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Around six years had passed since Link had defeated Ganondorf and banished him to the evil realm. Since then, Link had embedded on various little tasks, as he put them, but no ‘save the world’ adventures. Things had become very peaceful recently, and Link had found no adventure in quite some time. (Which he wasn’t too bothered about, although he did find himself getting very bored from time to time) He enjoyed the ‘normal’ lifestyle. He was riding across Hyrule field on his way to meet Zelda, and was already late because he had met Saria in the woods. They were still great friends, so Link had stopped to chat, and ended up staying while longer than he expected. However, he wasn’t bothered about this either, as he knew by now Zelda should know not to expect him to be on time!

He was about half way across the field, walking peacefully along on Epona, his mind drifting away, casting upon memories of the first time he stepped out of the forest and into the open world. As he was gazing up at the sky, he noticed storm clouds were gathering. He then stopped and looked again. They were gathering very rapidly, as almost unnatural. The sky suddenly darkened, as though night had fallen in the midst of the day.

“O…K, this doesn’t look good….” was the initial thought that crossed Links mind, as he urged Epona into a canter. Rain poured down in sheets. Epona, sensing the abnormal atmosphere and unease in Link’s movements sped away.  “ This looks…not right. C’mon Epona, lets get undercover. I don’t like the look of this storm, and it’s not because I’m getting wet. This ain’t natural weather!”  Epona gained speed, faster and faster. Suddenly the swiftness of her motions was interrupted by a bolt of lightening as it shot out of the sky, ripped through the air and smashed into the tree ahead of them. There was a blinding blast as the tree burst into flames. Epona, shocked and frightened instantly squealed and reared up on her hind legs. The abrupt stop caused her hooves to slip on the wet ground, now glazed with water and liquid mud. She skidded around for what seemed like an eternity, trying to regain control of her stability. Link gasped as he felt Epona’s efforts were in vein, and what remained of her balance slide from under them. Epona was flung over backwards and came crashing down to the floor, taking Link down and straight underneath her. Link felt himself hit the floor with incredible force, and watched unable to stop as Epona tumbled on top of  him, and everything went black.

He awoke to find himself staring up at the turbulent, black sky. How long had he been there? It was impossible to tell. His head was pounding so badly, he could hardly remember his name. He lay there, unable to move. Many minutes passed before he finally managed to drag himself to his feet. Pain shot through his foot, up is leg and into his knee. He was aching all over. There was no sign of Epona anywhere. Slowly, Link began to trudge through the bog which Hyrule field had become.

Every step was agony. With each step he took, waves of pain pulsed through his body. He was completely drenched and frozen through to his bones. Gradually, he moved on, heading in whichever direction his instincts took him (which were rather useless, as he couldn’t remember a thing.) Link stopped. He listened. Nothing. He continued a little further, then stopped again. This time he heard something. The faint sound of a distant horse entered his ears. He listened again. It was quite distinct now. Could it be Epona? No, it sounds too heavy for Epona. Then who was it? The sound became clearer and closer. It almost sounded like it was approaching Link, from behind. Slowly, he turned his head, then his shoulders and then round completely.  Gradually the horse came into vision, the sound of hoof beats ever increasing. First a movement, then a silhouette, and then a figure. Link froze. His heart missed a beat. He recognised the rider immediately. It was Ganondorf. Riding straight at him.

Link stood his ground, refusing to let the Evil King see he was already hurt. A look of determination merged over him. Ganondorf kept coming, his eyes still fiery orange, glowing in the dark sky, the evil smile still across his face. Link stared at Ganondorf. Ganondorf stared at Link, who reached for his sword. Ganondorf, still driving his horse on, summoned a ball of pure dark energy, at least three times the size of those when he previously fought Link, all those years beforehand, and hurled it at Link. He tried to deflect it, but the energy was so great it knocked the sword right out of his aching hand and sent Link flying backwards onto the floor. The sound Ganondorf’s laughter (which Link was only too familiar with) echoed throughout the land. Link lay there,  struggling to breath. The blow had knocked the air right out of him. Ganondorf rode up to him and picked the boy up by the back of his collar.

“So” he sneered “We meet again, Hero of Time.”

At that moment, out of what seemed like nowhere, a light arrow shot silently through the air and penetrated straight into Ganondorf, knocking him (and Link) clean off his horse. They both lay on the grass, Ganondorf stunned, Link barely able to keep conscious. Before Ganondorf had chance to get up, Link felt a firm pair of hands pull him away.

Link awoke to find himself in his house. He heard a voice across the room.

“Ah, he’s awake” It was a girl who spoke, and the voice sounded kind and gentle, and very familiar. He looked round and saw Saria standing by his bed. She sat beside him and spoke gently. “How are you feeling?”

He pulled himself into an upright position. His joints were all stiff and painful and his head still throbbing. He held his hand up to his forehead. “Er…like I’ve fallen from Epona, and then something bad happened. Kinda like I met with Ganondorf and he was mad at me and wanted to hurt me…so he did” He then looked at Saria. “Other than that I’m not to bad. Do you ever get that feeling?”

“Fortunately not.”

Impa walked across the room. “Well, I can understand why you feel like that, and I dare say Saria understands too.” 

Link then looked confused. “How did I end up here, though. I don’t understand. Its not as though Ganondorf dropped me off in here is it!”

“No, I don’t suppose he would do that for a second”

Impa walked over to the window. “I guess you could say it was her who raised the alarm” she said and pointed to Epona. “When she came galloping to Kakariko, she was clearly distressed, rearing and snorting and squealing. She seemed to be telling us something, and looked as though she insisted that someone to follow her. Noticing you weren’t with her I guessed something was wrong, or that you had fallen and were injured, so I did follow. As soon as I saw you I knew I had to act fast, so I did the first thing I could think of, which fortunately worked perfectly.”

“Er…thanks. I owe you one”

Saria’s eyes widened. “Its a good thing too, just imagine if it hadn’t, or Epona didn’t come to Impa. Just think what Ganondorf could have done. He could have, well…he could…”

Link screwed his eyes. “I think I’d rather not imagine that, thanks”

“Oh…er, sorry Link, maybe you should get some rest”

Link lay down and closed his eyes.

Everyone was resting peacefully. Saria had fallen asleep beside Links bed, and Impa sat dozing against the wall. This wasn’t to last. The peace was shattered when Zelda ran in through the door and tripped over Impa’s legs and stumbled across the room and knocked into the table. Impa jumped.

“What the?!…Oh, hi Zelda, you seem out of breath”

“OUT OF BREATH? WHAT DO YOU EXPECT!!! IVE JUST RAN FROM THE ENTERANCE TO THE FORREST! I HARDLY EVER RUN ANYWHERE!”

A small moan came from Link as he stirred, waking from his sleep. “Oh, hi Zelda” This woke Saria up too.  “Zelda! How are you, haven’t spoken in a while”

“The reason I’m so rushed is...” Zelda panted, “ The reason I’m so rushed is I have terrible news!!! Ganondorf has broken the seal to the evil realm! He…”

“…is free in this world right now, even as we speak? Yeah, I er..i noticed”

“Thank you for finishing my sentence…but….wait a minute. This means you already knew about it, and DIDN’T INFORM ME! HOW COULD YOU? WHY!? HE COULD HAVE INVADED THE CASTLE AND WE WOULDN’T HAVE EXPECTED IT..AND, GODDESSES KNOW WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED” Zelda shrieked, getting herself all tizzed up.

Saria leaned over towards Impa. “She doesn’t know, does she…”

“I don’t know what”

“Well” Impa began. “Lets just say Link had a bit of a…er…shall we say…run-in with Ganondorf yesterday and…”

“AND he didn’t even tell me!” Zelda turned to Link, who was now sat up. “ WHY WAS I NOT INFORMED?”

“Well” Link replied, looking deep in thought. “Maybe because it was raining, and I was wet and wanted to get home and dry off? or maybe because the ground was too soggy and I might have got my boots stuck in mud? Did you think of that? Didn’t think so. Or  MAYBE because I had a nasty fall from Epona and ended up having a clash with the King of Evil who inevitably remembered who I was remembered what I did and wasn’t pleased at me to say the least and he wanted revenge and I was practically killed!” (then took a very deep breath) Link got up to walk over to Zelda, but collapsed on the floor as his stiff joints refused to work and he was engulfed in pain.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realise” Zelda mumbled and looked at the floor. Link sighed

“ I know”  Zelda knelt down and handed him a bottle of red potion. “Here, take this, you’ll feel better” and helped Link drink it. It wasn’t long before Link was back on his feet.

“Please forgive me Link, I didn’t mean to shout”

Link smiled at Zelda “I suppose, if I must I must”  Zelda smiled back.

A few days passed. Link and Zelda were back at the castle, in the main hall along with the King and many guards, discussing what should be done about Ganondorf’s return.  The King spoke clearly to Link. “ Link, I’m very sorry to ask this of you, but I’m afraid you must pull the Master sword from the Pedestal of Time, and once again fight and defeat Ganondorf.’’

“Yes, Your Highness, I shall go now” Link sighed as he left the room. “Like I couldn’t see that one coming” he thought to himself, keeping quiet. Zelda followed him. “Link, wait. Come to my room. We can talk it over”

They both went and sat on the rug in Zelda’s room. “ I’m very sorry about all this Link, I really am, but I can see no alternative for us.”

“I know Zelda, I do know.” then looked to the ceiling and laughed. “Why is it always me who has to fight these huge powerful evil bad guys. I always end up getting hurt in the process!”

“It’s because you are the Hero of Time, chosen by the Master Sword. It is destiny”

“I don’t like destiny anymore”

“Yeah, it can get annoying can’t it”

“Annoying? I think it can be a bitch!”

“Yes, well. You must fight him again and defeat him for good. That’s what has to be done.”

“Oh that’s fine. But you must understand. Ganondorf is a lot more powerful than what he was. Many, many times more. And think about it. The last six years, he has spent them in the Evil Realm, I don’t suppose he had much to do there, so guess what he probably spent a whole load of that time doing? Most likely he spent most of the time training, strengthening and improving his powers, until his power was so great he could break the seal. It takes nothing but pure immense power to break a seal like that, a power no-one thought possible. But we have been proved wrong. His power and strength has defeated that of the seal and he is now free in this world. And I am telling you, he won’t be easy to defeat. Not by a long way. But still, I like a challenge”

They had been sat talking for a while when Link noticed a movement outside the window. He looked out to check, but saw nothing. As he turned back to Zelda, there was a sudden and unexpected sound which came from above them. It was a sort of cross between a rather deep growl, a shout and a roar. This was followed by an almighty crash. The whole room shook, the ceiling began to crumble, and then a large chunk of it fell away completely. Ganondorf jumped down, and crouched upon landing. Slowly, he rose and stood up at his full height, towering above Zelda and Link. He stared down at Zelda with his fiery eyes, then at Link, and then back at Zelda.  

“Er…you couldn’t have used the door…could you?” Link said as he stared back at Ganondorf.

