Chapter 15

 

Time seemed to freeze for all of them at that moment. Link raged inwardly at his helplessness. Zelda was frozen in shock, her hands covering her mouth in horror. It was Istas who reacted first. He ran toward Ganon, then leaped in the air, trying to kick him. Ganon saw him coming, and with a swing of his arm, sent Istas flying back. Istas groaned as he struck a wall. He lay, dazed, unable to move.

"Now to finish you off," Ganon grunted, pressing the dagger to Anna's neck. He grinned as he prepared to draw it across her throat. Anna watched him through glazed eyes. Her body was limp with weariness. She could fight no longer. It's over, she thought numbly. Ganon's eyes flashed, and he pressed the dagger even further into her throat. He laughed sadistically. He was going to enjoy this...

The Dark Faerie watched from her place above the whole scene. Ganon noticed her, and without taking his attention away from the helpless girl, he grunted to her, "Dark Faerie, you may leave now. I will deal with these impudent ones on my own." The Dark Faerie glared at him. This was supposed to be her revenge too! She was too scared to fight Ganon for it, though, and simply disappeared. Ganon will fail, she thought, beginning to fade, and when he does, I will find Link, Anna, and the princess, and have my own revenge! With that, she was gone.

With all distractions out of the way,Ganon's thoughts focused on the girl again. She no longer struggled, but simply watched him as he prepared to destroy her. He grinned again as his malformed hand clutched the dagger's blade. Anna closed her eyes, knowing the end was not far off. All her hate for Ganon was numbed by her waning strength.

Link and Zelda watched all that was happening from their crystals. All they could do was watch helplessly. They knew she was giving up, waiting for the end. "Don't give up, Anna!" Link cried to encourage her, but as he said it, he felt hope leave him. Suddenly, a bright glow filled the room. Link looked down at his hand. There, on the back of his left hand, a glowing picture of the Triforce was starting to appear. One piece on the bottom glowed white. That must be the Triforce of Courage! Link thought. He saw Zelda gasp and peer down at her hand in wonder. A picture of the Triforce had formed on her hand as well.

Ganon, noticing this, dropped Anna to the ground. "It is time!" he shouted, holding up one of his own hands for all to see. The top part of the Triforce, the Triforce of Power, glowed white hot on his hand as it suddenly appeared. Then, there was a flash of white light that filled the chamber. High above them all, the Triforce itself appeared. It shimmered golden, hovering at the top of the dim chamber. "The True Force will finally be mine!" Ganon shrieked, reaching up to touch the golden object once it floated down to him.

Zelda grew livid as she watched Ganon. "This isn't right!" she shouted, feeling her anger grow stronger and stronger. Soon, it was a raging inferno inside of her. The Triforce on her hand began to glow with power. The walls of the crystal shattered suddenly, and she could feel herself fall. She saw the Triforce mark begin to fade away as she picked herself up.

"Link! Use your new power to break the crystal!" she called up to him. Placing his hands on the sides of the crystal walls, Link concentrated. The walls of his own crystal were quickly shattered. He landed on his feet next to Zelda. Ganon heard the commotion and turned. Among the pieces of shattered crystal, Link and Zelda stood triumphant. Ganon smiled wickedly at them. "Ah, so you two managed to escape from the crystals, eh? Well, you won't be alive much longer, so enjoy your freedom while you can!" He snapped his clawed fingers. His large, deadly trident appeared. Wielding it, he prepared to face them.

Istas began to move. All of the weapons and items that had been gathered were just a few feet away, including the Master Sword. He stood on weak feet, then took the heavy sword in both hands. "Link! Here!" he shouted, then threw the sword toward Link. Link caught it, then advanced on Ganon. Ganon swung his trident toward Link, who quickly moved his sword up to block it. Zelda shot a beam of power at Ganon, who yelled in pain as he was hit by it. A burn showed up on his struck shoulder.

As the battle continued, Istas went to Anna's side. Her foggy eyes were open, watching the whole battle intently. She struggled to stand. "I have to do something," she told Istas. Quickly, she grabbed up her bow and quiver. She knew that wooden arrows would have no effect on the Evil King, but she would have to try. Her head was clouded, her vision blurry. She could make out the golden shapes of the Triforce and Tetraforce. She could hear the cries of battle from her brother, the princess, and Ganon. Aiming her arrow, Anna fired at Ganon. Ganon roared in pain as the arrow struck his already burnt shoulder. He whirled on her, trident held high. "I'll take care of you this time," he snarled, advancing on her.

Link could see the fear in her eyes as Ganon moved to bring his trident down on her. She took another arrow from her quiver and prepared to fire at him. With a mighty cry of rage and a swipe of his hand, he knocked both the bow and arrow from her reach. He cackled wickedly at her, eyes aglow. She cried in fear and dodged as he brought his weapon down. The trident, missing its mark, gouged deep into the hard ground. Ganon snarled again and yanked it up out of the floor. With a scream of rage, he ran to Anna, bringing the trident down once again. Again, he missed his target.

