Firstly, I'd like to apologise for the delay. I'll explain my neglect at the end of the chapter, so enjoy!

***

Link groaned drowsily as he woke, the thunderous pounding at the back of his head had him reaching for his temple. He furrowed his brow when he felt resistance to his movements. Link gazed down to see his wrists clamped by shackles and taut against the wall. The clacking noise the chains made in the silent atmosphere had the hero freezing when he sensed movement in the darkness. The recount of what had happened played through his mind and Link gulped. He tried to make out the silhouette of Ganondorf in the shadows, the broad shoulders of the Gerudo seemingly much larger than they should be.

"Ganondorf?" Link called out softly, blinking in uneasiness at the low growl that the dark figure emitted. He plastered his back to the wall as the form of Ganondorf appeared. The Gerudo was in his beast form, stomping his way towards him. Link found himself looking at his own fevered reflection in the white hues of the huge being. He held his breath as Ganondorf's snout pushed against his chest. The thick air that expired from the beast's nostrils formed into a puff of smoke causing Link to choke. He wheezed a little as Ganondorf pulled away, watching the beast push and pull away from him. "Ganondorf?" Link called out again and flinched at the beast as he growled again.

It was sometime before Ganon went back into the shadows; having spent his time pacing back and forth in front of Link. The low hums of the beast's calm snores had Link raising his brow. He tested his chains once, before pulling at them when Ganon didn't respond. He grunted and groaned as the metal bit at his skin but didn't give up trying to escape. Link didn't hear the calm breaths of Ganon stop or the thumping of the beast's feet as it approached the stressed Hylian. When the hot breath hit Link's neck the hero instantly stopped struggling and froze. The furious growl shook Link's spine and the hero turned his head slowly not wanting to aggravate the beast any more than he had. The glint of corruption flowed through the beast's eyes and Link knew the Gerudo king was fighting back.

"I know you're still in there." Link spoke, his lingering fear no longer present. He backed into the wall as the beast forced him back, teeth bared viciously. "I know you think you're evil, and all you do thrills the power-hungry side of you. But you're not the same man you were."

Link winced as one of Ganondorf's fangs pierced his arm. He tried to suppress his whimper of agony and closed his eyes as the beast snarled.

"HEY! Get away from him!"

Link snapped his eyes open to see Ike who had spoken with Marth, Zelda, Midna, and her soldiers-weapons at the ready. Link shook his head desperately and called out to them to leave. But his desperate pleas were drowned out by the beast. Ganon roared as it turned to face his enemies, the curse continuously pulsing through him. Zelda brought forth her goddess bow and aimed it to Ganon's heart. The arrow she let loose whistled past as the beast suddenly disappeared into a black portal.

"No, wait! Ganondorf!" Link cried out to the Gerudo. He pulled roughly on his chains and desperately tried to reach the portal as it closed. As soon as the gateway vanished Link's whole demeanour sagged. He silently thanked Ike for slashing at the chains and freeing him. Link rubbed his wrist after the mercenary pried apart the bracers that bound him.

"Are you okay?" Ike asked and helped the Hylian to his feet and looked at the bleeding open wound in concern.

"Fine." Link nodded as he covered his arm and replaced his hat upon his head. Marth offered Link his sword with a relieved smile. He took it and replaced it back between his shoulder blades and sighed a little in comfort.

"What happened Link?" Zelda asked as she and Midna approached. "What has happened to Ganondorf?"

"The curse..." Link unconsciously ran his fingers down his cheek, knowing the affliction was still beating strongly over his skin. "He's succumbed to it. Like Zant said."

"Succumbed? You mean he's gone?" Ike gulped at the thought, keeping his hands tightly wound around his sword.

"We need to find him," Link looked to Midna who rose a brow and shook her head.

"If you turn again, you'll be surrendering yourself to the curse," Midna stated seriously before smiling knowingly at Link at the look on his face. "Is Ganondorf really worth it?"

"He is..." Link confessed, masking his features before he continued. "...if we want to end this curse."

"We can't let you turn again." Zelda shook her head at Link and gazed around the room.

"Where did Ganondorf go anyway?" Ike asked.

"I expect to the parallel reality," Midna answered feeling the presence of a rift where Ganondorf had gone through. "I am surprised he hasn't come back to rip us to pieces."

"He's not a monster." Link scowled a little as he defended the Gerudo. "We have to help him."

Ganon groaned from the other side of the rift, standing right behind Link as he spoke on his behalf. His throat rumbled gently, and he nudged at the invisible wall that separated him from the Hylian. Ganondorf hadn't wanted to hurt Link, his conscious was still somewhat mentally aware of his actions. The Gerudo had tried fighting the curse, he had felt himself pushing his way back into control. The way Link had spoken to him, the dull cursed eyes that he knew covered the hopeful blue beneath, forced him to impulsively increase his strength to return to the Hylian in front of him. But then the others had shown up and his concentration had shattered. He managed to force his cursed self to escape before and it overtook him fully once again. The unprovoked bite to Link's arm stood out to Ganon as they talked among themselves. He howled in guilt and noticed Link's ears twitch at the sound he emitted. When the hero turned his head and their eyes connected Ganondorf instinctively pushed forward. The rift spasmed against his might and propelled the cursed beast backward. He pounced back up and leaped at the fissure, stopping millimetres away from it in abrupt awareness. Ganon whined as he realised Link's blank eyes were staring straight through him, his pupils flickering over the beast's form. Ganon murmuring in sorrow as it was painfully obvious, he was imperceptible to the Hylian. Link fully turned his body to the rift, tilting his head as he tried to look past the barrier that separated them. The Hylian raised his injured arm and pressed his hand against the fissure. Ganon rubbed his snout against the barrier as Link spread his fingers out. The cursed Gerudo lifted his paw and pressed it against Link's palm, staring into the confused and intrigued pools of Link's eyes.

"L-Liiiinnnn-k." The beast moaned out at the same time the hero's friends called out to him. Ganon wailed as Link pulled back. His sorrow soon flipped as the Hylian ignored him and walked away. The curse lapped up the wrath that easily came forth, using it to fuel itself against the strong will of the desert king. Ganon growled savagely as Link left the room and the Gerudo's conscious was instantly overtaken once again the by the curse.

***

Again, I am sorry for taking so long for updating! I've actually written a book and I've been working to get it published. Which guys! I have! I'm officially an author! I thought I share the good news and if you wanted to maybe check out it out, buy it, have a read! It's called 'Forests of Pollivien' by Sophie Morgan (my real name) and I'm really proud of it. You can buy it on Amazon as a paperback or an ebook. I just want to thank you guys for your patience and if you do decide to check out my book I appreciate it so much and I'd love any and all feedback on it.

You can buy it here:

Paperback: Forests-Pollivien-Battle-Astros-Sophie/dp/179333577X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1548497394&sr=8-2&keywords=forests+of+pollivien

ebook: Forests-Pollivien-Battle-Astros-Book-ebook/dp/B07MM23J57/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1548497492&sr=8-1&keywords=forests+of+pollivien

Isn't it pretty?! Again thanks! And Sorry for going on xD