About five months passed and Zelda began to put on some weight. If she was having a child it definitely showed. Link did everything for her. He succumbed to every desire of hers, irrational or not. However, he had to put up with her mood swings, which were not too fun to deal with. Sometimes, for no reason she would yell at Link and blame him for random problems. She blamed him for the pain she felt when she had morning sickness and any other pain that involved the pregnancy. Link tried to make it so that he wasn’t around when she got like that. Zelda also had points where she would get very depressed. He felt so awful sometimes when he couldn’t be with her. He couldn’t be there sometimes to comfort her because he had duties as a knight. At least once a week he had to inspect and look after parts of the castle-guard duty in other words. She would beg him not to go. A couple of times he got out of standing guard, but too many times he was outside, not inside taking care of his wife. Link made sure, also, that Zelda did nothing strenuous or overbearing. He did not want to put any undue pressure on her. Wanting this pregnancy to go perfectly was all that was on his mind, and he did everything in his power to make it happen. However, things were not going to stay ‘perfect’ for much longer. The one man who could end this blissful life they were leading had finally found what he was looking for at last. Ganondorf found the anti-containment spell that would free him from this horrible prison of solitude. The spell would slowly open the Dark Realm until the gates released him into Hyrule. Ganondorf’s Triforce of Power was the one thing that kept him from being eternally locked away in the Dark Realm. The sages’ and Zelda’s seal on the Dark Realm was strong, but they all knew that eventually it would lose its power to contain him. It was just a matter of time and they all hoped that it would keep him locked away at least until someone could find a way to relieve him of his Triforce.

Ganondorf engaged the spell and a small, almost unnoticeable hole appeared. It was the beginning stages to his escape and world domination. The hole would take a while to completely open. Ganondorf was not a very patient man, but he waited this long to find the spell, so he could wait a little bit longer, given that waiting would lead to his freedom. He smiled as he watched the small hole, millimeter by millimeter, open. “Soon I will have my revenge. Soon everyone who locked me away will pay. The sages will be first, then that wretched Zelda, and finally I will kill Link with my own two hands.” He clenched his hands imagining that Link’s neck was in them. He thought about the day when he would exact his revenge on them and was surprised that it would be sooner than he originally thought. He was going to, one by one, kill all of the sages. Each kill he would savor with great satisfaction. Link would probably send Zelda away. He would count on Link not going with her to stay back and make sure that he would not follow her. He would find out where she was going easily once he got inside Hyrule castle. Since Link would not be with her, he would have no trouble or meet any resistance on his way to kill Zelda. When he found Zelda he would kill her as unforgiving as she had locked him away. Then, the last person left would be Link. Link...his name was the only name that still brought him close to actually reconsidering going through with this. He underestimated the boy when he first encountered him and he paid for it. However, the second time around, he would not be that naďve. He imagined the fight they would have. He would not let Link surprise him at all. He would be relentless when he attacked. The whole time in the Dark Realm he planned out his entire battle strategy. He watched and fought Link long enough to predict his movements and his mannerisms in battle. This time I will be the victor, and my prizes will be your Triforces and your lives. He laughed manically at his own thoughts while he waited for his day of uprising to near.

As the hole in the Dark Realm began to open, evil and Ganondorf’s minions began to leak out. The evil and creatures that escaped out of the rip in the seal went almost unnoticed by everyone...except Link. Link was walking with Zelda around in the garden a couple of days after Ganondorf’s plan was initiated. The day was perfect as usual, the sun shone very brightly and Zelda never looked more beautiful. Her pregnancy did wonders for her. As goes with pregnancy, she had the ‘motherly glow’ around her, and only Link saw it.

“Zelda, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. You are more than just my wife, you know that? You are my partner and I will always be at your side through every good time and every hardship you encounter.”

Zelda was amazed at how he could come up with such words. Usually he was at a loss for words.

“Wow, Link. I never knew you had it in you. I mean, you can be romantic and say sweet things, but you never struck me as one who was good with words.”

“Hey, give me a little credit,” Link begged.

