“Hmm…” The hum from Mako hung in the air for a long time as he stared at the statue on Southern Triangle Island, Gonzo and Senza looking at him impatiently while he held his hand to his glasses, adjusting them as if that might make the answer come to him. He lowered his hand to his side after a minute and said, “Nope. I haven’t an idea. Not a one.”
Senza nearly fell over at that. “What do you mean you don’t have any idea, Mako? You’re supposed to be the one who has ideas when you see these things, and you’re telling me you’re worthless?” he asked.
The smaller pirate turned to him, “All you asked me, brother, is who could’ve possibly gotten to Jabun before us. Finding this pearl and statue like this doesn’t tell us anything about who they are.” He turned to look towards the Tower of the Gods, “What I’m more interested in is how this pearl made that tower rise out of the ocean. There have to be other pearls on the other islands to have caused that. It’s very unlikely that one pearl is responsible for that.”
While they continued to talk, Tetra leaned against the starboard railing, her gaze turned towards the tower. She was sure that Krystal was responsible, but she strangely hadn’t been able to reach the stone she had given the fox all day. It was like something was blocking her; she’d never experienced that before.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Zuko call from the crow’s nest, “Young miss!”
She blinked and looked up, “What is it, Zuko?”
He called back down, “The cerulean vulpine… She’s leaving the tower in a boat. The wind is carrying her to the northwest.”
Tetra raised an eyebrow. “The northwest? Where’s she going now? Could she be…?” Her eyes narrowed in realization; there was only one place to the northwest that, in all likelihood, had any value to Krystal. She pushed off the railing and called to Mako, Gonzo, and Senza, “All right, that’s enough! Get back up here! We’re casting off!” They were surprised by the sudden order, but they did as they were told, climbing aboard and unfurling the sails. As they were doing this, she thought, “That girl is going to get herself killed with how reckless she is.”
________________________________________
Krystal's right hand gripped the rudder handle tightly while her left hand held Aryll's telescope. The Master Sword lay across her back, held between her shield and her sword. It didn't have its own sheath, but that was okay. Getting to the Forsaken Fortress was at the forefront of her mind. “I'm coming, Aryll,” she thought as she raised the telescope to her eye once more.
Windfall Island went by in the distance off to her right. She checked the Tingle Pad; they were getting close to the Forsaken Fortress. She soon saw it off in the distance even without the telescope. The late afternoon sun was still hanging in the sky as they crossed the last squares on the Sea Chart, but as they got closer to the island, it got dark, the night sky suddenly stretching out over them.
Krystal looked around, surprised by the sudden shift in the time of day. The King of Red Lions noticed and glanced back at her as he said, “It must be like the curse Ganon cast on the land at Greatfish Isle. Here he can maintain his power and cast darkness as he wishes.”
Krystal nodded in understanding. “So, his prisoners don't even get to see the sun. Aryll and those two girls haven't seen sunlight in… however long,” she murmured.
As they approached the high walls of the fortress, she noticed the cannons set into them turning around, looking for anyone to come too close. Krystal lowered the sail and called up the cannon, the King lowering his head as they glided in. The cannons soon turned in their direction as they entered their range. Krystal maneuvered while the King aimed the cannon. Their bombs took out each of the cannons, leaving holes in their place as they approached the front gate.
It took several bombs to break down the wooden gate. As they drifted inside, Krystal looked up. The searchlights were sweeping across the Fortress, but above them, she could see seagulls flocking around the window like before, giving her hope that Aryll was okay.
She leapt off the boat when they got close, landing on the ground next to the stairs going up. Both she and the King turned to look at each other, the latter saying, “Ganon has likely been made aware of our little incursion already…” Krystal glanced over at the open gate with a wry look before looking back at him, “But you have the Master Sword! That sword shall shine in the darkness, casting back evil… With it in your hands, none can keep you from rescuing your sister! Now go! Do not be afraid!” Krystal glanced back at the sword, wondering about the sensation she felt when she laid her hands on it. Looking back at the King, she decided to trust in his words and turned to go up the stairs.
Krystal eyed the searchlights sweeping the courtyard as she reached the top of the stairs. The stairs to her right that she'd gone up last time were blocked by spikes that extended out of the ground, so she darted around the lights towards the front door. Just as she reached it, however, she heard the sound of the locking bar sliding down against the wooden doors on the inside and a deep, dark, echoing laugh.
