Legal Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda is copyright Nintendo. I do not own it, Nintendo does. It and all of its characters are the property of Nintendo and Shigeru Miyamoto.

Chapter 1:

Link rode through Hyrule Field upon his trusted horse Epona. He was a Hylian of about eighteen years of age with dark blond hair and blue eyes, and pointed ears, though they were not quite as pointed as some other Hylians'. He was tall and finely muscled. He wore a green tunic with a green floppy hood. He wore grayish leggings, brown boots and gauntlets, along with a chainmail shirt underneath his tunic. He was armed with a sword he had received from Rusl and had originally been planned to be given to the Hyrulean Royal Family as a gift but had served Link well on his last adventure, so Rusl had decided to let him keep it after he returned the Master Sword to the Pedestal of Time just outside the Temple of Time. Ordon Village was not a part of Hyrule proper, but the village and the kingdom were on friendly terms with one another. He also carried a Hylian Shield as well for defense. Hylian Shields were made out of steel and were the sturdiest shields in the land. It was said that nothing could break them and they could withstand any abuse thrown their way. Some said that there was something magical about them, but others merely said that their durability was due to their superior craftsmanship and skill in construction. He had many more weapons and equipment back at his house in Ordon Village, but he had not wanted to bog himself down with a great deal of equipment so he only brought a lantern with him and four bottles: one filled with Lantern Oil, another with Spring Water, and the other two filled with Red Potions.

It had been six months since the incursion by Zant and the monsters of the Twilight Realm; six months since he had defeated Ganondorf and saved all of Hyrule from the Twilight; six months since Midna had returned to the Twilight Realm to rule her people as the Twilight Princess, or now the Twilight Queen. He did not know why his thoughts had so quickly turned to Midna as he rode along calmly. He had friends back home in Ordon Village. Ilia was a very close friend from his childhood and had watched as he departed the village only a few days after returning to it. Malo, Talo, Beth, and Colin were also close to his heart and he always watched over them as best he could. He had been riding around the land, doing odd jobs and helping out people ever since he had defeated Zant and Ganondorf. So far, there had not been a lot of work for him to do. He felt as if he had lost something, something that could only be regained by going on an adventure. Despite having a home and friends in Ordon Village, he felt as if he did not really belong there, as if he was meant to wander the land, helping out people, exploring, and going on adventures.

The young man's thoughts soon turned back to Midna once more. He thought it funny how they had at first shared an antagonistic relationship with one another, each using the other for his or her own ends, and yet, by the end of the adventure, had grown to become very close friends, possibly more. He almost gave a chuckle and pushed the thought aside for the moment. This was not the time to think about romance, especially one that would likely have a next to zero chance of occurring. As he thought about her, though, he looked down at his hand and noticed his Triforce mark, a triangle that consisted of one triangle sitting on top of two other triangles, glowing. The lower right triangle of the Triforce, the mark of the Triforce of Courage, glowed, but the top triangle pulsed, almost as if it was trying to get his attention. He looked down at his hand, puzzled at what he was seeing. Zelda was not close by, from what he could tell, and Ganondorf was dead, so there was no way anyone could have gotten a hold of the Triforce of Power to use against him. Besides, none of the other effects of being in the presence of a Triforce piece bearer were coming into play.

He shrugged as he looked up and continued to gaze across Hyrule Field and looked in the direction of Hyrule Castle Town, which was too far away to be visible at the moment. He continued to look around to see where he should go next. The last week had been quiet without anything having happened. There had been no brigands that had gone after any carriages or convoys from the various villages to Hyrule Castle Town, or any other groups of hostiles to fight off. The kingdom and its surroundings were at peace. As such, he did the only thing he felt he could. He closed his eyes and randomly picked a direction to travel, hoping to come across an undiscovered cave or something else that would lead to adventure. After turning around for a bit, he opened his eyes and looked straight ahead. Then, spurring Epona on with a light kick, the duo took off, running away from the road.

He and Epona continued into their canter. He had been riding for almost an hour, taking steady breaks every quarter hour in order to rest Epona and for them both to take a drink. It was about time for him to take another break when he came to a rock in the center of the field just jutting out from the ground. It did not look artificial, but given that things had been slow, he decided to check it out. He gave a curt, "ho," and reigned in Epona, slowing her down until she was merely walking. They pulled up to the rock and eventually brought her to a stop. With one fluid motion, he dismounted the horse and went over to investigate the rock.

