The Legend Of Zelda Fan Fiction / Legend Of Zelda Fan Fiction ❯ Choices of the Heart ❯ Chapter 8--Final Chapter ( Chapter 8 )

Chapter 8—Final Chapter:

"Alright, now all we have to do is contact Link and give him his instructions," Zelda said. She and Malon still sat on the floor. They had just finished making their plans. For hours they had stayed awake, trying to figure out some way to escape their prison, but to no avail. The only way they would be able to get out was if Ladarius came back in, and neither of them thought it would be a good idea to count on that. So they had created a Plan B.

"Do you think you can do it?" Malon asked.

Zelda nodded. "Now that my powers aren't sealed anymore, I should be able to communicate with him telepathically," she replied. "We can only hope that it does work."

Malon nodded her understanding. She watched as Zelda lifted up the hand bearing the Triforce, holding it with her palm facing away from her. She closed her eyes in concentration. A moment later, the Triforce began to glow.

'Link!' Zelda called out in her mind. 'Link, can you hear me?'

A moment passed. Zelda held her breath. 'Zelda?' she heard Link's voice in her head, and she released the breath in a sigh of relief. 'Zelda, where are you? Are you alright? Is Malon there?' He sounded frantic. But of course he would be.

'It's okay, Link. Malon is with me; we're both alright. I need you to listen to me.'

'What's going on? The king and I are looking for you. We're going to save both of you,' Link said.

'I know, but you need to listen to me. It isn't going to be that easy. Malon and I have come up with a plan,' Zelda told him. 'I can't tell you everything, but when you get here, Ladarius is probably going to bring you to us. When he does, one of us is going to give you a signal, and we need you to get your bow and arrows to Malon. It's very important.'

'My bow and arrows? Why?'

Malon bit her lip nervously. Zelda was starting to breath very hard. Was she alright?

'I'm sorry, Link,' Zelda said. 'I can't keep this up much longer. Please, just do it.'

'Okay, I will. Be careful, alright?'

'You too, Link,' Zelda said. She broke off the connection, and her body fell forward. She caught herself with her hands, and leaned her weight on them, breathing hard.

"Zelda, are you okay?" Malon asked, placing her hands on the princess's shoulders.

Zelda nodded, sitting back up. "I gave him the message," she said. "I think we should try to sleep now. We're going to need all our rest."

"Yeah," Malon agreed.

---

The swirls of dark light surrounded Ren's body, and he disappeared from the bloody field, leaving only the bodies of the three guards. He appeared inside his house, and walked to the bedroom. A sadistic grin spread across his face as he replayed the scene of the guards' deaths in his mind, stretching his fingers joyfully. How he loved killing.

The cloak lay neatly on his bed where he had laid it, waiting to join its master yet again. He pulled the cloak over his shoulders, covering his head with the deep hood. Soon Link and that foolish king would arrive, and then the final elements of his plan would finally begin. He could hardly wait.

His hand reached for the blue pendant in his pocket, and he pulled it out, fingering it lovingly. How wise he had been to leave this pendant where the foolish lad could find it. Now he would take his revenge, and he would love every moment of it. He could not wait to watch them suffer once again, and it would be all his doing. He chuckled, and slipped the pendant back into his pocket. Not long now. He must make preparations, to ensure he would be ready when they found him.

---

"Link? Are you okay?"

Link looked up, shaking his head. He was sitting on Epona's back in the middle of the field. He hadn't realized that as Zelda spoke to him he had stopped riding. Daphnes sat on his own horse beside him, peering with concern into Link's face.

"Yeah, sorry," Link replied. "Zelda just spoke to me."

"Zelda did?" Daphnes said, looking shocked. "Is she alright? Where is she?"

Link shook his head, looking down at the top of Epona's head. "She didn't say," he told the King apologetically. "But she told me she's with Malon, and they're both okay. She said they've come up with a plan, but she didn't have time to tell me everything." Link relayed Zelda's message to Daphnes.

The King turned so he was facing frontwards again. "I see," he said. He looked worried, but he nodded. "Listen to her. I trust Zelda."

"Yeah. Me too," Link said.

