Unsurprisingly, getting an audience with Princess Felia was extremely easy after erasing an army in a second and capturing a fugitive. And that was without the fact that we already knew her. Regardless, within half an hour of our sudden arrival at the castle, we were standing in the main throne room, Felia sitting on her small throne, Zelda and Impa next to her. I was standing, sword planted between my feet, adjacent to Ganondorf, who was shackled with magic-impeding cuffs and under close scrutiny from everyone in the grand hall. I also saw Sheik lurking in the shadows, likely ready to step in if the situation called for it.

"Ganondorf Dragmire, you have some explaining to do," Felia said, staring at the taller man with all the air and authority of a monarch. "You were last seen in this castle attempting to break into the Royal Archives after your sudden disappearance. You then vanished again, only to appear in Kakariko, seemingly with the sole purpose of attacking Link and Zelda. Then you disappear again, only to show up in the middle of the capital with a horde of monsters following you in an attempt to storm the castle. I would very much like to hear a detailed explanation of how you managed all that, all while evading every attempt made to find you, despite your practically nonexistent knowledge of Hyrule proper. Whenever you're ready of course." Silence hung in the air for a moment before Ganondorf began speaking.

"I was deceived by a dark power. It called out to me my first night in the castle, promising me a way to better the Gerudo in ways that Hyrule could not give us. I ignored it for a time, but I eventually became curious. The voice lured me to the edge of the city, where a thin demon named Keritan met me on behalf of his master. I was seduced by his promises of power and wealth and allowed him to train me in the dark forest to the north.

"I was given access to dark magic that the demon said had been struck from history, which I then used to sneak back into the castle while the demon sent a horde of cursed monsters as a distraction. I was instructed to try to get into a secret chamber in the castle and either find some sort of useful information or destroy it all. When I failed at this, Keritan was angry, though I suspect it was rage fueled by fear of his master.

"That was the first time I heard his voice. He told me to intercept and kill you two at any cost. The magic he gave me to find you activated shortly after, which I followed until I found you in Kakariko. When I crashed, the magic device was broken as well, leaving me no choice but to return to the dark forest." Ganondorf finally stopped in his recollections, his eyes taking on a haunted look before continuing with a hollow voice.

"He hurt me, tortured me, with terrible instruments and evil magic. It nearly broke me, the agony was terrible, but he kept me from slipping into madness. I don't know how long it lasted, but eventually it stopped and the wounds were healed. The scars remained though." He pulled down the edge of his shirt to reveal the red line of a fresh scar that looked like his skin had been roughly clawed instead of cut. The one look was confirmation enough that I didn't want to see any more. My own scars were nothing compared to that one.

"As soon as I was healed, I was ordered to take an army to the castle and capture the princess, which failed when you suddenly arrived. And now here we are." Quiet filled the room with the end of the Gerudo king's story. After a minute of the silence, Felia spoke again.

"You continue to reference the leader of the demons as 'he'. We have our guess as to his identity, but who is it you speak of?"

Ganondorf's eyes widened with the first true display of fear from the imposing man. "Don't. Don't make me say his name. He has ways of getting into my head, he takes control, it tears my mind apart. Don't say it."

"Is it-" Impa began, only to be shouted over.

"NO! DON'T SAY IT!" Ganondorf tried to cover his ears, only to be impeded by the cuffs around his wrists. Still, he clenched his eyes shut and shook his head, as if fighting a terrible headache. "Nonononono, the pain, it aches, it-AAAHHHHGHH!"

With a sudden scream of pain, Ganondorf tumbled to the floor, muscles bulging against his restraints, fingers digging at his scalp. I was about to reach forward to help him when an overwhelmingly dark aura filled the room, as if the void itself had stepped into the grand hall. All of it emanated from the suddenly still Gerudo, who slowly rose to his feet.

