CHYVALRY: PART V

"The Spirit Temple, and the Duel of the Fates"

It was sunset when Link arrived at the Thieves’ Hideout, and as soon as he made the turn into the small fortress, several women, dressed in purple gerudo warrior clothes, immediately arrested him. They were beautiful creatures, however, there was no way any of them could evoke the same response from him that Zelda had. They also handled him quite roughly, almost like male warriors, which he did not like. How glad he was that Zelda wasn’t this aggressive a woman.

"You stay in there until we figure out what to do with you!" One of them shouted at him as she tucked his cell key down between her breasts.

"HA HA HA!"

He just squinted angrily at her as she and her comrade sauntered away, leaving him alone…

Well, they forgot to take away the one thing that would get him out of here. Targeting the woodbeam above him with his longshot, he pulled himself up to the ledge and watched, waiting for just the right moment to slip into the hideout undetected…

He held his arms steady and let his body be carried down to the ground by the gentle breeze, landing with a soft thump, so soft his captors did not notice. Then he took off around the corner, to begin rescuing the four carpenters…

Each carpenter proved more difficult to release than the last. Zelda was right; these women were not to be messed with. But he dodged their blows quite well, proving his skills on their turf. Each warrior he faced was angrier than the one before her, and the one before her. Sometimes he found that if he hurled a Deku nut at them, it would stun them long enough for him to swipe them good with the Master Sword. These women were packing not one, but two blades, and they were not toys. These were monstrous weapons, ones that could cut Link clean through if he allowed it. But he did not. He did not even give these females a chance against him, for when he defeated the last one, with one mean swipe of his Master Sword at just the right moment, her weapon was delivered into his hand.

"Well," he taunted. "Looks like you owe me an apology"…

The gerudo crossed her arms at him in defiance and muttered a very emphatic "Hmph!"

Link laughed at her. "Oh, come now, I know you have something nice to offer me"…

Her eyes widened in surprise as she placed her hands on her hips. "Oh, puhleeez! Don’t think we’re that desperate for a man around here!"

Even though she spoke those words to him, she really didn’t mean them. She knew who he belonged to, but she couldn’t help feeling a bit of a thrill as she eyed his body.

"So," he muttered as he tapped his foot impatiently "I’m waiiiting"…

"Oh, alright!" she yelled haughtily, then reached into her pouch at her side.

"Here," she furled out a stiff card at him, stopping it right in front of his eyes.

"It’s a Gerudo membership card, now you can come and go whenever you please," shaking her head at him back and forth, and making a haughty face.

Link just laughed, then handed her back her weapon. "Thanks," he said, sheathing the Master Sword.

"I have to go now. It’s been lovely meeting you."

"Once again, the pleasure was all yours," she seethed.

Link bowed to her and backed out of the hideout, ready to go to the Haunted Wasteland.

Still laughing to himself, he approached the gates leading to the unforgiving desert, and saw another gerudo there, only this one had short hair.

"You seek to cross the river of sand?" she asked. "Only the brave and strong at heart shall be able to pass, please use our flags we have set up, for they will help you"…

Link nodded his head, then extended his thumb out in the direction of the desert. "I assume this is the way to the Spirit Temple"…

"Yes, it is"…she replied, her voice trailing off. "Do you have any idea what you’re getting yourself into?"

"Well, no, but I must do what I have been told, and that is to journey to the Spirit Temple, and destroy the evil that lurks there"…

"Very well, then, good luck. You will need it, my friend."

And with that, the gerudo girl clapped her hands twice, and the gate slowly opened.

Link could hear the howling unfriendly winds of the night desert as he climbed down the ladder.

He couldn’t see a thing in front of him. He turned to look behind him one last time, and shivered.

