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nly after grasping the meaning of staggering power, knowledge, and vigor that the Triforce had bestowed upon him did Link come to realize that he now stood just paces from the twin witches that had plagued the lands of Holodrum and Labrynna, harvesting them in order to light the Dark Candles. Link took his sword from his sheath and eyed the room in which he stood. Pathways extended in virtually every direction. Link took a peek into the rooms in each side, and each of those seemed to branch off into just as many possible halls, the rooms beyond them doing the same, thus creating an infinity of paths in a maze that defied reality. Link was taken aback and virtually shocked into submission by the magnitude of the task before him, but he found solace in the Triforce, however, feeling the surging power in his veins, and so he merely knelt upon the ground and closed his eyes. In a low voice, he prayed to the Triforce, "For the lives of the lands I have grown to love, please, Golden Power, guide me to where the witches hold Zelda hostage so that their reign of destruction, sorrow, and despair shall not envelope these lands."

To Link's surprise, the Triforce replied, speaking in its typical, neutral monotony, "Our ability is already yours to control. Let your passion put strength into your wish; let your trust flow into the Essence; let your actions be then guided by faith."

Link stared for a moment at the glowing symbol upon his wrist before standing up. His eyes closed as he focus upon his desire to save Zelda, his desire to save Labrynna and in turn all the world, and in reply an urge came from within to take immediate action. Link snapped to attention as he turned his face to the left, seeing room after room stretch as far as his eyes could see. The hero did not let the sight overwhelm him, but rather he swiftly flew through the first two rooms in front of him before making an abrupt right-hand turn, continuing his course. The maze visibly seemed to continue endlessly, but Link did not care, for instinct guided him amongst the corridors of the labyrinth until he reached a wide, circular chamber at the end of the labyrinth. The expanse was lit only by a few lamps along the curved wall that encompassed the room, and though the light was not great, it showed a gaping pit nearly filling the room without any visible bottom. In its center stood a lonely, stone pillar, atop of which was a small table made of silver. Link's eyes gazed to the top of which, and to his amazement he found the form of a woman resting there with extravagant cloths covering her body save for her face. Though the light was dim, he knew it at once to be the princess. He found a rickety bridge traversing the gap, and he crossed it carefully. There, he could see the beautiful maiden; with his hand he reached to grace the princess' own with a kind touch, but before their hands met, the vision of the room faded away, only to replace itself with the faces of Koume and Kotake.

"It looks like the boy has overcome the test, Koume," the ice witch said with a cackle in her voice. "He's come so far with the hope of halting our plans, but he surely will fail for, alas, the Flame of Despair is finally lit! The Dark Rites are ready to be fulfilled!"

"'Tis almost a tragedy, my sister!" replied the fire witch to Kotake, her voice equally as amused. "The rites are indeed ready, and they will take place, for now all that is left is merely the Holy Sacrifice of Princess Zelda. Once again, Ganon shall live among us and fulfill the prophecy of the ancients! Boy, you shall not impede the rite of resurrection! We are Twinrova, and we shall destroy you!"

Almost immediately, the sorceress sisters began gathering their magic, projecting their efforts at Link, but the hero quickly and easily leaped over their spells. The witches hopped upon their broomsticks and took to the air, continuing to hurl their magic at Link. Link at first sought to dodge the torrent of ice and fire cast at him, but he quickly discovered, almost accidentally so, that their magic could be deflected by his own blade, infused by the power of the Triforce. With this discovery, Link then sought to reflect their deadly spells back at the sister of the opposing element, causing them to crash their broom into the floor, but their persistence always allowed them to take to flight once again.

Link gradually became more successful at the witches' game, and so the witches, already beginning to slow under the duress of Link's onslaught, changed tactics. Just as they did many centuries ago, the two sisters flew their brooms into one another with incredible speed, and in doing so they morphed into Twinrova, a single body that held the power of both sisters. The malignant witch could heat the room and summon lava from the depths of the ground yet also chill the floor so that ice would cover the ground. The witch, enraged at Link, put all her body into the attack against him, altering her strategy between ice and fire, hoping to catch the hero off guard, but Link was able to adapt quickly to all that she could throw, easily scoring hits upon the sorceress with his sword. Twinrova inevitably succumbed to defeat, and Link glowered over her, his blade hovering above her throat, telling her to choose between surrender and death.

