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Endgame	By : RyuaAlba Category: Zelda > General Views: 26666 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Zelda, or any of the characters or regions or names associated with it. I make no money from this fanfiction.

Chapter List
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Link was faintly surprised when he woke up to daylight outside of his alcove. He’d been up most of the night, wrestling with an uncomfortable mix of arousal, guilt over being aroused, dread, worry, frustration… it just seemed to go on and on. He desperately wished Zelda was there with him, and not just because she was beautiful and willing to have sex with him. She would know what to do with this massive bombshell of information that had just been dropped into his lap.
And she probably wouldn’t have been so distracted by Midna’s spectacular breasts or her skilled hands, either.
Ah, well. At least now it was daytime, and he could do at least something useful. Link rolled out of bed, pulling on his clothing, and went to go talk to Gor Coron. While he wasn’t sure what who to tell how much, he was certain his friend and elder of the Gorons ought to know that there was an army on the way.
Stepping out onto the mountain trail outside the guest quarters, Link saw it wasn’t actually very much morning yet, the only reason there was direct sunlight was because of how high up Death Mountain was. Most of Hyrule wouldn’t be getting daylight for at least another hour. Shrugging, he kept walking anyway, following the scents of something spicy on the air towards what he hoped was a kitchen he could get some food from.
He found his way to a low-ceilinged cave, with a volcanically heated hearth all along one end. The air was heavy, moist, and smelled appetizingly of meat and spices. A Goron waved at him, offering him a heavy flatbread piled high with a mix of fried mushroom and goat meat, and Link took it gratefully. In between bites, he asked where Gor Coron might be found this early in the day, and was told to head down to the jewelry forges two levels down.
It was a beautiful morning for a walk, and with the hearty, well-spiced Goron food inside him, Link felt much calmer about the situation by the time he descended the ramps down to the forges he’d been told about. He could smell the tang of hot metal in the air, and wondered if he’d be able to tell the difference between the metals if he practiced long enough. His friend’s familiar rocky profile was silhouetted briefly as he slid something inside one of the forges, and Link walked towards him.
“Good morning!” Gor called cheerfully, waving to him. He rolled aside the boulder in front of the forge a few moments later, withdrawing a small hoop of some kind. “I like working with gold,” he said, half to Link, half to himself. “It moves so easily to the shape you want… you almost don’t even need to heat it. Don’t get to use it often… people come to us for armor and swords, not crowns.”
“Crowns?” Link asked curiously, a bit of a sinking sensation in his gut as he moved around to see what Coron was working on.
“Yep,” he said, dipping it in a trough of water, a small cloud of steam fading away faster than Link expected. He’d watched Rusl forging iron back in his village, and he suspected that the gold must be cooler than the iron was while working. “Here, let me make sure I’ve got the size right.”
Link tried to protest, but Coron had settled the thing in place before he had a chance to escape. The metal was very warm on his forehead, but not uncomfortably hot. It did feel distressingly heavy though. He’d worn a helm before, of course, but it wasn’t like this, didn’t carry the same symbolic weight.
“Oh, don’t make that face,” the Gor said, punching him lightly in the arm, which meant Link didn’t quite topple over sideways. “It’s good steel under the gold, more of a circlet than a crown. Keep you from getting your skull split. The princess said you wouldn’t wear it if it couldn’t be armor too.”
“I don’t really want to wear it at all…” Link said, taking it off to study it. Now that he could have a good look at it, he could see there were similarities to Zelda’s crown, but it was less ornate, even with the empty jewel socket. It had the same basic shape as hers, but less intricate and it actually did look like it could be armor. Especially if he wore it over his hat, and not just on his bare head like she did.
“I bet not,” Coron chuckled, taking it back and looking over it critically, setting it back in the forge to heat for a few more seconds. “You’re a good, down to earth kind of man, Link. That’s why the Gorons agreed to help you, why you’re still a welcomed guest.”
Link wiped a drop of water from his forehead where it had trickled off the circlet. “Gor, there’s something you need to know. Labrynna’s army is marching for Hyrule, and so is Holodrum.”