As he approached the rock, the hairs on his neck began to stand on end, as if he were being watched. Feeling that something was coming, he drew his sword as a precaution. The thick broadsword came out of its sheath with a ringing sound and he held it in one hand, drawing out his shield and placing it over his free arm. Despite supposedly being a two-handed weapon, he held the sword as if it were a short sword. Nearing the rock, he did not get the sense that there was anything magical about it, but he did not want to take any chances.

He soon arrived at the rock and examined it but he could find nothing strange about it. There were no markings on it or anything around it that indicated that it did not belong. Still, he was quite bored and he had nothing better to do so he figured that this would be a good place to rest.

He was about to sit on the rock when he heard the sounds of movement behind him. Before he could even turn around, he heard Epona neigh in fright. Turning around, he saw a six Bulblins, humanoid creatures with green skin and horns like those of a cow on the sides of their heads. They also had red eyes, wore masks and chain mail over their torso, and bandages on their arms. They had already surrounded Epona and were swinging their clubs at her. These Bulblins were armed with clubs, with one of them having a bow and arrow with a quiver of arrows on its back. The horse turned but did not flee from the attackers, instead rising up and bringing her front feet down on the Bulblin that was armed with the bow and arrow, crushing it. Link drew his sword and charged into the fray, quickly cutting down a Bulblin that was readying a strike at Epona's head. A second after the Bulblin's death its body darkened and it then vanished in a small explosion of fire as if a spell had been cast on them in order to make sure that, leaving an orange glow where his body used to be that died less than a second later. Just as it had been during the Twilight invasion, it appeared as if the Bulblins had a spell cast on them that would cause their bodies to disappear once they died so that they would not leave a corpse, and likely any weaponry for their enemies to pick up. Link's next sword swing cut down a third Bulblin, who was not smart enough to raise his club in an effort to block Link's swing.

The remaining Bulblins, seeing Link charge into the fight and kill two of their own, with Epona having killed another, decided that fleeing the fight would be preferable to staying in battle and fighting against a skilled swordsman. As such, they immediately turned and fled in the opposite direction as fast as their feet would take them.

Once the Bulblins had fled, Link quickly checked on Epona to make sure that she had not sustained any injuries. She appeared to be fine. Before he mounted her to flee the battle, though, he noticed that the bow that had been wielded by one of the Bulblins, the one killed by Epona, had not disappeared along with the bodies of the others. Next to it was a quiver that was still full of arrows. Grateful at his small fortune, Link picked up the discarded bow and quiver and pulled on the bow's string to see how strong it was. The pull was relatively strong, but not nearly as much as that of a Hero's Bow. He knew that this weapon was of an inferior quality to his own bow and arrow, but he was not concerned. It would suffice for his purposes while he went to track the surviving Bulblins, for he knew that if a Bulblin war band was attacking travelers, that it would be trouble. Wanting to deal with the threat before anyone was hurt, he slung the quiver and bow over his shoulder, sheathed his sword and mounted Epona. He then took off after the fleeing Bulblins, who were still in view once he had mounted Epona. As he pursued them, though, he was careful to stay far enough away to make it difficult for them to know that they were being tracked.

Meanwhile, over at the newly repaired Hyrule Castle, the former Princess, now Queen, Zelda, sat on a throne in her large throne room. She was tall, with dirty blonde hair that fell to the middle of her back with a braid on each side, blue eyes, and pointed ears that were the hallmark of the Hylian race. She wore a long white dress with the crest of Hyrule along with a pink top. She also wore long white gloves that covered her arms, along with gold shoulder adornments that covered the rest of her arms, and boots, which were not visible since the dress's skirt covered her feet. She also wore a crown with a blue Rupee in the middle. She also had a ceremonial sword at the side of her throne, but did not use it often. A monument depicting the complete Triforce, along with the three goddesses that created it, along with Hyrule: Din, Farore, and Nayru, sat behind the throne. This monument, along with the castle, had also been repaired after Link's battle with Ganondorf where the Gerudo King was believed to have finally been vanquished forever.