"Already the choice is death," the battered witch choked, "but not as you expect it to be!" A toothy grin spread across her face, and she stared coldly into Link's eyes. "We may not be able to make Zelda the Holy Sacrifice, but we will be her surrogate. Behold, in our last moments, we shall bring forth Ganon, King of Evil!"

Without Link's blade ever moving to strike her, Twinrova's fell down to the ground, lifeless, as her body turned into ash and faded away. The ash began to stir, picked up by a wind, and it danced excitedly in the air, forming a grey whirlwind. From its center, midnight began to fill the void of the ashen circle and lightning tore out of the blackness, emerging from the world beyond the portal. At long last the pig-like form of Ganon emerged from the space between the worlds in which his soul had been locked. Ganon's eyes, however, seemed not to have the serene danger that Link had remembered seeing in Ganon just years ago; instead, he only saw a mad rage filling his features, almost a mindless fury animating his body. Ganon turned to see Link, and an ugly smile emerged upon his lips. He summoned forth his trident with grunts rather than with words, and Link, brandishing his sword went to face the beast before him. Together they dueled endlessly using skill in both magic and weapon, Link trying to push back the forward attacks of his nemesis. Both took harsh scars in the battle, Link bleeding profusely as Ganon's trident brutally stung him, but it was Link's swordsmanship that conquered the King of Evil, sending him back to from whence he had come. Link fell to his hands and knees as he saw Ganon disappear from view, and he silently thanked the goddesses and the Essence of the Triforce for giving him the courage, power, and wisdom to attain victory once more.

Link gradually stood up once he was certain that he had gathered the strength for such a feat, and as he did so, he saw a rope ladder leading up the side of a tall pillar. Link sighed slightly in relief as he slowly set about climbing it, wincing slightly as his limbs ached with every rung he mastered, the cuts and wounds he had suffered throbbing in rhythm with each step. The pain at times was nearly great enough to cause him to lose consciousness and fall back into the pit below him, but his determination saw him to the top where Zelda lay upon the table, just recently awakened from slumber. "Link," she said, her voice still soft from the effects of sleep. She rubbed her eyes groggily and then hopped down from the table and threw her arms around the hero, embracing him closely yet gently as Link returned the gesture. "I'm so sorry for worrying you so; they came so quickly." The princess let go of the hero, looking deeply into his eyes. "Thank you so much for saving me, Link, but even more so for stopping the Dark Rites. Were I to have been sacrificed, Ganon would have returned to our world as himself, reborn from the fire that vanquished him years ago. However, because the witches could not sacrifice one deemed holy by the goddesses, they could only bring back his body, leaving his mind trapped in the world behind." She breathed a sigh of relief and finally smiled for the first time in many days. "Come, with my magic, I will take us back home." Zelda offered Link her hand, which the hero took; the princess raised her other hand up to the skies, and a light began to shine from her palm, enveloping them both.

As the world slowly faded back into view, Link and Zelda found themselves standing before the Maku Tree. There they saw all those whom had joined them in their quest: Ralph, Impa, Queen Ambi, and the Oracles Din and Nayru. All looked upon them with joyous expressions, instantly rushing forward to greet them in congratulations, already having heard from the Maku Tree the results of the battles that Link had waged with his foes. They were all awed to see the heroic efforts of Link tackle the fates to bring peace to their lands, yet all of them were delighted to be considered close friends and good company with Link. Together the lot of them shared their experiences with one another, embracing each other as if they were family, all of them not willing to leave one another's company.

As they traded remarks and their blessings to one another, a figure slowly crept into the clearing where the Maku Tree stood, and all present turned to look at the new arrival. The eyes of Queen Ambi grew wide as he approached, and incredulously she exclaimed, "Captain, is that you?" The figure was indeed the skeleton pirate that Link had helped in both Holodrum and Labrynna, and he came quickly to the queen, nodding to indicate that it was indeed him, the long lost love of Ambi. They two of them looked at each other somewhat sadly; Ambi, holding back tears, was sullen to see that he had perished upon the high seas, while he grieved that he could not return to her under better circumstances. The emotions of the two lovers were felt by all those who watched them, and Link quietly shed a tear to see them torn apart as such. It was Ambi who finally broke the silence, telling the pirate captain that while their love would always be, their future would never be as they always planned it. Yet she understood fully his love for the sea, and so she urged him to once again sail for lands unknown as his heart yearned to do, but she extended to him the offer of always being there for him as his port of call so long as she lived, and this offer made the pirate glad once again. Link, Zelda, and the rest decided that they should leave the two in peace for a moment, and so they said their final goodbyes as Nayru gathered her power to bring all five of them back to their own time.