She sensed a presence behind her and turned to look. A dark shape that was a cross between a man and a beast took shape before her eyes. It carried a large black sword with markings on its blade in its right hand, it wore a tattered cape and gauntlets, its right foot had nothing covering it, its bones visible while the left foot was covered by a boot, it had long horns sticking out of the sides of its head, and it had red eyes that glowed in the darkness. She couldn't make out any other details as the rest of it was shrouded in black and dark cyan, a black smoke cloud billowing around it.
It stared at her for a moment before it let out a deep, menacing laugh. It then floated up away from her with its left hand raised, a big cyan-colored orb of energy forming in front of it. After a few seconds, it threw it at her and she jumped to the side to avoid it. She drew her bow, but before she could take aim, it vanished. She took a few steps forward, looking for it before she heard a noise and felt its presence behind her. She leapt forward as it did a spinning sweep with its sword, the tip grazing the back of her right leg and leaving a small horizontal cut along her thigh. She gave a slight grunt at the sensation, but she remained upright without losing her balance upon landing, grateful that all she got was a cut as her right hand moved down to press against it.
She looked up when she heard the noise again and looked up to see it hovering over her again. Ignoring the sting of pain in her leg, she raised her bow and fired an arrow at it, only for it to easily hit the projectile with its sword. It then formed another orb and threw it at her. She swapped her bow for the Master Sword. It was too late to try and get out of its way, so she tried striking it. To her surprise, it actually sent it flying back at the phantom creature, who used its own sword to hit it back at her. It went back and forth few times before the Phantom missed its strike and was hit, dropping to the ground. She used the opportunity to run over to it and slash it a couple of times before it vanished.
When it reappeared, it tried to throw another sphere at her. She was ready this time, striking it back at the creature and knocking it back when it rebounded it back at her. It was soon knocked out of the air again and she got another chance to slash at it. It then disappeared and reappeared directly behind her. Krystal sensed this and rolled away to avoid it and managed to hit it with the Master Sword before it could disappear again, slashing it again. After a few more hits, it reared back for a moment before leaning over and disappearing. It reappeared over her and she looked up at it as it let out its deep laugh again before disappearing, its disembodied laugh echoing as she looked around.
The locking bar on the front entrance lifted back up and the spikes blocking the stairs retracted into the ground. As the searchlight passed over her, she held up her right hand to shield her eyes from the light and turned her head slightly away to her left. Doing this caused her to notice that a spiky green and red treasure chest had appeared in the middle of the courtyard. She put the Master Sword and her shield away and ran over to it, opening it and lifting herself over the edge to peer and reach inside. It contained a heavy hammer that she needed both hands to hold. It was shaped like a sledgehammer and it had a red handle and a red three-pronged symbol in the middle of the head on both sides.
As she looked it over, she heard a call nearby and looked. A Miniblin, one of many, was scurrying down the nearby wall towards her. She could hear the same calls coming from behind her and decided to try out her new hammer. She stepped away from the chest and, as they began to surround her, swung the hammer down on the ground. The impact shook the ground and knocked the Miniblins up into the air. They landed on their backs. Krystal swung the hammer sideways, sending the ones she hit flying.
Emboldened by her new weapon and the fight against the monstrous phantom, Krystal made her way through the fortress, first taking out the Bokoblins running the searchlights and then using the Master Sword to take out any Moblins she came across and any more Miniblins that tried to slow her down. She was too focused on making her way up the fortress to notice a familiar ship outside the fortress walls. She wasn’t the naïve little girl who had snuck through the hallways of the fortress last time. She was much stronger and wiser now; she didn’t have any need to creep around. Her confidence was growing with every step she took and every slash she made with the Master Sword.
As she reached the big wooden doors leading to where Aryll was, though, she slowed down and seemed to hesitate as she looked to her right up at them. She turned to her left, looking where the giant bird's nest was. It was empty. “It must be out searching for another girl to kidnap,” she thought, trying to reassure and remind herself the other reason why she was doing this. She faced forward and approached a switch in front of her. She pulled out her new hammer and slammed it down on the switch, pressing it down. This caused the locking bar in front of the doors to raise. She put the hammer away and walked over to the left door, grunting as she pushed it open.