“Nah, thought I’d be a little more dramatic. And besides, the doors here are a little on the small side” Ganondorf replied as he turned towards the door, then turned back towards Zelda and Link.  “Anyway, I didn’t come for a discussion about doors!” He then gave Zelda the most vicious of looks. “I came for revenge”

Zelda wasn’t staying for that. Not even to hear the rest of what he had to say! She was up and out of the door quicker than you could say blob! grabbing Links arm on the way. But she ran a little quicker than she thought she would, and wasn’t really looking where she was going, (more of where she had been) and ran straight into a Duku nut plant, knocking it to the floor. However, this worked to her advantage, as this took Ganondorf by surprise and left him temporarily blinded by the bright flashes of Duku nuts flying round and exploding everywhere, thus giving them time to get safely away.

Ganondorf tried to shield his eyes, but it was too late, he could not see to follow them. Zelda ran, dragging Link with her all the way to Lon Lon Ranch. And that was where they stayed, until Link was fully rested up, and decided it was time to get the Master Sword.

Link wondered into the Temple Of Time. He gazed around. Something didn’t seem quite right. It was quiet. Too quiet. He walked on, facing down, deep in thought. Suddenly he bumped into something. It was the Door of Time. But it was closed. Link couldn’t believe it. He turned to the alter, and then realised why it was so quiet. The Spiritual Stones…had gone! There was no sound of them shining, like there usually was, and the triforce wasn’t lit up. In their place was a note. Link picked it up and read it.

“So, Link. What to do now? I know what you are thinking.  You need the Master Sword in order to defeat me. I know you know.  Pity you can’t get to it….

Sincerely Yours

Ganondorf”

Link’s eye twitched. “Why, the little….ok maybe not that little BUT STILL!  I should have guessed!” He slammed the note on the alter. “That’s all we need”

A voice came from behind Link. “Trouble?”

Link jumped and quickly turned round to see who it was. Infront of him stood a girl, a little younger than Link. She was quite slim, (but not skinny or bony) with dark hair, thick, glossy and about down to her shoulders, and an out-grown fringe. Her large eyes were a deep, affectionate brown. She stood not quite as tall as Link, wearing  a fitted deep coloured tee-shirt with the outline of a dragon across the front, and long and baggy trousers. She was much more casual than other of the women and girls Link knew, always up for a laugh and a joke, and she was certainly the most laid back person he knew, with a very sarcastic attitude, but non-the-less, very caring. Although she did have her moments. (However, Link put this down to her age, after all, she was at the peak age for teenage stroppiness!!)

“ Hey, trouble?, you having trouble?” she repeated

“ Um…yes, a little”

“Oh, Like what?”

Link explained to her all the recent events to do with the situation, and then showed her the letter.

“Right, I think I followed most of that and er.. I think this is what is called a tricky situation”

Then a high-pitched voice came from behind them.

“What is? What has happened? Tell me!”

Link screwed up his face. He recognised the voice immediately. It was Ruto. “And now this is what is called an annoying situation” he murmured.  They turned around. Link forced a smile. “Hi Ruto”

“What has happened?”

“Oh, er, nothing…much” stammered Link.

“Hey, where is the Zora Sapphire? I need it. Now!”

“Um, you can have it later, but right now that won’t….”

“But I need it now. To give to my beloved boyfriend, one who KEEPS his promises!” and put her hands on her hips and gave Link an angry look.

The girl beside Link spoke up. “Hey, look here missy” She gave Ruto a sharp prod on the shoulder. “Link didn’t promise to marry you, he only needed the Spiritual Stone of Water to open the Door of Time, not because he loved you!”

Link couldn’t help laughing, as much as he tried not to. At that moment, a second Zora appeared.

“ Hey you little scallywag scum! Who do you think you are talking to my girlfriend like that? Just look at you, you don’t dress smartly enough, talk nicely enough or even stand well enough to be seen by such a beautiful Zora. Just look at you! Standing there, with your, your hands in your pockets, and, and slouching, wearing clothes three times too big for you…with a dragon on! A dangerous and vicious creature! And your trousers dragging on the floor…”

“Hey, just hang on a second here” Link interrupted. “Krystal is my friend, and has been for many years now. There was no need for you to say that.”

“Yeah, I’m Krystal. But more to the point, the hell are you?” she exclaimed in a vicious tone, giving the zora her ‘don’t ask just do it’ look.

“This is Jethro” said Ruto, her nose stuck in the air. “He’s my boyfriend, and I am going to marry him. So watch you mouth!” She turned to Link. “And where is the Zora Sapphire? I need it NOW. And what’s this note?”

Ruto snatched the note out of Link’s hand and began to read it. “WHAT! HOW COULD YOU LET THIS HAPPEN?” she shouted, but it came out as more of a screech.

“Long story, no time to explain” said Krystal, hoping this would put them off listening.

  “ TELL ME”

“We would love to stay and chat but we are going to get them back right now aren’t we, Krystal” Link gave Krystal the look, as if to say, ‘we are leaving right now’

“Well” said Jethro. “ Ruto is a sage, and is in danger of Ganondorf, therefore, as her boyfriend, I feel it is my duty to help you find them”

Link and Krystal’s faces dropped. “ It will be very dangerous, and I don’t think you should come” .

Ruto stared at Link “Jethro is going with you!”

“O.K fine, but I take no responsibility for his safety.”

They were about to leave when Jethro stopped. “I say, my darling Ruto can come to keep us all company and our spirits up”

“WHAT! Are you MAD?!” yelled Krystal, then glanced round, eagerly looking for an excuse “Do you not realise that three is company, and four is a crowd?” And with that, she and Link ran out, leaving Jethro to waddle behind them.

 They set off as quickly as they could, stopping at the ranch for some horses. They were cantering along Hyurle field, (Jethro was wobbling around all over the place)

“I don’t like these creatures…They are…to big and fast. And…when they move they wobble…and people can fall off and get hurt. They are not safe. How…how can you put me through this?”

Link stopped. “Er, where exactly are we going?” 

Krystal shrugged. “dunno, just wherever.”

“Hang on” said Malon, who had decided to come along, much to Link’s relief, as she was smart, good at solving puzzles, problems, and also had a very good memory. “Why don’t we try the colossus, after all, that’s where Ganondorf keeps his stolen goods, or at least I think he does. It was you who told me, Link!”

“Yeah, I suppose. One problem though, Ganondorf knows we will come looking, and may just be waiting for us.”

“Oh well” sighed Krystal “isn’t he lucky. He can enjoy our company.” and then looked at Jethro, who was pale with fright as the horse began picking up speed. “or, at least he can enjoy most of our company”

They had been going for what seemed like hours. They were almost across the Haunted Wasteland. They had been treated to Jethro’s rambling on about his early days, how he and Ruto had met, how they spent their time together, but mostly about how Link should be ashamed of the way he treated Ruto.  For everyone else, the same thought echoed through their heads for the five hundred and twenty-fifth time. ‘Shut up….will he ever shut up?….ever….shut up….’

They were all (except Jethro) ready to snap by the time they reached the colossus. They looked around. “Its HUUUGE” Jethro breathed in awe at the sheer size of it.

“SHHH….somebody’ll hear us if you keep talking now shut up” Link whispered sharply.

“But…”

“But nothing! Keep quiet or leave. I’m not going to let you give us away!”

They crept forward, trying to dodge as many of the levers as possible, but gave it up as a bad job and just tried to ignore them as much as they could. Malon peered round the edge of the rock they were all hiding behind. The door was heavily guarded with Gerudu ladies. The two stood by the entrance each yielded two large Gerudu swords.  Link knew what to do. Quick and skilled use of his bow and arrow soon sorted out most of the guards, except the two by the entrance. These soon noticed what was going on, and began rooting out the ‘intruders’ One was about to go and raise the alarm when Link jumped out from behind the rock and stood infront of her. Both stood in a fighter stance. The other guard rushed over, but was stopped sharply by a firm hand grabbing her shoulder and pulling her back.

“Oh. No. You. Don’t! This is a one-on-one battle. You can stay here and watch with the rest of us!” Krystal stood face to face with the guard, still holding her shoulder. The guard was too shocked to react, and gazed blankly at Krystal, then shook her head and pulled herself free. She gave Krystal an angry stare and was about to bare her swords, when Malon swiftly removed them from her hand. “And you can have these back when we have finished”

Link and the Gerudu warrior watched each other fiercely, both stood ready for action. There was a sudden movement, and the fight began. They fought in circles, never losing eye contact.  Link slashed at the guard, but her quick reflexes allowed her to block his attack. The guard jumped back and attempted to get Link. Link pulled up his shield and took no damage. Again and again they went for each other, each sustaining slight injuries. As they were circling, Link realised this would take ages, fighting this way. It would take time, which they simply didn’t have. Then it hit him! He circled round the Gerudu, but rather than watching her, he glanced at the blazing sun, then at her, then at the sun again, taking note of it’s position. He knew what to do, just getting the timing right was imperative. Each time they circled, the placing would be out, even by inches, but it was still out. Link concentrated hard. ‘Patience’ he thought. ‘Just have patience…’ He fought a little longer and then it happened! The Guard moved right into the exact spot Link needed her. Quick as a flash, Link whipped out his mirror shield and held it up to his head, pointing the mirror at the guard. The shiny surface met with the suns dazzling rays, which rebounded off the mirror and shone in the face of the gerudu. The radiant sum beams prevented her from seeing Link. Link seized his moment and darted up to her and grabbed her swords from her hands.

“Stop. You win. I am defeated.” the gerudu called out. She looked at Link, and backed away. There was a sudden flash, and she was gone. The other gerudu backed away from Krystal and Malon. There was another flash, and she too, was gone.

 Link met up with Malon and company, brushed his tunic and put away his sword.

“Well, that was pretty good, or at least I think it was pretty good” Krystal said as she wandered over to them.

“Yeah, got me warmed up Now lets get moving”

They entered the colossus. It was much different to what Link remembered it. It was quite dark inside, and the hall was quite small. The decorations on sandstone walls were mostly simple, but very effective. Symbols and scriptures were engraved in stone. Detailed rugs laid the floor. Surreal and almost twisted paintings hung on each wall, many of which Link and Malon found a little disturbing, but Krystal found very, very appealing. The main difference, however, was the actual layout of the colossus. There were many passageways, like a maze of corridors, each of which you could not see the end of, and each of which were not there when Link last visited the colossus. They stood and wondered which corridor to look down first.

“We’ll never find them in this maze” Malon whispered.

“Er…I don’t remember any of this, so I have no idea of how we are going to find our way round. I bet we’ll get lost, or keep going round in circles, or something stupid like that” Link laughed.

“Well, I say we try that one” Krystal stated, and pointed towards one of the corridors.

Malon looked a little confused. “May I ask, why that one?”

“Because its…um….pretty. Yeah. Prettier than the others. Its pretty so we will look down there. Because pretty things are nice.”

Link leaned over toward Krystal and whispered (not so quietly) “Er Krystal, it is exactly the same as all the others. It doesn’t look any different, dear.”

She then looked Link in the eye. “That. My friend. Is completely beside the point!”

Meanwhile, back at the castle.

The situation was looking grim. Ganondorf had the castle surrounded. The King, Impa and three guards were trapped, hidden in a dingy room deep within the castle walls. It was small, cold and dimly lit, with only one light which was fading. All of the soldiers were out fighting off Ganondorf’s minions and the Gerudu warriors as best they could. Luckily, Zelda had managed to escape to safety beforehand.

