Lilies & Ivy: Daughter Of Dragmire Story

by Swordo

This is a story... that well... i just think is good...Yup... thats all i got to say

Lilies & Ivy: Daughter Of Dragmire Story

Chapter 1

"Majora oh, grande, você agora colocam esquecido. Seu reino caiu, aciona esmigalhou…" Shyam said, his voice faint, "but there is another…" Shyam set down at his desk. There were many things on it, all very interesting in nature, but none of them meant much anymore… a blood-stained dagger made of bronze, a small glass bottle, also stained with blood, and a long sword, beautifully made, with many a ruby placed in the hilt, and the blade itself was inlaid with gold.

This blade, too, was blood-stained.

One more thing lay on that desk… it wasn't something that would strike fear into the hearts of any Hylians. Nor was it a weapon of massive power.

It was a mask.

Purple and heart shaped, with golden spikes all around the rim. Its face was painted with bright colors, much like a warrior going into battle, and it had two glowing eyes, bright as the sun and burning like hellfire.

Majora's Mask.

"Is this how you end, Majora?" Shyam said, lifting the Mask of Darkness from his desk, "I feel no pity for you…"

"You wished to see me?"

"Yes…" Shyam said, placing the mask back down. Turning, he locked eyes with the form of a pale woman, looking only about seventeen years old. "Isra, your test comes soon. Will you be able to pull this off?" she stared at him for a time. Finally, moving the long black hair from her face, she spoke again:

"Of course. You know that I am the most able of all the forces to do this job."

"Yes, yes. You're right, of course. I guess I'm just a bit… uneasy about this whole ordeal… it was something like this that…" he waved at the sword on the desk, "brought my brother his end."

"This is different, "she said, sitting on the hearth, "you're not part of some Din-forsaken cult this time, you're doing a job that needs to be done, and you'll be very well rewarded for it."

"Yes, you're right again. I don't think I've ever heard you talk this much at one sitting before, Isra."

"You're just lucky I guess. How goes your end of the plan?"

"Well enough. You need not worry about that. Nayru may have given laws to the magical arts, but they, like any laws, can be broken."

"Very well. Within a few days, the people of Hyrule will start to gather… when that time comes, be ready."

"I shall. But this is only the beginning, mind you; don't go telling your father-"

"Please, do NOT call him that."

"Very well, please don't tell his highness, O senhor do Mundo Escuro anything before we're sure."

"You need not worry about that."

"Very well then. You may go for the day; I have no more use for you."

"Thank you, Master Shyam."

Link was standing on top of a hill, over looking a vast plain. The ground under his feet was dry and dusty; no grass came up through the red-tinted earth. Link became aware of people in the field. Hundreds of them… Zoras, Gorons, Hylians, Gerudo… all of them seemed to be moving… Link looked to his sides. To his left was Hyrule's Princess, Zelda. To his right were two more people; one was a man, a little taller than Link was, with hair such a deep shade of black that it seemed almost green. Past this man stood a woman, obviously a Gerudo, with burning green eyes and her red hair in a long ponytail. Link looked back to the field. Suddenly, a light started to shine from the center of the massive crowd. A flickering light, like a large fire blowing in the wind. Small at first, it grew larger… the fire engulfed the people of Hyrule, searing the flesh from their bones, leaving them as little more than ashes. As the flame grew, Link saw the form of a man standing inside it… this man had hair even a deeper red than the Gerudo at his side, and wore a long, ripped cape that fluttered in the heat of the flame around him. Link reached over his shoulder, pulling the Master Sword from its sheath.

How had it gotten back to him?

Had it ever really left?

The man turned to face Link. At that, Link locked eyes once more with those of Ganondorf Haytham Dragmire.

"AS LONG AS THE TRIFORCE OF POWER IS IN MY HAND…!"

Sitting bolt upright, Link awoke in a cold sweat. Laying back down he started to think over his dream.

Link received no more sleep that night.

Chapter 2

"Zelda, you're really blowing this out of proportion!"

"Father, I really don't see how so. Just because Os Filhos De Majora was stealthy enough to avoid detection doesn't mean that they weren't a threat!" Zelda said, pacing across her bedroom. King Daphnes had spent nearly a half-hour trying to calm here down, but to no avail. The re-signing of the Tides Treaty had the Princess on the verge of a breakdown, and, come to think of it, he was most likely closer than she was. It was this treaty that had kept Hyrule a peaceful place for so long, and the re-signing was about the most important thing to happen since thee opening of the Door of Time. Long ago, during the Hyrulean Civil War, there was a massive battle between the people. About a month after the burning of Kakariko, the Zoras came from the east and the Hylians and Gerudo came from the west, all three armies were in full power. It was said that that the armies rushing at one another across Hyrule Field looked like nothing short of tides alone the beach. Thus, the battle became known as the Battle of Tides. Several hours into the fighting, a massive swarm of dark creatures flooded the field. Moblins, Darknuts, Lizalfos, you name it. At first they aided the Hylians and Gerudo, but soon they were killing everything they could. It was this flood of monsters that forced the Zora and Hylian armies to ally. After a long and hard battle, they were able to force off the creatures, and the three leaders, King Daphnes, King Zora, and Ganondorf signed a peace treaty. Later, the Goron leader did the same. It was decided that the treaty last only twenty years, and at that time could be re-made, or broken as the leaders saw fit. As it was just shy of that time now, it was agreed by all the leaders to re-sign it. Some didn't want to. Janan, the new Queen of the Gerudo, had taken months to persuade to sign, but at last she was willing. The difference this time was that it would not be only the Gerudo, Zoras, Gorons and Hylians signing. Mark Linwood would be signing in the name of the Deku Tree, and Impa, Zelda's former nursemaid, would be signing as the leader of the Sheikah Remnant.

"Look, Zelda," the King said, "I know Os Filhos De Majora was a threat. I don't doubt that. I'm just saying that I, and all the other leaders, will be safe understand?"

"How can you be so sure?"

"Well, Connor Linwood has agreed to come by... I'm sure he'll bring Vira Dragmire along, of course…"

"Heh, you couldn't keep those two apart ever if you wish on the Triforce."

"…and I'm having someone else come for a little added help…" the King could feel his eyes twinkle.

"Who, daddy?"

"Let's just say he'll be coming with Ambassador Linwood…" Zelda stop her pacing.

"You don't mean..?"

"Yes, I do. Link is coming along." Zelda gave a cry of delight. Sure, she may have been a Princess, but just the mention of Link coming to Hyrule Castle Town was enough to make her nothing short of giddy.

"Oh, this is wonderful, father! Link hasn't been here since the, hem, incident with Majora's Mask!"

"I know, I know. I'm glad you're happy. Now Zelda, you know you must not spend every waking minute with that boy. This is a very important event, and you simply can't afford to miss it. Besides, you're a host. I'll be expecting you to be hospitable to all the persons coming tomorrow. Including Queen Janan and Prince Mikas."

"Don't worry about that, father. I'm a nineteen-year-old girl now; I think I can handle putting up with Mikas and Janan for a few days."

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry; I should have trusted you more-" a sharp rap at the door cut off the end of the King's sentence. Zelda opened the door.

"Zelda, my, but you've grown." Zelda eagerly embraced her old friend, Impa. "It's been so long… it's amazing what five years can do to a girl. You've blossomed into quite the fine lady." Impa hadn't changed a bit since the King had last seen her. It had been five years ago when Impa had left to find what was left of the Sheikah, and Daphnes had to admit, her was glad to see her too.

