AN: Ugh… back at school. Enough said. Anyway, sorry this took so long… but it's the longest chapter I've ever written I think.

The two heroes began the climb to the top floor without another word. There was a rope hanging down against the wall, so Link and Naito began rappelling up the wall. Link was below Naito; if Naito slipped, Link would have a better chance of stopping him without falling than if Link fell on Naito. It turned out it wasn't an issue; neither one fell. They climbed onto a small ledge with a door. Link opened it and stepped out onto the balcony of the tower, staring out at the familiar landscape. They were higher than he thought, and he could see for miles. There was a stone ramp that led around the tower and up to the top, so he and Naito ran along it until they were atop the tower.

Ganondorf was at the other side, his back turned to them. Zelda lay on the ground, unconscious, behind him. They stepped off the ramp and properly onto the tower.

"My homeland… Gerudo Valley. You remember it, Link… it was a barren wasteland. Hot winds scorched the earth and created sandstorms by day, and freezing winds killed many people by night. No matter what, wind was always the enemy… but not in the rest of Hyrule. There it brought fertility, spreading the seeds of plants and grass. I… coveted that wind, I suppose." Ganondorf said, turning as he spoke the last sentence.

"And you were willing to kill countless people for it?" Link spoke, an edge to his voice.

"Link, things don't always come down to good vs. evil. It's a shame you can't see it that way; I understand why you stopped me all those years ago. It's a pity you are too ignorant to realize why I did what I did. I only wanted freedom for my people… a freedom you Hylians denied us!" Ganondorf countered.

"That's how it always starts… freedom for others, a better life, the greater good, and so on. But good intentions mean nothing." Naito said.

"It is you who are ignoran,t Ganondorf. You managed to convince yourself that everything you did was for your people, and maybe that was true, for a time. But if it is so, why did some of the Gerudo resist you? They saw the truth… they saw how power hungry you were." Link added.

"Say what you will… it is meaningless. For I have finally brought all the three crests of the goddesses together. Power and wisdom are now mine… all that remains… is courage. Once it is complete… he who touches it will have whatever he desires granted." Ganondorf said. He outstretched his hand and a blast of red energy hit Link square in the chest, knocking him on his back with a cry.

"Did you think you could fool me by giving the kid your power? Did you think I wouldn't know? I've seen more than you can imagine…" Ganondorf said to Link's crumpled form, before charging at Naito. Naito reached for his sword, but it was too late. Ganondorf punched Naito in the gut with his right hand and grabbed his wrist with his left. He lifted him off the ground by it, leaving him dangling limply.

"Do not fear… I will not kill you. I simply need the power that dwells within you." Ganondorf said, as the cloth covering Naito's hand vanished with a flash. The mark was revealed, glowing brightly. Link watched it vanish as he got to his feet, and saw the triforce piece's physical form appear above Naito's hand. Ganondorf dropped Naito as a second piece left Ganondorf's hand, and the third left Zelda's.

They three glowing triangles of light floated up into the air. They arranged themselves and connected suddenly, and the triforce was reformed once again. Glowing brightly, it slowly descended toward the tower. Ganondorf stared at it intently, greed filling his eyes. He turned to face Link and Naito, who had both managed to stagger to their feet. He raised his hands to the heavens, and turned his face upward.

"Godesses! Here that which I desire! Expose this land to the rays of the sun once more… Give Hyrule to me!" Ganondorf shouted, turning to touch the mystical triangles.

He stopped short. There, standing right beside the triforce with his hand planted firmly on its side, was the king of Hyrule.

"He who touches the triforce will have whatever he desires granted… is that not what you said, Ganondorf?" The king said triumphantly, "Great goddesses of the triforce! Here that which I desire! Hope! I desire hope for all men, women, children of the earth… let a ray of hope shine through to this new world! Wash this ancient land of Hyrule away, and let the rays of hope burn forth!" The king shouted to the heavens.

"NO!" Ganondorf shouted, his arm still outstretched to touch the triforce that would never be his.

"And let our destinies be fulfilled… Ganondorf. May you drown with Hyrule." The king said darkly, turning and heading for the ramp. The triforce floated up and out of sight as he did so.

Link and Naito stood, having watched this all unfold with wide eyes. Ganondorf was still standing stock still as the water began to fall. The water poured down in torrents, all around the tower. It hit the ground with a deafening roar, sending powerful ocean sprays hundreds of feet into the air. The tower shook, the sunlight was blotted out… the land was being buried under the full force of the ocean.