“Oh, why has this happened?” the King cried out in despair.

Impa tried to reassure him. “Don’t worry Sir, everything will be fine. Right now, all we need is a plan, and we’ll be out in no time.” 

“What we need is a miracle more like!”

At that moment, the door burst open. Everyone jumped back. They drew their swords. “This is it! Stay calm, and stay together, we’ll be stronger that way” Impa shouted to the guards. A large shape flew past the door. Everyone’s eyes followed as it circled, then flew straight at them. They stood their ground. The creature landed, then looked towards them with it’s glowing eyes, so bright they lit the room, despite the surrounding darkness. Everyone squinted in the bright light, then cast their eyes on the creature. They dropped their swords to their sides and breathed a sigh of relief, but still stood in shock and disbelief. Infront of them stood the great owl, whom had not been seen by any other person than Link, and was merely a mythical creature to the people of Hyrule.

“I am Kaepora Gaebora, reincarnation of an Ancient Sage, Protector of Prosperity, and Guardian of the Royal Family. I am here to help you.”

Everyone dropped and kneeled before the owl. They felt great honour to be able to see the legendary animal. The creature spread it’s huge wings and turned towards the door, then looked back at the king, Impa and the guards with its bright and glowing eyes.

“Quickly, we have little time. Jump on my back and I shall aid you to safety.”

Everyone climbed on.

“Hold tight, I warn you, I must go fast in order to get away safely. It will be a rough ride, and once airborne I shall not stop, for that will leave us as targets, which must not happen.”

And with that, the great owl took to the skies.

They flew fast and hard, dodging the many bombs and arrows flying across the sky. Impa looked down. Injured soldiers, gerudu and many strange creatures lay scattered on the ground, many calling for help that could not come. Ganondorf stood on the hill, his arms crossed, watching the madness. He did not smile. His look was deadly serious. As the owl dodged and darted overhead, Ganondorf looked up and saw Kaepora, but did not attack them. He watched them fly above, but did not make any attempt to stop them. He just watched. The expression on his face did not change. His head moved as his eyes followed them, but still he only watched, as though he had no plans to kill them, or even hurt them. His attentions turned to the castle. The soldiers were struggling to keep the gerudu out. They were out-numbered, but fought on bravely. One spotted the owl with the King on, smiled and called out “Our King is safe, our efforts are not in vein” There was a uproar from every soldier, even those who were injured badly and could barely move or breath, they still cheered. The soldiers then left their post, and the gerudu rushed in the door. Ganondorf still stood on the hillside, his look still unchanged. The guards, (all of which he had stopped paying attention to, and had steered his attention to his minions) suddenly ambushed from behind, using all of their strength to fight the Evil King. Even all their power combined was no match for Ganondorf. He broke free and flew up into the air. He looked down at the guards, who were crowded below him. He smiled and shook his head. “I pity your feeble efforts” he sneered, as his eyes began to glow, and a ball of dark energy materialised between his hands. It grew in size and strength. The sky darkened, as though the energy was absorbing surrounding light and transforming it into a fatalistic force. Impa closed her eyes, she couldn’t bare to watch. There was a tremendous crash, then a horde of dark power erupted as Ganondorf slammed the ball of festering magic into the ground. A wave of energy pulsated from the collision point, radiating far and wide, knocking all in the way to the floor, and trees to the ground. The blast created a powerful wind, which knocked Kaepora vertically backwards. One of the guards lost his grip and went tumbling towards the floor. The owl nose-dived steeply and swerved in and out of falling rubble from the blast. He flew over the falling guard and caught him in his talons like a eagle with it’s pray. With the guard safely in his grip, he flew away, carrying the King, Impa and the guards to safety.

Back at the colossus.

Link, Malon, Krystal and Jethro had been creeping around the maze of corridors for over two hours. They had been practically everywhere. (upstairs, down stairs, underground, ground floor, even on the roof!)

“Can I just say, this place looks familiar, and my feet hurt, and my fins are dry, and I am thirsty, and fed up.” Jethro complained. “I want to leave. Come on, lets go. This place is too dark and I might fall over something, then get hurt. Then you would have to carry me”

Link glanced at him. “All these places look the same, and I did say I didn’t think you should come, but you insisted, so don’t come complaining to me.”

Malon was quietly walking along when her foot hit something on the floor and she tripped over. She fell sideways, and knocked into a rug which was hanging on the wall. She grabbed it, in order to stop herself from falling. But to her surprise, she continued to fall sideways, into the rug, and kept going sideways after that, causing it to come down. She landed on the floor with a thud and murmured “oops” and then looked up. “Hey, isn’t the wall behind that supposed to stop it from doing that! I mean, its not supposed to go through the wall!

They all looked at where the rug had been. “It didn’t. Because there is no wall there at all!” exclaimed Link. “It’s a secret passage way!”

“I knew that” Malon added and laughed at the same time.

Krystal peered along it eagerly. “Well what are we waiting for! Lets explore it, there could be something nice at the end, like food! I’m starving”

They came to what seemed like the end of the corridor. They stopped and listened. “Can you hear that” Link whispered.

Malon looked round “Yeah, it sounds weird, but kind of, I don’t know how to describe it.”

“And it sounds like it’s coming from beyond that wall.”

Krystal looked disappointed and a little annoyed. “But it doesn’t sound like food!” They all laughed. She scowled at them. “Mock me I would.” and shook her fist jokingly. “Why I oughta…”  She slumped against the wall, but then stood up quickly. “It moved!” she chipped, in quite a high and surprised tone. Link stepped forward and pulled on his golden gauntlets. “Stand aside, allow me to show you how it’s done.” He threw himself at the wall, and shoved it as hard as he could. It made a sudden movement. Link tried again. It moved again. He shoved it again, and it moved quite easily. It slid along the stone floor until there was enough room for everyone to squeeze past. They stood in awe. They were stood in a large, well lit room. The carpets under their feet were lush and thick. The walls and ceiling were highly decorated with pictures, paintings, mirrors, and fine linen. They were surrounded by all kinds of riches and goods, ranging from expensive and shining jewellery, to a small pen-knife. In the centre of the room their was a table, with a fine cloth over the top.

Everyone’s eyes set on the middle of this table They all thought (and said) the same thing, at the very same time. “AT LAST”  For there, in the middle of the table, on three separate mats, were the three Spiritual Stones.

“And about time too.” Jethro suck his nose in the air. “I don’t like it here and I just want to leave.” They walked over to the table. Malon glanced round, then brought out a bomb-bag, and snatched the Spiritual Stones and bunged them inside.

They were about to leave, when Krystal heard a movement behind them.

“And where do you think you are going?”

Krystal turned her head slightly as she walked and glanced behind them. “Well, I would like to think we are going to the exit, but quite frankly, I think we’ll end up going round in circles!” and then continued on her way. She stopped, and lifted her head. Her eyes rolled from side to side, and then forward again. She turned her head slowly, and looked back. Then quickly faced forward again. She looked back, then forward, back, then forward. “Ah.” She tapped Link on the shoulder. “Um, we may just have a problem here”

“What might that be, other than finding our way out?”

“Behind us”

“What!?” Everyone stopped. Link looked round.

“HOLY SHhh…Where did he come from?!”

 Jethro stared at Link. “DON’T SAY THAT WORD INFRONT OF ME!”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Jethro, I honestly am” Link sighed sarcastically.  “BUT I REALLY COULDN’T CARE LESS! DO YOU NOT REALISE WHO THAT IS? MY LANGUAGE IS NOT MY IMMEDIATE CONCERN RIGHT NOW, OR EVER FOR THAT MATTER, BUT ESPECIALLY NOT NOW!” He looked furious. Ganondorf was stood there, looking quite amused. Jethro looked over to where Link was pointing. “Aaargh. Look out. Its Ganondorf!”

“Yes, that’s what I was getting at…”

“WELL DON’T JUST STAND THERE THEN. FIGHT HIM!”

“Jethro, I would love to, but believe me there’s no point. I have no Master Sword. I cannot defeat him without the Master Sword. Slightly injure him maybe, but nothing significant. Therefore, all that would happen is we would just get hurt.”

Whilst all this was happening, Malon slyly, or not so slyly as the case may be, hid the bomb-bag out of sight. (behind her back)

Ganondorf and Link stared at each other.  There was a long silence.  The atmosphere was tense.  The uneasy silence was broken by Jethro.

“Well then fine! You’re just too scared to fight him aren’t you! Well in that case, if you won’t I WILL”

Link, Malon, Krystal and Ganondorf all looked at Jethro.

“WHAT?!”

Ganondorf folded his arms. “This, I just have to see”

Jethro was jumping from side to side, waving his fists furiously. “Yeah, you will see. YOU WILL FEEL MY WRATH!” Jethro suddenly charged at Ganondorf, and stuck his shoulder infront of him. He threw himself into Ganondorf with all his power. However, this didn’t affect Ganondorf in any way. He didn’t even step backwards. Jethro only came to just below Ganondorf’s chest height. “Take THAT” he blurted, and then rushed at Ganondorf again, and again. Ganondorf watched, looking down at Jethro’s efforts. He raised an eyebrow. “Yes, well, that’s interesting. It really is.” His concern then turned to Link and then to Malon.  “Anyway, about those Spiritual Stones”

“What Spiritual Stones? I have no idea what you are talking about!” Malon exclaimed, looking a little nervous. “We haven’t got any of those…hehe. Don’t be ridiculous! Why would we want those?”

“Really?” Ganondorf exclaimed. “Then why is it I don’t believe you? And in that case, what are you doing here?”

“Who? Us?” Krystal questioned.

“Er, yes, you”

“Well, you see. Um. We are. Um, we are here because…um…well…we are…not actually here at all. We are back in Hyrule field. Yeah, we’re not here. We are over there. Look!” she cried as she pointed behind Ganondorf, who did not turn round. He then gave Krystal a sort of blank, but a touch annoyed look. “I am not blonde!”

Link looked offended. “HEY WATCH IT”

Ganondorf then remembered Link’s hair colour. “oops…er, no offence”

Link folded his arms and looked angry  “Oh, non taken. But it’s a good thing Zelda’s not here. If you could see the look on her face if you said that infront of her…Personally I’d rather not!”

Ganondorf was about to speak again when he was stopped by Jethro’s raving. “COME ON THEN! WILL YOU NOT FIGHT BACK? ARE YOU SCARED?!

“I really don’t have time for this…”

“AH-HA! I KNOW WHAT IT IS! YOUR NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO FIGHT ANYMORE! I CAN SEE IT! YOU’RE WEAKENING!

Ganondorf was beginning to get annoyed. “Oh, really?”