"Impa," the King said with a nod, "I'm glad to see you walking these halls again."

"Not nearly as glad as I am to be walking in them." she replied. "Has anyone else shown up yet?"

"Only Darunia. We expect Janan and King Zora tomorrow morning, and Mark said he should be here late tonight."

"Good. There's nothing more important than the signing of this treaty. After what Ganondorf left us in, I'm surprised all out hell hasn't broken loose."

"Same here. Zelda, would you please show Impa to her room?"

"Yes, father."

"I assume your other party members have already been shown to their chambers, Impa?"

"Yes, they were all taken up when we got here. I just thought I'd drop in on Zelda before settling in for the night."

"Very well. I won't detain you." With that, the King left.

This was great, but Vira needed to breathe. Almost remorsefully she pulled her lips away from Connors.

"Wow…" he said, running his fingers through his green-black hair, "I never get tired of that." Vira gave a smirk. Their journey across Hyrule had most definitely brought them closer. Ever since their confessions of love on Mt. Lycurgus, Connor and Vira had been inseparable. This, of course, meant that she had moved into Connor's house once they had gotten back to Hyrule Castle Town. He had small bedroom on the ground floor where she could stay, and he slept upstairs.

"You're a lucky little bastard, I'll give you that. You've got a prize unlike any other; you've got not only a Gerudo, but a Gerudo Princess. Not even that, but the Gerudo Princess Dragmire. Frankly, I'd hate to be in your shoes."

"So, are you gonna come with me tomorrow to the treaty signing?"

"Of course. What better chance to spit in Janan's face?"

"Vira…"

"Kidding, just kidding. Well, mostly." Vira lied back on the sofa. "So Link is gonna be there?"

"That's what the King said. I met him once; nice guy, you can tell he was raised by Kokiri."

"How so?"

"He's a lot like… my dad, I guess. Brave, but still a bit innocent, ya know?"

"Yeah, I see. Well, I'm gonna go to bed. Care to join me?"

"You know the holy texts forbid it, Vira. Nayru put them there for a reason."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. See you in the morning Kokiri-boy." As Vira turned around into the hall, Connor couldn't help muttering under his breath,

"Dang, I love that woman."

Chapter 3

"So… what was it that the Deku Tree was calling you?" Link said, fidgeting slightly in Epona's saddle.

"Heh, the Unseen Hero. It's sort of a pet name that the Old Deku Tree came up for me." Said Mark Linwood. The two of them had left Kokiri Forest at about midnight, and although they had planned to leave just before sunset, the Deku Tree had had some new orders for Mark about the Tides treaty. As such, they had been delayed a few hours. After that, Mark had been stopped for a time to talk with a strangely enthused red Fairy. So Mark and Link had had next to no time to plan this trek, much less find out if they could stand each other.

"'Unseen Hero,' eh? Is there a story to that name?"

"Sure is. Question is, do you want the long version, or the really long version?"

"It's a pretty long ride."

"Okay: 'Mark! Hey! Listen!' called Reena the Fairy, 'Wake up you silly boy!'"

"Maybe this is a bit too much detail…" Mark let out a laugh; deep, rich, and full of mirth and joy.

"Don't worry; I can shorten it if you like."

"If it's all the same to you, I'd prefer that, yes."

"Alright… well, whether you guessed or not, a am, in fact, a Kokiri. My Fairy was named Reena, and my best friend was named Saria."

"You knew Saria?"

"Oh yes. She came with me on my adventure, you see." As they rode on, Mark told Link the whole story of how he had left Kokiri Forest for Hyrule Castle, and had ended up trekking all the way from Kakariko to Gerudo Valley. Of the strict discipline of the Sheikah, and of the easy-going Hyruleans in a time before war; of the Great Deku Tree as he once was, before Ganon's curse fell upon him, and of a young King Daphnes, back when he went by his middle name of Nohanson. And, most important of all, of Majora: the cunning back-stabber who had wished upon the Triforce, back before Ganondorf could even walk.

"Wow… so that's where Majora came from…" Link said, his eyes flicking to the back of his left hand, "you don't think… he might try to get it back, do you? The Triforce, I mean. Now that he has a proper body…"

"No, I don't think so. Without the Sword of Power, he really doesn't stand a chance on his own. I mean, we know he is, or was, hurt, and he's on the far side of the Gerudo Desert. Crossing that wasteland is hard enough for an entire caravan to cross, much less a single wounded demon."

"Hold up a minute 'without the Sword of Power?' didn't the witnesses say that he was holding a black metallic sword?"

"Yes…" Mark took a while to speak again. "But he can't have had it…" Mark pulled a long shining onyx blade from his side, "because I have it." Link felt his mouth fall open.

"You have the Sword of Power!"

"Yep, and I've taken good care of it too. Oddly enough, this sword was how I met my wife…"

Speaking of the topic of romance…

Link's shock at the holy blade melted away as they crossed the final hill.

There, with the sun rising off to the right, was Hyrule Castle in all its majesty.

"Um, Ambassador Linwood?"

"Yes?"

"Mind if I ride ahead?"

"Get going – I'm sure Zelda's waiting to see you too." With a sharp crack of the whip Epona took off at full speed. Only a few feet and the handful of snow flakes falling from the sky were between Link and Zelda now.

Those few snow flakes, however, had turned into a full-scale snow storm by the time that Vira and Connor had gotten to the castle the next night.

"Looks like we're gonna have a few feet of this stuff by tomorrow." Connor said, rubbing a few stray flakes of ice from his hair, "frankly, I'm glad. You should really see the Sanctuary when it's covered in snow; it's one of the most beautiful things to see in Hyrule."

"W-w-well, I f-for one, c-c-c-can't st-stand the c-cold," Vira said, her arms rapped tightly around her body, "have grown up in the desert, can you blame me?"

"Maybe if you hadn't worn the traditional Gerudo two-piece, this wouldn't have been a problem." Vira smirked.

"I'd rather be frozen naked in a block of ice than deal with Janan after she saw that."

"After I saw what, green-eyes?" Vira whipped around. There, standing before her, two Gerudo body guards on each side, stood Queen Janan.

"Frankly, if you're going to eavesdrop I don't feel inclined to help you if you missed a line or two."

"I swear, Vira, if we were in my desert…"

"You'd what?" Vira spat, "lock me up? That didn't work last time, if you recall. And don't go on about my mother. She was a bitch and I know it. And another thing; we're in the Hylia now; you're now more important than me." Janan's lips pressed together more tightly than Vira had thought possible.

"Watch yourself, green-eyes; you can land in trouble yet." She said as she started to stalk away,

"I plan to," Vira said, the smirk returning to her face, "and the name's 'Dragmire'!"

Isra stood stark still. If she was seen… but no worry. The pair of Hyruleans who had been passing by were gone, and none the wiser. The falling snow was good on two levels, but likewise was bad on two levels. Firstly, it made her harder to see. The counter was that it was harder for her to see as well. If everything went according to plan there would be no tacks to follow, but if she was seen, they could find her just about anywhere. A quick glance told her that the market was clear… and in a few seconds she was across and heading for the castle.

