Authornote:

Holy crap this is a long chapter! lol. Well, it's finally finished folks! Here's the final chapter of How to be a Villain! Please R&R and enjoy the story!

How to be a Villain

War of the Tribes

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The Postman waited for the rest of the day but didn't have any opportunity to return to the dungeons. Every time he'd try, there would be Gerudos on the main floor, standing too close to the stairs for him to sneak by. Not wanting to attract attention to himself, he went back to his room to wait for night. After making sure Minoko was fed, he put her to bed, not sure what time they'd make their move.

Minoko laid in bed, arms crossed, glowering up at him, her opinion clear on the matter.

"I'm not tired." she protested. "I wanna stay up until we leave!"

The Postman shook his head. "You're going to need your energy." he stated. "You're only nine and are not staying up all night."

"But it's still early! I'm not even tired yet!"

"It's already past your bedtime, Minoko. Get to sleep."

Minoko gave him a dirty look. "Not fair." she complained. "You get to stay up!"

"I'm not nine, now get to sleep and stop talking."

Minoko rolled her eyes. "Yes, mum."

Giving him one more glare, she rolled over, facing away from him. The Postman, who was on the opposite side of the bed stared up at the ceiling with a sigh, bored. After a time, Minoko began to snore loudly and The Postman glanced over at her in amusement. Every now and then he'd go out to see if the halls were clear and finally, hours later, just a bit before dawn, he knew it was time.

The Postman snuck back to his room and shook Minoko awake, placing a finger to his lips. Minoko nodded obediently, staying quiet as her brother took her by the hand and led her out of the room. They crept down the dark, empty halls, The Postman listening for any noise out of the ordinary, and made it to the main floor without being seen.

There was one lone Gerudo on the main floor who stood near the entrance to the dungeon. She was bathed in the light of a torch and looked tired and bored, her shift almost over. The Postman eyed her warily and very slowly edged behind her, staying deep in the shadows. Reaching out cautiously, he removed the key-ring from her belt, not making a sound. The Gerudo remained oblivious, not completely awake and not paying attention.

They hurried down the dungeon stairs and Sakon was waiting at the bars of his cell impatiently.

"Cutting it a bit close, aren't you?" he hissed. "I'm supposed to be executed in less than an hour!"

"Sorry, we couldn't come any sooner, it was too dangerous."

"Whatever. Just open the cell and let me out!" Sakon demanded, his eyes panicked and desperate.

The Postman flipped through the key-ring and selected one that looked like it would fit and tried it. It fit but wouldn't turn so The Postman pulled it out and glanced over at Tingle's cell. Stepping over, he tried it and a second later, the cell door swung open.

"What are you doing?" Sakon demanded. "Who cares about the fairy man? Let me out!"

Ignoring Sakon for the moment, The Postman stepped into the cell and approached the sleeping Tingle. Kneeling down, he gave his shoulder a hard shake.

"Mr. Tingle! Hey! Please wake up, sir!"

Tingle jolted awake with a yell and The Postman quickly slapped a hand over the man's mouth before he could draw attention. Tingle stared up at him with wide eyes and The Postman shushed him.

"I'm getting you out of here, sir, please stay quiet."

Tingle quickly gave a nod and The Postman removed his hand and stood to approach Sakon's cell. The thief was tapping one foot impatiently, looking agitated and The Postman continued to ignore him as he flipped through the key-ring. Finding another dungeon key, he opened Sakon's cell who immediately let out a sigh of relief.

Minoko gave a friendly smile to Tingle who did a silent, happy dance for her and Sakon rolled his eyes.

"Well, darling, lead the way." Sakon whispered to The Postman.

The Postman frowned at him as Minoko glanced between the both of them curiously. "Darling?" she questioned. "Why's he calling you darling? That's what mum calls you."

The Postman sighed. "It's because he's weird."

Sakon gave him a cheeky grin as he followed the others across the dungeon. "How dare you deny out love, my sweet!" he said dramatically. "Don't you remember how romantic our honeymoon was? Death Mountain really shook that night!"

Minoko stared at him, her eyes as wide as saucers. "What?"

"I guess you're just shy of our passionate love!" Sakon said with a sigh, his grin becoming downright devilish.

"You went on a honeymoon?" Minoko asked her brother uncertainly.

"Of course we did!" Sakon answered.

The Postman gave Sakon a dirty look. "Stop filling her head full of nonsense."

Sakon giggled but did fall silent as they crept up the stairs.

The Gerudo guard from before was still there, now looking like she'd fallen asleep. They all snuck by her without making so much as a peep and saw no one else on the way to the main doors. Once outside, Sakon let out a loud breath of relief and gave a stretch.