Oh, the things one had to do for Hyrule…

The beating winds pummeled Link’s entire body the moment he crossed the river of sand using his longshot. He did what the gerudo told him to do; to use the red flags as guides across this vast unfriendly oasis. With the sand cutting into his face like tiny barbs, he grasped onto one flag, then stuck his foot out into the earth, plodding his way across to the next flag, and to the next flag, certain that any moment the wind would pick him up and deliver him right back to the very beginning of this…

He could see some sort of outpost close by. Maybe this was where he was supposed to be?

Once he reached it, he took out the lens of truth to see what was whirling right above him…

It was a Poe.

"Please follow me, and do not stray away, or you will not find the entrance to that place you seek."

Covering his eyes, Link followed the Poe, keeping the lens of truth right on him, through all the twists and turns, then suddenly felt something attacking his leg. It looked like a baby Dodongo, but was much fiercer.

"Let go of me!" Link yelled, kicking it away. Then another one materialized, and another one…

"Damn"…he muttered, unsheathing his sword. "Okay, you asked for it"…

He began angrily hacking away at them, while trying to keep the lens of truth steady on the Poe so he wouldn’t lose him…

He managed to keep these god-awful things at bay until he reached the portal right in front of the fairy pool. Good. At least he’d have a way to rejuvenate himself should it be necessary.

He took one step off that portal and those menacing creatures returned. He left a couple of bombs behind to take care of that. Then he could see a hollow in the boulder not far away, and decided to bomb it too, to reveal what lay behind it. To his pleasant surprise, he’d just unearthed another great fairy’s fountain.

But the gift he received here almost surpassed any he’d gotten so far; Nayru’s love. This magic spell would allow him to shield himself in a protective blue glow, temporarily fending off any attackers. He was told by the Great Fairy that he would need a lot of magic to sustain this spell for any length of time, so he would need to use it wisely.

Approaching the outer fortress of the Spirit Temple, Link just stared in awe of the statues before him. They were massive, huge structures, ones that obviously took a long time to build. As he began to enter the huge cavernous doorway, he felt a draft… then heard an ethereal voice….

"Link…Link"…

He whirled around in all directions. "Zelda?" He whispered in surprise.

"My love…I can’t travel to you. I must teach you the Requiem of Spirit, please listen carefully"…

He could hear a harp playing, but no tangible form of his beloved was present…

He suddenly realized that this was a telepathic message coming to him; Zelda had a gift for things like that. He closed his eyes and sighed, feeling an inner peace at hearing her voice.

A sweet whisper came from his lips. "My darling, are you alright?"….

The gentle breeze blowing through his soul told him the answer. Smiling, he then lifted the Ocarina to his lips and mimicked her sweet melodious harp.

Now that he knew all the songs he needed to venture throughout Hyrule, he ventured deeper into the Temple, ready to begin…

This temple was a bit mystical, not really all that unfriendly, but much different from the others in its’ complex puzzles to be solved before he could press onward. The Sun Room was one such example. Not only did he have to move those blocks in a certain direction to unlock the doors on the other side, but he had to light all the torches and avoid the Beamos’ lasers spraying him as he fled.

The Lizalfos room was another peculiar puzzle. He had to destroy two that dropped down on him unexpectedly, then use a mirror shaped like a serpent’s head to reflect the light on it once, then twice. Then he had to run around to the other side, and tilt the mirror right in front of the huge goddess statue to reflect the light from the serpent mirror. So many tricks and puzzles, would he be able to make it out alive? Luckily, he’d found the mirror shield in this temple, and he would need it for what lie ahead…

But nothing would prepare him for the mini-boss he was about to encounter. After he’d figured out his way around the huge room with the statue, he went up the red-carpeted stairs to the very top of the temple. He heard the door slam shut behind him, and the bars go up. He looked around in all directions, to see two witches flying above him on brooms, and cackling loudly, in a high shrill pitch that almost busted his eardrums. In the middle was a massive creature, something Link had never seen the likes of before. It looked like a hunk of mean twisted metal.