“YES, REALLY”

Ganondorf decided he’d had enough. He raised his hand, and picked Jethro up using psychic powers. Jethro’s feet left the floor. He was suspended in the air, kicking and waving his arms around wildly. Ganondorf stared calmly at him and spoke quietly, but harshly “Well, how’s this for starters?” With that he made small circles with his hand, not taking his eyes off the zora. His palm constantly facing Jethro. Jethro began to move round in circles, gaining speed. His fins began to wave behind him, and his cheeks began to ripple. Still Ganondorf circled his hands, and still Jethro was tossed and turned around. Seconds passed, Jethro constantly gaining speed. Ganondorf then pulled his hand right back, behind his shoulders. Jethro was pulled back towards Ganondorf, and hung dangling in the air for a split second. Ganondorf then roared as his hand then shot forward, so far and fast he had to step forward to prevent himself from overbalancing. Jethro launched skyward as Ganondorf hurled him at breakneck speed across the room, and slammed him into the wall at the back. There was a sound of bricks cracking and bones snapping as Jethro collided into the stone. Ganondorf kept him there, pushing him into the wall, and then slowly dropped his hand to his side. Jethro then crashed to the floor, and hit the ground with a thud. He bounced from the hard floor, then came to rest on the floor between Link and Ganondorf. Jethro lay there. The blow had taken every scrap of life out of him. He was dead. Ganondorf smirked. “And that’s just a taste of my powers”

Link, Malon and Krystal looked at Jethro’s body in shock.

Malon gasped in disbelief. “Whoa!”

Krystal shook her head. “Well he did have it coming, I mean, picking a fight with Ganondorf. Its like staring death in the face. Or for him it was anyway.” She then looked at Ganondorf. “He was annoying me anyway”

Ganondorf just laughed.

Link and Malon looked at her, shocked by what she said (even though they felt the same way) “Krystal! That’s not very nice”

“What? I’m just looking on the bright side”

“Ok point taken”

Malon looked worryingly at Link. “What are we to do now?”

“Oh. I’m thinking, I’m thinking!”

“May I make a suggestion?” Krystal asked. “May I suggest we run?”

“That’s good enough for me!” Malon called out and began to turn.

Link then followed. “Behind you all the way!”

After finally managing to find their way out, Link, Malon and Krystal returned to the castle. They stood and gazed at what they saw. The sky was dark. They looked upon the burnt out wasteland. In the centre of the wasteland, there were many Gerudu women instructing all kinds of strange and weird creatures, many of which were Stalfos. The Stalfos were hauling stones and bricks, building them up where the castle once stood. They had already managed to build a fair way up. The size of the building was huge.  They overheard a guard saying how much easier it would be to build if Ganondorf was there to use his magic.

Malon shook her head. “What…oh my goodness.”

Link looked shocked, and then worried. “Ganondorf must have attacked the castle, and taken it back as his own. What has happened to the guards and soldiers? What about Zelda and the King?”

There was a faint cough behind them. They turned round, to find a fatally injured soldier lay there on the ground. “The King…was….taken away…” The soldier struggled to breathe.  Everyone rushed over to him. Link knelt beside him. “By whom?”

“A huge….a great owl….and Impa…was with them” He coughed again. “They flew to safety…towards the field…That’s...the…last I…saw of them…” His eyes then closed and his hand then dropped to the floor. Link picked it up “And what of Zelda. Where is she?” then lowered it to the floor again and looked down. “He’s dead. Let’s go. We have nothing more to do here. For now.”

A few days later

Ganondorf was walking up Death Mountain. He was around half way up, when he saw something rolling down the hillside. It looked like a rock. As it neared, Ganondorf realised it was a Goron. He smiled. He liked the gorons, and thought they were funny little creatures. He had been furious when he found out his followers had imprisoned them, let alone threaten to feed the to a dragon! Especially without his permission, which he would have not given even when asked. Ganondorf gazed up the mountain. As he was watching the cloud at the peak, something banged into him pretty hard. He wasn’t expecting it and was knocked backwards. He got up and looked at what had happened. He saw a rather stunned Goron a few feet away from him. “Sorry sir, I wasn’t watching where I was going.” The Goron then looked across at Ganondorf. The poor thing was terrified! He curled into a ball and rolled away as fast as he could, back towards Goron Village. Ganondorf watched and smiled. His smile soon faded. He looked a little upset. He stopped and sat against the cliff-face. He put his head back and looked at the sky. He was saddened, as he knew he was feared by the Gorons. The thing that hurt and annoyed him most, was the fact that he was hated for something he didn’t even do.

He had been sat for quite a while, gazing at the sky, thinking, wondering about how things had turned out, and how things may turn out in the future. He was distracted from his thoughts by a deep rumbling coming from further up the mountain. He got to his feet and boldly strolled forward, further along the mountain trail. The rumbling grew louder. He stopped. It was coming down the mountain! The noise continued to increase, until a pack of Gorons suddenly wheeled round the corner, and came rushing down the mountain, followed by Medi-Goron, and then Big-Goron! Ganondorf instantly jumped high up into the air, and landed on a ledge part way up the cliff. He peered over and watched as the heard of about thirty Gorons, then Medi-Goron, then Big-Goron thundered down the mountain below him, right where he had been sat. He knew they had been aiming for him. This really dampened his feelings. He wished they didn’t hate him so. After all, they were friendly, happy creatures. A little clumsy, but always meant good. To everyone but him. And all for something he had not done. He continued to watch them as they rushed past and down and straight into Kakariko Village, where three of the buildings completely collapsed. Ganondorf couldn’t help laughing as the buildings crumbled and fell upon impact of the Goron herd. He turned and continued up the mountain.

Zelda, Link and Malon entered the Temple Of Time. They walked over to the alter. Link brought out the three Spiritual Stones and put them in place. He whipped out the Ocarina Of Time and played Song of Time. Once again, the Spiritual Stones placed themselves in the correct position on the alter. The Triforce shape above the door lit up. Everyone held their breath. The song of time echoed through the temple. Slowly the door began to open. Zelda and Malon both gasped. Link drew his sword. He could see the Master Sword. The one thing stood between Link and the Master Sword. Was Dark Link.

Zelda and Malon stepped back. Link and Dark Link stepped towards each other, both ready for battle. Dark Link mirrored Link’s every move. Link slashed with his sword, Dark Link copied. Their swords clashed and rebounded from each other. Link knew his enemy’s weakness. It was simple. All he had to do was use a weapon which Dark Link did not possess. His Megaton Hammer. One by one, Link took each Dark Link down as they came. He took little damage, although he didn’t remember their being quite so many. (He stopped counting after he reached thirty five.) Finally, Link knocked down his dark side, which let out an almighty scream as it disappeared into the ground. At that moment, Krystal ran in through the entrance. Link turned and waved. Krystal smiled and waved back. Link returned to looking for the Master Sword. He walked forward to the Door of Time. He stopped. “Oh, things just keep getting better!” he said sarcastically, as a whole line of iron knuckles marched toward him. Link clutched his shield. The first iron knuckle stepped forward. Link stood firm. The knuckle swung at Link with his axe. Link back-flipped out of the way and dodged it by inches. He then lunged forward with his sword and sliced into the iron knuckle. This inflicted a fair amount of damage, but unfortunately caused his sword to become lodged in the armour. “Oh crap” Link thought, and tried to pull it free. He just managed to yank it free when the iron knuckle swung his axe again, this time enforcing a deep wound in Link’s side. He cried out as he was tossed backwards. He jumped back onto his feet. Krystal threw something at him. “Link, catch!” A bag of duku nuts landed by his feet. Link scooped them up and jumped sideways to avoid the iron knuckle’s next attack. Once again, Link lunged forward with his sword. This time it cracked the iron knuckle right across the head, and caused him to lose some of his armour. Link pulled his sword back, pulling off half the helmet with it! He waved his sword around vigorously in order to shake it off. The helmet flew off his blade and straight into the iron knuckle, stunning it. He then leapt forward, sword infront of him and sliced into the knuckle, defeating it completely. As it disappeared in smoke, the next one stepped forward. Link used the same strategy as before, using duku nuts to stun his enemy should his sword lodge itself in it’s armour. This one was not so difficult to defeat, as Link knew exactly what to do. One by one they fell. He eventually defeated them all, except the last two. He was getting tired. The two iron knuckles then charged at Link, together, pointing their weapons ahead of them. Link tried to dodge sideways, but his side pained him too much. He held his shield infront of him, and took up brace position. He closed his eyes. He was jerked backwards as the ends of both iron knuckle’s axes collided with his shield. He pushed back, but his shoes just slid along the polished floor. The combined strength of both of his rivals was more than that of his own. He slammed into the wall and was winded. The iron knuckles stopped crushing him against the wall, and moved to either side of him. Link stood there, trying to regain his breath. To his shock, the iron knuckles began to charge again, this time quite quickly, one on either side of him. Closer…closer… At the last moment, Link rolled forward out of the way. The iron knuckles then collided into each other head on, completely destroying each other!

Everyone ran over to Link. Krystal’s eyes were wide with excitement “Spectacular…” she breathed, looking miles away.

“Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, I did. It was quite…exciting!”

Zelda held Link’s hand and looked at his side, and his shoulder. Blood oozed out of the wounds, staining his green tunic. “Are you ok?”

“Yeah, it’s nothing.” Link replied, also looking at his side, even though it was stinging like mad. He walked up to the Master Sword. Floods of memories washed through his head, everything from when he first met Navi, then Zelda, Ganondorf, the Sages. It all came back to him. He reached forward. His hands clasped the handle of the sacred blade. He took a deep breath, and pulled it from the Pedestal of Time.

The blue haze surrounded Link, and he was transported to the Chamber of Sages. He immediately saw Rarau, and then noticed he was surrounded by the other Sages. Rarau began to talk to Link, not noticing his injuries. The other sages did, but said nothing. Link tried to listen to what Rarau was saying, but all he could think about was the pain in his right side and left shoulder. He managed to pick up something about Ganondorf breaking the seal, how the world was in danger, and that the only way to rid the world of this man would be to destroy him once and for all. Other than that, he could not make it out. His hurtful injuries barred his thoughts from anything. Eventually, he felt himself beamed back to the Temple Of Time, where Zelda, Malon and Krystal were waiting for him. He put the Master Sword in his Sheath, and then looked at his friends. He took a few steps forward, and collapsed.

A short while passed. Link opened his eyes. He was still in the Temple Of Time. Malon knelt beside him, and handed him some Lon Lon Milk. He drank it gladly. Zelda was also knelt by him. She looked worried. Link smiled at her. “Don’t worry, I’m ok.”

“No, you are hurt.”

“I’ll be fine. Promise.” He held up his hand and Zelda took hold of it. “I promise.” A few minutes later, Krystal ran in the entrance (again) “I GOT IT” she shouted and held up a bottle. “Took ages, but I finally managed to catch one!” Inside the bottle was a fairy. She brought it over to Link. “So much for being nothing.” she murmured cheerfully. Here, have this.” She opened the bottle and the fairy flew out. It began to circle her! “HEY, I’M NOT THE ONE DIEING HERE!” she blurted and caught it in the bottle again. She looked at the fairy. “S’cuse me miss, that” (she pointed at Link) “is the person you are here for. I’m perfectly fine, ok?” She let it out again. This time it circled Link, reviving his energy. It wasn’t long before he was back on his feet.

Malon looked at his shield. “Looks like you need a trip to Kakariko”

“Why is that?”

“You only have half your shield.”

“Maybe tomorrow, I’m so tired. All I wanna do is sleep”

Link awoke early the following afternoon. It was raining outside. It was a cold and miserable day. Link looked out of the window and shivered. The wind picked up and changed direction. Large raindrops began blowing through the open window, and in Link’s face. He closed the window quickly and wiped his wet face with a cloth. He looked out again. He yawned and stretched. Deciding he couldn’t be bothered to leave the house and get all cold and wet, he went back to bed, and stayed there.