"You wish to know my name," he said in a voice not entirely his own. Ganondorf's smooth voice was undercut by a harsh growl, like a dull knife scraped against bleached bone, a completely unnatural sound to come from the throat of anything other than a monster. "You know my name, mortals, but you fear the truth of it. You tremble before your inevitable destruction, for that is the only thing that waits for you. I am Ruin." For the one word, Ganondorf's voice was completely overshadowed by the power of the evil god, the intensity of it shaking the air. No one moved in the second that followed, none of us able do anything more than breathe. The silence lasted until the possessed Ganondorf turned to look at me.

"Hero. I recognize the sword in your hand, the very same one that struck my past self down millennia ago. And once again, you possess the power of those three brats that I sought. If you think it is your salvation, you will be disappointed. I will not fall victim to the same trap again. Still, I know your spirit. You will want to try to fight your fate. I'll wait for you in the old temple, where our fates were joined. You will fail, but I yearn to see your blood paint the stone. Do not keep me waiting, Hero of the Gods."

All at once, Ganondorf collapsed and the frightful aura vanished. I relaxed, belatedly realizing my muscles were tensed to strike. It would have done no good, but my body had instinctively moved to destroy the source of that voice, the feeling of rage coming from the ancient part of my soul more powerful than anything I had felt from it before.

"Where is he talking about?" I asked, kneeling down next to Ganondorf. He was still breathing, but was otherwise entirely unresponsive. Sheik rushed out of the shadows, another Sheikah joining him. Together, the two shadow guardians hauled the Gerudo man away, likely to some secret dungeon to be properly interrogated.

"I don't know; the oldest temple in Hyrule is the Temple of Time," Felia said, deep in thought. Her thinking expression actually looked quite a bit like Zelda's, maybe some indication of their shared ancestry. "I think it's fairly obvious Ruin isn't there, but anything else is was built much more recenty."

"That is incorrect, Princess," Impa said from beside the throne, her normal authoritative voice slightly diminished. "There is another temple, largely forgotten to history. It is known, but it is so old that it is impossible to know its purpose, so few mentions of it are made. Combined with its location in the far end of the Tanagar Canyon, almost completely buried by the earth, it is ignored. It is only known as the Forgotten Temple and I suspect that is where Ruin is hiding."

"Great, then we know where we're going. We can probably get there in, what, two, three days?"

"The canyon isn't much more than a massive chasm; nothing of real value is in it. I think the closest lift is on the bridge that crosses it. We could go down there and then just go along the floor of the canyon. We could probably do it in two days, though it might be smarter to make it three, to make sure we're properly rested," Zelda said, putting her logical mind to full use.

"Good idea," I said back, sheathing the Master Sword and poking through my multi-dimensional pockets to make sure I had everything I'd need.

"I'm sorry, are you planning on just straight to him?" Felia asked, apparently finally deciphering what we were talking about.

"Yep," I said, satisfied that I had most of what we needed. We'd need a bit more food, but that could probably wait until we reached the canyon. The massive tear in the earth was a popular natural landmark and thus a tourist attraction to some degree. We'd be able to get food there.

"Are you insane?!" Felia exclaimed, shaking me out of my thoughts. "You're not going to fight the doom of Hyrule on your own. We'll assemble the army and crush him!"

"Terrible idea," I said, adjusting the straps on my bracers. "I knew he wanted to fight me before, this only confirms it. I'm probably the only reason he hasn't razed Hyrule already. And given that your soldiers were nearly helpless before his monsters, I don't think they're going to do well against a god. No, Zelda and I are the only ones who can stop him, so we're the only ones going. That's it." Zelda nodded along with me, slightly more sympathetic to the princess' plan but still siding with me. It seemed that Felia also saw the rationality of my plan.

"I don't like it. At all," she said, her lips pursed with irritation. "But you're right, I don't have another way, and there's no time. Go, Hero of Hyrule. The fate of the world rests on you."

"No pressure," I said back, already making my way out of the grand throne room.

In short order, we were back on the Master Cycle and speeding out of the city. Judging from the abundance of smashed windows, broken signs and streetlights, and a general feeling of unease, monsters hadn't only been attacking the Temple of Time. Ganondorf's monster army marching through the city was clearly only the latest threat the people of Hyrule City had faced in recent days. All the more reason to get things taken care of, as far as I was concerned.