The Goron made a sound like boulders grinding together in displeasure as he started working on the crown again, smoothing out the shape of it. “Figured it must be something like that, to be working on the biggest suit of armor I’ve ever seen. What caused the damage in the breastplate of that, anyway? And how in Din’s name did he survive it?”
“Ah… by Din’s hand, actually,” Link said, shrugging. “Ganondorf’s got the Triforce of Power, and it makes him very hard to kill.”
“Good kind of person to have on your side in a war,” Coron grunted, leaning down to pick an eye-sized green jewel out of a drawer, holding it to Link’s tunic. He sniffed, set it back, and picked out another. Nodding at the colour match, he started to set it in the empty socket. “Especially since the Knights of Hyrule are a bit of a joke. What are you planning to do about your lack of an army?”
“I don’t know,” Link said, rubbing his face. “At least Ganondorf’s Gerudo are trained to fight. And I’m sure Zelda is already working on some kind of a backup plan. She’s hoping to avoid a war, but she wouldn’t leave us undefended in case she can’t talk us out of this one. Listen, I don’t want to leave your home undefended…” Link trailed off, uncomfortable.
“But you’re hoping for some Goron warriors?” he mused, using a surprisingly delicate touch and tiny tools to fold the gold in place over the gem. “Link… you’re a friend of the Goron. You’re as close to being one of us as anyone not made of rock can be. And on top of that, you’re a ruler of Hyrule now. If you want something, you’ll get it.”
That thought hadn’t even occurred to him. “I… I hadn’t thought about it that way…” Link said, now feeling even more uncomfortable. “I’m not ordering anything. Really, you know that, right?”
“Of course,” he said, staring at Link with a calculating gaze. “I’ll speak with the other elders. We’re smiths, not soldiers… but we’ve got honor and courage. I’ll make sure a detachment leaves with you, and we’ll be on the lookout for problems from the south here.”
“Thank you,” Link said, feeling a little lightheaded at this almost accidental exercise of authority. “I… I think I’m going to go get some air, if that’s alright with you.” Laughing a bit, his friend waved him off, telling him he could check on the armorsmith’s progress if he wanted.
The cooler air outside the forge did help to clarify things. After all, it was a good thing he was getting help from the Gorons. They really were going to need all the help they could get if Zelda’s negotiations failed… or if Midna’s coup did. All the confusion that had kept him up last night was back again that quickly, and he realized again just how badly he needed to get back to Castletown and talk to Zelda about it.
He still hated Ganondorf. He would be exceptionally happy if they really could manage to kill him and free Hyrule. But his mind kept bringing up the awkward point that Ganondorf was the strongest warrior in Hyrule, and they had two armies marching down on them, three if you counted the Twilit separately. He groaned, rubbing tiredly at his eyes as he walked into the deeper caverns, where he could hear the clanging of armorsmiths hard at work.
Gods, that armor was massive. It somehow looked bigger in pieces… the backplate alone was larger than his shield. From the looks of things, the Gorons had been working at it all night in shifts, most of the damage already repaired, now down to smoothing the patches and reworking the intricate tooling.
A Goron working on the still rough shoulder piece told Link they should be ready by midday. Since it felt strange to watch them repair his enemy’s armor, making him more invulnerable than ever, Link left again. He wasn’t entirely sure whether to be happy or not to see that Naburia and Shikoru were awake and getting some breakfast of their own. They certainly were distracting, and in the end, he decided it’d be better just to forget about his troubles for a while, and let the two Gerudo tease him to their hearts’ content.
By the time Gor Coron came to tell them their work was done, Link was sorely regretting that decision. He’d managed to forget overnight just how shameless the two women were… and how much they seemed to love making him squirm. Seeing a group of two dozen Gorons geared up for travel by the horses cheered him up though, almost as much as the repaired Hylian Shield in the hands of the Goron standing beside his mount.
“We’ll keep watch to the South,” Gor Coron said, as Link hooked the shield over his back and swung up on the horse. “If anyone tries to get up to Hyrule Castle through the canyons, they’ll have a hard time of it. Good luck, Link.”