Then, from the middle of the tower, Ganondorf began to laugh; a deep, booming laugh with no trace of sanity left. It cut right over top of the roaring water, and he continued to laugh, howling at the sky, until he seemed to have no breath left.

"This is foolishness… a future… for you? Very well… allow me to show you… your future. Yes… Let me show you just what hope you have!" Ganondorf yelled, drawing two thin swords with golden handles, "Don't you see? Your goddesses have BETRAYED YOU!"

Link and Naito drew their weapons simultaneously. Ganondorf leapt at them, gliding through the air with a fury. He landed in front of them, and slashed out with his swords. Link and Naito back flipped to safety, holding their weapons defensively.

"Be careful… I don't think he even realizes what he's doing anymore." Link said to Naito, stepping forward toward Ganondorf.

He thrust forward, and Ganondorf parried his blade to the side with one sword while slashing at him with the other. Link blocked it with his shield, and slashed at Ganondorf's side with his blade. Ganondorf jumped backwards, twirled his swords, and pointed them at Link suddenly. Lightning shot through the blades and at Link, but he dove to the side to dodge it.

Naito leapt forward and slashed at Ganondorf rapidly. Ganondorf blocked each stroke effortlessly, and then kicked him in the chest. Naito fell backwards and his sword flew through the air, embedding in the ground near Zelda's head. Ganondorf raised his two swords into the air to finish him, but Link ran at him from the side. Ganondorf turned to block his incoming slash, and Naito turned to go retrieve the Master Sword.

Ganondorf saw this and tried to stop him, but Link got in his way, attacking so viciously that Ganondorf had no choice but to forget about Naito. Naito grabbed the sword hilt and wrenched it free of the stone tower with a grunt. Zelda's eyes opened at the sound, and she slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes. She looked around, and her eyes widened.

"Naito! Sorry… I overslept. Are you all right?" She asked.

"Me? I'm fine… Link's the one in trouble right now. I have to go help him out; wait here," Naito said firmly, turning to help Link, who was backing away from Ganondorf's vicious onslaught.

"Wait!" said Zelda, grabbing his arm, "You have a bow right? Give it to me! I'll cover you!"

"I don't think arrows will hurt him…" Naito said skeptically.

"There's no time! Just trust me!" Zelda yelled.

Naito nodded, taking off his quiver. He handed it to her and she tossed it over her shoulder, and then took his bow as he offered it to her. Without another word, he ran back into the fray.

Link blocked yet another slash and then ducked the follow up attack. He had been reduced to blocking and dodging; he couldn't even find the time to attack. He could feel himself tiring already; he'd been doing a lot on very little sleep or food for the past few days, and it was taking its toll.

Finally, just when he thought he couldn't hold out any longer, Naito lunged at Ganondorf from behind. Ganondorf blocked it without turning, and then leaped high into the air, landing a good distance away from them. He twirled his swords to perform another magic attack, but he was struck by an arrow from the side. There was a flash of light and he yelled out, falling to one knee and planting his swords into the ground for support.

Link and Naito dashed over to him, but Link got there first. He slashed Ganondorf across the chest, spun and stabbed him deep in the stomach. There was a spray of greenish blood, which was washed away by the 'rain' pouring down on the tower. Ganondorf staggered back, but the wounds closed themselves up quickly. Naito arrived and took a swing, but Ganondorf had recovered, and jumped over Naito, landing in the middle of the tower again.

"You can use light arrows?" Link quickly asked Zelda. She nodded.

"Good. Keep it up… we'll need to weaken him before Naito can finish him." Link called, yelling over the noise. The water around them was rushing faster now; and the sprinkle that was hitting the tower had become a torrential downpour.

Link and Naito charged Ganondorf simultaneously. He blocked both of their swings, and all three of them stood with their blades locked, trying to overpower each other. Link rolled to the side around Ganondorf, slashing at his back as he rolled. At the same time Naito leaped up over Ganondorf, landed a glancing blow on his shoulder, and landed behind him as well. Zelda hit him with a light arrow as they landed, and while he was stunned, Naito and Link both stabbed him in the back.

He yelled in anger, pulling himself forward off of the blades. Both wounds healed quickly, although the one inflicted by the Master Sword lasted longer. He spun and charged at Link and Naito, rage in his eyes. He threw Naito to the side with a swing of his arm, and hit Link with his shoulder at full speed. Link yelled and flew through the air, landing hard on his back. He slid on the wet surface, stopping just before the edge.

Naito got back to his feet, and saw Ganondorf advancing on Link, who was twisting in pain at the edge of the tower. He ran over to Ganondorf, a loud, primeval screaming tearing through his throat. He unleashed a flurry of slashed, intent on keeping Ganondorf away from Link while he recovered.

