Chapter 9: Divine Nature

The moon was high in the sky. It was a few hours before midnight, and Link had finally arrived at the Temple of the Gods. He tied up Catherine, patting her on the neck. She snorted and lay down for a much needed rest. Despite the hard day’s ride, Link was not tired. Shivering as a chilly breeze blew, he stepped inside the massive stone temple, lighting a torch.

The outside of the Temple of the Gods had a blocky shape. Large indentions had been carved into it, with various images of divine beings sculpted into the walls.

The inside was beautiful. Sculpted images of the various gods and goddesses of the world were present on the marble walls. The floor was made of wood, but a red carpet pathway covered most of it.

Link lit one torch, and all the others in the room he had entered simultaneously lit themselves. In front of him were multiple pews, an altar at the opposite end of the room. Statues of Din, Nayru, and Farore, the patron goddesses of Hyrule, were behind it. Link’s eyes rested on a wood door. Something inside of him said that that was where he needed to go. He opened the door and found a staircase heading downward. He stepped onto it, more torches automatically lighting themselves, revealing his path. The door closed behind him as he continued down the dark stone passageway. It was dark and moist, completely unlike the rest of the Temple.

Finally, he came to a wall with an inscription. Link peered closely to read it.

Beyond this way, the Hero’s Trial awaits

A Wyrm of Three Minds makes this Task great

Only the Hero can turn back this Threat

Enter only if you are sure of your Fate

Link’s heart was pounding. Gathering his courage, he slowly placed his hand against the wall, only to find that it passed straight through. He quickly pulled his hand out and looked at it. Nothing about it was wrong or out of the ordinary. He moved his arm forward again, finding the same result. He stepped through the disguised passage, and found himself in another dark, torch-lit room. He heard a large stone slide into place behind him. He nervously looked around, drawing his sword. The room was circular, cold, and massive. He could make out burn marks on the wall. A single window let moonlight pierce the shadows. Link took no comfort from the skeletons (none of them in one piece) lying around the room.

Suddenly, a hidden door slid upwards. From the shadows came a growling sound. Link heard a loud, raspy noise, as if something very large was taking a very deep breath. He dove to his right, three fireballs flying past where he had just been standing. Link’s skin paled as his opponent stepped out of the shadows. It was easily ten times his size. Its scales were green, its underside a pale yellow. A large, spiked tail protruded from its back. Enormous folded wings were present on its side. It had not one, but three heads at the end of long serpentine necks. It was a Gleeok, the dreaded Wyrm of Three Minds.

The beast swiped a powerful claw at him. Regaining his senses, Link rolled beneath it, and gave it a quick slice in the arm. The cut was light, but it angered the Gleeok. All three heads snapped at the Hylian, but he somehow managed to quickly get in between two of the heads. He quickly raised his sword and chopped off its left head. The monster screamed and whirled around. Link got the wind knocked out of him as its tail hit him in the stomach. His sword flew out of his hand. He quickly got back up and began to run to it, but something knocked him off his feet. He looked upward, and to his horror saw that the Gleeok’s disembodied head was now flying in the air. What was worse was that it was coming back at him, mouth open. Link rolled as a stream of fire shot past where he had just been. He jumped to his feet and ran to his sword. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Gleeok about to lunge at him again. Praying that his timing would be correct, Link jumped as its remaining heads lunged at him again. The middle head thrust itself into a pile of ashes, causing the fine burnt powder to get in its eyes. Link managed to grab onto the long neck of the right head, clutching it around the throat. The dragon immediately tried to shake him off. Feeling lucky that the ashes had blinded the other head, Link did all that he could to hang on. The Gleeok’s right head shook again, causing Link to shift around on its neck. He was now in front, right below the beast’s chin. Hearing another roar, Link looked back to see the third head flying straight toward him. He quickly let go and hit the ground rolling. He looked up to see that the flying head had sunk its teeth into the jugular of the other one. The Gleeok, blind in fury, charged him. The middle head still had ash in its eyes, but it had cleared enough to see the young Hylian. It backhanded Link, knocking him to the ground. It roared and stood over him, rearing back on its hind legs. Link saw his sword just ahead of him. Shouting, he quickly grabbed it, turned around, and held it in front of him. As the Gleeok came down, the blade sank deep into its soft underside, straight into the wyrm’s heart. The dragon screeched loudly and backed away, clutching at the sword. It ripped it out, severely bending and twisting the blade as it did so. Screeching and roaring, the Gleeok and all its three heads fell, the thud causing the room to quake.

Breathing heavily and closing his eyes, Link rested his head down on the cold hard ground.

Zelda lay stretched out on her bed. She knew it was late and that she needed to change out of her blue dress and into a nightgown, but the bed was so comfortable and she was trying to gain the willpower to get up again.

She snapped upward as she heard screams and shouts outside. Zelda slowly opened her bedroom door.

“There she is!” she heard someone cry. She turned to see a group of Moblins charging toward her. Gasping, she stretched out her hand. A golden light filled the hallway, and the Moblins fell.

Ganon had found Miniras. Zelda didn’t know how, but he had. And very few soldiers were still at the castle.

A cold, dark feeling clutching her heart, she turned around to see Dragmire himself, flanked by Stalfos and Darknuts. He hardly looked like a man anymore. His body was humanoid, aside from spikes poking out of his arms and hands. Horns were starting to curl out of his hair, and his face was starting to resemble that of a pig’s. He had a malicious smirk on his face.

“Good evening, Princess,” he said, almost tauntingly.

“No!” Zelda screamed, firing a white bolt of magic out of her hand. Ganon raised his left hand, palm open, and received the attack. A white ball glowed in his hand. Grinning, he launched it back at her. She was knocked off her feet and landed on the ground, unconscious.