"He he he he he"…..cackled the two witches. "You never give up, do you? Well, you’re about to learn a little lesson in loyalty. Wake up, minion, and destroy him!"

The metal monster shook its arms, snapped its’ fingers, and a huge ax magically appeared in its’ hand.

"After him!" they shouted.

This thing marched toward him slowly, but Link knew that when it struck, it would mean business. So he activated Nayru’s love to protect himself.

"RRRRROOOM!" It grunted, swiping the ax from side to side. "RRROOOOMM!"

Link ducked instinctively to avoid getting hit, even though he knew he was protected. He swung back at it with the Master Sword, watching it through the blue haze of his magic spell. He was knocked back a few feet, but took no damage, just like the Great Fairy said.

It took huge swipes at him, left…then right…then left again. When the magic began to dissipate, Link knew his time was limited. When it was finally gone, leaving him completely vulnerable, he rolled out of the way just in time to avoid getting skewered by the ax as it stuck into the floor in the spot where his head would have been. He then drew up his shield to avoid its’ blows when it whirled around, slicing the air at him.

"You just missed me, what a shame," he muttered under his breath, drawing up his sword, ready to attack…

"RRROOOOM!" it roared, bringing its’ blade closer to Link’s face.

"Heeeeaahhh!" Link shouted, doing the dance of the blades against this mighty creature. He parried its’ blows quite well. The Iron Knuckle was going to show him no mercy, but somehow when its’ eyes met Link’s something happened, something strange…

It just stopped, and lowered its’ weapon, staring Link down. Link lowered his blade in surprise and stared back, prepared for anything…

It reached its hand up to pull away something over its’ face, and…

It was Nabooru! She’d been brainwashed by those evil witches!

"I finally woke up and realized who you were," she said, clutching at her throat, trying to wriggle free from this horrendous metal covering.

Link’s eyes stared at her in disbelief.

"I hope you can forgive me," she begged. "I would never fight you willingly, Link. Princess Zelda has told me much about you. You indeed are the chosen one."

She bowed to him with her sword clutched in both of her hands.

"You’re a friend of Zelda’s?" Link asked, surprised. "I would have never known"…

"Princess Zelda has many allies," Nabooru stated, then gave him a soft smile. "But I think you she holds above them all"…

Link felt a hot blush staining his cheeks. "Well, I"….

Their conversation was cut short by the two witches, circling again above them. They were quite angry about the events that had just transpired. A purple vortex began to swirl around Nabooru, pulling her down to the floor.

"That’s for betraying us!" one of them shouted.

"You traitor!" Screamed the other one.

Link looked up over his shoulder at them and his eyes grew wide. He drew his Master Sword immediately.

"Liiink! Help me!"

Link reached for Nabooru’s arm and tried to pull her out of the floor, but it was no use. She vanished into the cold ground, and the purple vortex vanished along with her.

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then whirled around to face these horrible creatures.

"What have you done with her!" he shouted. The sound of his voice bounced off the walls of this cavernous room, startling even these two new enemies.

"We’ve put her away for…safekeeping, shall we say?" they said with a silvery laugh.

That wasn’t good enough for Link. He held his sword up at them, swaying the tip of the blade.

"I’m warning you"….

They both cackled. "Oh, you’re warning us! That’s a laugh! Come on Kotake, let’s show this kid who’s boss!"

"Ok, Koume!" the other one answered.

Koume began her assault on Link with her blasts of fire that he immediately deflected with the mirror shield, the searing heat bouncing neatly off of it. He lifted it just so, and it struck Kotake….

"OUCH!" she shouted. "How dare you"…

Kotake hovered above Link, and threw a blast of ice at him. He wasn’t able to hop away from this attack so quickly, and felt the freezing ice gnawing at his legs, bolting him to the floor…

He could hear their shrill high-pitched laughter through the ice, although he could do nothing to silence it…

When he thawed, he knew he’d taken some damage, so he whipped out a bottle of fairy’s potion and downed it before Koume could get off another round of flesh-melting fire at him.

