 "CHILD OF DESTINY" By Diana Koch The following story written by Diana, is perhaps the best piece of Zelda Fiction I've ever read. This represents a monumental effort and a keen knowledge of everything that makes Zelda unique. She captures the essense of the fantasy aspect of the game and portrays familiar characters with depth. One thing I have to say about Zelda is that in many ways the plot was a little on the sparce side. Yes the game has a basic goal to accomplish (save the princess) and we meet various characters along the way but what was missing was significant dialogue and character development. I truly wish a storylike like Diana's manifested itself in the Zelda experience. The future of the game on the GameCube is uncertain, but I have an endearing hope that the creators of this legendary video game take the effort to breathe life into Link, Zelda, and all the Characters of Zelda that we have come to know and love. I can't believe the quality Diana's story represents and the sheer length of it. This will become and remain a very valued addition to the Odyssey of Hyrule Anthology, "The Many Adventures of Link"
I'm presently a junior in high school (I'm 17 years old right now) and I
live in Illionis. I've always had a bit of a passion for writing and
sketching, and I've been doing both since I was a kid. My folks and friends
say I've got a real talent for writing, and I also have a real wide
imagination--especially when it comes to fantasy-related fiction. I'm a big
Zelda fan, as you could probably already tell, and so are a lot of my
friends. Your Zelda site is one of my favorites--I love the "Something to
Laugh At" and trick sections. They're awesome!
__________________________________________________________________ Chapter 1 In her castle on top of Crystal Mountain, Saphira was looking out her window, in the direction of Hyrule-the former kingdom of her love, Ganondorf. She had been Ganondorf's lover during his reign, and wanted to avenge him. Oh, Link and Zelda would pay for sealing him away in the Evil Realm! Yes, they would! Saphira went to her throne, and lovingly ran her fingers along her staff, reminiscing about the past. She remembered first meeting Ganondorf. Yes, that was a wonderful day, indeed. It was a few years after Ganondorf had become King of Hyrule. She had decided to leave her land of Crastalyina, and introduce herself to the new King. She hadn't really liked the old King all that much, but she liked the prospects of this one. So she went to Hyrule to visit him. He had been fairly wary of her at first. He was a Gerudo, after all, and didn't trust anyone. But she managed to convince him that she was willing to be his ally. She told him of her kingdom, and how she, being evil, had managed to rule over it for the past ten years. She had been queen since she was sixteen, and knew how to rule a kingdom-and also how to fight. She would help him during wars, as she had a formidable army. He liked this woman, and agreed. He even asked her to stay for a while. Then came the night. They were talking in the great hall of his castle, when she suddenly felt the urge. She stepped close to him, and kissed him on the lips. He was stunned at first, but almost immediately relaxed and kissed back. She could feel his big strong hands moving up her waist and under her arms. Then he pulled her close. They were kissing as though they would never stop, as though a fire had grown inside them. When they finally pulled away, he took her to his chambers. They immediately started their fiery kissing again, and they began removing each other's clothes. She felt her cape go sliding to the floor, and she unclipped Ganondorf's as well. She removed his armor and clothes, and he did the same with her elegant gown. It wasn't long before they were making love. They did this all through the night, and all day the next day... Then she had to leave. Her advisor had come and informed her that she couldn't remain away from her kingdom any longer. If she did, her people would think she was an irresponsible ruler and attempt to overthrow her. Reluctantly, she had left, but not before kissing Ganondorf one last time and telling him she loved him. She did visit him several times over the years, and every night they made love. Each night was better than the last. Then, one morning when she had to leave, he popped the question, asking her to marry him. He then slipped a beautiful ring on her finger, most likely one he'd gotten from the Gerudos, and Saphira had to say yes, she loved him so much by that time. She promised to visit him again soon, after she had taken care of her kingdom. But one day, as she was speaking with one of her advisors at her castle, one of Ganondorf's messengers came in. "Your Highness," he panted. "Ganondorf has fallen." Saphira stood up slowly and went over to him. "What?" She asked softly. She couldn't-and wouldn't-believe that her fiance was gone. "Ganondorf has been overthrown. He was banished to the Sacred Realm by Princess Zelda and Link, the Hero of Time." The messenger stopped, and Saphira just stared at him. The huge sapphire on her staff glowed ferociously. She turned around, and took a few steps toward her throne. But suddenly she whirled around, pointing her staff at the man. The magic that poured from the staff was enough to kill him. Saphira turned to the guards, who were staring at the dead man. "Get him out of here. I don't care where you put him. Send him back to Hyrule in a wicker basket for all I care." Then she departed to her quarters. If there was anything that the natives feared about Saphira, it was her immense magical powers. If there was anything the natives feared more, it was her staff. The staff was made of finished rosewood, and accented with a spiral of pure gold, running from the pointed tip of the staff to the very top. Between the rings of the spiral were small sapphires, which were Saphira's personal stone. But the most dangerous part of the entire staff was the huge sapphire, held by four golden prongs at the head of the staff, that held concentrated magic. When Saphira was extremely angry, her powers would be sent to the staff, adding to the magic already in the sapphire. Then all she had to do was aim and release. Indeed, it was a useful weapon. She rubbed the beautiful ring that was on her finger, and she clenched her teeth. She went to a table that stood in the center. On the table rested another huge sapphire, which glowed with a gentle aura. This one was almost as big as a human head. It had been a gift from the Graguns at her coronation. Saphira went over and asked it, "Where is my love? Is he all right?" "He is alive, my Queen," the sapphire replied. Its voice sounded like that of five people whispering at once. "And he now resides in the Sacred Realm. But his human form was changed through the Triforce of Power. He is now this creature." The aura surrounding the sapphire rose up, and formed a ring. Inside the ring came the image of Ganondorf-only it wasn't Ganondorf. It was a hideous monster, and Saphira knew he must have changed himself while fighting Link. But even while looking at his hideous form, she knew he still had that love for her. "Sapphire, can he change himself back?" "Yes, my Queen. Whenever he pleases." That was a bit of a relief. At least the Triforce's spell hadn't completely overtaken him. "Sapphire, take me to the Sacred Realm." Saphira commanded. The sapphire could transport her to any place she wanted, and-unbeknownst to the Graguns-it was the only other link to the Sacred Realm besides the Temple of Time in Hyrule. "My Queen, no one is allowed in the Sacred Realm," the jewel replied. "No one except my Ganon, and I know he wouldn't mind my coming. Take me to the Sacred Realm!" "As you wish." The image ring disappeared, and Saphira felt herself being transported to the Sacred Realm. Soon, she found herself in it, and saw a castle in the distance. She walked toward it, and was almost immediately stopped by two Moriblins. Ganon must have conjured them up to guard this place, Saphira thought. "Let me pass," Saphira said. "I am Queen Saphira of Crastalyina, and I am here to see Ganon." For a moment, they stood their ground. But then they let her pass. Within minutes, she had entered the castle, and she found herself in the Great Hall-and there was Ganon, sitting in a huge throne. He stared at her for a moment, then stood. "Saphira, is that you?" he asked. His form had changed, but his voice was still the same. "It is I," Saphira said, nodding and smiling. Ganon came to her, and looked at her. Saphira could see that he was amazed to see her here. "Did the Sages banish you here as well?" Ganon asked. "No, they did not. I came here of my own free will. And it seems you have already made yourself at home." "Well, I am stuck here. There's no way for me to get out of this cursed place, so I built myself a nice home." "Oh, my darling, I'm so sorry this had to happen to you." He then took her hand in his, and she kissed his hand. Suddenly, his form changed. He was no longer a hideous creature; he was now the man she had known. "Oh, my Ganondorf," she breathed. "Saphira," he whispered, and he pulled her close as they kissed. When they pulled away, Ganondorf looked her in the eye. "Saphira, would you still love me if I was a monster?" "Of course." "Then you don't mind if..." "Of course not." With that, he changed his form, and almost immediately Saphira wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. She didn't care how ugly he was. This was her fiance. She felt him wrap his arms around her. But after their kiss, he changed himself back to his human form. "It just doesn't feel right in my other form," Ganon said. "Not as pleasant as it is now." That night, they romanced each other like they had never done before. And for the next week, they kept making love every night. One night, after he had been ravishing her, Saphira asked Ganon a question. "Darling, I want to ask you something. How were you sealed away here?" He sighed, as though he didn't want to say it. "Link and Princess Zelda worked together to round up the six Sages, then they fought me-and defeated me. After I had fallen, the Sages sent me here for all time-with the aid of Zelda and Link." Saphira could see the hate burning in her love's eyes. "My darling, I shall avenge you. I will capture the Sages and destroy them. I will destroy Link and Zelda, along with everyone and everything else in Hyrule." Saphira said. Ganon smiled. "Oh, now I know I proposed to the right woman." he said, and they kissed again. Suddenly, a bright glare filled the room. Saphira cried out in fury-this was the sapphire's portal. "DAMN YOU!" Saphira cried. "Can't you see I'm busy?" "Yes, and I'm terribly sorry, my Queen, but you do have a kingdom to rule. And it seems that there's some problems with some of your allies." The voice that spoke was that of Saphira's advisor, Tyano, and his image formed in the portal. He definitely had Saphira's attention now. She sat up, holding the covers over her naked body. "Go on." "The Graguns say you do not serve them as well as you promised, my Queen. They say they hereby break the alliance." Saphira's jaw dropped. "Who are the Graguns?" Ganon asked. "They've been Crastalyina's strongest ally for several hundred years. They live in the mountains between Hyrule and Crastalyina, and they produce a lot of the materials that make my kingdom thrive. My love, I-" "I know. You must go. Get dressed and take care of your kingdom. I shall see you soon?" "I hope so, yes." Saphira got dressed, kissed Ganon goodbye, and stepped into the portal. Within seconds, she was back in her chambers. Tyano was there, waiting for her. "I sincerely apologize, my Queen, I'm aware that you wanted to be alone-" "No need for apologies. You had good reason, and I forgive you. Now, about the Graguns." "Well, apparently, they don't like the fact that you decided to marry Ganon, and they seem to hold allies to their promises. And you promised to keep good relations with them, which you didn't." "Is that all? Come now, there has to be more to it than that!" "Well, they believe that they're just your kingdom's workhorse, seeing as you've barely given them anything for all the contributions they've made to us." "Well, that is a good reason, but couldn't we try negotiations first?" "Your Highness, every time they stepped in for negotiations, you were gone visiting Ganon. In fact, they came in just a few days ago to negotiate with you, but you had already gone to the Sacred Realm. They were furious that you had once again left, this time to the Sacred Realm, of all places, and just to see your banished fiance. Not to mention the fact that you had neglected to give them anything for that last shipment of mortar that came in last week-or even tell them that that confounded sapphire could transport you to such outrageous places." Tyano stopped, took a deep breath to help him relax, and continued. "Therefore, they decided to break the alliance." "Ohh, this is terrible," Saphira said, putting her face in her hands. "First my fiance is banished to the Sacred Realm, then you come in and tell me that I've lost our country's strongest ally!" "I apologize for not notifying you sooner, my Queen. I..." Tyano stopped. Saphira looked up at him. He had a guilty look on his face-one that said he had failed her miserably. "Now you listen to me." Saphira said firmly, putting her hands on his shoulders. "I have known you since I was just a little girl, and there was never a time where you failed me. I trust you more than I do anyone else, and truthfully, if you weren't so much older than I, I would marry you. That's how much I believe in you and confide in you. Now, I must follow my own path, and that path is to marry Ganon...and get revenge on those who go against us." "Your Majesty, are you saying what I think you're saying?" "Yes. I will do away with Hyrule and the Graguns. The Sages sealed Ganon away in the Sacred Realm, right? If I capture them, I can not only get my revenge, but my love will also be back with me!" "But my Queen, how do you plan on getting rid of both Hyrule and the Graguns? Both are powerful forces." "Simple. I shall simply take them down one step at a time. Now leave me-I must work on my plans." "Yes, your Majesty." He left, and Saphira went to the window, looking out at her kingdom. Soon, my love. Very soon. With that, she went to her desk and began her plans. Meanwhile, Link and Zelda were in the dining hall. He had refused to be sent back to his original time, and he now lived with Zelda in her castle. With her phenomenal powers, she had managed to restore Hyrule Castle, curtains and all. They were eating dinner, and Link was gorging himself. It had been months since he'd had a decent meal, and he was making up for it. "Link, do you think you can eat any more?" Zelda asked. "Nope! I've just started!" Link replied, lifting a huge forkful of food to his mouth. "Link, you've been eating for over an hour. If you keep eating like this, you're going to eat all the food in the castle." "Oh, come on, Zelda. You haven't eaten much in the past seven years, I can tell. And you're eating as much as I am." "I...well...never mind that!" Zelda said. "The point is, you're going to lose your look if you don't stop." "Speak for yourself-no offense, by the way. I'll get plenty of workout time, don't worry. It's not like Ganon's coming back, you know." "Yes, I do know. Fine, gorge yourself to death." She went back to her own plate, and Link looked at her. She had a certain look in her eyes, like she wanted something. "Zelda, is there something you want? I can see it in your eyes. You want to ask me something." Link said. Zelda looked up, and smiled slyly. "Actually, yes. There is something I want. And it's something only you can give me." "What is it?" Link asked. But Zelda didn't reply. Instead, she got up and went over to Link's chair. She then pulled him up so he was standing, put her hands on his shoulders, and looked into his eyes. "Link," she said. "Kiss me." Link was amazed at this request, but he did it anyway. He leaned forward, closing his eyes. His lips closed around hers, and they embraced in a fiery kiss. He felt her hands slip down over his back, and his own hands started making their way up her waist and around her. He pulled her even closer, and they seemed to kiss forever. When they finally pulled away from each other, Zelda's eyes were sparkling. "Now," she whispered. "Come with me." She led him up the stairs, and into her chambers. Link suddenly realized what she wanted to do. "Zelda-" Link stopped as she put her fingers to his lips. "Make love to me, Link." Zelda said. She then kissed him again, and Link suddenly couldn't resist any longer. He started to remove Zelda's dress as she led him over toward the bed. But suddenly, he got a strange feeling, and stopped. Zelda pulled away, and saw the odd look on Link's face. He shook his head, and dropped his hands. "I'm sorry, Zelda, but I can't do this. I don't know why, but.it's like something inside me is telling me I shouldn't do this. It's like...I don't know. it's a weird feeling I got when I kissed you. Like we're not supposed to do this for a reason." Zelda looked into his eyes, and saw that he did love her.he just had a nagging feeling that told him to stop. She nodded. "It's all right, Link. Actually, to tell you the truth, I got a weird feeling myself. Like we'd been together for a long time, but.well, we both know that's impossible." She started to pull her dress back on, and Link stepped away. "Well, it's getting late, so I'll go on to bed. Good night, Zelda." "Good night, Link. Sweet dreams." But as they slept, each of them had a dream that was certainly not sweet. Zelda dreamt that a woman made of sapphires was threatening a race of creatures. They were half-man, half-dragon. She recognized them as the Graguns-like the Gorons, they lived in the mountains, only the Graguns lived in the mountains that bordered Hyrule. They were a prosperous race, and were close allies of the Gorons, but for some reason they didn't want to have anything to do with the rest of Hyrule. Suddenly, Zelda was in Hyrule, and that same woman was there. Zelda watched in horror as the woman raised her staff to the sky, and three powerful bolts of magic shot out of the sapphire that the staff held and eliminated Hyrule. Zelda woke up just as one of the beams was about to strike her. She found herself soaked in sweat, and she got out of bed. She rushed out of her bedroom and made her way toward Link's room. Link's dream was even worse. He dreamt that a mysterious woman dressed in blue, violet, and gold with a staff made of sapphires captured all the Sages-including Zelda-and watched as the seal that locked Ganon inside the Sacred Realm broke. He watched with horror as Ganon and the woman got married, then brutally slaughtered the Sages. The two destroyed the rest of Hyrule together, saving Link for last. The two villains combined their powers, and just as the magic was about to hit Link and send him to his death, Link awoke. He sat up to find Zelda next to his bed, with a look of horror on her face. "Zelda, did you have a nightmare, too?" he asked. "Yes...yes, I did...Oh, Link, something terrible is going to happen!" Zelda said. "I had that feeling, too. What did you dream?" Link asked. "A woman made of sapphires was threatening the Graguns and even destroyed Hyrule, and she was about to kill me when I woke up." "Wait a minute-who are the Graguns?" Link didn't know who they were. "They live in the mountains that border Hyrule. They're creatures that are half-man, half-dragon." "It seems that every other race in this world is half-human, half-something." "But Link, the woman was threatening to destroy their entire race! And I'm afraid this is one of my prophetic dreams!" "Zelda, I think I dreamt about that same woman." "Really?" "Yeah. But you're not going to like what she did in my dream. It's probably worse than yours." "That's definitely not good. Tell me." "All right. That woman...in my dream, she married Ganon." He stopped as Zelda's jaw dropped. "She did what?!" Zelda cried. "That's not all. Before that, she captured and destroyed all the Sages, including you. That's probably why you almost got killed in your dream. The seal blocking the Sacred Realm broke, and Ganon got out. Together, they destroyed you and the other Sages, then all of Hyrule, and they were about to kill me when I woke up." "Oh, Din, Nayru, and Farore," Zelda whispered. "This is horrible. Just when we managed to get rid of Ganon by the skin of our teeth, someone decides to try to set him free." She put her face in her hands. "Oh, what are we going to do?" Meanwhile, Saphira had come up with a good plan. She would first send a message to Link and Zelda to let them know they now had a new enemy. But she would have to strike a chord in their hearts, of course, in order to send the message in the right way. She went to her sapphire. "Sapphire," she said. "Tell me-who are some of the people that Link loves?" This would be perfect. To kill someone he loved very much would get the message across very well. The sapphire glowed. "There are many people who are close to Link's heart, Queen Saphira. And some of them are Sages-who you plan to capture, not kill right away." "Hmmm. Well, who's one person that I can get to who is not a Sage?" The image ring extended from the sapphire, and it showed a row of barns. Saphira was confused for a moment, but then she realized these were the royal stables of Hyrule. The image faded a little, then showed a beautiful bay mare. "This is Link's horse, my Queen," the sapphire said. "She carries him on all his journeys, and it would pain him very much if he should lose her." Saphira grinned. "Very good. Very good indeed." She left the sapphire, and went to her closet. It held every bit of clothing she had ever owned, and also her weapons. She pulled out her bow and quiver, which held specially made arrows. The heads of the arrows were made of her trademark jewel, and were quick on the wind. She took one out, and put the quiver back. She then went to her desk, and wrote a letter. She wrapped the letter around the arrow, and tied it with a blue ribbon. She then picked up the bow and arrow, and went to a window. The bow was so powerful and the arrow so quick that the arrow could fly for hundreds of miles before hitting the target. And these were no ordinary sapphires. Saphira could telepathically tell the arrows who to hit, and the arrow would swerve around any object that was not the specified target. Saphira had gotten rid of many enemies and won many wars this way. She held the arrow up, and spoke to it with her mind. "Strike only this animal." Saphira said. She closed her eyes, and sent an image of the horse to the arrowhead. The arrowhead glowed, showing that it acknowledged who its target was. She notched the glowing arrow to the bow, pulled back, and fired. Within a few seconds, it was out of sight. Link sighed as he went out to the stables. He needed to shake off the fright he had gotten from his dream, and a good way to do that was ride his beloved Epona. He went in the stables, and was immediately welcomed by the whinnies of dozens of horses. "Hello, everybody," Link said. Suddenly a shriller whinny came up, and Link knew it was Epona. She hated being cooped up, and Link knew she would love to go out today. He went to her stall, and she nickered with her ears laid back. She seemed to be saying, "Let me out or I'll beat you to death." Link laughed at her expression, and went into the stall. "Hey, girl," he said. "Wanna go out for a while?" Epona whinnied, and Link knew it was a yes. He grabbed her saddle and tacked her up, then led her out of the barn. Once outside, he mounted Epona and they took off. Link closed his eyes and smiled as he felt the rushing wind in his face. I wish I could ride like this forever, Link thought. The arrow flew through the trees and hills, seeking its target. The target was a horse, and a bay at that. And it was getting closer...and closer... Link leaned forward, urging Epona into a gallop. She leapt forward eagerly, sweeping her elegant legs over the ground like she was flying. But suddenly, Link saw a blue streak coming toward him, and before he could react, it struck Epona. Epona shrieked in pain, stumbled in a shattering manner, and collapsed. Link cried out as he was thrown off, and he rolled as he came in contact with the ground. He raised himself up on one elbow, and gasped as he saw his beloved horse lying on the ground. An arrow had sunk into her chest, leaving blood gushing from the wound. "No," Link whispered. He dashed over to his horse, and looked at the arrow. A piece of paper was wrapped around it. He removed the paper, and saw that it was a letter. It read: To Link, the so-called Hero of Time-- You shall pay for banishing my love to the Evil Realm. Princess Zelda and the Six Sages will also pay dearly for what they have done. I shall destroy everything that you hold dear-starting with your beloved horse. It was unsigned, but Link's blood ran cold as he realized what the letter meant. Epona was going to die. He ran his hand over her, crying. "No, please don't die, Epona. You mean so much to me, girl. What would I do without you?" Epona nickered, and Link cried even more. Sniffling, he tried to hum Epona's Song to his horse. Her eyes slowly closed, but managed to stay open as he finished the song. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "I love you, Epona." With one last soft nicker, her beautiful violet eyes closed forever. Link broke down in sobs. He stayed next to Epona for hours, not wanting to leave her. But suddenly he realized something: Malon. Malon had raised Epona herself. She did deserve to know what had happened to Epona, but just imagining what her reaction would be nearly broke Link's heart. He looked at the arrow. He grasped it, and pulled it out of Epona's chest. He didn't notice that the head was a sapphire. He simply walked to Lon Lon Ranch, crying the whole way. When he finally reached the ranch, he could see Malon in the corral. He almost reconsidered doing this, but he knew she had to know. He stepped into the corral area, hiding the arrow behind his back. "Malon!" Link called. Malon turned. She was very beautiful indeed, Link thought. And somehow, he felt as though he had a bit of a crush on her. He shook away the feeling as Malon smiled and came up. "Why, howdy, Link!" Malon said. "Long time no see!" "Yeah, I know." Link said. Suddenly, Malon's smile faded a little. "Link, where's Epona? Did ya leave her out in the field?" Malon asked. Link's eyes started to water. He lowered his head and tried to blink back his tears. "Malon, let's go inside. I need to talk to you about something." "Why? What's wrong?" But she led the way to the main house, with Link following. When they were inside, he sat her down. "Malon, I have to tell you something. It's about Epona." Link said. "Epona? Is she hurt? Link, did she fall and break her leg? What happened?" Malon was very worried indeed. This was going to be tough. "Malon...Epona...she..." Link found he couldn't say it. He started to cry. He had to say it. "Malon, Epona's dead." Malon was stunned. Her blue eyes widened and her jaw dropped. For a moment she was still, then she started shaking her head. "No," she whispered. "No, not my baby Epona. Please, Link, tell me this isn 't true!" Tears were forming in her eyes. "We were galloping on the fields when an arrow came at us. I don't know who shot it-probably a sniper-but it hit her in the chest." Malon angrily grabbed him by his tunic. "Link, you're big ugly liar! My Epona can't be dead!" Malon screamed. Link winced, but knew that he had to show her the evidence. He took out the arrow. The blood was still very fresh. Malon stared at it in disbelief. "It's true, Malon. I'm sorry." Link whispered. Malon just stared at the arrow. Suddenly, she tore out of the house, screaming her horse's name. Link realized she was going to find her horse. "Malon, no!" Link called, and went after her. Malon kept running. Her beloved horse couldn't be dead. She went over a hill. There was Epona, lying on the ground. She kept running, hoping the horse would gather her legs under her and stand, but she didn't. As Malon got closer, she could see the blood on the ground. "NOOO!!" Malon screamed as she tried to run to her horse. But she stumbled, and fell to the ground sobbing. Link came up as she sat up, head down. He knelt down, and put a hand on her shoulder. Malon turned and hugged Link, sobbing. Link couldn't help but cry himself. They buried Epona at the ranch. They had hitched two of the ranch's cows up to a wagon, and Link had used his Silver Gauntlets to lift Epona onto the wagon. It was a sad funeral, and Link cried the whole way through. After the funeral, he spent the night at Lon Lon Ranch, sleeping on some hay that was in the main house. At one point, when he woke up, he thought he saw a blue glow coming from the other side of the room. At first he thought it was nothing. Then he realized it was coming from the arrow that had killed Epona. He got up to check it out. The blood had now dried up and cracked, and Link could see that this was no ordinary arrow. He picked it up, and wiped off the blood. He took a good look at the arrowhead. He saw it was some sort of blue stone. A blue topaz? No, it couldn't be. It certainly wasn't a carved-up rupee, either. Suddenly Link remembered something. The woman in his dream...on her staff, she'd had a bunch of sapphires...a whole line of them going up from the bottom, then a huge one fastened on the top. Link looked at the arrowhead once more. Yes, it had to be a sapphire-and it had to be from that woman! She had killed Epona! He stuffed the arrow in his tunic, and went upstairs to Malon's room, where she was still awake. He knocked, and she opened the door. "Link!" Malon said. "What's wrong?" "Malon, I hate to tell you this, but I have to go. I just realized something important that I have to tell Zelda." Link said. Malon nodded. "All right. Go on, Link-and be careful out there." Malon said. "Don't worry, Malon. You know I will. Oh, and Malon." Link took her hands in his. "I think, just to play it safe, you should move into the castle." "What?!" Malon cried. "Your dad and Ingo can come, too. And you can keep the horses and cows in the royal stables." "But why, Link?" "Malon, the arrow that hit Epona had a letter wrapped around it. The woman who wrote it said that she would kill off everyone I love-and that includes you. So I want you, your dad, and Ingo to move to the castle with the animals. You'll be safe there." "But what will Zelda say?" "Malon, she cares more about her kingdom than herself. I don't think she'd mind if you moved in." With a sigh, Malon nodded. "We'll start movin' tomorrow," she said. Link smiled, and hugged her. "Thank you, Malon." With that, Link left. He ran back to the castle, and by the time he came in he was exhausted. Zelda was in the Great Hall, waiting for him. "Link! What happened to you?" Zelda asked, running over to him. "You look like you ran here from Kokiri Forest!" "Actually, from Lon Lon Ranch," Link breathed. "From the ranch? Did something happen to Epona?" Link bowed his head. "She was killed, Zelda. Someone shot her while we were galloping." "WHAT?! But how could someone do that?" "I don't know, but I think I know who did it. Look at this." He pulled out the arrow, and held it out to Zelda. Zelda gasped as she realized what kind of stone the arrowhead was made of. "A sapphire," Zelda whispered. "The woman in our dreams killed Epona?" "And that's not all." Link said, taking out the note. Zelda read it, and her eyes widened in fear. "I knew it had to be a prophecy," Zelda said. "But who is this woman?" "I don't know. But we have to find someone who does know-and fast. I had to ask Malon to move here just to be on the safe side." "You what? But Link, I.oh, what am I complaining about, you have good reason to ask her to come. Heaven knows we don't want to lose our only ranch. Wait a minute! In my dream, the woman was attacking the Graguns! Perhaps they know who she is!" "But Zelda, how do we know that they do? The Zoras didn't know who the heck Barinade was when he attacked Jabu-Jabu. Nabooru didn't know Koume and Kotake were in the Spirit Temple before she was captured, and when I was in the Forest Temple, I certainly wasn't expecting Phantom Ganon to be there. This woman could just be a stranger to the Graguns." "Well, you should still ask them. If they know the slightest bit of information about her, that might be enough." Zelda said. Link sighed. "All right. How do I get in those mountains?" "The Gorons would know. Go to Goron City and ask Darunia." "Okay. I'll see you later." With that, Link left. Chapter 2 Link couldn't have been more surprised when he entered Goron City. All the Gorons welcomed him and hugged him, still thankful to him for saving their lives in the Fire Temple. But Darunia knew Link had something important to talk about. He shooed the other Gorons away, and led Link to his chambers. "Now, Link, tell me what the problem is." "It's a fairly long story, Darunia-" Link was cut off. "Oh, don't worry, Link! I can handle sitting through any story of any length. Now tell me-what has brought you here?" "I'll start at the beginning. Just two nights ago, Zelda and I had prophetic nightmares. Zelda's was of a woman made of sapphires who was destroying the Graguns." "The Graguns! Are you saying they're in danger?" "I'm not finished yet. My dream was even worse. The same woman Zelda dreamed about was in mine-and that woman captured and destroyed all the Sages; and