"What a useless guard." he commented. "Not that I'm complaining of course."

"Shh." The Postman admonished him.

The Postman led them across the grounds to the stables, no one saying a word. Inside he found Epona in one of the stalls, looking tired and stressed. Reaching out he petted her nose as he unlocked the stall door then saddled her. Leading her out of the stall, he turned to the others.

"Sakon, if you pretend to be me, the Gerudos should let you by. They've never stopped me from leaving before so you shouldn't have a problem."

"What about him?" Sakon demanded, gesturing at Tingle. "You couldn't ignore him if you tried."

"We could tie him up like a prisoner." The Postman suggested. "It worked last time."

Tingle backed away, clutching his fairy tightly. "Tying up Tingle doesn't sound very magical..."

"It's only until we get out of the Gerudo Valley, stupid fairy man." Sakon snapped, pulling down a coil of rope from the back wall. "You better not get me caught!"

Tingle gave him an uncertain look but did hand Minoko his fairy, she being the only one he trusted with it. As Sakon and The Postman tied him up tightly and hoisted him onto the horse, Tingle muttered his magic words over and over to himself. Sakon scowled at him.

"Can we gag him too?"

"No."

Sakon gave a sigh and mounted the horse as The Postman lifted Minoko up onto the thief's lap. He handed Sakon his mask and as the thief slipped it on, The Postman grabbed his shoulder, forcing Sakon to look at him.

"I'm trusting you." he said simply. "Keep her safe."

Sakon waved him off dismissively. "Relax, darling, I owe you thrice now so I'll make sure to get her home safely."

The Postman eyed him for a moment then gave a nod. Turning to Minoko, he gave her hand an encouraging squeeze as she turned her eyes away guiltily. Frowning sadly, she gave her doll one last hug then held it out to him.

"I'm sorry for buying her without asking first." she whispered. "You can take her back."

The Postman pushed the doll back into her arms. "Keep her, she is your birthday present after all...and your winter festival present...and probably your next birthday present too..."

Minoko let out a gasp of delight then gave him the widest grin she could manage. "Thank you!" she cried.

"Can I get going now?" Sakon snapped impatiently. "It's almost dawn!"

"Goodbye, Minoko. Good luck, Sakon, try not to get caught again."

As Sakon turned the horse and began riding away, Minoko looked over her shoulder at The Postman.

"You're the best big brother ever!" she called back. "Even if you did marry a man and sometimes cross-dress! Goodbye!"

Sakon could be heard bellowing in laughter as they rode away and The Postman stared after them in mild disbelief.

What?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Link had found Darunia in the Northern Goron City and explained everything that had happened. The Goron chief immediately jumped into action and informed his northern brothers of the situation. The Gorons joined Darunia without hesitation and armed themselves for war. As Link rode as fast as he could back to Hyrule, the Gorons rolled ahead of him to gather their brothers on Death Mountain.

Link rode as fast as the horse could go and when he finally reached the outskirts of Hyrule, he saw something unbelievable. The normally green fields were white as far as the eye could see. As he got closer, he saw the white was from clothing; from hundreds of postpeople marching across Hyrule. There were postmen of all ages and even many who weren't man-kind. Graceful Rito's flew overhead, their expressions stern and mailbags slung over their shoulders. Link could only stare at the slow movement of the postal army making their way towards Gerudo Valley.

Link sped up the horse and as he passed them, he became aware of hundreds of glares aimed in his direction. He couldn't help but feel a bit intimidated and watched them warily as he rode towards Zora Domain. As he crossed the Zora River, he knew he had to hurry before the battle began. Once the Zoras were on their way, the Gerudos wouldn't stand a chance.

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Once Epona had disappeared out of view, The Postman went back to the castle, knowing he was going to be in a lot of trouble. The second he entered, he saw dozens of Gerudos frantically running to and fro and knew they'd discovered that Sakon was missing. He went back to his room and remained there as things began heating up in the castle.

He laid on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, ignoring the occasional Gerudo who came in to search his room. The Gerudos seemed frazzled and he knew it was only a matter of time before they put the pieces together and linked him to Sakon's escape.

Sure enough, after a couple hours there was a loud knock on his door and several Gerudo warriors barged in. They gave him a look of death when he didn't seem overly concerned then said.

"King Ganondorf wants to see you immediately, postman. We're here to escort you."

The Postman slowly got up and allowed the Gerudos to seize him without a fight. They gripped him painfully by the arms and dragged him bodily out of the room, not even giving him the option of walking.

