A Tale of Two Princesses

Chapter 12 - Reclaiming Hyrule

Chapter 12 - Reclaiming Hyrule

Summary: Calamity Ganon is sealed away, and Link is reunited with Zelda. Link tells Zelda of his relationship with Mipha and, if Mipha will later agree, offers a possible way to fulfill his Royal Guard duty to Zelda while honoring his promise to be with Mipha. However, Zelda has another idea.

Link awoke in the Castle Bell Tower after a full night's rest and gazed at the view of Hyrule that stretched out before him. The scene outside the windows looked the same as the day before, the perpetual light in the sky illuminating the surroundings. Looking at the beautiful land of Hyrule made him eager to fulfill his duty to it. Hyrule was his land, the land he had traveled from one corner to the other, and had grown to love every part of. And all of it was his responsibility now. It was a humbling thought. Everyone he knew and the countless more he would never know were all depending on him now to set things right for them, to give them a chance at a future. If he failed, so would Hyrule. He could not afford to fail, and that is what had driven him to the point of obsession with his training to be the best at combat in all the land. Hyrule had suffered so much thanks to the evil that remained just below him. But now, his moment had finally arrived. It was his job to help destroy that evil.

He double-checked that all the Divine Beasts were still targeting the Castle, and they were. Everything was in order, and it was time. He ate a meal of Mighty Bananas he had carried with him for just this occasion, and he felt full of power and energy. He put away the Zora armor and put on his Champion tunic as more befitting for the incident since he was fulfilling his role as one of the Champions now. He climbed down the outside ladder to the throne room entrance. Then he took a deep breath, said a final prayer to Hylia, and strode into the room.

He looked up and could see a large purple sack suspended from the ceiling, which must be where Princess Zelda had sealed Ganon. And as Link looked up, he saw a brilliant glow emerge from the purple mass and heard a familiar voice, a voice he had not heard since he had fallen in Ash Swamp.

"Link! You are finally here! If you are ready, I will release my hold on Ganon. Are you ready, Link?" said the voice of Zelda.

Link nodded, and the sack containing Ganon ruptured, and Ganon fell with a loud thud to the floor. Then it gathered itself up with a swipe of the huge fiery ax it wielded. Ganon was a hideous mix of ancient technology and purple slime and looked like a giant insect with all its appendages. It held a variety of ancient Sheikah weapons as well as a Guardian style laser cannon. Ganon turned to position itself to face Link as its two eyes glowed reddish-orange beneath its thick red hair, a remnant perhaps of its ancient Gerudo heritage. Ganon defiantly swiped its fiery ax through the air once again, then stood to its full height and let out an ear-rending screech.

Link stood facing it, ready to engage in battle when something else suddenly happened.

As soon as Ganon emerged, the Divine Beasts sensed its presence and alerted their pilots. The spirits of Daruk, Revali, and Urbosa were ready, as was Mipha. One by one, they commanded Medoh, Ruta, Rudania, and Naboris to attack Ganon with a concentrated beam of ancient blue energy. The four beams converged and struck the throne room, filling it with brilliant pulses of blue energy that showered down upon Ganon as it screamed in pain, unable to avoid contact with them. When the energy beams ceased with a cloud of blue smoke, Ganon lay on the floor, badly hurt.

Hurt but not yet defeated. Ganon struggled to rise, and finally did so, and with another angry screech, glared at Link. Link stood before Ganon now and drew the sword that seals the darkness. The sword shone a brilliant white as it confronted the enemy it was made for.

Ganon stared at Link for a moment and recognized his adversary for what he was from the blade he wielded. He knew that blade well, an ancient gift to the Hylians by the cursed Goddess they worshipped. He hated her most of all, but she was beyond his reach. It would please him instead to at least destroy her followers, the people she loved. And she had a particular affection for the Hylian who stood before him now. It had been ages since the one time he had defeated the hero of that era. But if it happened once, it could happen again.