He was ready for her now. Hopping onto the middle of the platform, he raised up his Mirror Shield and kept his eyes focused on the pair, not allowing himself to get cornered like that again.

He continued deflecting Koume’s fire onto Kotake, and vice versa, a couple of more times, and then….

Whoa! They combined into one form, a gigantic gerudo named…TwinRova.

This evil seductress balanced a torch in either hand, hovering above Link, backing away from him, then moving forward…

She had a laugh that made shivers go up and down his spine.

"You must deflect three of the same attacks I give you, then come and attack me…if you can get so close! I personally don’t think you can do it, I am too powerful for you."

She tilted her head back, and laughed that laugh again…

Link was very angry by now. This was his last temple, his last battle, of course before he had to face Ganondorf, and the private torment he was experiencing over that was taunting him beyond anything else imaginable.

TwinRova shot over to one side, preparing to throw ice at him…

He raised the Mirror Shield and deflected it, charging it with energy…

She shot over to another side, and threw ice at him again…

The next time he could feel the searing heat about to be unleashed upon him and he quickly darted out of the way, raising the shield above his head…

Whew, just barely missed it! TwinRova shook her head in anger, and unleashed a bolt of ice immediately down upon him, but Link was too quick on his heels to be caught off guard.

This third attack brought her down to the ground, and he rushed forward and attacked with the Master Sword as many times as he could, before she got to her feet again.

"You’ll pay for that, little toy of Zelda’s"….she hissed. "By the time I’m done with you, you’ll be begging for me"…

"I beg for no one," Link hissed, backing up sharply out of the way to prepare for her next barrage of attacks. "And as for Zelda, that’s none of your bus"—

He was stopped mid-sentence by a bolt of ice coming at him, which he quickly deflected. Then another, then another…

Twinrova’s exhaustion was beginning to show, and Link reveled in it. As he continued to hack at her body, she weakened considerably, finally splitting up into the two witches again. They were yelling something about their ages and how ugly the other one looked as their angelic bodies began to lift towards the sky.

Link laughed, took his cap off and waved it at them as they floated upward.

"Good riddens!" he thought to himself.

The portal to the Chamber of the Sages lay waiting, and he stepped into it…

"Link, you have fulfilled your task," a soft voice said. "Now the evil Twinrova will no longer occupy the Spirit Temple. I have something for you, please take it, and combine our powers."

The Spirit Medallion floated into his hands from above, and he found himself looking into the eyes of Nabooru once again!

"You released me from their evil grasp; I will be indebted to you always," she said.

"If only I’d known you would turn out to be so handsome."

He looked at her strangely. "I’m not sure I know what you mean"…

The gerudo shook her head absent-mindedly. "It doesn’t matter, Link," she said. "Even though almost every woman in this land would throw herself at your feet, there is only one who will occupy your heart from now on. I don’t need to tell you who that woman is."

She smiled at him and backed away. "Now you must journey to the Temple of Time, where she is waiting"…

Then Link found himself outside the Spirit Temple, with nothing but blue sky surrounding him. He lifted the Ocarina of Time to his lips and played "The Prelude of Light" so he could warp to his beautiful Princess, who indeed was waiting for him, just like Nabooru said…

When he stepped out of the warp portal in the Temple of Time, he saw Zelda as Sheik standing before him. He smiled at her as he awaited her instructions. His heart ached to hold her and to kiss her, but he knew that would have to wait.

"Link"…she began, with a passionate longing in her voice.

"There is so much more I wanted to tell you before, when we were alone…but there was not enough time. I am the seventh sage, the one who is destined to be the leader of them all. You are the holder of the Triforce of Courage, I am the holder of the Triforce of Wisdom, and…Ganondorf currently holds the Triforce of Power. He stole it from my father when he murdered him on that night long ago, that is why Hyrule’s temples were thwarted with such evil. But…he won’t hold it for much longer. Once you defeat him, we will take it back, and he can be a threat to our kingdom no more."