They dragged him all the way downstairs to Ganondorf's throne room then gave a knock to the door.

"Enter." came Ganondorf's reply.

Pushing open the door, they threw The Postman inside and he landed painfully on the floor, skidding several feet before coming to a stop. When he looked up, he saw he was at Ganondorf's feet, the Gerudo staring down at him in disgust.

Reaching down, Ganondorf seized him by the back of the shirt and easily yanked him up so they were face to face.

"Hello, postman." he said casually.

"Hello, sir."

"I was wondering if you could help me figure something out." Ganondorf continued, his voice still suspiciously light. "I had an execution planned this morning. Imagine my surprise when I discovered him gone as well as my other prisoner."

The Postman said nothing and Ganondorf narrowed his eyes.

"I've been told you were in the dungeons yesterday seen speaking with the prisoners." Ganondorf snapped. "My Gerudos told me you'd been hanging around the first floor before it happened."

When The Postman still remained silent, Ganondorf gave him a hard shake, expression turning ugly. "Did you or did you not release my prisoners?" he snarled.

"Yes, sir."

Ganondorf's eyes narrowed even further until they were mere slits. "Not going to lie to me, postman? You're admitting to it as easy as that?"

"Yes, sir."

Ganondorf's mouth became a thin line as took a very deep, forced breath of anger. "Give me one good reason I should have you beaten." he snarled, giving him another shake.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I had to do what was right."

"Don't you have anything to say for yourself?" Ganondorf demanded, practically bristling from anger.

"No, sir, you already know my reasons."

Ganondorf gave a snort of disdain. "You could never be a villain, postman. What I was thinking when I employed you is beyond me. If you weren't so useful, I'd have thrown you into the desert to rot long ago."

With a growl of contempt, Ganondorf threw him to the floor, The Postman hitting the stone hard and sliding back, wincing in pain as his arms and legs were scraped. Ganondorf sneered down at him, obviously still livid but managing to control his rage enough not to kill the man. He yelled for the guards and they almost instantly appeared, having been listening outside the door.

"Yes, King Ganondorf?" one of them asked, standing at attention.

"Take him to the dungeons and beat him." he ordered. "Don't break any bones."

"Yes, your majesty." The Gerudos said as one as they rushed forward to seize The Postman.

As they dragged him from the room, a loud blast from a war-horn stopped them in their tracks. They exchanged a look with one another then turned their eyes to their king. Ganondorf's eyes widened and he gazed out the window in surprise.

"The warning call!" he exclaimed. "The hero must be here! Quickly, get every Gerudo to the fortress! Prepare for battle!"

"What about him, sir?" a Gerudo asked, pointing down at The Postman.

"Never mind him, he's not important. Just get any available warriors to the fortress now!"

"Yes, your majesty!" both Gerudos chorused, releasing The Postman and running from the room.

The Postman glanced up at Ganondorf who was scowling down at him. "You're lucky this time." he stated.

The Gerudo yanked him to his feet by his upper arm harshly, then said. "You're staying with me so I can keep an eye on you. You haven't been trustworthy today and I'm not taking the chance on you."

Keeping a firm hold on The Postman's arm, Ganondorf stalked from the room, dragging the smaller man with him. He crossed the hall to the armoury where Ganondorf began donning his armour. The leather and steel of the armour was obviously custom built and looked like it could just about withstand anything. As Ganondorf attached the magic sword to his belt, he glanced down at The Postman thoughtfully. Pulling a small dagger out of his boot, he handed to him then said.

"I'm mad at you at the moment, postman, so you don't get a sword. I wouldn't trust you with it. Just be glad I gave you anything."

"That's alright, Mr. Ganondorf." The Postman stated, holding the dagger with just his thumb and forefinger, not exactly sure what to do with it. "I wouldn't know how to use it anyway."

Rolling his eyes, Ganondorf handed him a new mask. "Put this on so you're not recognized. You'll be useless to me if everyone knows you're alive."

The Postman accepted the mask and slipped it on as he attached the dagger to his belt, not really wanting a weapon.

Without another word, Ganondorf grabbed a hold of him and both disappeared with a crackle of power. The Postman gave a blink as his surroundings changed and glanced around seeing they were now in the centre of the Gerudo army. Every warrior was standing stalk-still, staring across the Gerudo bridge. Turning his gaze to the other side of the bridge, The Postman's eyes widened at what he saw.

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Sakon urged Epona faster, racing through the canyon, heading towards Hyrule Field as fast as the horse could go. He had one arm around Minoko as the other clenched the reins tightly. The disguise had worked and the Gerudos had let him pass without question.