Link nodded, reaching down to clap him on the shoulder. “You too, Gor.” He urged his horse forwards, eager to get back to Castletown and Zelda. Going down the mountain was almost as achingly slow as it had been going up, and was certainly more unsettling. At least the horses were fresh. The switchback trail was designed for rolling Gorons more than it was for humans, and their escort had no problems with it.
He was worried at first that they wouldn’t be able to keep up once they reached flat ground, but he’d forgotten how quickly a Goron could move when they started to roll. Looking towards home, the horses were much more eager despite their heavy burden, and they made better time returning to Castletown than they had on the trip out. They rode into Castletown as the sun sank to the horizon, casting long shadows ahead of them.
Zelda and Ganondorf were waiting at the now rebuilt Great Hall, along with a group of Hylians and Gerudo to unload and take charge of the horses. Link slid to the ground, only pausing to hook his shield to his back, and dashed over to hug Zelda, murmuring quietly in her ear, “We really need to talk.” He stepped back then, not wanting to make Ganondorf suspicious, or jealous which might be worse.
“Welcome back, you three,” Ganondorf said. “Come, Link, we have some things to discuss.”
“I see you’ve brought some allies,” Zelda said with some amusement, but he could hear the relief in her voice too. “Good thing we’ve got some empty inn space in Castletown, since our guest rooms are still under construction.” She gestured to one of the Hylian attendants, who looked thrilled to have such an important job as settling Goron guests comfortably.
That taken care of, Ganondorf placed a hand on each of their shoulders and guided them to their tower. “Dinner’s waiting, Link, since I’ve found that business of state is much less trying while accompanied by food.” Well… while he didn’t like the feeling of the massive heavy hand on his back, he couldn’t argue with that logic, and so he let Ganondorf lead them into his room, where there was indeed a large roasted cucco, loaf of dark bread, and some fresh vegetables in a dish, a large pitcher of ale beside it and a plate of pastries for dessert.
Well, maybe if he could get Ganondorf distracted enough by thoughts about the war, he’d just let him and Zelda go to bed without any further… activities. Plus, the food smelled good, although much milder than the spicy Goron food had been. Zelda poured three glasses of ale, sitting down in one of the heavy chairs, picking some food onto a plate. Link followed suit, glad to have something between him and Ganondorf, even if it was as small a shield as a plate of dinner.
“Have you heard any news here?” Link asked curiously, wanting to know if Midna had approached either of them too.
“My cousins tell me Labrynna is definitely marching for Hyrule,” Ganondorf said. “They’ve entered the wasteland, but they won’t be to Hylian lands for at least three more days. Initial estimates say about two hundred soldiers, fifty of them mounted.”
“Other than that, no official declaration, no envoys, nothing,” Zelda said, tearing at her bread as if relieving some frustration on the thick crust. “I’ve ordered all Knights to assemble at the Castle grounds tomorrow, to see what kind of a defense we can actually muster. I’ve also asked Telma to speak with any of her group that are willing to fight for me again.”
“Actually… I’ve spoken with an envoy. Kind of…” Link said, not sure whether to cringe or laugh at the expression of incredulousness on both of them. “Midna came and talked to me while I was at Death Mountain.”
“Midna? She dares-“ Ganondorf started, half standing up. Zelda reached up, setting a hand on his arm.
“Of course she does,” she said quietly. “I’d wondered if she was the catalyst behind Labrynna’s army.”
“It’s not just Labrynna…” Link said, edging just a bit away from Ganondorf. “She’s got Holodrum’s army marching too. But she’s… she’s asked for a… she wants to talk first. In the desert, west of Hyrule.” Link had a hard time with diplomatic terms at the best of times, and having the furious King of Gerudo glaring at him, did not make it easier.
“She wants to negotiate?” Zelda asked, raising an eyebrow at Link’s nod. “Well… how interesting. I wonder what she could possibly want.”
“If she’s bringing two armies, she must want it badly,” Ganondorf said.