All was going well so far, or at least Zelda thought so. Darunia was talking with Impa and Link, King Zora was talking with her father, and, oddly enough, Mark Linwood seemed to have found some kind of common ground with Janan. Ruto was over with Vira and Connor along with, thank Din, Mikas. Prince Mikas of the Zoras wasn't really that bad a person, really, but Zelda couldn't stand him herself. Although he was from the hatching as Ruto, he was just about the polar opposite of his sister. Where Ruto was kind, he was quick to anger, where Ruto was calm, he was rash to extremes, and although Ruto might be thought of as a bit vein, she was nothing to her brother. But over-all, the night was going well. The treaty was going to be signed tomorrow due to the snow. Janan had arrived late, and the Zoras had needed to take warm baths after their long trek. They were all going to meet in the Temple of Time for the signing; a symbolic place to sign the treaty that would last for so long. After that, the Royal Family as well as the Sheikah Remnant were going to the Sanctuary to ask for the gods' blessings. The Sanctuary was almost as old as the Six Temples, but it was built for the people. It was a place where anyone could go – not just a Sage – to pray to the gods. Even the Royal Family went there; the Temple of Time was never to be used for such small things. After a long while, her father got up and spoke to them all:

"Friends, it is indeed a pleasure to see you all gathered here," he said, and Zelda could tell that he truly meant it, "however, it is growing late. I, for one will now retire to my chambers. I'm sure after your long journeys you are all eager for warm beds and good food. Be assured, you will have both. Those of you who know where your rooms are, please feel free to leave now, or stay as long as you will." The Gorons and Sheikah started to filter out, leaving only a few behind. "As for the rest of you, you will be escorted to your chambers whenever you like, simply ask a member of the staff. With that, I bid you all good night." As the King started to leave, the murmur of voices started up again. A few more people, King Zora among them, started to head off to bed, but most of the others stayed. Yes, all was going fine.

The walls had become very slippery from the snow, but that hadn't been enough to stop Isra. After a long and hard climb, and more than one broken grappling hook, she had made it to the lower roof of Hyrule Castle. Just a few feet to the left… there it was… looking down through the window, Isra saw a large room; filled with all sorts of art, most favoring the Zora style. No doubt Daphneses doing… there was also a bed in the room, a very large one indeed, with a sole occupant… Isra loaded an arrow to her bow and took aim…

"Good night, King Zora…"

Chapter 4

Nexx looked out one of the windows of his room. He had never dreamed he would see Hyrule again, much less set foot in its Castle. He had only been a baby when the fire had occurred, bringing Kakariko to its end…

And doing the same to his mother and sister.

Life had always been hard for the Sheikah, they said. Always in the shadows of the Hylians, always forgotten be the other races, they said that the fire was just one more test for the Sheikah. They were wrong. They had to be. Life must have been better than this back in Kakariko, it must have been.

But all that was in the past now. It had been nearly four years since Impa had brought what was left of the Sheikah together, and they were starting to become a true power again. That was why they were here; to sign that treaty, showing they were a force in Hyrule again. But still… it had been the Gorons who had set that fire, and the Zoras had been allied with them…

"No." Nexx said to himself, shoving such thoughts aside, "it wasn't their fault. If there's anyone to blame, it's Ganondorf. He's the one who brought such hatred into this country, it's all his doing." Nexx had been told the stories of the war over and over growing up, just like every other child in Hyrule; how Ganondorf truly hadn't planned the war, and how, at the time, he had worked hard for peace… but he had also heard the rumors through the stones. Rumors that said that it had been Ganondorf himself who had summoned the monsters to the Battle of Tides in a plot to end the war and gain the trust of the other nations… was it so impossible that he had mislead the Gorons into attacking Kakariko? No… it wasn't impossible, but it hardly mattered anymore. Those who had ordered the fire had been killed by the Gorons themselves, and there was no reason to believe Ganondorf was behind it. "Heh, I'm doing it again," Nexx sighed, shaking his head, "thinking about the past in circles can drive you insane, and that's the last thing you need right now." He stood there for a while, still looking out over the Castle grounds, when a piercing scream rang through the castle. Nexx didn't hesitate. Rushing toward the scream, he drew his dagger.

Zelda was walking down the hall with Impa. After all this hospitality, Zelda had been looking forward to the chance to simply talk with Impa. "So…" Zelda said, looking into the eyes of her former nursemaid, "how did you go about finding all the remaining Sheikah, anyway? There sure are more than I thought there'd be."

"Well," Impa said, pausing to think, "Not all of them were in Kakariko when the attack took place. Some were out of town visiting friends; others had left the country once the war hit its height. Still more-" Impa's sentence was cut off as a sharp scream sounded through the halls. "I wonder what that could have been…"

"Well, we've got to go find out, c'mon, Impa." Impa didn't move.

"Zelda, you are the Princess. I cannot allow you to go where there may be danger. Please, stay behind."

"No." Zelda said flatly, "I'm going. You can try to stop me, but you'll just be wasting your time."

"So be it." let's go. Impa still knew here way around the Castle, it seemed. After a quick run through the halls they came upon an open door, and could hear sobbing coming through the other side. Impa produced a sharp dagger from somewhere, and quickly jumped through the door.

It was a grim sight that met their eyes. Lying on the bed was King Zora, a puddle of deep blue blood dampening the sheets. On the floor next to him sat Ruto, crying her eyes out. Standing next to her, seemingly trying to calm her down was a young male Sheikah, with dark black hair and pale gray eyes. "Nexx!" Impa said rather loudly then was needed, "what happened here?" the Sheikah named Nexx stood up stiffly, as if he were a common foot soldier speaking to a general.

"We're not quite sure, ma'am. From what I've been able to tell, he was k-" he stopped and looked at Ruto, "hit by a toxic arrow. It was shot through the skylight, and most likely finished him before the poison entered the bloodstream."

"Do we know how long he's been out?"

"We have some ideas, ma'am. He left the guest-hall only a few minutes before Ruto did, so it couldn't have been too long. The amount of blood, however, suggests otherwise."

"n-no…" Ruto said, wiping her eyes on her gown, "it's just a part of Zora anatomy; we simply bleed more than most races."

"Well, there you have it Impa." Nexx said, resting his hand comfortingly on Ruto's shoulder, "that's all we know."

"Then he might still be on the grounds…" Impa muttered under her breath.

"Who might still be on the grounds?" said a female voice from behind. Zelda turned to see Vira Dragmire and Connor Linwood enter the room. "What's everyone in a huff about- Din's holy fire! What happened?" she said as she looked at what remained of King Zora.

"An assassination, that's what." Nexx snapped. "And just who might you be?" Vira had just opened her mouth when Zelda took over.

"It's alright," she said, "They're friends."

"You were saying that the person who did this might still be on the grounds, right Impa?" Connor said, eyes not moving from the corpse before him.

"Yes," she replied. Suddenly, she looked up. "Connor, you and Vira are part of the security force that the King had arranged, correct?"

"Um, we're hardly a 'security force.' The King just asked us to keep an eye on things."

"Either way, you two must hurry if you are to catch this assailant! Hurry, get going!"

"There's no time!" Zelda said, stamping her foot in frustration, "they'd never make it. Connor, you two just came from the guest-hall, right?"

"Yes…"

"Who all was down there that could handle a threat like this? Was Link still there?"

"No… but my father said he was going for a walk through the grounds…"

"That'll have to do," the Princess said, placing two fingers to her forehead.

Mark was having a lovely stroll around the Castle grounds. He had just made a full circle around the place when a soft voice spoke to him, as I inside his own mind.

"Ambassador, Ambassador Linwood…" it said, "can you hear me? This is Princess Zelda…" Mark stopped in his tracks.