Epona turned onto Hyrule Field and as they rode across, Sakon could see something white in the distance. He squinted as they got closer and quickly saw the white was in fact many white things. When Sakon saw exactly what was marching towards them, he let out a gasp as Minoko gave a cheer.

Hundreds of postmen were marching down the hill towards them and Sakon stared with his mouth agape. Bringing the horses to a stop, he looked down at Minoko.

"Holy sh-sugar!" he cried. "Are they all related to you?"

Minoko gave him a grin. "Yup! They're all my family! Most are related through marriages though..."

"But-but there are Ritos!"

"Uh huh. One of my great uncles married a Rito and our family doubled in size! His kids are half-man half-Rito!"

Sakon gave a low whistle and headed towards the army, wondering if he could just drop Minoko off with them. The moment he approached, the postpeople all came to a stop, seeing Minoko and readying themselves to take her by force. As Sakon received hundreds of suspicious glares, he realized he was still wearing the mask and pulled it off.

An overweight, grey-haired woman pushed her way through the crowd and ran towards them, expression anxious. "Minoko!" she yelled.

Sakon recognized her as The Postman's mother and instantly felt awkward as she reached them. Minoko threw herself at her mother in a fierce hug and latched on as if she were a redead.

"Mama!" she wailed. "I missed you so much!"

"Minoko!" her mother cried. "Thank the goddesses you're safe! What happened?"

"I was in a Gerudo city!"

"How did you escape? Did they hurt you? What happened?"

"Brother's there, mama, he protected me! He's alive but the Gerudos have him and he won't leave."

Her mother looked confused then she frowned. "Your brother died sweetheart, he can't come back. We talked about this, remember? He's gone."

Minoko violently shook her head. "No, mama! He really is alive! He said he had to stay with the Gerudos and didn't have a choice. Ask Sookin, he knows he's still alive! We have to save him, mama!"

"Sookin?" her mother repeated in confusion. Looking up at the thief for the first time, she did a double-take. "Sakon?"

Sakon gave her a nervous smile and pulled at his collar uncomfortably. "Um, hi, Jinaudi." he greeted. "How have you been?"

Jinaudi stared at him in surprise then demanded. "Sakon, what happened? Why are you with Minoko?"

"Ah, well, you see..." Sakon began. "Minoko is right, your son is alive. He asked me to take your daughter to safety."

Jinaudi let out a gasp, raising both hands to her mouth. She stared at him with wide eyes, a faint flicker of hope growing in them.

"He's alive?" she whispered.

Sakon nodded.

"If he's alive, why hasn't he come home? Why hasn't he let us know he's alright?"

"Um, he can't because everyone kinda wants him dead. They think he's evil or something..."

"It was all a mistake!" Jinaudi cried. "My son did nothing wrong, Link said it was an accident! No one's after him! He doesn't have to hide!"

"Well, someone should probably tell him that." Sakon stated. "He's been working for Ganondorf."

Jinaudi shook her head. "My son would never work for that man! He's a good boy who loves his job!"

Sakon rolled his eyes. "In all due respect, ma'am, I don't think he had much choice in the matter. In his point of view, Link wanted him dead, all of Hyrule wanted him dead, he was an outcast to his own country, he no longer had a job and there was only one person offering him a way out. He chose to go where he'd be accepted instead of a life on the run."

Again Jinaudi shook her head, not believing it. "No. I taught him better than that." she said decisively. "He wouldn't choose to become a villain. He knows he can always come home no matter what. We would never turn him away!"

Sakon snorted. "Yeah, well maybe you don't know him as well as you think." he responded. "He's taken to the life of a villain like a bird to the air. With all the lying, stealing and kidnapping, he's right up there with the best of us villains!"

Jinaudi narrowed her eyes at the thief and before he had a chance to react, she reached up and grabbed him by the ear. He let out a startled yelp as she gave him a stern look.

"I know your reputation, Sakon, and by the goddesses if you're lying to me..."

Sakon let out another yelp as she twisted his ear painfully and he flailed uselessly. "I'm not! I'm not!" he cried. "This horse was stolen from Link, he helped Ganondorf steal a magical sword and the weird guy on the back on the horse was kidnapped from Termina! Oww! Let me go!"

"I still don't believe you." Jinaudi said, turning her gaze to Tingle for a moment. "I know he would never commit real crimes."

"Oww! Geez! Let go already, you're pulling it off!" Sakon protested loudly. "He really did commit real crimes! He's very capable of being a villain!"

Giving the thief a hard look, she gave his ear one more twist then let go. "It doesn't matter. He needs to come home where he belongs."