While we drove, I made it a point to call Hunter and Shade. I hadn't spoken to either for a few days and figured they at least deserved to know before Zelda and I dove into the jaws of death.

The conversation with Hunter was predictably short. Already at least partially informed, it didn't take long to get him up to speed. We only had to tell him about everything after the attack on the Temple of Time, where he had been relocated to ensure another monster attack could be repelled. Even after we told him about our plan to go confront Ruin directly, he didn't try to argue against us. Just wished us luck and warned us against rampant stupidity. If I was honest, having my replacement father figure so relaxed about my possible death was a little…disconcerting. It felt like he either didn't care if we died or that it was a foregone conclusion that we wouldn't. I hoped it was the second option.

The conversation with Shade played out quite a bit differently.

"Hello?" he croaked in the worst morning voice I'd ever heard. "Link, the fuck you calling me for?"

"THAT'S IT! THERE'S THAT DAMN VOICE AGAIN! So help me Shadren, that thing is a fucking lethal weapon to womankind and if you don't learn how to control it, I'm-"

"MID, IT'S MY FUCKING BROTHER, STOP!" Shade shouted back, his voice remaining a low growl. "Sorry, what?" he said into the phone, only partially blocking the sound of Midna groaning about something.

"Do I want to know?" I asked, already pretty sure of the answer.

"Probably not. I like the whole 'don't ask, don't tell' thing we've got going."

"Agreed," I said quickly, more than eager to drop the subject. I also ignored whatever Midna was shouting about in the background. I took the next half hour to tell Shade about everything we had done, finally finishing just as we exited Hyrule City and started zipping through the countryside.

"Alright, cool," Shade finally said, the way his voice echoed indicating he had switched to speakerphone at some point, likely for Midna's benefit.

"That's it, just 'cool'?" I asked. I had plenty of experience with Shade's laidback nature, but I guess I had expected a little more from him this time, especially given that I had just told him I was heading to fight an evil god.

"Yep, have fun, don't fuck up, 'cause that'd really suck. The world ending would really put a damper on a lot of stuff I've got planned, you know? Still waiting to get into college, haven't baked the perfect cake, bought a lottery ticket the other day, gotta see if that pans out, what else…?"

"What about…" I heard Midna say before her voice dropped to a low whisper. I could tell she was saying something but couldn't make out what was being said. Both people on the other end of the line were quiet once she finished, silence fill the empty space.

"…Link, gotta go. I've been given an opportunity that cannot be passed up," Shade suddenly said, his raspy voice a little clearer.

"Do I want to know?" I asked, well aware of the note of resignation in my voice.

"About the bet Midna just made with me? Maybe. About what happens if I win? Even more maybe. Sounds like you've got stuff to do though, so I'll let you go. Good luck, don't be a bitch, see ya!" He abruptly hung up, leaving me with an opportunity to decide if I wanted to read into his words more. I pretty quickly decided against it.

"Sounds like he took it well," Zelda voice said in my ear. She hadn't been hooked into the conversation, but had apparently picked a few thing up regardless.

"Something like that," I said back, more than a little unwilling to admit that I had definitely just been dropped by my brother in favor of a girl. Then again, if I was in the same situation and Zelda was the girl, I likely would have done the same. Which brought back another thought. "Zelda, what do you think of my morning voice?" I asked my girlfriend. She gave a quick, surprised laugh.

"Why do you ask?" she pried, rightfully suspecting that there was more to the question than met the eye.

"Well, according to Midna, Shade's morning voice is a weapon against women everywhere. And in theory, we have the same voice. Therefore, logic says I too have a sexy morning voice. Naturally, I rely on you to validate the accuracy of such a claim." I could practically hear Zelda thinking over the roar of the Master Cycle.

"I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to go around using it against the female population of Hyrule. Deal?" It was an offer I couldn't deny, even if I wanted to. The hint that she had dropped was enough that I had to know, damn the consequences.

"Promise," I said, before she could retract the offer. I could feel her lean against me more, her embrace tightening slightly.