Link slowly got up, ignoring the spasms of pain shooting through his body. Just as he finally stood up straight, a stray jet of water struck the ground directly in front of him. He stumbled back in surprise and lost his footing. He fell backward off the tower, and time seemed to slow down as he saw the edge slip away. He felt oddly calm as he drew his hookshot, tumbling down amid gushing water. The heavy spray made it almost impossible to see, but he ignored the low visibility. He aimed his hookshot at the barely visible tower, as if he had all the time in the world. A voice in his mind screamed to pull the trigger, and he obeyed it. He heard the satisfying THUD of the hook on wood, and was pulled over to the tower as he released the trigger. He held his feet out forward to avoid slamming into it too hard, and found himself hanging above the flooded land of Hyrule, with his hookshot embedded in a small wooden decoration over a window.

He rubbed the water out of his eyes with his free hand and drew his body close to the window. He didn't want to risk being knocked off by the water. With his hookshot still embedded in the wood, he began kicking at the window. Three kicks shattered it, and he took one last up to see how far down he had fallen. He guessed he was about three quarters of the way up the tower, although the water below made it hard to judge. He slid through the window and landed on the spiral staircase that led up around the tower, and began running up.

Naito saw none of this; he was too busy dueling Ganondorf to even see Link fall. He learned quickly that Ganondorf was way too strong to fight directly, but Naito was faster. He dodged Ganondorf's attacks when he could because blocking them threw him off balance, and delivered very few counter attacks. He looked around for Link, but couldn't see him. Zelda took another shot with the bow, but Ganondorf deflected the arrow and continued his attack.

"Where the hell is Link?" Naito screamed at Zelda over the roar of the water.

"I-I dunno, I can't see him! Damn it!" She screamed in frustration, trying to line up another shot.

Naito leaped back, and felt Ganondorf's blade graze his stomach; a very thin line of blood appeared beneath the torn tunic. He growled in frustration and slashed repeatedly at Ganondorf, panting heavily. His arms felt like lead, and his legs were headed that way. Where the hell was Link?

Link ran up the stairs, gasping for breath. He needed to save energy for when he continued to fight, but if he didn't get there soon it would be too late. Finally, he arrived in the final room. He half ran-half staggered over to the rope on the wall, and prepared to climb.

"Goddesses… if you're there… we need your strength." Link panted to the empty room. He got no answer.

Back on top of the tower, the fight raged on. Zelda had missed three more shots, and was beginning to worry about the supply of arrows. Naito was reduced to trying to keep as much distance between himself and Ganondorf as possible, but it was nearly impossible. Ganondorf was always two steps ahead, and no matter where Naito turned he had to dodge another attack.

"For Din's sake, Zelda! Shoot him! SHOOT HIM!" Naito screamed as loud as he could as he back flipped away from another attack.

"The hell do you think I'm trying to do?" She yelled back, readying another arrow. Ganondorf blocked it too, and then focused his gaze on her. He charged at her, both swords poised to kill. She shrieked and fumbled for an arrow, but it was going to be too late. She closed her eyes and raised her arms in defense.

"NO!" Link yelled, dashing in front of her. He parried the blades and forced Ganondorf back with a violent shield shove. He'd barely made it; Ganondorf had charged at her as soon as he got to the roof. Ganondorf quickly recovered from the surprise, and began to fight back.

Naito started forward, but his legs finally gave out and he fell to the wet floor. He was exhausted, mentally and physically, and couldn't bring himself to get up. Zelda was just standing there with wide eyes, her bow held uselessly at her side.

"Help me! Help me, damn it!" Link roared, not even sure who he was yelling at anymore. He stepped backward, fending off attack after attack. His arm ached from the vibration, and his legs were so tired they were trembling.

Naito slowly got to his feet. He gripped his sword, and it began to glow a brilliant blue. It pierced through the rainy gray fog, and he felt energy; pure, powerful energy flow from the sword into his body. He looked around with renewed strength, and quickly realized he was standing behind Link, who was holding Ganondorf off. He was finally thinking clearly, and realized the best way around Ganondorf's defenses.

"Link! Give me a boost!" He yelled, running forward. The instructions were hopelessly vague, and yet somehow, Link saw the entire plan, as if he were reading Naito's mind.