Link and Princess Zelda were on Ganon's heels. Link leaped through the air, thrusting out with the Master Sword. This he managed to sink deep into Ganon's back. Ganon yelped in pain, twisting and turning, trying to dislodge the fiery blade lodged in his body. Link, gritting his teeth in determination, held on to the hilt, striving to dig the blade in deeper.

Anna, out of breath and sore, went to Istas. "He-he's too strong for us," she gasped to him. "Keep trying. We have to beat him for the future of Hyrule!" Istas urged, taking up the sword Link had lent him. They both ran toward their enemy, weapons ready. Link had been thrown off by Ganon, leaving the Master Sword embedded in Ganon's back. Ganon cried out as new wounds were opened by the weapons of his attackers. Reaching behind him, he dislodged the Master Sword, wet with his blood. Ganon heaved the sword across the room. It skidded across the floor to a corner of the chamber. Link, Zelda, Istas, and Anna all stood before Ganon, preparing to attack again. Ganon backed away from them a few steps. "You impudent fools," he began, growling low in his throat. The Triforce mark on his hand appeared and began to glow as he spoke. "You dared to challenge me, the great King of Evil? You will pay with your lives for that. Behold, my true power!" Ganon held up his hand. Waves of strong dark energy began to flow from his body. They all cried out from the pain that shot through their bodies. They held their ground, however, once again preparing to attack.

Ganon held his hands up to where the Triforce floated. It began to come down, toward his outstretched hands. "No! We can't let him have the Triforce!" Zelda cried out. All of them stood, not knowing what to do next. Suddenly, Link had an idea. "Wait! If we have the Essences of Courage and Wisdom, we can control those parts of the Triforce!" Holding up his own hands, Link watched as the mark of the Triforce appeared on his hand again. Suddenly, the Triforce of Courage began to come toward him. Zelda was doing the same. Soon, the pieces were split apart so that Ganon had the Triforce of Power, Link had Courage, and Zelda carried Wisdom.

Ganon cackled. "Fools! I am stronger than both of you, even with the Triforce pieces!" With this, he held up the Triforce of Power. It glowed, then sent out a stream of energy. Link and Zelda managed to block the stream of power with some power of their own. "The True Force is mine!" Ganon hissed, firing at them again.

Watching the battle, Anna noticed the Tetraforce. Once Ganon united the Triforce with the Tetraforce, he would be able to rule everything...As she watched it hover, a strange feeling swept over her. Strange thoughts began to enter her head involuntarily. What's going on? she thought. A golden glow illuminated her face. She looked down. "Oh, Din, it can't be..." she murmured in disbelief. She looked down with amazement at the mark on her hand, a small, upside down golden triangle. As she looked at it, more of the strange thoughts entered her mind. "Hope," she muttered softly. "The fourth force is Hope!"

Ganon cackled maliciously. Link and Zelda were weakening. Soon, the Triforce, along with the Tetraforce, would be his. He increased the strength of the dark energy he aimed at them. "I will win!" he shrieked at them, grinning."We won't give up, Ganon!" Princess Zelda said, her eyes narrowing in determination. Ganon smirked. "I admire your stubbornness, Princess Zelda, but it won't be enough!" he snapped.

Anna approached Ganon from behind. Concentrating, she made the Tetraforce come to her. Grabbing it, she began to absorb its full power. Holding the Tetraforce in the crook of her arm, she held out her hand. A light sphere formed. Releasing it, she hit Ganon. He growled, turning to her. She glared at him defiantly."Oh, so the Holder of the Tetraforce was right here all along! You will have the honor of going down with the 'Hero' and Princess Zelda!" With this, Ganon held out the Triforce of Power. It began to glow again, ready to do Ganon's evil bidding.

Link and Zelda stood beside Anna. "We have to combine our power. I think we can destroy Ganon if all of us work together," Link said, and Anna and Princess Zelda nodded in assent. "Istas, we need your help!" Anna called over to him. Istas nodded and ran over to them.

"Get ready to use your power," Link said, and all of them began to ready themselves. The Triforce of Power began to glow even more as Ganon started to release his attack. At that moment, Link nodded. The golden triangles began to glow as they were powered up. Istas formed a magic sphere with his hands. "Now!" Link commanded, and the built up power was released.

A bright flash was emitted as the powers collided. The good energy overpowered the evil energy, heading right to Ganon. He snarled and yelled as he was hit by the beam of combined powers. The smell of burnt flesh filled the air. Ganon had been thrown back by the force of the power. He managed to pull himself up, shaking from the pain. "Curse all of you..." he managed to choke out. His eyes flamed dully. Link retrieved the Master Sword from the corner where it had skidded. Among some of the items, he managed to find the scabbard where he kept the sword. There, along with the sword, lay his precious Silver Arrows. Removing one, Link picked up Anna's bow which still lay on the ground.

