Author's Note: This fan fiction is a continuation of my previous story, Outcast. It is not 100% necessary to read it in order to follow this story. However, Second Wind does contain material that will spoil my last story. Please keep that in mind if you have any intention of reading both. Thank you in advance for reading, and take care.

The sun glowed over the bustling Castle Town as the people of Hyrule went about their daily routines. Shopkeepers were already out in the streets offering their wares to travelers and familiar faces alike. The warm spring air permeated the small, stone houses that lined the streets as people stepped out to greet each other. The winter had been mild, and even the most reclusive of people could not help but love this time of year.

For most of the people of Hyrule, life had returned to normal. It was almost impossible not to remember the coup against Queen Zelda, but in the year since, tremendous repairs had been made. Many of the ruined homes and shops were practically as good as new, and the people had already begun to speak of Zelda as one of the nation's greatest and most compassionate peacekeepers.

A girl made her way down one of the busy roads that intersected the large town. Even among people who had lived there for years, navigating the almost identical streets could be quite a chore. To this young lady, however, she had grown used to it, nimbly weaving through crowds and avoiding the dead ends. She would often travel to one house in particular, occasionally several times in a single week. The building itself was no more or less noteworthy than any of the homes that surrounded it, but the occupants were among her closest friends. Traveling there was a welcome break from her other, more mundane duties.

Today was a bit different, however. She moved at an increased pace, but she was careful not to run into anyone. She maintained her composure, not wanting to concern anyone that might recognize her. As she approached the last stretch leading to her destination, she began to consider her choice of words.

"He's probably not going to be thrilled to hear this..."

The young lady examined the parchment in her hands one last time as she neared the house. Queen Zelda had given it to her only a few minutes ago, and she wasted little time in delivering it. She had already read it multiple times, but she wanted to ensure that she had overlooked absolutely no details.

A small, unremarkable house stood in front of her- it was only one story tall, and the entire structure was smaller than many rooms of Hyrule's castle. She adjusted her blonde hair so that it would not look unkempt from her trip. Taking a look at her blue and white dress, she could see that it was dirtied around the hem, but there was no time to clean it. It wasn't as though they would judge her anyway. She knocked gently on the door, hoping that the occupants were still home.

"Just a second!" a voice called out.

The girl smiled, easily recognizing the voice even as the heavy door muffled it. Moments later, the door creaked open. In the doorway stood a beautiful young lady with bright red hair.

"Good morning, Malon," she began. "I hope I'm not catching you all at a bad time?"

"Not at all, Lera! It's good to see you. Please, come right in," Malon answered, stepping aside for her friend to enter the home.

"Link!" she called out, cleansing her slightly dirty hands with the end of her apron, "Lera's here!"

"Be right there!" he replied from another room.

Malon turned to the young girl and smiled warmly. "I was just gettin' ready to go on a milk delivery. Help yourself to some tea if you'd like. What brings you here today?"

"Thank you," Lera replied as the two sat down in the small living room, each taking a cup of tea from the small table in front of them. "It's about Link, actually."

Malon nodded her head, not surprised in the least. Most visitors to their house were there with some kind of business concerning her husband. Lera was no exception- her status as one of Zelda's Royal Advisers had her visiting quite often. Outside of that, they ensured that she was able to visit them for less formal matters as well.

"Is it about that trade agreement?" Malon asked, recalling one of Link's latest diplomatic trips abroad. "Sometimes I wonder if they'll ever settle on that."

"Not this time," Lera replied. As Link walked into the room, Lera's face lit up slightly and she adjusted her posture.

"Good morning, General Link," she began.

"Good morning, Lera. But, we've been over this, you don't have to call me General," he said, chuckling slightly along with Malon. The formality of such a title made him feel far too old.

"What if we called you "General Fairy Boy"?" Malon said with a giggle. "Does that sound better?"

Link rolled his eyes and nudged her in the side. "Yeah, that's much better," he said sarcastically.

"I guess I keep forgetting about that," Lera replied with slight embarrassment. "I'll remember eventually."

Link noticed the letter in her hand. "Does Queen Zelda have another request of me?" he asked, anticipating another diplomatic trip.

"Well, not exactly," Lera replied as a hint of worry crossed her face. "The people of a village in Frasell have asked if you would assist them with a problem they've been having with raiders."

"Oh dear," Malon said. "How bad is it?"

Lera shook her head and wringed her hands slightly. "It's quite urgent. We received the letter just a few minutes ago. I got here as quickly as I could."

Link's expression became serious, but he was a bit confused by the request. "I'd be more than happy to help, but why would they ask for me? Frasell is quite a distance away… it'll be a few days before I can reach them."