after freeing Ganon she married him and helped him to destroy Hyrule." Darunia sat down in his chair in shock. "So you're saying we're all in danger?" "Yes. But first, I have to find out who this woman is. The only people Zelda and I can think of are the Graguns, but I don't know how to get to their city." "No problem, Brother. Come with me." He led Link up to the third floor, where the blacksmith's shop was. Medigoron was pleased with the company, but Darunia explained the situation. Medigoron crawled away from his resting spot-revealing a tunnel! "Take this tunnel, and you'll go straight into the bordering mountains. It should only take you a half-hour to reach their city, Draconiara-it basically circles Hyrule." Darunia handed Link a torch, but put a hand on Link's shoulder before he left. "By the way, I should warn you-the Graguns don't care for visitors very much, except if they have some relation to the Gorons. Do you still have the Goron Bracelet?" Link nodded. It was on his wrist, but the gauntlets that he wore covered it. "That'll be evidence enough that you know me. I only give those bracelets to men that I truly trust, and since I keep them with me, no one can steal them. So just show them the bracelet if you have any trouble with them." He patted Link's shoulder and smiled. "Good luck, Brother." Clasping Darunia's huge hand, Link went on in. The tunnel was roughly constructed, and Link often tripped on rocks. But he managed to find his way through, and he soon found the entrance. But as Darunia had expected, he was not welcomed as warmly by the Graguns as he had been by the Gorons. The instant Link came in through the entrance to Draconiara, he was grabbed by two enormous creatures. They lifted him up, held him against a wall and held their huge swords against his neck. The creatures looked like Dinolfos, only they had more meat on their bones and their tails dragged on the ground. They had features that looked very much human-arms, hands, and legs-but the rest of them was basically reptilian and covered with scales. In fact, they looked like dragons. These must be the Graguns, Link thought. Their chests and bellies were covered with reptilian breastplates, and they had armored skirts. They were also twelve feet tall, and Link didn't even have to look down to know that his feet couldn't touch the ground. Their eyes were a bright, burning yellow, with slits for pupils. One of them leaned forward a bit. "You're under arrest for trespassing," he said. This sounded more like raspy snarl, but he was able to distinguish what the Gragun said. Link took a deep breath. "Under what grounds?" Link asked. "We do not allow anyone from the outside into our city." The other said. "You will be held prisoner until our leader has determined that you may be released." The first Gragun said. Link remained silent. He knew better than to try to pick a fight with these two. He wasn't even in a position to fight back. Plus, they didn't look like they trusted Link enough to let him show them the Goron Bracelet. He simply nodded in acknowledgement. The two Graguns lowered him to the ground, and promptly tied his hands behind his back. They then led him through the city. It was exquisite, even though buried underneath rock, and Link could see it was heavily populated. Little Graguns played in the streets, and adults conversed near their homes. Link felt a little edgy as they stared at him as he went past. The looks they had on their faces certainly weren't very comforting. Within minutes, he and his captors arrived at a prison. Surprisingly, it was empty-apparently no one tried to make trouble with the local authorities. His captors cut the ropes binding his hands, then they shoved him into a nearby cell. After locking him in, they simply glared at him and left. Link looked around. A small bed made of hay in the corner, with a barrel of water sitting in the opposite corner. "This is going to be fun," Link muttered. "I get thrown in jail the second I come into town. Reminds me of when I met the Gerudos." The Gerudos had behaved in the very same manner when Link had gone to their hideout. Link sighed, and sat down on his bed of hay. He laid down, and started to sleep. For the next few days he stayed in his cell, with the two guards standing across from the door. They did give him some bread for his meals, but Link was still pretty hungry. But he never complained. He had to remain civilized. One day, while Link was snoozing, he heard the sound of a door opening. The guards left their posts to greet the visitor, and Link could hear them conversing. Suddenly he heard huge, pounding footsteps, along with slightly softer ones. Link sat up abruptly. Within seconds his two captors appeared-and so did an even bigger form. He was even more muscular than the two guards, and had to be sixteen feet tall. He looked like Ganondorf's lizard counterpart. Link gulped. This was most definitely the leader of the Graguns, as he held his head up high and his shoulders back. Suddenly the bigger Gragun spoke. "What is your name, intruder?" Link stood up. "I am Link of Hyrule." "We Graguns do not allow anyone from there past our borders unless they are Gorons." "I know that, sir. But I was sent here by Princess Zelda." "Princess Zelda, hmm? Well, her orders do not matter here unless they have to do with problems in my kingdom-and I doubt she would know anything about them. Now, how were you able to get into our city?" "Well, sir, Big Brother Darunia let me through." "Oh, did he?" The big creature laughed. "You'll have to do more than tell me that for me to believe it." "Well, sir, that's why I have this." Link took off his gauntlet, revealing the Goron Bracelet. The big Gragun gasped. "The Goron Bracelet...you do know Darunia!" "Yes, sir. He actually made me his Sworn Brother after I saved his people several years ago." "Wait a minute...now I remember! You're that young man Darunia told me so much about! The one who not only cleared out Dodongo's Cavern, but also killed Volvagia in the Fire Temple!" "That would be me, yes." "Well, then, I do apologize for this inconvenience! Guards, let him out." "Yes sir." The door opened, and Link came out. The big Gragun towered over him, but he was smiling. "Again, I must apologize. But with a kingdom so large we must not take any risks with intruders. Not to mention we have been having some problems lately." "It's no problem, sir. This wasn't the first time I was thrown in jail because I trespassed." "Oh, really?" "Yes, sir. I went to Gerudo Valley and, of course, they jailed me. But I managed to get out and gain their respect." "Hmm. Must have taken a lot of hard work. But anyway, I'm Quogar, King of the Graguns." He extended his hand. Link bowed in respect, and shook his hand. "It's an honor to meet you, sir." "Oh, and don't bother with all that 'sir' stuff. Just call me Quogar." "Certainly." "Now, why don't we head over to my castle? We'll talk there." With that, he led Link out of the jail. Sitting there in the street was a carriage-and hitched up to the carriage were two black dragons! They weren't very big, though-only about twenty feet long from the tips of their noses to the tips of their tails. But they certainly were muscular, and Link could tell by the smoke coming from their nostrils that they could breathe fire. Quogar noticed Link staring at the creatures, and chuckled. "I know, you weren't expecting to see a dragon-drawn carriage. But they can move quickly, and are an easy mode of transportation." Indeed, Link now noticed that next to many houses were stalls containing dragons of different shapes, sizes, and colors. "Where do you get them?" "They're all around us, living in caverns deep inside the mountains. They don't usually venture toward my kingdom, but sometimes they'll either show up in the mines or even come right out into the streets. It's not easy to catch them, but it's worth it later on, especially after they've been tamed." "How big do they get?" "They can get very big indeed. The biggest one I've seen so far had to be sixty or so feet long." "You use them like you would horses?" Link asked. "You could say that. Some of us ride them for pleasure, some use them for work." "Wow. I'd like to have one." "Well, you'd be accepting a major responsibility. Dragons are by far harder to care for than horses. They can be hot-tempered sometimes, and you're lucky if you can find one that isn't. But those that easy to handle are usually used for work." "Wow. They are beautiful; I'll give you that. But doesn't it seem weird to use them if you're half-dragon yourself?" "The Zoras eat fish, don't they?" Quogar had a good point. The Zoras were half-human, half-fish. Link nodded. "That is true. How fast can these dragons fly?" "Let's find out." With that, they climbed into the carriage, and the driver flicked the reins. The dragons spread their wings and gently flapped them. The dragons and carriage lifted off the ground, and they flew off through the city. Link noticed that the city was set inside one huge cavern, and that this cavern stretched unusually far. "How far does Draconiara extend?" Link asked. "It circles your land of Hyrule. There's only one entrance into our city from your land, and that's through Goron City." "How do you know the Gorons?" "We're mining creatures as well. But we don't just dig up regular stones like the Gorons do. We don't even eat rocks. We dig up iron ore, along with precious gems and stones, like rubies and emeralds. See, look over there. That's one of our diamond mines. And over on that side there's a ruby mine. The stones come in separate parts of the mountains, so we have many mines to collect them." "How many mines do you have?" "Oh, around a hundred." "A hundred?!" "Yes. These mountains are heavily populated with gems, especially sapphires." Link's mind clicked for a moment when Quogar said that. But he snapped out of it when Quogar pointed in front of them. "There's my castle." A huge castle rested in front of them. It was set in the rock, and Link could tell it was well defended. A waterfall came down from one side, forming a river that became a moat. Not only that, many guards patrolled the towers and walkways. "That's a nice castle," Link said. "Wait 'til you see the inside." After the carriage had landed, Quogar led Link inside the huge structure. Link was astonished by what he saw. The Great Hall was nearly twice as big as Hyrule Castle's! There were huge marble columns, red carpets, and other rich items all over. Link also realized that the main floor was under them-he was standing on an upper floor that circled the main room like a balcony. On one end of the room stood a grand throne. Then Link noticed something else. A portcullis was built in one of the walls of the main floor. The space beyond it was pitch black, and Link couldn't help but wonder what was beyond it. This place was amazing. "This...this is even grander than Hyrule Castle," Link said. "This comes from trading, my boy. With all the stones we dig up, we have to find people who are willing to accept them in exchange for something else. Not too hard, as you can see. We also have a steady supply of mortar and iron that we sell to other countries, including the Gorons." "The Gorons?" "Yes. They need maintenance on the Fire Temple, and mortar and iron are good ways to keep it in shape." "I can understand that. Um, Quogar, I need to ask you something. It has to do with why Princess Zelda sent me." "Well, ask away." Quogar sat down in his throne. "Well...um...do you know of a woman who is obsessed with sapphires?" "Link, that's like asking me how many stars are in the sky. I know of many women who love sapphires." "Well, specifically, one who seems to have fallen in love with Ganondorf." Quogar's eyes widened. They burned for a second. "How did you know about that?" "Well, Zelda and I have prophetic dreams, and last week I had one where a woman who seemed to have an affinity for sapphires was marrying Ganondorf. Zelda also had one where the same woman was trying to destroy your race. Now tell me-do you know who she is?" Quogar sighed and leaned back in chair. "I was hoping you weren't going to ask that. I had heard that Princess Zelda has prophetic dreams, and I feared that she would find out about us. But...it seems I can't keep a secret any longer. Yes, I know who that woman is. She is Queen Saphira, and she rules the land of Crastalyina." "Crastalyina? I've never heard of that place." "Well, it's a country to the west of these mountains. It's a fairly large country, maybe twice as big as Hyrule. The people there love crystals, which is why their home is called Crastalyina. But despite her large size, Crastalyina doesn't have many resources. She never has, and probably never will. Centuries ago, a king ruled there, and he was as dependable as your old king was. He made an alliance with us, promising to keep a steady trade link between us." "But what do they have that you don't? You said they don't have many resources." "That I did. But one thing they do have is wood. Crastalyina may not sound like it, but it's mostly forests. So they trade us their wood for our gems and mortar." "Sounds like a good trade." "Indeed it is. The alliance was strong for the next few hundred years. But ten years ago, Saphira became queen. She held up her kingdom's promise to us for a while, but after she met Ganondorf she started to neglect us. I held my faith in her for a while, and even visited her castle several times to remind her of our trade agreements. But each time I went to Crastalyina, she was off visiting Ganondorf. One day, I went to see her, and found out that she had gone into the Sacred Realm to visit Ganon. Of course, I was furious when I found out where she was. That was the last straw. So I broke the alliance, and hoped that that was the last I would hear of her." "But it wasn't, was it?" "No, it wasn't. That woman sent some of her minions to come into my kingdom and kidnap the kingdom's guardian." "Your guardian?" "Yes. She is very important to us. You could say she's like a goddess to us. She's the reason the dragons are so willing to serve us. That's how important she is." "When was she taken away?" "Just five days ago." Link gasped when he heard this. "What is it?" Quogar asked. "Quogar...your guardian was taken the day after Saphira killed my horse!" "She killed your horse?" "Yes. She shot her with this arrow," Link held it out to Quogar. "She knew Epona meant a lot to me, and killed her." Quogar took the arrow, and looked it over. "This arrow...Son, this isn't just any ordinary arrow. She can telepathically tell it who to hit, and it will strike it without hitting anything else. She fires these all the way from her castle in Crastalyina and kills her enemies on the first shot. But one thing confuses me-why wouldn't she have killed you in the first place?" "I'm the Hero of Time, Quogar. I helped Princess Zelda and the Sages banish Ganon to the Sacred Realm. So now she wants to slowly get her revenge on me, one step at a time. And that first step was my Epona." "Well, I'm very sorry to hear that your horse died. And I'll tell you one thing-you'll be lucky if she doesn't send out another of these arrows. They 're some of her favorite weapons. But since you're here, and since you have had extensive fighting experience, I want to ask something of you." "Sure, anything." "It seems that Saphira has invaded the caverns near my kingdom. Remember how I told you that we get our dragons from those caverns? Well, she seeks to destroy them, then our mines, then Draconiara in its entirety-all with the aid of the monsters she has placed in our caverns. So I ask you-would you defeat the creatures who are disturbing the peace in our mountains?" "Yes, of course. But one question-do you know what kind of creatures are in the caverns?" "Our worst enemies-Lizalfos and Dinolfos, along with some Moriblins and Monblins." Link tried hard to keep from showing his displeasure. Lizalfos were okay as far as beating them went, Dinolfos were a maybe-they were fast and powerful, and never hesitated to try to slice Link into ribbons. But Moriblins and Monblins were the worst. Moriblins were goblins, and were almost twice as tall as Link. These guys carried huge spears, and would charge at Link if he crossed their line of vision. Link almost got killed once or twice just fighting them. But Monblins...Link nearly fainted at the thought of them. Monblins were twice as tall as the Moriblins, and held huge stone hammers that could mash anyone flat on the first swing. Link had fought one of these guys before, and he hadn't enjoyed it at all. "Well, I'm sure I can take care of them." Link said. Quogar smiled with relief. "Thank you, Link. If you could defeat the monsters in the Dodongo's Cavern and Fire Temple, I'm sure we can depend on you." Link nodded, and Quogar stood. "Now, let's go. Are you ready?" "As ready as I'll ever be." "Follow me, then." Quogar took him through the castle, into the courtyards, and soon they were in the royal stables-and it was filled with dragons. Quogar went to one of the stalls, and led out a big red dragon. "This is Firona. She's my dragon, but I'll lend her to you for a while. She knows the way to the caverns, and will take you there as quick as lightning. And you don't have to worry about her abandoning you-she never leaves her rider behind, even if he falls off." "Wow. Thanks, Quogar." Link said. He was actually going to ride a dragon! Quogar helped Link onto Firona's back, then put a bridle on her head and handed Link the reins. "Now hold on tight, Link. Grab the spikes on her back, and keep a tight grip-otherwise, she'll fly right out from under you. I know from experience." Quogar grinned, and Link smiled at the thought. He gripped Firona's spikes tightly, and Quogar patted her shoulder. "All right, girl. Take him there." With that, she turned, spread her wings, and took off. Link nearly fell off, but pressed his legs tightly against her sides to steady himself. She was very fast indeed, probably even faster than the running man in Hyrule. They flew through the city, and before Link could try to guess how far they were from the caverns Firona slowed down to land. He saw a huge cave opening in front of them, and a sign next to it. It read: "Dragon Caverns-Do Not Enter." Firona snorted, and raised her head with interest. Link remembered that she had come from this place. "Sorry, girl. You can't go in with me. You have to stay here and wait for me to come back. I'll be back in a while." Firona nodded in understanding. With that, Link entered the mouth of the cave. It was dark for a moment, but after taking a few steps forward a red-orange light slowly illuminated the tunnels. Link could hear lava bubbling and fire crackling. Must be a dragon's paradise in here, Link thought. He slowly walked forward until he reached the inside of the caverns. Link expected to be bombarded by enemies and vicious dragons, but instead was shocked when he saw that the place was deserted. "What the hell...?" Link whispered. No dragons or enemies were in sight. Then Link took a good look around. The layout of this place was similar to that of Goron City, only with many more tunnels and caves. Link realized he was standing in the heart of the caverns. A huge pool of lava lay in the center, and flames spouted from it every few seconds. Suddenly, Link heard something. It sounded like a roar, but it somewhat like a scream as well. Then Link heard something else. A creature was roaring back at whatever creature had roared first. The sounds were coming from a tunnel on the left. Link entered it, and went through it until he found what he had heard. A small cave lay at the end of this tunnel, and inside was a Moriblin and a dragon! The dragon, a big green creature that was about Firona's size, was pinned to the floor by chains, and the Moriblin was poking it with his spear. Link bristled at how cruel the goblin was toward the dragon. He drew his Biggoron Sword, and with a cry he leapt out to attack. The Moriblin turned, and he charged. Link dodged the attack, and he counterattacked with a slash from his sword. The Moriblin hollered, then turned to try to skewer Link with the spear. With another slash, Link chopped the spear in two. As the Moriblin stopped to look at his broken weapon, Link stabbed the monster with his sword. The goblin died instantly, and disappeared in a flare of green flames. Link turned to the dragon, who was staring at Link in awe. Link went over, and knelt next to the creature. "Are you all right?" The dragon nodded. Link looked at the chains, and stood up. "Okay. I need you to hold still, all right?" The dragon nodded again, and Link raised the sword over his head. He brought it down on the chains, which broke in two. The dragon was free. As the dragon stood, Link put his hand on its shoulder. "Wait a minute. I have to ask you something. Are the caves in here homes for dragons?" The dragon nodded a third time. "Okay. Now, I need you to stay here, just for a while. There are probably monsters in all of the other caves, so I need you to stay here and out of sight." The dragon then slinked over to a corner of the room and hid in the shadows. Link left the room, and went to the next cave. A slightly smaller dragon was chained to the ground, and a pair of Lizalfos were circling it. Link walked in, and cleared his throat. The two lizards looked up, and Link charged at them. Within seconds, the Lizalfos were dead and the dragon freed. Over the next few hours, Link fought Moriblins and Lizalfos, and freed seventy or so dragons. However, he didn't fight any Dinolfos or Monblins. He looked in each of the rooms he had entered, looking for signs of them, but couldn't find anything. He knew there was something amiss here, but he couldn't figure out what. Suddenly, he felt something touch his arm. It was Firona! "Firona! I told you to wait for me!" Link hissed. But the dragon gently took his sleeve in her teeth and tugged. "Firona, I can't play right now, if that's what you want." But she kept pulling, and Link realized she was trying to lead him somewhere. He followed, and she stopped at a huge boulder sitting in the main room against the wall. She went over to it, and pushed with all her might. It rolled out of the way to reveal a tunnel. Now Link could hear noises. "Those Dinolfos and Monblins must be guarding even more dragons in there.Okay, Firona, I need you to do me a favor. Go to each of the rooms, and tell the dragons that it's almost safe again, okay?" The dragon flew off, and Link entered the tunnel. He had barely taken three steps when he heard a shrill, raspy scream that made his skin crawl. He moved on, wondering what it was that made that sound. He soon entered a new extension to the caverns, and what he saw stunned him. Dozens of cages lined the room, each of them holding a huge dragon inside. These dragons had to be between thirty and forty feet long, and Link knew they were powerful creatures. Another tunnel lay on the other end of the room, but Link didn't move because he saw that this room had guards-Dinolfos. He counted them, and found that there were ten of them. He wouldn't be able to survive ten swordfights with these guys, Link knew. He looked around, and saw a boulder sitting off to the side. He carefully tiptoed over to it, and hid behind it. He took out his bow, and took an arrow out of the quiver. Link had very good sniping skills, and knew he'd be able to do away with five or six of these guys before they realized he was there. He aimed carefully, and hit one of the targets in the chest. The other Dinolfos looked around, wondering what had killed their comrade. Link took that opportunity to kill off two more in quick succession. The other seven were getting anxious now, and Link felt pretty lucky. He killed two more, and the remaining five suddenly decided to start looking. Link knew he would have to be quick. He killed three more, one by one, until only two were left. Finally, he put away his bow, and took out his sword. He leaped out from his hiding place, and the two remaining Dinolfos looked up in surprise-then tried to slash at him. Link barely managed to keep from getting a slash in the ribs, but was successful in making off with his adversaries in a few seconds. After that, he went to the cages, and carefully freed the dragons. After that was done, he proceeded to the tunnel. He heard the eerie scream again, but kept going. Soon, he found what had been screaming in the next room. It was a huge serpent-like dragon, probably sixty or so feet long. Instead of spikes and horns along her head and spine, she had a huge mane of fire streaming from her forehead to the tip of her tail. Her wings were also very exquisite-instead of reptilian wings like those of the other dragons, she had wings like those of an eagle. The feathers were brown and cream colored, and her scales were emerald-green. Her eyes were yellow,with round red irises. But what troubled Link was that she was in a worse state than the other dragons had been in. She was chained to the ground, but a pair of Monblins stood on either side of her, hammers and whips in hand. The Monblins didn't use the hammers, but they continuously lashed her with their whips. She was bleeding from several wounds, despite all the scales that covered her, and Link knew that she was in terrible pain. He took out his sword, and walked in. The big goblins turned around, and bellowed in rage at the sight of Link. They raised their whips, and Link readied his sword. As the lashes came down, Link slashed his sword so that the whips were cut in half. This angered the Monblins even more, and they took out their hammers. Link knew he would have to be quick on his feet. He started running, and at the same time he took out his bow. As he dodged the shockwaves caused by the hammers, he notched an arrow in his bow and fired. His aim was true, and it severely wounded one of the Monblins-but it wasn't enough to kill him. Link continued this until he had gotten rid of both Monblins, then approached the huge serpent. "Boy, you sure are pretty. Let' s get you out of this mess." He used his sword to break the chains, and stepped back. The dragon looked at him, as though she wanted something. "Go on, dragon," Link said. "You're free." The serpent stared at him for a bit longer, then went off. Suddenly, Link heard something coming from a nearby tunnel. He focused his hearing, and a chill went up his spine as he realized what it was-a horde of Dinolfos. He ran toward another tunnel just as they came into the room, and tried to keep from tripping. He felt like he had been running forever, and the lizards were closing in. He saw a dim light up ahead, and thought he was home free. But he didn't notice the huge pit in front of him, and he fell in. He screamed as he saw the huge spikes down at the bottom. But just as he would've landed on the spikes, something went under him and he landed on it. The thing swooped up, and Link held on so he wouldn't fall back down. He saw the Dinolfos standing at the edge of the pit, waving their spears in anger. Then Link realized that the thing was taking him through the tunnel.and that the thing was the dragon he had just rescued! He managed to hang on for the ride, and soon they were back in the main room. Firona was waiting there, and she roared. All the other dragons came out and roared in reply. Link got down from the serpent, and faced her. "Thanks for saving me," Link said. He patted her on the neck, then went over to Firona. He got on, and Firona took him back to the castle, where Quogar was waiting. He was elated to see him back alive, and even happier to hear that the caverns were safe. "I knew you could do it!" Quogar said, patting Link's back. "Tonight, I'm going to hold a feast for the entire kingdom-and you're going to be my guest of honor." "Thank you, Quogar. But do you suppose I could get cleaned up first?" Link was covered in dirt, and was bleeding from a few cuts. "Why, certainly! I'll even give you a room for you to rest in before and after the party." Later that evening, in the grand hall, Quogar held the party as promised. Link hadn't thought that the entire kingdom could fit inside the castle, but they could. The common folk were on the main floor, and the upper-class folk were on the balcony floor. Link sat next to Quogar, and he certainly felt honored. Soon, Quogar stood, and the room fell silent. "Friends," Quogar said. "We are here tonight to celebrate a courageous feat accomplished by this young man, Link." The crowd clapped, and Link blushed a bit. "This young man went into the dragon caverns to take on the enemies inside, and was not only successful in doing that, but also successful in rescuing our guardian." The crowd clapped and cheered, and Link wondered for a moment as to who the guardian was. He couldn't remember saving anything except dragons. "Now, I will present this courageous young man with a gift unlike any other." The crowd went silent again, and Quogar clapped his hands. Link heard a scraping-rumbling sound, and saw that the portcullis on the main floor was opening. The Graguns on the floor stepped back, so there was plenty of space. After a moment, a creature flew through the opening, and Link gasped. It was the serpent he had rescued! He turned to Quogar in amazement. "You're giving her to me?!" Link asked. "Meet Serpentina," Quogar said, nodding. "She's Draconiara's guardian, but she and I have agreed to make her yours." "Quogar, are you sure about this? I mean, what if Saphira attacks again?" "Well, actually, the dragons who live in the caverns have all decided to protect the kingdom. Serpentina helped arrange that." Link was astonished. He hadn't thought that after losing Epona he would actually be replacing her. "I.I don't know what to say." "You don't have to say anything. Serpentina's the one you should thank. She's willing to carry you anywhere and everywhere, and will protect you by any means necessary." Suddenly, Serpentina spread her wings and flew upward so she was in front of Link. She brought her head forward a bit, and Link was amazed at what she did next-she spoke! "Link, you rescued me and my kind back in those caverns. I don't know of anyone else who deserves as great a reward. I would be honored to serve you as I have for Draconiara," she said. Link stared at her for a moment, then at Quogar. He looked back at Serpentina, and smiled. He went up to her, and hugged her. The crowd cheered. Link pulled away, and he realized he had tears in his eyes. Quogar patted his shoulder, and smiled. After the party, Serpentina made herself comfortable on the floor of the main hall, and Link retreated to his room. He still couldn't believe that Serpentina was now his. Link closed his eyes and slept without dreaming. The next day, he went immediately to Quogar. "Quogar, I really hate to say this, but." Link stopped as Quogar raised his hand. "I know. You must go. I know you have much to tell Princess Zelda, and I think you should be ready for anything else that may happen in Hyrule." "What do you mean?" "Saphira finds out about things very quickly. In fact, one of her messengers came in after you'd gone to bed, and I sent him back with the message that we were all still alive and well-along with the dragons and Serpentina-and that the dragons are now the city's sworn protectors. I wouldn't be surprised if she found out about the dragon caverns this very minute. The point is, though, that you should go back home in case she makes another attack." "Yes, sir. We'll keep in touch." Link shook his hand, then called for Serpentina. Chapter 3 "WHAAT?! You mean to tell me that the dragons are still alive?" Saphira screamed. "Yes. Quogar sent me back to inform you that not only are the dragons are alive and well, but their guardian, too. And the dragons have become the sworn protectors of the city." The messenger said. The young man was a native of Crastalyina, and was one of Saphira's finest messengers. She had sent him to the Gragun City to see if it had been demolished yet, and he had come back with less-than-satisfying news. Saphira looked as though she might kill him with her magic, but she controlled herself. She took a deep breath, and turned away. "How many other messengers do I have that are as good as you at their job?" Saphira asked. "Umm...well, I'd have to say two or three, my Queen." "Hmm. Not a whole lot. Well, for your efforts, I should reward you, shouldn't I? Stay right there while I go to my chambers." Saphira left, and the messenger sighed with relief. However, as Saphira entered, she said to Tyano, "Release Saberjewel." "Saberjewel! But Your Highness, aren't you overreacting a little bit?" "Overreacting! One of my key plans just got shot to the ground, so I have to take it out on someone. And I choose that messenger outside. If there's one thing I do not like, it's being sent bad news. Besides, it's been a while since Saberjewel had a decent meal. Now-let-my-dog-out." Tyano nodded, and went over to a nearby rope. He pulled it down, and meanwhile, a small portcullis opened in the Throne Room where the messenger stood. He saw the door opening, and gasped. He knew what this meant. He turned to the main doors, but the guards had left the room and closed them. There was no way out. The portcullis opened fully, and a pair of glittering blue eyes gleamed in the darkness. The messenger couldn't move, he was so frightened. The creature stepped out of the darkness, revealing a huge wolf. This wolf had thick purple armor all over him, and this armor was dotted with sapphires and silver spikes. However, the most frightening aspects were his enormous size, his glowing blue eyes, and his huge white teeth. The