Several guards dressed in plate mail armor armed with spears and wielding large shields flanked Zelda as she sat on her throne. The guards also carried swords as well, but they were sheathed and were only to be used should they lose their spears. Zelda stared out at the throne room. It was sparsely furnished, with only a red carpet leading out to the massive double doors that led to the castle's exterior. A shipment of furniture was due to arrive today, which was the sole reason she was in the throne room, rather than in her chamber reading over the increasingly familiar reports of everything going well in the kingdom, or going out on a hunt or simply for a ride. Despite the fact that Ganondorf had been beaten and things had been quiet in the kingdom for the last six months, Zelda felt uneasy. She looked down at her right hand and saw the mark of the Triforce of Wisdom on it, but it was not glowing. Still, her uneasiness did not go away.

She rose from her throne and proceeded to head over to the doors so she could step out to get a breath of fresh air. Seeing her rise, the two guards flanking her bowed and proceeded to follow her. Seeing them follow, she turned back and told them, "Remain here. I'm just going out to the balcony to get a breath of fresh air. I'm tired of simply sitting on a throne with nothing to do."

The guards bowed and remained at their posts as Zelda approached the doors and went to push them open. The guards standing at the doors went to push them open for their new queen, but she waved them off. She arrived at the doors and shoved them open. Despite their size, they opened easily for the queen. As they opened, light flooded into the throne room, causing a few guards to shield their eyes as it poured in. Once they were open, Zelda exited the room and went outside.

She headed towards the steps that led up to the throne room. The guards that framed the door to the room bowed as she walked by and went to escort her down the stairs only to be waved off. She made her way down the stairs and over to the wall and gazed out over the land. The castle scene and the town spread out before her was calm. She could see people coming and going from the castle town and she felt relieved at the sight. Looking up into the sky, though, she noticed that the sunlight was beginning to fade as a cloud passed beneath the sun, blocking the light for a moment. Looking out into the sky some more, she saw dark gray clouds closing in towards the town and even the castle, itself. Looking down at her Triforce mark, she noticed that it still did not glow. However, that did little to assuage her fears that something was coming.

She then turned back around and went back up the steps and headed back up to the throne room. As she went to pass the bowing guards, she told them, "Keep an eye out for anyone, or anything, suspicious."

"Is something wrong my queen?" one of the guards asked.

Zelda thought about the question for a bit before answering, "I don't know. Just be on the lookout. I have a bad feeling that something is about to happen, and I don't think that it will be a good thing."

"Understood, my queen," the guards said, bowing as they resumed their duties. Zelda then went back into the throne room and went about telling her servants and the guards inside to prepare for potential trouble. While she could not put her finger on it or identify what the trouble was, she could not shake the feeling that something was coming, and her feelings were rarely wrong. As her servants and guards carried out their duties, they, too, began to be on edge, as if waiting for something to happen. After all, they knew that Zelda's hunches were rarely wrong.

Back in Hyrule Field, Link spent the next half hour tracking the Bulblins as they continued to flee towards what he hoped would be their base. If he could find their base, then he could find out why they had attacked him since King Bulblin and the Bulblins under his command had made peace with the people of Hyrule after Link had defeated him on his way to take down Ganondorf in Hyrule Castle. While the Bulblins had turned back to see if they were being followed, they somehow failed to spot Link and Epona as they tracked them. This also put Link on alert and he readied his Bulblin Bow, just in case he was being led into a trap.

It was not long before Link began to hear a series of roars and howls of what seemed to be a cross between pleasure and anger. He quickly looked around and saw that off in the distance, a horse carriage was being attacked by a large group of Bulblins riding Bullbos, boar-like creatures with long tusks and brown hair that are often used as mounts for Bulblins. The Bulblins emitted several hoots as they fired arrows into the tops of the carriage. Given some of the cries of the people onboard the carriage, it was clear that they would not hold out for long. Not giving it a second thought, Link diverted his attention away from the Bulblins he had been tracking and spurred Epona towards the Bulblins, unslinging his bow and drawing an arrow and notching it to the bow, hoping that the bow would be sturdy enough to last the battle.

As he charged into the fray, he noticed that one of the archers that was riding on the back of a Bullbo had drawn a Bomb Arrow and was preparing to fire it at the carriage. That was Link's first target. He pulled back on the string and let fly with an arrow. The arrow struck the Bulblin archer squarely in the back, causing him to fall over, and off the boar-like mount. Unfortunately, for the Bulblin attackers, the Bulblin archer dropped the now lit bomb onto the ground and a second Bullbo ran over the bomb, causing it to explode. The bomb's explosion killed not only the Bullbo, but also the rider and archer that were on its back.