"Um, yes I can hear you… I think…"

"Don't worry," the voice of Zelda said, "I'm using on of the magical arts of the Hylians to speak to you. I'll explain later. Please, tell me, where on the grounds are you?"

"I'm by the front gate," he said, more than a bit confused, "why has something happened?"

"Yes indeed. King Zora is dead, Ambassador. We think that the murderer might still be around. Please, do you see anything?" something clicked in the back of Mark's head.

"No need," he said, turning around and running back the way he came, "I saw some tracks in the snow a few minutes ago. They were pretty fresh, it could only be our assassin." He said, coming up to the gate to Hyrule Castle Town. Indeed, there they were. By the looks of the tracks, the person who left them hadn't been going too fast… "Zelda, I've found them," he said, drawing the Sword of Power, "I'm on him."

All had gone smoothly so far. Isra had made it into the town square without being seen. But the tracks she was leaving in the snow were worrying her.

And for good reason.

"Stop there!" a man called from behind her, "don't move!" Isra turned and looked the man over. He was fairly tall, with very deep black hair. He was far enough away now, she could be gone before he could take a step… but what was that in his hand? Isra's eyes fixed on the sword.

That sword... Could it really be true?

"Why should I?" she said, stalling for a better look at the blade, "who's going to stop me?"

"Please, I don't want to resort to violence," The stranger said, pulling a Hylian shield from behind his back, "come quietly. This is your last chance."

"I don't think so," Isra said, pulling her own sword from behind her back. It was about the normal length for a sword, but the blade was inlaid with pearl, and the hilt with obsidian.

"So be it." he said, shaking his head. With that, he rushed at Isra.

"All too easy." She said, side stepping the blade as it came crashing down where she had been standing but moments before. Quickly, before her foe could make another move, she wiped his legs out from under him with a swift kick. But the stranger was much better than she had been expecting. He used the momentum of her kick to perform a back flip that brought the hilt of his sword crashing into the side of her face. Isra tasted blood, but recovered fast enough to duck under the swipe he made at her with his sword. That sword… yes, it looked like the same one that Shyam had told her about…

This changed everything.

Again, she performed a kick to his legs. This time, he jumped over it, giving Isra the chance to roll to the side. As she got to her feet Isra dropped her sword and pulled out her bow, quickly placing an arrow to the string.

Not even a Hylian shield can protect the entire person using it.

The venomous arrow pierced his left leg, shooting straight through to land in the left one. The force of the blow was enough to knock the stranger off his feet, and the toxin was enough to keep him down. Smirking, Isra walked over to the fallen man. With whatever strength he had left, he pulled the arrow from his leg, and tried to reach for his sword…

A swift kick to his head put him out for a good long while.

Isra picked up the blade. It was indeed the same one Shyam had told her about; the Sword of Power. Which meant that this could only be the one called 'Linwood.'

This trek had gone better than she had thought it would. Not only had she killed King Zora, but also Ambassador Linwood, and she now held the Sword of Power. Yes, the trip had indeed been worth it.

Chapter 5

"WHAT!" Janan spat across the table at King Daphnes, "you really expect me to sign the treaty after all this! You really are insane if you think so. If your fellow leaders aren't important enough to at least have a descent amount of security, then I believe I know just how much this treaty is worth to you! This could just as easily have been me, or Ambassador Linwood, or Darunia!"

"Please, do not bring us into this matter," the Goron Chief said, crossing his arms, "his highness is my Sworn Brother, I know he had know way of knowing this was coming about."

"Really?" Janan said, a sneer crossing her would-be-beautiful face, "I should have expected as much from one of you rock-dwellers. Loyal to the Hylia to the last? The same was not true when the Zoras were the dominant force in the county."

"If you think insulting our past will anger us, then you are dreadfully mistaken, Queen Janan," Darunia said, shaking his head, "we are not so easily roused."

"Now, this has gone too far," Daphnes said, locking eyes with Janan, "there is no reason we can't stay civil."

"The time for such things is over, Hylia," Janan said, "I'd be more worried about not starting a war here."

"I agree with Queen Janan on this," Mikas said, his dark eyes gone even darker in rage, "I want to see some action. I want to know who killed my father, and I want to know now."

"Believe me, we are going to any measures to find his killer," the King said, starting to worry. It had been almost three hours since King Zora's body had been found, and there had still been no word from Mark Linwood. Hyrule's royalty had been spending the greater part of that time fighting about what should be done, and they seemed to be nearing the breaking point. He knew that Impa and Darunia would remain loyal, but the Gerudo and Zora had always been better at warfare.

"What kind of 'measures'?" Mikas asked, rising from his seat, "if I don't find out where the killer is-" the Prince was cut off as a door opened and a young Sheikah woman entered the room. She came up to Impa, and whispered in her ear. Impa nodded, and motioned for her to leave.

"What news, Impa?" the King asked.

"They've found Linwood." She said, her voice stiff and even, "he was shot with an arrow, and then dragged into a nearby alleyway. They would have found him sooner, but it had been snowing a fair bit of the time."

"Well, is he alright?"

"We're… not sure." she said, her eyes falling, "he's not dead, but pretty damn close. We have reason to believe that there might be dark magic involved."

"See?" Janan said, gesturing to Impa, "we're not safe here. Linwood is a known war hero, said to be near unbeatable, and he's been defeated, and cursed. Likewise, this castle was said to be impenetrable, only ever taken by Dragmire, and it too has fallen. It is quite obvious that you care nothing for your people or anyone else's-"

"Janan," the King growled, "my top concern right now is to find a killer, one who might very well know some of the darkest magic known, not to listen to you jabber on about how I treat my people, which, I might add, is no business of yours in the first place. So I would thank you, quite frankly, to shut up." It took Janan a few seconds to recover from that, but when she did it was not pretty.

"How, how dare you talk to me that way! Hylia, you can expect an entire legion of Gerudo on your borders by the weeks end! The Gerudo Desert is now at war with the King of the East!"

"And the Zora!" Mikas said, walking over to Janan's side, "you have done too little, too late to catch this villain, and now it shall cost you. Come Ruto! We must return to the Zora's Domain at once." Ruto didn't stir.

"No," she said, standing and stepping behind Impa, "I will not help you this time, brother. What you are doing is wrong; I can't allow this to happen."

"You can't be serious, Ruto."

"I'm dead serious, Mikas. Our father came here to sign the treaty, and as Princess of the Zoras as well as the Sage of Water, I plan to do just that."

"So be it then, sister," Mikas said with a look of disgust, "but one Sage will do no good against an army of the best in the Zora's kingdom!"

"You're forgetting," Ruto said quietly, "that I have just as much claim to the throne as you do. Some of the people will rally to my side as well." With no more than a scoff, Mikas stormed out of the room.

"Well, you've gone and done it now, your highness," Janan said to Daphnes, a cold smile on her face, "re-started the Hylian Civil War in one night. Good luck, and may the Raven guide you and your people." With that, Janan and her guards left the room.

"Damn it…" the King muttered under his breath, placing his hands to his eyes, "how did this happen? Why now of all times?"

"If it is any consolation, you still have the un-dying loyalty of the Sheikah Remnant at your disposal, Daphnes." Impa said, her dark eyes filled with sadness.

"And the Gorons." Darunia said, his face grave. "And if Ruto returns to the Zora's Domain quickly, perhaps some of the Zoras as well." The King looked at Ruto. It was clear that she was still in pain, for both the loss of her father, and the dreadful ordeal that was about to come on her people.