messenger looked around, and the wolf moved closer. Inside her chambers, Saphira waited. Soon she heard was she was waiting for-screams of pain and furious snarls. Saberjewel had been a gift to her from her father, and he was the most efficient guardian anyone could ask for. He had been found in the dense forests as a cub, with no mother or pack to care for him. Saphira 's father had taken him back to the castle, and kept him a secret from Saphira while he trained Saberjewel to be the best bodyguard a princess could ever have. When he finally did present him to Saphira, it was when a criminal was going to be executed for his crimes. Saphira had been pleased by the wolf's performance, and was forever grateful to her father, who died a few weeks after. Suddenly, there was an extremely loud crunch, and a loud, disgusting gulping sound. Saphira, with a smug and satisfied glint in her eyes, went back to the Throne Room. Tyano chose to remain, as he didn't wish to see the spectacle. Saphira found blood all over the place, Saberjewel sitting innocently on the bloodstained carpet, and a bit of armor that the messenger had been wearing. Saphira smiled, and went over to the wolf. "Very good, Saberjewel. Did you enjoy your dinner?" The wolf grinned and wagged his tail. Saphira patted his shoulder, and Saberjewel retreated to his den. Several maids entered, cleaning equipment in hand. Saphira went back to her chambers, and Tyano looked up. "Well, now that you've reduced our messenger numbers by one, what do you plan on doing now?" he asked. "Well, I've decided not to destroy the Graguns after all. I'm sure they've realized that I am a force to be reckoned with, and will not make such a foolish move again. However, there are other matters at hand." "You mean with the Hero of Time." "No, I mean with the other messengers. Of course, I mean that cursed rat Link! Now, I have to figure out who to strike at next. Excuse me for a moment." She left to her room, where the sapphire stood. "Now, Sapphire, who can I attack next? Hopefully someone linked to both the horse and Link?" "The only people who fit that particular description are Malon, Talon, and Ingo of Lon Lon Ranch. However, they have moved themselves and their animals out of your reach." "What do you mean, out of my reach?" "They have moved to Hyrule Castle, the area you have saved for last." "Oh, and I wonder who had them relocate? Don't answer that, I already know. Hmmm.Ah! I have an idea! Where did Link grow up?" "In Kokiri Forest, located within the heart of the Lost Woods." "Does one of the Sages live there?" "Yes-Saria, the Sage of the Forest." With that, the image ring appeared, and Saphira saw a young girl with green hair sitting on a tree stump, playing some sort of flute. The girl looked to be about twelve years old, but Saphira knew that she must be much older than that. The Kokiri never grew older than age twelve, at least in terms of appearance. A small green fairy floated serenely over the girl's head, dancing to the music. Saphira could see other Kokiri in the background, each with their own fairy. Several houses stood along the sides, and Saphira knew that this was the village. If anything, this was the perfect time to start hunting down the Sages. She smiled, and left the room. She went to Tyano, who was waiting anxiously for her. "Send for our Stalfos warriors," Saphira ordered. "Tell them they're taking a walk through the woods." As soon as Link made it back to Goron City with his new friend, he was ambushed a second time by the Gorons. Darunia looked especially proud. "Quogar sent me a letter telling me all about your adventure. I must say, you've grown into a true-what in the name of the goddesses is THAT?!" Link looked behind him, and saw that Serpentina had slithered up behind him. "Oh, this is Serpentina. She used to be the Graguns' guardian, but now they've got the entire population of cavern dragons guarding the city. So Quogar presented her to me." The other Gorons were still a bit wary of Serpentina, but Darunia was elated. "So you're that wonderful dragon Quogar told me so much about! I must say, it's an honor to meet you, my lady." Darunia bowed-or rather, he tried to bow without falling over. Serpentina smiled, and Link could swear she was blushing. "Well, many thanks to you, Darunia. I have heard much about you as well. And from what I hear, the Gorons couldn't have a finer leader." Serpentina said. The Gorons realized that she meant them no harm-unlike Volvagia, who had been an eater of Gorons-and crowded around her. After a few minutes of unending attention, Link pushed through the crowd, and managed to get them to let Serpentina pass. Darunia escorted them out of the city, but once he did Link had a horrible feeling that something terrible was about to happen. Serpentina could sense it, too. Bidding Darunia goodbye, Link hopped onto Serpentina's back and they flew off. Meanwhile, in Kokiri Forest, all the children were playing outside enjoying the sunshine. Mido was conversing with Saria, trying to get the scoop on what happened in the Forest Temple and defeating Ganondorf, and the Know-It-All Brothers were eavesdropping, jotting down notes. Fado, a young Kokiri girl, was flirting with Remi, a Kokiri boy who was an expert at swordfighting. In the nearby meadow, the Deku Tree Sprout was growing at a steady pace. Everything was at peace once again. Suddenly, a flock of birds came squawking out of the Lost Woods, flying in all directions. The children fell silent. Mido and Saria stood, and they listened intently. They could hear the forest spirits calling to them: "Go! Run! Leave the forest or you'll be done for!" Mido was alarmed, but Saria was frightened. Should they leave the forest? Or should they stay and see what had frightened the birds? The other children looked around, wondering who would dare enter the Lost Woods. "It can't be Hylians," One of the Know-It-All Brothers said. "The only one who can actually enter here is Link." "Yes, but if it's not Hylians, then who else would try to invade our home?" Fado asked. Suddenly, Saria gasped. Her face paled, and her beautiful eyes held nothing but fear inside. She turned to the others, and they knew that she knew who was approaching. She trembled as she tried to speak, but she was able to speak the one and only word necessary to say who the intruders were. "Stalfos," Saria whispered. Suddenly, a huge army of them came crashing out of the Lost Woods, and the children scattered, screaming. The Stalfos charged, wielding their swords and carrying huge torches, and prepared to attack the town. Link looked around as they flew over the field. He couldn't see anything suspicious just yet, but the feeling that something bad was happening grew stronger by the second. Suddenly, Serpentina looked over to the left, and gasped in horror. "Link! Look!" She was looking in the direction of the Lost Woods. Link's heart seemed to shatter as he saw the billowing clouds of smoke rising from his beloved home. "No!" Link cried, and Serpentina turned to fly toward Kokiri Forest. But Link had the dreadful feeling that they were too late. He searched in vain as they flew through the black smoke, but he couldn't find the village. Suddenly, Serpentina cried out, and swooped down. Now Link could see the flames towering over the trees. Serpentina flew over them, then turned her head toward Link. "Hold on tight, Link," Link grabbed her neck, and she flapped her wings so hard that the wind coming from them blew out the flames. They flew down, and Link couldn't believe what he saw. All the houses had been destroyed, with nothing but ashes and burned pieces of wood lying on the ground. Kokiri Village was no more. Link looked down, and saw a small orange fairy lying on the ground. She was no longer glowing, and her wings were gone. Link then saw fragments of the wings scattered around the fairy's tiny body. Link knew she was dead, but wondered who she had belonged to. All of a sudden, he saw a pig-tailed girl running toward him. "Link! Link!" The girl cried. Link realized it was none other than Fado, who had been one of his best friends. Her dress was torn and covered with dirt and ashes, and she was bleeding from minor wounds and had some small burns on her skin, but she didn't seem worried about that now. "Fado!" Link cried. She ran directly to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing lovingly against his chest. Link gently hugged her, and felt relieved that she wasn't dead. "Oh, Link, I'm so glad you're here!" Fado said. "But you're too late. We were attacked, and now." She trailed off, and Link had a feeling that something even worse was going on. Suddenly, Link heard sobbing. It was coming from the meadow. He dashed through the passageway to the meadow, closely followed by Fado, and found all the Kokiri children alive near the Deku Tree. Many of them were injured, and it made Link's blood boil to see his friends cut and burned so savagely. But then his eye was caught by one Kokiri in particular-Mido. He was lying near the Deku Tree Sprout, and some of the Kokiri were sitting next to him. Link came closer, and gasped in horror. Mido was bleeding all over, with vicious slashes and burns all over him. His wounds made those of the others look like paper cuts. Link also noticed that Mido's fairy was gone, with a familiar-looking green one in her place. Link knelt down next to him, and Mido opened his eyes. "Link," Mido whispered. "Well, Mr. No-Fairy, you're too late once again." He coughed. "Mido, I'm so, so sorry I didn't come in time. Please forgive me." "Well, it looks like I'll have to, huh? Besides, it wasn't really your fault that this happened to me." "Well, what happened?" "It...It was an ambush...we were all playing outside...suddenly the forest spirits warned us to leave the forest. We didn't know if...we should listen, because you know the whole Kokiri Law...but suddenly, a huge army of Stalfos came stampeding out of the Lost Woods. We.tried to get away from them, but....there was just too many of them. We were lucky no one got killed back there." "I tried to hold back the Stalfos from this meadow," the Deku Tree Sprout said. "I hoped that they would eventually turn back. But after a while, instead of leaving, they began to burn down the houses." "It was like they were threatening us," Mido said, coughing. "Like they were saying, 'Let us in or we'll destroy the entire forest.' Suddenly, we heard crying. The twin sisters were...trapped in their house, and the Stalfos were getting ready to burn it down. Saria refused to stay in the meadow and watch them die.so she dashed out of the meadow. And, of course, I followed her. How she managed to get past that army of Stalfos I'll never know, but next thing I knew...she came out with the twins. She pushed them toward the meadow, and I rushed them inside.but all of a sudden I heard a scream. I looked back, and I saw that.the Stalfos had grabbed Saria. I rushed forward to save her, but a huge pack of them attacked me. Tarnia tried to protect me with her magic, but.one of the Stalfos grabbed her in his hand and.crushed her to death. Saria's fairy, Marlida, tried to use her magic against them, but they just swatted her away. Navi came to help, too, but one Stalfos grabbed her and stuffed her in a bag. I could hear Saria screaming as the Stalfos carried her away.then I blacked out.and then I woke up to find you here." He was growing more and more pale by the second. Link lowered his head as he realized that it was Tarnia, who had been Mido's fairy, who was dead on the ground in the village. "But.why would they take Saria away?" Link whispered. "She certainly didn't do anything to disturb the forest spirits," one Kokiri girl said. "No, but maybe the Stalfos came from the Forest Temple. Saria did say there were lots of Stalfos there," a Kokiri boy said. "Wait a minute! I know why they took her!" Link exclaimed. "I can't explain it right now, because you wouldn't understand it. Oh, but Mido." "Don't worry about me. I'm no good as a leader anyway." But Link took a bottled fairy out of his tunic and released it over Mido's body. The fairy went into Mido's chest, but the wounds didn't heal. "You see? There's nothing you can do. Fairies won't work on us because.we're practically half-fairy ourselves. I'm dying, Link, and there's nothing any of you can do to stop it." Link started to cry now. "But Mido, this whole village will fall apart without you. And don't say that they have me, because the way I'm always fighting I'll probably die on them someday. Besides, I'm not a real Kokiri. You made that clear years ago." "I did, but.that's only because I was.jealous of you. You always had more courage than me, and not to mention every girl liked you more.especially Saria. Besides, the village did fall apart, after you left. After the Deku Tree died, I didn't know what to do when the monsters started popping up. Everyone started asking me what I was going to do, and that's why I went to the Lost Woods-I'm a terrible leader." "So now what? We can't just fend for ourselves." Fado said. "No.but I know someone who can teach you how to fight and be a good leader." Link said. He looked over at Remi. Remi had taught him how to fight, and had enough charisma to be labeled a leader. "Me?" Remi asked. He looked at Mido, who waved him over. "Remi.I want you to take over now.I won't be here much longer, and I.want to know that the others will have a good leader." Mido said. With tears in his eyes, Remi nodded. "Yes, sir." Remi took Mido's hand and gripped it. The other Kokiri looked on, knowing that things would be much different from now on. Link, surprisingly enough, still had the Kokiri Sword with him. He took it out with its sheath, and handed it to Remi, who took it with trembling hands. Mido smiled, and slowly closed his eyes. Link touched his shoulder, but he lay still. Bowing his head, Link cried freely. The other Kokiri started to cry as well. "Let me out, you mean ol' witch!" A voice screamed from the Throne Room. A huge iron cage had been hung from the ceiling, and inside stood a furious and screaming Saria, with Navi floating alongside. Saphira was ignoring the girl, as she was busy paying the Stalfos handsomely for a job well done. "I must reward each of you for bringing back the girl and fairy not only alive, but unharmed. However, I do have a few questions. One, did you destroy the village as I asked?" "Yes," the lead Stalfos snarled. "Were there survivors?" "Yes-but just the townspeople, and they were left with remnants of our attack." "And the leader of the village?" "Dead." Saria gasped when she heard this. Mido was dead? No, he couldn't be gone. But she had seen that mob of Stalfos attacking him back in Kokiri Forest.dropping to her knees, she began to cry. Saphira took little notice of this, and continued with the Stalfos. "Excellent. Here's a grand bonus for each of you, then. Now go and enjoy yourselves. You deserve a vacation." As the Stalfos marched out, Saphira turned to the girl. "And as for you, have you any idea why I asked them to bring you here?" "So you'd have a souvenir from the destruction that they left behind?" Saria sneered through her tears. "Careful, now, young lady. I have enough magic in this staff to obliterate your entire forest, and I'd hate to think what it could do to you. No, I had you captured because you are one of the Six Sages." "Six Sages? What do we have to do with you and your kingdom? We never did anything that could affect you." "Oh, but you did. You see, my dear, I am engaged to be married to the mightiest man there ever was-Ganondorf. Yes, I am going to be his bride. And you, with the help of your fellow Sages, took him away from me! So now, I will have my revenge, one step at a time." "Are you going to kill me?" Saria asked, trembling. "Kill you? Oh no, not yet, my dear, it's much too soon. All I need to do is capture the other Sages, then my fiance will be free. Then we can get married, then take pleasure in destroying you." "But there's one thing you're forgetting." Navi said. "And what's that?" "Link and Princess Zelda won't give up without a fight." "Well, I'm sure you're right, my little fairy friend. However, I have already made plans on how I will handle them. Plus, I am slowly breaking his fighting power, little by little." "How, by killing those he loved?" "Precisely. Now, if you'll excuse me, I am going to engage in my next plan. Oh, and I wouldn't try to escape if I were you." She snapped her fingers, and the portcullis opened, releasing Saberjewel. He leaped out with a snarl, and glared at the prisoners. Saria and Navi gasped and scooted back to the other side of their cage. "Oh, don't worry, he's harmless if you don't try to escape. He may try to bite you every once in a while, but that's typical of him. Now, Saberjewel, I want you to be a good wolf and guard this girl and fairy very carefully, understand? Good." With that, she turned and left, leaving a terrified Saria and Navi with the malicious wolf. "All right. So I now have one Sage out of seven. hmmm....now who to capture next.ah! Sapphire, who is the Sage of Fire?" "Darunia, leader of the Gorons. They reside in Goron City, located on Death Mountain." The image ring appeared, showing a big troll-like creature that looked like a cross between a man and a rock. "All right. Now, let's see.what if we were to kill two birds with one stone?.Sapphire, do any other Sages live near Death Mountain?" "Yes. Impa, a Shiekah woman who lives in and is leader of Kakariko Village." The image shifted to show an armor-clad woman who looked unmistakably like a Shiekah. "Excellent. Now.what creatures reside near Death Mountain and Kakariko that I can use?" "Near Kakariko-the Poes, who love to wreak havoc and are naturally evil. They reside in Kakariko Graveyard." The image shifted to show a bunch of ghost-like creatures with lanterns. Saphira recognized them as Poes-there were some living in the forests surrounding her country, but they stayed out of sight. "On Death Mountain-the dragon Volvagia, said to be dead. His skeleton lies in the Fire Temple, but he was once resurrected by the Gerudo King, Ganondorf." The image shifted once more to show a fiery black dragon-then that same dragon as a skeleton. Saphira's mind clicked for a moment. This dragon had been resurrected before.surely he could be brought back again.and those Poes looked as though they could be very helpful. "Sapphire-take me to the Fire Temple." Link attended Mido's funeral with a heavy heart, knowing that if he had gotten there just a few minutes sooner he would've saved the kid. Remi sensed this, and spoke to him. "Link, you shouldn't blame yourself. Even you wouldn't have been able to fend off all those Stalfos. They would've slashed you to ribbons." "I could've tried, Remi. Besides, I've got Serpentina back there. She would've been able to help me." "She probably would've set fire to the whole forest, too. Link, stop blaming yourself. Look at it this way-Mido died trying to save his and your best friend. He died with a courageous heart, which a great feat in itself for him." "I guess you're right." Link said. After the funeral, Link realized that Saphira might attack again. She knew that he loved these kids, and would probably try to kill them later on. He talked with the Deku Tree Sprout about moving the Kokiri. "You want to take them out of the forest?" The Sprout said. "Just for a while, in case this woman attacks again. She killed my horse, she killed Mido, and I know for a fact she's going to try to kill the other Kokiri, too. I just want to ensure that they remain safe for the time being." "Where will they stay?" "In Hyrule Castle. They'll be safe there." The Sprout sighed. "All right. They have my permission to go." "Thank you, Deku Tree." Link rounded up the Kokiri, and set them all on Serpentina's back. She was very long, so she could accommodate them. Link set himself on Serpentina's neck, and they flew off toward Hyrule Castle. The Kokiris' fairies struggled to keep up, and eventually they had to resort to being held. After a while, they arrived. Malon, her father, and Ingo were walking the horses when Link arrived, and the Kokiri dashed over to the horses in excitement. Zelda came over, wondering what the commotion was all about. "What's going on? Why are they here?" Zelda asked. "Zelda, Saphira sent an army of Stalfos into the forest and let them loose on the Kokiri. The Stalfos killed Mido, their leader, along with his fairy, and thank the gods no one else was killed. But the worst part is that.Zelda, the Stalfos took Saria, the Sage of the Forest, along with Navi. Saphira's hunting down the Sages, and at the same time trying to kill the people I hold dear!" "Oh, no.so who do you suppose is next?" "I have no idea. I wish I could sense a pattern, but I can't. She killed Epona as an ultimatum, then killed Mido because he was really a good friend.even though he was a bully." "Link, I have a bad feeling about this, keeping all these people in the castle. I mean, what if Saphira attacks us with all of them inside? We'd be sitting ducks. Link, I know you're trying to find shelter for these people, but you have to find some other way." "I know that. But we can't keep them in the temples, because Saphira's going to know that they're there! What place is there where we can keep them?" Link said, gesturing toward the refugees. The Kokiri were now enjoying pony rides atop the horses' backs, and Serpentina was snoozing a few yards away. Zelda sighed. "All right, we'll keep them here for the time being. I hate to sound negative, Link, I really do. But it's not like the castle is an inn for all of Hyrule." "I promise, I'll try not to keep doing this." Link said. Then his eyesight strayed back to the horses. He noticed one particular horse that looked very different from the others. It was a black filly, probably about two or three years old. She had white hooves and socks on each leg, and her mane and tail were a pure white. But the most striking thing about her was how much she resembled Epona. She had the same eyes.same muscular build.even the same white streak down her forehead. But Link shook his head. This couldn't be Epona's daughter. As far as he knew, Epona had never been bred to any stallions. Malon caught his gaze, and went over to him. "Link.I shoulda told you this before.but.I don't blame you for Epona's death." Malon said. "I know you don't, Malon." Link said. "I would never have tried to have Epona killed. I loved her almost as much as you did." "Which is why she stuck by you that whole time. Oh, Link, if only I could be able to hug her once more." Tears started streaming down Malon's face. Link was about to console her when the ground shook violently. The horses screamed, and everyone tried to keep the animals from stampeding. When the shaking stopped, Link looked around. He could sense something was wrong. Zelda came over, a look of fear on her face. "Link, what was that?" Zelda asked. "I don't know. I do know that wasn't any ordinary earthquake, but.wait a minute.Zelda, look!" Link cried, pointing toward Death Mountain. It was erupting! Link watched in horror as lava began to ooze out of the crater. "Oh, no," Zelda whispered. " It's going to hit Goron City and Kakariko!" Serpentina slithered up to Link's side, and Link got on her back. Zelda called the soldiers and ordered them to help her and Link evacuate the cities. The soldiers got on their fastest mounts, and they followed Link toward the cities. As soon as they entered Kakariko, the people came outside. "Get out of here now!" Link shouted. "The lava's going to hit this town!" The villagers shouted and screamed as they rushed to get their most precious possessions and left the town. Suddenly, Link heard an even deeper rumble. He looked up at the mountain, and did a double take. The lava had stopped flowing. Then he heard a shrieking roar echoing inside the crater. "Oh, no," Link whispered. "Not Volvagia." Then he heard screams coming from back of the village, near the graveyard. Poes were streaming out, swinging their lanterns at villagers. Suddenly, a blast of purple magic struck the Poes, causing them to retreat momentarily. Link looked to see where the magic had come from, and saw Impa standing on the roof of a nearby house. "Go, Link, go! Volvagia has awakened once again! You must go and rescue the Gorons before it is too late!" She turned and fired at the advancing Poes again. "But what about you?" Link could see the soldiers trying to get the villagers out of the town. "Don't worry about me, Link! Go and help Darunia! GO!!" Link knew he shouldn't disobey. He turned Serpentina, and they flew toward the mountain. The dragon hadn't emerged yet-it was still trapped inside the Fire Temple-but Link knew it wouldn't be long before it escaped. Serpentina soared through the air, flying as fast as she could toward Goron City. She flew right through the doors, and stopped in mid-air. All the Gorons had come out to see what was going on, having heard Volvagia roar. "You gotta get outta here, now! That dragon's gonna escape any second now!" The Gorons immediately ran toward the stairs, and soon reached the main doors. They rolled up into boulder-like balls, and rolled down the mountain. Darunia came out, and Link had him hop onto Serpentina's back. They were just leaving when Darunia cried out. "Link!" Link turned, but quickly realized that Darunia was not talking about him. He was looking down, where his young son, also named Link, had apparently gotten stuck between two boulders. The young Goron was struggling to free himself, but to no avail. Serpentina flew down, and Darunia jumped off to help his son. The human Link looked up, and saw a huge fireball come out of the crater. Volvagia had escaped. The other Gorons had made it out, and had evacuated to the Dodongo's Cavern-which provided too little space for Volvagia to move through-but Link was more worried about Darunia. He jumped down to help, and tried not to panic as the huge dragon emerged from the crater. Volvagia paused to breathe the air, and roared. Link and Darunia pulled with all their might, and finally pulled Link, Jr. free. But then Link heard a different scream. He looked toward the village. "No!" He cried. "IMPA!" The Poes had grabbed hold of her, and were dragging her away toward the graveyard. But then he remembered Volvagia. It was too late to rescue Impa, but he had to try to get Darunia and his son to safety. He and the two Gorons jumped onto Serpentina's back, and she flew away with no hesitation at all. Link felt a small wave of relief as they flew through the air. He looked back-and nearly fell off when he saw that Volvagia was in hot pursuit. "Serpentina! Fly faster!" "I'm trying, Link!" Serpentina cried. "But with all this extra weight, it's almost impossible!" "C'mon! He's gaining on us!" Serpentina noticed how close Volvagia was getting, and flapped her wings, gaining more speed. But Volvagia wasn't giving up. As they reached the village, Link saw that the soldiers were already riding away-no doubt to alert Zelda of Volvagia's return. Serpentina tried to catch up, but Volvagia was already flanking her. Link looked down at the evil dragon. Volvagia was very big now-Saphira had not only resurrected him, she had made him several times bigger-and he looked even deadlier than before. Volvagia glanced at Link, and Link saw his green eye glow fiercely for a brief moment. Link knew that the dragon had recognized him, and a cold chill ran down his spine. Then Volvagia rammed into Serpentina. Serpentina roared, and snapped at the other dragon. But he stopped in mid-air, and suddenly picked up speed again. He then opened his mouth, reached forward, and took Serpentina's tail in his teeth. Then he pulled back forcefully. Link, Darunia, and Link, Jr. went flying, and landed on the trail below. They got up, and looked up to see Serpentina fighting with Volvagia. Serpentina snapped and breathed fire at Volvagia, and tried to wrap her tail around his neck, but it was a losing battle-Volvagia was too big. Volvagia slashed and snapped at her, and whacked her with his tail. Serpentina was bleeding form dozens of wounds, and was quickly tiring. Volvagia sensed this, and grabbed her throat in his teeth, and threw her to the ground. She roared in pain, then collapsed. She was unconscious. "Serpentina!" Link cried as he ran to her. But then he saw that Volvagia wasn't done yet. The dragon flew down, and rammed Link into the wall. Link cried out in pain, and slid to the ground, nearly blacking out. When he finally recovered, he looked up just in time to see Volvagia reach out with one gnarled claw and grab Darunia. "Link!" Darunia screamed. "Darunia! No!" Link cried. Volvagia swiftly rose up into the air, out of Link's reach. Then, with amazing speed, he turned and flew away over the mountains. Link, Jr. was crying now, and Serpentina had woken up. Link had to try hard to keep from crying. He had let down Darunia and Impa, and both were lost. With a heavy heart, he helped Serpentina toward the Dodongo's Cavern to tell the Gorons of Darunia's kidnapping. "My, my, I never would have thought that Poes can be so dependable!" Saphira said as she watched her guards lock Impa and Darunia in their cages. "Nor would I have expected Volvagia to be so quick in obeying my orders." She turned to face the dragon and Poes, who all bowed instantly. Volvagia could barely fit inside the Throne Room, but he had enough room to move around. "Poes-did you cause any damage to the village?" The lead Poe, who was bigger than the others, floated forward and spoke in a soft, raspy voice. "Very little, I'm afraid, but we did manage to injure and frighten the villagers." He said. "Not bad at all. Not as good as I had hoped, but otherwise commendable. You may all stay here and serve me in my army if you wish." "Thank you, my Queen, you are most gracious." The Poe said, bowing and moving back to his group. The Saphira went over to Volvagia, who lowered his head. "And you.you did an excellent job in bringing me Darunia alive. I know your favorite dish is Gorons, and I must commend you in obeying my commands. And to injure that other dragon was excellent. If you wish to stay, I shall appoint you Head Guard of this castle. You may protect it from any intruder you see." Volvagia, who could also speak, bowed his head again and spoke in a deep, charred voice. "Thank you, my Queen. I shall serve you well." Saphira nodded, and waved them off. After the Poes and dragon had left, she turned to her prisoners. "Three down, four more to go. By the way, I do hope it's not too cramped in those cages." Saphira said. Darunia growled and clenched his fists, but Impa simply glared. "You will not succeed in this plan of yours," Impa said. "Whoever you are, you will pay for this." Saphira laughed. "Fool! Do you think I'm afraid of you? I've heard all about you.You, the poor, orphaned Shiekah girl, who is the last known member of her race, trained by the Gerudos and a nanny to that little brat Zelda! Believe me, Shiekah, your powers are nothing compared to mine! I have more power in my thumb than you have in your entire body. Don't try to threaten me, my dear, for it is your life that hangs in the balance as we speak." "Then why don't you just kill us right now and be done with it?" Darunia snarled. "Darunia!" Saria said. "That thought has crossed my mind once or twice. However, it wouldn't as pleasing to kill you now than it would be when my fiance is back, and your pathetic Hero of Time is here to watch." Saphira said. "Do you really think that he loves you?" Impa asked quietly. "Are you sure he knows how to love?" "How dare you ask such a question!" Saphira snarled. "Of course I know that he loves me! Otherwise he would not have given me this!" She raised her left hand, showing them her engagement ring. "You are living under a blindfold," Darunia snapped. "That man killed relentlessly and without regret, and threatened to destroy my race twice!" "And as far as I'm concerned, the world would be much better off without you." Saphira said coolly. "If you'll excuse me, I must go. Enjoy your new homes." With that, she stalked off. Saria sat down, and Navi floated down. "What are we going to do, Saria?" Navi said. "I don't know, Navi. But I'll tell you this much-Link will get us out of here." "He always has," Darunia agreed. "We must keep our faith in him. He is, after all, the Hero of Time." "Well, my Queen, what are you going to do now?" Tyano asked as Saphira entered her chambers. "I think I'll sit back for a little while and relax-Link is probably fretting over the loss of two more Sages, and will soon be racking his brain trying to figure out who I'll be after next. Yes, it'll be interesting to see how prepared Link will be when I attack again." "Who do you plan to kidnap next?" "Well, I have three choices, as I'm saving Zelda for last, but I do not yet know who I shall choose to be my next victim. Now-have our new spies picked up any juicy tidbits for us?" "Well, I have received reports from the Poes that the Kokiri have been moved to Hyrule Castle, and the Gorons and Kakariko villagers have relocated to Draconiara." "I see. So Link and Zelda are trying to keep those people safe from any further attacks. Hmmm. Very clever, but also very stupid. They don't know that I don't plan on attacking anybody a second time. Well, I'll give them some time to figure that out, and in the meantime, I'll be thinking about what to do next. Leave me now-I must rest." Chapter 4 "Link, please, stop blaming yourself for all this." Zelda pleaded. "I could have saved them. I know I could have saved them. I could've gotten rid of the Poes, and even gotten Darunia and his son