At the same time, Ganondorf was sleeping in his castle. He too was very tired. (Building a whole castle the day after you return from the desert, having partied most of the night with old friends does tend to make one a little sleepy.) A gerudu lady crept into the room and spoke quietly. “Excuse me, Sir, are you going to get up?”

Ganondorf made no response. She walked over to his bed and shook his shoulder gently, then backed away, as she was well aware Ganondorf didn’t always take kindly to being woken in the morning. He half opened an eye, but didn’t attempt to get up, only turned over and faced the other way. He closed his eye. The gerudu spoke again, a little louder this time. “It’s getting late. It’s past morning. It’s early afternoon. Are you going to get up?”

Ganondorf breathed a deep breath. He stretched, and then pulled his cover up to his face. “nnnnope!”

“Why not, it’s past twelve o’ clock, and high time you got up” the gerudu lady told him, sounding a little displeased.

Ganondorf didn’t turn to look at her, and just grunted.

She didn’t take her eyes off him. “Well?”

“Because, I’m tired. And it’s cold. And if I get up, I’ll get cold. And I don’t want to get cold!” He yawned. “And besides, I don’t feel like getting up!”

The lady put her hands on her hips and gave Ganondorf a dull look.

“And supposing Link and company come and attack the castle, and you’re still in bed! How would you feel then?”

“One word. Pissed off.”

“That’s two words” the lady said and smiled. Ganondorf just grunted again and mumbled something like “Don’t care”

The following day was much brighter, and Link was much less tired. He headed out the woods and called Epona. She came galloping up to see him. Link rode over to the ranch, where he found Malon and Krystal training their riding skills. Krystal had been put on a new horse, and it wasn’t behaving too well. She cantered into the small jump. The horse gathered itself, pricked it’s ears. Then stopped dead, spun round and bucked viciously, throwing it’s hind legs high in the air. Krystal, being a competent rider got her stick and gave it a whack across the rump. She turned it round and tried again. It stopped and bucked again, and again. She began to lose her patience with the horse.

“GET ON YOU STUBBORN ANIMAL, you already jumped it THREE TIMES! You even jumped the one TWICE the height of this!” The horse then stopped bucking and stood still. She sat calmly on it’s back. “Look, I know you can jump it, so don’t pretend you can’t. I know what you’re doing. You’re testing my riding skills because I haven’t ridden you very much. Well let me tell you something. YOU PICKED THE WRONG RIDER TO START AN ARGUMENT WITH! NOW GET ON!” She gave it a kick in the ribs and turned it toward the fence again. This time, she got her crop out again and smacked it five strides before the jump, then again, and again, again, and on the final stride she gave it a very hard kick and a very hard smack. This time, the horse launched into the air and flew the jump. Upon landing, Krystal leaned forward and gave it a huge pat. She jumped it a few more times, then came to a stand still.

Link clapped. “You really should ride Epona sometime, and try and get her to step in water.”

“Oh, hi Link. Didn’t see you there.”

“Hi, I was on my way to buy a new shield. Wandered if you wanted to come?”

Malon agreed to come. Krystal, on the other hand didn’t. “Do you mind if I don’t come? After riding this, I’m nackered!” she pointed to the horse’s neck. “It’s just so stubborn!”

Link and Malon rode to Kakariko.

“Haven’t seen that black horse before. What’s it’s name?”

“That’s Labrynth.  He’s a stallion, and not very well behaved.”

“Yes, I noticed”

 “He’s still growing too. He’s going to be huge”

“I like his fluffy feet.”

“Yes, its the type of breed he is. I think they make him look gorgeous! That breed is known for being a handful to ride, especially since they are so bulky and strong.”

They arrived at Kakariko. It was full of gorons. Link came to the Bazaar. All he found was a pile of rubble. “What the hell?” A Goron came up to them. It was Link, the Goron, named after Link when he destroyed the dodongos. He looked sheepishly at Link. “…Hi”

“What happened here?”

“Well, you see I was heading down to the village the other day when WHAM! I rolled into somebody and knocked them over When I looked up, it was Ganondorf!! I was a bit scared so I rolled back up the mountain I told all the Gorons what happened and we all decided to ambush him to try and stop him coming any further, after what his followers did! but the thing is we missed and kinda crashed into Kakariko.” He spoke so fast he didn’t even pause for breath!

“Oh well, try not to worry” Malon said to him.

Link looked over the rubble, trying not to laugh. “Now where am I going to get a new shield?”

“Just over there” the Goron told him, and pointed to the place near the chicken pen. There was the Bazaar owner. Selling goods from a market stall!

“Oh, well that is convenient.” Link and Malon went up to the stall. “Business as still usual then?” Link smiled at the owner, who he was friends with. After all, Link often needed new equipment, but not often a shield.

“Of corse! Just coz I ’ave no buildin don’t mean I ’ave no business! Whoo needs a brick buildin to sell good in? Not me! Now Link, wot can a get ya?

“Hyrulian Shield please”

“Right here, that’ll be forty rupees please.”

“Its priced at eighty though. Shouldn’t I give you…

“Yu is a good customer, so I is givin yu a bonus price since yu ’ave been so good to me ova the yurs”

“Oh, right. Thanks”

Malon and Link were slowly walking through the village. Malon looked up the mountain. “What was Ganondorf doing up Death Mountain anyway?” She then looked horrified. “Oh Link, you don’t suppose he has revived Volvagia do you?”

At that moment, a shadow loomed across the ground. Everyone looked up. Sure enough, they saw the ancient dragon fly over the village, blocking the suns light and casting a shadow over everybody. Link sighed. “I believe he may have” The dragon circled the village a few times, and yes, Link saw Ganondorf riding on her back, looking down at everyone. He spotted Link, who rubbed his face with his hands. “Could things get worse? I don’t think so!” he moaned. Suddenly the ground began to tremor violently. Everyone gasped, some fell down. Link looked up at Ganondorf, who was no longer looking at them, but at the volcano. Link half closed his eyes, and looked dull, put his hand to his head. “Ok, so maybe things got worse. Just.. shut up!” Link looked over at Death Mountain’s peak. The cloud was a blood red and glowing brightly. The summit was shaking vigorously.  Someone yelled out. “Look out it’s gonna blow EVERYONE TAKE COVER!”

Malon gazed up the mountain. “THERES A TRAPPED GORON UP THERE!”  she buried her head in her hands. Ganondorf scanned the mountainside. He saw the small, helpless goron stood trembling, trapped by a fallen rock. Link also searched for it. He saw it. There was a sudden noise that came from Ganondorf, sort of like a “YAH!” Link looked up at Ganondorf, but was surprised as he was nowhere to be seen.

Link wished he knew what was happening, but couldn’t see a thing through the thick cloud of ash. He was forced inside to keep clear of the falling rubble. He could see nothing more than deep grey dust. He pressed his head against the glass, but could still see nothing. Malon stood behind him “I hope the Goron is ok”

“Yes, so do I. Did you see where Ganondorf went? He just disappeared.”

“I don’t know. Probably back to his castle. That dragon can fly fast. He’s probably there by now”  Malon answered. Link agreed, and then tried to see out the window again, but still he saw nothing.

Ash, dust and fragments of rock blew everywhere. Ganondorf held his arm infront of his head, trying to shield his eyes. He could hardly see anything through the black cloud. Volvagia flew on upwards. Ganondorf searched for the Goron. He could just make it out. Volvagia gained height, until she was level with the goron. She tried to fly forward, but the hurricane force wind was blowing against her, making it a slow process. There was a tremendous eruption from the peak of the volcano as a cloud of hot ash and rock burst out the top. This caused a horrendous gust of wind which blasted from the mountain, showering it with rocks and rubble. A huge lump of granite was tossed from the ground and straight  into Volvagia. This knocked her down, backwards and upside down, rolling in mid-air, tossing and turning. Ganondorf smacked into her scaly spine, and was then thrown from her back and tumbled to the ground. He hit the floor with an immense crash and was knocked out upon impact. His limp body tumbled down the mountain amidst the river of collapsing fragments, pummelling him from all sides, until he could fall no further from the volcano.     

He awoke to see nothing but a cloud of dust and ash swirling at high speed round the mountain. Rocks had stopped falling, but a violent storm raged across the sky. He lay dazed on the floor. His head was throbbing. His left shoulder hurt very badly, and his whole body ached. He could barely move. Slowly, he managed to lift his right arm and ran his hand over his left. He flinched and held his hand infront of his face. It was covered in blood. There was a hefty wound down his left arm where he had landed on the rough, rigid rock and severed the skin. It was deep. He lowered his hand and rested it on the right side of his stomach and ribs. Pain shot through his body. He jerked and pulled it away, clenching his teeth. There too was a large, deep cut, where he was hit with a tumbling lump of granite, inflicting a severe gash in his side. He placed his hand on the floor beside him and groaned. Heaving for breath, he closed his eyes.

The storm continued to rave around the mountain. Ganondorf had been there for some time, still in agony and unable to move. He felt a warm breeze blow over him. He opened his eyes, then smiled. Volvagia was stood over him, looking down at him with her glowing eyes. They were no longer fiery or angry, but soft and caring. She lowered her head towards him. Ganondorf reached up with his hand and stroked the end of her face. The dragon pushed her nose into his hand and nuzzled up to him. She rubbed her nose against his hand and closed her eyes, then snorted and shook her head back a little and looked at him with her big orange eyes. Ganondorf smiled, but then screwed up his face. His hand dropped and he groaned as the pain rushed back to him. Volvagia looked upset, and stepped to the side of him. She lowered her head and neck to the ground beside Ganondorf. After a while, he reached up and clutched her scales with the one hand he could move. Somehow, he managed to drag himself up and onto the dragon’s shoulders, ignoring the agonising pain beating through him. He rested his head on her neck and closed his eyes. Volvagia took to the skies, soared high above the storm and carefully flew back to the castle.

Volvagia flew straight in through the entrance, along the corridor and into the main hall. She stopped in the centre of the room and lowered to the floor. She let out an almighty roar. A group of Gerudu women rushed in to see what all the noise was about. Seeing Ganondorf injured on her back, they rushed over to help. They held their arms up and supported his weight as he dropped down. As he landed, pain shot up his aching body. The burning hurting in his legs caused them to buckle, and he fell to his knees. The Gerudu prevented him from collapsing completely, and sat him back, leaning him against Volvagia. One of them removed her scarf and wrapped it round his arm to help stop the bleeding. “What the hell happened to you?” she asked, her eyes wide with worry. Ganondorf tried to talk, but no sound came. He drew air into his lungs, but still found breathing hard. “Go and get the doctor at once” the same lady ordered. Two others ran out the door, calling for the doctor as they went. Ganondorf gazed forward, hardly hearing or noticing all that was going on around him. Slowly his sight blurred and hearing faded as he slipped away from consciousness.