"They know that you've dealt with these Ganth Warriors before," Lera replied, glancing at the document. "They also said that their armies are dealing with bandits in other parts of their land. I suppose they may be stretched a bit thin," she surmised.

"Those are the same raiders who ambushed you at the lake..." Malon added quietly.

Link nodded towards his wife, recalling the event all too well. "How severe is this problem?" he asked, his tone becoming more filled with worry. "Any estimate on their numbers?"

Lera shook her head as she scanned the letter once more. "We have no reports on the bandits' current strength, but we can only assume that they have quite a sizable force. The letter says that the raids are becoming more and more frequent."

Malon suppressed a lump in her throat. She had full confidence in Link's skills, and it was not the first time that he had been called to do something like this, but his safety was never guaranteed. She had seen firsthand that he was not invincible.

Lera noticed the nervousness from each of them. She looked up at Link with her light green eyes. "Link, if you don't wish to do this, I'm sure we can find someone else." The young girl realized that she might not have the authority to make such an offer, but she disregarded that for the moment.

The Hero of Time took a seat and slowly turned to meet his wife's gaze. Her deep blue eyes had a noticeable look of worry in them, but there was a look of understanding in them as well. He placed his hand on her shoulder and rubbed it gently.

"Malon, if you don't want me to go... I won't."

The farm girl sat in silence for a few moments, her eyes shifting about. It didn't bother her much when Link left on simple diplomatic trips. In such cases, their empty house was more boring than eerie.

However, matters pertaining to fighting concerned her deeply. She had seen him in terrible shape far too many times for her liking. She wanted him to remain in Hyrule where it was relatively safe, but she pushed the thought out of her mind as she considered the suffering of the villagers.

Malon let out a bit of a sigh. "They wouldn't have asked for your help if it wasn't a big problem. What matters is their well-being." She mustered a faint smile as she continued. "I'm sure you'll be just fine."

Link nodded his head and moved a bit closer to her on the couch. Her subdued worry was still very evident, and it pained him to see her like this. It always brightened up his day to see Malon's normally cheery demeanor, but sorrow was uncharacteristic of her.

"I'll be back as soon as I possibly can," Link said quietly, embracing her as close as he could. Malon returned his warm hug and kissed him gently on the cheek.

"I love you, Malon."

"I love you too, Link," she whispered. Even as they parted, Malon could feel a sense of comfort wash over her. "I have to get going soon..." she said with some regret. "The others are probably expecting me by now at the ranch."

Malon gathered her belongings and stepped out of the house as they exchanged goodbyes. With one last kiss, she departed for her ranch. Link kept his eyes fixed to the door, missing her already. Lera looked downward at the floor, saddened to see her friend leave like this.

"I'm... I'm sorry," she said, somehow feeling responsible for the sorrow in the room.

"It's not your fault, Lera," he said, still looking towards the door. "This is the kind of thing that I train for. Malon and I both know that."

"But you don't have to do this..." she repeated, urgency entering her voice. "We can send other soldiers, or…" she said, trailing off. Her mind searched desperately for other options.

"I'll be alright by myself," he replied with a shrug.

He understood that Hyrule's own army was heavily involved with repairing the kingdom, even now. Many of Hyrule's soldiers were being thoroughly questioned for whatever role they may have had in the coup, and they were unavailable to do much at the moment. Unfortunately, far too many soldiers had aided General Tason in his efforts to seize the throne.

"This shouldn't be anything too difficult," Link added.

Lera continued to sit in silence for a few moments before raising her eyes to look at him again. "We will send some soldiers to assist you as soon as we can. If there's anything you need- equipment, food, extra clothing... just say so. I'm sure Queen Zelda will have whatever you need."

Link smiled slightly and gave a quick glance towards the direction of his basement armory. "Thank you for the offer, but I think I'll be alright."

"There's one other point," Lera said, reading the end of the paper. "A small group of Frasell's soldiers will be available to assist you. The letter will tell you where to meet them."

She handed the letter to Link and he examined it. "I don't think I've been there before, but I'm sure I'll be able to find them."

"They insisted that you arrive as quickly as possible."

"Well, it'll take me a while to get ready. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Lera."

"You're welcome, Gen- Link," she said, turning to look out the window. The afternoon was beginning to approach already. "Link, I have a meeting shortly, so unless you have any more questions, I'll let myself out. Good luck."

The two exchanged their goodbyes as the young lady stepped out the door, still not feeling great about having to deliver such news.