outta there faster," Link said, pacing around his room. Link had returned from Goron City after telling the Gorons what had happened. Needless to say, they were now in deep distress. But it was nothing compared to how Link felt now. "Link, it wasn't your fault, and you know it." Link didn't listen. "If only I'd left Goron City sooner, I could've saved Kokiri Forest.if I had gotten to Kakariko sooner, I could have stopped the Poes, and gotten the villagers and Gorons out of there before Volvagia showed up." Zelda saw the anger in his eyes. "But that goddamned Saphira's always one step ahead of me! She knew I couldn't make it in time to save anyone. She killed Epona.killed Mido and Tarnia.and damn near killed Serpentina." Zelda knew his anger was swiftly turning into rage. "Link, please." Zelda said. But Link grabbed a vase, and screamed as he threw it against the wall. Zelda jumped as the vase shattered into a thousand pieces, and as she looked at Link, his eyes seemed to go blank. He looked down, and his lip started to tremble. Suddenly, he dropped to his knees and began to cry. Zelda went over beside him and sat down. She put her hands on his shoulders to comfort him, and he leaned against her and hugged her. She hugged him back, comforting him. "I just can't stop blaming myself, Zelda," Link whispered. "It's like my whole world is falling apart. Saphira's killing off my friends, and kidnapping those who are dearest to my heart, and.oh, Zelda, if she were to get you." Link pulled away, his eyes looking into hers. "I don't know if I'd be able to take it." "Link, you're the Hero of Time. You can stop her. You will be able to rescue the Sages. And if she should get so far as to capture me, I'll be safe knowing that you will come to rescue me." Zelda said. Link smiled, and hugged her again. When they pulled away, Zelda pulled him up, and led him out of the room. "Malon told me that she wanted to tell you something. Something you might want to know." "What is it? Is it about Epona?" "In part, yes. It also has to do with the seven years that went by while you were gone." She took him downstairs, where Malon was waiting. "Hey, Link." She said. "Hi," Link said. "Zelda said you had something to tell me." "Yeah, but.ya might wanna sit down first." Malon said. She led them over to the dining hall, where they seated themselves. "Okay. Shoot." Link said. "All right. I saw ya lookin' at that big black filly before Death Mountain erupted, and.well.if you were thinkin' that she's Epona's daughter.you're right. She is." Link couldn't believe his ears. "She's Epona's daughter? For real?" "For real. I'd better start at very beginnin', though. I apologize, but it's a bit of a long story." "Go on. I'm listening." "Okay. Just after the Castle fell seven years ago, I was outside groomin' Epona, and Dad was off deliverin' milk to Kakariko. Ingo was in the paddock, tendin' to the horses. Suddenly, three big horses showed up. Two of them were ridden by Iron Knuckles, and the third and biggest horse was ridden by Ganondorf. I can remember him lookin' at me, and dismountin', then kneelin' in front of me to talk to me. Scariest thing that ever happened to me. He asked me if Dad was at the ranch, because he needed to talk to him. I told him Dad wasn't there, but Ingo was. Ganondorf seemed to think that was okay, because he went to the paddock to talk to him. I tried to follow, but the Iron Knuckles blocked my way. I told 'em I just needed to put Epona in the paddock, and they let me through. I went in, and let Epona go as promised, and I saw Ingo lookin' at me. I pretended to look innocent, and I went back to the stables to do some milkin'. When I came out, Ganondorf had left, and Dad had come back. But as he was greetin' me, Ingo came over and said Dad had to leave-Ganondorf had taken over the ranch and handed it over to Ingo. And if Dad didn't leave, Ganondorf's followers would be sure to harm me.so Dad left. Ingo took over as ranch owner, and I became a stablemaid. During that time, Ingo allowed me to care for Epona and raise her, but for some reason he kept very close eye on her. When she turned four, however, Ganondorf returned, but this time, he told Ingo that his stallion, Kumate, was ready to find a mate. So Ingo led him into the stables, and told me to come along. They looked at each of the mares-apparently Ganondorf only wanted the best mare to be his stallion's mate-and soon they stopped on Epona. Ingo told me to bring her out, and I did. Ganondorf looked her over, and then he said the she was the one. "I can remember leadin' her out to the paddock with Kumate. At first, she didn't wanna have anythin' to do with him. But he was a beautiful horse, even though he belonged to Ganondorf.I guess it was just his beauty that attracted her. So one thing led to another, and that was that. Not long after, Epona was in foal. Ganondorf was very pleased, of course, and told Ingo that we could keep the foal if we wanted to. Pretty darn gracious of him, I say. But I took care of Epona from that point on.and Ingo even let me help her when she gave birth to her foal-a beautiful black filly, with a white mane and tail, same white streak and socks.Of course, Ingo was so happy, he decided to let me name her, too. I decided to call her Danka." "Danka," Link whispered. A thought clicked in his mind for a moment. "Yup. I named her after the late Queen of Hyrule, because she looked just like a queen. But anyway.three years later, Ingo came up to me, and told me to tack up Epona with her finest saddle-he was gonna to present her to Ganondorf. I couldn't believe that he would do such a thing, but he threatened to harm Danka if I didn't do as he said.so I tacked Epona up, and led her out to the paddock. Ingo told me we would be goin' to the castle to present her to Ganondorf later on, but in the meantime, I had to do my chores. Then.you came in." Malon stopped to look at Link admiringly. "You even played Epona's Song to me to prove that you knew me.then.you got Epona out of the ranch. I was so happy that you took her, Link, because I knew that she loved you, too. Ingo then became good again, and I took care of Danka. I knew you'd come and sweep me off my feet someday, Link." "Yeah," Link said, blushing a bit. "So that's the story with Danka." Link's voice trailed off. He had a feeling he knew that name.but how? Malon said that that had been the name of the late Queen of Hyrule.he looked at Zelda, and saw that she had a slightly quizzical look on her face, too. He shook the thought out of his head. "Oh, I almost forgot-how's Serpentina doing?" "She's fine," Zelda said. "She's still shaken from that encounter with Volvagia, and Malon here tended to her wounds, but otherwise, she's just fine." "Good.good." Suddenly, a thought struck his mind. "Zelda, where are the villagers and Gorons?" "They're safe, don't worry. The Graguns agreed to let the Gorons and villagers stay in the city, so they'll be safe. Quogar doesn't think Saphira will be attacking their city for a while." "Thanks, Quogar," Link said. "How are the Kokiri doing?" "They're still very upset. But the boy-what did he say his name was.oh, Remi-is doing a fine job of comforting them. They seem to like the castle, too." "And don't worry, my dad and Ingo are all right. The horses are all okay, too." Malon added with a grin. "Great," Link said. "We know that everyone's safe. But if only we knew who Saphira will be going after next! I know she'll be saving you for last, Zelda, but.what about Rauru, Nabooru, and Ruto?" "Well, Link, I don't know. I'd say Rauru's in the most danger, as he's right there in the Sacred Realm with Ganondorf, but like you said, Saphira doesn't seem to be following any pattern. Forest, Fire, Shadow.she might have gotten Darunia and Impa because they lived close to each other, but she could be going after any one of the Sages now. But you're right on something else. She's always one step ahead of you." Zelda said. There was a pause, and Malon yawned and stretched. "I'm gettin' pretty tired. I'm goin' to bed. See ya tomorrow." Malon said, and she left the room. But Link had a thoughtful look on his face. "I just don't get it. How does she know where the Sages are? She lives in Crastalyina.but then again, Ganon would have told her who the Sages are.But then.how could she have known what Epona looked like? Quogar told me that she tells arrows like the one that killed Epona who to hit, but Ganon probably never mentioned Epona to her.It doesn't make sense." Link said putting his head in his hands. "Maybe you should pay another visit to Quogar." Zelda said. "He knows her, so he could tell you how she's doing this." "Yeah. All right, I'm going to Draconiara. Tell the Kokiri I've gone out for a while-I have a feeling they'll be wanting to see me at some point." "All right. Be careful." "I will. See you later." And with that, Link ran out to find Serpentina. "Why, Link! I had a feeling you would come, with the refugees that came in earlier," Quogar said as he greeted Link and Serpentina outside his castle. "I need to speak to you about Saphira, Quogar." Link said, and Quogar knew that it was urgent. "Come in and tell me what's troubling you." Quogar said, leading Link and Serpentina in the castle. "Just after I left here, Saphira sent an army of Stalfos to attack Kokiri Forest. They killed the Kokiri leader and his fairy, destroyed the town, wounded the other Kokiri, and kidnapped Saria, the Sage of the Forest, and my old fairy, Navi." Quogar sat down in his throne, staring at Link in surprise. "Go on." "And just after I got the surviving Kokiri to Hyrule Castle, Death Mountain erupted. The soldiers and I tried to evacuate Kakariko, but Poes were causing trouble. Impa, the Sage of Shadow, tried to hold them back, but then I realized that Volvagia had awakened. I went up the mountain to get the Gorons out of there, but Volvagia got out just as Darunia and his son were getting on Serpentina. Then I saw that the Poes had gotten Impa and were taking her away. Volvagia chased us, but managed to get Darunia-the Sage of Fire." Quogar leaned back in shock. "She's going after the Sages," Quogar said. "But it almost doesn't make any sense. Reviving Volvagia.having Poes kidnap Impa.killing your horse and ravaging Kokiri Forest." Quogar paused, and Link knew that he was trying to piece things together. Suddenly, Quogar's eyes lit up, and he snapped his fingers. "I know how she's doing this.I knew by what you told me that the planning seemed too intricate.Link, this'll take a bit of storytelling to explain." "That's okay. I'm listening." "All right. When Saphira was being coronated as Queen of Crastalyina, she received two gifts, one from her people, and the other from us. The natives gave her a staff, made of rosewood and accented with gold. They used sapphires given from us, and at the head is a large sapphire. The whole staff was fashioned by us, but it was only proper for them to present a gift as well. The gift we gave her was an even larger sapphire. Now, you may think that's not exactly a good gift, but you see, the sapphires we give Saphira carry magic-the largest ones have magic of unimaginable proportions. The one that's on her staff is used as a weapon-she has magic powers of her own, so she transfers that magic to the staff, and can use the sapphire to kill. But the sapphire we gave her is even more valuable. See, it acts almost like a crystal ball-it speaks to Saphira, and it knows everything about everything. Not only that, but it also shows Saphira stuff by emitting an image ring-she asks to see something, and she'll be shown an image of that something." "Are you saying that's how she knew what my horse looked like? And where Saria was?" Link asked. "Yes. But that's not the worst of it. See, Saphira discovered a trait in that sapphire that we hadn't found before offering it to her-she can have it transport her to anywhere she pleases, even the Sacred Realm. My guess is that she used that confounded gem to transport her Stalfos to the forest, and also to get to Death Mountain so she could revive Volvagia and recruit Poes. I'd say that's how she's been planning these attacks." "There's no way for you to tell what she'll be doing next?" "I'm afraid not. Each gem we dig up is unique from the next-and the one we gave Saphira is one of a kind. If there was one like it, we could use it to see what she's been planning, but.we just don't have it." "So what do I do? She's not following any pattern, as far as I can tell, and I don't know who I should try to protect." "Well, my boy, I don't know what to tell you. I can say this-be on your guard. Saphira has fought in wars before, and she's an expert at coming up with good battle strategies. If I were you, I'd warn the other Sages so they'll know what's coming. The Gerudo should have some area to hide in-but if I know Nabooru, she won't give up without a fight." "You know Nabooru?" "Oh, of course. I've met with leaders from every region of Hyrule, and that includes Nabooru. But anyway, see what you can do with them. By the way, try not to have too many people come down here. If Saphira gets wind of where refugees are going, she may decide to attack again-although I strongly doubt that she would." "Don't worry, Quogar. I know the Zoras and Gerudo well-I know they can figure something out. It's Rauru I'm really worried about.but thank you for your help, Quogar." Link said, shaking Quogar's clawed hand. "No thanks necessary, Link. Just remember what I said and be on your guard." "Believe me, I will." "So, where do we go now?" Serpentina asked as they flew over Hyrule Field. "Well, a good place to start would be Zora's Domain. Besides, I'd like to see Ruto again." Serpentina turned toward the river, and before long they had entered the caverns. Zoras pointed and shouted in amazement at the sight of Serpentina, but when they saw Link, they seemed reassured. Ruto was elated to see Link, and King Zora was very happy indeed. "Link, my boy! You seem bigger and stronger than when I last saw you!" King Zora said when Link entered his chambers. "Oh, Link, I'm so happy you came! I missed you so much!" Ruto said as she practically jumped on Link and hugged him. "Yeah, I'm glad to see you, too. Looks like the Domain is back to normal," Link said, grinning and looking around. "All thanks to you. I hope you're not too upset about my dumping you, Link, but." "It's okay, Ruto. I fully understand." "Well, since Ganondorf is gone for good, at least we can still be friends." "Yeah, um.that's what I want to talk to you and your father about-about Ganondorf, I mean." "What do you mean?" King Zora asked. "Well, you see, Ganondorf apparently has a fiancee in a neighboring country-Queen Saphira of Crastalyina, actually-and she's not too happy about Ganondorf's banishment." "You mean someone actually fell in love with that troll?" Ruto said in disbelief. "Ruto," King Zora said warningly. "Yes, I know of Saphira. Quogar of the Graguns told me of her when I met with him. Link, go on." "Saphira's mainly angry with me and Princess Zelda, but she also wants to get rid of Hyrule. But she decided to start by killing my horse-" "She killed Epona?!" Ruto cried. "Yeah. And she also decided to attack the Graguns, because they'd broken the alliance with her country." "Yes, yes, Quogar told me about that. Said that she hadn't given them anything for the contributions they'd made to her country, and had been visiting Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm somehow. Go on." "Well, Quogar had me help get rid of the problems in Draconiara-that's how I got Serpentina here-and then I saw that Kokiri Forest had been attacked." Ruto gasped. "I heard about that.but I didn't want to believe it." she whispered. "Yes, Saphira sent her Stalfos army to attack Kokiri. When Serpentina and I got there, the village had been destroyed, the leader Mido and his fairy were dead, and the Stalfos had kidnapped Saria and Navi." Ruto clapped her hands over her mouth, and King Ruto looked shocked. "Saphira went so far as to attack a village of children?" he said. "She's mad." "That's not all. I got the survivors, along with Talon, Malon, Ingo, and their animals, to the castle, but as soon as I had, Death Mountain erupted. Zelda sent the soldiers to evacuate the town, and I went along to warn the Gorons. But a bunch of Poes got Impa, and Volvagia got Darunia as we were trying to get away from the mountain." Ruto was beginning to cry now. "I can't believe it.why is she doing this?" Ruto asked. "She wants to release Ganondorf," King Zora said. "So she's capturing the Sages, and trying to wreak havoc at the same time." "And that's why I came. I came to warn you that Saphira might be after Ruto next. I know that Saphira won't want Ruto harmed, but I don't know what she 'll do to you and your people. I don't know how she'll go about getting Ruto, either-for all I know, she might have an army of Baris come in and attack the Domain." Link said. "All I do know is that she won't like it if Ruto's kept out of reach-that's why Kokiri was destroyed, because they tried to keep Saria away from the Stalfos. Volvagia nearly killed Serpentina when she tried to keep Darunia away from him. So be prepared for the worst." King Zora nodded. "Thank you very much for warning us, Link. We're extremely grateful to you. We wil be on our guard for anything that may happen." King Zora said. "Keep in touch, Link, and tell us of anything that happens." Ruto said. "All right. Be careful." Link said, and he left. "So that lousy woman is going after the Sages, huh? Didn't like her when I met her, and I still don't think any better of her." Nabooru muttered. Link had just traveled to the Gerudo Fortress to visit Nabooru, and had explained everything that had happened. "To kill a horse.that's one thing. But to destroy a village of children, that's absolutely heartless." Nabooru growled. Link knew that Nabooru was very chivalrous, and hated to even harm women and children-and as a Gerudo, she considered killing horses to be a sin. She had been upset when he had told her Saphira had killed Epona, and had been enraged when he told her Kokiri had been burned to the ground. But hearing about the Sage kidnappings seemed to make her more anxious. "What I'm afraid of, Nabooru, is that you may be the one Saphira attacks next. I've already warned Ruto, but I don't know if Rauru knows about what Saphira is doing." Link said. "Well, if he's in the Sacred Realm, he should, since you said that Saphira visited there. But then again, he might just be trying to lie low from Ganondorf. Although I don't think that'll do much good." Nabooru said. "And besides, do you think Saphira would attack the Gerudos? We're Ganondorf's family, for crying out loud!" "Yeah, but you hate him, and he knows that. Not to mention you helped banish him to the Sacred Realm. Saphira won't care if they're innocent-she' ll kill them anyway if she has to. Don't expect her to leave you alone, because she won't. She plans to bring Ganon back to Hyrule, and she'll go to any lengths to succeed." Link said. Nabooru stared him in the eye for a moment, then sighed and put her face in her hands. "You're right. Who am I trying to fool, saying that she'll leave us alone?" Nabooru said. "But how am I going to try to keep safe from her?" "I don't know. But what you should be worried about is how you're going to keep the other women safe. Like I said, Saphira will kill if she has to-so far, Mido and Tarnia are the only two people who have died since she started hunting down Sages, but I won't lie and say no one's been injured. But since this entire fortress helped me, I hate to think how Saphira will attack them." "Yeah. But there's just one problem-the only shelter we have for emergencies is the Spirit Temple." "That's fine. Only the Gerudo can get over there without any trouble, so that'll be a safe spot for you. But as for you.I don't know. It'll be a dangerous risk if you try to hide, because then Saphira will start hurting the Gerudos. She won't let her army harm you if they capture you, but-" "Link, you're forgetting something. I'm a Gerudo-a trained swordswoman and thief. And if you know me, you know that I won't give in without a fight." "That's what Quogar told me." "Should've listened. I'll take your word for it, Link, and I'll make sure that the others are safe. But in the meantime, I will not resort to being captured." Link sighed. There was no arguing with Nabooru. She trusted him, yes, but she was very willful and stubborn. "All right. But be careful, okay? I'd hate myself if you taken away." "Don't bother, Link. You know I wouldn't like that. Oh, and by the way-I would try to get the Kokiri settled back in the forest. If Saphira suddenly decides to go for Zelda instead, you don't want the Kokiri to be caught in the middle." "Okay. Thanks, Nabooru." "Anytime." As soon as Link got back to the castle, he was immediately greeted by the Kokiri. "We missed you, Link!" "Where were you?" "I got scared when you left, Link-I thought something had happened!" "Did you find Saria and Navi, Link?" Zelda watched with an amused smile on her face as he tried to get through the crowd. When he reached her, Remi sensed that Link wanted to talk to Zelda. "Okay, guys, lay off him-he wants to talk to the Princess," Remi called. "Come on, let's go to bed. It's getting late." "I need to talk to you too, Remi. This involves you as well." Link said. Remi looked a bit surprised. "Okay.uh.could Fado come, too?" "Uh.I guess.why?" Link replied. "Well, she's kinda my second-in-command," Remi said, rubbing his toe on the ground. Link had a feeling there was more to it than that, but he nodded. "Sure, Remi, she can come." "Okay. Fado! Come here!" Fado came over, her blond pigtails bouncing. Link took one look at her adoring grin, and realized that she was not only Remi's SIC, but also his girlfriend. "Well, let's go to the dining hall and talk." Zelda said, and she led them to the hall once again. "Okay, Link. So what happened?" "Well, I talked to Ruto and Nabooru. They're both going to try to lie low while keeping their people safe." "Well, that's good." "Yes, but there's something else, too. Fado, Remi-I think it's time that we got you back to the forest." The kids' faces fell. "You don't want us here anymore?" Fado asked. "It's not like that, Fado. Of course I want you to stay. But the thing is, if this mean evil witch lady suddenly decides to attack the castle, I don't want you and the others to be in the middle of it." "Oh. But what about Malon?" Remi asked. "I'll be talking to her, too. I know things are getting dangerous out there, but I don't think Saphira will be attacking the same places twice unless we provoke her." Link said. "Okay. So when do we head back?" Fado asked. "Well, I thought tomorrow would be a good day. Serpentina and I will take you guys there, and even help rebuild everything." Link said. "Okay. Thank you, Link. Come on, Fado, let's go tell the others!" Remi said, taking Fado's hand and leading her to the room where the Kokiri were staying. Link watched them go, and looked at Zelda. Her soft, approving face gazed back at him. "They were beginning to miss their home, you know." Zelda said. "They love having you around, Link-it gives them a sense of security-but a few of them told me they wanted to go back." "Well, they got their wish. I'm sure they'll be a bit happier." Link said. Then he stood. "I have to talk to Malon. I'll be back in a while." He got up and went outside to the stables. Talon and Ingo had chosen to sleep in the castle, but Malon had chosen to sleep above the stalls-she hated to be away from her animals. He went up the ladder leading to the loft, where Malon was sitting at a table. She saw Link, and smiled. "Hey," she said, standing and walking over to him. "Hi," Link said. "Nice place you've got here." "Yeah. So what brings you here?" "Well, I wanted to talk to you. See, I realized that Saphira probably won't attack the same places twice unless we upset her, so." "So you think my father and I should move back." "Yeah." "Link, we've barely been here for a whole day! And I.I'm afraid to go back." "Malon, if Saphira attacks the castle, I don't want you and the Kokiri caught in the mix. The Kokiri are going back to the forest tomorrow, and I feel you should do the same." "Oh. I see." She turned away. "So I guess we're not important to you, huh?" "It's not like that, Malon-" "I suppose you love Zelda more than the rest of us, huh?" She said this somewhat sharply. "Malon.I love Zelda, but not so much that she's my girlfriend." Link said. Malon was silent for a moment, then spoke again, this time in a whisper. "Link.I couldn't say it before.but..." She turned to face him. "I.I think I' m in love with you." Link was speechless. He'd known that Malon liked him, but.suddenly, he realized that he loved Malon as well. He stepped forward, and took her in his arms. She looked into his eyes, and he looked into hers. "I love you, too, Malon." She smiled, and tears came to her eyes. She then hugged him, and he hugged her back. When she pulled away, he tipped her chin up, and lowered his lips toward hers. He kissed her gently, and within seconds he felt her arms come around his shoulders and his own wrap around her waist. Suddenly, Link realized that Zelda was probably waiting for him. He turned to Malon, who seemed to be reading his mind. "I don't mind, Link. You can go. And I'll tell my dad that we can move back to the ranch." Malon said. Link smiled. "Thanks, Malon." He gave her a kiss on the cheek, and left the stable. When Link returned to the castle, he reported to Zelda that Malon had agreed to move back to the ranch. "Well, I'm sure she needed convincing. I know it's hard, Link. But we can' t risk them being hurt should Saphira suddenly attack us." Zelda said. "Yeah, I know." He yawned, and stretched his arms. "Man, I gotta go to bed. I'll see you in the morning." "Good night." Meanwhile, Saphira had decided to make plans on her next capture. "Sapphire-what Sages are left?" she asked the sapphire. "Princess Ruto, the Sage of Water-she resides in Zora's Domain." The image ring appeared to show Princess Ruto. Saphira had heard of the Zoras, but she had never seen one before. "Rauru, the Sage of Light-he resides in the Temple of Light in the Sacred Realm." The image shifted to an old man in orange and red robes standing in what had to be the Temple of Light. "Nabooru, the Sage of Spirit-she resides in Gerudo Valley." The image shifted to Nabooru, and Saphira bristled. She had met Nabooru before, and they had not gotten along well at all, even though Nabooru had been Ganondorf's second-in-command at the time. "Well, I'll take great pleasure in capturing her," Saphira said. "She'll be next." The next morning, Link woke up to see Fado jumping on his bed. "Come on, Link, we gotta go to the forest!" Fado said excitedly. "Okay, okay, I'm up!" Link said, grinning as he got out of bed. He shooed Fado out before he got dressed, and then went down to breakfast, where the Kokiri were so excited they looked ready to throw their food rather than eat it. After they had eaten, Link led them outside, where Malon and Serpentina were waiting. Link went over to Malon, who hugged him. "Thank you, Link," she said. She stepped back, and helped the Kokiri onto Serpentina's back. Then she went over to her father, who waiting nearby with the animals. Link watched as she mounted Danka, and led the group to the ranch. Link sighed, and got on Serpentina's back, then flew her toward the forest. Nabooru sighed as she looked out the window. It was totally silent outside and inside. Nabooru had sent her comrades to the Spirit Temple, as she had a strong feeling that someone would be coming for her soon. She paced around, and went to her quarters. She then went to a chest in the corner, and opened it. Inside was a beautiful sword. It was a lot like the ones that the other Gerudos had, but a bit bigger and heavier. She took the sword out, and wielded it in her hands. If anyone was going to come, she would be ready. The other thieves hadn't been too keen on leaving Nabooru at the fortress. They had insisted that she go with them, but she explained what could happen if she tried to hide with them. Yes, they were skilled fighters, but she didn't want any of them to die because she had decided to hide. Nabooru left the room, and patrolled the halls. She decided to practice her stealthing skills while she was walking around, although this didn't last long-it was no fun with no one to practice with. She sighed, and turned around-and nearly jumped out of her skin. "We meet again, Nabooru," Saphira said. She looked very formidable, and Nabooru knew that she was in for a rough morning. "If it isn't Saphira of Crastalyina," Nabooru said through clenched teeth, clutching the handle of her sword. "Long time no see." "I am not here to socialize. If you wish to remain unharmed, you will surrender immediately." "Ha! Since when have you known a Gerudo to surrender? You should know better than that, Saphira." "I'm warning you, Nabooru. I have a couple friends here who recently decided to join my ranks, and I don't think you want to mess with them." Nabooru heard the unmistakable sound of clinking armor and heavy footsteps. Within seconds, two enormous Iron Knuckles were standing behind Saphira, axes at the ready. "Well, that's it! You can make yourselves at home!" Link said proudly. With a good deal of effort, he and the Kokiri had managed to rebuild everything that the Stalfos had destroyed. The Deku Tree Sprout was very happy to see the Kokiri back, and knew that Link was happy, too. "Thank you very much for helping them, Link. You're their guardian angel." The Sprout said. "Well, I've always a certain attachment to this place," Link said. But as the Sprout was about to say something, it frowned. "Link.I sense a surge of evil.it is faint, but I can sense it.it's coming from Gerudo Valley." Link gasped. "No.Nabooru! Saphira's gone after Nabooru! I'm very sorry, but I have to go!" Link dashed out, leaped onto Serpentina's back, and flew her straight toward Gerudo Valley. Nabooru glowered at the two Iron Knuckles, who slowly twirled their axes in their hands. Then she glared at Saphira. "You can't scare me with these metalheads, Saphira," Nabooru said. "I'm a trained fighter. And I do not give up easily." "Indeed. I know you are an expert swordswoman-which is why I recruited these two to help me in capturing you. Now, I didn't plan on having to fight you, but if that's the way you want it." Saphira snapped her fingers, and the Iron Knuckles stepped around Saphira and toward the Gerudo Queen. Nabooru went into a fighting stance, and got ready. She knew that Iron Knuckles were somewhat stupid, but very powerful at the same time. Not a good combination. The Knuckles stopped, as though giving her a chance to prepare herself. She grinned, and beckoned them to come forward. They came at her at the same time, and she found herself trying to remember the tactics for fighting two warriors at the same time. She tried hard to dodge their attacks, and nearly got slashed several times. But for some reason, they didn't seem to want to harm her. But why? This was a swordfight! She struck at them with all her might, but it was a losing battle-they were unfazed, and she was tiring. Soon, she tried a jump spin attack, but the Knuckles saw this coming-one of them grabbed her arms, and the other grabbed her feet. Nabooru screamed and hollered. Saphira laughed. "Well, that's another mission accomplished. Let's go." Nabooru gasped as a bright white portal opened in the hallway, and Saphira entered it. She vanished, and the Knuckles started toward it. Nabooru screamed once more as the Iron Knuckles carried her closer to the portal. "Stay right where you are!" A voice shouted. The Knuckles stopped, and All of a sudden, Link came flying through the window. For a moment, he was relieved that Nabooru hadn't been taken. But his relief swiftly turned to fear as he laid his eyes on the Iron Knuckles. For a moment, the Knuckles stared at Link, and he stared at them. He didn't know whether to strike, because they might use Nabooru as a shield. And apparently, the Knuckles were trying to decide whether to drop Nabooru and fight, or to forget this challenge and go through the portal. Suddenly, one Knuckle took Nabooru fully in his arms and dashed to the portal. "NO!" Link cried. He dashed forward to try to get her back, but all of a sudden the Knuckle hit him with the flat side of his axe, sending Link flying. Link slammed against the wall, and heard Nabooru scream his name as he blacked out. Chapter 5 Saphira smiled in satisfaction as the Iron Knuckles locked Nabooru in her cage. Nabooru looked ready to kill, and she gripped the bars hard as she glared at Saphira. "Well, Nabooru, I never thought I'd see the day when you got locked up for betraying your king," Saphira said. "I never betrayed anybody," Nabooru snarled. "I never even liked Ganondorf. He was the one who turned Hyrule upside-down for seven years, until Link came along and got rid of him. Frankly, I'm glad Ganondorf is gone. And as for him being king, well.I never thought of him as a king. I thought of him as a raving lunatic who thought he could rule the world and had to be stopped." Now it was Saphira's turn to glare. "Well, I'm sure I will take great pleasure in killing you once the remaining Sages have been captured, Nabooru." Saphira said. She turned to the Knuckles, who had taken position behind her. "And as for you two.I think you two would make fine bodyguards." Saphira said. The Knuckles bowed on one knee in gratitude. She waved them off, and they left. Saphira looked at each of the Sages, and went to her