Once back in the present, this time to stay, they went to see the villagers of Lynna City, and all were surprised yet ecstatic to see that all was well with the village once again. The citizens were going about their business rather happily, almost completely unaware of the tragedy of the past, for indeed the present had changed since Veran's and inevitably Ganon's defeat four hundred years ago. Most surprising of all to Link and his friends was to find that the tower that had been constructed by the villagers under Queen Ambi's rule long ago still stood, but no longer as it used to be with only black stone shadowing ominously over the land but rather with white, painted plaster covering all its surfaces, thus erasing the stigma of the past from the Oracles, the Princess and her caretaker, Ralph, and Link. Though there was no celebration to be found in their town, they all left for Nayru's home deep in the woods, and there they held their own private victory celebration, all drinking to Link's health for his aid in saving the world yet again.

Impa, Zelda, and Link remained upon Labrynna for several days, finally deciding to make a small retreat out of their initially unfortunate visit. The peace they had found here was well-needed by all, and so they found themselves enjoying themselves immensely, quite often finding themselves exploring the island with their new friends while sometimes remaining close to home. Soon, however, Zelda grew restless, for she knew that her father would be worriedly awaiting her return at home. Impa agreed with the princess' assessment, and so she arranged for a boat to leave later that day in the mid-afternoon. The princess, knowing that Link had not sailed to Hyrule initially, wondered if they would be expecting Link to join them on the trip home, and though Link was deeply touched by their offer, Link politely declined for he had already made arrangements with a local Lynna merchant two days prior to sail for Hyrule the next day. Zelda and Impa understood, and so Zelda came to Link, embracing him closely, partially out of thanks and partially as a gesture of friendship. She wished him the safest of voyages, and she promised to come to Hyrule's border to greet him when they heard word of his return. Link told Zelda that he looked forward to it, and so finally they departed, both waving somewhat sadly to each other as they left.

Link's true reason for staying, however, was not merely just that he had arrangements for a ship the next day, for he had actually scheduled such after overhearing Impa's own plans in the city. Instead, once the hero could no longer see the princess, he quickly rushed back to Nayru's villa in the woods, eager to do what he needed to do before he left. He had expected to find Nayru and Ralph there, but he was pleasantly surprised to find out that the pair had departed earlier for to reconnect after being separated for such a time. Din had stayed behind, and she sat upon the table in the kitchen, carefully watching Link as he entered the house. The Oracle seemed humored by something about the situation, but what thought ran through her head she would not directly reveal. "So I would have thought my noble hero would have been quite eager to return to Hyrule?" she jested as she turned away somewhat, yet still peering at him from the corner of her eye. "Or is it that you've already been and have come back to me so soon?"

Link chuckled as he pulled up a chair beside her. "Not yet left. Not yet ready to leave." Link paused for a moment, his brow tilting upward towards the Oracle's face. There they remained motionless for some time before Link continued. "I came to a decision, actually." Din still refused to speak, but merely replied by raising her eyebrow, imploring Link to continue with his revelation. "About what I want out of life; you remember the conversation aboard the ship?" Again, wordlessly the Oracle nodded, waiting for Link's reply. "Well, I've come to realize... that it's you."

The Oracle seemed quite unsurprised at the confession but rather almost as if she herself had previously seen that these events would come to pass. She smirked and leaned in towards Link, her tanned arm reaching forward and cupping Link's cheek tenderly. Her eyes slowly warmed comfortingly, interlocking with Link's own expression. "I'm glad," she responded, "for who better could I find to dance the rest of my life with?" The two both laughed slightly, and then Din slowly backed away, looking with concern for the hero. "However, I can see you're not fully ready for that day. There are things still in your life to be accomplished, and your Zelda will once more need your courage, but once that day passes, I know that you'll come back for me, back to Holodrum."

The two of them shared a happy yet uneasy smile at as Link digested the his own destiny, but Link soon broke the mood and stood up, placing his hand on the table upon Din's own. "Well, if that is to be, then let us embrace what we can of that fate together before we we must part." Link then quickly kissed her, his lips slowly caressing Din's own as their arms brought them closer together in a tight embrace.

Off in the woods, Nayru's eyes glistened as she briefly turned around towards the direction of her house. Though the wooden cottage was nowhere to be seen, the Oracle of Ages knew the events taking place there, and so with a smile, she took Ralph far into the woods that day, not to return until the sun rose the next morning.

To Be Continued...