Wasting no time, Link fired a second arrow into the ranks of the Bulblins, taking down a Bulblin rider, causing the boar-like mount to go wild and make a mad charge away from the fighting. The Bulblin archer attempted to reign in the beast, but was thrown off its back as the beast fled the battle. To add even more injury to its insult, the Bulblin was promptly trampled by Epona and killed as Link fired another arrow into a third Bulblin, this one also a rider, which caused the beast to go into a panic, throw the archer, and charge away from the battlefield. A fourth arrow found its mark in the chest of another Bulblin archer, allowing the rider to continue to hound the carriage. A fifth arrow took down the Bulblin rider, causing the Bullbo to flee the scene, charging off in a random direction. That left only two Bullbos along with the Bulblin archers and riders.

Link targeted another Bulblin rider and shot him in the chest with an arrow. The Bulblin fell off his mount and the archer went to try to reign in the Bullbo only to be tossed by the boar-like beast, which promptly fled the scene. The final Bulblin rider and archer, however, decided to turn its attention away from the carriage and deal with their attacker. The rider steered his Bullbo around and sent it charging towards Link. Link, not wanting to use more arrows against the Bulblins, slung the bow back over his shoulder and drew his sword. The Bulblin rider took out a club and drew it back in preparation for an attack. Link decided to meet the charge and spurred Epona directly towards the final Bulblin. Link held his sword out as he closed the distance between himself and the Bulblin. As soon as they were about to meet, Link had Epona swerve to the left as he held out his sword and swiped it across the chest of the Bulblin, being careful to remain out of reach of the monster's club. Link's Ordon Sword bit into the armor and flesh of the Bulblin and the dead or dying goblin was sent reeling backwards. The rider's body was lifted out of the saddle and sent flying into the archer knocking him off the Bullbo. The archer landed on his back and was slow to rise, searching for his bow. He found the bow a few feet away and quickly picked it up, notching an arrow to the string, searching for his assailant. He quickly spotted his assailant bearing down on him, sword in hand. It was far too late for him to do anything, though, for by the time he had even begun to draw back his arrow, Link beheaded him with a single swipe of his sword. The now headless Bulblin fell to the ground and a small explosion was seen as the body, and head, promptly disappeared.

Once the battle was over, Link headed over to the carriage and looked it over. At first glance, it did not appear to have sustained any damage. He went around and spotted the driver, along with the passengers. The driver was a human male with rounded ears, a hallmark of the human race and the only physical feature that distinguished them from Hylians, that Link instantly recognized as Rusl, a tall strong man with short blond hair. Looking at the other passengers, he found Rusl's wife, Uli, their son, Colin, and their infant daughter that Link did not know the name of. Uli was a young woman who looked to be in her late twenties, but was actually in her early thirties. She had short blond hair and blue eyes. She peered out and looked around at the scene. Seeing that there were no more attackers, she asked, "Is it over? Are they gone?"

"They're gone Uli," Rusl answered. "We're safe"

"What happened? I thought we were dead?" Uli said, relief evident in her voice.

Looking at Link, who was pulling up to the carriage, the Rusl answered, "We may well have been if it had not been for Link."

"Link's here?" the young Hylian heard the voice of Colin call out. Colin, a boy of about ten years of age with short blond hair and blue eyes that who strongly resembled his mother then peered out from the carriage and looked over to Link, smiling. "Thanks for the help, Link," he said. "It's been a while since we've seen you."

Uli then looked directly at Link and said, "On behalf of me and my family, thank you, Link."

"You're welcome," Link answered with comforting smile and a nod, sheathing his sword.

"You were awesome, Link," Colin said. Link noticed that he had a wooden sword and shield strapped on his back. Link did not give a blush, merely nodding in thanks for the compliment.

Before the conversation could continue, Rusl suggested, "We should be going, everyone. There may be more Bulblins coming."

"Yes, I agree," Uli agreed. Turning back to Link, she said, "Again, Link, my family and I thank you for your assistance."

"You're welcome," Link responded. Before departing, he asked, "Before I go, though, may I ask where you're going? There may be more Bulblins in the field."