quarters. "You actually know that woman?" Darunia asked Nabooru when Saphira had closed the door. "Unfortunately, yes. Ganondorf introduced me to her while I was under the spell of those two witches. Even then I didn't like her. She knew it, too, and I don't think she liked me, either. Ganondorf tried to get us to get along, but it was a losing battle. We couldn't stand each other. A Gerudo man should not marry someone outside his own race or country-it's a common rule in our society. But he was a natural rebel. He did what he wanted, and didn't stand for opposition." Nabooru muttered, sitting down. "But what about Link? Did he try to rescue you?" Saria asked. "Yes. He came rushing in just before the Knuckles could take me through the portal. But one Knuckle took me through, and I looked back just in time to see the other slam Link into the wall, knocking him out." Nabooru sighed. "Do you think he'll be able to save the others?" "I don't think he can keep them from being taken," Navi said. "But I know he can get all of us out of here." "Is he still out?" "Yeah. Must have taken a hard hit to be unconscious for this long." "Will he be all right?" "Yeah, he'll be fine. At least until he remembers what happened, I expect." Link could barely hear these voices as he slowly awakened. He'd been unconscious before-not exactly the best thing to happen to you-and his eyes felt as though they were being weighted down. But he managed to open them, and saw several Gerudos standing around him. He sat up in alarm-and regretted it. "Ow! Ohhh." Link moaned as he rubbed the back of his head. "Lie down," said the Gerudo next to him. "You got a nasty bump on the head." "I can tell. Wait a minute.I know you!" Link said as he focused on this girl's clothes. "Yup. It's me, Maltika." She said, smiling. She wore dark green and gold clothes, with a yellow stone set in her hairband. "Where am I?" Link looked around. He had a vague feeling as to where he was, but it certainly wasn't the fortress. "You're in the Sprit Temple, Link. That dragon of yours brought you here as soon as you'd been knocked out. I wish I had one like that." Maltika said. "Nabooru?" Link asked. He knew the answer already, but he asked all the same. "She's gone. She warned us that this might happen, but.we didn't expect it to happen so quickly." "I came too late.if I had only come in sooner, I could have stopped them." "Link, you would have had to fight two Iron Knuckles at the same time. I know you're an excellent fighter, but I don't think you could have kept them from taking Nabooru away." Maltika said. "We know you did your best, and we definitely know you can rescue her. Just don't lose your morale-that's your fighting power." "Yeah. Thanks, Maltika. When can I get-ow!" "Lie down for a couple more hours and we'll let you leave. Serpentina's gone hunting, so she'll be ready for more flying when she gets back." Saphira paced around the room, concentrating on her next plan. She would have to be very careful this time-somehow, Link had realized that Nabooru was in trouble, and had nearly kept her new servants from bringing back Nabooru. If she expected to succeed, she would have to make sure that she covered her tracks. Only two Sages left before Zelda, but how to capture them. If she decided to kill two birds with one stone, it would be much easier. But Link might be expecting that.on the other hand, would he want to go to the Sacred Realm, where Ganondorf was? Link had had a difficult time defeating Ganondorf before he was sealed in the Sacred Realm. But the key thing was, how was she going to get Princess Ruto and Rauru? Link could provide excellent protection to either.unless she used two previous adversaries against whom Link had also had trouble defeating. She sat down at her table, and the sapphire glowed. "Tell me who Link had to defeat in order to awaken the Sages." Saphira said. "The Four Poe Sisters and Phantom Ganon of the Forest Temple, Volvagia of the Fire Temple, Dark Link and Morpha of the Water Temple, the Iron Knuckles and TwinRova of the Spirit Temple, and Bongo Bongo of the Shadow Temple." The image ring showed an image of each boss, and Saphira looked at each one carefully. After a bit of figuring, she made up her mind. Morpha and Bongo Bongo looked very nice for capturing Rauru and Ruto, but two others in particular struck her mind as the perfect choices to help get Zelda later on. Three hours later, Link was back at Hyrule Castle, where he reported Nabooru 's kidnapping. "I tried to rescue her, Zelda, but they just slammed me into the wall and ran out of there before I could try to recover-which I didn't, because I blacked out." Link said. "This is getting critical, Link," Zelda said. "We've lost four of the Sages already. Now she'll be going after Ruto and Rauru." "I know, Zelda. But how am I supposed to protect them? For all I know, they might be attacked at the same time. Unless." Link got an idea. "I know what to do. I'll send Serpentina to guard the Zoras. If she could protect the Graguns, she can protect the Zoras. In the meantime, I'm going to the Temple of Light. Right now." "But Link.that's in the Sacred Realm!" "And in a place that Ganondorf can't attack. I only have to worry about Saphira while I'm there. I know what I'm doing, Zelda. I know I can stop this." "I hope you can, Link." Zelda said. She took his face in her hands, and kissed his forehead. "Good luck.and please be careful." "You want me to stay with the Zoras?" Serpentina asked after Link told her his plan. "Just for a little while. If Saphira attacks, I know you can stop her. You were guardian of the Graguns. I know you can be the Zoras' guardian." Link said. "But Link, what if I fail?" Serpentina asked. "What if she gets Ruto anyway?" "Don't worry about failing, Serpentina. Just worry about keeping the Zoras safe. I'll be going to the Temple of Light to protect Rauru, so I need to be able to count on you to guard Ruto." Serpentina sighed. "All right. I just hope this works." She spread her wings, and flew off. Link watched her go, then took out the Ocarina and played the Prelude of Light. Ordinarily, he would have been sent to the Temple of Time. But now he was sent to the Chamber of Sages, where Rauru was waiting. "Ah, Link! It's been a while," Rauru said. "And something is troubling you." "Yeah. Ganondorf's got a fiancee who wants to get him out of the Sacred Realm, and to do that, she's capturing the Sages. She's gotten four of them already-you and Ruto are the only ones left besides Zelda." Rauru stared at Link in amazement. "So.this woman is going to try to capture me?" Rauru started to chuckle a bit. "Link, you know very well that you are the only one who can enter this Sacred Realm!" "Not necessarily." Link said, and Rauru's smile disappeared. "This woman's name is Saphira-Queen Saphira of Crastalyina-and she has a sapphire that can take her wherever she pleases, even the Sacred Realm. She's been visiting Ganondorf since he was banished here, and I know she'll send somebody to try to capture you." Rauru frowned, and he suddenly looked very worried. "I thought I could sense another's presence here.but I figured perhaps it was Ganondorf creating monsters to guard his territory. Now I realize it was this Saphira that I had sensed. But how do you know about her?" "Well, Zelda and I each had dreams involving her-in Zelda's dream Saphira was threatening to destroy the Graguns and even destroyed Hyrule, and in my dream, she captured the Sages, got Ganondorf back and married him, killed all the Sages, then made off with Hyrule before turning on me. She made herself known to me recently when she killed my horse. I went to Draconiara to find out who she was, and they told me that she was Queen of Crastalyina, and was indeed Ganondorf's fiancee. They told me that Saphira was planning to destroy their city, so I helped stop that. They gave me their guardian, Serpentina, as a gift of thanks. I came back in time to find that she had already attacked Kokiri Forest and kidnapped Saria and Navi. A bit later, she got Impa and Darunia, even though I tried to help them, and just earlier I got to Gerudo Valley just in time to see two Iron Knuckles kidnap Nabooru." Link stopped there, and Rauru looked very grave. "So she has captured four of us.now there only remains myself, Ruto, and Princess Zelda." Rauru said. "She'll be saving Zelda for last," Link said. "She wants to get the first Six Sages before going after Zelda." "And she managed to get four of them despite your efforts.but how could she?" "Simple. She's an expert in battle. She's fought in wars before, and knows how to weaken the enemy. And to help her do that, she's been enlisting the help of some of my old foes-Stalfos, Poes, Volvagia, and Iron Knuckles. I hate to think of who she'll call on next." "Indeed, she does seem very intelligent. But if you're here, who is guarding Ruto?" "I sent Serpentina down to Zora's Domain to watch over her. If I can depend on anybody to protect Ruto, it's Serpentina." "Very well. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see what happens." Meanwhile, Serpentina had arrived in Zora's Domain and informed King Zora of her appointment as guardian. "Link asked me to protect Ruto as I did the Graguns while he keeps Rauru safe. Since it's now down to Ruto, Rauru, and Zelda, he wants to make sure that Ruto remains safe." Serpentina said. "Very well. I know that Link cares very much for our safety, so you are welcome here." King Zora said. Ruto stepped forward and stroked Serpentina' s mane of fire. "I know we can depend on you, Serpentina. But if I do get taken away, remember this-I'll know that you did your best to prevent it." Serpentina smiled and nodded. But somehow, she had a feeling that it wouldn't be long before the kingdom was attacked. Link and Rauru stood, waiting. Link looked around, ears pricked for any unusual noises. He took out the Biggoron Sword, and wielded it. This was probably his favorite of the two swords-it was heavier, and did twice as much damage to adversaries. The only downside was that he couldn't arm his shield while he was holding the blade, but he was skilled enough that he could use the blade to block blows. Suddenly, Link thought he heard something. It was very faint, but he knew he'd heard something. BOOM. It was a familiar sound, but Link couldn't quite place it. He concentrated on listening, and he heard the sound again. Boom.boom.boom. The rhythm of the sound made a chill go down Link's spine. "It can't be," Link whispered. BOOM-boom, boom, boom. Link looked around, trying to find the source. It was slowly coming closer, but Link couldn't see it anywhere. The music was getting louder and faster. BOOM, boom-boom-boom, BOOM, boom-boom-boom. Link knew that music. He'd heard it not long ago, when he'd been in the Shadow Temple. "Bongo Bongo," Link whispered. The sound he was hearing was Bongo's hands beating on a bongo drum. Suddenly, he sensed something behind him. He turned-and nearly jumped when he saw Bongo Bongo rising up from the depths of the chamber. Link saw the hands beating on something-probably invisible drums-and Bongo looked absolutely vengeful. His eye narrowed, and Link knew he was ready to fight. He whipped out his bow, and fired an arrow at Bongo's left hand. But in a quick movement, Bongo lifted his hand and grabbed the arrow right out of the air. Link heard a crunching sound as Bongo crushed the arrow into powder. Link could feel the blood leave his face as the remains of the arrow fell to the ground like sand. Arrows were no good.but how else was he going to attack? He wasn't about to try the Longshot-Bongo would just grab that and use Link as a punching bag. Link decided to rough it and use his sword. He leaped forward and got ready to bring the sword down-then one of the hands flew up and snatched him right out of the air. But Link was ready for this. With all the strength he could muster, he brought the blade up in a flash. He suddenly fell to the ground, and heard Bongo screaming in pain. He looked up, and saw that the hand that had caught him was waving wildly in the air, spouting green blood. Link looked down, and saw four fingers lying on the ground. Before he could feel sick, Link took the chance to go for Bongo's eye, but the crippled hand flew down and practically mashed him to the floor. Link cried out in pain, and got up, but suddenly the healthy hand balled itself up into a fist and punched Link. Link flew through the air, and fell to the floor, dazed. He snapped out of it, and leaped forward just as Bongo was about to try to grab Rauru. Link tried for the eye, but the crippled hand came in front and Link ended up stabbing into the hand instead. It flew up before Link could pull it out, leaving Link hanging in the air. The other hand came and grabbed Link, and clutched Link so tightly that he couldn't move. It yanked down, breaking Link's grip on the sword. The stabbed hand waved around a bit, sending the sword flying to the ground. Link heard it clatter on the floor, but forgot it when the hands started playing catch with him. He was thrown from one hand to the other, and finally, the crippled hand slammed him against the wall and held him there. He struggled and yelled, but he couldn't move. Rauru was helpless-the look on his face said it all. The other hand went down, and clutched Rauru in its fist. Rauru cried out for help, but it was no use. Bongo had Rauru now, and there was no helping him. The crippled hand released Link, and tossed him to the floor. Link fell to the ground, and got up just in time to see Bongo descending into the darkness. He hobbled over to the edge-his ankle had been sprained from the fall-and saw Bongo descending into a bright portal, just like the one Nabooru had been taken through. Link grimaced as he heard Rauru call his name, and the portal closed. Rauru was gone. Link sat down, and examined in ankle. It was swollen, and many bruises covered his body. He reached into his tunic, and found a bottled fairy. He released it, and it flew around him, healing every wound he had. He got up, and picked up his sword. The fingers had vanished, of course, but the blood remained. Link looked away, and took out the Ocarina. He played the Song of Time, and was transported to the Temple of Time. He dashed out-if Rauru had been taken away, Saphira was sure to attack Ruto next. Meanwhile, Serpentina had perched herself on a small cliff, watching the Zoras walk and swim around. She wondered how Link was doing-hopefully he was all right. She sighed, and looked down at the water. She watched her reflection in the water for a while.then frowned as it misted a bit. Suddenly, a Zora who was in the water cried out. "Help! I'm stuck!" Serpentina realized that the water had turned to ice. She breathed fire at the surface just in time before the ice could really solidify. The Zora jumped out of the water, and ran off. Serpentina realized all the water in the Domain, even the waterfall, was turning to ice. Serpentina flew off to King Zora's chambers, where Ruto was. She was clutching her father's robes, staring at the pool in fright. Serpentina looked at the pool-and saw that it was not turning to ice. Rather, it was turning a weird bluish-purple color. It swirled and throbbed with a very strange sound, and Serpentina glided over it and perched next to Ruto. She watched as the water swirled more and more-then suddenly a big purple tentacle rose up from the water. King Zora gasped. "It's Morpha!" Ruto cried. Serpentina saw a weird red nucleus inside the tentacle-she had a feeling she had to destroy it-and saw Morpha turn toward Ruto. He started to lunge toward her-then he stopped and gazed at Serpentina. Serpentina snarled, and flew at Morpha. She twisted her head so that she could try to bite at the nucleus. It should have been easy, as Morpha appeared to be made of water, but suddenly she felt as though her own tail were wrapping around her. She realized that Morpha had stretched out and wrapped around her wings, and was constricting like a snake. Serpentina struggled and snapped, and finally bit through the middle of the tentacle, breaking Morpha's grip. She tried again for the nucleus, but suddenly, three more tentacles sprang up, and grabbed at her. She flew up, and whipped her tail at them to cut them in half. She dived to snap at the nucleus, but another tentacle sprang up and wrapped around her neck. It pulled her into water, trying to drown her. She wriggled, and whipped her tail around to try to find this tentacle. Finally, she decided to go to extremes. She opened her mouth and breathed fire. Amazingly, it worked-it wasn't real water, so the fire had some effect. The tentacle's grip was broken, and she flew out of the water, trying to find the nucleus. She spotted it, and opened her mouth to release fire again. But suddenly, all the tentacles combined, forming a single one that was almost sixty feet long and two that were slightly smaller. The bigger one grabbed her, and she breathed fire to try to get it to release her. But it only strengthened its grip. The smaller ones, one of which had the nucleus, lashed out so quickly that Ruto had no time to react, and grabbed her and King Zora. Serpentina roared in pain and struggled even harder, but the tentacle gripped her so hard that she started to black out. She could hear the king cry out as Ruto screamed, and suddenly, Serpentina lost consciousness. Saphira was having a hard time putting up with Ruto. The newly arrived princess, who had just been locked into her cage, was screaming her head off at Saphira. Saphira waited until the Iron Knuckles had gone, then she fired back. "Silence!" Saphira screamed, and Ruto shut her mouth. Ruto had been crying when she got here, but the tears now stopped. "Screaming at me will not change your fate in any way except worsen it, young lady, so you'd be wise to keep your mouth shut. You're lucky I sent Morpha back, or I'd sic him on you!" Saphira now went over to Rauru. "And you," she said. "are unusually quiet. I don't suppose Bongo Bongo had a devastating effect on you?" "No, Saphira," Rauru said. "I just know that yelling does not solve any problems. And nor does murder." "Oh, now he's going to lecture me. Well, go ahead, old man, but I will not listen. You forget that I have but one more Sage to capture, then your fates will be sealed. So instead you might want to decide who is going to be your replacement at the Temple of Light." Saphira sneered. "You evil woman," Ruto snarled. "You're just as evil as Ganondorf!" "I know. That's why he proposed to me." Saphira said with a smile. "Link will come for us. He would never abandon us." Ruto said. "Think what you like. But if he does come, he will have a hard time getting you out of here. Yes, I also know that he will come. In fact, that is part of my master plan to do away with Hyrule. Capture you, get my fiance back, marry him, kill you, kill Link, and destroy Hyrule." Saphira said. "Of course, I might just decide to kill Link before I kill you.it depends on how bad I feel." "What about my people, Saphira?" Ruto snarled. "Oh, don't worry, they're fine. I gave Morpha strict orders not to harm your people in any way. I told him to do with the dragon as he pleased, as I knew that she would interfere. As for Rauru, I did not want him to be harmed. But Bongo told me he wanted to teach Link a lesson, so I gave him free rein on Link alone. It's amazing how resurrected creatures always obey me," Saphira said. "But, since I felt Morpha and Bongo Bongo were better off just being dead, I let them go." "Indeed. I wonder who you'll come up with next." Darunia said. "Oh, believe me," Saphira said. "I've chosen someone very special to fetch Zelda for me." Link raced back to Zora's Domain as fast as he could, trying to ignore the Octaroks in the river. Please let Ruto be safe, Link thought as he dashed across the bridges. He hastily played Zelda's Lullaby, and entered the Domain. What he saw nearly made him faint. Zoras were crowding around the big pool, which was just thawing out. Link looked toward the walkway that led to King Zora's chambers, and ran up it. He nearly fell over when he got there. Two Zoras were tending to an unconscious Serpentina, and King Zora was leaning against the wall, looking ready to faint. Link dashed over to him. "King Zora, it's me," Link said. "Link," King Zora said. "Oh, Link, it was terrible." "What happened?" "It was Morpha," King Zora said. Link gasped. Morpha was back from the dead, too? "Morpha came just one hour after Serpentina arrived. He started by freezing the water in the Domain.then he showed himself here. Serpentina came in just before Morpha came out of the water, and tried to fight him. She was marvelous, Link, I couldn't have asked for better effort.but Morpha got so angry that he wrapped around her like a snake and knocked her out. He got Ruto, and." He broke off. Link looked down at Serpentina. "How is she?" He asked nervously. "Is she.badly hurt?" "I don't know. She might still be unconscious. But she's very lucky her wings and back aren't broken." King Zora said. "The good news is, from what they tell me, she'll be fine." Link watched his dragon intently, and suddenly saw her scales ripple a little bit. "She's waking up!" Link said. He watched as she started breathing, and her eyes opened. She groaned, and slowly lifted her head. Link jumped down and hugged her. "Ow! Easy, Link," Serpentina said, smiling. "I'm sorry, girl," Link said. "But I was so afraid that I would lose you." He looked up, and saw that she was bowing her head. "I'm very sorry, Link," she said. "I did my best to protect her-" "And that's what counts. King Zora told me what happened, and I can understand why you had trouble dealing with Morpha. But right now, we have to concentrate on Zelda." Link stopped for a moment as Serpentina looked at him. "Bongo Bongo came and took Rauru. I fought as best as I could, but he was too quick for me." Serpentina nodded. "Well, we'd better go warn Zelda," Serpentina said. She slowly got up, and for a moment Link thought of stopping her-apparently, fighting Morpha had taken quite a bit out of her, because she seemed to cringe when she unfurled her wings. But she had a determined look in her eyes, so Link let it go. He turned to King Zora. "I'm so sorry this had to happen to you, King Zora," Link said. "It's all right, Link. I know you'll find her and bring her back. No apologies necessary." King Zora said. Link smiled a bit and bowed, then got on Serpentina, who spread her wings and flew out. She sped back to the castle, where Zelda was anxiously waiting in the Great Hall. This was the part Link was afraid of-Zelda's reaction. He went in with Serpentina, who usually remained outside, and Zelda knew what had happened. "They're gone, aren't they?" She asked in a wavery voice. Link bowed his head and nodded. Zelda broke down in sobs, and Link went over to hug her. She cried on his shoulder, and he tried to comfort her. "We did our very best, Zelda. We were so close to keeping them safe.but Saphira made a fair pair of choices to attack us with-Bongo Bongo for me, and Morpha for Serpentina. I tried to defeat Bongo, but he was just too fast. He beat me down so I couldn't keep him from taking Rauru. Serpentina tried her best against Morpha, but I guess he was just too tough, and he got Ruto." "I'm scared, Link," Zelda whispered. "I don't want to be taken away. I'm so afraid of what she'll do to you and Serpentina." "Saphira will get you over my dead body. I don't care who she throws at me next. I will protect you with all my power." "Well, that's nice to hear." A familiar voice said just behind them. They turned, and Link felt his blood run cold. It was Dark Link, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He had been more of a shadow the last time Link had seen him, but now he was more flesh-and-blood. He had silvery white hair, wore a black tunic, and had burning red eyes. He looked almost identical to Link. "Because I hate wimpy battles." He grinned, and raised his eyebrow cockily. "It's so good to hear that you're prepared this time," said a second voice, this time female. Link and Zelda turned around again to find TwinRova floating in the air behind them. Saphira hadn't bothered leaving the Sorceress Sisters Koume and Kotake as separate twins-she'd had them combine into the gigantic sorceress TwinRova. TwinRova had a sly look on her face, and had her arms crossed, a wand in either hand. "I remember the first time you saw me-you nearly jumped out of your skin, as I recall." Link felt Zelda sag next to him. He knew what she was thinking: how was he going to defeat both of them? Suddenly, Serpentina slithered forward and around Link and Zelda, protecting them. "Nice dragon you've got there, Link," Dark Link said. "Lot nicer than that nag you used to ride." Link felt ready to rip Dark Link's head off, but he controlled himself. He knew better than to attack in anger-you lost your concentration if you attacked in anger. "Well, we're here to take the Princess back to Queen Saphira," TwinRova said. "And if you are wise, you will surrender her without protest." Zelda clutched Link's tunic, and he held her close. "Aww, looks like Link's found a girlfriend," Dark Link sneered. "She's not my girlfriend. She's a very close friend whom I do not want to be kidnapped." Link said. "Same difference." Dark Link snapped. "Let go of him, Zelda, and come with us. You'll save both of them a lot of pain if you do." Link could see the logic in this-he'd had a lot of trouble trying to defeat Dark Link and TwinRova. But somehow, he had a feeling that there would be fighting whether she went with them or not. Apparently, Zelda had the same feeling. "No. I will not come. If you want me, you'll have to take me by force." TwinRova was astonished, but Dark Link looked furious. "You're being foolish, Zelda, if you think these two will remain unharmed." Dark Link said. "Link knows how to fight-and he swore to me that he'll fight to keep me safe." Zelda said. "Very well." TwinRova said. "If that's the way you want it." She uncrossed her arms, and Link saw the wands power up with either ice or fire. Dark Link stood up straight and unsheathed his sword, which was an exact replica of the Master Sword. Stepping back from Zelda, Link took out the true Master Sword and his shield, and faced Dark Link. Serpentina then slithered over to face TwinRova. Link looked at Zelda. "You'd better stay out of the line of fire, Zelda," Link said. "This is gonna be bad." Trembling, Zelda nodded, and went to the far side of the Great Hall. For a moment, everyone stood in silence. Then, the fight started. Serpentina flew up into the air to challenge TwinRova, who tried to faze the dragon with icy blasts while the dragon snapped and breathed fire at her. Meanwhile, Link and Dark Link rounded off, circling each other and glaring into each other's eyes. Suddenly, they were parrying and stabbing at each other, sparks flying off their shields. Serpentina whipped TwinRova across the face with the fiery edge of her tail, and TwinRova hollered in pain. Link made a diagonal downward cut to Dark Link's shoulder, making a deep cut near the shoulder cap. Dark Link retaliated with a sharp jab, and Link got a sharp cut in the side. Serpentina managed to wrap herself around TwinRova and bind her like Morpha had done, and TwinRova struggled to break free. Dark Link managed to pin Link against the wall, and tried to jab his sword at Link's head, but Link ducked just in time, and the sword went right into the wall. "Damn!" Dark Link snarled as he yanked it out. He suddenly screamed in pain as Link stabbed him in the side. Serpentina tried to strengthen her grip, but suddenly TwinRova fired both ice and fire from her wands at Serpentina's face. Roaring in pain, Serpentina released TwinRova, who started firing away at Serpentina. Dark Link was now very furious, and was getting more accurate in his hits. Link now had to depend on his shield for defense. Link tried to stab Dark Link when he seemed to step back for a breath, but Dark Link jumped high into the air, dodging the blow, and landed right on the blade. Link looked up in amazement, and rolled out of the way as Dark Link tried to slash at him, getting a long cut on his arm. However, TwinRova was beginning to tire, and Serpentina was not ready to give up. Finally, TwinRova fired a combination of ice and fire, which connected with Serpentina's head. She was thrown into the wall, and Serpentina fell to the ground. She tried to get up, but fell unconscious. TwinRova turned, and saw the two young men swordfighting. This'll take forever, she thought. She looked around, and spotted Zelda crouching next to a nearby table. Just then, a portal opened nearby. Just as Zelda looked at it surprise, TwinRova flew down and grabbed her. Zelda shrieked and tried to get away, but TwinRova dragged her toward it. Link managed to find an opening in Dark Link's attacks, and kicked him square in the chest. He turned just in time to see TwinRova trying to drag Zelda into the portal. "No!" Link said. He threw his sword like a javelin at TwinRova's back-and it sunk in square between the shoulders. She screamed, and Link thought he had won. But TwinRova's grip on Zelda had tightened, and she tried to throw Zelda into the portal as she turned to ash. Link leapt forward and grabbed Zelda around the waist. But suddenly, someone rammed into him, knocking him into the wall. Link banged his head against it, and fell to the floor, dazed. Dark Link turned to Zelda and grabbed her arm. She tried to get away and spat in his face. He retaliated by pinning her against the wall. "You're so beautiful.I can see why Link loves you so much," he said, and he kissed her, pressing against her as he did so. Zelda screamed through it, and struggled against him, but he was too strong. Keeping her pinned, Dark Link pulled his face away. "That was pleasant.I could go for more," Dark Link said. Before Zelda could react, he kissed her again, this time moving his hands down her waist, keeping her pinned. "Link, help me!" Zelda screamed as Dark Link lifted the skirt of her gown. But Link was still dizzy from the hit he had taken. Dark Link lifted Zelda, who kicked at him. He dodged the blows, and grinned. He pressed further forward, and was ready to force her downward when he felt a sharp, ice-cold pain shoot through his waist. He screamed in pain, and stepped back, dropping Zelda. Dark Link turned, and saw Link standing there, a small cut bleeding on his forehead, with his sword stabbed straight through Dark Link' s waist. "I'm not finished with you yet, brother," Link sneered as he yanked the sword out. Dark Link was beyond angry now, but he knew that he was dying as well. In a quick movement, Dark Link grabbed Zelda by the arm, and with immense strength, threw her toward the portal. Link lost focus on Dark Link and dashed toward Zelda, grabbing her hand before she disappeared. The portal was trying to suck her in, but Link would not let go. "Don't let go, Link! Please pull me out!" Zelda screamed. "I'm trying, Zelda!" Link cried. He pulled with all his might, but suddenly someone grabbed his collar and turned him around. Dark Link grinned in his face before punching him. Link fell to the ground, and his head banged sharply against the floor. He heard Zelda scream as she disappeared, and saw that Dark Link was standing over him, with his sword raised. "I've been waiting a long time for this, Link." Dark Link said, bringing the sword over his head. Link realized what he was going to do, and prepared for him to bring the point down and through him. But instead, a bright golden glow filled the entire room, and Link blacked out. There was a dead silence as everyone watched Zelda being led into the room. Saphira had a satisfied look on her face as she watched the Iron Knuckles lock her in. TwinRova was dead, and so was Dark Link, but that didn't matter. All that did matter was that all seven Sages had been captured. For the occasion, Saphira was decked in a beautiful navy and violet gown, with a golden crown and veil. Six handmaidens were standing with her, ready for the upcoming wedding. Tyano stood nearby-he was serving as best man. After the Iron Knuckles left, Saphira watched as a golden aura glowed around each Sage. Golden beams connected them, and Saphira saw a bright white portal open in the floor. She knew what was happening-Ganondorf was being released. She watched as his body slowly came up through the portal, a smile on his face. The portal closed, and he was standing free on the floor. He grinned, and Saphira ran into his open arms. She kissed him, and he kissed her neck. The Sages tried to hold in their disgust, and watched as a priest walked in. Apparently Saphira had informed him of Ganondorf's arrival, and had told him to come soon. The priest looked at the Sages in amazement, but did not comment. He led Ganondorf and Saphira to the platform where the thrones stood, and commenced with the wedding. After an hour, Ganondorf was allowed to kiss the bride, and he and Saphira went to her chambers. Ganondorf looked around in amazement and pleasure. Saphira's servants had worked painstakingly for hours to decorate to room with food, candles, silk drapery, and flowers. She led him to the bed, and they kissed just as they had the night they first made love. Meanwhile, in the Throne Room, the seven Sages waited in grave silence. Chapter 6 "It's a good thing we got there in time. Any later." "Please, don't even think it. I can't stand to think of what could have happened to him." "But why couldn't we have gotten there sooner and saved the Princess as well?" "Because it would be going against fate, and this is how it was supposed