"Ruto," the King said, try making his voice as calm and reassuring as possible, "you don't have to do this you know." Ruto looked up.

"I cannot allow my brother to do this." she said quite plainly, "it is just too much. I can understand his anger, but starting a war?" she shook her head. "Never. He has gone too far."

"What should we do now?" Impa asked, looking over the three other leaders.

"The only thing we can do," the King said, his heart heavy, "sharpen the blades, fortify the cities; Hyrule is at war again."

As the leaders returned to their chambers, the King was reminded of and old legend…

Blades will bleed,

Shields will shatter,

But as the light fades,

Will the hero rise again?

Daphnes wished with all his heart he knew the answer.

"Alive! How! Those arrows were tipped with the most deadly poison ever formed! How could he survive?"

"Depends," Isra said, in truth just as confused as Shyam, "what's that stuff made of?"

"Mostly from desert ivy," Shyam said, his eyes darting to Isra, "extremely rare, but by far the most toxic plant in Hyrule. Why?"

"Hello? It's a plant-based poison? Linwood is a Kokiri?"

"Your point?"

"Farore's holy wind, don't you know anything? Kokiri aren't affected by plant-based poisons!"

"How the heII am I supposed to know that?" Shyam said, sneering at Isra, "those damn things have been locked in that forest of Din knows how long, why should I give a damn about them? Heck, how do you know that in the first place?"

"I know a lot of things," Isra said, returning Shyam's glare, "My father saw to that. Speaking of which, I did my part, how're you coming along?"

"Not as well as I'd hoped," Shyam said, glad for the change of topic, "we've still got a few days to go."

"He's not going to like that…"

"Since when do you care, Isra? Anyway, there's no rushing these things. Don't worry, we'll be through soon." Isra looked down over Hyrule from their perch high atop Death Mountain, thinking back over the events of the past few weeks.

"Good. A war is beginning, Shyam. We don't want to be here when it starts."

Chapter 6

"... then the goddesses fled the earth, leaving behind the Holy Triforce. But they watch the ways of men to this day, and it is said that if ever a time come of gravest need, they will return to aid us." The Sage Mudora read aloud, "and so concludes that legend. Now if you will all rise, we shall sing one of the holy songs of the gods. Your highness, if you please?" as the King rose, he pulled out the famed magical conductor's baton, the Wind Waker.

"Remind me why we're here again?" Vira whispered to Connor, "I mean we could be out hunting down the snake that attacked King Zora, you know." Connor glared slightly as they got to their feet.

"Attending service is sort of a requirement in this part of Hyrule, Vira. It's very important that we honor the gods. The holy texts state that if one does not give the gods proper respect, you might end up as King Kaknas of the Fos." Connor lifted his hymnal from the bench, "which is to say, cursed to eternal damnation."

"Okay, okay," Vira said, picking up one of the song books for herself, "in the desert we only held these things on a monthly basis, and I was never allowed to attend anyway."

"You weren't allowed to worship the gods?"

"The bastard child of Ganondorf? As if." With that, the singing began:

In ages ago,

Long be fore time,

Came goddesses three,

With power sublime.

This is their tail, which I tell to thee,

Din Nayru Farore,

And their majesty.

Din's flaming arms

Made the land which we tread,

Nayru gave us magic,

To use and to dread,

Farore gave us life,

Most precious of things,

And now every creature,

Of their glory sings.

Power like fire,

Wisdom like love,

Courage like wind,

Form the goddess above.

Being unfamiliar with Hylian-style worship songs, Vira used this chance to look around the inside of the Sanctuary; it was a large building made of wood, with ten long rows of pews on either side of the main walkway, and stained glass windows set all along the walls. At the far end was the mighty pipe-organ used during some of the worship songs, its vast pipes reaching toward the ceiling above.

But even with a total of twenty pews, there were next to no seats left. Pretty much everyone from Hyrule Castle Town and Kakariko were here; word of the tragedy had spread quickly. Ruto had left for Zora's Domain early this morning, hoping to overtake Mikas by making her return trip by land, rather than swimming up the river like her brother had. What with all the melting snow, that river would be hard even for a Zora to swim in, even if he hadn't been swimming upstream. Impa had already begun to ready the army, a task that the King thought fit for no one else. Darunia and his Gorons were staying only long enough to attend service here at the Sanctuary, and then would continue from here to Kakariko and Death Mountain. Connor had been spending much of the morning either by the side of his father, or in deep swordplay with Link. Both of them said that fighting was a good distraction, but Vira knew their true intent: they were practicing for the oncoming war.

War.

Hadn't Hyrule seen enough blood? The Civil War, Ganondorf, Os Filhos De Majora, now this? What would become of this country?

After awhile the singing stopped, and the congregation sat down again.

"I'd like to thank you all for coming today," Mudora said, lifting his hands to the people, "as I'm sure we all know, it is a dark time for Hyrule, and every prayer is greatly needed. And so, let us end today's service with one such prayer. Please rise." The congregation rose again. "Nayru, Din, Farore… agradam, protegem esta terra. Mantenha nosso cofre de pessoas, mesmo neste tempo escuro. Deixa o inimigo ver o erro de seus meios, deixa-os ver nós não desejamos nenhum dano a eles. Agrada, mostra Hyrule não mais derramamento de sangue. El poder, la sabiduría, el valor."

"El poder, la sabiduría, el valor…" the people echoed, and with that they started to leave. Suddenly, a young Sheikah woman came running down the aisle to King Daphnes. They talked for a moment, and then she ran back out of the Sanctuary. Noticing Vira and Connor looking at him, the King motioned for them to come forward.

"What do you think's going on up there?" Connor said as they made their way through the stream of people heading for the doors.

"Could be anything," Vira said, brushing up against Connor's shoulder as yet another Hyrulean nudged her out of the way, "If we're lucky, maybe they've found a cure for your dad." at last they came to the front row, where King Daphnes, Zelda, Darunia, and Link had all been sitting.

"Connor, Vira." The King nodded to them in turn.

"Your highness," the two said, bowing.

"I've got some interesting news," the King said, sitting back down on the pew, "there's been a report of a pair of very suspicious-looking strangers passing through Kakariko. They were first seen one night entering the home of the late Ciardha Lycurgus." Vira flinched, if ever so slightly. "Shortly after," the King continued, "they were seen going up the Death Mountain trail. Last night, another person spotted a young woman going up the trail. It's a long shot, but this could be our assailant. If you can, I'd like the pair of you to go to Death Mountain and investigate. I would send Link with you, but he is needed here; until we have some idea of the movements of the enemy, we cannot afford to have all three of you gone at once." Connor looked at Vira.

"I'm willing to go, but I don't know if Vira-"

"Oh, I'm coming. Don't even think about questioning that."

"Alright," Connor said, turning back to the King, "we'll just need a few hours to get some supplies ready, and then we can be off."

"Very good," the King said, standing back up, "if you need anything at all, just send word and you'll have it."

"Thank you, your highness."

"Thank you, Connor, Vira. I hope your journey is successful."

"Well, at least we're doing something now," Vira said as they left the Sanctuary, "sure as hell beats sitting around Hyrule Castle waiting for something to happen."

"Yeah," Connor said, stretching in the morning sun, "it'll feel kinda good to be back on the road again. A little different; at least we won't be trying to kill each other like last time." Vira laughed.