“I’m sorry, you are a wonderful man Link. You are sweet and thoughtful all of the time. The baby enjoys everything you do for me.”

“The baby? How does the baby know what I do for you?”

“I talk to the baby all of the time. I tell it all of the nice things you do for me. You know, our child knows who you are. Every time you talk I can fell it move around inside.”

Link knew nothing of pregnancy so this was all a shock to him. He put his hand on her stomach, feeling her round anterior.

“Really? You can feel it move?”

“Yes.”

He smiled and responded, “That is so awesome. Does the baby move often?”

She rubbed her belly and said, “Not too often, but it does happen throughout the day. The little kid is really active during the night. Sometimes I can’t get to sleep with all of the movement in my womb. Don’t worry,” she quickly said, “I get to sleep well. I have not lost any sleep time if you are wondering.”

She knew that if she didn’t tell him not to worry he would. He would now be up every night until she and the baby were asleep and she did not want that.

“I don’t feel it kicking.”

“Well, sometimes it doesn’t kick. Right now the baby should be getting to sleep. It has a schedule: in the morning the baby is already up before me. After I eat breakfast it stays active until the afternoon. It goes to sleep for a while and then wakes up right when it is time to eat lunch. After lunch it stays awake until the night. After about an hour after I get in bed the baby goes to sleep and then I go to sleep.”

Zelda took a second and then asked, “Link, are you going to be home tonight?”

Link lowered his head and said, “No, not until late tonight.”

“Why can’t you stay home, I want to spend some time with you.”

“I have already asked if I could have tonight off but I can’t. I just took three consecutive days off to be with you. I can’t keep avoiding my duties Zelda.”

She stopped and looked him in the eyes.

“Link, what about your duties to me and the baby?” she said with a slight hint of anger in her voice.

“Zelda don’t do this to me. I am a knight, I have a job to do. Keeping this kingdom safe is one of my top priorities, but of course you and the baby are my first.”

“Well you sure don’t act like it. You are gone more hours than you spend with me.”

Link didn’t want to get drawn into a fight, but he had to defend himself.

“Zelda, stop it! You are overreacting. You-”

“-I am not overreacting. Why is that your every response when you know you are wrong?”

“I’m not wrong Zelda. If I chose to be with you twenty-four seven, then I would not be doing my job and I would most likely lose respect among our people. They see me as a leader. So what are they going to think if I am not there to lead them, if I’m not there to keep this kingdom safe?”

“Are you saying that you standing, waiting in the dark is more important than me and the baby?”

He grabbed her hand and said with a more gentler voice, “No Zelda, of course not. You don’t realize it, but when I’m out there standing in the dark I’m protecting this castle and everyone inside-including you and the baby. I know that I can’t be with you on those nights, but you must understand that I am watching over you. I am making sure nothing happens to you or the baby. Why don’t you see that and appreciate that?”

“Appreciate you leaving me alone and the baby-”

With annoyance in his voice, he cut in and said, “-Zelda, please. I don’t want to fight. Not when we are together. I want to spend time with you right now. Lets not waste it. There will be another time for this, but not right now. Can we discuss this another time?”

Zelda also didn’t want to fight. She knew he was leaving before sunset and wanted to spend all the time she could with him. He was right, there would be another time for this conversation to continue.

“Fine Link, we’ll talk about this later.”

She had a sound of defeat in her voice, though trying to hide it. They grabbed each other’s hand and continued to walk for a couple of more feet. About ten minutes later Link suddenly stopped. He felt this wave of evil hit him. It all happened so suddenly that Link couldn’t yet register it. Zelda didn’t notice that he stopped until she tried to walk forward and Link’s grasp on her yanked her back.
“Link, what is it?”

Link didn’t answer her, he was too busy trying to decipher what he felt and where it could have come from.

“Link?”

She was beginning to get worried, something she hadn’t done in a very long time.

“I felt like something...did you feel it?”

Zelda shook her head. She had no idea what he was talking about. Link had to admit, what he felt was almost unnoticeable, but it was still there. He mentally shrugged it off, “Forget about it, it was probably nothing.”