Once it was open enough for her to step inside, she peered around the side of the door, looking all around. There were no Bokoblin or Moblin guards, and she could see Aryll in the same cell she'd been in, but she was hesitant to step inside. She took several measured steps inside, her fur standing on end and her entire body tense. She was expecting the bird to drop in at any moment, and it was safe to say she didn't want to be thrown out to sea again.
A board creaked as she placed her foot on it and she froze, her eyes wide. She thought the noise would be enough to give her away, either to the bird or something else. She stood there for a few moments, not moving a muscle until she felt a tapping against her back, but instead of jumping, she relaxed a little. She looked back over her shoulder; it was the Master Sword tapping her, the sword shaking as she felt the presence she had sensed in it earlier whispering a tiny bit louder. She smiled at it for a moment before facing forward, a focused expression on her face as she made her way over to the cell.
Aryll was sitting down against the bars facing away from her, but she could still see how she looked now compared to how she looked the last time she'd seen her. Her dress was dirty, smudged with dirt, dust, and other signs that it was overdue for a wash. Her hair was unkempt as well, strands starting to poke out in spite of her efforts to maintain it. The other two girls in the cell didn't look much neater than her, especially the girl in the fancy clothes.
“Aryll!” she whispered as she got closer to the cell. Aryll turned her head slightly to look over her shoulder, her downcast expression brightening almost immediately upon seeing Krystal sneaking over to the cell.
“Big Sister!” she breathed, standing up and turning around completely. The bars of the cell were far enough apart for Krystal to reach her arms through and wrap them around Aryll in a bit of a hug. The other two girls noticed the fox after a couple of moments, both of their eyes widening in surprise. As they hugged, Aryll said, “You’re okay! I was… worried…”
Krystal opened her eyes and looked down at her. “You were worried?” she asked in an amused tone. She looked over at the door to the cell for a moment before looking back down at Aryll, “I’m going to have to find the key. I’ll be right back.” She let go of the young girl, reluctantly, and stood up.
“Getting a bit distracted again, aren’t you?” Krystal froze as she turned around and saw Tetra, Gonzo, Senza, and Nudge standing across from her by the grate in the middle of the floor.
“Tetra!” she breathed.
The pirate leader smiled, “Like I said before, you’re so emotional.” She glanced back at Gonzo and Senza and nodded to them, both of them walking past Krystal and over to the cell door.
Krystal looked back at Tetra and asked, “What are you doing here?”
The pirate leader replied, “Don't you remember? We have a debt to repay to that bird! Lucky for you, too; it was on its way back here. Fortunately, we had bombs to distract it with.” Krystal nodded understandingly and turned to watch Gonzo and Senza work. As she did, Tetra noticed the Master Sword on her back and she blinked, leaning forward slightly as she stared at it.
Krystal sensed the change in the air and turned to look at Tetra after a few moments, noticing the surprised look on her face. “What? What did I do now?” she asked.
Tetra pointed and asked, “Where did you get that sword?”
Krystal blinked and looked back at it for a moment before looking back at her. “I… found it. It was hidden away quite well. I went through a lot to find it, so I took it when I found it,” she said, settling on a half-truth. She wasn't sure Tetra would believe she had found it in a lost kingdom at the bottom of the Great Sea.
Tetra stared at her for a few moments longer before her usual smile returned, looking nonchalant about the whole thing, yet she couldn't help but think, “There's no way… right?”
The sound of the lock on the cell clicking filled the silence suddenly and Krystal turned to look. Gonzo and Senza stepped into the cell, Gonzo approaching the fancy dressed girl and Senza approaching the girl wearing rags. “All right, come here. It’s time to go home, yeah?” Gonzo remarked, picking the girl up and draping her over his shoulder.
Senza did the same with the other girl. As they stepped out of the cell, he looked at Gonzo and said, “We ought to be able to get a good reward from that one’s father at least. He should be able to pay a handsome reward for her return.”
As they headed for the doors, Tetra motioned to Nudge to follow them. He hesitated, but one lowered eyebrow was enough to make him agree right away. She turned back to Krystal, now standing in front of the open cell door with Aryll in her arms. The fox had lifted the little girl up off the ground and both girls were hugging each other tightly, happy to finally be reunited. She smiled at the tender sight and stepped closer.