"As long as we don't end up at Lon Lon Ranch. I don't even want to think what Malon would do to us." Connor shuddered.

"A good point."

"Excuse me," said a cool voice from behind. Connor turned to see the Sheikah called Nexx standing in front of him.

"Can we help you?" Connor asked.

"In a way…" Nexx said, his short black hair fluttering a bit in the fresh spring wind, "Commander Impa told me about the news from Kakariko. I assume you two took the King up on his offer?"

"Maybe," Vira said, "what's it to you?"

"Please, Lady Dragmire, I mean no ill-will. I have come to ask if I may accompany you on your journey. I assure you, I would be no burden, and can make myself most useful."

"How so?" Vira said, frowning at Nexx.

"I have been trained as a Sheikah assassin, Lady Dragmire." Nexx said, glaring slightly, "I am one of the elite of an elite race. A master of stealth, cunning with both weapons and magic alike. I can be a spy, guard, swordsman, you name it. But I must come with you."

"Why's that?" Connor asked.

"You plan to pass through Kakariko, do you not?"

"Yes…"

"I have… shadows to chase there, as the old saying goes. Commander Impa said that if I do not go with you, I must remain and help train the army. I do not mind the task, but with the enemy coming nearer with each passing moment, I fear I may never get the chance settle my past if I don't do it now."

"You know that if we take you, you won't be able to just go back home after Kakariko," Connor said,

"you'd be coming for the entire journey; no more, no less, and your skills might have greater need elsewhere."

"I am aware, yes. But this assassin is the entire balance point of the conflict, if we catch them, we might be able to end this war without a single blade being drawn."

"He's got a point, Vira…"

"Alright, if you think it's a good idea, I'll go along with it." she said.

"Okay, Nexx," Connor said, "you're in. meet us at the gate out of Hyrule Castle Town in three hours. Be sure to bring anything you need, we might not be back for a while."

"Thank you both. Three hours." with that, Nexx strode off toward Hyrule Castle.

"You're sure it's safe to bring him along?" Vira asked, her eyes still on the back of the Sheikah, "He could be a spy."

"I doubt it," Connor said as they started to walk again, "he seems okay to me. Even if he is a spy, I think we could take him."

"Yeah, you're probably right…" Vira said, looking up at the high afternoon sun. "But one thing bothers me: what the heII does 'shadows to chase' mean?"

"It's an old Sheikah term. Basically means a score to settle, or memories to deal with."

"And why do you know that?"

"My dad's been a lot of places, and seen a lot of things." Connor said, shrugging, "he made sure to tell me a lot about them."

"Whatever you say, Kokiri-boy."

Chapter 7

"Attention! All male members of Zora's Domain are to report to General Losan for combat training each morning beginning at first tide." Mikas proclaimed from the top of the Zora's waterfall, "Any who fail to comply will be reprehended and imprisoned." A thick murmur came from the water below, followed by a shout;

"On what grounds, Prince Mikas? Surly we are not at war? What became of the Tides treaty? Where's your father, the King?"

"That is not your concern," Mikas said, glaring down at the lone Zora who had dared to speak, "I am not under any obligation to tell you anything."

"But I will tell all!" came a voice from the far end of the hall, a voice all too familiar, and not the least bit welcome, by Mikas. "Heed my words, Zoras!" Ruto cried out, her voice echoing through the vast chamber of Zora's Domain, "Mikas has broken truce with the Hylia! He would bring the wrath of King Daphnes upon us!" Mikas had to think quickly; he hadn't been expecting Ruto back so fast, much less present at his first announcement.

"But Ruto herself deceives you!" he countered, "it was the Hylia that broke treaty when they failed to protect my Royal father from death!" that had won him a few listeners. Murmur was beginning to break out again.

"It matters not," Ruto said, "our father knew the risks, but went anyway. He wanted peace; would you deny him that Mikas? Come Zoras! I have allied with the Hylia, as well as the Gorons and Sheikah! Come with me, fight for peace throughout Hyrule!"

"But stay, sister, the Gerudo have already allied with me! Would you have the people do battle with the Queen of the West?"

"You align yourself with Ganondorf's people? Bind Zora's Domain to Queen Janan? You know as well as I do that when she is done with you she will toss you aside like to pawn that you are!"

"How dare you!" Mikas spat, his dark eyes flashing with rage. He knew that should he lose this debate, he might very well lose any hope of revenge of the Hylia, and even his claim to the throne. "It doesn't matter, Ruto. I was hatched first; I am the rightful heir to Zora's Domain!" mutterings of agreement drifted up from the crowd below. Mikas was sure he had won this round, when Ruto spoke again:

"I had hoped it wouldn't come to this, but you have left me no other choice, my brother." She paused. "As Sage of Water, I hereby dispel the blessing of the gods from you, Mikas. If you do not renounce your claim to the throne of Waters, it will never return to Zora's Domain until you and your descendants have been destroyed by your own greed."

The crowd went silent, leaving only the rush of the waterfall to disturb the air. Mikas didn't move. She couldn't be serious, could she? Was it even possible? Slowly, Mikas' befuddlement began to heat once more into anger, and a deep loathing for his sister.

"So be it, Ruto. I will not lay down my claim, so curse on. Hear me Zoras! Any who ally with the Sage of Water shall be an enemy of the Zora's Domain! Come my brethren, follow me! I am KING!" cheers came from some of the Zora below, but not nearly from all of them. Looking down, Mikas saw that the people had drifted into two groups, one at the base of the waterfall, the other by the main entrance where Ruto stood.

"Come Zoras! Away, to Lake Hylia!" she shouted, "We are pure! We are free! Let none stand in our way! For peace! To Hylia! To Hylia!"

"To Hylia! To Hylia!" the mob echoed as they began to exit, "Onward to Hylia!"

"So it has begun…" Ruto muttered to herself as they marched out of Zora's Domain, "Not just Hyrule has been split, but her people as well… Nayru, please, save my people; save Hyrule."

"How much longer?" Isra demanded, her tone sharp and bitter, "you've taken too long already." Shyam glanced over at her, not even pausing in the incantations he was muttering. "You know he won't be pleased with this."

Shyam stopped, a mix of anger and frustration coming over his face. "I have been drawing patterns in the dust for nearly two days, Isra." He said, his voice icy, "you think this kind of magic is easy? It would take more than a Sage could handle to break this. This is magic at its deepest level, you're lucky I'm able to do it at all, so quit rushing me." He turned back to his work, sprinkling magical powder at various points along the patterns. Where ever the powder hit, a fire began to burn, the yellows oranges and reds matching the sunset taking place off to the right. "However…" Shyam said, pausing for a moment, "it's been a while since your father contacted us. Does that thing still work?" Isra pulled out a small blue looking-glass from her belt and gazed into it for a moment.

"I think he busy making preparations of his own." She said, tucking the mirror away, "I doubt he has time to worry about us."

"I suppose I should take that as a sign that he has faith in us, and thus it is quite a complement."

"Don't get over confident." Isra said, sneering, "He wouldn't like that at all."

"As you say. Now, if you don't mind, I must continue with my work. We are nearly through now…"

"No, sorry. You should ask Blind."

"Have you talked with Blind?"

"I don't know anything about no girl going up the mountain. Maybe you should speak to Blind."

"Blind is more likely to know about that sort of thing. Sorry I couldn't help."

No matter where Connor asked, the answer seemed to almost always be the same: "sorry, you should go talk to Blind."