to go. Remember the night Danka died? I wanted to save her, too, but- " "All right, I understand. Oh, but Zelda." "Believe me, I know how you feel. But trust me-this will all work out in time." "We know it will.wait, I think he's waking up!" Link had been out cold for a good while now, but he had been able to hear three female voices for the past five minutes. Now he was able to open his eyes, and saw three hooded figures in golden cloaks. He couldn't see their faces, but as they crowded around him, he knew that they must be the people he had heard. Blinking hard to get his eyes into focus, he looked around. He seemed to be in some sort of cave, almost like the ones he had found during his quest for the medallions. It was fairly dim, despite the candles that lit up the edges of the cave, and Link found that he was lying in a very comfortable bed. He then gazed at the three women. One was sitting next to him, another was right behind her, and the third-who was very short-was standing near the end of the bed. "Where am I?.And who are you?" The woman closest to him spoke. "We're the ones who rescued you, Link. We saved you from your evil twin, and you're now safe with us.in the Sacred Realm." "The Sacred Realm? But.isn't Ganondorf-" "Ganondorf is no longer here, Link." The woman standing near the end of the bed said. She had a very young voice, as though she were a child. "What?" "When Zelda was sucked into the portal, she was imprisoned with the other Sages in Saphira's castle. That caused the seal to be broken, and Ganondorf is now free. He only just married Saphira five hours ago." The woman standing behind the first said. Link suddenly remembered-Zelda going into the portal, Dark Link punching him, then that strange golden light. "What about Dark Link?" Link asked. "We eliminated him just before he could kill you," the closer woman said. "If we had arrived any later, you would have been dead." "I saw a weird golden light when Zelda disappeared," Link said. "Right before I blacked out. You.you didn't see it, did you?" The women looked at each other, and the first spoke again. "We did see it, yes." "What caused it?" "We did." Link stared at the hooded woman in front of him. But before he could speak, the three women removed their hoods and cloaks, letting them slip to the ground. Link couldn't believe his eyes. "The three goddesses," Link whispered. They nodded, and Link took that moment to make sure he wasn't seeing things. The one near the end of the bed had short dark blue hair, with eyes of the exact same color. Her skin was a creamy pale blue color, and even though she couldn't be, she almost looked as though she were six years old. She wore a pale blue dress that was just a couple shades lighter than her skin, with a slightly darker skirt and a deep blue cape over her shoulders. She had a quiver and bow slung over her shoulder. Link knew that this must be Nayru, the goddess of wisdom. The one who was sitting next to him had long, thick straight hair that had been pulled back into a ponytail at the base of her neck. She wore a circlet around her head, which had a sort of see-through forest green veil in the back that covered her neck and ponytail. She wore an olive green dress with an irregular zigzag cut on the sleeves, a slightly darker corset over the bodice, and a forest green skirt that also had an irregular zigzag cut. She also wore a scabbard that held what looked like a very powerful sword, and a dark green cape that dragged elegantly on the floor, with the same irregular zigzag cut on the bottom. Her eyes were the very same shade as her hair, and her skin was a rich pale green. Link knew that this had to be Farore, the goddess of courage. The one who was standing behind Farore was Din, and Link could see why she was the goddess of power. Her hair was curly, shoulder-length, and fiery red, and her eyes were the exact same shade as her hair. She wore a sleek gown that had golden shoulder covers, a tight red bodice, a slightly paler skirt, and a deep red cape that nearly touched the floor. The gloves she wore were a gleaming red-orange, which gave the impression that they were red-hot. She was very muscular, just like Nabooru, and Link noticed that she didn't carry a weapon-instead, tiny licks of flame seemed to seep from her arms. Link realized that she must fight with fire, like Serpentina. Her skin was almost a rosy color, and Link could tell that she must be the leader of the group. "Where's Serpentina?" Link asked, suddenly remembering his dragon. "Don't worry, she's fine. She's resting with our animals." Din said. "Oh, that's-your animals?" Link stopped as his mind registered those words. "Yes, and you can see them later. But right now, you must rest. You had a rough battle down there." Farore said, brushing his bangs out of his face. "But.I still don't understand.why did you come to help me now? Why didn't you help me earlier?" Link asked. "Link, you are the Hero of Time. We can only help you during very critical times-and that encounter with Dark Link was one of them." Nayru said. "Oh." He suddenly thought of something. "What did you mean by 'the night Danka died?'" "That's none of your concern." Din quickly said. "Now you really should rest-" "Or perhaps now would be a good time for him to hear the whole story." Farore said, standing. "I agree. He's old enough to handle it. He's heard bits and pieces of it from others, but he doesn't know the whole truth." Nayru said. "The whole truth about what?" Link asked. Din looked at Nayru and Farore, and sighed. "All right. Let's tell him." Farore moved aside so Din could sit down. "Link, we're going to tell you a very important story. It has to do with us, Hyrule.and you and Zelda. Listen carefully." "I'm listening." Din took a deep breath, and began the story. "Only a few people know the legends of us-the three golden goddesses. The Deku Tree, the Sheikah, and the Royal Family are the only people who know bits and pieces of how we created Hyrule and the Triforce. However, there are several chapters to the story that none of them know. After Nayru, Farore, and myself created Hyrule and the Triforce, we felt that everything would go well from then on. But our hopes faded a bit when we felt a sudden surge of evil radiating from Hyrule. Nayru tracked it down, and we found that the evil was coming from a newborn Gerudo boy, who was named Ganondorf. I was particularly perplexed by this. The Gerudo often have a lust for power, and I feared that this boy may be destined to seize my portion of the Triforce. Farore and Nayru were also concerned, as they feared that the child was destined to seize the Triforce in its entirety and take over the land of Hyrule. Twenty or so years after that, we got a disturbing vision-Ganondorf would indeed plot to get the Triforce, and in his success, he would turn the land of Hyrule into a world of monsters. Only a young man with a heart filled with courage, a young woman with a heart filled with wisdom, and six other people would be able to destroy this evil man. So we descended upon Hyrule once again, this time to restore peace and order to the world. First, I, the Goddess of Fire, Power and Life, created seven temples and six medallions-one for the forest, one for fire, one for water, one for shadow, one for spirit, one for time, and one more for light. I then situated each of the temples in a selective area. The Forest Temple was located in the Sacred Forest Meadow, deep in the heart of the Lost Woods. The Fire Temple was placed deep in the bowels of Death Mountain Crater. The Water Temple was carefully built in the deep, vast waters of Lake Hylia. The Shadow Temple was enigmatically constructed underneath Kakariko Graveyard. The Spirit Temple was intricately built in the sands of the Desert Colossus. The Temple of Time was honorably placed in Hyrule Castle Town, and the Temple of Light was situated right in the heart of the Sacred Realm. Once the Temples had been completed, the Wars were nearing their end, which made the our jobs a bit easier. The medallions represented each of the Temples-with the exception of Time-and would be given only to the six Chosen Ones who would become Sages.and Nayru was in the fragile process of selecting these six people. It was indeed a fragile process. These six people had to have a certain amount of one of the six elements in them in order to become a Sage. Therefore, Nayru, the Goddess of Water, Wisdom and Order, searched long and hard for the right representatives of the Temples. First, she found Rauru, a wise old man who loved and honored us. Nayru knew he would serve very well in the Temple of Light. Next, Nayru selected the strong, proud leader of the Gorons, Big Brother Darunia, as the Sage of Fire. After that, she paid a visit to the forest, where she chose a Kokiri girl named Saria, who had just turned twelve, as the Sage of the Forest. Next, she went to Zora's Domain. Here, she found that King Zora's wife had just become pregnant with a baby girl-one who would be perfect as the Sage of Water. Then she searched for the right Sage of Shadow. Finally, she found a young Sheikah woman named Impa, who was the last of her race, and chose her as the Sage of Shadow. Then Nayru went to the desert, where she found a very young lone-wolf Gerudo named Nabooru, and chose her as the Sage of Spirit. However, there was a twist-these six Chosen Ones would only realize their destiny after being awakened as Sages, and that time would come after a Hero of Time came along to defeat the King of Evil. Now it was Farore's turn. Farore, the Goddess of Earth, Courage and Time, was in charge of creating keys to the Sacred Realm. First, she selected a few gems-a ruby, an emerald, and three small sapphires. She then used gold to make the jewels look like the symbols of the Gorons, Kokiri, and Zoras. After that, she presented these Spiritual Stones to the leaders of these races-namely, King Zora, Darunia, and the Great Deku Tree. She then told them that if they were to give these stones to anyone outside their own race, they were to give these stones only to the one who they thought was a true hero. After that was done, she created another treasure-the Ocarina of Time. This beautiful Ocarina was a bluish-lavender color, and had a silver band engraved with a Triforce near the mouthpiece. She presented this to the King of Hyrule, and explained to him that this was one of the keys to the Sacred Realm and should be guarded carefully. She also taught him a special song that would help open the path to the Sacred Realm, when necessary. After that, she went to the Temple of Time. Here, I had created only two chambers-one of them was the main hall, the other was a rotunda-like tower. In the rotunda, Farore created a large platform. This circular platform bore the seals of the medallions, and a smaller platform lay in the center of this circle. On this platform was a huge black Triforce set in black marble, and in the center of that Farore created a pedestal, also bearing a black Triforce seal. She then used a great deal of her magic to create an immortal sword called the Master Sword. She placed a spell on it, saying that only the Hero of Time would be able to pull the sword from the Pedestal, and put the sword into the Pedestal of Time. The spell was set. However, upon leaving the tower, she created a stone wall called the Door of Time. She then created an altar, and cast a spell on that and the Door of Time, saying that only the one who had collected the three Spiritual Stones, held the Ocarina of Time, and played the Song of Time would be able to enter the rotunda. However, we were not done yet. There was still the matter of who the two Children of Destiny would be. 'We certainly can't just wait for the children to be born. That could take years.' Farore said. 'You're right, Farore, we can't wait. But I have an idea. The King is going to marry Danka of Hyrule in a few weeks, right?' I said. 'Yes, but what is your point?' Nayru said. 'Well, what if we were to pose as Danka and conceive the children ourselves? Then we could plant them inside the real Danka and let nature take its course from there.' 'Din, that is the most ridiculous plan I've ever heard. What would we do with the real Danka while this plan of yours is in effect? And who here would be the ones to conceive the children?' Farore asked. 'We could use our magic to put her into a deep sleep, just for a while. We could then take her to the Sacred Realm and keep her there until our business is done.' 'But have you any idea just how intrusive this idea of yours is? Posing as Danka and making love to her fiance while she sleeps somewhere far and away from her home?' Nayru said. 'I know it's farfetched, sisters, but do either of you have any better ideas? The reason why I want to do this is so the children have a bit of their father in them. They'll resemble us more than they will him, of course-they'll possess our greater qualities, plus some of our facial features. But no one knows what we look like, so we won't have to worry about that detail.' I said. 'Well, you do have a good point, Din. But who will be conceiving the children?' Farore asked. 'Well, I had hoped that you and Nayru would do it. Don't look at me like that, just think about it! Farore, your child will have ten times more courage than all of Hyrule's soldiers combined. And Nayru, your child will have more wisdom than even the King himself. And the King is very wise indeed.' I said. Farore and Nayru looked at each other. Then they looked back at me. They thought it through a few times, then Farore spoke up. 'All right. I'll do it. It's an insane idea, but I'll do it.' Farore said. 'I'm truly going against my better judgment on this, but I'll do it, too.' Nayru said. With a pleased look on her face, I led the way to Hyrule. Fortunately, Danka was already asleep when we appeared in her bedroom in the King's castle. Nayru cast a soft, gentle sleeping spell that would put Danka under for a full day. Then I took Danka in my arms and we took her to the Sacred Realm. We had set up a temporary shelter for the future queen, and I set her in there. Then Farore transformed so that she looked exactly like Danka-every muscle, every cell-and went back to Hyrule. The next part of the plan had recently been plotted-if the King made love to them, he would remember, and mention it to Danka, presuming that she would remember. And this was exactly what I did not want to happen. I knew that the King and Queen would be making love after their wedding, and I didn't want them to have any recollection of what had happened between the King, Farore, and Nayru. Upon entering her bedroom, Farore used a little bit of telepathic magic to hypnotize the King and lure him into the bedroom. She made sure that his memory was blocked, and, satisfied, made love to him. She then used her magic to send him back to his bedroom, and checked to see if he would remember anything. She was pleased when she found that he wouldn't. She went back to the Sacred Realm, and Nayru took on Danka's appearance. Nayru went through the process in the same manner, and soon came back to the Realm. I took Danka back upon Nayru's return-'If we commence now, then she' ll know she's pregnant by the time the wedding arrives. We must wait until the night before the wedding.'-and set a small spell so that Danka and the King would wake up at the same time. The plan went well. The King couldn't remember anything from the night before-Farore and Nayru had made it so he thought he had been dreaming about ruling a paradise-and the effects of Nayru's sleeping spell on Danka had had no side effects at all. A few weeks later, on the night before the wedding, Farore and Nayru went down to Hyrule once again. Holding their hands on their abdomens, they closed their eyes. Within seconds, two tiny glowing balls-one green, one blue-gently seeped out of their bodies and into their hands. Farore and Nayru approached Danka, who was sleeping on her back. They gently laid their hands on her abdomen, and released the tiny eggs. They seeped into Danka's body, and Danka stirred, turning over onto her side. They promptly left. They returned to the Sacred Realm, where they waited. Indeed, the King and his bride did make love on their wedding night, and Danka didn't even seem to realize that she was pregnant. After three months, Nayru determined that her child was a girl, and Farore's was a boy. They helped me cast a spell on the Triforce. The Triforce's triangles each represented something-Power, Wisdom, and Courage. So we cast our spell, saying that if someone with a pure heart and all three forces in balance-namely, the two children-touched it, the world would become a paradise. However, if one who only believed in one of the three forces touched it-this meant the evil man and his lust for power-the Triforce would split apart, leaving him with just one piece. The other two pieces-Wisdom and Courage-would then go to the boy and girl and remain inside them. But Nayru decided to add a little twist to this-whoever got the Triforce of Wisdom (she knew it would be Zelda) would become the Seventh Sage, or the Sage of Time. Farore and I liked this idea, and set the spell. We knew that something terrible would happen in the next several years, and there was nothing we could do to stop it. However, we could rest assured that we had found the right people to save the land of Hyrule. Six months later, Queen Danka gave birth to twins. All three of us were there, watching to make sure everything went as planned. Danka named her daughter Zelda, and her son Link. The King was overjoyed, of course, that he had fathered twins. Farore and Nayru felt a small attachment to their children, and I knew that we should watch over them, just in case. We watched as Danka raised her children with the help of Impa. We watched, knowing that soon destiny would change all their lives forever. Indeed, just two months after the children were born, the Wars were reaching their climactic end. Every race was fighting its last battle-and the site was right in front of the castle. Danka feared for her children, and she knew that she had to leave, but she couldn't take both of her children. She called on Impa, and we watched as Danka instructed Impa to hide with Zelda and keep her safe. 'Impa, I fear that I may not return. Therefore, I want you to tell my husband that I love him with all my heart, and I know that he will raise our daughter well.' 'But what about young Link?' Impa asked. Farore felt a bit of concern that we could sense. 'I will take him with me. Do not worry, I plan to find a safe haven for him. Oh, my dear Impa, I pray that we meet again.' The two women embraced, and we blinked back tears at this. Danka left, and Impa hid in a secret passageway. Danka put on a long, heavy cloak that covered her royal garb, and headed for the stables. We followed as Danka rode away on her horse, past the battle that raged on her homeland. She galloped as fast as she could, but stopped when she encountered a huge man on an armored black horse. 'This is where it begins,' I murmured as Danka calmly dismounted, cleverly hiding you under her cloak. The man rode up to her. 'Well, well, what have we here. A peasant, riding on a stolen royal steed.' The man sneered. 'I apologize for stepping in your path, my lord,' Danka said, bowing. 'If there is any way I may be of service to you.' 'Service? From a peasant like you? What could you possibly do for me? I seek a treasure far more valuable than anything you could ever give me. I seek to rule this land, and lead my race-the Gerudo, who have been shunned for centuries as nothing more than lowly thieves and whores-to a life they truly deserve!' The man bellowed. 'You are.a Gerudo?' Danka whispered. It was so dark, she had not seen all the jewelry and painted cloth that were trademarks of the Gerudo race. But now, as flames erupted over the horizon, she saw the gleaming armor and jewels that revealed his heritage. 'Yes, I am. I am also their King-King Ganondorf-and I plan to give them the home that they have been steered away from for all these years! Now, out of my way, peasant.' We knew what was coming now. 'No. I will not move.' Danka said. 'What! You dare to disobey me?' 'I have that right, yes. I am not a peasant at all, Ganondorf.' Nayru gasped as Danka removed the hood of her cloak. 'I am Queen Danka of Hyrule.' There was a great silence as the Gerudo king regarded the Hylian queen. 'I have no wish to see these wars continue, Ganondorf. I have no wish to see the harsh treatment of your race-or anyone else's-to continue. I have the power to make it all end, Ganondorf. As Queen, I can help you lead your people to kind of life that they need.' 'Do you think he'll believe her?' Farore whispered. 'Not a chance.' I said grimly. Ganondorf remained still for a moment. Then, in a swift movement, he unsheathed his sword and stabbed Danka in the abdomen. Danka fell to her knees, and Ganondorf sheathed his sword. 'All lies,' Ganondorf said. 'This country has given that promise over and over again. But has she ever kept it? No. Now you shall pay the price, Your Highness.' Ganondorf sneered. He then heeled his horse into a gallop, riding off to join the battle. Danka managed to remain conscious, and she uncovered her baby. You were still alive and sleeping. Danka sighed with relief. 'Now, sisters,' I said. With that, we descended onto the earth, just a few yards away from Danka. Danka saw us, and nearly fainted. 'I cannot believe it.the three goddesses.but why are you here?' Danka asked. 'We have been watching over you, Queen Danka,' I said. 'We have come to help lead this country to peace and prosperity.' Nayru said. 'And we know that you have shown great courage, even in situations such as this.' Farore said. 'We know that you are dying, Queen of Hyrule, but we know of a place where your son can live until his destiny comes to him.' Nayru said. 'What do you mean, his destiny?' Danka asked. 'Your son and daughter are destined to save this land, Danka. We created them for that purpose, and we chose you to be their mother. Your daughter will remain safe, Danka. The enemies cannot penetrate the shield that we built around the castle.' Nayru said. 'As for young Link, the best place for him is in Kokiri Forest, deep inside the Lost Woods.' I said. 'The Lost Woods! But I cannot enter there, no one can!' 'Danka, we are here to help you. We will protect you as you go through the woods, and keep you strong enough to make it to the Deku Tree. Even now we are keeping you alive. The Lost Woods is the best place for Link, Danka-it will help him become the strong, courageous hero he is destined to become. Now, rise, Queen Danka-the forest is this way. Do not worry, we will be with you the whole way.' Farore said. Danka rose up. You stirred, but didn 't awaken. Danka made her way toward the woods, feeling the our magic course through her as she walked. As she entered the woods, she stared at the wooden bridge leading to the Kokiri Village. Fairies flew all around her, and she felt a sense of belonging here. She continued on. She strode weakly through the village, but was stopped by a young Kokiri boy who was undoubtedly the leader. 'What are you doing here, Hylian? Are you trying to bring the wars here as well?' The boy asked. 'No.I'm trying to get to the Deku Tree.please.' Danka could feel our power ebbing. The boy then noticed her bloodstained royal clothes and the bundle she had in her arms. 'You-you're the Queen of Hyrule! You're dying, aren't you?' The Queen nodded weakly. 'Come, then. Follow me.' He led her to the great tree that stood in the center of a small meadow. 'Why hast thou come to this sacred place? Thou hast no place in this forest!' The tree boomed. Danka fell to her knees once more, and felt the last strains of magic slowly leaving her. 'Please, Great Deku Tree, I beg of you, hear my plea-the Gerudo King has wounded me, leaving me for dead and my young son without a mother.' She held you up, and you started to cry. She sensed that the tree was gazing at you. 'This.this child.he is a child of destiny, is he not?' 'He is, my lord. The goddesses came to me and told me.' 'I know that thou wouldst never lie, my Queen. I shall take thy son, and see that the boy lives a peaceful life.' Danka smiled with relief, and closed her eyes. Fairies flew under you as Danka collapsed on the ground. More fairies gathered around her, and carried her to a spot behind the tree that no man could reach. They laid her there, and used their magic to bury her." At this point, all three goddesses had tears in their eyes. Suddenly, Nayru started crying, and Farore went over to comfort her. Din wiped her face with the back of her hand. Link couldn't believe it. All his life he had wondered who his parents were, and now he was hearing that it had been the Queen of Hyrule who had left him in the forest. "My mother was the Queen of Hyrule?" "Surrogate, yes. Biological, no. Nayru is Zelda's biological mother, which is why she's so wise, and Farore is your biological mother-which is why you never run from battle." Din said with a small smile. Link looked at Farore, who was gazing at him a tearful smile on her face. "But since the King fathered both you and Zelda, that makes her.well.your half-sister." Din continued. Suddenly, a light went on in Link's head. "I felt a strange feeling just before I was about to make love to Zelda.was it because she's my sister?" Link asked. Farore nodded. "Yes. See, you had known each other-just when you were very young. That's why Zelda thought your name sounded familiar when you met her seven years ago. You mustn't blame yourself for falling in love with her, Link. You didn't know that she was your sister, and nor did she." "All this time.I thought my mother was just a Hylian peasant who had somehow been injured.that's what the Deku Tree told me," Link said. "But why didn't he tell me she was the Queen?" "It would have been too much for you to handle and accept at the time," Din replied. "If he had told you that Danka was Queen of Hyrule, you would have suddenly realized that Zelda was your sister, that you were supposed to be a Prince of Hyrule.and you still had to rescue the other Sages. You would have lost focus while wondering why no one had ever told you the truth. So the Deku Tree told you the partial truth. However, Zelda still does not know this-your father presumed that you were dead along with the Queen, even though no one ever found out if you really were dead. So he never mentioned you to Zelda, even though she somehow remembered your name." "I still can't believe it," Link said, staring at the ceiling. "It's like my life was filled with lies.first I thought I was a Kokiri, then I find out that I'm not.then I'm told that I'm a Hylian, and now I find out that I'm really supposed to be a Prince of Hyrule.and now I find out that my real mother was one of the three goddesses." "Link, no one lied to you. They just didn't tell you the entire truth. There's a fine line between lying and keeping the whole truth from somebody." Din said. "Oh, really? I was told for the first ten years of my life that I was a Kokiri. Then the Deku Tree Sprout tells me seven years later that my mother was a Hylian. Note that I am actually part-Hylian, part-god, not a Kokiri, and my mother is not a Hylian, but a goddess from who-knows-where! And you tell me that that is not lying?" "Point." Din said. "Link, the reason why no one ever told you this was because we wanted to wait until you were truly strong enough to handle it. You certainly wouldn' t have been able to handle it when you were ten, and it wouldn't have been any better to tell you after being sealed away for seven years. Plus, we wanted to be the ones to tell you the whole story." Farore said. Link didn' t reply. Nayru stepped forward. "I think it would be best to let Link rest for a while. He's had a rough day." Nayru said. Din nodded in agreement, and after patting Link's shoulder, she left the room. Nayru followed her. Farore, however, stayed behind. She looked down at Link, and somehow, Link could really see why it would have been so hard to accept had he been told the truth sooner. Farore smiled, and bent down, kissing Link's forehead. "Sweet dreams," Farore said. She left the room, blowing out the candles on her way out. Link watched her go, then closed his eyes. He slept without dreaming. The next day, Link woke up to find his wounds healed and aches gone. He looked around. The room was empty except for him. He looked to his left-there were several hooks on the wall, each of them holding one or more of his possessions. One held his shield, another held the Master Sword in its scabbard, the third hook held the Biggoron Sword in its scabbard, the fourth held Link's bow, the fifth held his quiver, and hanging from the final one was his belt, which held the Longshot, Bomb Bag, etc. He looked to the right, and spotted a short and narrow tunnel. Link leapt out of bed, and went over to see where it led. He could see a huge opening at the other end, and some trees beyond that. He was looking toward the mouth of the cave. He cautiously ventured through, and covered his eyes when he came into the sunlight. He focused his eyes, and looked around. He was standing in the huge clearing of a gigantic forest, which had trees whose heights nearly rivaled that of Death Mountain's. Link turned-and nearly fell over. The cave he had been sleeping in had probably been the temporary shelter Danka had been in, because the structure not far from it certainly was not a cave-it was a small palace, with four towers stretching toward the sky. The palace seemed to be made of gold, and the roofs of the towers were each a different color-one was red, one was green, another was blue, and the fourth and tallest one was a bright silver. It had to be where the goddesses lived. Link couldn't help it. He had to go in. He went to the huge doors, and pushed against them. They opened slowly but quietly, and Link looked around in awe. The Great Hall here was very elegant-there was red, blue, and green velvet everywhere, along with some gold fabric hanging around. Triforces emblazoned banners that hung from balconies, and paintings that seemed to depict various events in Hyrule's history were on the walls. Link guessed that Nayru was the one who did the painting, but he could see Farore doing some of these as well. But as he reached one particularly large portrait, his heart nearly froze. It was of a beautiful Hylian woman, with long, blond hair and big green eyes. She wore a gorgeous white gown, and a golden crown atop her blond hair. "Danka," Link whispered. He looked at the frame, and the was a golden plaque on it. It read: DANKA OF JULARIAN (2767-2789) CROWNED QUEEN OF HYRULE AT AGE 22, SHE RULED UNTIL HER TRAGIC DEATH JUST ELEVEN MONTHS AFTER HER CORONATION Link knew that Jularian was her maiden name, because the second name of the King was certainly not Jularian. Indeed, just a few feet away was another portrait, this one of the King of Hyrule. Link knew he was dead-Ganondorf had shown him no mercy during his takeover seven years ago-and he looked up in interest at the man on the canvas. The man was very dignified indeed, with his broad shoulders and chiseled face. But the most intriguing aspect of him was his eyes. He had big blue eyes that seemed to look down at Link. Link knew those eyes, and as he remembered what the goddesses had told him, he realized that these were the very same eyes that he and Zelda had. He looked down at the golden plaque. JUSONDE OF VOCANDO (2755-2799) CROWNED KING OF HYRULE AT AGE 17, HE RULED UNTIL HIS DEATH, WHICH OCCURRED DURING GANONDORF'S TAKEOVER Both monarchs had been so young when they died.Jusonde at age 44, and Danka at 22.it was unbelievable. And Ganondorf had been the cause of both their deaths. But he had also ruined many other lives as well. "Admiring Nayru's handiwork?" a voice said behind Link. He turned with a start, and saw Farore standing behind him, a small smile on her face. She stepped forward, and stroked the frame of Danka's painting. "She takes a lot of pride in these particular portraits. Can't say that I blame her.Jusonde was a dream come true for us-he was the one who stopped the Wars and unified Hyrule. And Danka.she was like an angel sent from the heavens. Without her, you and Zelda would never have been born. And you may not know this, but her death was like a wake-up call for all of Hyrule. Jusonde almost didn't feel like fighting anymore, he was so shocked.and the Gorons and Zoras suddenly realized just how out of hand the conflicts had gotten. The Gerudos were shocked, of course, that their own king had killed Danka, but they didn't say anything-to go against him would mean certain death. It's a shame you never really knew her.or your father." Link felt a strange knot in his stomach. He wasn't used to calling anybody "father," let alone the late King of Hyrule. Link looked at Jusonde's plaque again, and a question struck his mind. "Did.Jusonde fight when Ganondorf attacked?" Link asked. Farore was a bit amazed by this question, but her face softened. "I can understand why you would want to know. Yes, he did fight. In fact, at the very last minute, he sensed that Ganondorf was up to no good. He ordered Impa to find Zelda and run as far away as possible from the castle-even into the forest, if she had to. By the time Ganondorf arrived with his army of Iron Knuckles, Zelda was already running off with Impa. Ganondorf was furious-he demanded to know where the Ocarina was, but the King refused to tell. Instead, he took out his sword and challenged Ganondorf. I'm so glad Zelda was out of there before Ganondorf arrived. Ganondorf didn't