Chapter 19

Running on cobble ground, Link and Zelda were heading towards the direction of the castle. On the way there, they were cutting down Bokoblins that got in their way.

Zelda had transformed into Sheik, sending Bokoblins flying from the wavelengths of the harp. Link was mercilessly stabbing the Bokoblins in the torso. Stabbing one in the eye, he harshly took out the sword, proceeding to run ahead.

A Bokoblin crashed through a wall, hitting its head against the bricks. Sheik was running by Link's side. "We need to hurry. It's plain as day of who's behind this."

"Ganondorf." Because the Bokoblin attack and dark aura didn't already give it away. Gritting his teeth, he was ready to spill blood. The day came sooner than he thought. To send Ganondorf to hell.

Hearing footsteps behind them, they turned around, seeing Neji catching up to them. "What the heck is going on?!"

Realizing that Neji had no idea about what Ganondorf was capable of, Sheik started to explain. "It's Ganondorf. He's the one causing all this havoc."

"Ganondorf?!" Neji exclaimed. "Why would he come here?!"

"There's only one thing I can think of." Link responded. "To obtain the Sword of the Six Sages."

"The sword that you couldn't get because... Because... You couldn't kill your girlfriend?!"

Feeling annoyed and on edge, Link raised his fist in the air. "She's not my girlfriend!"

"Yet."

"Oh my Hylia..." Link noticed something lunging from out of the shadows. "Neji! Look out!"

Quickly turning around, Neji jumped towards the mysterious figure, stabbing his sword through its chest. His eyes were cold as ice, showing no sign of mercy. The figure turned out to be another Bokoblin trying to kill them. Its blood was running down the blade. His serious demeanor turned into a goofy smile. "You could say that we're having pork on a stick tonight."

Link scrunched his face in disgust. "No way in hell I'm eating a Bokoblin!"

Knocking the Bokoblin off of the blade, Neji continued running with them. "Don't you ever wonder how they taste?"

"Can you not think about food for five minutes?!"

"Food is before anything else!"

"Guys!" Sheik exclaimed, catching their attention. "We need to stay focused! We need to get to Ganondorf before he gets to the sword!"

The two stayed silent, knowing they had to be serious about this. If Ganondorf got his hands on the sword, it would be game over. They couldn't let that happen.

~

Running inside the castle, the trio passed many guards that were down for the count. It was assumed that they were wiped out all at once. Many weren't moving while many were struggling to get up.

Going over towards one of the guards, Link gently lifted him up. "What happened here?"

The guard started coughing, struggling to talk. "A Gerudo man just passed though here... He just headed up the stairs..."

"Thank you." Link nodded at Zelda and Neji, having them nod back. Gently placing the guard down, the three were heading towards the stairs. Link could feel the moment of facing Ganondorf drawing near.

Once they went up the stairs, they saw the entire hallway trashed with fallen vases and holes in the walls. It's like a tornado just tore up the place. Or a wild animal just went on a rampage.

Hearing a crash from one of the rooms, the trio headed towards the sound. They had a feeling the room would be just as bad as the hallway.

In the room, the door was ripped from its hinges, shredded into pieces on the ground. Inside the room had cracks on the floor, the furniture was flipped over. The wallpaper was torn, the window was cracked to the point of breaking. Everything was just a disaster.

Their eyes feasted on the most obvious thing in the room. Ganondorf. Someone was lying on the floor, a white glowing sword lying next to them. Impa.

Realizing the situation, it seemed that Impa was trying to protect the Sword of the Six Sages from Ganondorf. But sadly, she had been defeated in battle.

Ganondorf looked down at the sword, smirking to himself. In his hand, he had the Fierce Deity Sword. It was assumed that he shot a beam at Impa. Putting away the Fierce Deity Sword, he was about to pick the Sword of the Six Sages.

With his shoulders shaking, Link couldn't hold in his anger any longer. "Ganondorf!"

Stopping where he stood, Ganondorf turned his head, seeing the three lingering at the doorway. "I see you're siding with the princess now." That slight pause didn't stop from picking up the sword he had desired from the beginning.

Link's shoulders shook from anger, his eyes full of hatred. "Put the sword down. Now."

"Since when do I take orders from you?"

"I said put the sword down! Now!"

Ganondorf chuckled under his breath. "You and I are not longer on the same side. If only you've listened to me. Then things wouldn't have to be this way."

"Yeah right! You lied to me all this time! You used me to do your dirty work so you didn't have to! I've heard that you're the former Demon King, and the one who killed my sister!"

"Am I..? Surely I have mentioned the Bokoblins to you."