“You could use a bath, Big Sister. You smell like seawater!” Aryll giggled.
“Well, I’m not the only one,” Krystal whispered playfully, her nose wrinkling a little bit as she took in her little sister’s unwashed scent.
Tetra cleared her throat, getting both siblings’ attention. Krystal turned to her, still holding Aryll as the pirate started, “I’m sorry to interrupt your reunion…” She held up her right hand, gesturing to the opening high up in the ceiling, “But there’s something else you need to take care of, isn’t there?”
Aryll looked at Krystal, the fox giving Tetra a solemn look as she nodded, “Yes, there is.”
Tetra noticed her eyes briefly moving in Aryll’s direction before returning to her and said, “I know you’re worried about your sister… but don’t be. I promise she’ll be safe until you’re ready to return to your little island.”
Krystal replied, “And I promised you, when we left that little island, that I would repay you for agreeing to take me on your ship. And I intend to keep that promise.”
Tetra slightly raised an eyebrow at her words. “Well, normally, I’d expect a big payout for that and this… but you’ve kind of grown on me, fox girl, so this time, it’s my treat!” Krystal blinked, staring at her in disbelief. She hadn’t expected Tetra and the pirates to show up and help her this time, and she certainly hadn’t expected her to wave away a debt just like that.
Tetra turned to look at Aryll, the younger girl looking back and forth between her and Krystal with a look of uncertainty. It seemed like she had an idea of what was coming next and she didn’t like the possibility. Tetra spoke in a gentler tone, “Listen, Aryll, your sister has some things she needs to take care of. Big, important, grown-up things to make sure something like this never happens again. While she’s taking care of her business, you’re going to stay with us, okay?”
Aryll looked at Krystal and whispered, “But, Big Sister…”
The vixen looked at her and murmured, “It’s okay, Aryll. You’ll be safe with them. I haven’t met any other pirates, but I’m certain it will be a long time before I ever meet another group of pirates as Tetra’s. They are the best.”
Gonzo suddenly ran into the room. He, Senza, and Nudge hadn't gotten far when they noticed a signal from Zuko back on the ship, prompting Gonzo to hand the girl off to Nudge and hurry back to alert Tetra. “Miss Tetra! We have to leave! The bird is on its way back!” he exclaimed as he came to a stop next to her.
Tetra glanced towards him and said, “Gonzo! Excellent timing! Take her too, would you?”
Gonzo's mouth fell open. “Huh?! But isn't she…?”
Tetra turned her head to look at him and snapped, “She's fine! Just do what you're told!” Gonzo stiffened up at that and ran over to Krystal and Aryll.
Aryll looked between Krystal and Gonzo worriedly as they looked at each other for several moments. They didn't say a word, yet the way they stared at each other made it seem like they were having an important conversation, which came to an end when they respectfully nodded at each other. Krystal's hands gripped Aryll's waist as she held her out to Gonzo, the little girl letting out a surprised gasp at this. Gonzo took her and draped her over her shoulder, Aryll crying out to Krystal as she gave her an apologetic smile.
Tetra followed Gonzo to the doors, but before she followed him out, she looked back and winked as she said, “Krystal! We'll be back. I swear it!” She then left the room.
Krystal looked up and saw the bird fly over the opening a few moments later. She knew she had to go up there in order to find Ganon anyway, so she turned and ran towards a wooden ramp past the prison cell, which led to a winding path going up the tower. As she set foot on it, the floor rumbled slightly and she heard what sounded like water rushing behind her. She looked back and sure enough, water began spilling out of the grate in the floor. She ran up the ramp and stopped next to the start of the path to look back. The water was already pooling, rising up to the doors she had come through and pushing the open door closed.
She then heard the loud sound of flapping wings and the bird dropped down a second later, though it flapped its wings to hover above the still rising water as it looked at her. Not wanting to take her chances with either the water or the bird, she turned and started running up the path.
The bird's eyes followed her as she ran, rising up after her and occasionally lunging to destroy the wood connecting the stone outcroppings in the tower to try to stop her. She managed to keep up the pace and avoid having the floor fall out from under her, though her lungs burned from the dashes she had to make to do so. As she neared the top, the bird suddenly flew up and landed at the top of the winding path, bringing its head down to look at her as she stopped in front of it. She stared back at it for a moment before she pulled her hammer out of her Adventure Pouch and swung it sideways at its mask in a swift motion. The mask shook and the bird let out a cry as it felt the vibration, the hit throwing it off balance. It tipped over and fell into the water beak first, the water level high enough that it disappeared below the surface.