Daphnes glanced at the sky. It was nearly noontime now. "We should get going."

"Yeah."

They rode on, pushing the horses as fast as they dared as the sun crept higher into the sky. Anxiety about Ren's safety still pushed on the backs of their minds, but for now there was a more urgent matter to worry about. Even Epona seemed to sense their urgency. Her ears were pressed back with determination, and she did not whinny in complaint as she would normally do when Link made her ride for long amounts of time, but instead she pushed forward steadily.

Link suddenly found himself worrying about Malon and Zelda again. Zelda had told him that they were both fine, but what if she had just said that to make him feel more secure? He himself had purposely failed to mention what had happened to Ren so she wouldn't worry. She could easily have done the same for him.

"Link, look," Daphnes said, jerking Link out of his thoughts.

Link looked up. His eyes followed Daphnes' finger to a long house. A dark mist hovered around the house, and Link's eyes narrowed. "This is it," he growled, leaning forward to press the mare on faster.

"Wait," Daphnes said. "Something isn't right."

"Of course something's not right," Link spat. What was Daphnes' problem? Here they were, finally at the place where Zelda and Malon most likely were, and he wanted him to wait?

"Calm down, Link. I'm not your enemy," Daphnes told him. "But this is Renaldo's house."

Link's brow furrowed. "What?" he asked. He looked back at the dark house. This was Ren's house? "But why is Ladarius here?"

Daphnes shook his head. "I don't know," he replied. "But I don't like it."

Link frowned. "It doesn't matter. Let's get going," he said, pushing Epona into a gallop. Daphnes followed after.

As they drew nearer, Epona and Daphnes' stallion whinnied, jerking back as though in pain. The stallion rose up on its hind legs, and Daphnes had to tighten his grip to keep from falling off. He climbed down as the stallion calmed, and turned to Link.

"We should leave the horses here," Daphnes said.

Link nodded and slid off Epona's back, grabbing his bow and quiver off her saddle as he did so and slinging them onto his own back. "Will yours be okay?" he asked.

"He'll have to be," Daphnes replied.

Link reached up to his sword, drawing it out of the sheath as he turned to the house. His heart was beating with fear, but adrenaline was kicking in once again, allowing him to walk towards the house, Daphnes following behind with his sword drawn as well.

The house was eerily quiet as they walked inside, looking around, ready for any sudden attack by Ladarius. Nothing moved, and they continued through the house, searching for anything. Their breath came hard and loud, the only sound they could hear.

Daphnes stopped, his eyes peeling around the room. "Link," he said, catching Link's attention. "If you had captured someone, and you didn't have a prison, where would you keep them?"

Link thought about it a moment, then shook his head, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't know."

"I would keep them in the cellar," Daphnes said. "I think that's our best bet."

Link nodded, and followed the king as he made his way through the house. After a moment, Daphnes knelt down beside a rug, peering at it. He grabbed the rug, pulling it back, and revealing a trap door beneath where it had been. Daphnes grabbed the handle of the door, pulling it up and revealing a dark, dank smelling stairway.

Link swallowed the lump in his throat, and followed Daphnes, climbing through the trap door onto the stairs. They peered into the darkness, trying to see what the stairs led to.

"I can't see a thing," Link said, squinting in a vain attempt to make his eyes adjust.

"No use. I can't either," Daphnes replied. He took a deep breath. "We have no choice. Let's go down."

They crept down the stairs, unconsciously holding their breaths as they went farther into the darkness. A loud bang sounded above them, and then the darkness enveloped them completely as the trap door slammed shut. Link looked franticly over his shoulder, as though expecting to somehow see a cloaked figure coming down towards them in the darkness, but he did not see anything, and all he could hear was the creak of the stairs as Daphnes continued down them before him, and his own loud breath. Taking a shaky breath to try and calm himself, he followed Daphnes.

It may not have been long at all, but to Link and Daphnes, the stairs seemed to continue on forever, until at last, a faint orange-red glow began to illuminate the way before them. The stairs ended on a long, narrow corridor, and they continued along it, hands still clenched around the handles of their swords. The corridor led into a room, lit by torches in each corner. An altar had been set up in the center of the room, and tall candles burned beside this.