"Hyrule Castle Town," Rusl answered. "We're making a delivery to the Malo Mart there. That's probably what the Bulblins were after."

"Would it be okay if I accompanied you?" Link asked. "If there are more Bulblins, you'll need some protection."

Rusl looked over at Uli, who was holding their infant daughter, and Colin. "Can he, Dad?" Colin asked. "It's been a while since we've seen him and he has a bow and arrow."

"If it's no problem with Link," Rusl answered with a smile, looking over at Link with a wink and a grin. Link indicated that he had no problems escorting them to Hyrule Castle Town. Once it was decided that there would be no issues, Rusl exclaimed, "Excellent. Now, we must get going. We should do our best to reach the Castle Town as quickly as possible."

The rest of her family agreed, as did Link, who moved Epona to the side and flanked them, drawing out his bow, readying it just in case more Bulblins came to attack. Once everyone was ready, the carriage proceeded to begin to move, searching for the road that led to Hyrule Castle Town.

For the first half hour or so, the trip towards the Castle Town was free of incident. During that time, Colin talked to Link from the seat next to his mother on the carriage. He told Link that Ilia was still waiting back in Ordon Village for him to return. She would be thrilled to learn that he was okay. Talo and Beth had also been curious about his adventures. As for Colin, he had been practicing with the sword and had gotten quite good with it. He had graduated from using a simple wooden sword and was beginning to train and practice with real metal swords now. Uli was still concerned for his safety but she did not stop him from training. Looking over at her, Link could tell that Colin's mother was very proud of the young man he was becoming.

Rusl also talked about some of his own adventures. Fado greatly missed Link, mainly due to the fact that Link was a great wrangler. Link had a perfect record in the reigning in of goats that broke out of the ranch's enclosure. With Link's departure, Fado had been required to get better at stopping any runaway goats, which he had. So far, he had not lost any goats since Link left. Mayor Bo was still in charge in the village, and Ilia was doing well, too. She greatly missed Link and had told Rusl and Colin to send Link her best regards and to tell him that she was eagerly awaiting him back in the village. Everyone else back at the village was doing well, too. Colin eagerly told Link about how Malo Mart's business was booming in the Castle Town and in Kakariko Village. He was even thinking about buying Sera's shop back in Ordon Village, but Sera was resistant to the idea. Colin thought that it would only be a matter of time before Malo bought the shop, but he Malo was not pushing the issue, likely due to the close bond that the people of Ordon shared with one another.

As for everyone else, there were no other issues that were coming up in the village. Everyone was satisfied, though Colin and Talo were training hard in the sword so that if the village ever did come under attack, that they would be able to defend it and protect everyone, just as Link had with them.

After a half hour, though, an ominous feeling came over Link and Rusl as they looked over at the horizon and saw the Castle Town off in the distance. They saw blur of motion close to the horizon. Link instinctively grabbed his bow and was ready to draw an arrow from his quiver. He looked over at Rusl and nodded. Rusl spurred the horses on and the carriage picked up speed as it headed towards the town. After a few minutes, the howls of Bulblins could be heard off in the distance. As they got louder, Link took aim off in the distance, ready to let fly with an arrow as soon as a Bulblin got within range.

Sure enough, after a few more minutes, the howls got louder and Link spied a group of Bulblins rushing towards the carriage, riding Bullbos. Leading the group was a large Bulblin, riding a larger than normal Bullbo. Link thought for a minute that it was King Bulblin, but when he studied the boar-like steed, he noticed that its color was off, being dark brown, rather than having a bluish hue. Still, the new Bulblin Leader looked to be formidable, for he had a spear, along with a longbow.

As the Bulblins charged forward, Link took aim at the lead Bulblin and once the attacker was within range, he let fly with an arrow. The whistle of the arrow could be heard as it streaked towards the Bulblin. The goblin-like rider did not have time to swerve his steed out of the way of the arrow and did not think to duck to avoid it, so he took the arrow straight in the chest. The arrow pierced the armor with ease and stuck in the beast as the force of the arrow knocked it backwards and into the archer. Both Bulblins fell of their Bullbo and the boar-like beast swerved and dashed off away from the new battle scene.

