated from this plane of existence; it’s off spending some quality time with that Phantom Gannondorf you banished to the void!”
“What?” Gannondorf turned, giving the witch his full attention now.
“About three hours ago… he pulverized it. We needed that phantom Gannondorf! Kamonia and I needed it for one of our rituals; you promised we could keep it as a pet!”
“Shut up witch, just SHUT UP! This boy is getting annoying… I think I might have underestimated his power. If he could kill the great Shadow Phantom, then it might be up to me to take him down,” glancing down at the pit he spat in Shiek’s general direction. Shiek rolled past Toran again and went back to observing the now very upset warlord. Gannondorf scowled back at her then turned back to Katsum.
“He’ll be coming here next. He has been systematically visiting each temple, and this is the only one left. This time be ready for him; and this time KILL HIM. I want that meddler’s head on a plate in my throne room by dawn. I return to my tower… bring the winner of this little battle to me along with the boy’s head,” Gannondorf finished, gesturing at her and Toran below. With that Gannondorf turned and stalked out of sight, Katsum following. The door slammed shut, and Shiek turned her full concentration back to Toran.

It was just in time too. She could tell Toran was adding more vigor to his attacks, taking less flailing swings and more shots aimed to cripple then kill. His body was starting to fight to win. The pain and panic in Toran’s eyes told volumes; he was losing the war to control his body. Shiek ducked a swipe, only to find Toran’s left hand catch her chin in a vicious cross. Shiek let the momentum push her, rolling backward to avoid Toran’s next cut.
“Shiek, I’m losing the battle, Gannondorf’s taking over…” Toran cried, as he stepped forward for another charge, “but I think have an idea… hurry, jump towards me like your going to hug me!”
“What?” Shiek was unsure how this was supposed to work.
“Trust me,” Toran gurgled, voice strangely garbled.

Waiting for Toran to finish another sweeping blow, Shiek jumped in close. She was about to grab him when Toran’s arms brought the sword up above his head in an underhand grip.
“Shiek! MOVE NOW!”
Without thinking, Shiek followed the command, quickly rolling out of the driving blade.

Then she heard it: the sickening rip of leather, cloth, and flesh. Looking up, she instantly took in what Toran had done. Drawing her in so close, he had gone for the one killing blow left to him: driving the katana down like a hammer. When she had rolled out of the way, he had driven the blade straight through his lower chest. He had known there was no way Shiek could ever harm him, so he had done the only thing he could think to do; kill himself to save her. Toran hazel eyes closed, and a gargled sound escaped his mouth. Taking a staggering step backwards, he sank to his knees, then collapsed forward slightly, propping himself up on an elbow. The tip of the sword was visible through his back.

“TORAN! NO!”

Shiek fell on her knees next to him, pulling him upright in an attempt to keep the blood out of his lungs.
“Thanks Shiek…” he wheezed, eyes closed and a wry grin pulling at the corner of his mouth.
“Toran, you IDIOT! What were you thinking!”
“Not really sure…” he confessed, hazel eyes slitting open, “but I can tell you what I’m thinking now…” he paused to cough violently. Shiek’s heart sank when Toran’s hand came away from his mouth bloody. Either his lungs or heart had been cut, and either would spell death in this temple. He winced in pain, left hand still gripping the handle of the katana lodged in him.
“What are you thinking…” Shiek whispered, tears already beginning to spill from her eyes.
“I’m thinking about how I love you so much…” Toran said, eyes suddenly clear and sharp, “more then life itself. Don’t grieve for me here Shiek… get out and live free. And when you finally settle down with Link, please remember me… name a horse after me or something…” with that, Toran’s eyes closed, pain ebbing off his face.

She saw it for what it was. He was dieing.

“No! Toran no!” Shiek clutched him closer, heedless of the blood that was running freely from Toran’s chest, “I don’t want to settle down with Link! I love you! I always have! Please don’t leave me here! You can’t go now; now that I finally see everything… no… please…”

But he was already gone.