even bother swordfighting-he took out his sword and with one quick swipe, he.he.he slit Jusonde's throat. Very nearly decapitated him." Farore's face paled as she said this. "He ordered the Iron Knuckles to tear the castle apart, and he took off after Zelda. Fortunately, you were there, and you may have very well saved Zelda and Impa's lives-if Ganondorf hadn't stopped and demanded answers from you, he may have caught up to them and done away with them like he had with the King." "Does Zelda know what happened to the King?" Link asked. "She found out in the very worst of ways. Ganondorf had the bodies of those killed in castle removed and thrown into the canyons of Gerudo Valley-which was where she and Impa were hiding. When she found her father's body." Farore stopped. Link saw that she looked ready to cry. "We retrieved his body later on and buried him next to Danka behind the Great Deku Tree. But I'm sure that more than answers your question." Link could only gaze at Danka and Jusonde's portraits. Now he more than enough reason to totally kill Ganondorf. He hadn't killed him before-Ganondorf had been barely alive when he'd been sealed away. But this was unforgivable. Suddenly Farore put her hand on his shoulder. "I know what you're thinking, Link. And believe me-killing Ganondorf out of mere revenge will not help matters. I can understand how upset you are, but you must not lose focus. Revenge will only make you more angry. Trust me-we know that for a fact." Link nodded. "I understand. Where are Nayru and Din, anyway?" Link asked. "Upstairs, sleeping. I've always been something of a light sleeper." Farore said with a wry smile. Link couldn't help but smile back-he could never sleep much himself. "Is Serpentina better?" Link asked. "Fit as a fiddle. She was pretty banged up when we found you two, but she's just fine now. In fact, why don't we go see her? The other animals should be out now." Shivering with anticipation, Link followed Farore outside. She led him along a long path, which ultimately led to a huge paddock with a large barn in the corner. Four stalls made up the barn, and Link noticed that all the doors were wide open and the stalls empty. He looked at the paddock, and saw Serpentina rubbing against a beautiful large tree in the center of the paddock. He was about to call her when he noticed that she wasn't alone. Nearby a beautiful pale blue unicorn was walking around. The unicorn seemed to sparkle as it walked-Link realized it was of the ice element, as its hooves and horn were apparently made of diamond-hard ice. As he watched, the unicorn suddenly whinnied, and-to Link's amazement-spread two very big and grand pale blue wings from its sides. "That's Nayru's alicorn, Alisnow. She's Nayru's pride and joy." Link shifted his gaze to the left, and spotted an emerald-green creature that had feathered wings very much like Alisnow's. It looked as though it were half-bird, half-dragon. It had two feet, which served as forelegs, and they resembled those of an eagle. The creature also had the head of an eagle, only it wasn 't covered with feathers---rather, it was scaly, like a lizard's. The scales totally covered the creature save for its wings, and its body was a lot like Serpentina's-snake-like, with a bulk near the chest where the forelegs were. "That's Phoenix, my griffagon," Farore said. "She's very sweet, but also very battle-ready. She's gotten along very well with Serpentina so far." Link looked up toward a small rise, and saw a big red creature. It appeared to be half-horse, half-dragon-the head, chest, and forelegs were that of a horse, only with burning red eyes, golden hooves, a golden horn very much like Alisnow's, and a golden ridge of spikes that ran from its nose to the very end of the tail. The other half, though, was like a red version of Phoenix's back end. Scales started just behind the shoulder muscles, and went on from there. The wings were those of a dragon rather than a bird's, with a vicious claw on each one. The creature pawed the ground, and snorted fire. "And that is Din's dracosus, Firehoof. Flies like the wind, he does. Problem is, he's got a temper Din alone can control. He prefers to just sit back and watch the party rather than join in." Indeed, Firehoof was just watching the other three creatures in the paddock. Link suddenly noticed just how big Serpentina was compared to these creatures. Serpentina's shoulder blades were about seventeen hands above the ground, and she was sixty feet long, give or take an inch. Alisnow was a shade over fourteen hands tall-just over pony size-and Link knew she wasn't even eight feet long. Phoenix was a bit bigger, of course-roughly seventeen hands tall, her head was as tall as Serpentina's shoulder blades. However, she was only one-fourth as long as Serpentina-about fifteen feet long. Link didn't have to get close to know that Firehoof was twenty hands tall, and probably about twenty-five feet long. Firehoof was huge. "They're beautiful," Link said. "Firehoof sure is big, though." "Yes, he is. But he makes a very good mount for Din, and her temper certainly matches his." Farore said. She looked at Link, who was watching Serpentina, and looked back out at the paddock. Link was silent for a moment before he spoke. "When I was a little kid I wondered if I really was a Kokiri, not having a fairy and all. I even dreamt of actually becoming a hero-there was a carving on the side of my house that I made of myself fighting a big monster with a fairy helping me. Then, when I found out that I really wasn't a Kokiri, I began to wonder who my mother was. I pictured her as a woman like Danka, but.somehow, it just didn't fit. I mean, Jusonde was really courageous, everyone knew that. But somehow that just didn't seem to fit, either. I always knew there was something more to the story. But when Din told it to me last night, part of me said yes, but another part of me didn't want to believe it." Link shook his head, and turned to Farore, who was looking into his eyes. "Now I know who it was I was really trying to picture when I thought of my mother." Farore smiled, and tears formed in her eyes. She looked away, bowing her head. "You don't know just how much I worry about you, Link." Farore said. "When we created Hyrule, I never thought I'd have any children. And even though it had to be done to ensure the destiny of Hyrule.I still feel a sort of attachment to you. Like a mother, I suppose." Farore turned to face Link now. "When I placed you inside Danka I imagined what you would be like. Then you were born, and I could sense that you would become a strong, handsome young man who lived to fight and destroy evil. And now.here I am, talking to you for the very first time. Link, I knew from the moment all this started that it would be hard for you to accept. Sometimes I can't believe it either, to be honest. I had seen all those women with their children as I watched them play, and wondered what it was like to be a mother-loving them, caring for them, holding them in your arms when they're sad or tired. Then you watch them grow over the years, and feel proud knowing that someday your child would grow up to be big and strong and maybe even be a hero." She paused, and two tears rolled down her cheeks. "Now I know how it feels to be a mother." Link smiled, and suddenly found himself crying, too. Farore hugged him, and he cried into her shoulder. She could barely hear him say it, but she knew that she wasn't hearing things. "Mama." Meanwhile, Saphira and Ganondorf were eating breakfast in the dining hall, discussing what to do about the Sages. "I would much rather dispose of them now," Saphira said. "They've been a bit of a nuisance recently, especially that Ruto girl." "Now, now, she's just upset. Besides, Link will come in time. We must allow him to come first, then dispose of him before we get rid of the Sages." Ganondorf said. "I do not like to wait," Saphira said. "Nor do I. However, it is necessary. Besides," he stood up. "I made a special request to have a couple.er.guests brought here by your bodyguards to join our little party." Saphira perked up with interest. "Oh? And who did you invite?" Ganondorf smiled, and went to Saphira's seat, and held out his hand. She took it, and he led her to the Throne Room door. However, he stopped here, and took out a cloth. He then tied it around Saphira's eyes. "Ganondorf! What is this?" Saphira asked with a smile. "You'll see," Ganondorf replied, grinning. He had a feeling she would absolutely love this surprise. He opened the door, and led her in. The Sages all glowered at him, but he ignored them. Instead, he looked at the Iron Knuckles, who were standing near the thrones with the two "guests." Ganondorf took particular pride in this capture-he'd met both of these prisoners during his reign as King, and had decided that they would perfect in his plan for Link's downfall. He stopped a few yards away, and slowly untied the blindfold. Saphira was bewildered at first, but smiled with delight when she saw who was with the Knuckles. It was Malon and Danka. Chapter 7 "How much longer must we wait?" Din demanded, pacing the dining hall. She and Nayru were also eating breakfast-well, Nayru was, at least-while Link and Farore were coming up with a game plan on how to get through Saphira's castle. "The longer we stay here, the more opportunity for Ganondorf to finish off the Seven Sages!" "Patience, sister, patience." Nayru said, calmly cutting her food. "Link is trying to come up with a strategy on how to safely rescue the Sages. It would be very foolish to have him run into the castle, screaming like a banshee, with no real plan on how to deal with whatever Saphira has laid out for him. He's good as dead without a plan on how to defeat her." Din glared at her. "I already knew that, thank you very much! But how do we expect to find the Sages in one piece if we just keep waiting-" "Man, I never thought you were this impatient, Din." Din turned, and saw Link in the doorway, with Farore behind him. "But I am pleased to announce that Farore and I have formulated a plan." He held up a large rolled-up piece of parchment, and set it down on the table. "Excuse me, Nayru." "Oh, no problem at all." With a snap of Nayru's fingers, the plates, goblets, and food vanished, leaving an empty table with a few candlesticks here and there. Link unrolled the parchment, which appeared to be a map. There were eight diagrams, one of what appeared to be a mountain, and seven which looked like parts of a building. It was a map of Crystal Mountain and Saphira's castle. "Okay. Farore tells me that you've been watching Saphira pretty closely, so we were able to mark down where the guards are and who we can expect to fight. This," Link pointed to the mountain diagram, "is where we'll have the least amount of trouble-Poes guard this part of Saphira's territory, and if we take all the animals, we shouldn't have any trouble at all taking the Poes down. This part," Link moved to a slightly bigger diagram, "is the first floor and drawbridge. Now, from what Farore tells me, there's no guards on the drawbridge, but Volvagia will definitely be lurking somewhere around the first floor. So we'll have to be really careful at this point if we want to get to Saphira in one piece. This part," Link moved to a smaller diagram, "is the basement. This is where Saphira's reinforcements will be, so we'll want to take them out as quickly as possible. This next part here," Link moved to the next diagram, "is the second floor, which is where we'll meet up with some Stalfos. Since this is Saphira we're talking about, I'd say thirty or so of these guys is a reasonable estimate. The third floor," Link moved to the fifth diagram, "is where we'll meet up with some Lizalfos and Dinolfos. We'll have to be careful around them, since they can get really nasty. The fourth floor here," Link moved to the sixth diagram, "is where Saphira has stationed some Moriblins and Monblins. 'Nuff said, right? The fifth floor," Link pointed to the next picture, "is where things get even trickier. Apparently, Saphira's got that big pair of well-trained Iron Knuckles stationed right before the stairs to the sixth floor, which leads to the Throne Room. But if we get past them, it'll be smooth sailing from there. We'll just have Ganondorf and Saphira to worry about." "You're forgetting just how powerful Ganondorf is, Link," Din said. "Not to mention that Saphira's staff can turn you to dust within a split second." "I know that, Din. But I've dealt with enemies like them before. Besides, I'm going to try to enjoy this fight as much as possible. It's because of Ganondorf that my life was ruined, and it's because of Saphira that my life fell apart a second time before my very eyes." Link said coldly. "Now, obviously, we'll want to clear out the castle if we want to get to the Throne Room and out of the castle easily. So we'll have to split up and each take a couple floors. Serpentina told me earlier that she wanted another go at Volvagia, so she'll be taking care of him." "I'll take care of the basement and second floor. I'll send Firehoof to help Serpentina fight Volvagia, since she had such a hard time trying to fight him." Din said. "Great. Okay, that's three down. Nayru? "I'll take the third floor. Lizalfos and Dinolfos will be no problem at all." Nayru said. "Excellent. Farore?" "I can take care of the fourth floor. Moriblins and Monblins don't scare me in the slightest." "Wonderful. That leaves me with the Iron Knuckles-and I'll definitely enjoy getting rid of them." Link said. Then his face turned solemn. "I won't wait for you before going up to the Throne Room. Once we attack, Saphira and Ganondorf will be expecting me to show up. And I don't like to keep people waiting." "Are you sure you don't want us there before you go in, Link? They might kill you on the spot." Nayru said. "I certainly wouldn't put that past either of them." Din agreed. "I'm going in alone." Link said firmly. "They want me in there alone, so I'm going in alone. I know there'll be some surprises for me when I get there-I 've learned to expect that-but I'll deal with it. Just get there as soon as you can. Make sure the castle is totally empty before getting in there, though-we don't want any ambushes." "All right. But we're going with you as you go up to the tower-if we can't go in with you, we may as well hold off the monsters while you go in." Link was silent for a moment, but nodded. "Let's do it." Farore said with a smile. With that, they set off toward the paddock. The four animals were waiting patiently by the fence, ready for action. Three bridles hung on the rail of the fence, and each of the goddesses' animals stood behind one. The goddesses tacked up the creatures, and Link went over to Serpentina to greet her. Nayru opened the gate, and Phoenix came out first. Farore led her off to the side, and mounted. Firehoof came out next. He stalked out, regarding Link with a look that rivaled Ganondorf's glare. He snorted, and went off to Din, who was waiting patiently. Alisnow came out next, and Serpentina followed. Link mounted Serpentina, and looked at Firehoof-who was still glaring at him. "Never mind him," Serpentina said, as though reading Link's thoughts. "Phoenix believes he fancies me, but I'm not sure." Link was a bit startled by this, and was about to reply when Din lifted up her hand. "Okay, everybody. This battle will seal the fates of the eight people we most treasure, so let us not fail. Saphira must be punished for her evil deeds, and Ganondorf must be brought down for good." Din looked at Link, and Link had a sudden feeling that she knew he wanted to be the one to seal Ganondorf's fate-and that he was that eighth person she had mentioned. "Let' s go save the Sages." With that, all the animals spread their wings and took flight. Din led the way on Firehoof, while Nayru and Farore flanked Serpentina. Link couldn't believe how the rest of the Sacred Realm contrasted from the paradise the goddesses lived in-it was like a barren desert, with monsters roaming the sands. Link realized they had entered the territory Ganondorf ruled. He looked around, and he saw something in the distance. Link recognized the purple storm clouds, and realized that it was Ganondorf's castle. Farore flew closer to him. "Yes, that's where Ganondorf has made his home. He's not there now, of course." Farore said grimly. Link felt a surge of anger run through him. "Do you suppose we could-" "Don't even think about it, Link," Din called from up ahead. "There's no way for us to destroy that castle." "Even we cannot penetrate the evil that surrounds the castle," Nayru said. "When Ganondorf seized the Triforce of Power, it became evil as well, and was able to create a shield around the castle that only those Ganondorf allows can enter. Only when Ganondorf is destroyed will the Triforce of Power become benign again and the Evil Realm a paradise." Link was taken aback by this. The Triforce of Power had done all this? "It is phenomenal, isn't it? How a evil man like that can cause so much devastation-with just the Triforce of Power," Din muttered. "Only the other Triforce pieces will be able to help us now." "What do you mean?" Link asked. "Because Ganondorf was released from his prison, the Triforce of Power has become even stronger. Only the Triforces of Courage and Wisdom will be able to calm its evil." Nayru said. "But how will they be able to do that? Zelda's a prisoner, she won't be able to help." Link said. "And I don't know how to use the Triforce of Courage." "Miracles happen, Link, and one will happen today. I promise." Farore said. "Look! We're almost there!" Nayru said, pointing ahead. "Almost where?" Link asked. "To the path back to Hyrule." Farore replied. He looked up ahead, and saw a pale blue light in the distance. It looked like a tower of light. The animals sped up, as though sensing some sort of urgency, and Link leaned forward into Serpentina's warm mane of fire. They were almost there.suddenly, in a flap of wings, all four animals swooped upward into the light. Link clutched onto Serpentina, and was glad he had done so, because they suddenly took off at lightning speed through the bright tower of light. Link bowed his face against the rush of wind, and held Serpentina tighter. There was a bright flash of light, and Link felt Serpentina slow down. He looked up, and saw that they were soaring above Hyrule Field. He looked around, feeling instant relief. But before he could relax, Serpentina nearly flew out from under him as she took off with the other animals. He gripped her scales, and leaned forward. They were flying very fast, and Link couldn't help but smile. They were flying over the bordering mountains, and Link looked around to gaze at them. He'd never seen the regions outside of Hyrule before, save for the Gragun kingdom. "Link! Look up ahead!" Serpentina said. Link looked up, and gasped. The mountains ended here, revealing a huge forest-which in turn surrounded a beautiful kingdom. But the kingdom's splendor faded when Link saw the enormous mountain that towered over them. A huge castle rested on top of it, and Link could see a road that led up the mountain from town. "Crystal Mountain," Din said. "Reigning landmark of Crastalyina. Three guesses as to why it is." Link sniggered a bit. He looked closely at the mountain. As he narrowed his eyes, he could just see the tiny lights that floated around on the mountain near the road. The lights bobbed around, and Link noticed that they seemed to shift their positions every once in a while. "Poes," Link said. "Just like old times." He grinned, and leaned toward Serpentina's face. "You ready, girl?" "Give me the word and I'll let 'em have it," Serpentina replied fiercely. "Okay. Are we ready?" Link said, looking at Firehoof, Alisnow, and Phoenix. Each of them appeared to be powering up their attacks. "Let's do it!" With that, the four animals swooped toward the mountain, wings spread to their full length. Link saw the Poes turn toward them, and he knew they were preparing to attack. "NOW!" Link cried. Serpentina and Firehoof let loose with great streams of fire, Alisnow let fly with huge icicles from her massive wings, and Phoenix beat her wings furiously to create violent gusts of wind. The Poes squealed with fright and pain as they were attacked, and this seemed to encourage their enemies even more. Link grinned as the last of the Poes was incinerated, and patted Serpentina on the neck. "Good work. Now let's go do some real fighting." Firehoof led the way up the mountain, and Link looked around cautiously for Volvagia. He knew that Volvagia could very well be patrolling the mountain-but then again, he could be waiting just inside the castle to ambush them. The goddesses were also very alert-Nayru was now holding her bow in one hand, and Din's arms were glowing brightly. Farore hadn't unsheathed her sword yet, but she was prepared to do so. Link looked forward, and saw that they were already approaching the castle doors. Link felt his muscles tense up almost immediately, but he quickly shook it off-if there was one thing he had learned, it was to never be tense before a fight. It made you lose your edge. Firehoof landed very quietly on the drawbridge, and the other animals followed suit. Link and the goddesses dismounted, and after looking around one final time, they went to the doors. If there was one thing Link didn't like, it was tall, fourteen-plus-foot doors. They always made him think something huge was waiting just beyond them to swallow him whole. And the doors that led into the castle were just this kind. Twenty feet tall, and bound in black steel, the huge wooden doors loomed above Link, daring him to enter. Link took a deep breath, and pushed against the doors. Amazingly, they swung open fairly easily despite their size. Too easily, in fact. Link raised one eyebrow suspiciously as he stepped into the main hall, looking around at the huge room. It was very lavish-everything was covered in burgundy and red velour, with gold borders. Link loved red, but this was enough to scare him. It made him think everything around him was covered in blood. He shuddered, and was dimly aware of the goddesses stepping alongside him as he observed his surroundings. "Guess she likes red," Link said. "I'll say," Din muttered. "This makes my chambers look bare in comparison." Suddenly, they heard a roar coming from somewhere inside the walls-it wasn't loud, but they could feel the force of it. Link straightened as he recognized the roar. "It's him," Link said. "Volvagia knows we're here. They all know we're inside." "Get ready to move," Serpentina said, bracing herself. They waited in silence. Farore unsheathed her sword, and Link took out his Biggoron Sword. If he was going to fight a tough battle, he wanted a sword that could do the job quickly. As if in a mirror image, he and Farore both held and twirled their swords in their hands in the same way at the same time. Link closed his eyes, and listened intently. He couldn't hear anything.then he heard it. A weird, rustling sound, like scales against a rock. Link opened his eyes and looked around at the walls. He followed the sound as it traveled toward a nearby door. He braced himself as the sound got louder. BANG. The door crashed down, taking most of the wall with it, and Volvagia stormed in, roaring his fiery head off. He turned toward Link, and snarled. Serpentina screamed with rage, and lunged at Volvagia. Din took that chance to shoot toward the nearby stairway that led downstairs to the basement, and Firehoof immediately took off at Volvagia. Link, Farore, and Nayru waited-they wouldn't continue until Din's first job was complete. Link watched as Serpentina dove for Volvagia's throat. Volvagia dodged, and tried to claw at her face. Serpentina leaned back to dodge the blow, and breathed a huge fireball into Volvagia's face. Volvagia roared with rage, and Firehoof whipped at Volvagia with his tail. While Volvagia was distracted, Serpentina slashed the side of Volvagia's neck with her teeth. The demon roared in pain, and turned on Serpentina, who immediately clouted him with her wings. Volvagia didn't like that-he snatched one of her wings in his teeth. Link cried out as he realized what Volvagia was about to do-he was going to try to rip her wing off. Firehoof was quicker, though-he dashed forward and ran his horn into Volvagia's side. Volvagia released Serpentina to let out an ear-piercing scream, but as he stopped, he glared at Serpentina with an ice-cold gleam in his eyes. Link gasped as Volvagia practically pounced on Serpentina, ripping at her with his teeth and claws. Firehoof flew in to try to save her, but Link had a feeling it was a losing battle. He started forward, but Farore stopped him as Din came back, her arms smoking as she sped toward them. "Go!" Din said. "Serpentina!" Link cried as Farore pushed him toward the stairs leading to the second floor. "She'll be fine! Go!" Din said, and he ran forward, praying that Serpentina would be okay. It wasn't long before they reached the doors at the top of the stairs. Phoenix flew at them, ramming them open. Link narrowed his eyes as he laid his eyes on Saphira's army of Stalfos. Thirty of them were patrolling the huge corridor, and as they turned to face the intruders, Link felt a surge of anger rise up in him. They would pay dearly for destroying his home, and Din would make very sure of that. He stepped aside, and Din strolled up. Link heard a few Stalfos snigger. They were so dumb, they couldn't even tell she was one of the goddesses. Din smiled, threw her arms forward. A gigantic comet of flame shot forward, knocking the Stalfos down. Link, Farore, and Nayru dashed forward with Phoenix and Alisnow, running past the Stalfos as they advanced on Din. Link charged at the doors leading to another staircase, and ran up the steps. Slamming open the doors, he was greeted by an army of Lizalfos and Dinolfos. Nayru stepped forward, with Alisnow alongside. The Lizalfos attacked first, but Alisnow simply spread her wings and skewered them with her huge icicles. Link and Farore ran on as Nayru held up her bow-they didn't wish to see the mess Nayru would make. The fourth floor was very formidable even before Link opened the doors. As he approached the doors, he heard a huge booming sound-and was knocked down by a shockwave that had come from the other side of the doors. Farore caught Link, and Link recovered with a bit of irritation. "I hate Monblins," he muttered. "I really do." Phoenix decided to open the doors for them with one flap of her wings. What Link saw nearly terrified him. Four Monblins stood among a throng of ten Moriblins, all of them with weapons at the ready. Phoenix flew into the air, and Farore stepped forward. Phoenix beat her wings, letting loose with a fierce, blinding wind that caused the goblins to cover their faces. Link grinned. Monblins and Moriblins were very stupid, and easily distracted. This would be enough to distract them until he made it to the stairs. Link ran forward, but Farore grabbed his shoulder as went past. "Link," she said, calling in order to be heard over the sound of Phoenix's wings. "Be careful." Link had never felt more reassured in his life than when he heard those words coming from Farore. He grinned, and patted her hand, then dashed for the doors at the other end of the corridor. He pushed them open, and dashed up the steps. He slowed a bit before he reached the top, and thought of something. If these were the same Iron Knuckles he had encountered at the Gerudo Fortress, then he wouldn't have an easy time against them. And because the goddesses weren't there to help, he wouldn't be able to blow them away with wind, or stab them with icicles, or even burn them to death. No, he was on his own now-the way he was used to fighting. But just in case, he should come prepared. He concentrated his magic, and knelt on the ground, reciting a short spell. Within seconds, a strong, diamond-shaped shield formed around him. Link had learned this spell, Nayru's Love, from a Great Fairy during his quest for the medallions, and he used it well. It worked especially well against Like-Likes and, more importantly, Iron Knuckles. Link took a deep breath, and opened the door. Standing at the opposite end of the hundred-foot corridor were the two Iron Knuckles, very still but also ready to fight. Behind them was the door to the final flight of stairs. Link strode forward, tightening his grip on his sword. He stopped twenty feet away from the Knuckles, and pulled out a Bombchu. Why he still had these he did not know-all he did know was that they did come in handy on very rare occasions. He set it on the ground, and it immediately went forward. Link waited, and the Bombchu exploded as it touched one Knuckle's foot. The Knuckles both grunted in shock, and started moving toward Link. Link brought his sword in front of him, ready to attack. Since he had the Biggy with him-he liked to call it the Biggy, since he loved it so much-he wouldn't have as much trouble. He smiled a bit as the Iron Knuckles approached him. He would have to time this perfectly, he knew-even though they couldn't hurt him because of the shield, Link didn't want to have to face them one at a time. He waited a few more seconds, then leapt forward. He slashed downward on both Knuckles, and jumped back just as they swung their axes at him. They narrowly missed, but it didn't matter whether they missed or not. Link stepped back a little bit, and started circling the Iron Knuckles very quickly while walking backwards. He'd used this trick on Ganon during their final battle together, and since Iron Knuckles were very slow and stupid, this was bound to work on them. Indeed, they weren't able to keep up. When their backs were facing him, Link rushed forward and slashed several times. Bits of armor fell off, and the Knuckles whirled to face him. Link could feel the impact of their axes against the shield, and cried out as he was sent flying. He landed safely on the ground, but as he looked up, he noticed that the Knuckles were now very mad-they were charging at him. Link jumped up at the last second, and landed right on their shoulders. The Knuckles fell for this, and swung their axes at him. He jumped again, this time to the ground, and looked back just in time to see the knuckles slash each others' heads off. Link looked away as the heads rolled onto the floor and the bodies fall with a crash. The bodies burned away in a flash of bright green flame, and Link went past them. Nayru's Love faded, and Link opened the door. This next flight of stairs was even longer than the others, and Link knew that he was about to face Death's door. When he reached the sixth floor, Link straightened as he saw the long landing leading to a grand pair of doors. Link apprehensively went forward, and stopped right before the doors. He could feel the Triforce of Courage resonating inside him. Yes, Ganondorf was definitely in there, and Link knew he'd be much more deadly than the last time. Link reached out to push the doors open, but they opened on their accord for him. Link felt a chill go down his spine as he saw the Throne Room. This was it. This was where he would finally seal his own fate. Chapter 8 Link stepped forward slowly into the room. It was extremely dim, with only a few candelabras lighting the walls. But where were the Sages? "Saria?" Link called. "Navi? Zelda?" "How good of you to come, Link," a sinister female voice said at the end of the room. Link looked up into the shadows, and could barely see a female figure sitting in an elegant throne. Another throne stood next to hers, and a bulky figure was seated in it. "It's an honor to have you here with us. Care for a bit of." The woman paused and snapped her fingers, and torches lit up in the corners of the huge room. "Light?" Link heard a weird rumble coming from the ceiling, and looked up. A door was opening in the ceiling. He gasped as he saw a cage come down.containing a very pale Rauru. "Rauru," Link whispered. "Oh, don't worry. We've been trying to keep his spirits up." Another rumble, and on the opposite side of Link came another cage. This one held a frightened Nabooru. Link started forward, but the voice continued. "Yes, she's scared. Probably due to all the shadows around here." Another cage came down, this one holding Impa. "I've made sure they've had plenty of food and water, though." Another cage, and this one held a very distressed Ruto. "And I also try to keep them as close to fire as possible." A cage holding Darunia came down. Darunia's wizened face broke into a smile when he saw Link. "But some of them seem to love the forest environment more." A sixth cage came down, this one holding Saria and Navi. "Link! Link!" Saria and Navi cried with joy. "And as these two were saying, it was only a matter of time before you finally arrived." A seventh cage came down, and Link laid his eyes on Zelda for the first time in days. She looked terrified, but Link could tell she was relieved to see him. More torches lit up, and Link could see the woman on the throne better. She was dressed in blue and violet, and held a beautiful staff in her hand. She looked like an evil adult version of Nayru-dark blue hair, pale blue skin-with violet eyes. But what scared Link was the man sitting in the throne next to her. "It's been a while, hasn't it?" Ganondorf sneered. "We've all been waiting for you, Link," the woman said, standing. "I don't believe we've met. I am Queen Saphira. I'm sure you know my name already, though." "Of course I know it," Link snarled. "You killed my horse, my friend Mido, and kidnapped eight innocent people just to see me here in front of you right now." "Well, of