He awoke in a room. He looked round. It wasn’t the room he usually slept in. But then, that was nearer the top of the castle as far as he could remember so carrying him up their would not have been possible, given his condition. There was a group of five ladies in the corner of the room. He lifted his arm to rub his face, but found he couldn’t bend it. He checked why, and then saw a cast across his left elbow, and a large bandage around his bicep. He checked his right arm. Everything seemed fine, until he noticed a bandage round his wrist. “Oh, great” he thought. Seeing that he was finally awake, the group of ladies approached his bed. He saw the doctor stand next to him. She looked concerned. “How are you feeling?”

“Oh…er…just great,” (sarcasm)

“Hmmmm, that’s hard to believe.”

“Wonder why?”

“Well, considering you have a broken elbow, cracked ribs, two very serious wounds, one on your shoulder and one on your side/stomach, sprained wrist and a broken shin bone, as well as many smaller cuts and bruises and very severe concussion after that knock to your head.”

Ganondorf began to cough, but managed to speak. “I know, it hurts like hell”   

“Where does it hurt?”

“Basically everywhere….” he coughed

“Well, I wont lie to you. It is going to hurt. It is serious. Nature is not a force to be messed with, even with the triforce of power! It is going to take time to heal. However, the best thing you can do now is rest.”

Everybody left, except on lady who was ordered to stay and observe his condition. Ganondorf closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep.

Some time later

Link hadn’t seen Ganondorf for a while after that. Over a month passed, and he still saw nothing of him, which puzzled Link, because he had no knowledge of what happened up the mountain. He kept wondering where he had disappeared to after seeing him fly over Kakariko. Link had been practising his sword skills a lot recently, and decided he would have a day off, and not train. He was sat on Epona, who stood watching over Lake Hylia. Everything was calm. The calmness relaxed Link, who was enjoying watching the sun reflecting from the water, and the cool breeze. The tranquillity was shattered by a horse, which flew over the fence and came thundering towards the lake. Link looked round sharply. He saw a black horse whiz past them. Epona found the galloping horse very exciting, jolted forward, and began prancing and flicking up her hooves. Link held tight, and watched the other horse rush around in large circles. He laughed as he saw Krystal leaning right back in Labrynth’s saddle and holding the reins tightly, looking quite shocked. Epona began spinning on the spot and tossing her head around. Link held her back.

“Hey Krystal steady on!! Epona’s getting all wound up!”

Krystal looked straight ahead, where she was going, and then glanced at Link, then back where the horse was heading. “What? Me? and him? Steady!?” She then gritted her teeth and smiled awkwardly at Link. “Believe me, if I could slow down, I would, but he’s been going this speed for ages, and as it seems, I can’t stop!!!” The stallion continued to stride round in circles, ignoring his rider’s aids. Eventually, Krystal shortened the reins very tight, learned even further back in the saddle, took a deep breath, and pulled with all her might to one side, then the other, causing the horses head to zigzag from side to side. This slowed him down, and he eventually came to a halt when he plunged into the lake, and could go no further, as it would be too deep. Slowly, he turned  around and walked calmly out the water, Krystal keeping herself relaxed as to not startle him and set him off again. Link walked over on Epona. “What got his tail?”

“I don’t know, he hadn’t been ridden yesterday, or the day before, so he’s been wound up all day. He was dashing round the ranch before I arrived. I was out in the field on him when we disturbed a flock of birds, sending them fluttering off into the air. I guess all the movement and flapping about startled Labrynth ’cause he spun round and was off like a shot! Thing is, what he needs is a good tiring, but I can’t ride him every day, and no-one else dares ride him because he’s so full of himself. He’s not an evil horse, and doesn’t purposely scare his riders, he’s just a little energetic and high spirited! Ok, so he’s not well behaved all the time, but not many horses are! And besides, there’s no point in riding one without any character and spirit, it’s not half as fun!”

“Well, I may ride him sometime, but I wouldn’t want to offend Epona”

“Doesn’t help that he’s so strong, and to him, I’m as light as a feather!” She patted his neck “But I still love him, and enjoy the rides”

The two of them dismounted and let the horses graze the lush grass. They looked out over the lake, and stayed there until the sun began to set. 

Just over a week later

Ganondorf was soaring across the sky on Volvagia. He had regained a lot his former strength and was almost powerful as ever. He was furious. His eyes were burning with anger. Thunder rolled through the clouds. He was in search of Zelda. Some of his minions had wandered into the forest, where Zelda had been hiding. They had chased her away from the forest, and forced her to take refuge elsewhere. Zelda had then told her father, who sent forces in the middle of the night to ambush the castle. They were taken by surprise. Many of his minions had been killed, and a lot of his followers taken prisoner and taken away, all whilst Ganondorf was still unable to fight properly, and needed them most. The soldiers seized the Gerudu from their beds, held swords to their throat and marched them away. However, this had awoken Ganondorf, who fought them off. He was incapable of defeating them all alone, but as soon as Volvagia showed up, the soldiers soon surrendered and ran. Few of his minions remained.

Ganondorf flew over the woods. Thunder surged across the clouds. He saw a crowd of people below, in the lost woods. He steered Volvagia downwards. The crowd dispersed. Only one person remained. Saria. She stared up at them.

“You’re too late. The princess left these woods hours ago.”

Ganondorf glared at her with his raging eyes. “Well you won’t mind if I check then, will you!” he bellowed. He circled the woods, hunting the princess down. All he found were a few guards huddled in a corner. However, these soon took off once the tree they were hiding behind had been reduced to dust, thanks to Ganondorf’s blast of energy. He then saw Saria watching him. “You shall not find her! She is hiding, and you are seeking, but she is hidden well, and you will not think where she is” she giggled. “It’s just like hide ‘n’ seek!”

Ganondorf was not amused. He stooped down and lifted Saria to face him. “Look kid” he sneered. “I am in no mood for your stupid games. If she is hidden, then I shall hunt her out! I am a predator. And she is prey.”

Saria was terrified, but tried not to show it. “Well, you won’t get her. She is hidden well, and if you come close, someone will see you. She will be warned of your presence by the triforce on her hand. It will glow. And she will move away.”

Ganondorf gave her a vicious look. “Well, since you like these chase games and hide ‘n’ seek, you can play along!” He placed her infront of him, and then once again, soared above the land. He was flying low, scanning the ground, when the triforce symbol on his hand began to glow. “She is near” he hissed. Suddenly, Kaepora rose up into the dark sky, carrying Zelda on his back. “She may be hidden well, but not well enough. She can run, but she cannot hide!” he yelled, and with that he veered Volvagia to the side and followed the owl.

Kaepora flew as fast as he could. Volvagia was in hot pursuit. Zelda held on for dear life. She looked back. Ganondorf’s eyes were fixed on her. They were blazing with fury. She gasped in horror as she saw Saria sat infront of him, looking terrified and clinging onto the dragon as hard as she could. The speed which they were flying at was incredible. Volvagia raised her head and opened her mouth. A blast of flames shot through the air towards them. Zelda screamed as she saw the inferno race in her direction. Kaepora veered to the side, and the attack missed, but only just. Volvagia tried again and again. Each time the owl dodged sideways, and her fire missed them by mere inches. Zelda buried her head into Kaepora’s feathers and prayed to the Goddesses. Saria closed her eyes. Tears ran down her cheeks. Ganondorf muttered something under his breath. Saria looked at him. He was concentrating on Kaepora. She turned and looked. A purplish mist began to surround the owl. Ganondorf was using his magic to slow them down! Kaepora struggled forward. Volvagia flew over them. She was so close, Zelda could feel the heat generated by her breath. Ganondorf held up his hand. Zelda felt herself lifted from the owl and up to Ganondorf. His eyes narrowed and he smiled an evil smile. “You’re coming with me”  His evil laughter echoed across the land as he flew off into the distance. Kaepora crashed to the floor.

Link was on his way to meet Malon and Krystal when he saw Kaepora slumped on the floor. He ran over to him. The owl looked up.

“What on earth happened to you?” Link asked, his voice full of worry.

“Ganondorf…used his evil magic upon me as I flew the princess to safety. I tried to fight it off, but it was no use…He, has taken the princess”

A look of horror washed over Link’s face. “Oh no. You stay right here. I’ll go and get help. I’ll be right back. You’re going to be fine.” He rushed off to Kakariko, where he raised the alarm. He and a group of people returned to the owl. Among the group were Malon and Krystal, as well as Darunia, Anju and Impa. Anju stepped forward. She was an expert on bird care, and quickly started to examine the owl. Darunia stepped over to Link.

“Brother, the time has come for you to face the Evil King. Take this. It has brought me good fortune in battles. I hope it does the same for you.” He handed Link his ring. “May the Goddesses protect you. I must stay and help this ill creature.”

Impa approached Link. “I can accompany you to the castle, but then I you must go alone. Hurry, their is little time.” Link looked over to Malon and Krystal. He smiled a faint smile. “Don’t suppose you can come too?”

They set off for the castle.

They arrived early that evening. They all gazed up to the top, where Volvagia was circling. A rustle came from behind them, and three Stalfos appeared from the ground. Everyone drew their swords. “See, I told you these may come in handy!” Krystal exclaimed. Link was about to fight when Impa stepped infront of him, ready to battle the Stalfos. “We’ll take care of these. You go and find the princess and Saria. Send them down here if you can. We will take care of them from then. Go!”

Link walked up to the entrance of the castle. It looked so familiar, yet it looked so different. He took a deep breath, and was about to continue when he heard a familiar voice behind him. “Hey!”

Link turned round. He knew who it was, and was happy to see her. There was Navi, hovering a few feet behind him. “You weren’t thinking of fighting him without me were you?”

Link just smiled. “Course not, would I ever?” With that, they entered the castle together.

Inside was decorated in the same way as the colossus, with rugs, paintings, fine linen and pictures hanging from the walls and ceiling. However, it was darker and much more gothic than the colossus. Many of the paintings were of demons and dragons. There were skulls hanging on the wall, with flames coming out of them, used to light the way. Much of the linen was woven into twisted shapes, creating effects of beasts hanging, almost crawling along the ceiling.  Link walked forward. He came to a door. Cautiously, he opened it. No monsters, no gerudu, no Ganondorf. He stepped boldly forward, his senses bright and alert. He glanced round at every movement, and suddenly felt as though he was being watched. Navi flew to the ceiling. “Link! Look!” she pointed to a large block. “It has the same logo on as the Door of Time. Quickly, play the Song of Time!”

Link puled out his ocarina and played. The block vaporised, and revealed a small tunnel. After using his hook-shot to reach the high corridor, Link marched through. The room ahead was very bright. Link squinted and shielded his eyes. The light then returned to normal. Link’s eyes lit up. There was Zelda, stood in the middle of the room. Next to her was Saria. They both glanced over to Link and jumped for joy! Link ran over to them, but stopped dead as he noticed an energy barrier, almost invisible to the eye, which stood between him and the two ladies. “Link, use the light arrows to destroy the energy source of this barrier. You will see where to aim. Look for the truth. Use the Lens of Truth!”

Link did so. The targets were small, and darted round the ceiling and walls. This posed no problem, as Link was a skilled archer. It was not long before the barrier was destroyed. Zelda ran into Link’s arms.

“Zelda, has he hurt you in any way?”

“No, he said we were to wait here until he decided our fate!”

“Well, don’t wait here any longer. I’ll escort you outside. Impa is waiting for you both” He headed out, leading Zelda and Saria. He left them with Impa, and told them not to wait around, but to get out to be sure they were safe.