"Morning voice is hot, but it's the morning eyes that are really amazing."

"What do you mean?" Zelda thought for a moment before answering.

"You're all sleepy, and then you're suddenly sleepy and happy and it's super adorable."

"Okay, I guess I get it," I said, just a little let down, something Zelda picked up on and poked at me until I explained.

"I was hoping it was the sort of thing that made you just jump me. Like you couldn't help yourself anymore." Zelda made no effort to hide her laugh.

"Sorry, not quite. But don't worry, there are other things you do that make you irresistible. And no, I'm not telling you what they are." I didn't bother disguising my grumbling, but I mostly did it for effect. It was definitely worth it when I heard Zelda's bright laugh again. I also knew I'd have plenty of chances to figure out exactly what she enjoyed in the future, discoveries I was very much looking forward to making. For the time being though, we just continued our ride towards the Tabantha Great Bridge.

As predicted, Zelda and I reached Tanagar Canyon later that day. We spent the night in the unified town that had formed on either side of the chasm before leaving in the morning. We managed to find a lift that we took down to the canyon floor before slipping away out of sight. We didn't know if someone would try to stop two teenagers from wandering around in the natural crevice, but we also didn't want to find out. We made sure we were out of sight around a bend before firing up the Master Cycle and heading north.

The ride itself was monotonous but far from boring. On either side of us, the raw stone of the canyon rose to terrifying heights. On the ride down the chasm, we had appreciated just how long it had taken to reach the bottom but looking up from below was a different matter entirely. The rocky cliffs seemed like they could scrape the sky itself.

Different colors of rock marked lines on the cliff through the ages. Looking at them was not only a reminder of how short life was, as we'd never see these walls change, but also how long Hyrule had existed. I felt like I could look back to a time when past heroes had walked the land, having their own adventures and battling evil. I wondered if future versions of myself would someday look at these same crags and think the same things.

Other than that, the trip wasn't all that interesting. Lots of rock, a few scrubs, a few animals. The untamed nature of the valley floor slowed us down a little too. Regardless of how magical our motorcycle was, it could only do so well on rough, uneven terrain.

Still, our time estimates proved to be on point. Night was setting in, though we could only tell by the darkening of the sky, by the time that something in the distance broke the continuous sameness of the canyon. There was barely enough light to make it out, a huge but clearly ancient face of a building, long since abandoned to time. Zelda and I moved closer to the side of the cliff face, hiding behind a rock once we got to the point where we could see more clearly in the quickly fading light.

Indistinct shapes moved along the sheer front of the temple, likely a massive number of monsters. Two tilted square pillars stood in front of it, with the collapsed pieces of two more scattered around. More monsters crawled around those, with the outlines of even more visible on the roof of the temple. The only entrance to the monolithic structure was several hundred feet in the air, with only a rickety wooden ramp constructed to allow entry. Which was also guarded by, you guessed it, more monsters.

"This is not going to go well, is it?" I asked rhetorically. Zelda made some small, noncommittal noise, her beautiful mind churning through the problem that faced us for a solution.

We stayed crouched there for a few minutes, searching for a gap in the monster's defenses that likely didn't exist. "Do we wait for morning and try to attack then?" Zelda offered, coming to the same conclusion as me. I was about to agree when a loud horn echoed though the valley. Looking around frantically, I realized a ruddy blue Bokoblin had been roaming around a rock the same way we had been. Whether it was by accident or design, our hiding place was decidedly blown. I could already hear the return calls of the monsters by the temple as they began swarming in our direction.

Given that we were about to be swarmed by an absolute army of demons, I decided that action was our best option. Specifically, the action of drawing the Master Sword and sending a bright laser arching toward the pig monster that had given us away. It only had time to jump with surprise before the wide beam bisected it at the chest, chopping its stupid horn to pieces in the process. Satisfied that at least the cause for our immediately suffering was dead, I wordlessly handed Zelda her scepter and readied myself to receive the first wave of approaching death. In the seconds before the first wave hit us, I only thought to keep them from getting to Zelda, no matter what.