Link wanted to change the atmosphere; he had a feeling that he probably spooked Zelda.
“Zelda, have we thought of any names for the baby?”

Her attitude brightened at what he asked. He was right, they hadn’t even considered any name for their baby.

“No, we haven’t. Do you have any ideas?”

Link didn’t even know if the names he thought of would be good enough for their child. He also didn’t know how Zelda would like them. He was sure all men were never good at this sort of thing. He was really never told about marriage, babies, and stuff like that-he had to learn on his own. Link mostly learned from the Kokiri and even some people from Hyrule. With what little knowledge he owned, he still was not prepared for many things that came up as he grew older.

“I have a name for the baby if it’s a boy, but I don’t know if it’s a good name.”

“Go ahead and tell me Link.”

He didn’t know why he was so unwilling to give her the name. After a second of chiding himself he finally decided to tell her, “Okay, if it’s a boy then...I think we should name him Luke.”

Zelda considered the name, but didn’t know how she really felt about it. She guessed she liked it. It wasn’t a horrible name.
“...and if it’s a girl?” she asked.

“If it’s a girl? I would want her name to be Joan. That is...if you agree with it.”

Link always had Zelda’s feelings on his mind with just about every decision he made. Zelda always found that sweet.

“Those are both great names...”

“But?”

“But what? They’re great names. I don’t know if I could’ve came up with better ones.”

“Oh,” he smiled, “I thought a ‘but’ was coming. Admit it, some times you do not always agree with some of my decisions.”

Zelda smiled and dropped her head looking at her swollen abdomen.

“I don’t know. There are a few decisions you’ve made that I am proud of you for.”

Link got the idea that she was talking about the baby.

“Come on Zelda, lets get inside, I’m ready to eat.”

Zelda shook her head with a smile.

“Always thinking with your stomach aren’t you Link?”

“I guess, but aren’t you glad that’s the only thing I’m thinking with?”

They went inside of the castle to eat lunch. Never had Zelda thought she would be eating almost as much as Link. But, she had to eat more than usual because she was feeding two people. The baby demanded much from her already while it was in the womb. The baby began to kick. Zelda felt it kick her in her side. She put down her fork, “Link, come over here, the baby’s kicking,” she beckoned him. He dropped his utensils and ran over to her. She grabbed his hand and placed it on top of where the baby was kicking. Zelda watched as Link’s face melted as he felt, for the first time, his child kick. Link held back his tears as he felt every kick the tiny baby made.

“Do you feel the baby kicking?”

“Yes, the little guy is really giving it to you.”

He felt a couple of more kicks and said, “Man, he doesn’t give up.”

Then, as quickly as the kicking had started, the baby stopped. Link moved around on her belly trying to see if the baby moved to a different spot.

“Oh no, I think the baby stopped,” said Zelda.

Link looked up at Zelda and smiled, “Wow, I never knew a baby could do that.”

He stood up and Zelda watched as a tear broke away from his eye. Link was a strong man, but he was also one of the kindest and gentlest people you could know. This was the first time she ever saw Link cry. He reached forward and put his arms around her.

“I can’t believe we’re having this baby.”

“I just can’t wait to start a family with you.”

Link tried his hardest to keep back his tears as he placed one hand on his child and said, “Zelda, I want you to know that I will always be there for the baby, and especially you. I will never dishearten you or the baby. You two will always be the most important things to me. I will try to be the best father I can possibly be.”

She couldn’t help but start crying also. She reached over and threw an arm around his neck.

“Oh Link, I love you so much. I would never think otherwise about your parenting abilities...and I know that you will always be there for me and our child. The only thing we have to worry about is when the baby gets here. It should be about another couple of months when the baby will be ready to come into this world with us. We haven’t even planned anything. We need to find a room for the baby and we need to get some baby things, like a changing table and a crib and...” Zelda went on talking about what they needed and what the baby needed. Link just smiled and let her talk. He was enjoying everything at this moment, nothing could go wrong now.