Link dropped his weapons and stepped backward as Naito drew close, turning his body sideways. He lowered his arms and clasped his hands together, bending his knees. Naito leaped into his hands and he flung him up with all of his strength, collapsing to his knees with the effort. Naito flew into the air, and Link used his last bit of strength to pick up his sword and thrust it halfway into Ganondorf's stomach. Ganondorf dropped his swords at the sudden pain, and Naito landed on his shoulders. The Master Sword slid silently and easily into Ganondorf's forehead as he looked up just a second too late.

Everything seemed to freeze. Link, lying on the ground, managed a weak smile. Zelda fell to the ground in relief. Ganondorf stood there, looking up, a calm look on his face. Naito stood on his shoulders, emotionless, not even blinking. The roar of the water seemed quieter and less important all of a sudden.

"The wind… it is blowing." Ganondorf said quietly. His eyes had lost their angry gleam, and he seemed rational… sane again. Naito hopped down, but left the sword where it was. Ganondorf stood there, the Master Sword in his head and Link's blade in his stomach, for a moment longer. Then his head turned to stone, and it moved down his body, encasing every part of him and the sword Link had impaled him with. Within seconds, the Master Sword was embedded in something that could have simple been a statue; no sign that it had once been living remained.

The sound of water came back with a vengeance; the tower was now surrounded in a wall of water. The water level had drawn even with the tower, and was now rising faster. Another sheet of water poured down from above, and the three raised their arms and closed their eyes…

But there was no impact. They were each surrounded by a bubble, which protected them from the water pressure, and allowed them to breathe. The three looked at the king, who had appeared once more on the tower. He had no bubble, yet was able to speak.

"My children… listen to me. I have lived regretting the past, clinging to an ancient land that exists no longer. Not a day has gone by when I haven't found myself dwelling on this kingdom of mine. I have lived bound to Hyrule. In that sense, I was just like Ganondorf. But you, Link… you alone, of the three survivors of Hyrule, were able to let go, and make the right choice. You alone can look to the future, and thus, have earned your place in it. Farewell… this is the only world that your ancestors were able to leave for you. Please… forgive us." The king said, looking at each of them in turn.

"W-wait! You can come with us! We have a ship! We can find it… no, we WILL find it! The next Hyrule! So…" Zelda said, trailing off as the king smiled kindly.

"But child… no matter what name you give it… that land will not be Hyrule. It will be YOUR land!" The king shouted, raising his arms. Link felt himself floating upwards, away from the tower.

"NO!" Naito yelled, reaching his arm toward the king as he too was lifted up. The king started to raise his arm in response, but lowered it with a final wave. Zelda floated up last, with tears in her eyes. The king, and Hyrule itself, slowly faded from view as Link, Naito, and Zelda, floated up towards the light and away from Hyrule for the final time.

Five days later…

"Ready the main sail!" Tetra yelled to her crew, back in her pirate clothes. Link, who was sitting at the front of the ship, watched another pirate hoist the sail. Naito was standing at the back, waving good bye to his island… perhaps for the last time.

A lot had happened since the final battle atop Ganondorf's tower. Link, Zelda, and Naito had surfaced, and found the pirate ship waiting for them. They were brought back to Outset Island, where they spent a day silently and separately grieving. The next day, they created their plan to honour the king's last request, and find a new land. They were going to visit several of the larger islands to recruit settlers, and then sail south, beyond the limits of any map. It was risky… but considering what the three of them had survived, it wasn't too big a risk. After another day of preparing, here they were, ready to set sail.

"You okay?" Tetra asked him, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Wh- yeah… yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking." Link replied, blinking.

"Okay… well, I'm going to see Naito… this is pretty hard on him." Tetra told him heading toward the back, where Naito was still standing. The ship was gently rocking, and Link could see the island fading further and further from view. Tetra and Naito were now talking quietly in the back. Good… he was glad Naito had someone close to his age to talk to.

He reached into his pocket, and pulled out the shards of his fairy ocarina. He cradled them in his lap for a while, and whispered, "Saria… did I do the right thing?"

There was no response… but he didn't need one. Staring at the pieces of his childhood treasure, he somehow knew he had. He stood suddenly, and cast all the pieces but one over the side of the ship. Letting go of the past was important… but treasuring parts of it was important, too.

The End

AN: Whew. My fingers feel weird. I can't believe this story's over… I better start thinking of some new ideas. I'd just like to thank the following people for many reviews: Oniyuri Tiger Lily, Link Fangirl01, outofstategirl, Anime Wildfire, and herooftimes. If I forgot anyone, sorry, but I appreciate it anyway.

Finally, let me just say that if you're only going to review one chapter, it might as well be this one, since it is the last. Hope to see you in the reviews!

-Link the Hylian