Sakon gave her a sour look as he rubbed at his ear then said. "I doubt Ganondorf will allow that. Once you work for him, the only escape is death. Believe me, I know!"

Jinaudi adjusted her grip on Minoko and gave Sakon a determined look. "We were going to fight for my daughter and we will fight for my son! We will take him back!"

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The Postman stared across the bridge in shock, completely dumbfounded by what he saw. His entire family stood there, aunts, uncles, cousins, even the extended family. They were standing at attention, weapons drawn and ready to fight and The Postman even saw his parents among the group. Pushing aside his surprise, he didn't want them to see him and stepped behind Ganondorf, staring at his feet ashamed.

Ganondorf glanced over his shoulder at him and gave him a questioning look. "What are you doing?" he demanded.

"That's my family, sir...I don't want them to recognize me..."

"You're wearing a mask." Ganondorf snapped, squinting across the bridge. He now saw that they were all indeed postmen and he frowned.

"What do they want?" he demanded. "Why would postmen fight with the hero?"

"They must have heard about my sister, sir, and came to take her back..."

Ganondorf's eyes narrowed. "Give them the girl so they'll leave. I don't need more people on the opposing side."

The Postman hesitated. "I can't, sir. I sent my sister home with Sakon. She's no longer here."

Ganondorf eyed the army of postmen a moment then drew his sword. "Then I'll get rid of them myself." he stated.

The Postman let out a gasp and grabbed a hold of Ganondorf's arm, stopping him from raising the sword. "You can't, sir! They're my family! Please don't!"

Ganondorf glared down at him. "Let me go!" he snapped. "This is war, there's no time for sentiments!"

The Postman was desperate and stared up at Ganondorf, his eyes begging. "Please, sir! Don't kill my family!"

Ganondorf gave his arm a shake to no avail. "Let me go!" he snarled.

The Postman clung on even tighter. "They're no threat to you, they're postal workers, not warriors! Please, sir, don't kill them!"

Ganondorf gave his arm another shake. "You're pathetic! Begging does not make me change my mind!"

"Please!"

Ganondorf stared down at him a moment, then lifted his arm in an attempt to dislodge him. The Postman hung on, being lifted with the arm and Ganondorf let out a growl of frustration. "Either you let me go now or you'll be the first postman I skewer!"

"No, sir, I can't let you kill my family!"

Ganondorf's expression darkened considerably and without any warning, he punched The Postman hard in the stomach knocking him to the ground. The Postman gasped in pain and clutched at his stomach having felt his scar rip open. Ganondorf stared down at him with a scowl then turned his attention back to the army which still hadn't moved.

Wanting to kill the postmen before they attacked, Ganondorf raised the sword up and closed his eyes to summon up the swords power. Nothing happened. Ganondorf opened an eye and tried again. The sword remained cold and dead. He could feel the power within it but it refused to obey him. Scowling, he looked the sword over, not sure what the problem was.

"I don't understand!" Ganondorf snarled in frustration. "The sword's previous master is dead! Why won't it recognize me as master? I'm the first person to use it in over 1000 years! Why-"

Ganondorf paused mid-rant as realization crossed his face. Reaching down, he grabbed The Postman by the shirt and jerked him up.

"Did you use the sword after you stole it?" he demanded. "Did you do anything to it?"

The Postman winced in pain, still holding onto his bleeding stomach as Ganondorf gave him a hard shake.

"Did you use the sword!" Ganondorf boomed, jaw clenching in fury.

"Ah...perhaps?" The Postman answered. "I may have accidentally used it against Mr. Link..."

"Fool!" Ganondorf yelled, giving him another violent shake. "Do you have any idea what you've done? You took mastership of the sword! It's useless to me now!"

The Postman stared at the sword with wide eyes. "Oh! Sorry, sir, it wasn't on purpose! I don't even know how to use a sword!"

Ganondorf bared his teeth in a snarl and reeled back the sword, his intent clear. "You can consider yourself fired!" he growled, holding The Postman steady.

Just as he was bringing it towards The Postman's head, the postal army made their move and surged forward with a loud war-cry. Ganondorf immediately dropped The Postman to the ground and jumped into action as his Gerudos charged to meet the attack head-on. The Postman could only stare in horror as the two sides met.

The white of The Postman blended in with the rainbow of the Gerudos and both sides attacked viciously, using everything they had to get the upper hand. The postmen ran, swinging their mailbags like maces, smashing the Gerudos in the faces and used them to tie them up. They wielded letter openers like swords and were fast enough to avoid the blasts of energy Ganondorf kept shooting their way. Every time a Gerudo would stab at a postmen, they would dodge the attack and clock the Gerudo hard in the head with their mailbags.