Once back in the castle, Link worked his way to the top. He was surprised to find very few creatures stopping him, and nothing that posed any kind of threat. This made him uneasy. He couldn’t help feeling Ganondorf was ‘inviting’ him to the top. He continued up, past one floor and up to the next, and the next. Still, only small creatures stood in his way. Link just passed them by. Each floor became more gothic and evil than the previous one. Link came to a long flight of stairs. They were well lit. The walls on either side were stained glass, with disturbing images printed into them. Link knew what would be at the top. He stood tall, took a deep breath and began to climb, Navi flying next to his shoulder, glowing much brighter than usual, illuminating Link’s face. A face filled with bravery and determination. As he continued, he saw the dark shape of Volvagia swoop silently past. He concentrated on the top of the stairs. He could hear the sound of an organ playing, coming from above. It sounded grand, but fearful. Loud, but daunting. He could see the door, strong and mighty, which he knew Ganondorf lurked behind. Link reached the top. He clenched his fists and held the ring Darunia had given to him tight. He looked toward the sky, rubbed the ring given to him by Darunia with his thumb, and entered.

The room was large, but not as large as Link imagined it to be. He cast his eyes across it. Statues shaped like huge birds of prey stood in each corner, with rubies as their eyes. They were glaring at Link. The carpet on which Link stood was a blood red. The walls were black as ebony, the polished surface shining and reflecting the light. There were large stained glass windows on both sides, taking up much of the wall space, and letting in what was left of the daylight. The lighting in the room came from the statues of dragons, flames flickering in their mouths. Link’s eyes then turned to the opposite side of the room, directly infront of him. There was a grand organ, bigger than the one Link remembered. The huge pipes towered to the ceiling. Music bellowed from every one. Sure enough, there at the front stood Ganondorf. His eyes closed, his hands almost gliding across the keys, and the music seemed to flow through his fingers. There he stood, thinking only of the music he was playing.

The door slammed closed behind Link. The noise echoed around the room. Link still stared over at Ganondorf, who seemed not to notice. However, the music soon stopped playing, and Ganondorf opened his eyes. He smiled evilly, but did not turn to Link.

“So” he sneered. “You’ve decided to come”

“Yes, I am here. And here for a purpose” Link replied harshly, the light from Navi reflecting from his courageous eyes, casting tall shadows behind him.

“As am I. What may you purpose be. My guess it is different to mine.” Ganondorf sounded quite calm.

Link stepped towards Ganondorf. “TO END THIS. RIGHT HERE. RIGHT NOW!”

Ganondorf stood tall. “Well you wasted you time”

Link looked surprised and a touch confused. “…What?”

Ganondorf turned his head and faced Link. “You heard me,” he hissed. “ Not right here. And not right now”

“Well that’s why I’m here, so that’s what I plan to do!”

“Like I said. Your waster your time.” he then turned his back on Link. “ I shall not fight within these walls, unless I am forced. Which I am not.” He turned and pointed at Link, who felt as though it hit him like a stone. “And YOU can’t force me” He then turned away from Link again.

“Is that so? Well, we’ll just see about that” Link murmured as he drew his sword.

“Yes, that is certain. For if you try, you shall simply throw you out”

At that moment one of the windows suddenly, and without warning, burst open. A high and chilled wind charged around the room. Ganondorf  looked across to the window and snarled “Literally”  There was a silence. “But. You want to fight it out? That’s fine by me. Where? I’ll tell you where. Tomorrow. Afternoon. Gerudu Valley. Be there. I shall be waiting and I expect you to turn up”

Link narrowed his eyes and whispered harshly “Oh, I’ll be there”

The following afternoon

The sky over Gerudu Valley was black, regardless it was the middle of the day. Turbulent storm clouds swirled and billowed overhead. Lightening crashed between clouds, and sometimes to the ground. Thunder surged across the violent sky. Ganondorf strode from fortress. His most loyal followers (also his good friends) followed him. Three Gerudu warriors. At the same time, Link appeared from Hyrule field, Navi by his side, followed by his close friends Malon, Zelda and Krystal. Everyone stared to the opposite side of the valley, looking deadly serious. (Even Krystal!) Link and Ganondorf stepped towards each other, agile, active and alert. Both looking ready for battle. Both staring into their opponent’s eye. They met on the bridge and bared their weapons. Link pulled the Master Sword, which glowed in the dark sky, and glinted with every flash of lightening, from it’s sheath, slashed it to the left, then to the right, then held it chest height and pulled up his shield. Ganondorf drew his sword and swung it in a circle, then held it upright infront of him and took a battle pose. Lightening cracked through the air, and an almighty clap of thunder roared above them. They lunged toward each other. The battle had begun.

They battled fast and furiously, both competent swordsmen and both fighting mercilessly. Sparks flew as their swords clashed. Zelda, Malon and Krystal jumped out of the way as Link was driven backward by Ganondorf, away from the bridge and back towards them. Once on solid ground, Link concentrated fully on his rival, rather than on both his footing and Ganondorf. Navi darted back and forth in order to distract the King of Evil. This allowed Link to think much clearer, and managed to keep Ganondorf’s sword at bay. Link’s eyes were wide with excitement. He threw down a duku seed. Ganondorf pulled his hand to his face shielding his eyes. His blade was still for a fraction of a second. Link seized his chance and lunged forward at Ganondorf. The Master Sword came into contact with Ganondorf and sliced into his right shoulder. Ganondorf yelled and threw Link off him. Link flew back and fell to the floor. As he got up, Ganondorf rushed towards him and thrust his weapon where Link lay. Link rolled sideways and the majority of the attack missed, catching his tunic and ripping a hole in the sleeve, leaving only a minor injury. He faced Ganondorf, and the battle continued.

They had been fighting for some time, each sustaining minor injuries. However, Ganondorf had got Link back, and inflicted a large wound to his lower arm. As soon as Link was down, Ganondorf seized his chance, and using magic managed to steal away one of Links bottles. (And with his many years thieving experience, managed to do so without anyone noticing) As soon as Navi came within his arms reach, he immediately captured her in the bottle, imprisoning her within the walls of glass. ‘I’ll have no more trouble from you!’ he hissed, and with that launched the bottle to the other side of the valley with Navi still inside. She was now helpless to do anything but watch as the battle went on from her glass dungeon. Both were still vigilant and ready to strike. Link had Ganondorf backing away, avoiding his frenzy of slashes with the Master Sword. Ganondorf carried no shield, and as Gerudu do, was using his sword to shield Link’s attacks. Link continued his raving sword swings, then suddenly brought out a light arrow and fired it at Ganondorf. It hit him head on and sent him stumbling backwards, but not over. However, as he stumbled, his left foot stepped off the edge of the ground. His footing was swept from under him, and in a desperate attempt to regain it, grabbed the edge of the cliff, dropping his sword in the process. It plummeted down and landed in the raging waters below. It sank immediately.

Ganondorf hung from the cliff edge. Link, being unable to see, cautiously stepped closer. Suddenly Ganondorf pushed himself up and into the sky. He twisted in the air landing behind Link, facing him.

“Now for the good bit” he sneered, as his hands began to glow. Link turned round to meet a blast of energy hit him right in the face. The blast threw him to the side. He scraped along the ground and hit the wall, so hard he left a large dent in it. He cried out. Suddenly a beam of light shot from Zelda’s direction and engulfed Link in warm, yellow light. He was lifted to his feet. The beam then concentrated on his sword. Zelda was powering up his sword! It began to glow vibrantly. Link smiled then stared at Ganondorf, who simply glared back. Zelda fell to her knees, drained of power. The Master Sword held the Power of Light within it. Link pointed the sword at Ganondorf, and a beam of light shot out and knocked him to the floor. It was his turn to fly back leave a dent in the wall! Link certainly didn’t expect that, nor did anyone apart from Zelda, who looked up. “Link, use the power carefully and properly, for it is limited, and shall not last forever” Ganondorf got to his feet, looking a little shocked, but still ready for action. Once again, Link charged at Ganondorf with his sword. Ganondorf hauled an energy ball at Link, but he deflected it away with his sword. Ganondorf leapt into the air and over Link’s head. Link stuck his sword in the air, and caught Ganondorf’s leg. The glowing sword penetrated into his skin. There was a sound of metal scraping against bone. Ganondorf roared as the sword almost burned through his skin and into his bone. He hovered above Link and yanked his leg free, giving Link a boot in the head as he did so. Link stumbled forward. As Ganondorf landed, he punched the ground with his fist. A wave of energy pulsed through the ground and knocked into Link, sending him into the corner. Ganondorf had Link cornered. He shot a beam of pure, powerful black energy straight at him. Link whipped out the mirror shield and deflected it away. The beam headed for Ganondorf, who swiftly dodged it, and it smashed into the wall, causing lumps of rock to crack and fall away into dust. Link used his Master Sword and shot a beam of light energy into Ganondorf, who jumped to dodge this, giving Link time to escape. He looked round. Ganondorf was stood, muttering a spell under his breath. There was a blinding flash. Link closed his eyes for a brief moment. When he opened them again, Ganondorf was stood opposite him, yielding his sword once more. They rushed toward each other, and once again, sparks flew as swords clashed.

They had been battling for hours. Link’s sword had about stopped glowing, and little power of light remained within it. Ganondorf’s magic attacks were weakening. They were both exhausted and ready to drop. However, they were both determined not to surrender. Each had cuts and bruises covering their bodies, some severe, others light. Ganondorf’s glowing eyes had grown dim, but still filled with determination. Link’s face was weary, but his thought were still absolute. He would not surrender. Both their arms were aching, and they limped when they walked, yet both fought on. They moved on, driving at each other. Holes scattered the ground where Ganondorf’s magic and Link’s Master Sword attacks had missed, and slammed into the floor. The fighting forced them onto the bridge, where still their swords met. There was a horrendous flash and a colossal clap of thunder. Lightening tore down through the air and crashed into the bridge, shattering it into thousands of splinters. Link and Ganondorf were too exhausted to try to get to safety, and plunged to the raving waters below. Link watched helplessly as he rushed toward the water. The storm had caused the usually gently flowing river to become a raging torrent of anger.

