Adult-FanFiction.org : Games

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
- 2
- 3
- 4
Zelda felt herself starting to wake up, and her first feeling was surprise. A few moments later, she had enough mental cohesiveness to wonder why she was surprised, and an indeterminate amount of time after that, she remembered it was because she'd thought she was about to die.
With that thought, everything came rushing back at once, her mind awakening fully. Her body, while clearly alive, was tired and aching, and resisted the initial impulse to leap up defensively. Seconds later she realized this was a good thing, and kept her breathing even and slow as she tried to decipher where she was without opening her eyes.
There was only the faintest sound of wind, and the air was still; she was inside. Moreover, she was warm, and comfortable. She was… in a bed? Yes, a bed, not as soft as the one in her royal suite, but a well-stuffed straw mattress, with a good sheet and heavy quilt, what felt like a feather pillow under her head. Focusing in on the smells, she was surprised at the familiarity of it, clean stone, faint wood smoke and food, hints of a garden outside. Unexpected, however, was the nearby scent of someone in the room with her.
She could hear a soft breathing as well, coming from just behind her, and now that she was focusing on it, could feel a faint warmth of someone else in the bed. Fighting down the initial feeling of revulsion, panic about who it was likely to be, she took another, deeper breath to relax herself. She was surprised to pick up the very faint hint of dog in the scent, and realized to an incredible feeling of relief that it had to be Link behind her, not Ganondorf.
Slowly, she opened her eyes. Sure enough, she was in a tower chamber of the Hylian Castle, maybe even the same one Lord Zant had kept her captive in. It was small enough for her to see at a glance that there was no one else present, and she rolled over gingerly, every muscle protesting the movement. That spell of Ganondorf's had hit far harder than she'd realized, if she was still aching like this. Magic rarely affected her for long.
After what seemed like an hour, she eased herself over, feeling better for being able to move. Even better was the new knowledge that although the gore-soaked overskirts were gone, she was still wearing her white under-dress. Link was beside her in the bed, the purple bruise and scabbed cut on his forehead telling her that it had been about two days since the battle. His skin was still paler than she'd like, especially against the vividness of his injuries, but he was breathing easily at least, and seemed to be reacting to her movement.
His eyes started to flicker as if he were trying to open them, his breathing quickening. In case he leapt awake and injured either himself or her before he realized what was going on, she laid her hand on his cheek, saying in a low voice, "It's alright. We're alive, and safe for the moment."
Link jumped slightly, but relaxed again almost immediately. "What…" he broke off, clearing his throat gingerly, a hand going to his chest reflexively as the cough pained him. "What happened?"
"I believe we've been taken prisoner," she said, pushing herself to a sitting position. It felt better to be upright, less vulnerable and more active. "This is a room in the Hylian Castle, in the most isolated tower. A good place to keep prisoners that you plan to use for something important."
"I don't intend to remain a prisoner," Link replied, a hint of a growl in his tone as he pushed himself up. She glanced over at him and winced at the sight of his chest, a vivid mottled line of bruising from Ganondorf's sword. Glancing lower, she saw the clean slice on his hip from one of his own bottles, and frowned, thinking. He noticed her expression and raised a questioning eyebrow.
Zelda shook her head, then pushed her loose hair back behind her ears with annoyance. "I don't appreciate being tended to without my knowledge," she said, gesturing down at the slice, and the one on his forehead. "We've both been cleaned up."
"And stripped down," he agreed, "Not that sleeping while caked in blood is pleasant, but… all my weapons are gone, even my eating knife." While he still had trousers, he apparently hadn't been allowed to keep boots or tunic, although since he was injured and in bed, that could arguably be for a sensible reason rather than nefarious. "Any more information?"
She shrugged. "Depends what you want to know. I know no more about our current situation than you do, although I've been held captive in a tower room before. As to how we got here… I failed to take Ganondorf down after he defeated you, and I assume we've become trophies…" her voice trailed off, finding it almost impossible to fight down the feeling of rising panic. This was not where she'd wanted to be, ever again.