Tingle could be seen dancing and twirling about among the battle, fairy held over head, unafraid and unconcerned with what was going on around him.

The Postman was in the centre of the chaos, staring around himself in horror, knowing this entire fight had resulted from his actions. The battle raged around him but he stood, unmoving and unnoticed by everyone.

Ganondorf shot another blast of power, swearing under his breath when he missed again. At this rate, he'd drain his powers and he hadn't even injured anyone! The fight was positively ridiculous in his opinion and neither side had made a single kill yet. A glint of green across the bridge caught his attention and he glanced over. Link was charging across the bridge, a massive army of Gorons and Zoras behind him.

Ganondorf clenched his sword tightly in his fist, now realizing just how outnumbered his Gerudos were. They'd never stand a chance. He had to do something right now or they'd all be slaughtered within minutes. Gazing around the battlefield, Ganondorf's eyes fell on The Postman who still hadn't moved from where he'd left him. Stalking over, he grabbed The Postman by the scruff of the neck and forced his sword into the man's hands. Giving The Postman a shake, he pointed to the quickly approaching armies.

"Kill them!" he ordered. "Use the sword's power!"

The Postman took a deep, raspy breath then looked up at him. "You fired me, sir. I no longer work for you."

Ganondorf clouted him hard across the head. "Just do it, you pathetic wretch! Kill them all!"

The Postman gave a slow shake of the head. "I don't kill, Mr. Ganondorf."

Ganondorf gave him another violent shake. "Do it now or I'll take the sword and kill every member of your family in front of you!"

The Postman's eyes widened as Ganondorf began looking around himself at the different postmen. "Who should I kill first?" he asked. "Your little sister? Your parents?"

"No, sir! Don't!"

"Then do it! Kill Link's army and I'll let them live!"

Biting his bottom lip, The Postman looked down at the sword then up at the approaching armies. "I don't know how to use it, sir. It was an accident last time."

"DO IT NOW!" Ganondorf bellowed out.

"I don't know how!" The Postman cried, feeling desperate. "I don't know what to do!"

"You stupid, useless fool!" Ganondorf yelled, teeth bared in a snarl. "Feel out the power and force it to do what you want! You control it so use it!"

The Postman took a deep shaky breath and slowly raised the sword up, the metal feeling warm against his hand. Removing his other hand from his stomach, he placed it with the other, holding the sword steady. He closed his eyes and wasn't sure what he was supposed to feel. A slight tingling was running up and down his arms and he wondered if that was magic and concentrated on it, trying to figure it out. The tingling increased as well as the heat and it seemed to course through his veins hotly, almost painful. Unknown to him, the sword began to glow a bright yellow, recognizing its master and giving him all of its power at his request. The Postman gasped as more and more of the power flowed into him, not sure what to do with it or how to use it. It seemed to bubble in his veins, demanding to be used and he grimaced at the pain.

"Hurry you fool!" Ganondorf snarled. "They're almost here!"

Not listening, The Postman concentrated all of the power into himself, the immense amount of it scaring him. With this power, he knew he could destroy everyone and everything around him and fought to control it. It felt like there was too much and he tried to stop the flow but found the sword wasn't co-operating, pushing more and more into him. Yelling in both pain and misery, The Postman felt like his skin was burning from the raw untrained magic. His entire body was in agony and he was vaguely aware that he was screaming and crying at the same time but couldn't stop. Feeling dizzy he didn't notice Link charging directly over to him.

Sparks and tendrils of power were coming off of him in waves and Ganondorf could feel the power, both envious and a little afraid. The Postman opened his eyes and gave another scream of agony as the power burned inside him, fighting to take control. The Postman became aware of his limbs moving on their own and fought against it, feeling as if he were drugged. He was forced to raise his sword and he turned towards the approaching hero, the magic sensing a threat.

Teeth clenched, he felt an uncontrollable rage fill him and the magic bubbled to an all-time high. Blinded by the power and rage filling his mind, The Postman shot a blast of power directly at Link, the energy releasing in a bright flash.

Link's eyes widened and he threw himself out of the way, barely managing to avoid the blast. The energy hit the canyon wall, instantly incinerating the rocks as if they were nothing but paper. Link stared up at the gaping hole in shock then rolled to his feet as another blast was shot at him. The battle had come to a stand-still, every man, women and creature stopping to stare in awe.