Ganon had managed to stand while Link retrieved the necessary items for his destruction. He looked through hazy eyes as the Hero approached. Link glared at Ganon as he came. "It's over, Ganon. You lost," he said quietly. Ganon looked at Link with a deep hatred. "I will return, 'Hero'. You will never completely defeat me." Link advanced, saying nothing more, brandishing his sword. With a thrust, Link sent the sword into Ganon once again. Aiming the Silver Arrow, Link shot Ganon. Ganon groaned, then began to fade away, leaving the Triforce of Power behind.

Link felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Zelda smiling at him. "We did it, Link. Hyrule is at peace once again," she said joyfully. Link nodded. "Yes, but I know Ganon will return," he told her. "That will not be for awhile, though," Zelda said softly to him, smiling. He smiled in return, knowing she was right.

Suddenly, the pieces of the Triforce began to glow. The Triforce of Power rose from its place on the ground and began to float in the air. Link and Zelda released the two pieces they held as they floated in the air to join the Triforce of Power. The Triforce, completed, began to shimmer as it was made whole again. Everyone could feel the sheer power that radiated from the golden triangles.

As they stood watching, a soft voice filled the room. "I am the Essence of the Triforce. I await a new holder. If you have a wish in your heart, touch the sacred Triforce, and it shall be granted."

Slowly, Link began forward. The Triforce began to come down toward him. He reached out and touched it. The Triforce glowed a little at his touch, then began to speak again.

"For centuries, the Triforce has been the source of many battles. Many have given up their lives, the ultimate sacrifice. The Triforce will go into a state of limbo if two people who hold it or once held it exist in the same realm together..."

"What about the True Force and the Tetraforce?" Zelda asked. There was a pause, and the Essence of the complete Triforce spoke again.

" Even the one who holds the Triforce can only use a portion of its power. When Ganondorf Dragmire touched the Triforce centuries ago, an old legend came true. He believed so strongly in the strength of Power that he was left with that piece alone. The True Force is only for one who is extemely worthy, with all three forces in balance. Such a person may never exist. Ganon tried to gain the True Force once again. Fortunately, you foiled his evil plan, as the True Force can also be gained if all who hold the pieces are in the same place."

"Why...why was I able to touch the Triforce without it breaking apart?" Link questioned. The Triforce glowed softly, then replied, "After Ganondorf filled Hyrule with hate with the Triforce of Power, the Hero of Time and the Princess of Destiny stopped him, along with the legendary Seven Sages. After this, the Princess of Destiny sent the hero back to his time. Ganondorf was sealed in the Sacred Realm, where he could do no harm. The old legend was created so that an evil one would never have a chance to rule the world, no matter what piece they were left with. It takes someone of a pure heart to be able to hold the Triforce."

"Do I hold the True Force?" Link asked. The Triforce replied, "No. You are pure of heart, but you believe more in Courage than anything else.You are able to hold the Triforce, but the True Force is only for one who has all three forces evenly balanced."

Anna walked closer to the Triforce. "What of the Tetraforce, then? Why isn't it a part of the rest of the Triforce?"

"Hope is a strong force, young one. Without it, Courage, Power, and Wisdom would not be quite as strong. So, by making the Tetraforce part of the Triforce, it would become too strong. No one should have that much power in their grasp. The results would be disastrous..." For a moment, no one spoke, letting the words of wisdom spoken to them sink in. While Link, Zelda, Anna, and Istas pondered their true meaning, the Essence of the Triforce spoke once more. "It is time for the Triforce to return to its rightful place in the Golden Land. May you all live in peace..."

With this, all of them watched as the Triforce slowly began to float back up again. Slowly, it began to rotate in the air. The spinning grew faster and faster. Then, in a flash of white light, it vanished. All was silent for a moment. Anna suddenly realized what had to be done. Stepping forward, she held the Tetraforce above her head. It began to float. "Anna, what are you doing?" Link asked, but she did not answer him. Closing her eyes, she began to concentrate. The Tetraforce mark showed up on her hand again, then started to glow. The Tetraforce itself shimmered briefly. Then, it began to break apart, piece by piece. One piece split into three smaller pieces, arranging themselves in the shape of the Triforce. The rest of the pendant appeared, then spiraled downward. Anna held out her hand, and felt the pendant land softly in it. It began to glow as well. Suddenly, a large portal opened up in the floor. Staring into its depths, Anna sent the Tetraforce, piece by piece, into its inky, swirling darkness.

When the last piece had disappeared into the portal's inky depths, the pendant stopped glowing. The Tetraforce mark on her hand faded in with the rest of her skin. Slowly, she put the pendant back on again. Feeling suddenly weak, she sank to her knees. "There.." she whispered. Istas, Link, and Zelda all came to her. "Anna, what did you do?" Link asked. Zelda, seeing Anna did not have the strength to speak at the moment, supplied, "She knew she had to send the Tetraforce to the gap between dimensions. As the Essence of the Triforce said, no one should get all four parts." Anna nodded in response to Zelda's words, telling her she was right. "Are you all right?" Istas asked, taking her hand. She nodded, allowing him to help her up.

"It's over," Zelda said, smiling at Link. Link smiled back at her. "Come on, everybody, we're going home," he said, and they all started off to where home awaited them.

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