Link wasn’t at all sure how much he could say without completely spilling everything, but he quickly found he didn’t need to say a thing. Zelda was in full calculating diplomat mode now. “I can think of two motivations for her. The first, and probably the most core, is that she doesn’t want her people living in exile any longer. We’ll have to hope she’s willing to focus on that point and bargain hard for it, because I suspect her second motive is just wanting revenge. You DID enslave her people, twice.”
Ganondorf didn’t ask the question. He knew that if Zelda thought it would save Hyrule, she’d hand him over to the Twilight Princess without a second thought. He knew that she’d realize he’d never go quietly, that he would sooner kill everyone around him than submit meekly to death. He also knew that Midna probably expected Link and Zelda to fight along with her, and that a meeting to discuss avoiding war in the middle of a barren desert was an excellent place to stage an assassination.
He would still bet on himself coming out on top in that situation. Zelda would be loath to get any more of her people killed, which would mean at worst, the three of them against him. His armor was complete, guarding his one weak spot. Zelda wouldn’t be able to convince the spirits to help this time, since he was working to protect Hyrule, not invade it. Link would fight hard, but Ganondorf had beaten him before, and would do it again. Midna though, could be a problem, with her full powers available to use. On that note, actually… “Link, has anyone informed you why the Twili were banished in the first place?” Ganondorf asked, turning to look at him.
The boy nodded, swallowing a piece of bread. “They were practicing magic that the Goddesses had forbidden, and they refused to stop.”
“Correct, if not exceptionally detailed,” Ganondorf said, taking a drink and sitting back. “You’ve seen some Twilight magic. You’ve been affected by it. It’s very powerful, very impressive, but has some vulnerabilities, like usually needing a focus to be used. However, you might have noticed that it doesn’t drain a Twilight mage the same way Goddess gifts do.” At Link’s slow nod, he continued. “That’s because the Twilit are blood mages.”
Link didn’t quite choke on his cucco. “Midna never said anything about that. And Zelda said you used Twilight magic to lock us in our tower.” He looked over to Zelda as if wanting her to deny what he was saying, but she just looked faintly ill. And not surprised, he realized, which meant it was true and she already knew.
“Of course she didn’t, because she could guess how you’d react,” Ganondorf said. “The amount of blood required for a warding spell is just a drop, and for that I could use my own. The teleportation spells are similar. But the larger the spell, the more blood, the more life is required. Even Din doesn’t approve of sacrificing others for magic.” Binding the Twilight to Zant’s bidding had taken an enormous amount of energy, but those sacrifices had been made by the Usurper King himself. And Ganondorf had used Zant’s own death to twist the spell, and since the puppet was going to be killed anyway, he hadn’t seen anything wrong with doing a little extra with the energy.
He was pleased to see how shaken Link was. While the boy might still be considering siding with Midna when the time came, he’d at least be considering that the Twilit weren’t the blameless victims the Twilight Princess claimed they were. “So, while you two discuss tonight whether it’s worth the risk to try and kill me at this meeting… just remember who you’ll be siding with.”
Link had looked shaken before, but now he just looked shocked. Ganondorf laughed, and pushed the tray of pastries towards him. “Go on. Take some dessert and go ahead up to your rooms… I can abstain until tomorrow.” He didn’t have to make the offer twice, although it made him laugh again when Link grabbed the whole plate and took Zelda with him.

Author's Note: I know it's a stretch making the Twili blood mages. But since there is never an explanation of exactly what kind of magic they used that was so terrible they'd been exiled for it... I decided it had to be something this dark. It doesn't necessarily make them all evil. You can use your own blood for magic, or only use willing sacrifices. The Twili themselves probably have their own morals about it, and maybe ways of using it that don't necessarily require killing. While I might go into this in more detail later on, I wanted to have it stated in case that doesn't happen.
Thank you all so, so much for your reviews. It means so much to me. I'm astounded by the sheer poeticness of some of the responses I've gotten. They deserve to be published in their own right. And to gaiamegu64... I hadn't considered making an index, but perhaps I should. I also might include some "what if" scenarios... chapters I wanted to write but didn't fit.
Also, I have no intention of abandoning this story. I am determined that I am going to actually write an ending for this, even if I've never been able to finish a story yet. This one deserves it.
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Endgame