Link recognized The Postman as the Gerudo that had caused him so much trouble and narrowed his eyes. Why was it always this Gerudo? It appeared she was protecting Ganondorf with that same sword she'd attacked him with and knew he had to stop her before someone got hurt. Dodging both the attacks from the sword and also from Ganondorf, he charged, sword raised.

The Postman was horrified at what the power was making him do but no matter how much he fought against it, it was too strong. The power wanted to be used and he could do nothing to stop it. As Link approached, he hoped he wouldn't end up killing the boy even if he was the one who'd tried to kill him.

"Get him, you stupid worm!" Ganondorf yelled. "You're useless!

The Postman turned to face him, expression blank and shot a blast of energy at him, Ganondorf getting hit solidly in the chest. The Gerudo instinctively threw out a magical shield but the attack was much too strong and he let out a yell of pain as he was thrown to the ground.

Unable to stop himself, The Postman shot at everyone and everything around him, everyone screaming and dodging his attacks. The power was too hot, much too hot and he coughed wetly, beginning to feel numb.

Link, teeth clenched, reached him and before The Postman could attack again, tackled him to the ground. Link pinned his arm to the ground and the sword pulsed angrily, unable to attack him.

"Let go!" Link hissed at him, pulling at the red-hot sword. "Give it up!"

The Postman tried to release the sword but couldn't, his fingers seemingly frozen around the hilt. Link slammed his hand hard against the ground and The Postman winced but still couldn't let go. Link raised the master sword and placed it against The Postman's wrist.

"Let go or I make you let go!" he snarled.

The Postman stared up at him with terrified eyes, this position being all too familiar to him as memories of his stabbing came to mind. He couldn't seem to speak and desperately shook his head, hoping Link would realize he couldn't help himself. Link narrowed his eyes at the apparent defiance and pressed a knee painfully into his stomach. The Postman let out a sharp gasp as Link was applying pressure directly on his wound and felt nauseous.

Link closed his eyes a moment, not wanting to hurt the Gerudo but knew he had to stop this battle. Raising his sword and holding the wrist steady, he stared into the frightened brown eyes behind the mask, determined. Link paused. Wait. Brown eyes? Gerudos didn't have brown eyes... Reaching out, he pulled the mask off and froze at who he saw it was. The Postman stared up at him in both terror and pain and Link quickly pulled the sword away from him.

"Postman?" he questioned in disbelief. "You're alive?"

The Postman winced as Link removed his knee and panted, both from exhaustion and from pain. The hero felt a great heaviness lift itself off his shoulders and he stared down at The Postman with relief. He wasn't a murderer! He didn't kill an innocent person, The Postman was alright!

He didn't have long to contemplate this however as Ganondorf shot a large blast at energy into his chest from where the villain lay on the ground. Link flew backwards with a yell of surprise and hit the wall of the canyon with a crunch. Pieces of stone fell down around him and he slid down to the ground with a grimace.

Ganondorf rolled to his feet and approached Link, eyes narrowed and hand reaching to his belt to draw his regular sword. His armour was completely cracked and the villain was obviously hurt quite badly as he stalked slowly towards the hero, staggering slightly. Link groaned and got to his feet, still grasping the master sword tightly.

Ganondorf then charged directly at him sword raised and Link raised his own to block it. Sparks of energy crackled from the force of the blow and Ganondorf threw Link backwards being much bigger and stronger than the boy. As the hero and villain faced one another, The Postman gave a twitch, the power that consumed him, trying to make him stand. Weak from bloodloss, The Postman let out a moan as he very slowly was forced to his feet. Breathing heavily, the magic fought to take control again and he raised the sword against his will.

As the sword glowed and pulsed, creating a huge ball of energy, The Postman closed his eyes not wanting to see what was about to happen. The power was out of control and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Letting out another scream of pain as the magic ripped through his body as it gathered, he felt it begin to form into a powerful blast. A blast strong enough to kill everyone.

"JIHIRO!"

His eyes snapped open at the sound of his given name and he saw his entire family gathered in front of him worriedly. All of his brothers and sisters stood side by side as his mother looked both horrified and worried. She reached out towards him as the energy crackled and sparked threateningly.

"Jihiro!" she called again.

The Postman's eyes widened when he realized the sword was going to kill them; kill them all. He could feel the magic's intent and it was going to burn them all, turn everything into nothing but ash. He let out a yell and grit his teeth as he fought against the sword, trying desperately to stop it. He couldn't let it do this, he wouldn't do this.