She began to walk toward him, revealing her entire body in the soft light, her footsteps echoing throughout the huge temple. Link stood frozen, watching her, and when she reached his side, she took his hand and brought it to her lips. "Now that we’re alone, Link," she whispered, "please kiss me. I need to feel your lips against mine."

Link smiled at her. "Oh, I thought you’d never ask," he whispered back, melting Zelda’s soul.

He slowly reached up with his hand, his fingers tugging the turban from her head, tenderly brushing his lips against hers, and their eyes closed for a brief moment….

But they suddenly realized that they were no longer alone. A loud rumbling shook the entire temple, causing some of the stained glass windows to break, and the chandeliers above to quake and rattle violently. They were wrenched apart from their tender kiss; Link pulling them out of the path of the swaying chandeliers…

Everything grew dark, then bright again. The sound of Ganondorf’s evil laughter echoed throughout the temple. This froze Link and Zelda’s blood, for her true identity was now revealed; nothing could stop that now.

When Ganondorf appeared before them, he clenched his leather-covered wrists in anguish, then threw a very angry finger at Zelda.

"Princess Zelda!" He roared. "I see you have deceived me! That was a very naughty thing to do, very naughty indeed, and I shall punish you myself"…

He drew his sword and pointed it at her.

Link whispered to Zelda, "Get behind me," as he raised his shield over the two of them and drew his sword, looking at his enemy with angry eyes. Zelda knew Link’s blood was boiling; she could feel it in the muscles of his back as she held on to him.

"Don’t you get any closer to her, Ganondorf. You will have to come through me first."

Ganondorf’s face broke out into an evil grin as he eyed Link’s agile form protecting the Princess of Hyrule.

"The two other missing pieces of the Triforce are here now, and I intend to take them, along with Zelda, and to send you to your maker," he hissed. "Not you, nor the goddesses of Hyrule shall stop me. I plan to make Zelda my wife, and I always get what I want!"

"Oh, that’s where you are wrong," Link retorted, "I am more ready for you than ever, and I shall avenge Zelda’s father, and Zelda also, for your unwelcome advances against her."

"Over your dead body, Link, is that it? Please don’t tire me with these boring acts of chivalry; I haven’t got the time," he said mockingly.

"You’ll have to kill me to get to her, Ganondorf, " Link repeated, ignoring that last statement.

Link gripped the hilt of his sword tighter, clutching his shield fiercely to his body, backing them away from him.

Ganondorf sneered at them, laughing through clenched teeth. "Oh, how you underestimate me, young hero"…

Link heard a sound above them, and when he looked up, he could see two Iron Knuckles dropping down from above, but he could only fight one at a time. One drew him into a battle, the other one grabbed Zelda.
"Link!" she screamed. Link dodged the Iron Knuckles’ blows, striking it from behind.

"Kill him!" Ganondorf ordered, waving his hand at the youth, as if his life meant nothing, and left the Temple with the other Iron Knuckle, holding Zelda tightly in its’ clutches. She kicked and screamed; how she wished she’d brought her bow and arrow with her.

"Nnnnooooo!" Link cried, angrily dodging the blows coming at him from the side. "You can’t take her!"

He swung violently at the Iron Knuckle, back and forth, back and forth, dodging its’ heavy blows. He felt the whistle of the blade as it barely missed his head, and he reached up once more with the Master Sword…

One final heavy blow was all it took to down this metal monster. There was no time to waste. Zelda had been captured, and now he had to save her…

But where had Ganondorf taken her? He frantically ran out of the Temple of Time; looked all around what was Hyrule Market town, or more fitting, what Ganondorf had allowed to remain. There were only Redeads standing there now, ready to choke the life out of him at any given moment. He dodged underneath them, and around them as he tried to make it to the drawbridge. He heard Zelda’s screams, and he looked to his right. Ganondorf was pulling her toward Gerudo Valley! Link was too far behind them to catch up on foot, so he had to call Epona in order to follow them.