Link and Daphnes stared around the room. "What is this?" Link whispered. "It looks like a—"

"—marriage ceremony," Daphnes finished for him.

Link bit his lip in anger. That bastard.

A loud, cold laugh filled the room. Both Link's and Daphnes's heads shot towards the door set in the back left corner of the room as an all too familiar, cloaked figure stepped through it. Ladarius held Zelda tightly to him, his dagger pressed against her throat.

"Welcome, good friends. Welcome," he said.

Link gripped his sword tighter, instinctively stepping forward. "You bastard," he said through clenched teeth. "Just what the hell is your purpose?"

"Easy now," Ladarius said. He pressed the blade farther into Zelda's skin. She whimpered. "We wouldn't want anything to happen to your precious princess."

Link frowned, but stopped in his place.

"Good. Now both of you, lay down your swords," Ladarius ordered.

Link bit his lip, trying to decide if he should obey or not. Without their swords, he and Daphnes would be even more at a disadvantage. Behind him, he heard the sound of metal hitting stone. Turning to look over his shoulder, he saw the king laying his sword on the floor. Daphnes met Link's gaze as he stood back up, and nodded. Link frowned further, but obediently lay down his sword.

Ladarius chuckled. "Now, Malon. Why don't you come out?"

Link's eyes moved back to the door, just as Malon stepped out of it. She was dressed in a white silk dress with long flowing sleeves. "Malon," he whispered. Malon's eyes met his briefly, and he thought he saw her wink, and then she looked away, staring at the ground.

"Isn't she beautiful?" Ladarius commented coldly. "Now, Malon. I will give you one last chance. Marry me."

Malon frowned at the ground. Link watched her with bated breath. She looked up, glaring into Ladarius's hooded face. "Never," she spat. Link released the breath, feeling slightly relieved. But Ladarius still had Zelda, and now there was no telling what he would do.

"Hmm. I thought you might say that," Ladarius said. "Well, then." He released the hand gripping Zelda's arm, still pressing the blade against her throat, and held it towards Malon. Dark energy shot out of it, wrapping itself around Malon's body. She cried out, as if in pain, and stumbled backwards, her arms pinned to her sides.

Ladarius grabbed Zelda once again, and turned to Link. "Now, Link. Since Malon has so blatantly refused my offer, I will make one for you. You may save one of them—Zelda or Malon. Choose, and I will let that one go. The other you will kill with your hands, and I can force you."

Link gritted his teeth. How could he make a choice like that?

"Wait," Daphnes said, intervening. "You go too far. Let's make some other deal. What is it you want? Money? Land? Let them both go, and I will give you anything you ask for."

Ladarius laughed loudly. "Foolish King of Hyrule. There is nothing that you can give me. Now, let the boy choose, or I will kill them both."

Link felt a cold sweat breaking out on his entire body. Choose to save either Malon or Zelda, he may as well say choose which one of them he would rather kill. His stomach churned. How could he make such a choice? He remembered Daphnes's words about making sacrifices for the better of the kingdom. If he were to go by that, the choice was obvious. But he couldn't do that to Malon. And he couldn't do it to Zelda either. How could he live without either of them? It just wasn't possible. He felt his knees starting to go weak. He couldn't do it. He just couldn't.

"Link!" Malon cried. "Link, now!"

Link looked up, staring at her. A bright light shot out from Zelda's body. Ladarius screamed, stumbling back and dropping her, and she fell to the floor, gasping for breath. Her face looked pale, as if that had taken all of her strength. "Link, you have to do it, now," she gasped.

Link suddenly remembered what she had told him through her mind. He grabbed the bow and quiver from his back, and slung them at Malon. The dark energy surrounding her had disappeared when the light had flashed from Zelda's body, and she could now move. The farm girl acted quickly, grabbing an arrow from the quiver and setting it into the bow. She drew back the string, aiming the arrow at Ladarius's heart and preparing to let go. She paused, for only a brief moment, she paused. She had prepared herself for this, knew she must do it, but still, she had never taken a life.

"It's alright, Malon. Do it," Zelda said.