A line of reptilian Lizalfos were the first ones to reach us and were similarly eradicated by a quick blast of Zelda's magic. The next three monsters were a tall Moblin with a club and two more Bokoblins, all of which were dispatched with a deft slice at the lanky monster's ankle that sent it down to crush its smaller companions. The next wave was quickly approaching when a loud, echoing boom reverberated through the canyon and the air itself.

Every single monster immediately froze in place. Even the ones that would be within striking distance of us with just a few steps didn't move a muscle. They just looked at us and each other with more caution and intelligence than was sensible. Another powerful boom rippled through the chasm. The army started moving again, but it wasn't to continue their rush. Instead, they formed two lines, leaving a clear aisle from where Zelda and I were standing to the ramp that led to the temple entrance.

"I guess we're expected," I said with forced cheerfulness. Clearly neither Zelda nor I had any doubts that this was a monumentally bad idea, but it was also the only one really available to us. With one last nervous look, I readjusted my grip on the Master Sword and started walked down the formed path, Zelda at my side.

"On the plus side, if we're confronting the ultimate evil, at least we're dressed the part," Zelda said as we marched past the rows of monsters, all of which were eyeing us like they'd like nothing more than to sink their teeth into us. Before I could spiral back into throughs of how we could be shredded to pieces at any given moment, I locked my attention on what my girlfriend had said.

"I told you changing when we did was a good idea," I said, looking Zelda over again. She was dressed in her full goddess regalia, white dress flowing gently around her curves and golden jewelry decorating her neck, ears, and wrists, the latter pieces something she had picked up at some point in our travels. The small circlet that complemented her pale blonde hair so well was nestled among the long, straight strands, giving her the perfect blend of natural and otherworldly beauty. Though I might be slightly biased. For my part, my usual Hero tunic, pants, and hat continued to serve me faithfully.

"I guess it would be a little embarrassing to confront a god looking like a ratty teenager," Zelda said. Given that she had complained about riding the Master Cycle in the dress for the last hour of our ride, I figured that was as close as I was going to get to a confirmation that I had been, for once, right.

The long walk between the remains of the stone pillars left me with plenty of time to examine the situation. We were practically being herded into the enormous temple. The lines of monsters on either side of us was unbroken, sometimes even a few deep, despite the extreme distance we had to cover. I went without saying that once we were inside, getting outside would be almost impossible. Still, the part of my mind that cared about Zelda more than anything insisted that taking a chance against hundreds of monsters was more likely to succeed than one unleashed god.

We had reached the bottom of the ramp before I spoke up. "Zelda, if something-" I was interrupted almost immediately.

"If you are going to say something stupid about me saving myself if everything goes wrong, I will throw you off this damn temple myself." The fierce tone in her voice left absolutely no room for argument, but I tried anyways.

"Please, just think-" Again, my argument was short lived.

"I wasn't kidding you know," Zelda said, golden light flickering around her raised hand. "I would rather die with you than leave you to certain death just so I can live long enough to see the world end. I. Will not. Abandon you."

I liked to think I knew Zelda pretty well. She was my eternal soulmate, after all. I had seen her angry, sad, depressed, melancholic, excited, gleeful, brimming with love, and who knew how many more emotions. I had never seen her so completely, fatally serious though. Whether it was my own good sense or some echo of a past self that had made a similar mistake, I immediately made myself shut up.

"Good. We're agreed," Zelda said, as we reached the top of the rickety scaffold. With barely a second look, she stepped off the wood and onto the weather worn stone of the temple, fearlessly making her way inside. I watched her a moment, etching the sight of her into my mind.

She was allowed to refuse to flee. Honestly, I wasn't sure what I had expected. There was obviously no way she would agree. In her shoes, I knew I certainly wouldn't. Which left me with exactly one contingency plan.

'Sorry Zelda,' I thought, following in my girlfriend and goddess' footsteps. 'I need you to live. And I would die to give you one more chance to be happy. No matter how much you would hate me for it.' A moment later, the darkness of the temple swallowed both of us entirely as we walked towards the end.