Zelda continued screaming, kicking at Ganondorf on the back of his black horse, biting his hands as he tried to hold her. "This one’s a feisty one," he mumbled to his minion, "and she needs to be taught a lesson in obedience to her lord and master."

She bit his finger and he winced with pain, drawing his hand far enough from her mouth for her to shout at the top of her voice.

"Liiiink!"

Link’s ears picked up her echoing screams coming from the canyon. Ganondorf rared back and slapped Zelda hard in the face, then yanked her by the hair, bringing her face closer to his.

"You won’t need that Sheik disguise much longer, not for what I have planned…Your Majesty! I know about your secret hiding place in the caves, and that’s where we’re headed now"…

Suddenly the sound of hooves and the shreiking neighs of Epona could be heard in the distance. Ganondorf turned around to see Link gaining on him, closing the distance between them…

Link swore on his mother’s grave that Ganondorf would die today for so much as laying a finger on his princess…

Ganondorf urged his horse to go faster, jumping over the little fence just at the entrance to the Valley. He rode closer to the Iron Knuckle, also on his own horse. "Here, take her, keep her on the bridge, and wait for me," he ordered. Zelda was flung into the Iron Knuckle’s deathly grip, and Ganondorf broke away, going after Link…

By now they had entered the Valley, and Link could see Ganondorf coming at him. He stiffened his legs, riding higher on Epona, urging her to go even faster.

"Come on, girl," he whispered. "You can do it"…

In the next moment, the two warriors jumped off their horses’ backs at the same time, slamming against each other, chest against chest.

"Rrrrrrrruuff!!"

They fell to the ground, neither one feeling any pain, only the hot rage and the equal determination for one to utterly destroy the other…

Ganondorf felt Link’s fist in his stomach before he could even react. He doubled over in immediate pain, his hand clutching the hilt of his sword.

In the commotion, both of them drew their blades from their sheaths, signaling the inevitable duel about to ensue…one of them would die today, at the hands of the other. Staring each other down, they backed away from one another…and Link tossed his Hylian Shield to the side.

Ganondorf spit on the ground as he finally regained himself.

"You have made a very big mistake by following me out here," he growled. "A very big one, young Link"…

"Not near as bad a mistake as you made by laying your filthy hands on the Princess of Hyrule, you murderer, and violator of women"…

"She is mine," Ganondorf gritted between his teeth. "And soon those pieces of the Triforce you and she hold will be mine, too."

"I don’t think so," growled Link, as he raised up the Master Sword, swinging it directly at Ganondorf. Ganondorf’s sword met Links, and the two clashed in a loud ring that echoed throughout the valley. Zelda turned around quickly to see what was happening. She shrieked in fear at what she saw, then felt the Iron Knuckle’s vice-like grip on her arm, dragging her across the narrow bridge.

"Liink!" she screamed.

"Well, well, well," Ganondorf mocked, parrying Link’s attacks, "So you wish to save this girl, and your kingdom, how noble"…

"You wouldn’t know nobility if it stared you in the face, Ganondorf! All you know is how to destroy lives!"

Their blades scraped together in an angry vengeance.

"Is that right? Well, just how is it you came across your cheaply-bought nobility? You’re nothing but a peasant, a mere pawn for the Sages of Hyrule"… he taunted.

Then he looked across the bridge at Zelda, raised his head back and laughed, as if he knew the answer to his question before he even asked it. "Oh…I see…why didn’t I figure this out before? Tell me, young Link, did you get Zelda flat on her back? That is, I assume, how you won your… nobility"…

Link’s angry growl and quickening pace of his attacks told Ganondorf he’d struck a chord deep within the young hero.