Krystal peered over the side down at the water. She didn't see any bubbles or any rippling in the water, but that didn't reassure her. “It spent a longer time under water back at Outset. There's no chance that’s it,” she thought. She put the hammer away and climbed up out of the opening, standing on the roof.
Sure enough, she had only taken a few steps away from the edge when the tower started rumbling. The bird flew straight up out of the opening, spinning around once before spreading its wings out with a flourish and a cry. The opening closed as it flapped its wings, looking down at Krystal as she looked back up at it.
Down in the courtyard, Gonzo, Aryll, Nudge, Senza, Tetra, and the two girls all took notice of the bird when it cried out, all of them staring up at it. The two girls cried out in fear, prompting Senza to say as he adjusted the girl he was holding, “Hey, calm down! We're almost out of here!”
Tetra faced forward and ordered, “Get to the raft!” They all turned and ran down the steps towards the raft they had used to get inside, sitting next to the King of Red Lions. The two girls were still struggling and making it difficult for them all to get on, so Tetra said, “All right, change of plans! Senza, Nudge, take the raft. Pass me one of those oars; Gonzo and I will take Krystal's boat and we’ll drop it off afterwards.” Senza complied and threw her an oar. The King of Red Lions remained completely still during all this, not even blinking.
Up on top of the tower, Krystal moved to the middle as the bird flew around. As it flew over the fortress, the searchlights, which were still pointing skyward, seemed to focus on it as it flew over them, slightly disorienting it. It flew back to the top of the tower and landed near Krystal. It took a few steps towards her and, with a caw, reared back before bringing its beak down towards her. She jumped back from it and it got its beak stuck in the ground. As it struggled to pull it out, she pulled out the hammer and swung it at its mask, cracking it slightly. It quickly pulled its beak out at the feeling and took to the air again.
As it flew around again, Krystal took notice of how the searchlights deliberately moved to shine up at it as it flew. “Who’s controlling those searchlights?” she wondered. She’d dealt with the Bokoblins controlling them, so who had taken up their post? And why were they trying to disorient the bird? She didn’t have time to ponder these questions as the bird landed and flapped its wings, creating a gust of wind that pushed her back towards the spikes along the edges of the top of the tower. She had to run fast to keep from getting impaled on one of them.
It took several more hits from her hammer, having to dodge the bird’s talons as it flew as well as the gusts of wind and its beak in the meantime, but the mask finally broke into pieces, revealing its face. Its eyes were red slits that seemed to stare into her soul, but she felt no fear. She had exposed the spot where its skin was most tender and she put the hammer away and drew the Master Sword to continue the attack.
The bird struggled to pull its beak free more frantically than before. It knew it was exposed and it wanted to get away from her. It pulled its beak free and quickly took to the air once more. It remained airborne, not wanting to give her a chance to get close to it. It stuck to making flybys, running its claws across the roof as she ran and rolled to get out of its way. On one flyby, it hadn’t taken its flight path into account and it slammed into the stone underneath the ship atop the fortress with a squawk. Krystal really had to struggle to stifle a laugh at the way it twitched and slid down.
She focused and pulled out her bow, getting an arrow ready. As it flew back up into view, using its wings to stay in position, she took aim and fired, the arrow hitting it in its right eye. The bird let out a pained squawk and squeezed its eye shut. It was disoriented and it landed on the roof, stumbling and falling over from the pain. Krystal took this opportunity to run it, drawing the Master Sword and leaping up to drive the blade into the top of its head. She leapt off of its head as it suddenly reared its head back with a loud cry. It began to flap its wings again, each flap punctuated by it taking a deep, pained breath.
The pirates had returned to the ship with their charges by this point and they all looked up as the searchlights illuminated the bird’s form as it flew above the tower. With one last resounding cry, it vanished in a large puff of smoke, its feathers fluttering down over the Forsaken Fortress. They all stared in amazement. “That… Did that fox girl really just take that bird out?” Senza breathed.
Mako held his hand to his glasses, “Hmm… You wouldn’t think so, but what other explanation is there?”