"Malon's right," she reassured herself as she headed back towards the large fortress in the distance. "He's going to be fine."

Link stood in his house alone and took one more thorough look at the document. It was a fairly unusual letter- not resembling the formal documents that he had so regularly been given. The paper was torn badly around the edges and the words were faded. He still wished that they had given him an estimate for the number of raiders that he might be dealing with, or who he would be working with.

"Looks like it was signed by… Lieutenant Sifan." He thought for a second, but he couldn't put a face to the name.

The swordsman looked around the room as he gathered his thoughts. It was a small room, but one that took up the majority of his house. Even now, it was inviting and cozy, despite the rather simplistic decor. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something sitting on a nearby table. He approached it and picked it up, looking at it with slight confusion.

"Malon's brooch..." he thought, examining the small object. "She must've forgotten it."

It was a peculiar item, one that Malon had fastened to her neckerchief for years. Link had asked her about its odd design- it resembled some kind of beast, but neither of them could deduce what it meant. All she knew was that her father had given it to her for her birthday at a young age, but for whatever reason, Talon simply laughed when they him asked about it.

Link returned his thoughts to the task at hand as he placed the item in his pocket and made his way towards his armory. He brushed aside a large floor mat in a corner of his house, revealing a large trapdoor. A small cloud of dust escaped from the lower room, stinging his eyes for a second.

"I thought I cleaned this place out the other day," he thought as he grasped the ladder and descended into the room below.

As he entered the small room, Link removed a torch from the wall and held it towards the walls around him. The light only partially illuminated the dusty room, but he could have easily found what he wanted in the dark regardless. Weapons of all shapes and sizes sat on the walls, including much of his more unique gear. A lot of the tools had not been used since Ganon's defeat, and Link hoped that he would never have to use some of them again. They only reminded him of more unpleasant times.

He scanned the walls carefully, removing only what he thought he might need. He noticed his Longshot and removed it before he glanced at the Biggoron's Sword. The massive blade was easily one of the largest weapons in the room.

"Too cumbersome. Maybe some other time," he thought, figuring that his Master Sword would suffice.

Link continued to gather his belongings, eventually emerging from his armory with his cherished Ocarina, bow and arrows, his Longshot, and his boomerang, among other things. In addition, he also prepared a pack full of cold weather clothes, a map, and other basic provisions. Recalling his previous trip to Frasell, he would have to pass through a frigid mountain pass for a few days.

Link prepared a light meal for himself before he promptly left, heading straight out of town on his trusted horse Epona. As he left Hyrule, he looked over his shoulder towards the small ranch in the distance- it was barely a dot on the horizon now.

Days passed by for the hero as he made his way to Frasell. All things considered, the swordsman was making surprisingly good time through the winding mountain pass. If not for the slightly warmer spring air, the snow would have easily made travel more difficult and time-consuming. Snowfall was significant, but manageable, and the chilled winds that bit through his clothes were not as bad as they could have been.

Epona trotted through the powder with ease, the conditions not slowing her down in the slightest. Every so often, the two would stop for a few hours to rest and recover their strength. Link offered his horse plenty of oats along the way, which she happily ate. He knew that most other horses would likely never be able to traverse the same pass with as much speed as Epona could.

As Link huddled at the base of a large fallen tree, he recalled his last trip to Frasell, and how unpleasant it was. They had arrested him for a crime that he had not committed, and despite smoothing things over with them since then, Link remained cautious about returning. He wondered if anyone would recognize him, and if they would be apprehensive about seeing him even now.

"That's in the past," he thought, shivering a bit. "They wouldn't have asked me for assistance if they still had their suspicions."

In the back of his mind, he could not help but wonder if he was walking into another trap. Every time his thoughts wandered to such a possibility, he reassured himself that he would be twice as careful as last time. As darkness began to blanket the snowy pass, Link wrapped himself in his blankets and tried to fall asleep, just as he had done so many times before.

Dawn arrived at an early hour, prompting Link to resume his journey quickly and with less sleep than he would have liked. Sleeping outdoors was seldom a problem for him, but the temperatures, even during spring, were far too low for him to stay comfortable.

The rest of his trip through the frigid pass was otherwise uneventful. Link quickly became tired of days of near constant riding and trudging through powder, along with mediocre sessions of sleep at night. With nobody by his side other than Epona, he already desperately wished that he was at home. Part of him even implored him to return early and simply request that Hyrule's soldiers take care of the task. Link forced such ideas out of his head and stayed committed to helping the villagers that awaited him.

"They specifically asked for my help," he reminded himself. "I don't want to let them down."