“Take her back to the castle,” Ganon ordered.

Link… he heard a soft voice say. Link slowly opened his eyes. He was not in the chamber he was in before. Finding his strength, he got to his feet. A brown-haired woman with green eyes was staring at him, as if peering deep into his soul. A white mist was settled on the golden floor, and Link could find no walls. A gray sky shown overhead. A burning yet pleasant sensation buzzed in his heart.

“Link,” the woman said again, “do you know who I am?” Link gasped. He fell to one knee, bowing his head and removing his cap.

“Lady Farore,” he breathed.

“Arise,” the Goddess of Courage said gently. “Do not fear to look upon me, Link, son of Arn, Hero of Legend.” He slowly stood up and looked into her deep green eyes. In them he found a motherly comfort. Farore was wearing an emerald green dress, a golden rope tied around her waist. Two other women appeared behind her. One had fiery red hair, and the other had golden blonde. The Goddesses of Power and Wisdom, Din and Nayru.

“You have proven your skills,” Din said, looking on him with her golden eyes. She wore a golden gown with a blood red sash around her midriff.

“You have shown that you possess the knowledge to outsmart your foes,” Nayru said. Her eyes were blue, as was her dress. It had an intricate golden treelike design weaved into it.

“And you act in spite of fear to do what you must,” Farore stated. “You have shown your power, your wisdom, and your courage.” She stopped for a moment. “Young Link, you are the Hero of Legend. This title has been in store for you since before you were born. You have proven yourself worthy of this title. Your righteous ways have brought you to this end.” Link remained silent, taking in what the goddess was saying. He could not deny what she said, and the feeling in his heart testified of the things she spoke. He noticed the three goddesses staring past him. He could hear footsteps. Turning around, he saw a man clad in golden armor. His brown hair fell to his shoulders, and he had a neatly trimmed beard. His face was old and sharp, but wise. He was one of the gods that was rarely spoken of, for he was considered to be one of the highest of the pantheon. He was Elodeus, God of the Righteous. He stood before Link. In his hands was a sword, sheathed in a yellow and blue sheath and attached to a baldric.

“Link,” the god said with his deep voice, “do you accept the responsibilities of the title of Hero of Legend?” Link looked into the god’s brown eyes. His heart skipped a beat as he took a deep breath.

“I do,” Link said firmly. Elodeus presented the sword.

“Then I give the Blade of Evil’s Bane, the Master Sword, to you, Hero of Legend.” Slowly, Link looked to the sword. He placed one hand on the sheath and the other on the hilt. He took it from the god’s hands, and quickly unsheathed the sword, holding it in front of him. The hilt was dark blue. A yellow jewel was encrusted right below the hilt. The emblem of the Triforce was etched into the white blade.

“The man that bears this blade will strike fear into the hearts of all the evil men and beasts in this world.” Link sheathed the sword and strapped the baldric around his torso, buckling it over his chest. He looked back up to Elodeus and, overtaken with the god’s mighty presence, kneeled before him. Elodeus placed his hands on Link’s head.

“Do not fear, Link. It is time for you to put away your past self and embrace the man that you have become. All will be well, so long as you hold true to us. Go with our blessing, young one.” He took his hands off of Link, and stepped to the side. Farore took his place.

“Link,” she said. “In the morning, you must return to Miniras.” He looked up to her. “Remember, Link,” she spoke quietly, “do not fear evil, no matter what form it may take.” She placed her soft hands on the sides of his head. He looked to the ground in reverence as Farore bent over and placed a kiss on the top of his head. Link could feel himself being pulled from the sacred place.

“Good luck, Hero of Legend,” he heard Farore whisper. “There is always hope.”

Zelda opened her eyes. She was sore, and the hard ground was not helping. She groggily looked around her dark cell. She was scared to find that her wrists were chained to the wall. However, there was enough chain to allow some movement.

“My lord, she is awake,” a nearby Stalfo stated in a raspy, harsh voice. Ganon promptly entered the cell, using his magic to open the door.

“Welcome to my home, Princess,” he said. Zelda tried to cast a spell, but it fizzled in her hand. Ganon laughed.

“Did you really think that I would allow you to use magic while you are here? How foolish of you.” Zelda was doing her best not to panic.

“W-why am I here?” she asked, backing up to the wall. Ganon was terrifying, and she wanted to be as far away as possible. He smirked.

“You’re going to give me the Triforce of Wisdom,” he said. Zelda’s heart sank. If Ganon had the Triforce of Wisdom, he would take Hyrule and other countries with absolutely no problem. She saw someone step next to Ganon.

“Orgis!?” she gasped. Why was her father’s advisor here?

“My name is Ophelius, girl,” he responded harshly. Ganon smirked as Zelda’s jaw dropped and her face paled.

Another figure stepped behind Ganon. Zelda’s eyes widened.

“Nathan!” she cried. Nathan stepped forward, but stopped. Zelda looked into his green eyes. She was terrified to find that they were full of nothing but malice. Nathan looked to Ganon, who looked back at him.

“What are your wishes, my lord Ganondorf?” Nathan asked.

“You will go to Miniras and find your enemy, Link, son of Arn.”

“No… Nathan, please…” Zelda whispered.

“I will do as you ask, my lord,” Nathan replied.

“Nathan, what’s wrong with you!?” Zelda cried.

“And what will you do when you find Link?” Ganon asked, grinning sadistically. Nathan smirked.

“I will thrust my blade straight through his heart.” Zelda hunched over on the floor, now sobbing uncontrollably. Sneering at her, Nathan, Ophelius, and Ganon all left the cell. Ganon used his magic to lock it behind them.

“Link…” Zelda sobbed.