As if someone heard his thoughts, one of the knights of Hyrule burst into the dining room Zelda and Link were in. Link felt restlessness in the air. He quickly composed himself and stood to greet his comrade.

“Sir Link, I have some pressing news for you.”

“What is it Rustan?”

“Sir, some moblins have just been spotted a hundred feet away from Hyrule.”

Link was taken aback at what he just said. There had not been any monsters in Hyrule since Ganondorf was ruling here. Moblins were nothing, they could easily be taken out by two or three knights, but just having the moblins in Hyrule made Link uncomfortable.

“Sir, what shall I do?” he asked, waiting for his instructions.

“Gather a couple of knights and disband the creatures immediately.”

“Right away Sir.”

Link contemplated for a couple of seconds and then turned back to Zelda.

“What is it Link?”

“I don’t know.”

Link’s stern face was something that she had not seen in a long time. She knew something had to be amiss.

“Link, is something wrong?”

He quickly said, “No, nothing’s wrong. Don’t worry, I’m just going to be out for a while. I need to check around and make sure nothing is wrong. Please don’t be troubled about this Zelda, I won’t let anything happen to you or the baby.”

He kissed her and ran out of the dining room before she could object or say anything else to Link. Outside of the room was a guard that was standing watch. Link approached him and asked, “Excuse me, but could you have a couple of guards come and watch over Zelda while I’m out? And try to look inconspicuous.”

Zelda didn’t like having guards or escorts around her that much. Many times she told them to leave her and perform more productive activities. Link knew this and he didn’t want her to send the guards away. However, they had to listen to Zelda if her orders contradicted Link’s; her authority was greater than his. He also didn’t want her to worry. If she knew that Link had more guards watching her she would probably be anxious, something the baby didn‘t need. The guard acknowledged his order and Link walked off. Link didn’t have his sword with him, and he didn’t want to be outside and have no weapon when he came across a moblin, so he walked to the knight’s room. In there were weapons of all sorts that hung on the wall. He grabbed a plain-looking sword and made his way out of the castle. When he arrived at the entrance to Hyrule he looked out through the gate and saw two knights finishing off a moblin. Link joined them and said, “Good job men. I want you,” he pointed his finger at one of the knights, “to go back to the castle and gather a couple of more knights.”

He ran off to carry out his order. Link turned to the last knight and said, “I want you to begin searching around Hyrule field. If you see anything suspicious, I don’t care how small, investigate it. I want every inch of Hyrule checked for anything that can explain why we have moblins wandering around here.”

With that, the two warriors split and took opposite sides of Hyrule field. The other knights joined them later on, but not one of them could find anything that answered Link’s question. Link began convincing himself that the moblins were probably refugees from when Ganondorf was in power. They were probably hiding out in Hyrule still. However much he convinced himself, he still had a feeling that there was more to this than met the eye. With a feeling of defeat, Link made his way back to Zelda. She was waiting for him in their room. She watched Link come into the room and realized that he was carrying a sword.

“Link, I want to know what’s going on right now,” Zelda said with a more demanding tone than before.

Link had to tell Zelda; there was no good reason to keep this from her, and at the moment, there was no question as to their safety.

“There were some moblins found running around, but don’t worry,” he threw his hands up to keep her from getting up, “they’re done away with.”

Zelda was now relieved that she knew what was happening, but still was apprehensive.

“What could be causing this? The moblins were all destroyed when Ganondorf was banished to the Dark Realm.”

“I don’t know at the moment, but, let me worry about this. You have no reason to be concerned. A couple of renegade moblins aren’t a real threat to anyone. From now on, however, I want at least one guard with you at all times until I can uncover this mystery.” But before Zelda could interrupt Link, he quickly said, “...and I know that you don’t like guards, but please, for me and for the baby, just do this. I would never forgive myself if I left you and the baby alone and harm came to you. It shouldn’t take long to find out what is leading to this ordeal. Trust me, I wouldn’t do this to you if I didn’t think that your life might be in some danger. This is just a precaution, this doesn’t necessarily mean that your life is in danger, though.”

Link managed to force a smile to try and ease the situation somewhat.