Happy birthday to me, I'm so alone~! That's right suckers, I'm updating on my birthday! I don't know why I'm telling you this, because it doesn't matter and I'm well past the age where birthdays are really exciting and are now just a thing that happens that warrants a bit of celebration. On a much more exciting note, I'm actually updating when I said I would! Like, holy shit, this is incredible. Next chapter isn't quite finished yet, I've recently had the pleasure of going back to work and dealing with people again, which is exhausting, so I haven't been able to do much writing. However, I am still going to try and finish this damn thing by the end of the month (it's not going to happen, but I'll try anyways). This is the plan, and it shall remain the plan until such a time that I say otherwise. So...yeah!

As usual, I don't have much to say about the chapter itself, just a good bit of ominousness and a lot of lead up to the final fight, which is coming at a screaming pace. Feels a bit quick, but I have my reasons for that. First, that's just how it ended up in my head. Second, do you really want this to take longer? I mean, sure, you might get more Zelink cuteness, but we all know we're just trying to fill the void inside of all of us with cheap sweetness. ...POSITIVISM!

Reviews, reviews...Twilit Lord, it is back, and yes, you are first. Metaphorical pats on the back and all that. Silverblood, 's alright, sounds about right. I feel your pain, I myself have the nickname 'limp noodle' from one of my sister's friends. It's a sad reality, but the one we have to live with. On the plus side, we shall never struggle to fit in small spaces and can get closer for cuddling. Theoretically. And yes, this sucker is going full speed ahead, only braking for snacks. I hope it goes good, then bad, then better, then really bad, then super good, but we'll see. And you do know I told you not to do that for your own sake right? I mean, cotton just tastes like mattress stuffing. Plus it makes your mouth super dry. Uh, I mean, I assume... Nightwing, maybe, probably, I won't it's my own drive that's pushing me, and kind of. I plan to keep working on 'Shared Wings' which you should all go look at if you like fluff with some drama. If I do more Zelda stuff, I think it will be more character-based stuff as opposed to large scale adventure type stories. I find my favorite parts of this story are the ones where I have Link and Zelda messing around or being cute together. But again, no concrete plans as of yet. Oracle, I agree, plus I liked the idea of fighting a different Ganondorf that kind of embodied or required a show of each trait of the Triforce. Hope that came across, Ganon for Courage, WW Dorf for Wisdom, and TP Dorf for Power. And yes, I try to keep things in line with the fact that these are teenagers and teenagers never don't have insecurities or have their shit entirely together. A bit of healthy unease does wonders for the old conflict machine, even if it is small. Queen Emily, hope you enjoyed the talk between them. But was it really between Link and Ganondorf if Gany got hijacked? Hard to say. Princessa, I'm glad you liked it, I was aiming for TP Ganondorf, he seemed like the one that embodied Power the most out of all the incarnations. Don't worry, I'm not really pushing myself, at least not to an unhealthy degree, and I'd hardly say I'm rushing. In case any of you are under the impression it actually takes a month to write a chapter, let me kill those assumptions right now. It typically takes a week, maybe a bit more, of on and off work to get to my desired 3000-5000 word count. I have been absolutely slacking and with a bit more effort, I probably could have finished this thing last year. Zelink fanatic (but aren't we all), so glad you enjoyed the story, stay tuned for the end. I can definitely appreciate the feeling of binging through something, and I'm glad this story could do that for you.

Okay, that's that. Like I said, I've got the next chapter mostly written, just have to polish off the last thousand words or so, and let me tell you, it's hopefully going to be epic. I say hopefully because it's really hard to judge your own writing. I know I love it, I just hope you all do too. Be sure to tell me for this one and the next by writing reviews. I gorge myself on your kind words, they fuel my big thinker story brain. So do that and be sure to follow so you know when more chapters get posted. I'm aiming for next week again for that release. One after that might take a bit longer though. Until that happens, get up, take a deep breath, do some jumping jacks, and try not to vegetate. Believe me, I struggle with it just as much as you. Until next time, review and don't practice necromancy near a morgue. The fresh ones are the messiest. With that mental image, I'm out, cheers!

~Aro