Link prepared a second arrow and went to take aim at the next Bulblin when he heard a loud cry come from the sky. Turning and looking up, he saw several Kargaroks, large bird-like creatures diving towards the carriage. He noticed that one of the Kargaroks was larger than the others and looked to be almost pitch black, greatly resembling its Shadow counterpart that had appeared when the realm had been covered in Twilight. He also noticed the Kargaroks carrying bombs in their talons, with Bulblins riding them. A large Bulblin wearing ornate gold armor was riding the pitch black Kargarok, indicating that it was either the King Bulblin or the likely real leader of the Bulblin attack force.

Link grimaced as he watched the force of Bulblin cavalry riding towards the carriage, along with the aerial forces coming to dive bomb them. Looking over to Rusl, he asked, "Rusl, do you have any bows and arrows in the carriage?"

Rusl looked back at Colin, his gaze asking the same question that Link had just asked him. Colin pulled out a single bow and a quiver of arrows. "How good are you with the bow, Colin?" the boy's father asked.

"Okay, why?" Colin asked in reply.

"Because we've got enemies both in the air and on the ground," came the answer. Looking over at Link, he said, "You take the ones in the air. Colin and I will deal with the ones on the ground. We only have to hold out long enough for us to reach the castle town."

"Right," Link answered as he focused his attention towards the Kargaroks and Bulblin riders in the sky. Since there were only six Kargaroks in the air, Link figured that taking them down should not be too much of a problem. Once he had dealt with them, he would assist Rusl and Colin in dealing with the remaining Bulblin riders.

He drew out an arrow and strung it to the bow, pulling back on the string, spurring Epona to ride forward with the carriage as he turned and focused on the incoming Kargaroks. He targeted the lead Kargarok and let fly with an arrow. The arrow struck the Kargarok in the wing, causing it give a cry as it fell out of the sky and drop the bomb. The bomb struck the ground well away from the carriage and promptly detonated, throwing up dirt and grass, but inflicting no damage to the carriage. As the Kargarok fell, it turned upside down and landed on its back, which was unfortunate for its rider as it crushed the rider when it hit the ground. It gave a loud cry as the carriage and Link fled the scene, heading closer and closer to Hyrule Castle Town. Ignoring the bird's cry, Link strung a second arrow and focused on the rest of the squadron, but the other Kargaroks wisely decided to bank to the side and split up so that they would not be so easily targeted and felled.

A second Kargarok performed a series of evasive maneuvers as it dove back down towards the carriage, the lit bomb still in its talons. Link scanned the area and saw that it was the closest attacker and he let fly with an arrow. The rider of this bird-like enemy was ready for the shot and pulled up at the last moment, allowing the arrow to sail underneath the body of the Kargarok. Unfortunately, the arrow just happened to score a direct hit on the bomb, which spontaneously detonated, blowing apart both the Kargarok and the rider that had been flying it. Link looked up and saw that he had only four more Kargaroks to deal with. He took a quick glance over at Colin and Rusl to see how they were handling the ground bound enemies. Several arrows had been fired into the carriage, but none of them were flaming and none of them had managed to hit Rusl or any of his family members. He saw Colin shoot a Bulblin rider in the head, knocking the goblin-like enemy off the steed. The steed then threw off the archer and sprinted away from the scene, throwing the hapless Bulblin directly into the path of the carriage, where he was promptly trampled and crushed.

Turning back to the aerial assault, he targeted another Kargarok and let fly with an arrow. This one managed to dodge the arrow completely, forcing Link to draw another arrow and string it to his bow. As the other Kargarok went into its ascent to avoid the arrow, the Hylian noticed another one diving straight towards the carriage. He quickly drew a bead on it and let fly with an arrow. The arrow hit true and struck the Kargarok in the head, felling it with one shot. The large bird-like enemy plummeted to the ground, dropping its bomb a safe distance away from the carriage, where it detonated, harmlessly, and crashed into the ground, throwing up a small cloud of dirt. Link did not bother to see if the rider had survived and it he had, what condition he was in. He merely focused on the three remaining Kargaroks.