"Ha ha ha, well at least you took care of her…innocence, shall I say? Now she’ll be nice and ready for me"….

"RRRRRRAAAAAAAARRRR!" Link screamed from deep within his chest. "You….BASTARD!"

Ganondorf was enjoying this; taunting this young man beyond reason. The two began moving their attacks in the direction of the narrow bridge; Zelda’s hand was clamped over her mouth; her eyes wide with horror.

Ganondorf whirled back, swinging his broadsword at Link, the fire in his eyes burning with an angry flame. Link returned Ganondorf’s swings, ducking them, then blocking them. Ganondorf’s cape swung around him as he fought Link, dashing forward, dashing back, determined to take down this thorn that had been in his side ever since he’d gotten the Triforce of Power.

With every clash of his blade, Link felt his body being guided to the bridge. He knew Zelda was right behind him, being held captive by the Iron Knuckle. He had to keep looking over his shoulder to make sure he wouldn’t go over the edge of the canyon. Obviously that is what Ganondorf had planned; and the fact that Link wasn’t letting him do it made this enemy even angrier. Link hopped back onto the bridge just in time to avoid a swipe from Ganondorf’s huge blade.

"Well here we both are," Link said. "Come get these two pieces of the Triforce you so desperately want, Ganondorf, I dare you!"

"With pleasure," Ganondorf retorted, arcing his sword in faster swings toward Link…

Link ducked back, then back again, urging Ganondorf to defy him…until….

Something pierced his arm and he faltered a bit…grasping his shoulder….

Blood.

Ganondorf threw his head back in evil laughter. "Ha ha ha, the first cut, and the first death, Link!"

Zelda shrieked in horror, wincing, her face turning away…

When she opened her eyes, she saw the solution.

In her captor’s weaponry belt hung a crossbow. Oh, why hadn’t she noticed this before? Her eyes darted to Link, then down again to the crossbow….she had to save Link, or else he would weaken, and their plan would be foiled….

She grasped the handle of the crossbow carefully, praying that her shot would be accurate…

Then she watched for Ganondorf to be in her target…

Link swayed about, and his vision became blurred; he could see the raging waters beneath him as Ganondorf grabbed his body, holding the back of his neck over the edge of the bridge.

"Do you see that, young hero? That is where I’m about to send you"…

"Ganondorf!"

Ganondorf, distracted by Zelda’s voice, looked up to see the Princess of Hyrule staring him angrily in the face.

"I’ve got something for you!"

Then she released the trigger. A bolt shot out from the crossbow, shearing through the air, and striking Ganondorf squarely in the chest.

With a horrified look on his face, Ganondorf tried in vain to pull out the foreign object, but arched his body back in pain instead, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"RRRREEEEAAAA!"

Link, grasping onto the ropes of the bridge for security, braced his foot against the King of Evil’s body and spoke his last words to him calmly, but with conviction.

"Time to die, Ganondorf"…

And he pushed him over the edge. Ganondorf tried to grab the ropes but they slipped through his fingers as he fell the hundreds of feet into the raging waters below.

The Iron Knuckle flung Zelda behind him, causing her to land on her back on the ground. It growled angrily at her, preparing to attack.

Link turned in time to see it raise its ax above her head….

Zelda tried to crawl away from it as she saw the blade start to descend upon her…

In one instant, Link drew his bow, knowing he’d only have one shot at this, and fired an arrow into the tiny sensitive spot in the back of the Iron Knuckles’ head. It lodged true, and it dropped its’ ax, reaching back, trying desperately to pull the arrow out. Zelda managed to scramble to her feet, push the massive metal monster over the edge of the canyon, sending it also to its death in the raging waters below.

Link watched in utter surprise as this happened. Somebody was with him today, guiding him, for he knew not how he just managed to pull that off…

"Link! Hurry! Come across!" Zelda yelled, holding out her hand to him. Link staggered a bit, then held onto the rope, trying to walk to her…

The board snapped, and he lost his balance, grabbing onto the rope with one hand. His body swayed back and forth; those angry waters below begging for him…

"Zeldaaaa!" he cried out.