"Like I said, we won't be staying here," Link said firmly, laying a light hand on her shoulder. She jumped, then laid her fingers across the back of his. "If Ganondorf's really taken us prisoner, then he's going to come and gloat about it sooner or later. When he does, we'll just overpower him and escape."
It took a moment, but Zelda turned and looked at him, not quite laughing incredulously. "And how do you expect to do that? This room is set up for holding prisoners, there aren't exactly weapons lying around."
"We'll think of something," he said, looking around. There were very few fixtures, aside from the bed too heavy to move. The walls were bare, and if it wasn't daylight, they would be in total darkness without even a candle or torch. An open door led to a small lavatory, but even the basin and pot were flimsy, clearly designed to break if hit with any great force. The bed sheet though, could possibly be used as a distraction at least… or maybe a rope. "How high up are we? Can we climb down?"
Just in case it really was that simple, Zelda looked up at said window, recognized the faint magical glow, then sighed. "It's spelled. And so is the fireplace. While I might be able to break the enchantment at my best, I'm far from that right now. I've never really been in combat before… martial magic is not my strong suit, either casting or defending, and I'm still drained."
"You did say you'd failed to beat him," he said curiously. There was no censure in his voice, he'd after all failed before she had. "Did the sages' arrows stop working?"
She shook her head. "I ran out of them, and had to improvise. I'm not very good with a sword, I'm afraid. Epona did more... oh, Link, I'm so sorry. He killed Epona. She was brilliant, so strong and brave…"
"Epona?" Link echoed quietly. "No…" He'd thought seeing Midna's lifeless body was bad enough pain, but his loyal, faithful horse… It was as if the news had triggered something, all that pent up emotion he'd been keeping back, ignoring so he could fight the battles that needed fighting. Something tickled his cheek, and he was surprised when his questing fingers came away wet. He just stared at them numbly, wondering why his chest felt so tight, why his throat was constricted, making him gasp for air.
Without a second thought, Zelda reached for him, shifting across the bed so she was kneeling right next to him, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him against her shoulder. "I know… I'm so sorry, Link… you've been so brave, and you've given so much…"
"All for nothing," he replied bitterly, his voice barely a whisper, trailing off to silence as his lips formed the names of those they'd lost. He leaned helplessly against her, finding comfort in her long, silky hair, breathing in the faint smell of flowers and clean woman.
"No," she said firmly, arms squeezing around him. "Not for nothing. We're still alive, Hyrule is still whole. Our parts in this aren't done yet, or we'd have been killed already. Don't give up on me yet, Link. We're not done yet, but I can't do this alone. I can't… I can't face him alone."
Link didn't realize at first that she was clinging to him just as desperately as he was to her. In another time, another place, he wouldn't dare touch the Princess like this, wouldn't share this closeness with anyone, let alone the rightful monarch of their state. But she'd seen him at his most vulnerably inhuman, she'd saved Midna's life selflessly at the expense of her own life's energy, she'd fought at his side against hopeless odds. And right now, they were stuck in this awful situation together, had no one else to turn to. "Don't worry. I'm here with you," he whispered, squeezing her arms reassuringly and sitting back up again. "Now, let's make a plan," he said determinedly, forcing a good, deep breath into his lungs, past the gasping pain and loss. "He's not going to control either of us without a fight."
Before either of them could plan any further, something stopped them, a sense that wasn't properly earing or touch or smell, but they both knew beyond a doubt that Ganondorf was approaching. Later, when they had time, Zelda would hypothesize that it was resonance from the Triforce, but now Link set a finger to her lips, cautioning her to silence. He rolled out of bed, not quite stumbling. Although he was stiff, long warrior training had his body moving through the pain and injuries anyway. He yanked the sheet from the bed, wrapping an end around each arm and creeping to the hinge side of the door.