After days of travel, Link finally exited the mountain pass and found himself within Frasell's borders. Already he could feel the warm, inviting air on his face- it was good to be out of such an inhospitable path. He examined Lera's document once more and compared it to his map.

"If these directions are right, this village should be located right about... here," he thought, pointing to a spot on his map. "That's less than a day's ride away."

Link gave a faint smile as he turned to Epona at his side. "Won't be too much farther. Ready to head out?" he asked, not expecting a response.

Epona whinnied slightly as Link climbed into her saddle and sped off towards the village ahead. With no heavy powder or harsh winds in front of them, Link was able to move faster than ever, largely thanks to Epona's peerless speed. The strong horse thundered across the wide open plains towards the small town. Link could not help but recall the vastness of Hyrule Field, and how similar it was to these gently rolling hills.

As night began to descend over the land, Link found himself outside of the small village. In past years, it had been a popular spot for fishers, given its proximity to several large lakes nearby. Today however, it was all but forgotten by most of the people outside its walls. Link entered the city, keeping one hand close to his weapon.

Immediately he could see very few people out and about. A few individuals nearby looked him over with confusion and hesitance, not knowing the first thing about him. In an effort to reassure them, Link offered them a smile and a wave, though they gave little response. He guided Epona to a nearby stable and continued his walk through the town with caution in his step.

Link looked over the buildings around him as he traveled down what appeared to be the main path through the town. It was not a terribly large place, and he could tell that most of the occupants were either hiding inside their homes or had fled long ago. Random supplies and tools littered the ground, and most of the buildings that he could see were in bad shape. Shutters were broken and barely hanging on to the window frames, roofs were caved in, and walls had been smashed. The scene reminded him of Castle Town following the coup, and it was no less heartbreaking.

"How awful..." he thought, sadness crossing his face. "Nobody should have to live like this…"

But unlike Castle Town, this city was different. Even when it was almost ruined by the coup, Castle Town still retained a certain vibrancy and life to it. This town seemed as though it had been robbed of all of its hope.

The town's dim lights kept the area just bright enough for Link's liking, but it remained difficult for him to see much. Though he could not always see into the shadows, he knew that he was being watched at virtually all times. Link rechecked his letter one last time, verifying that he was on the right path to meet up with Frasell's soldiers.

He stood before a small, nondescript shop tucked away among many others that looked just like it. Like most of the town, it had seen better days, and Link could not guess when it had last been open for business or what kind of wares it had ever offered. The windows were mostly shattered, and there were no obvious signs anywhere on it. Link wondered if this was actually the right place, given the circumstances.

Link placed one hand on the hilt of his sword, preparing for a possible ambush. After knocking gently on the door, he quickly stepped back from it, anticipating the worst. However, he could hear and see nothing inside. After waiting for a minute or so, he knocked once more, with still no answer.

With every passing moment, he could feel his heartbeat increase. "If they're going to attack me, then they should hurry up and try it already," he thought, tiring of the tension.

Before he could knock once more, the door creaked open, revealing a dimly-lit room.

"Enter," a voice called out.

Link cautiously stepped inside, further tightening the grip on his sheathed sword. His eyes darted around the room, but he could see little other than a single, weak lantern. The dim light failed to illuminate the farthest corners of the room.

"State your name."

"I am Link of Hyrule," he answered calmly. "I was told to come here."

"On whose orders?"

Link carefully removed the letter from his pocket and tossed it into the light. He could hear movement in the darkness, but he still could not be sure what was concealed. Suddenly, the light went out for a second before turning back on again. To Link's momentary surprise, the letter was now missing.

"What's going on here?" Link said, readying a proper fighting stance. "I will not hesitate to defend myself."

There was no response. Moments later, the light was joined by other lanterns, fully illuminating the room. Before Link stood about a dozen men of varying ages. All of them were disheveled to one degree or another, with several of them wearing only the most basic of armor. They watched him carefully, though none of them had readied their weapons.

The room itself was in a serious state of disrepair- the walls had more than a few holes and the wooden floor had far too many loose boards. Chairs and small beds cluttered the place and various supplies were stacked in whatever spare space there was.

One of the men stepped forward towards Link, hand extended. "Sorry about that, sir," he said with an uneasy smile. "We couldn't be sure who you were."

Link met the man's handshake and breathed a sigh of relief as he released his grip from his weapon. "I understand. This whole thing can't be easy on any of you. Who's in charge?"

"That would be me," replied one of the soldiers, stepping forward. "You must be General Link." The soldiers offered their salutes to Link upon hearing his title.