He saw the one that had avoided his earlier shot dive back down towards the carriage. The fuse on its bomb must have gotten short, for the bird no longer carried a bomb, instead, diving directly at the carriage so it could tear off its top cloth-like covering. It landed on top of the carriage and began to peck at the covering, tearing off large hunks of cloth. Link also noticed the Bulblin rider notching an arrow to his bow. Wasting no time, the Hylian hero notched his own arrow to his bow and let fly at the Bulblin. Before the arrow could hit the Bulblin, though, the Kargarok reared back in preparation to thrust its beak through the covering once more. As it reared back, though, it took the arrow in its center of mass and gave a loud cry before it fell away from the carriage. However, the Bulblin archer did not fall off the carriage with it, instead, jumping off its wounded mount and landing on the carriage. He went to take aim at Colin, who had just noticed his arrival, but was caught off guard when the boy turned and fired an arrow directly at him. The arrow struck the Bulblin in the chest, piercing his armor with ease, and caused him to fall backwards. The hapless creature fell backwards and rolled off the carriage, being left in the dust either dead or dying. Link turned to Colin and gave a nod in salute. Colin returned Link's salute before focusing back on the Bulblin riders that were still attacking the carriage.

Link soon turned his attention back to the two remaining Kargaroks. He noticed that these still had bombs in their talons. He figured that the Bulblin riders must have lit more bombs for the birds to drop on the carriage and Epona. He took aim at the lead Kargarok and fired. This arrow struck the rider, who in his fall, pulled the bird-like creature to the left and caused it to drop its bomb well away from the carriage. After the Bulblin fell, the Kargarok flew off away from the battle. That left only the lead Kargarok and the lead Bulblin for Link to deal with.

Feeling his quiver, Link knew that he only had four arrows left. Despite there being only one Kargarok left, he knew that he would want to have some arrows left to deal with the Bulblin cavalry attacking the carriage. As such, he drew an arrow and targeted the Bulblin Leader riding the Kargarok. The bird began a dive towards the carriage and the Bulblin rider gave a howl as the bird began its dive. Link took careful aim at the Bulblin leader and made certain that he had a bead on the rider before he let loose the arrow. Once he was certain of his aim, he let fly with the arrow and the twang from the bow sounded as he fired. The arrow rocketed from the bow into the sky, streaking straight towards the Bulblin Leader. The arrow's aim was true and it scored a direct hit in the center of mass on the Bulblin Leader. The Leader gave a cry as the arrow pierced his armor and he dropped his bow. He then fell from the Kargarok, pulling it to the right, causing the bird to drop its bomb a safe distance from the arrow, and the Kargarok fled the battle. The Bulblin Leader crashed into the ground, breaking his horn upon hitting the ground. Link did not stay and check to see if the Bulblin Leader was alive or dead. He just turned his attention towards the remaining Bulblin attackers and Bullbos that were surrounding the carriage.

As he went to join the fight on the ground, he saw that the carriage was getting closer and closer to Hyrule Castle Town. They would not have to hold off the Bulblins for much longer. Still, he did not want to lose Rusl, the carriage, or anyone on it in the final moments of the fighting. He plunged into the Bulblin lines, swinging his sword at the closest Bulblin, decapitating the attacker with a single swing. Link quickly searched the battle lines for the leader of the assault. He saw the large Bulblin and Bullbo charging towards the carriage, the large Bulblin notching an arrow to his bow. Seeing that he did not have any time to rush over and charge the leader, Link drew his bow once more and took out an arrow. Putting the arrow to the string, he drew back on his bow and let fly with the arrow. The arrow whistled as it flew through the air and hit the Bulblin squarely in the head, felling the leader with one hit.

The moment the new Bulblin Leader fell to the ground with an arrow protruding from his head, the other Bulblins turned and saw their fallen leader, felled by an arrow. They looked over at Link and roared in rage. Forgetting all about the carriage, they went to charge directly towards Link in an effort to avenge their leader. Link grinned as they focused on him and turned away from the carriage. Spurring Epona on, he charged directly into their ranks, firing off his two remaining arrows to take down two more Bulblins before dropping his bow and drawing his sword.

He held his sword as he rushed towards the center of the Bulblin lines. As he did so, several arrows whistled by his head as the Bulblin archers unsuccessfully attempted to take him down. As soon as he was in the center of their lines, he performed a spin attack, spinning his sword, becoming a whirling dervish of death to his attackers. Four Bulblins were knocked off their Bullbos, massive lacerations in their abdomens as they were either killed or severely wounded by Link's spin attack. Any Bulblins that survived Link's attack were quickly trampled by Bullbos as the rest of the force drew their clubs and attempted to take down the carriage's defender. Still, they were no match for Link and with each swing of his sword, another Bulblin was either knocked off of his mount, killed, or beheaded.