“That’s my big sister!” Aryll cheered.
Niko looked around after a couple of moments and noticed something. “Hey… Where’s Miss Tetra?” he asked. The other pirates looked around at that and realized he was right; she wasn’t on the deck with them, and she wasn’t in her cabin. It took them slightly longer to notice that Krystal’s boat was also gone.
Up on top of the tower, the vixen looked up at the feathers fluttering down around her, her tail giving a slight twitch at the thought that the bird wouldn’t trouble anyone again. She then looked down, her expression becoming more focused. “I still have to deal with the bird’s master,” she thought. She looked over to her left at the path leading up to the ship atop the fortress, the place where she’d briefly seen Ganon before she’d been thrown across the ocean. Clutching her shield and the Master Sword tightly in her hands, she made her way up. As she approached the doorway leading inside the ship, she noticed a ring of skulls hanging on both sides of it, which gave her an uneasy feeling. “Tetra said another group of pirates occupied the Forsaken Fortress before Ganon did,” she thought to herself, wondering if she’d found out what had happened to them. Shaking her head, she approached the light coming from within and ran through the entryway.
Inside, she stopped on the red carpet near the entrance and stared. Standing on the other side of the room was the orange-haired figure in black robes that she had seen before, turned away from her, seemingly looking out one of the windows. She wondered if she should say something, but then the silence was broken. “It’s been a while, animal girl,” he said in a deep, dark voice that sent a shiver through her and silenced her for the moment. “You have done well to wriggle your way up here. To think that a girl that the King found could come this far… I suppose the least I can do is commend you for your reckless courage.”
Krystal raised an eyebrow at his words, a pang of curiosity welling up within her despite the situation she was in. “What do you mean?” she asked quietly.
He was silent for a moment before saying, “You’re a long way from home, girl.” He started to turn towards her, “My name is Ganondorf.” He faced her fully, an unreadable expression on his green face, “And I am the master of the Forsaken Fortress.”
Krystal arched backwards slightly, feeling the aura of darkness that surrounded him suddenly turned towards her, but she regained her focus after a moment. Her grip on her shield and the Master Sword tightened as she firmly said, “I wouldn’t have come out here if your bird hadn’t kidnapped my sister. I don’t know what you’re up to, but it ends here.”
Ganondorf seemed unfazed as he replied, “Of course.” A grin began to grace his features as he asked, “By the way, girl… When you drew that sword out of its pedestal, did you happen to notice how all the monsters frozen in time down there suddenly began stirring again?” Krystal gave a light gasp and looked down at the Master Sword at his words. Of course she had noticed; they all came after her, after all, but how did he know? “Do you know what happened? I highly doubt you do,” he said.
She looked up at him again, “What are you talking about?”
He answered, “Foolish child. While what you hold is indeed the blade of evil’s bane, it has also served another role for hundreds of years… You see, it also served as a key… a most wretched little key that has kept a seal on me and my magic intact!” His grin widened as he chuckled, “By withdrawing the blade, you have broken that seal…”
Krystal's eyes widened for a moment before she regained her focus. It was still the blade of evil's bane; he had said so himself. Recalling the King of Red Lions’ words, she charged towards him, the Master Sword out at her side. He didn't move to get out of her way, his grin never leaving his face.
A resounding clang echoed through the room.
Krystal's eyes open after several moments. She looked up; Ganondorf was still standing there, still grinning down at her. As she raised the tip of the Master Sword off the floor, he, in one swift movement, batted her away with the back of his left hand, sending her flying back across the room with a cry. The Master Sword and her shield fell from her grip, clattering on the floor in front of her.
It took Krystal a few moments to recover, both from the landing and just the sheer force of Ganondorf’s blow. It hadn't looked like much, but the power behind it was a testament to his status in the legend as the great evil. She opened her eyes and her gaze fell on the Master Sword. She was confused; why hadn't it done anything to him? She planted her right hand against the floor, propping herself up as she reached for it.
A sudden cracking sound was immediately followed by a sharp pain in her right arm below her shoulder. Krystal's breath hitched and her eyes widened, her arm giving out a moment later. Her head hit the floor and she raised it to look back. Ganondorf was standing right behind her and he had a sword in his right hand, its tip covered in crimson. She looked down at her arm; there was a break in her bracelet that was roughly the same shape as the tip of his sword and she could feel a warmth coming from it, blood leaking from the break in her skin. She could hardly believe it; she hadn't even heard him move, and he’d barely needed any effort to do more to her than she'd done to him.