"Link! Hold on! Please!"

Zelda thought for a moment, then inched her body toward the edge. He wasn’t that far away, if he could just get a little closer to her, she could pull him to safety…

"Link! Listen to me! Come to me slowly!"

Link managed to grasp the ropes with both hands now, but that shoulder injury was really hampering his efforts.

He moved his right hand over, then the left, slowly, trying hard not to jar the bridge too much. More boards came loose, and he watched them in horror as they plummetted to the water. The rope began to pull away from the structure little by little…

"Hurry, Link! Hurry!" Zelda screamed, her voice filled with urgency…

Right…left…right…left…

When he was close enough to her, she grabbed him by the belt, and with all her strength, pulled him to the safety of the cliff, and at that same moment, the bridge gave way, breaking apart, falling away from its anchors.

Link collapsed on the ground, his bleeding becoming more profuse from this strain he’d placed on his body. Zelda took out one of his bottled fairies from inside his belt, and released it, lowering her lips to his at the same time…

The fairies’ healing power overtook Link, bringing his strength back to him, and the kiss from his beloved awakened him fully. He opened his eyes, and saw nothing but her beautiful face.

"Zelda"…he whispered, bringing his hand to her cheek and stroking it lightly.

"You are so stubborn," she said, smiling. "You had this in your belt the whole time, and you never even used it"…

He wasn’t even paying attention to what she was saying. All he could think about was her.

"Come here," he said. "Kiss me."

He grasped the back of her neck, rolling her over onto her back, and continued kissing her, deeply…fully…

When she pulled back she looked dreamily into his eyes. "Well, you’ve done it, Link"….

"What have I done, my love?" he asked, kissing her along her neck…

"You’ve mastered the bow; you saved me with the flight of a single arrow," she whispered, enjoying the feel of his lips against her soft skin, cradling his head in her hands.

Link knew what this meant. He suddenly remembered the conversation they’d had in the forest long ago…

He stopped kissing her neck, looked her deeply in the eyes and smiled. "Well, I guess you’re stuck with me now, aren’t you?"

He was about to lower his lips onto hers again when they both heard a noise.

"AHEM!"

Startled, they both looked up, to see Impa standing above them, her hands on her hips. She had a frown on her face, which quickly turned into a smile.

"You’ve saved Hyrule, Link! The people are rejoicing all over the kingdom. Ganondorf is gone forever! You should both hurry back to Hyrule Castle now!"

She leaned forward and whispered, "There will be time for that later"….

Link and Zelda blushed. When Zelda turned to look back at Impa, Impa winked at her, and with the Pow! of a deku nut she was gone.

Link sighed. "I guess she’s right, Zelda. We should go."

"Yeah," she agreed, touching his lips with her finger.

He stood up, and took her hand.

"How are we going to get across that gap, Link?" she asked.

"Well," Link said, smiling and reaching for his Longshot.

"Look at this"…

He then curled his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

She looked down and saw this handy weapon, and smiled, tracing her finger along its’ chain.

"One of your many weapons, Link?" she asked flirtingly, her finger getting closer to the tip of the blade.

"Uh huh," he said. "But be careful with that. We wouldn’t want it to….disarm itself prematurely, now would we?"

"No, I suppose not," she whispered, knowing full well what he meant.

He pulled it from his belt, and aiming it for the target on the beam on the other side of the gap, leaning into her ear.

"Hold on to me."

"You know I will, Link…forever," she purred.

He pushed the button, and the chain shot across the canyon, lodging itself neatly into the target, pulling them effortlessly across…

Link called to Epona, and he helped Zelda mount her, then got on also, holding her close to him, and they rode out of the canyon, towards the welcoming citizens of Hyrule…