Link felt himself hit the water with a devastating force. The blow pushed him under. He struggled to the surface, fighting the powerful current. Where was Ganondorf? There was no sign of him. Link heard a tremendous crack, followed by a deafening noise coming from upstream. He managed to stay at the surface, spluttering and grappling with water. His face was filled with dread as he saw a massive pile of rubble, consisting of fallen trees, plants, rocks and mud come crashing down the waterfall and onwards toward him. He turned and launched himself forward, aiming downstream. He was stopped abruptly. Something was holding his leg down! Link shoved his head underwater and looked. To his horror, he found his foot was caught between some rocks, trapping him in position. He looked back at the tumbling debris. It was still rushing toward him. Link pulled with all his effort, trying in vein to free his foot. He could hardly stay above the water. His foot was stuck fast, and the rock would not budge. Link stared as the fragments of rock and trees came ever closer. He was right in their path. And he was unable to free himself. He could barely breathe, hardly able to see and was ready to give up and accept his doom, when he felt a strong pair of hands grab his shoulder and wrench him free. He was dragged along the river, his head held above the water, and along side the ledge where a gerudu lady and her cow once stood. He was pushed up onto the platform, out of danger and into safety. He rolled on his side and breathed deeply though gasping for breath. He quickly turned back over to face the water to see who had saved him. Link stared in disbelief. To his utter shock and amazement, there was Ganondorf swimming in the water just below him. Link could not believe it. It couldn’t be, yet it was! Ganondorf, his sworn enemy…had just, saved his life…

Ganondorf still struggled in the water. The battle had almost drained him of power completely, with Link yielding the sheer Power of Light, his only true weakness. The waves were pounding at him, tossing him from side to side, and pushing him back toward the middle of the lethal waters. He managed to fight his way to the edge, and almost dragged himself out of the water. At that moment, a huge wall of water raced down the valley torrents. It crashed over Ganondorf, wrenching him back into the deadly torrent. Link jumped up scanned the water. Ganondorf resurfaced and strived towards Link, who leaned over and reached out his hand. Something caught his eye. He looked round. The debris was just metres from them, racing down the river, tossing and turning with the force of the water. Link reached out further, straining his hand in a desperate attempt to reach Ganondorf. Their hands almost met, yet the rubble raced on. “COME ON, YOU CAN MAKE IT!” Link yelled as their hands almost came into contact. In a last attempt he grabbed forward, he almost had it. Closer, closer. They were inches off meeting, but it was too late. There was a sickening crunch followed by a cry in pain and despair as the rocks and trees collided with Ganondorf with unbearable force, banishing him below the waves. Link was horrified as he watched the impact upon Ganondorf, and hearing the cry from him as he was flung under. He scanned the water, ceaselessly watching for Ganondorf to re-appear. He waited for what seemed like hours, yet it was barely minutes. Nothing. There was no sign of Ganondorf. All he saw were the cruel, heartless waves of water.

It took a moment to sink in. Link gazed out over the water. He shook his head and looked to the sky. “Please no…Don’t let him have..” He suddenly forgot his wariness of battle, and felt a surge of energy drive into him. He dived in the wreathing waters. “Of all the times, it has to be now that my Zora tunic is ripped and doesn’t work!” He was tossed around in the current. No-matter how hard he tried, the waters were too strong for him to push against. He was swept downstream, jolting around the waves, over the waterfall and on into Lake Hylia.

The lake was a raving pool of anger. Huge waves of fury churned and stirred, ramming against the bank and cliffs, sending clouds of water high into the air. White horses raced over the waves, kicking and diving with rage. The water was so powerful both bridges had been completely shattered, and rocks flew off the cliff faces as walls of water crashed into them. Link was dragged along, over the next waterfall and plunged into the lake. As he was swept along, he noticed something snagged on a piece of floating wood as it was tossed about. As he neared it, he saw what it was. It was Ganondorf’s cape! He had to be close. He just had to be. Link dived under the water. He stayed under, desperately searching for his ‘enemy’. He re-surfaced briefly, took a deep breath and dived under again. He remained under for much longer. Minutes passed before his head appeared above the violent water again, this time hanging on to Ganondorf! Once again, Link raged war with the waves, battling his way to the shore. He fought on, making sure to keep both their heads above the water. After a long and laborious struggle, he eventually reached the water’s edge, and pulled them both to safety.

Link dragged Ganondorf up the slope and laid him down on the bank. He lay motionless, his eyes closed and his body limp. Link shook him gently. “Come on wake up…” Ganondorf didn’t move. Link shook him again, filled with anxiety. “Come on…please wake up…”

Still Ganondorf made no response. He lay still, making no movement, making no sign of life. Link’s head began to shake, his bottom lip quivered. “No…Oh please no” Link’s eyes filled up with sorrow. He gazed at Ganondorf’s lifeless body. A tear ran down his cheek, fell through the air and splashed on the ground beside him. Link closed his eyes, wishing he could wake up and find it was all a bad dream. He covered his eyes with is hand, not wanting to open them, for he knew all he would see was reality. Reality, out of control. Link had never felt so helpless in all his life.

Suddenly Zelda ran up to him. Noticing Link was upset she stopped and gave him an angry look. “What is the matter with you? Have you lost your mind? That’s Ganondorf, the man you were trying to kill. You should be happy. Why be upset? It’s better that he’s dead!

Link glared at Zelda “Don’t say that!” he hissed. His eyes filled with tears. “Can’t you see? Do you have no heart?”

“You are sworn enemies! Enemies hate each other! Have you completely forgotten that? You tried to kill him and failed, so it makes no difference! You hate him and he hates you!

Link stood right up next to Zelda. “Hate is a word I would never use. Toward anyone. People are different. But that doesn’t mean they hate each other. He can’t have hated you, or he would have killed you easily. He could have killed both of us easily. You haven’t seen his true powers, but I have. And I know if he used those powers in that battle, I would have stood no chance at all. He can’t have hated me or he wouldn’t have done what he did!” Link snapped, no longer able to control his anger. “Can’t you see? I would have drowned out there” pointing to the water “I really would have. All that stuff, crashed down the river and I was trapped between a rock, and I was a gonner!” Link looked again at Ganondorf, who still lay lifeless by the lake side. “But he pulled me free from that rock. And he pushed me out the way of that rubble. He pushed me out of the water. HE SAVED MY LIFE. But the water was so strong he was dragged back, into the rubble and under that water. He didn’t have to save me. He did not have to! Do You Understand That?! He. Did NOT Have To! Yet he did. Rather than only saving himself, which he could have easily done, taking victory and everything. He didn’t do that. He gave that up. Instead he helped me. He saved me. He saved my life. He saved my life at the cost of his own.” Link fell to his knees.

Zelda scowled “Well if that’s how you feel then I’m leaving.” and rushed off, leaving Link looking down to the floor. Another tear fell from his eye. He felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up. Krystal stood by him. He stood up slowly. Krystal looked into Link’s eyes, her caring eyes full of pity and sorrow. She put her arms round Link. “I know how you feel.” She looked at Links face. “I understand, Come on, be strong.” Link put his arms round her and they both sobbed on each other’s shoulders.

Suddenly Ganondorf made a small sound and spluttered water from his mouth. He moved his head to the side and lifted his arm to his chest. Krystal’s eyes widened. “He’s alive!”  Ganondorf rolled over, not opening his eyes. He could hardly breathe and was coughing vigorously. Water gushed up from his flooded lungs. Slowly, he pushed himself onto his knees. Still he coughed, barely able to take a breath. His whole body was shaking from shock and cold. He leaned forward, putting his weight his hands, still gasping for air. Link looked worried. “But he’s in a bad way, we have to help him.”  Krystal felt something hard in her pocket. It was a bottle, with a fairy in! At least if this could revive his strength… Without saying anything, she opened the lid and pointed the fairy toward Ganondorf. She closed her eyes, hoping the fairy would get the right person this time. It did! It flew towards Ganondorf, who was now struggling to remain conscious, and circled him, pouring energy back into his exhausted body. Some, (But not all, as the fairy wasn’t to suited at helping the ‘bad guy’) Some of his energy washed back into him. Ganondorf managed to empty his lungs of water, but was still gasping for breath. Still on his knees, and still leaning on his hands, he opened his eyes and looked over to Link. In-between his heaving for breaths, he managed to speak. “Thank you…For everything”

Link looked back at Ganondorf, looking him in the eye, looking calm and caring “I’m the one who should be thanking you. It was you who came to save me.

“But you” Ganondorf took another deep breath. “You could have been killed diving back in there! For that, I owe you my life."

Link shook his head. “You could have saved yourself and left me to die. But you didn’t, you saved me. If it wasn’t for you, I would be lying somewhere at the bottom of the lake now. I owed you mine, so we’re even.” He then tilted his head slightly to one side. “But, I don’t understand. Why? Why did you save me?”

“Because” Ganondorf turned his head away from Link and looked over the lake. “Because it was the right thing to do. I felt. I couldn’t just leave you there to face certain death. It would be shameful of me to do so. I couldn’t have lived with that, knowing I could have saved you.” He looked back towards Link. “Listen, kid. I may be evil, but I’m not heartless!”

Link looked to the floor. “I don’t know what to say”

Krystal gave Link a nudge and spoke quietly. “Well an actual thank you would be a start, and you can help him up too!” Link held out his hand to Ganondorf. “Truce?”

Ganondorf looked up and took his hand. “Truce” He smiled. (No, not an evil smile, a friendly one, if you can imagine it that way!) Link helped Ganondorf to his feet. They were both shivering from cold as their wet clothes clung to them. Krystal placed her hand on theirs. She smiled too. “Come on guys, lets go home” They all turned and headed for Hyrule field. Ganondorf looked at Krystal as they all walked away. “So, you’re ok with this…er.. settlement? Not annoyed about it, like Zelda will be?” 

“Well, I’m not one to hold grudges! Not that I actually had one to hold, ’cause I always have thought you were kinda cool anyway, being so different ‘n’ all. I like that. Being different is cool!”

“Oh, ok then. Speaking of Zelda, where is she. How’s she going to take this?”

“Er, she ran off somewhere. And how will she take this? Not too well I don’t suppose. Oh well, stuff her! As long as I don’t have to tell her. I think…I will be happier not knowing!”  Krystal’s eyes went wide. “oh…I think I just had a horrible image of what might happen…”

All three of them laughed. Link backed away from her. “Please, keep it to yourself!” and with that, they all left the Lake and headed home.

Just over a week later

Link was cantering across Hyrule field, heading towards the ranch. He had met with Zelda a few of days earlier, and she was not happy with him. (putting it very, very nicely!) She had been stroppy towards Link ever since. Link was surprised to find that he wasn’t actually that bothered! After all, she did come down and shout straight at his face, which was totally unnecessary. And when he was feeling down as it was. And after he had been almost killed. At least five times. She hadn’t even asked if he was ok! Still, he knew she would calm down eventually. Even if it did take weeks. He also knew it would probably take months before she even spoke to Ganondorf, but that didn’t bother Link or Ganondorf in any way whatsoever (Ganondorf was actually very pleased!) But Link also knew he would never be able to look at Zelda in the same way again, knowing how she acted on that night. Still, he shrugged it off. As far as he was concerned, him and Zelda did not have to see each other for a while. Or at least until he could be bothered to go and find her.

Link was away with is thoughts, not looking at where he was going, or what Epona was doing. If he had been, he would have noticed her ears flatten against her head and her back arch as they approached the wall, which she simply hated jumping, and would take any opportunity to avoid doing so. Suddenly, a Big Poe materialised infront of her nose, waving it’s flaming lantern all over, dancing and weaving right infront of Epona’s eyes. It threw a ball of fire towards her. Epona did not like that. She did not like that one bit! She spun round and lashed out at the Poe, which disappeared instantly. Link, snapping back from his thoughts, felt himself depart from the saddle, fly through the air then hit the ground with a thump. He lay stunned on the floor. Again, he could hear a distant horse approach, closer, closer. He looked round, still lay where he landed. The horse appeared, still racing over to him. Again, it was Ganondorf. However, this time he came not for a fight. Nor for a conflict. Nor for revenge. No. This time, he galloped to Link. He stopped. This time, it was to help him up.