Malon narrowed her eyes, remembering everything Ladarius had done to her, and to Zelda, and to Link. She released the arrow. It flew straight and true, burrowing itself in Ladarius's chest, right into his heart. His body jerked, and then he slumped onto the floor and lay still. She grabbed another arrow, readying it just in case as she backed slowly towards Link and the others. Zelda stood up shakily, stumbling weakly towards Link. He caught her, holding her up so she didn't fall again.

"Malon, you did it," Zelda breathed.

"Wait," Daphnes and Malon said at the same time.

Link and Zelda looked at Ladarius's body. He was sitting up, slowly, and as he did, the hood fell back.

Zelda's knees buckled underneath her, and even though Link was holding her, she collapsed, falling onto the floor. "R-Ren," she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. Link and Malon stared at him with wide eyes.

"So it was you," Daphnes murmured. "I didn't want to believe it."

Ladarius—Ren—chuckled. He pushed himself up so that he was standing, leaning against the wall. He touched the arrow gently. "What a joke," he said. "To think that you could kill me. But that's alright, this boy's body will die, and I no longer need it anyway. I have enough strength to kill all of you, and then I'll have access to the entire Kingdom of Hyrule."

"What do you mean?" Link asked. "What have you done to Ren?"

"That foolish boy's consciousness has already disappeared. It started to when he first found the thing I had sealed my spirit into, just before my body perished." He reached into his pocket, holding up the blue pendant.

"That's—" Link started.

"That's right," Ladarius said, replacing the pendant in his pocket. "This was the pendant you found in the dungeon. But you weren't the first to find it." He pointed at his chest. "He was. I'm not sure if he's even still alive." He laughed, and then held up his hand. "And now, I'll kill all of you, and take your little king's body."

"No, Daddy," Zelda whispered, trying to crawl to Daphnes.

"Wait!" Malon said, jumping in front of the others. "I-I'll marry you! So let the others go!"

Ladarius smirked. He began to walk towards her, slowly. "Silly little girl. Marrying you was not my wish, and now that he is gone, I have no more use for you."

Malon's hand which held the bow's string began to shake as Ladarius moved towards her, and she stepped back. "D-don't come any closer!"

"Malon, it's no use," Daphnes said.

"That's right," Ladarius said. "It seems he at least understands. So why don't you give up?"

"Link, Zelda," Daphnes continued. "You two bear the pieces of the Triforce. If you combine your powers, you should be able to defeat him."

Ladarius smirked again. "As if the little princess would be able to kill her dear, precious cousin."

"Zelda, you must," Daphnes said. "You heard what he said. Renaldo may already be dead anyway. This is the only way."

"But, Daddy—" Zelda started.

"Zelda!" Daphnes shouted, his voice stern.

Zelda stopped, staring at him, and then she nodded. She reached her hand up to Link. "Link, we have to join hands," she said. Link nodded, reaching down to grab her hand. Their Triforces began to glow. "Now focus all of your energy."

"As if I would allow you to even try," Ladarius said. Dark energy began to swirl around his hand. An arrow shot through the air, hitting his hand. He cried out in pain, and turned to glare at Malon as she drew back a third arrow.

"I won't let you interfere," she said.

Ladarius shoved his uninjured hand at her, causing himself to stumble backwards. His breath was becoming shallow as the life of the body he was using began to disappear. A ball of the dark energy hit Malon, throwing her backwards into the wall. He turned back to Link and Zelda, but it was already too late. A massive, glowing ball of light hovered over the clasped hands of the two children.

"Now, Link!" Zelda shouted. They threw their hands towards Ladarius, and the ball of light hit him, flinging him back.

The light surrounded him, seeming to seep into his skin, and filling his mouth, his nostrils, eyes, and ears. There was a resounding screech, and then it stopped as the light faded away as well, leaving Ren's body lying motionless on the ground, eyes closed.

"Ren," Zelda said. Tears were forming in her eyes. "Link, can you help me over to him?"

"Is it safe?" Link asked.

"Ladarius is gone. I can sense it," Zelda said. "Link, please."

Link's brow furrowed, and he nodded. He reached down, helping her stand, he half-supported, half-carried her over to Ren's body, setting her down beside it. Daphnes also walked over to his nephew's body, kneeling down beside it.