To serve as a distraction, Zelda stood up, a bit unsteady on her feet, but fear and hope giving her strength. She started towards the door, but it opened before she was three steps from the bed. Ganondorf filled the doorframe, looking almost unnaturally huge. He had always appeared large on the battlefield, but somehow, framed in familiar framework, it was emphasized. She swallowed, glaring up at him. "How dare you keep me captive in my own castle?" she snapped, pleased at how level her voice remained, although she kept her hands flat against her sides so the trembling wouldn't show. Behind him, she could see Link creeping to the side. If he left now, while he was focused on her, he might have a chance at escape.
"Your castle?" he chuckled, his deep voice rich with amusement. Despite her mental urgings, Link crept towards Ganondorf, not away, and leapt at him, the sheet wrapping around his neck. "My dear Zelda, you are here…" he started, choked off by the sudden pressure. Link had actually climbed onto his back, pulling back as hard as he could, face straining with the effort.
Zelda rushed forwards, wrapping her arms around Ganondorf's hand as he raised it to pull Link off of him, dragging it back down. His Triforce burned against her chest, but she clung hard anyways, desperate to keep him occupied until Link managed to strangle him. He fell to his knees with a crash, bringing Zelda's feet back to the ground, forcing her to her knees as she kept a stubborn grip on his arm. She could hear Link panting with the effort of keeping his improvised weapon tight, the faint gurgles as Ganondorf struggled against them.
Without warning, his Triforce flared, the raw energy painful against her chest, and a blow came out of nowhere. His left hand had caught her square on the side of the head, crushing the sensitive ear and knocking her senseless. She looked up, only dimly aware that her arms had loosened and he'd pulled free, seeing him rise to his feet, reaching onto his back. Ironically, if he'd been wearing full armor, he might not have been flexible enough to reach Link. As it was, his massive hand wrapped around Link's arm and wrenched him off, holding him dangling above the ground.
With a quick breath and an angry bellow, Ganondorf slammed his other fist into Link's chest with a sickening snap, sending him flying backwards. He hit the floor and slid up against the wall, coughing feebly, bringing blood to his lips. "As I was saying," Ganondorf continued, his face returning to its normal colour, his voice raspier than before. "You are here as my guests. If you would rather be housed in a dungeon, that can be arranged. This country is mine, now, as the hero who slew the Twilight overlord and brought peace back to the realm. I have won, and I hold all the power. If you plan to survive in my world, you had best think of the ways you can best serve me." He spun and stalked out, his cloak flaring behind him. The door slammed shut, a latch was thrown, a bar was set, and the not-quite-sound of a warding spell was cast over the doorframe.
Zelda groaned softly, cupping a hand to the side of her head. The entire length of her ear felt like it was on fire, and her cheek ached terribly, but at least she couldn't taste any blood. Gingerly, she pushed herself to hands and knees, uttering a small prayer of relief as the room stayed steady before her eyes. No concussion then, just bruising. Gathering her skirts in one hand, she crawled the short distance to where Link lay sprawled on the floor, trying his best not to breathe too deeply.
She helped him up to a sitting position, despite his pained gasps and the faint whimper as he settled in place, leaning against the wall. "Well, if you didn't have broken ribs before, you certainly do now." She said, her cool hands gentle over his chest, outlining the new, broader bruise just starting to rise into view around the old one. "Hold still a while." She closed her eyes, calling upon the dregs of magical energy that had started to trickle back.
Magical casting drew directly on the user's strength, although she and Ganondorf had an advantage over many mages in the Triforce, replenishing their energy more quickly as well as enhancing their spells. While Ganondorf's magical forte was in raw powerful bursts, causing pain and destruction and oppression, hers was much more subtle, the weaving and unweaving of enchantments, strengthening those around her. Her best strengths lay in the healing arts, and luckily it didn't take much energy to encourage his body to heal, the bones to knit and some of the swelling to die down. She continued until she felt the beginnings of the awful draining of her own life, then stopped, unwilling to risk killing herself and leaving him alone. She opened her eyes, noticing with disgust that now the room was spinning from weakness instead of a concussion. "We… need a better plan," she said tiredly, and fell forwards, feeling Link's arms catch her before she lost all awareness.
- 2
- 3
- 4
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Endgame