“Okay,” she conceded, “but you need to hurry this investigation along. I don‘t want you out all hours of the night searching around. You do that too much already and...I still do worry when you are out.”

“I will go as fast as I can. In the mean time, you need to not let this get to you. Any stress could upset this pregnancy. I don’t want anything to happen to this baby, or you.”

A couple more months passed and Link only encountered a few moblins and other creatures as he sleuthed around looking for clues as to what could be causing this. This was the month that Zelda was scheduled to have the baby. This was also the day that Ganondorf’s spell would completely open the gates of the Dark Realm. Conveniently enough, this month was the rainy season. It rained almost continuously every day of the week. During the middle of the month the raining escalated to powerful thunderstorms that would frequently flood parts of Hyrule.

Link and Zelda were quietly taking a bath together. Zelda’s belly was so huge that Link had to help bathe her. They both enjoyed it. It gave them time to relax together and to spend some time with each other. If Link had to be somewhere, Zelda knew that they would at least have some time alone at the end of the day when it was time to wash up. The tub was, many a times, their only place they could have peaceful silence and be with each other. Ever since Link decided to stay out and look around the castle almost every day Zelda had not seen much of him. He told her not to worry, but how could she not when Link was always gone? Sometimes while he is gone she cries, because she does not know what is going on and how to stop whatever is causing this. She also cries because during the day recently, she has been having birth pains. She has no one to comfort her while she wails in her bed. He did not tell her why he was doing this because he did not want to upset Zelda. Zelda figured that he would not tell her this because it probably would upset her. She trusted her husband, although she would’ve liked to know more.

The sounds of the thunder roared through the castle, occasionally loud enough to make Zelda jump. Link sat behind her in the tub and helped to wash her back. He also helped to wash her hair. It was so long and beautiful. The only thing Link could relate her hair to was fine gold silk. He poured water onto her hair and lathered in the shampoo that was specially made for royalty. Exotic plant extracts and perfumes were what made up the shampoo. Link never used any special shampoos or soaps. An ordinary bar of soap and water was all he needed, although it didn’t really help since he didn’t stay clean for very long. He grabbed the bar of soap and a wash clothe. He lathered the soap into the wash clothe and washed parts of Zelda’s body that she could no longer reach. Zelda was even kind enough to help Link wash off. She washed his back for him and washed his hair for him. She occasionally put the special shampoo in his hair. When he would complain about walking around ‘smelling like a flower’, she would simply say, ‘are you saying that my shampoo isn’t good enough for you?’ That always shut him up, albeit with mumbles and growls.

After Link and Zelda washed off they got out of the bathroom. He dried her off and helped her to the closet to get a nightgown to wear. After she picked out something, Link helped her put it on and then he walked her to the bed and helped her onto it.

“Link, will you brush my hair for me?”

“Of course.”

Link knew that brushing her hair helped to calm her. Whenever she was stressed out or worried about something, brushing her hair seemed to melt away her worries. He grabbed a brush on the vanity and helped Zelda onto the bed. He sat with his back to the pillows and let Zelda sit in front of him between his legs. He pulled the brush slowly through he hair, making sure that he did not pull at any tangles.

“Link, I’ve been thinking. When Ganondorf was in power, that was when the moblins began appearing. What if-”

“-no Zelda, lets not talk about him. Didn’t I tell you not to worry? Look...I admit, this is a little strange. But Ganondorf is sealed away in the Dark Realm. He can’t cause any harm to anyone in here. If by some chance he can create creatures here while he is in there, then why hasn’t he created a whole army to destroy us yet?”

Link made a good point. Knowing Ganondorf, if he could manifest his powers in Hyrule, he would have already done something.

“I guess you’re right Link. You always know what to say, don’t you?”

Link leaned forward and turned Zelda’s head so that he could kiss her.

“What makes my job easier is that you are easy to calm. You just need to be prodded the right way, and most of the time I can guess what words can do it.”

Link put the brush down, finished with his task. He laid back and Zelda laid back on his chest. She was in a feeling of euphoria. She felt completely safe while Link’s powerful, yet gentle, arms were wrapped around her. She brought her arms up and laid them on top of his.