Zelda placed her hand on Ren's. "Ren," she whispered, a few tears escaping from her eyes. "Why?"

Ren's body twitched, and he opened his eyes, blinking a few times, and then weakly looking at Zelda. "Hi, Zelda," he said.

"Ren!" Zelda exclaimed. "Hold on! We'll get you to a doctor back home."

"No," Ren said. "It's too late."

"But Ren," Zelda said, choking on a sob.

Ren smiled at her. "Sorry," he said. "I really wanted to take care of you."

"Renaldo, just tell me one thing," Daphnes said. "How did it happen?"

Ren moved his eyes to the ceiling, swallowing. "It was a couple of years ago when I first met Malon," he said. "I don't think she remembers me, it was only once, briefly, when she came with her father to deliver milk to the castle, but she was so pretty, and so strong, and I loved her smile. I fell in love with her immediately. I couldn't stop thinking of her, so one day, I decided I would go visit her. But that day, she was already with Link. I hid and watched them, and I could see clearly that her heart already belonged to that boy.

"I was heartbroken, but there was nothing I could do, so I gave up. But once again, I couldn't stop thinking about her. Then one day, I ran into one of the guards who was supposed to be guarding the dungeons. He was scared to death, babbling about ghosts and evil spirits. I gave him to Impa and went to investigate the section he was guarding. That was when I found the pendant. It was just lying on in the corner of one of the cells, covered in dust. When I touched it, the spirit of hooded man appeared before me. I could sense that he was evil, but then he spoke to me. He said he could help me attain that which I desired most, if I would let him reside in my body. I knew I shouldn't, it was dangerous, but I thought, if I only used his power once and then destroyed the pendant, it would be alright.

"I was able to meet her again, and become friends with her. The only requirement was that I kept my identity hidden from her, so I did. It didn't seem to matter anyway. Soon, I became obsessed with her. I had thought I couldn't stop thinking about her before, but now her face wouldn't leave my mind, it was always there. I couldn't sleep or eat, I could barely function at all. So, under his instruction, I started to paint. I could feel his presence growing stronger the more I painted, but I didn't care. I continued painting, all of them of her, and then I made my masterpiece. After that, I decided to propose to her. I showed her all the paintings I had done of her, then asked her to marry me. But she was frightened. She refused, and then I never saw her again. I blamed Link. I hated him. If it wasn't for him, I told myself, she might love me. My hatred for him grew. And then, Father died. I was distraught, and after that, whatever part of myself that was still fighting against him faded away, and he took over completely.

"I was still there, watching his moves, and still partially in control, but it was only my hatred and obsession that remained alive. So I came up with a plan. It would take a long time, many months of waiting for the right moment, but it would come. And it did. It was easy to manipulate feelings of jealousy and hatred. Using that, I sealed away the powers of the Triforce, so the goddesses couldn't interfere. And then, you know the rest. Eventually, I came to my senses, but it was already too late, and he continued with the plan, despite my efforts to stop him. When Malon's arrow shot me, I finally gave up completely."

Ren blinked. A tear crept out of the corner of his eye, sliding down his face. "I'm sorry. I know it doesn't make up for it, but I really am." He squeezed Zelda's hand, and closed his eyes, his body going completely still as his breath stopped.

"Ren?" Zelda said. She placed her hands on his chest, shaking him. "Ren, please."

"Zelda, he's gone," Daphnes said gently.

"No he's not!" Zelda shouted. Angry tears streamed down her cheeks and she buried her face in Ren's shirt. "He's not! He's not! He's not." Sobs racked her body, choking away her voice.

Daphnes placed his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into him. "I'm sorry, honey. I'm sorry."

---

"Zelda," Impa said softly, stepping into Zelda's bedroom. Instead of her normal armor, she wore a black robe, painted with the crying red eye of the Sheikah. "It's time."

Zelda stood up from her bed where she had sat quietly, staring out the window, and walked silently to the door where Impa waited for her. She too wore a simple, black dress, devoid of any silks or ruffles. Her hair hung straight and unadorned down her back.