The sun was just starting to fall below the rooftops of Kakariko when he Vira and Nexx met up again.

"Any luck?" Vira asked, running her fingers through her hair.

"Sadly, no." Connor said, shaking his head. "A lot of people said that I should ask someone named 'Blind' but I no one had any real info. What about you guys?"

"Same thing as you," Vira replied, "all I got was about fifty recommendations for Blind. Couldn't find out where this guy is of course, but seems everyone knows about him."

"The same was true of my search," Nexx added, "but I was able to find out where this Blind fellow is supposed to be, and a little more about him." Connor looked up. No matter what he had asked the inhabitants of Kakariko, the answer had always come back the same, "I don't really know," or "I don't think I should be telling you that." How had Nexx gotten it? "Well?" Connor prodded. "Blind's a renegade Sheikah who leads a band of thieves around here," Nexx said, crossing his arms, "a blend of mostly Hyruleans, and maybe few Zora. From what I can tell, they mostly stalk the Lost Woods, robbing travelers and merchants, but their base of operations seems to be located up in the graveyard." Connor flinched; Kakariko graveyard was famous for a high concentration of Poes, and what's worse, ReDeads. "I thought," Nexx continued, "that since we must go there anyway to search for Blind, I might, well…"

"Chase some shadows." Connor finished for him.

"Yes, if you think it alright."

"Sure, no problem."

"Well, if we're going to the graveyard," Vira said, her voice cold, "we should hurry; it's getting dark, and we all know that Poes are more likely to be about at night."

"True," Connor agreed. And with that, they started up the darkening trail to Kakariko graveyard.

By the time they arrived, the graveyard was already flooded in darkness. This made Vira uneasy; she may be trained in all the battle techniques of the Gerudo, but none of that did any good against things that couldn't be seen... touched... heard… The very idea of the undead frightened Vira. She had killed before, there were no doubts in her mind about being able to do that, but was she really able to kill something that had already died, and had come back again?

"Are you frightened, Lady Dragmire?" Nexx said, turning to Vira.

"No… it's just that I'm… not so sure how my skills will be of use against ghosts…" Nexx smiled.

"Do not worry about that, Lady Dragmire," he said, pulling a small eye-shaped medallion on a chain from around his neck, "my people know well the spirits. No harm shall come from them. Come, I will show you." Nexx walked over to a nearby tombstone. He then picked up a stone and threw it straight at the grave marker. Vira gasped at what happened next: as the stone hit, the grave began to rattle. And then, quite literally out of nowhere, the creature appeared. A sort of head floating roughly three feet above the ground; it was almost bird-like in some ways, with its long, pointed nose and its glowing, pupil-less eyes. It was almost completely black, with what seemed to be a hood stretching across its back and head. It had two short arms, and in one hand it clenched a small lantern that burned with a light that was not of this world.

Vira froze.

But Nexx on the other hand, remained at total ease. Raising the pendant, he spoke in a tone that chilled Vira to the core:

"A shadow walker treads here," he said, "stir not again this night." And then with a cackle that unnerved Vira's very soul, the Poe vanished. "The Sheikah have lived with in harmony with the dead since the dawn of time," Nexx explained, "They obey us, for we respect them."

"I see…" Vira said, thoroughly shaken, "well, let's move on, shall we?" They continued on through the massive graveyard at a fair pace, Nexx calming any spirits that might get in their way. Suddenly, Vira heard a rustle from among the headstones. With reflexes honed by years of hard Gerudo training, she drew her long, curved scimitar from her side, her eyes darting about the graves. "There's someone here…" she muttered, still scanning the area, "they're watching us… Hey! We know you're out there! Show yourself!" Silence.

"We mean no harm here!" Connor called, catching on, "we're looking for Blind! We have a deal we'd like to offer him!"

"What do you mean 'deal'? Vira said out of the corner of her mouth, her eyes still darting about.

"He's a thief, right?" Connor replied, "Most likely he'll want payment for any information he gives us."

"What kind of a deal?" a voice came from the left. But even as Vira turned to look, the same voice, a female voice, came again from behind, "Blind isn't very fond of outsiders."

"We seek information," Nexx said, a dagger clenched behind his back, "nothing more. We want to know about the woman who went up the mountain." It took a while for the stranger to reply this time, but at last, she spoke again:

"Alight," she said, and this time Vira caught sight of her. She was a pale woman, about twenty-five by the looks of her, with short brown hair. "Please, follow me," she said, "I'll take you to him."

Chapter 8

"Pelos poderes das sombras… por morte e por ódio… pelo Senhor do Mundo Escuro…" Shyam muttered over and over, tracing flaming lines in the dust with his staff. Even Isra could feel it; they were so close now. Suddenly, Isra felt the mirror set on her belt begin to vibrate. Quickly, she darted away from where Shyam was working; should he be distracted now, all their work could be for nothing. Pulling the looking-glass from her side, she rubbed it clean with her sleeve, leaving the blue-toned glass clear and reflective. But it didn't stay that way for long. Even as she stared at her own reflection, her features in the mirror began to warp, forming a much different face, one that brought bitterness and anger to Isra, even from the mere sight of it.

"So, you've finally decided to contact us again," she said, feeling the sneer creeping onto her face, "before you even ask, we're almost done. Shyam is nearly finished with his spell."

"Very good," the face in the mirror replied, its voice deep and guttural, "any pursuit by the cursed one?"

Isra hesitated. "Not yet, my lord…" she said, her eyes drifting down, "but my guess is there will be… others…"

"What others?"

"From what I know of the King's response to my attacks, he's sent some people to follow me, but who, I cannot yet say." The other paused for a moment, his face showing signs of thought.

"Tell me, Isra," he said, "would they yet be in the village? Would they be within the bounds of Kakariko?"

"Almost certainly, my lord."

"Then you shall be my eyes, Isra." A sudden chill ran through Isra, followed by a sense of uneasy completeness, as if she had swallowed a great deal of freezing cold water in one gulp. Even as she thought on this, she lost connection to her body, and felt as if she was being pulled away. As if she were a spirit, Isra moved through the air, over to where Shyam was muttering incantations and lighting fires. She tried to call out to him, but her voice found no flight. That was when she noticed that although she could see Shyam's lips moving, she couldn't hear the spells he muttered. Isra turned, and found herself looking down upon her own body, which sat staring unblinkingly into the mirror in her hand.

"Go on," a gentle voice spoke in the back of her mind, "see more." She did so. Without fear for her own safety, she dropped over the cliff edge, but didn't feel the rush of wind as she fell.

"It's like I'm able to walk on air," she thought, "not fly, but move through the sky as I would the land…" Reassured by this success, she moved on through the night toward the dim lights of Kakariko. As she neared the city, she was overwhelmed by the freedom she was now in control of. She moved with absolute silence, no one saw heard her, saw her, or was even the slightest bit aware of her presence. She moved about, watching the people. A lone man was rushing down the street, undoubtedly hurrying home at this late hour. Drunken shouts came from the local tavern, and a few unconscious bodies lied outside. Isra saw an open window. Drifting through it, she saw children sleeping peacefully in their beds, their parents looking down on them lovingly. Anger began to course through Isra.

"Why was I forsaken that blessing?"