Closing his eyes, he delved into his own subconscious, and felt for the core of the magic, trying to root it out. He could feel its icy presence picking at his memories and even his thoughts. When he was sure he knew where it currently was, he pushed outwards with his mind as hard as he could. At first it felt as if he were pushing against a wall but then slowly he felt it moving backwards. It hurt his mind to do so but he refused to stop pushing. The magic fought against him viciously but he was determined. At last he felt the presence in his mind leave and he was brought back to reality having complete control of the magic. The magic was now obedient and quiet as it tickled his skin warmly and he almost lost his balance now having control of his own body.

His arms shaking, The Postman raised the sword above his head and stabbed it deep into the stone ground, the magic leaving him completely. Then with an exhausted shudder, he fell to the ground, his family instantly running to him.

Link dodged an attack from Ganondorf, the Gerudo King much slower than normal and lashed out with his own sword. Ganondorf jumped back and tried to summon an energy ball but was too weak to get more than a few sparks. Cursing, he swung his sword at Link, frustrated when the boy managed to block it. Panting heavily, he knew he was too hurt to win this. His Gerudos were all tied and bound and three separate armies were glaring at him arms crossed. If he did manage to best the hero, he'd have to take on thousands of different creatures at once and he knew he didn't have the current power.

Yelling in frustration, Ganondorf backed up several feet from Link, gathering all his remaining power. Baring his teeth in a snarl, he gave Link a look of pure hate.

"You haven't won this yet, boy. You'll never win against me."

As Link charged towards him, sword raised, Ganondorf disappeared in a crackle of power, all the Gerudos disappearing with him. Link let out a cry of anger, knowing Ganondorf would only continue to torment Hyrule. Sheathing his sword angrily, Link turned to where The Postman lay on the ground. Approaching, he pushed his way through the family and knelt down beside the pale postman

The man's shirt was soaked in blood and under stern supervision of The Postman's mother, he lifted it to see what the damage was. Taking a deep breath of surprise he saw it was the same wound he'd caused all those weeks ago. The Postman had lost a lot of blood and the magic had left him completely exhausted and Link wasn't sure what to do.

"He's going to bleed to death!" he said, looking up at the family. "He needs a healing item, quickly!"

The Postman's mother covered her mouth in horror. "We're postmen," she said. "We've never used them before!"

"Someone must have something!" Link cried. "He's going to die!"

Just then he felt a soft nudge to his arm. Link turned around and saw Tingle standing there holding out his fairy with a pained expression. He was very hesitant and obviously didn't want to but the small man still pressed the bottle into Link's hands.

"Take Tingle's fairy." he said. "He saved Tingle and Tingle will save him in return."

Link accepted the bottle with a smile, knowing just how much having a fairy meant to Tingle.

Tingle let out a deep sigh. "Tingle can always find another fairy..."

Link turned back to The Postman and held the bottle over him, uncorking it. The small, pink fairy flew out of the bottle and floated around The Postman, bathing him in the healing magic of the fairies. Everyone watched in relief as the wound slowly closed over and The Postman began getting a better colour to his skin. When the fairy was done, it disappeared in a flash of sparkles, gone to regain its energy from the Great Fairy.

There was silence a moment then The Postman groaned and slowly opened his eyes. Immediately his family surrounded him and he was enveloped by all 14 member of his immediate family. Confused, he looked up and saw Link standing over him, giving him a gentle smile.

"I'm glad you're alright." he said. "This is all my fault, postman and I'm sorry."

The Postman was silent a moment as he stared at the hero then he said. "I don't understand, Mr. Link...You don't want to kill me?"

The hero shook his head. "No, everything was a horrible misunderstanding. I thought at the time you had kidnapped princess Zelda and were helping Ganondorf but I was mistaken. I'm sorry, postman. I almost killed you and made you go into hiding."

The Postman looked away. "I've been working for Ganondorf after he saved my life..."

Link pushed aside his questions about why Ganondorf would save him then said. "I know and I don't care. It was my fault you had to resort to that and as long as you go back to being a postman, then as far as I'm concerned, it didn't happen."

The Postman's mouth dropped open. "Go back to being a postman?" he asked, not sure if he really believed it.

Everyone nodded, giving him bright smiles.

The Postman couldn't believe it, his life was going to go back to normal! He'd be able to deliver mail again! For the first time in a long time, The Postman gave a genuine smile.

Link helped him to his feet and as everyone crossed the Gerudo bridge, Link asked. "So, where's Epona, postman?"

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Far from Hyrule on his way to Termina, Sakon laughed and laughed as he rode across the fields.

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Authornote:

Oh, Sakon, Link's totally gonna track you down and punch you in the face...sigh.

This story was a lot of fun to write and I do have an idea for a third part but I'll just wait and see how many people would be interested. I hope you enjoed the final chapter and please remember to review! :D