course," Saphira said. "How else could we convince you to come?" Link bristled. "But anyway, we didn't invite you here to chat with you. You 're here to die." "Like I was invited in the first place," Link snapped. "I came to rescue my friends. And that's all I intend to do here." "Oh, but I'm afraid it won't be that simple," Ganondorf said. With that, the doors slammed shut. "You see, we planned to kill you first before we got rid of the Sages. That way they would all be here to witness your death." "The longer you talk, the more severe your death will be," Saphira said. "And that's something I would like to see." Link's eyes narrowed. "I've already lived through hell to get here. I watched as one of my childhood friends died before my eyes, I saw five of my friends being kidnapped, and I was nearly killed by my evil twin. You don't think I can win a battle against you? Try me. I've had more experience fighting than the two of you put together." Link snarled. Saphira frowned. "Well, since you think you're so battle-ready, let's see how you fare against this." She clapped her hands, and Link heard a rumble of to the side. He turned, and saw a portcullis opening. Link had a feeling this wasn't going to be good. He watched the opening.and nearly jumped back when he heard a vicious snarl. A pair of glittering blue eyes appeared in the darkness, and as they moved closer, Link could make out the bulk of a huge animal. It came closer, and Link's jaw dropped. It was a huge wolf, covered in violet armor that had sapphires set in it. "Meet Saberjewel," Saphira said with a tint of pride in her voice. "My most loyal bodyguard." Link put away the Biggy, and took out the Master Sword and shield. He had a feeling he would need his shield more than ever. Saberjewel came out of the darkness, and Link could see his figure completely. He looked like a Wolfos that had been drinking too many Red Potions. Saberjewel lowered his head, snarling. Link gulped, but readied his sword. Saberjewel started to circle him, and Link circled the wolf so it couldn't attack from behind. Suddenly, Saberjewel stopped, and Link stopped-only to recoil when Saberjewel leapt at him. Link screamed as he brought up his shield, then grunted as he was slammed onto the ground. Saberjewel was snapping and biting at the shield, trying to get to Link's throat. Link couldn't attack in this state, the wolf would surely rip his throat out if he lowered his shield by a single inch. Suddenly, Saberjewel grabbed the shield firmly in his teeth and pulled. Link cried out as he tried to pull it back, but Saberjewel was too strong. He tore it out of Link's hand, and threw it to the side where Link couldn't reach it. Link looked at Saberjewel in terror. He clenched his sword, ready to make a futile effort if necessary. Saberjewel started forward, snarling loudly. CRAAASSHH! Everyone looked up in surprise as one of the grand stained-glass windows shattered to pieces-and watched in amazement as Serpentina came sailing through. She swooped toward Saberjewel, ramming him away. She settled on the floor in front of Link, snarling as savagely as Saberjewel. Link saw that she was a mess-vicious welts and cuts marred her beautiful body, and her wing was bleeding where Volvagia had bitten her. But whatever pain she was feeling had turned to anger-she looked positively vengeful. Saberjewel stood up, and faced Serpentina. Link moved away to get his shield, and turned back to see the fight. Saberjewel and Serpentina were slowly circling each other, glaring into each others' eyes. Link noticed that Saphira and Ganondorf had looks of anticipation on their faces, while the Sages were gazing down with worry. Link looked back, and saw that both animals had stopped. Then the real fight began. They lunged at each other, snarling and snapping at each other. Saberjewel made a grab for Serpentina's injured wing, but was slammed to the ground by Serpentina's massive tail. As he tried to recover, Serpentina let loose with a fireball at point-blank range. Saberjewel yelped with pain, and scuttled away as Serpentina stood back to wait. Saberjewel paused for a moment, then made a mighty leap for Serpentina's throat. However, Serpentina was faster-she dove under him at the last second, and whipped him across the head with her tail. Saberjewel yelped again, and fell to the ground. He recovered, and Serpentina rose to her full height, spreading her wings. "Come on, come and get me," Serpentina snarled. "Come and fight." Saberjewel snarled with rage, and lowered his head. His eyes started to glow, and Link realized what he was about to do. "Serpentina! Look out!" Link cried. Serpentina had seen this coming though. Link watched as her wings suddenly glowed. Saberjewel fired two great beams of energy at Serpentina, and Link waited for the deadly blow to hit Serpentina. But suddenly, Serpentina wrapped her wings around herself, and Link watched in amazement as the beams reflected off her wings-and right back at their originator. Saphira screamed as Saberjewel flew through the air, landing with a horrible thud. His lifeless body rolled on the ground, and Link watched as Saphira ran to her beloved pet, sobbing. "No, Saberjewel, please don't die! Please." She looked up at Link, tears rolling down her cheeks. "How dare you.how dare you!" "An eye for an eye, Saphira," Link said. "You killed my horse. My dragon just killed your dog. You deserve to feel that kind of pain." Saphira sobbed, and Ganondorf went to her to console her. "Link deserves to die now," Link heard Ganondorf say. "He most certainly does." Saphira stood, crying as Ganondorf lifted Saberjewel in his arms. Within seconds, the wolf vanished. Saphira glared at Link with a vengeful look on her face. "You will pay dearly for that, Hero of Time," Saphira said. "You and your dragon both!" She abruptly lifted her wand, and aimed it straight at Serpentina. A huge beam of magic fired at the dragon. Serpentina tried to dodge, but it was too late. Serpentina slammed into wall, nearly dead. "Serpentina!" Link cried. He turned to Saphira in rage, and ran forward-then stopped when he saw who Ganondorf had just made appear. His look of rage turned to one of terror when he saw Danka and Malon, Ganondorf' s sword against Malon's throat. "Oh, no," Link whispered. "Yes, Link," Ganondorf said. "We have them here as well, just to make sure you don't make any foolish moves. I heard from a very reliable source that you and this commoner have feelings for each other-and not to mention you're both very partial to this fine-looking filly." Link felt a surge of rage flowing through him. "Link, please help us," Malon pleaded. Ganondorf tightened his grip and raised the sword slightly. "You will remain silent or you will die." Ganondorf said as Malon cried with terror. Link felt the urge to run toward her, but he stopped when he looked into Ganondorf's fiery eyes. "You will fight our way, Link. Our way.or you die a foolish Hylian just like your mother." At this comment Link's face twisted into a snarl. "How dare you," he whispered. "You killed her-an innocent woman-in cold blood, and you speak of her as though she were just a worthless piece of meat!" Ganondorf smirked. "All Hylians are worthless. Worthless pieces of trash who think they rule the world. You think I would have spared any woman who crossed my path? No. Why? Because I'm King of the Gerudos, and was raised to be ruthless and insensitive. It doesn't matter who it is I kill-if it's a Gerudo, then we're all very sad. But if it's a Hylian, good. One less to worry about." Ganondorf paused for a moment, his smirk turning to a frown. "Why I wasn't able to kill you I don't know. It might have been because you have the Triforce of Courage, but that is doubtful-you don't even know how to use it. I could have killed you with my bare hands when we fought at my castle, and torn it from your worthless Hylian body. And yet.you escaped." "You will fight us our way, Hero of Time," Saphira said. "No help from anyone. None, or this Hylian girl and her horse die before your eyes. It's your choice. You can even come and kill either of us right now as we stand. But the other will kill this worthless girl and horse as soon as your blade touches flesh." Link knew he was in trouble now. Serpentina had been his best chance.and he couldn't depend on the goddesses or the Sages. "If I die, I die trying. Just like Queen Danka. She died an honorable death, and if I die, I plan to do so the same way." Link said. He took three steps back, holding his sword and shield at his side. "Who will I fight first?" "Link, don't! Don't do it! They'll kill you!" Saria and Navi cried. "They won't show you any mercy, Link!" Nabooru cried. "If you die, Link, all will be lost!" Darunia said. Link held up his sword. "I do this for you and all of Hyrule. It will take a miracle, yes, but I can do this." Link said. "I challenge you, Ganondorf and Queen Saphira, to a battle to the death." There was a moment of silence, and Ganondorf nodded. "We accept." Link went to the center of the room, and Saphira stepped down to face him. Link bowed to her, and she bowed to him. Then they readied their weapons. Link could see the sapphire on her staff glittering. They stood still for a moment, then they went at each other. Link swung his sword with all his might, but Saphira was quick with her staff-she blocked every single one of his moves as though he were an amateur. Link knew he had to use real force in this battle. She was a woman, yes, but this was a situation where chivalry could be forgotten. Saphira raised her staff to swing it at Link, but he ducked, and slashed with his sword across her face. Link heard some of the Sages gasp as Saphira bent over, clutching her face. She removed her hand, and Link saw a ghastly cut swooping down her right jaw. She stared at the blood on her hand, then screamed with rage as she ran at Link. Link parried to block her blows, but she was angry beyond belief. Suddenly, she stopped, and pointed her staff at Link. He noticed that her staff was glowing fiercely. He raised his shield just as the beam shot out of the sapphire, and felt his feet leave the ground as he went flying through the air. He slammed into the wall, and shook his head vigorously to try to get rid of all the stars. He looked up, and saw Saphira advancing very quickly. He stood up, and put away his sword and shield. Then he whipped out the Biggy. Saphira stared at the huge blade for a moment, then lunged at Link. Link dodged the staff as she thrust it at him-even though it was a gem, it had been cut so it resembled a spearhead-and felt his tunic rip. Link spun the sword in his hand, and lunged at Saphira. Her face was half covered in blood now, and most of the blood had soaked her dress, but she didn't care. She fought back fiercely, and Link could feel himself getting tired. Suddenly, in a quick action, she swung her staff at his head. He felt the crack of the wood against his skull, and nearly blacked out as he fell to the floor. He groaned in pain, and held his head. He looked at his hand, and was relieved when he saw that he wasn't bleeding. He looked up, and rolled out of the way just as Saphira tried to whack him with her staff again. She ran at him, point toward Link, and jumped into the air before Link could try to get up. He rolled onto his back, and instinct took over. Suddenly, Saphira was on top of him, her once-furious face twisted into one of shock and pain. Link looked down, and saw blood rushing over his hands. Saphira pushed herself up, and Link realized with shock that the Biggy had skewered Saphira just as she had tried to kill him. Saphira weakly stood up, and looked down at her now-red dress. She looked up at Ganondorf, who was standing there, emotionless. "My love," she whispered, holding her hand out as she staggered toward him. Ganondorf walked over, and took her arms in his hands, holding her away at arm's length. "You really thought I loved you, didn't you?" Ganondorf said with a sneer. "Fool. I'm a Gerudo. I wasn't born to love. I don't even know the meaning of the word. I only married you to get my hands on your kingdom. I wanted more than Hyrule when I ruled there-I wanted an empire. And you were my key to getting it." Link couldn't believe what he was hearing. He felt a bit of sympathy for Saphira as her face turned to one of utter astonishment and sadness. She tried to speak, but only gasps came out. Suddenly, her head fell back, and her eyes closed. She was dead. After all she done, after all the lives she had destroyed, she was gone forever. Ganondorf threw her down with disgust, and turned to Link. Link shook his head with anger. "You evil, soulless coward," Link whispered. "You played her for a fool when she loved you with all her heart. She did all this for you, and this is how you repay her?!" Ganondorf smiled. "Yes. She meant nothing to me. I never loved her." He looked down, and shook his head. "Just another worthless creature. Just like her dog." "You monster!" Ruto cried. "You killed your own wife with no mercy at all," Impa said angrily. "If anyone deserves to die, it's you," Zelda said. "You kill people like dogs. You murdered my mother, my father, and now you kill your own wife with no remorse to show for it! You're a disgusting creature who deserves to die!" Ganondorf turned toward her. "I'd watch my mouth if I were you, young lady. I still have a beautiful pair of hostages right over there awaiting their fate." Ganondorf said, nodding toward Danka and Malon. He turned to Link. "Now it's time for you to meet yours." He raised his fist, and Link saw the Triforce of Power glowing fiercely on it. Suddenly, Ganondorf began to change form. Link looked up in terror as Ganon appeared, wielding two huge blades. Link readied his sword. Ganon advanced on him, and Link waited. Suddenly, he felt a strange feeling going through him. He looked at his hand, and the Triforce of Courage glowed on his gauntlet. He looked up, and saw the Triforce of Wisdom on Zelda's hand as well. Link felt some sort of trembling in his arms and legs, then cried out as he floated into the air. Ganon stopped in amazement, and watched as Link soared to Zelda's height. Suddenly, Link and Zelda began to glow. They were glowing so brightly, everyone had to cover their eyes. Link looked down, and saw that his clothes were changing. The leather on his boots and gauntlets were turning to sheets of golden armor, and a golden cape was forming around Link's shoulders. Golden chainmail and armor formed over Link's chest, emeralds set in the collar. Link felt his hat disappear, and a circlet formed around his head. The glow surrounding Link and Zelda faded, and Link saw that Zelda was now wearing a beautiful golden gown. A sash streamed from her hands, and sapphires bordered the neckline of Zelda's gown. A silver circlet with sapphires and amethysts set in it had formed around her head, and Link saw that she was also wearing a golden cape, chainmail and armor. Ganon couldn't believe his eyes. How had they suddenly changed? He looked at Zelda, who had crossed her arms in front of her and was screaming. Suddenly, the cage bars broke, and she stepped out of the cage, floating in the air. Link and Zelda both floated back to the floor, and Ganon stared at them, dumbfounded. Suddenly, a bright golden light filled the room, and the three goddesses appeared. Zelda stared with amazement at Nayru, who was standing next to her. Farore had appeared next to Link, and Din was facing Ganondorf, arms crossed and glaring. Silence filled the room as Ganon gaped at the goddesses. "You evil, disgusting beast," Din said in a barely audible whisper. "You stole my Triforce to use to do your evil will. You murdered innocent people, and tried to destroy Hyrule. And what's more, you tried to destroy Link and Zelda-my sisters' children." Gasps came from the Sages, and Zelda was thunderstruck. Link didn't flinch. "You deserve to pay for what you did to Hyrule, Ganon. You deserve to die, and you deserve to lose your powers in their entirety." Ganon's face turned to one of terror. Din stepped back, and looked at her sisters, who nodded. They all raised their hands, and fired powerful beams of energy at Ganon. Ganon screamed in pain, and staggered. Link and Farore stepped forward, and attacked with their swords. Ganon roared, but was unable to fight back. Instead, he collapsed, staring at Link and Farore. "You want to know why you could never kill me and Zelda, Ganon?" Link said. "Because Zelda's the Daughter of Wisdom and I'm the Son of Courage. And now we're going to take back what rightfully belongs to the goddesses." Ganon snarled, and tried to get up. Link and Farore stepped back, and Link nodded to Zelda. They both raised their hands in front of themselves, and concentrated. Link felt a great surge of power inside of him, and looked down. A big, glowing green triangle was glowing on his chest. Zelda had a big blue triangle glowing on her chest. Link and Zelda concentrated harder, and the triangles soared into the air, floating above Ganondorf. Suddenly, the triangles glowed even brighter, and a beam of light shot out from them into Ganon. Ganon screamed as a red light shot from his body. Link and Zelda were tiring, but they kept concentrating. A bright red triangle soon came out from Ganon's body, and went to the other two. A bright flash of light filled the room, and the Triforce floated in the air above a weak and pale Ganondorf. As if by magic, the cages came slowly to the ground, the doors swinging open on their own. The bewildered Sages watched as Link went over to Ganondorf, sword ready. Ganondorf was lying on his back, trembling. Link looked into his eyes, and for the first time, he saw fear in the man's eyes. "Please," Ganondorf whispered. "Don't kill me. I'm sorry for what I've done." Link's eyes narrowed. "It's too late for apologies, Ganondorf." Link said. "You've ruined too many lives and killed too many people. You could never be sorry for what you've done to Hyrule." He laid the edge of his sword on Ganondorf's neck, raised it up, and brought it down again. The Sages looked away as they heard the sword hit the floor. When they looked back, Link had removed his cape and covered Ganondorf's body with it. Zelda went over to Saphira, and placed her cape over the dead queen's body as well. There was a tense moment of silence-then a door opened on the far side of the room. A pale, nervous man peeked out, and Link saw his eyes widen with dread when he saw the two covered bodies. "No," the man said, shaking his head. "Please, tell me that's not." He dashed out, and ran to Saphira's body. He slowly removed the cape, and Link saw the man's shoulders shake as he sobbed. Zelda and Link knelt next to him. The man looked up at them. "How-did she die?" the man asked. Link bowed his head. "I'm afraid I was responsible. We were fighting, and when she tried to attack me she.fell on my sword." Link said. The man nodded, trying to hold back tears. "Did Ganondorf grieve for her?" he asked. "No, he didn't." Zelda said softly. "He told her just before she died that he never loved her-he only married her to get her kingdom." The man nodded again, and bowed his head. "I told her she was making a mistake when she fell in love with him. I told her over and over again, but she never listened." he looked up at Link, and realized that Link was wondering who he was. "I'm Tyano.I was.her advisor." Tyano looked back at Saphira. "She used to say that my words were as good as gold. But after she met him, she turned dark.brutal.mad.she refused to listen to a word I said. When the Graguns broke the alliance, I told her she mustn't use brute force. But she resorted to using those horrid monsters to try to scare the Graguns to death.then she decided to kill your horse. When she told me what she had done, I was beside myself with rage. To kill an animal in cold blood.especially to send an ultimatum.then she went on to kidnap the Sages, and even wreaked havoc on innocent people." Tyano stopped, and took a deep breath. "I had a feeling it would come to this. Ever since she crossed paths with that.that monster.I knew things would end in a less than joyful way." He pulled the cape back over Saphira, and stood up. Link placed his hand on Tyano's shoulder. "I'm very sorry this had to happen," Link said. "I know you tried your best to stop her." "No, I didn't," Tyano said. "Fact is, I didn't try hard enough. If I wanted to stop her, I could've used force myself. I could've." he stopped, and his eyes widened. He motioned for Link and Zelda to stay where they were, and dashed toward the room he had entered from. The Sages were standing motionless, and Malon was clinging to Danka, frightened beyond belief. Before long, Tyano returned, carrying a large bundle in his arms. It was wrapped in a violet cloth, and Link wondered what it was. As Tyano made his way toward Link, he stopped to pick up the magnificent staff that lay forgotten on the floor. He twirled it in his hand for a moment, then turned back toward Link and Zelda. He went to them, and there was a pause before he spoke. "If I had wanted to stop her, I could've simply destroyed these. Her power came from these treasures. But.they should go to their rightful owners now." He held out the staff toward Zelda, and the bundle toward Link. Link took the bundle, and as curiosity overtook him, he unwrapped it. His eyes widened when he laid them upon a huge, glowing sapphire that was roughly the size of a Leever. "That was how Saphira tracked everybody and everything down," Tyano continued. "All she had to do was speak to it, and it would reply with an answer. It knows everything. And that staff was her pride and joy. Mostly used it to intimidate visitors, but more often to kill than anything else. Preferred to perform executions herself, she loved to use that cursed thing's power so much." "But.what do you want us to do with these?" Zelda asked. Tyano smiled a bit. "Take them to Quogar. If anyone should own these treasures, it's him. Oh, and.take this, too." He pulled a rolled-up piece of parchment from his robes. "This is something Saphira wrote a few years ago, but never destroyed. In this, she states that in the event of her death-and if she has one, her husband's as well-this entire kingdom is to go to the Graguns." "But.what about the villagers? What will they say?" Link asked. "There are no villagers. I'm the only Crastalian who lives here now. After Ganondorf and Saphira organized these outrageous ranks around the castle and mountain, the villagers decided they'd had enough and left. I imagine they' ve either gone to Quogar or they're hiding out in the woods until word spreads that everything's over. Most likely the latter." "But what about you? If Quogar does accept, what will you do?" Zelda asked. "I've been thinking about that. This is the only home I have ever known, and truth to tell, I'm very close to the castle. I would very much like to remain here.that is, if Quogar approves." "Don't worry, we'll ask him. If I know him, I think he'll let you stay. You haven't done anything wrong." Link assured him. Tyano nodded. "Thank you, Link. Oh, and by the way.I don't blame you for her death. She brought it upon herself." Tyano said. He turned to Zelda, and took her hand in his. "I must extend my sincere apologies for what has happened, Princess Zelda-to you, the Sages, and to all of Hyrule." Zelda nodded, smiling a bit. "You don't have to apologize, Tyano. Like Link said, you didn't do anything wrong. And.I have a feeling Saphira is sorry for what she did." There was a moment of silence, then Tyano turned toward Saphira's body. He knelt down, and gathered her in his arms. Standing again, he turned toward the main doors. Link and Zelda made way for him, and he walked out, passing the goddesses. They watched, and Nayru wiped a tear away. After Tyano left, the goddesses stepped forward. They stood in a triangle formation around Ganondorf, and held their hands up toward the floating Triforce. Everyone watched as the Triforce glowed even brighter, and suddenly flashed so brightly everyone had to cover their eyes. When they looked up again, the Triforce was gone. "The Triforce is back in its rightful place. Our work here is finished." Din said. Nayru and Farore turned toward Link and Zelda, and went over to them. For a moment, no one moved. Then Link hugged Farore, smiling. "Thank you for helping me through this," Link whispered. "I couldn't have done it without you." Meanwhile, Zelda could only gaze at Nayru. Nayru smiled. "It's all right, Zelda. I know it's hard to accept." Nayru said. But Zelda smiled, and knelt down. Then she hugged Nayru. "I never said I couldn't accept the truth. I always knew there had to be a reason behind my powers." Zelda and Link pulled away at the same time, and the goddesses came together. Suddenly, three big creatures flew through the broken window-Firehoof, Phoenix, and Alisnow. They landed next to their respective owners, and the goddesses mounted. They all glowed brightly, and Link saw Farore blow him a kiss as she disappeared with the others. For a moment, there was dead silence. Then Ruto and Nabooru threw their arms around each other, crying with joy. Impa came over to Zelda, and Link was almost thrown to the ground when Saria threw her arms around him. Navi snuggled up against him lovingly, and he held her close. Darunia was doing his happy dance, while Rauru was with Malon, comforting her. After Saria released him, Link went over to Malon and Danka. Danka immediately went to him and nudged his arm, and Malon practically dashed into Link's arms. "I knew you'd come, Link," Malon said. "I knew you would." "How did Ganondorf get you?" Link said, pulling away. "He sent those Iron Knuckles to the ranch a few nights ago, while everyone was asleep. One barged into the barn and grabbed Danka, and the other broke down the door to the house and took me. Within seconds, I found myself tied up, and standin' here with that big monster." She looked at Danka, who apparently had grown attached to Link. "You know, I think she's taken to you," Malon said. "Yeah. I think I've taken to her, too." Link patted Danka's muzzle, then turned back to Malon. "Malon, I-" Malon held up her hand. "Link, I've been thinkin'.I don't think we're meant to be together." "What do you mean?" "Think about it. You love adventure, fighting monsters, and exploring caves and all that. But I would do just about anything to stay at the ranch with the horses." Malon paused. "If anything, you should be with Zelda." "Zelda? But she's my half-sister! We had the same father, Malon-" "But you were raised in two different worlds, apart from each other. Do you still think of her as your sister?" "I.I.I guess not." Link conceded. "I've seen the way you look at each other, Link. I can tell she has a crush on you, and vice versa. We'll still be good friends, and you can count on me to help whenever necessary. But you belong with Zelda." She stepped back, and Link knew that she really meant it. Malon looked again at Danka. "You know.I think you should take Danka with you." "What?! But Malon, she's Epona's only foal!" Malon smiled coyly. "I never said she was Epona's only foal," Malon said. "You mean.she had others?" Malon nodded with a smile. "About a year after Danka was born, Ganondorf decided to bring Kumate back to us. I guess Epona saw some good in that stallion, because she took to him. Eleven months later, she had another little filly. She's the spitten image of Epona, and we named her Falon-after my mother." Malon reached up and patted Danka's neck. "Danka's just like her mother, Link-she loves to run around, and hates being cooped up. She'd give anything to get away from the ranch. Falon, on the other hand, is like me. She loves the ranch, and would do just about anything to stay there. So you see, Link, neither of us will really have lost Epona-we have her children with us." Link was thunderstruck, but as he looked into Danka's violet eyes, he knew he couldn' t refuse. "All right. I promise I'll take good care of her." "You don't have to promise me, Link. I know you will." Together they went to where the others were standing. "I think it's an order that we all go home," Link said, smiling. "I've had enough of this place." The Sages nodded in agreement. But before they could gather in a circle, Nabooru went over to Malon and whispered something in her ear. Malon nodded, and removed her apron. Nabooru went over to Ganondorf's body, and knelt next to him. She lifted the cape covering him, and laid out the apron on the floor. Many of the others turned away as Nabooru lifted Ganondorf's head and wrapped it in the apron, tying it into a bundle. Tying the bundle to her belt, she pulled the cloth back over Ganondorf's body. Then, in an incredible display of strength, she lifted the huge man in her arms. She stood up, and went over to the others. She regarded them with a sad and grim look. "He may have been evil, and I may have hated his guts. But he's still a Gerudo-he was once king of my race, and there were those who respected him. Even I cannot deny him a proper burial in the desert." She joined the circle, and even Link could understand her reasons. Zelda mounted Danka with Malon, and Link mounted Serpentina. Soon, they were all enveloped in a bright light, and Link knew they were going home. Not long after, Link and Zelda arrived in Draconiara. They were warmly welcomed by the villagers of Kakariko and the Graguns, and received an even greater welcome when they met Quogar. He had been afraid that they had both been killed at Hyrule Castle, and was overjoyed to see them alive and well. "I heard about what happened at Hyrule Castle, and I feared you were both lost. Now I see you're both alive and looking very well indeed." "Believe me, we've both had some rough scares," Link said. "We defeated Saphira and Ganondorf, Quogar. They're both dead." Quogar stared at him in amazement. "Both of them?" he asked. "I can't believe it. It's all over." "Yes. We came to tell you it's okay for the villagers to return to Hyrule-and also to give these to you." Link and Zelda handed the sapphire and staff to Quogar. Quogar unwrapped the sapphire, and gazed upon it with awe. "It looks just as beautiful as it did sixteen years ago," Quogar said. "And so does this." He twirled the staff in his hand. "Tyano, Saphira's advisor, asked us to bring you this as well." Link gave Quogar the parchment. Quogar read it, and his eyes widened. "The entire kingdom is ours?" Quogar asked. "For keeps. Tyano wants to know if he can stay there, as well." "Of course he can. He didn't do anything to harm anybody." Quogar said with a smile. He gazed at the parchment again. "I must write to him and let him know of the arrangements. I must also tell my people." "We'll go so you can tend to your affairs," Zelda said. "We have to escort the villagers to their homes as well." Quogar looked at them with tear-filled eyes. "I can't thank you enough for what you have done for everyone," Quogar said. "My people have dreamed of living outside of these mountains for decades." "Don't thank us, Quogar. We only ended the trouble." Link said. "Yes, yes, of course. Well, I suppose you should be off. Thank you so much, and I hope we meet again." Quogar said, bowing to them. Link and Zelda bowed back, and left. They rallied the villagers, and led them back to Hyrule. When Link and Zelda finally returned to the castle, they couldn't have felt more relieved to be home. Link let Serpentina fly off to explore the grounds, and Danka was put in the stables to rest. Link and Zelda went to the Great Hall to settle in, and were met by a great surprise. Two huge paintings hung on the walls, and Link felt his heart soar when he saw them. "I can't believe it," he said. Zelda lifted one hand to her mouth. "Is that.is that." Zelda was too amazed to speak. "It is," Link said, leading her to the paintings. "Our father and mother." The two magnificent portraits hung on the wall, their frames and plaques shining in the light. Link saw tears stream from Zelda's eyes as she reached up to touch the plaques on the frames. Link placed his hand on her shoulder, and she turned to him and hugged him, sobbing. Link looked up at them, and murmured, "Thanks, Nayru." Then he turned back to Zelda. "Are you all right?" Zelda pulled away, brushing tears off her face. "Yes, I'm fine. Oh, Link, I can't believe it," she said, gazing up at the portraits. Link knew this was it-the moment of truth. "Zelda, there's something I've got to tell you. I'm not in love with Malon, Zelda-well, I was, but not anymore. The fact is, I'm really in love with you." Zelda was dumbstruck. "But Link, we're-" "Zelda, we've lived apart for so long that it doesn't matter. I grew up with the Kokiri, and you here in the castle. We've only known each other as friends since we met each other seven years ago, and even though the goddesses say you are, I don't even think of you as my sister." Zelda was stunned for a moment, but as she spoke, Link knew she agreed with him. "Link, I must admit, I had a feeling we knew each other when we met seven years ago, but.even then, I had a crush on you. I still do, in fact." She paused, looking into his eyes. "Link, I have a feeling we were destined to be together." Link smiled. "You know what? So do I." With that, he tipped her face toward his, and leaned forward to kiss her. He felt her arms wrap around his shoulders as she lifted up toward him, and he pulled her closer. This time there was no weird feeling telling him to stop, only the feeling that magic was growing between them. They truly were destined to be together.  Back to the Many Adventures of Link Back to the Odyssey of Hyrule Main Page |