“Link, with you here, Hyrule is going to be the perfect place for our baby to grow up. We will not have to worry about our child wandering off and being in trouble because this will be the safest place to live.”

Zelda had no idea that, soon, events would severely contradict her statement.

“Come on Zelda, lets go to sleep.”

Link let go of Zelda and pulled the covers over him and his wife. Link moved up against Zelda and put his arms around her.

“Good night Zelda.”

“Good night Link.”

Link put his hand on her stomach and said, “Good night my child.”

How wrong they were about the night being ‘good.’

Ganondorf stood at the now open gates of the Dark Realm. He stood amazed at his own abilities as a sorcerer. He did manage to impress himself sometimes. He stepped through the gate and was transported to the middle of Hyrule field. He looked up at the sky, something he longed to see. The rain beat against his pale green skin as the thunderstorm grew more violent. Growing more frequent, lightning bolts attacked the sky and even trees or the ground. Ganondorf smiled as he looked in front of him and spied his objective: Hyrule castle. Ganondorf raised his hands up in the air and called for his minions. All at once, hundreds of his creatures appeared around him. He turned and faced his civil servants.

“My creatures, listen well to your master. In just a few moments we will be making history. We will take Hyrule castle and we will rid this place of the two people who have thwarted my plans in the past. These two individuals, if you see them, you are to take them captive and have them escorted to me. I do not want any of you to harm them, that will be my job. Anybody else is fair game. Now, go!” Ganondorf ran towards Hyrule castle with his minions following him. Tonight would be his uprising. Tonight he would fulfill his wish, killing the two people he despised the most.

A guard on the watch tower was walking back and forth at the entrance gate when he spotted hundreds of creatures as a lightning bolt lit up Hyrule field. He gasped in horror. As soon as he regained control over his body he screamed, “Men...twelve o’clock...enemy!”

His scream did not go unnoticed. Every guard that was on duty at the gate turned in the direction in which he instructed. All guards reacted to the sight and stood ready to take on the army of monsters making their way to them. A couple of guards ran back to Hyrule castle to get more reinforcements. When Ganondorf was close enough he charged a dark energy ball in his hands. When he gathered enough energy he threw it at the entrance gate. As soon as the energy ball touched the stone and wood there was a huge explosion. Fire, wood, and stone flew in every direction. The blast killed every guard within a one-hundred feet radius. In their room, Link and Zelda both felt the explosion shake the castle. Link and Zelda awoke with a start. Usually Link was a sound sleeper, but the shear magnitude of the shock wave made Link jump up out of bed and look out of their window. For a second he didn’t realize what he was seeing. It was so surreal to see a gigantic fire at the entrance to Hyrule.

“Link, what happened?”

Link didn’t really know what happened. For all he knew, a lightning bolt struck the gate...but a lightning bolt could not have caused an explosion as big as that.

“I don’t know, you stay here. I’m going to go and check it out.”

He quickly dressed and grabbed his sword, just in case...He ran out of his room and followed the swarm of guards through the hallway and down the main stairs that led to the front door of the castle. While he was running he heard one guard say to another something about a possible invasion. This realization that Hyrule was in danger spurred Link to get to the threat as fast as he could. He ran ahead of the guards and straight through the courtyard, all of the way through Hyrule market. As he gained a good view of the gate, he watched in horror as hundreds of moblins and other creatures forced their way through the destroyed entrance. He stopped, frozen with disbelief. Nothing went through his head at the moment. He couldn’t think of anything other than shock. When the rest of the guards caught up with Link they saw what was happening and quickly engaged the creatures. Link had to get back to Zelda and see to her safety. His men would be okay; they were skilled enough to not need his help. He turned around and ran back to the castle.


Zelda listened to the fire and rain. The combination of the two was somewhat eerie. A few minutes after Link left the room, Impa burst through into Zelda’s room. She ran up to Zelda’s side of the bed and began pulling her off of the bed. Zelda jerked her arm back and asked very harshly, “Wait, what is going on? I have been kept out in the dark many times these passed months. I demand to know what is happening.”