"Don't play dumb! You never told me anything! You kept everything hidden from me! You made me naive to a lot of things!"

Glaring Link down, Ganondorf's eyes had the look like they were ready to kill. "I did not wish for my best assassin to specifically know things. That would only make you question my motives, even if you pledged your loyalty to me."

"After all this time... You didn't even trust me... You... You shabbaroon!"

In the background, Neji was trying to calm his hype. His mouth was agape, seeming like Link had said the most insulting thing ever. Zelda just nodded in agreement.

Amused yet annoyed, Ganondorf readied the sword in his hand. "I should've ended your life that day. Just like I did with your sister."

At this point, Link was livid. All he could see was red, his entire body was itching to slam this sorry excuse of a man. His feet moved on their own, rushing towards Ganondorf with his sword pointing straight towards his enemy's torso.

Link managed to stab his sword through Ganondorf's chest, still pushing him back. All his adrenaline lended him such brute strength that even Ganondorf couldn't keep up.

Heading straight for the broken window, Ganondorf's back crashed into it, making the glass shards scatter all over the place. The two were falling from the second story, falling towards the garden.

"Holy crap!" Neji ran towards the window, looking down to see his friend and enemy had landed on the ground. He made a mental note in his mind to never piss Link off.

"Neji!" Turning towards Zelda, he saw that she was gently lifting Impa's limp body. "Help me take her someplace safe!"

Nodding in agreement, Neji made his way over Zelda, helping carry Impa to another room and check for any injuries. After that, they would head over to Link as soon as possible.

~

Down at the gardens, Link harshly took his sword out from Ganondorf's torso. The pain was coursing through Ganondorf's body, but he still had to strength to stand back up.

Jumping back, Link stood on his guard. Ganondorf placed his hand where he was stabbed, seeing his own blood imprinted on his hand. "You think that weak stab was enough to kill me?"

"Of course not. I intend to do much worse."

Ganondorf smirked. "Even if you severely injure me, you can't defeat me without this sword. Go ahead and try to take it from me. But something tells me you'll die trying."

Link lunged towards his enemy, his sword right in his grip. He never felt this strong of an urge to kill, it was a whole new level of blood thirsty.

Ganondorf was effortlessly moving side to side while Link was swinging his sword at him. "You fool. I taught you everything there is to know about fighting. You think I can't predict your movements?"

Thrusting his sword towards his enemy's torso, Ganondorf managed to encounter it with his sword. "Tell me..." Struggling to push away the sword, a line of sweat dropped from Link's forehead. "Why did you attack my village?! Why did you kill my sister?!"

"Saria got in my way."

"How the hell do you know her name?!"

"Let's just say we introduced ourselves before her death."

~

A quick flash back appeared, the night of the village massacre. Blood was scattered all over the floor. A teenage girl with short green hair was panting hard, holding a bow and arrow in her hands.

Looking around, she saw many of her comrades down for the count. "Damn it all... Why did this have to happen?"

Hearing footsteps behind her, Saria turned around, seeing a tall Gerudo man with red hair. Ganondorf. Smirking at the girl, he gave her an impressed look. "It seems like you're the only one left."

Saria squinted her eyes. "So, you're the one behind this. Former Demon King, Ganondorf."

"You have heard of me? You strike me as the type who knows her history."

Stretching the bow and arrow, Saria was taking her aim. "What's your motive? Why did you come here and kill the people?"

"I have gathered enough intel to know that your mayor was planning an all out war against me. You see, I followed the princess here, eavesdropping on the conversation between her and the mayor. I bet you wondered why the princess had come to your village, right?"

Surprised about the news, Saria's eyes began to waver. "A war..? I didn't hear anything about that."

"The mayor likes to keep secrets, I see."

"To keep the people safe, that's why. I can understand why they would want to start a war against you. You've killed our ancestors, and caused havoc in Hyrule. Don't you think it's time to stop?"

Ganondorf chuckled under his breath. "I won't rest until Hyrule is in my control. And it looks like the next thing I have to do is kill this obstacle standing in my way."

Still holding the arrow in place, Saria was about to shoot. "Not unless I kill you first."

"You got guts, I'll give you that. Tell me... What's your name? I would like to remember it as a memento for wiping out this village."

"It's Saria. And I won't let you do such a thing!" Shooting the arrow, Ganondorf had managed to swiftly dodge it, appearing near Saria.

Raising his sword in the air, Saria's blood was spilled. The sound of her body falling to the ground was like music to his ears. The first step of taking over Hyrule was complete. Now all he had to do was find some fool to do his dirty work. With that, victory would be in the palm of his hands.