The young princess and her nursemaid walked silently out of the castle, to the carriage waiting outside. They walked silently beside the carriage, while a procession of servants, guards, and hired mourners followed behind, and King Daphnes led the way on horseback.

The people of Hyrule lined the streets of Castletown respectfully, watching as the funeral procession passed. Zelda did not cry. Her tears had stopped two days ago, and she had been silent since then. Her father realized it was her way of dealing with what had happened, and he had left her alone, knowing she would speak on her own time.

They walked down the street, and over the drawbridge into Hyrule Field. When they reached the stairs leading to Kakariko Village, the procession paused while four servants picked up the coffin out of the carriage, and then proceeded to carry it up the stairs. At last, they reached the Royal Family's tombstone in the graveyard, and the procession stopped. Dante, the gravedigger, had already prepared everything. The king spoke a few words, and then the coffin was lowered into the grave.

The procession began to leave, but Zelda remained standing before the tombstone. Daphnes stopped beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?" he asked.

She nodded. "I'm going to stay here for awhile," she said. "I want to be alone."

"I understand," Daphnes said. He nodded to Impa, and the two of them left, leaving Zelda alone in front of the grave.

Zelda placed her hand on the tombstone. "I'm sorry, Ren," she whispered softly. "If I had known, maybe I could have done something to help." She paused, listening to the wind blowing in the graveyard. "I forgive you for everything, and so does Link, and Malon, and Father and Impa too. You were like my older brother. And I love you. Goodbye, Ren." She stood there for another moment, and then she turned away and left the graveyard.

—Epilogue—

Malon laid back on the grass, squinting up at the sky, and letting the cool water of the pool ease her feet. "You're right," she said. "This is definitely better than that stuffy party."

Zelda laughed. "I told you," she said. "I've been dealing with these things my whole life. It's only one of the many joys of being a princess."

Malon snorted. "Yeah, I'm sure," she said. She rolled onto her side, leaning up on her elbow to she could look at Zelda. "So, are you doing okay?" Two months had passed since Ren's death, and under Impa's suggestion, King Daphnes had set up another coming to age party for Zelda. This time, though, it was just for her enjoyment.

Zelda's smile faded, and she stared at her reflection in the pool. "Yes," she said after a moment. "It's still lonely, without him here to get on my nerves or to help me out of trouble. I get sad sometimes, but I am doing better. Besides, now I have a best friend to help me out of it." She looked at Malon and smiled.

Malon returned the smile, then rolled over on her back again. "I'm glad," she said.

"I noticed you and Link seem to be getting closer," Zelda commented, changing the subject.

Malon blushed slightly. "Y-you think so?"

Zelda giggled. "Of course! I can always tell that sort of thing!"

"Hey! There you guys are!" Link cried. Malon and Zelda looked up to see Link standing in the entrance of the courtyard, leaning his hands on his knees and breathing hard. "That was mean, to leave me in there all alone," he said, standing up and crossing his arms.

The two girls giggled, standing up and walking over to him. "Sorry, Link," they said in unison.

He rolled his eyes at them, sighing. "I wish you two would stop doing stuff like that," he mumbled.

"I'm bored. I say we sneak out of the castle and go do something in Castletown!" Zelda said.

"Yeah, let's!" Malon agreed.

"Seriously? I'm going to get in a load of trouble with Impa and King Daphnes," Link said.

"Please?" Zelda said, giving him the puppy dog eyes.

"Come on, Link. You can't say no to that," Malon said, crossing her arms.

Link sighed, dropping his arms to his sides in defeat. "Oh, fine."

"Yay!" Zelda cried, skipping up to him. She linked her arm around his. "Let's get going!" She leaned over. "Hey, Malon." Malon looked at her, and Zelda winked, hugging Link's arm against her. "Don't think I'm going to just give up."

Malon frowned, and grabbed Link's other arm. "Oh yeah? Well, I'm not either."

Zelda frowned. "Fine then," she said. "I guess it's war."

"I guess it is," Malon agreed.

Link looked back and forth between them. "Am I supposed to have any clue what's going on?" he asked.

"No," Malon and Zelda said.

"Oh, good. Cause I don't."

Zelda and Malon looked at each other, and giggled.