She pulled away from him, her eyes wide as he spoke, “Do you not understand the blade you hold? You cannot strike me down with a weapon that doesn't shine with the power to repel evil! Go back to the world below and tell this to the fools who hid it away! Its luster has waned after all this time, while I have grown stronger.” He raised his sword, ready to strike her down.
They both heard a noise behind him and he paused, turning his head slightly to look. Tetra was at the window, down on one knee, her usual confident smirk on her face. She stood and ran at Ganondorf, who put his sword away as he turned to face her. She managed to surprise him by jumping up and reaching his face, kicking him before he shoved her away. She landed next to Krystal and looked at the fox, saying, “Krystal, get up!” She was trying to get up, but she was struggling to do so after Ganondorf’s smack and his sword breaking the skin on her arm. It was like the dark aura that surrounded him had seeped into her and it was making her weak and unfocused.
Tetra looked back at Ganondorf, only for him to wrap his left hand around her neck and lift her up. Krystal saw this and groaned, “Tetra…!” She was trying to get up, but her body still felt heavy and unresponsive.
As Tetra begged him to let her go, Ganondorf sneered, “You pathetic little sea rat!” He raised his right hand towards her… and froze. On the back of his hand was the symbol of the three triangles, the top triangle solid while the other two were clear. It was glowing a bright orange color as he held it closer to Tetra and his eyes widened at the sight. “My Triforce of Power is resonating!” he said as he looked at it. He looked back at her after a moment, a wide, vicious grin spreading on his face. “At long last, I have found you… Princess Zelda!” he declared.
Tetra was losing strength due to his hand around her throat, but she managed to choke out, “Wh-What?! What are you… talking about? I don't… know any… Zelda…”
Ganondorf sneered at her, “Feigning ignorance will gain you nothing! If you are not Zelda, then why do you possess a fragment of the Triforce?” His eyes were focused on her neckerchief, specifically on the golden triangular necklace underneath it.
Krystal was still struggling to regain her strength, but she heard everything that Ganondorf had said. “Zelda? Triforce? What is he talking about?” she wondered. Her thoughts were cut off when the ship suddenly rumbled.
Ganondorf felt it too as he lowered Tetra and turned to look over his left shoulder. Suddenly, he felt his hand close around nothing and looked to see that Tetra was gone. Krystal had seen what had happened; she'd been snatched out of his hand by a Rito, one that looked familiar. She felt talons grip her shoulders and lift her off the floor a second later.
As she was carried out one of the windows into the night and her head began to clear, Krystal realized the Rito carrying Tetra was Prince Komali. It took her a second to recognize him, not only because he was a far cry from the despondent boy she'd first met, but also because he'd evidently had a growth spurt in the interim. She looked up and saw Quill was the one carrying her, the postal worker looking down at her with concern. She heard more flapping behind them and looked. Skett and Akoot, the two guards, were bringing up the rear, one carrying the Master Sword and the other carrying her shield. She also saw something else: the sky spirit Valoo, flapping his wings to raise himself up to the top of the tower and Ganondorf.
As the four of them stopped and turned around, hovering a safe distance away, Krystal looked down and saw that they weren't the only ones that had come out here. There were Rito manning the searchlights, all of them shining a light up at Ganondorf’s hideaway, but there were also Rito going above the call of duty and attacking the monsters in the fortress. And they looked to be winning.
As Valoo rose up into view, Ganondorf went from raising an eyebrow in confusion to giving a full-blown death glare at the sky spirit. He couldn't intimidate Valoo, though; with a growl, he reared back before unleashing his fiery breath on the wooden ship. It quickly caught fire, the wood already starting to break down as Valoo circled around it and flew to the southeast, the Rito in the fortress stopping what they were doing and following suit.
Komali, Quill, Skett, and Akoot did the same, flying after Valoo. Krystal looked down and saw the King of Red Lions gliding across the water in the same direction, the sail up despite no one being aboard. It seemed like they were safe, but as she looked back at the burning ship atop the Forsaken Fortress, she couldn't shake the feeling that Ganondorf was still just standing in there, glaring out at them.