The battle would not last for much longer, for the carriage was getting very close to Hyrule Castle Town. As the carriage approached, Rusl drew out a horn and blew into it, emitting a loud blaring. As soon as the horn sounded, the drawbridge to the Castle Town began to lower to grant the carriage access to the town. Link also saw a number of figures appear on the top of the wall and he quickly sheathed his sword as he went to cover the carriage, making sure to let the soldiers on top of the wall know that he was not the enemy. The soldiers must have realized that he was a friend, for while they drew back on their bows, they did not fire until Link was close to the carriage. The Bulblins were not so lucky as arrows rained down upon the Bulblins. Most of the assault force was taken down in the initial volley, numerous arrows sticking out of many of the Bulblins and their Bullbo mounts. The few survivors were smart enough to see that the attack on the carriage had failed, and was getting exceedingly costly and decided to cut their losses and flee the scene, allowing the carriage and Link to enter the town unmolested.

As soon as the carriage was safely across the drawbridge, Rusl and his family looked over at Link and he saluted the Hylian teen. "Thank you for your help Link. You've gotten even better since your last adventure."

"Thank you for letting me help," Link responded.

Rusl gave a smile and then told him, "Come on, Link. We're taking our wares to the Malo Mart. Malo will want to see you."

Link gave a smile and nodded, agreeing that it would be a good idea to see Malo. Perhaps he would have a bow that he could borrow since his other bow was back at his house in Ordon Village. As he rode, he noticed the Triforce mark on his hand begin to glow, with the lower right triangle's glow being completely filled in. While he was not surprised, since he knew that Zelda had the Triforce of Wisdom and that was likely the reason why the Triforce of Courage was glowing, he could not help but feel that something bad was coming.

Meanwhile, back in Hyrule Castle, Zelda stood in her throne room as reports came back to her about how a host of Bulblins had attacked a carriage, but the carriage had been assisted by a single Hylian warrior. As soon as the report was made, she noticed her Triforce of Wisdom begin to glow. She figured that it was Link, for she guessed that he had ridden into town with the carriage. Still, she had a bad feeling that something was about to happen.

As if someone was reading her mind, darkness suddenly surrounded the throne room and the Hylian knights were put on edge. Immediately, four Moblins, large bipedal pig-like enemies wearing chain mail armor and carrying spears appeared in the throne room. Zelda held out her hands and a blast of flame emerged from them. The blast of flame lashed out at one of the Moblins and struck it, melting its armor and setting it ablaze. A second Moblin knocked down a Hylian soldier with a swipe of his spear, but was quickly swarmed by three other soldiers, the warriors stabbing the armored enemy soldier until its armor was breached and it fell.

The soldiers went to face down the other Moblins when they suddenly stopped moving, standing still as if they were petrified. Zelda felt a spell come over her, but she quickly countered it with the power from the Triforce of Wisdom. She then looked forward and her eyes went wide as she saw the figure of none other than Ganondorf walk through the doors, flanked by two Darknuts, large armored soldiers that carried large swords. Ganondorf wore black armor and had a cape trailing him. He did not appear to be armed with any weapons, but Zelda knew that that could change at a moment's notice. "Greetings Your Grace," Ganondorf began. "It's been a while since we last met."

Zelda's gaze hardened and she focused on Ganondorf. "What do you want?" the Hyrulean Queen demanded.

"I want to rule Hyrule, as is my destiny," the Gerudo King declared. "You will now surrender this world to me or everyone in this castle, and in the town below, will die."

Zelda gave a smirk as the Triforce of Wisdom glowed in her hand. "That will be more difficult than you expect," she challenged, showing Ganondorf her Triforce mark. Ganondorf merely smirked. She then used a spell to force the Gerudo man away. A rush of wind buffeted Ganondorf, but all that occurred was the billowing of the Gerudo King's cape in the wind. Ganondorf, himself, was clearly unaffected. Still, he gave an almost approving smirk.

"It seems as if you've improved since our last meeting." He then grinned. "But it will do you little good in the end. You can't win." Ganondorf's Triforce of Power then glowed in his right hand.

Zelda scowled as she prepared to do battle with Ganondorf. She knew that she was about to enter the fight of her life, a fight that she may very well lose.