“Zelda, we do not have time to talk, we need to get you to a safe place.”

Zelda did not move, her firm eyes focused on Impa’s. Impa didn’t want to waste anymore time.
“Zelda, we are possibly under attack. Now come, lets get out of here.”

Zelda’s eyes opened wide at what she was just told.

“By whom?”

Impa walked up to Zelda and began helping her up.

“I don’t know yet, but once I get you safely secured away I will find out.”

Zelda edged her way off the bed and finally stood with a struggle. She stopped and asked with unease, “Wait, what about Link?”

“Don’t worry Zelda. Link is a very resourceful man, he will not come to any harm.”

Impa gave Link all of the credit he deserved. He was a skilled warrior, he trained himself very well. Many times there were tournaments held in Hyrule in which men competed with swords. In every competition Link was victorious. He also had taking on Ganondorf under his belt which proved just how powerful he was.

Impa, as quickly as she could, guided Zelda out of the room and downstairs to a secure location underneath the castle. With every step Zelda took she got more and more scared. With every step she felt farther and farther away from Link. She wanted to see him and make sure he was okay, but she knew that Impa would not dare let her out into the battle that was waging. She was only doing her job, and Zelda did not hate her for that. Just as they were about to round the next corner to go into the abandoned dungeon they heard a voice. They stopped and listened more closely. It was Link, and he was calling for Zelda.


Link made it back to the castle in no time. He darted upstairs and up to his and Zelda’s room. He threw open the door and found her not in there. Where could she be? I hope she‘s not in trouble. He searched all throughout the room, looking in the closets and the bathroom, but with no luck.

“Zelda!” he screamed.

There was no answer, so he screamed her name again. Again, no answer. He dashed out of their room and made his way through the passageway to the stairs that led to the front door of the castle. He knew Impa took her and most likely led her away from her. He quietly thanked her and was now at the top of the stairs. There was an explosion that had to be right outside of the castle. The stones underneath Link’s feet shook and he steadied himself against the wall. He let his body readjust before he continued. He refocused his attention and began to make his way down the stairs. Then his heart skipped a beat as he saw Zelda beginning to make her way up the steps.

“Zelda!”


Ganondorf easily made his way through the mass of Hylian guards. Any attempt at stopping him ended with the guard having his head cleaved off his shoulders by Ganondorf’s huge sword. He made his way, quite swiftly, towards the inner castle. He grinned in anticipation, knowing that in mere minutes he would be at the castle to kill his adversaries. His bloodstained sword hacked its way through tens of guards. Ganondorf was one of the best swordsman, only being out-performed by Link. He gripped his sword tighter as he fantasized the sword duel he and Link were going to be having. He gained perverse pleasure from knowing that soon his sword would be sliding its way across Link’s neck. Ganondorf charged a dark bolt of energy and propelled it at the inner gate to the castle; the last stronghold that separated Ganondorf from his destiny. The explosion was felt by Ganondorf, and he smiled, completely thrilled at witnessing how powerful and destructive he was.

He walked through the courtyard and stood before the castle. He charged another dark energy bolt, this time charged powerful enough to destroy part of the castle. A smiled cracked across his face as he released his weapon of destruction onto the castle. The bolt of energy struck the castle side and exploded, completely collapsing the stone blocks that formed the castle walls.


Zelda looked up at Link and yelled, “Link!”

Zelda was already halfway up the steps, with Impa right behind her, when Link began to make his way down the steps. The steps were very long. It would take just seconds to meet up with Zelda, but that was too long for Link. He smiled as he got closer to Zelda. Then, as if Link was experiencing one of his nightmares, the entire staircase exploded and caved in. He watched in horror as his pregnant wife and Impa were caught in the explosion. The stone steps collapsed and fell through into the next floor below them.

“Nooo!” screamed Link.