~

Back in the present, Link was shaking with anger. Hearing what had happened to his sister in detail made his blood boil. He wanted to kill him so bad. For causing him nothing but grief, taking away his only blood family.

Anger was consuming him once more. Link began swinging his sword at a rapid pace. Ganondorf was blocking every attack Link was throwing his way like it was child's play.

"Foolish." Throwing Link off balance with his sword, Ganondorf slammed his foot on Link's torso, making him fall on his back.

"Link!" Two people shouted at once. Turning his head, Link saw Zelda and Neji heading his way.

With Ganondorf's foot holding him down, it was hard from him to breathe. "No... Don't come any closer..."

Shifting his eyes to the two who have appeared, Ganondorf was wearing an expression like he had a nasty idea. "Prepare to witness the death of your lover and friend. You won't have the strength to protect them."

Pressing his foot deeper into Link's chest, Ganondorf released his foot, making Link cough violently. The Gerudo was heading towards the two who were dear to him, his sight locked on them.

Breathing heavily, Link had to fight the pain that was lingering in his body. He may not have the strength, but he had the willpower.

Getting out his bow and arrow, Link aimed it towards Ganondorf's back. Having one eye closed to confirm the target, Link released the arrow.

It successfully hit Ganondorf's back, making him stop in place. His hand was feeling around his back, brushing over the arrow that went right through him.

Pulling out the arrow, Ganondorf turned around, giving Link an unamused look. "Really now? You think an arrow is going to stop me?"

Link smirked. "Well, it stopped you for a minute, didn't it?"

"Don't be such a smartass." Throwing the arrow on the ground, Ganondorf turned back around, heading towards Zelda and Neji once more.

Clicking his tongue, Link tightened his grip on his sword, running towards Ganondorf. He was not about to let his loved ones die. Not this time.

When Link thought he had him, Ganondorf swung his sword backwards without turning around. In result, that swing knocked Link's sword right out of his hand.

Running towards his sword, Ganondorf appeared out of nowhere in front of him, punching his fist into Link's gut. That punch knocked the wind out of him, making Link puke out blood.

Falling to the ground, Link was trying to catch his breath. He continued to cough up more blood, basically puking it out. It spilled all over the ground beneath him. He felt his head spinning from the sudden large amount of blood loss.

Weakly looking up, Link saw Ganondorf with a sinister smile. "Do you understand now that you cannot defeat me?"

Spitting blood on Ganondorf's shoes, Link glared at him while trying to stand back up. Using his foot, Ganondorf had slammed Link down, making him taste a mouthful of dirt.

Having the Sword of the Six Sages in his hand, Ganondorf raised it into the air. "Join your sister in the afterlife, you failure!"

Link was prepared to feel an immense amount of pain right about now. He was willing to sacrifice his life if it meant saving the people he cared about. Even if he didn't defeat Ganondorf, tell Neji that he was like a brother, or confess his love to Zelda... He knew that death was coming for him, and he was ready for it.

It was taking a while for Ganondorf to kill him, wondering what was going on. Struggling to turn his head, his eyes widen the next second.

What he was seeing now was even worse than death. The face of a child. His brother had taken the hit for him.

Witnessing the young teen falling to the ground, Link's adrenaline kicked in, making Ganondorf's foot release off of his back. "Neji!"

Seeing that it was the perfect opportunity to end his Link's life, Ganondorf was about to strike down the sword once more. A powerful wavelength ended up making him fly across the garden.

In that instant, Sheik appeared, pain was in their eyes. They failed to stop Neji from sacrificing himself to save Link. They weren't going to let this be in vain. Zelda, as Sheik, would fight along with Link to avenge their friend.

Gently lifting Neji's body in his arms, Link was fighting back tears. "Why..?! Why did you do that?! You idiot!"

In a very weak state, Neji managed to fight out his words. "I feel like... I've finally repaid you..."

At that moment, tears were rolling down Link's face. "If you really want to repay me, you'll stay alive! Do you hear me?! Don't willingly throw your life away!"

"I feel like... I gave you a chance to defeat Ganondorf. That way... You and Zelda can live a happy life..."

"It won't be happy without you!"

Coughing weakly, Neji gave him a tired smile. "Honestly... I don't know how much longer I have..."

"Quit saying things like that! You're going to be fine!"

"If I do end up dying, at least I managed to live a good life towards the end. Thank you for taking me in..."

"Stop it, Neji! Just... Stop..." Link was getting choked up, unable to control his sobbing. He felt the young teen's body growing limper by the second, his pulse slowly fading away. At this rate, he had a slim chance of survival.