The man before Link appeared to be in his late fifties, well beyond the age of retirement for most soldiers. The look on his scarred face was neutral, and his armor was in tatters. His skin was dark and his hair was almost completely grayed. He sported a large bow on his back with a rather empty looking quiver. Link noticed the weathered bracer on his arm- it was obvious that he had quite a bit of experience.

"My name is Sifan, and this is most of what's left of the town's defenses," he said, extending a hand out towards the rest of the soldiers. "A few more are out on patrol right now. There used to be far more of us."

Link shook his head in sorrow. "I'm very sorry. If I had known earlier, I-"

Sifan held up a hand, his expression unchanging. "Your apology is unnecessary, sir. We should have received assistance from our own men long ago."

A few of the soldiers in the room had been muttering to each other the whole time, not taking their eyes off of the man in green. One of them who recognized his name spoke up. "Sir, are you... the Hero of Time?"

"Well… yes," he replied, not interested in boasting. He was normally very embarrassed when people fawned over him, and he had hoped that they wouldn't bring this up.

Several of the more experienced soldiers were awestruck. Most of the younger men didn't appear to understand their sudden enthusiasm. Link decided to get straight to the task at hand.

"How did this happen? Why have they not sent more men?"

A second soldier with short, dark hair stepped forward. This man in particular was much younger than the archer before him, and Link could tell by the way he stood and held his sword that he was a very inexperienced fighter. His youthful face has no obvious scars to it, and Link supposed that he had probably never seen battle before. The look in his eyes was uncertain and his knees were shaking slightly, even as he attempted to stand at attention.

"Sir! M-my name is Private Calor. I-"

"Take it easy," Link interrupted, trying alleviate some of the man's nervousness. "Just slow down a bit, Calor." The soldier slowly abandoned his overly-proper tone.

"This village is really far out of the way, sir. We keep asking for more help, but it takes quite a bit of time to move troops to our location." He looked down to the floor. "And most of our nation's soldiers are either keeping the capital safe or patrolling for other bandit threats."

"We've been holding out as best as we can until more soldiers arrive," another man added. "Attacks are almost daily. We often fight with rusted swords and broken shields."

"Sometimes we have to use the weapons from the fallen bandits," Calor added.

Link was careful to keep a neutral expression, seeing the worry on the faces of the more youthful soldiers. "Where are they attacking from? How many of them are there?"

"Primarily from the west," Sifan replied. "Most attacks have around a dozen men, but we've seen groups as large as thirty."

"We think that there may be over a hundred of them altogether," Calor said. "They typically attack during the early morning hours. They like to catch us when most of us are asleep. They take whatever valuables they can find and flee before we can confront them. We don't have the numbers to pursue them and still leave a worthy defense here."

"And when we do fight them, we're normally pretty outmatched," another fighter remarked.

"If we don't stop them here… if this place is overrun…" Calor began.

"They'll just move on to the next village," one of the soldiers added. "They're merciless."

Link could practically feel the pessimism in the room. Whatever strength the men still had was being eroded slowly but surely.

"Well, this all stops now," Link stated firmly. "I've dealt with these raiders before. I promise you that we'll put an end to this threat. I'm not leaving until the town is safe once more."

Several of the soldiers let out subdued cheers, confident in their new ally. Sifan nodded his head with a faint smile. On his command, Sifan recalled the men who were out at the time and assembled them before Link. One of the men produced a map of the city and began to draw lines through the streets, detailing where their patrols were, and where the attacks normally came from.

For some time, Link and the others studied the map. Large, abandoned portions of the city were unguarded, and guards would often be positioned far from each other. It was about as much as they could do with such limited manpower.

Following that, the men stepped forward and allowed Link to inspect their weapons and supplies. It was not surprising- most of their swords were in desperate need of sharpening, and their armor was worn down and mostly unfit for heavier combat. Link wondered if any of the newer soldiers had ever even worn plate armor before.

Hours after arriving, everything was finally ready. Link stood before the entire group- no more than twenty soldiers.

"Starting tomorrow, I will take turns patrolling alongside each of you. You all have your assignments. If you see anything the least bit out of the ordinary, do not hesitate to inform Sifan or myself."

He paused before he went on. "I know that many of you are weary of battle. I know that far too many good soldiers before you have fallen." Link started to raise his voice as he continued. "But I assure you... I will do everything I can to stop them. I will not allow this city to suffer any longer. Who's with me?

The soldiers erupted in a cheer and crowded before Link to shake his hand and slap him on the back. For the first time in weeks, the men were enthused and optimistic after having seen their new ally. It took them quite a bit of time before they were prepared to fall asleep.