Stone and embers jumped up at Link and struck him. He couldn’t believe what just happened, it had to be a dream. He just watched his wife and their unborn child become engulfed in fire and plummet through the stairs. Link held onto some hope that they still might be alive. He stood up and quickly dodged out of the way of a stone that crashed from the roof. The entire staircase was gone. He looked down and estimated the fall to be at least a hundred feet. He took a step back and then jumped across the gap. He landed on the remaining stairs and went into a roll to absorb the landing, then he continued around the corner. He went down the next flight of stairs that led to the basement all the while nearly blinded by tears. Zelda, please be alive. Please goddesses, please let Zelda and our baby be okay. He hoped, against all odds, that she somehow survived the fall. He jumped the steps three at a time and was now in the basement. He gazed upon the smoldering stone and wood that lay in front of him. Somewhere his wife and their child were buried under the debris, hopefully still alive. He jumped at the pile of stone and wood and began digging. He threw stone blocks out of the way and tossed aside long boards of wood. Then, he lifted a stone block and saw what he wished not to see: a bloody hand. It was definitely Zelda’s hand; her wedding band was on her finger. He began digging furiously, trying his hardest and fastest to uncover the woman he loved. Tears now ran down his face. Deep inside of him something told him that his loved ones were gone, but he chose not to listen to it. He pulled another stone block out of the way and looked upon Zelda’s face. If he was not looking for Zelda, he would not have known that the bloody face that stared back at him was hers. Her face was covered in blood, bruises, cuts, and very severe burns. She didn’t look alive, but Link chose not to see that. She had to be alive, she just had to be. He uncovered the rest of her body and held her in his arms. He slowly touched her face, but when his hand touched her, he felt nothing. There was no life in her. He checked on her neck for a pulse, but there was nothing. He put his hand on her chest, but it led to the same conclusion: she was dead. Tears streamed down his face as he put a hand on her abdomen. He looked down at her dress, which was burnt and shredded partially, and saw a huge piece of wood that had impaled her. Surrounding the injury was a large spot of blood. No Link didn’t want to admit this, but there was no way his baby could be alive. A fall like that killed his wife. There was no chance that his child was alive; and if the baby was alive by some chance, it was probably already dying because it had no mother to keep it alive. Link just stared at his baby, hoping that this was a dream, a horrible dream. Too many times he had dreams that were so real, he didn’t even know if he was awake. He was ready to believe that he was dreaming, and was ready to wake up. He wasn’t, however, ready to accept this, he wouldn’t accept this. Link’s eyes began to blind him with tears. He looked up and shouted to the goddesses, “Why! Why did you allow this to happen? Why did you let my wife and,” he fought back his whimpering and continued, “and my child die? What did I ever do to deserve this? You all are suppose to be kind and loving goddesses. What kind of loving and caring goddesses lets something like this happen?!”

Link said what he thought he would never be saying, “Curse you goddesses! Damn you!”

Link cursed their names, blaming them for his losses. He would never forgive them for what they let happen. They would forever be cursed by Link for as long as he lived. He shoved his face into Zelda’s quiet chest. His tears quickly soaking her nightgown she wore. Then, something Link never expected to hear: laughter. He carefully put Zelda down and kissed her on the cheek. He stood and drew his sword. Rage, an old and welcomed friend, now filled his entire body. He knew that anyone laughing right now would not be a good sign. That whoever caused this to happen was the one upstairs laughing. Only someone sick enough to do that would be laughing at this point. He climbed the stairs and with every step he took his rage increased, becoming something Link had never felt before. He rounded the corner and gazed upon a true nightmare: Ganondorf. He stood at the door, looking as if he was marveling at what he had accomplished. Link’s shock was quickly replaced with rage again. He charged at Ganondorf, sword pointed at his chest.

“Ganondorf!”

Ganondorf was nearly caught off guard, but he saw Link coming at him. He drew his sword and what he so desired to happen, happened. Link and Ganondorf were now engaged in a brutal sword duel. All of the stops were being pulled out in this rematch. Both Link and Ganondorf were not going to lose. Ganondorf was fighting for revenge and his ‘rightful’ place on the throne, and Link was fighting for the stolen souls of his wife and his child. This match was only going to end when one of them lay dead on the ground.