The voice in her mind spoke again, just as subtlety as before, but a bit firmer. "Go to the graveyard," it said. Isra moved out of the home, but kept the image of that happy family in her mind. "I will not rest forever, father." She thought, "one day, you shall pay for this." Again, as if she were no more than the wind, Isra moved on. Up the winding path, darting back and forth between the graves… there they were, four of them. Isra looked from one to the other. The first was a standard Hyrulean woman, with short brown hair. The next was a young man, with very deep black hair, and a long sword at his side. He looked Hylian, but there was something different, yet very familiar about him… the next was another man, about the same age by the looks of him, with hair an even darker shade of black, and pale gray eyes. "A Sheikah," Isra thought. But it was the last member of the group that Isra was most interested in. She was a tall Gerudo in the prime of her life, with one golden scimitar at her side, and another across her back. Her long red hair was in a high ponytail, and she was clad in the traditional two-piece of the Gerudo, with the upper half colored black, and the leggings a deep purple.

Then, just as suddenly as the vision had started, so too it ended. In a rush of color and shadow, Isra found herself back atop Death Mountain, with Shyam's mutterings in her ears. She looked down at the mirror in her hand.

"What did you see?"

"Three of them…" she replied, panting heavily. She felt as if she had just run all the way back up the mountain. "…and one of the thieves. There was a Sheikah – I doubt he'll be any trouble – and a Hylian." Isra paused for a moment. "I think he might have been the son of Ambassador Linwood. He had a very Kokiri-ish look about him. If he fights anything like his father, he might mean trouble."

"But what of the third?"

"The third seemed to be a Gerudo warrior."

"I thought you said that the demonic bitch Janan had brought war to the King of the East."

"She has." Isra shrugged, "could be a renegade or outcast of some kind." The eyes in the mirror widened.

"What color did she wear?"

"What?"

"Answer now! What color was the Gerudo wearing?"

"The upper part was black, and the bottom was purple…" the mirror fell silent.

"She's finally returned…"

"My lord…?"

"Black!" he spat, "Only traitors and bastards wear black! Scarlet is a color worn only by royalty!"

"I don't understand…" Isra frowned.

"Are you blind, woman?" he said, "Can you see nothing? A bastard, yet royal? Only one Gerudo fits that title, and that Gerudo is the one named Vira." He paused. "This could be a problem indeed… Isra, I am sending you aid. These are your orders: do not, under any circumstances allow the daughter of Dragmire to come near the threshold."

With that, the mirror cleared, leaving the bluish glass to reflect Isra's own features once again. For a moment, Isra sat in silence, but quickly something caught her eye. Stepping out of the shadows came several dark figures. As they stepped into the moonlight, Isra smiled. "Aid indeed, father." She turned to the ever growing number of Norstans standing before her. "Go; do as thy master would have you. Destroy all in the graveyard! Destroy the Sheikah, destroy the son of Linwood," Isra's orders filled with hatred, "and first and foremost, destroy the daughter of Dragmire!"

Chapter 9

"Here we are," the female thief said as they came over a small hill littered with fewer graves than the area around it, "welcome to the camp of the Blind Thieves." Vira's eyes lit up at the sight of the valley. Dozens of people; men and women, young and old, Hyrulean, Zora, and even two or three Gerudo, all gathered at long tables around a massive bonfire, feasting upon meat they had cooked in the flames.

"It's 'A noite dos Ladrões' – Night of the Thieves," their guide explained, "on any other night, Blind is usually quite fond of visitors."

"Of course…" Vira muttered to herself as they passed through the crowds, "how could I have forgotten…" "how indeed," said a voice from her left, "given all the times we celebrated this fine day back in the valley." Vira turned toward the voice, and released a cry of glee.

"Chandra! What, how?" the Gerudo stood and laughed at her cousins befuddlement.

"It's been a while, hasn't it Vira?"

"what happened, why'd you leave the valley? And how in Farore's holy name did you end up with this lot?"

"Long story. I'll tell you after you meet up with Blind; we can swap stories over some ale. Nina?" Chandra said, turning to the brown-haired woman that had lead them to the camp, "I'll take them to Blind, you can go get some food if you want some."

"thanks for the offer, but my orders are to stay with them until otherwise instructed."

"suit yourself," Chandra said, shrugging her shoulders.

Nearing the fire, a tall man came into view; he had long dark hair that he wore at shoulder length, the tips brushing gently up against the collar of his loose-fitting robe. Even from this distance, Vira could just make out a small golden pendant very much like the one Nexx had used around his neck. As they approached, he opened his arms in a welcoming gesture.

"greetings," said the thief, "and welcome to my humble camp. As you may have guessed, I am Blind. Might in inquire to the nature of your visit?"

"quite simple really," Vira said, stepping forward, "we want to know about the woman on the mountain."

"ah, I see…" Blind said, placing his fingertips together, "well, I'm perfectly willing to tell you all I know… for a price." Connor threw a large purse at Blind's feet, spilling some sparkling red rupees in the dust.

"I think that should cover what we need," Connor said, his eyes cold.

"ah, very well…" Blind said, stooping to retrieve the purse, "she and another fellow snuck up the mountain about a week ago."

"How?" Connor said, "there's almost always a guard on duty at the gate."

"Back door." Blind said bluntly, "there's a small path that leads up from the graveyard. If you follow it up to the end, it'll put you even higher up than that old Fairy Fountain. If I had to guess, I'd say that's where your lady is. I can have someone show you the path in the morning if you like. However, tonight is a time for my kind to celebrate."

"fair enough," Vira said, backing away, "we'll go in the morning." With that, she turned to go.

"c'mon; you can sit with me-" Chandra started to say, when a sudden crack and clatter split the night. As she turned, Vira's eyes widened; standing before her, in the wreckage of an overturned table, was a small horde of creatures; although basically humanoid, they were nothing like the species that word implied. They were covered in gray-white fur, had two dull red pupil-less eyes, and on their hands, where fingers ought to be, were three sharp claws, one opposable to the others, forming an almost scissor-like affect.

"Norstasis!" Nexx gasped, eyes wide in horror.

"no…" Connor muttered, "they can't be… just like dad said…" Blind too, was reacting to the oncoming of these new creatures.

"flee!" he cried, "flee! Evil as befallen us! Be gone from this place!"

As shouts and clamor rang throughout the camp, the creatures struck. Although they seemed sluggish, these new foes were far from it; dashing about the campsite faster even than Lizalfos, they plunged their pointed talons deep into the throats of any who came within striking distance, ripping flesh and skin from the bone, and splintering the neck, only to bring the bloody chunks of meat to their small mouths, turning the thieves' feast into a gorging of human flesh, and drunken frenzy on human blood. Vira pulled her scimitar from her side, and quickly noted that Connor had also drawn his weapon. Nexx, however, no longer had his assassins' knife in his hand. Instead, his fists were glimmering with power; bright red on his left hand, cold blue on his right.

"heh," thought Vira, "he really can use magic after all."

As the enemy came nearer, Nexx struck; opening his left hand, he let fly a ball of bright fire into their ranks. The creatures merely shook off the assault, their fur only slightly singed. Next he threw a sphere of freezing clod; ice springing to lift where it hit. The creatures, however, didn't even seem to notice. Finally, one of them came too close.

Vira lashed out with her scimitar, expecting its polished blade to slice cleanly through sinew and bone alike. That was, however, not the case. As the desert sword came crashing down on its head, the creature moved its sharp metal-like claws to intercept the weapon. using the energy from the block, Vira aimed a blow that would sever her foe from hip to shoulder. However, another clawed hand came up to block her. Again and again she tried, but again and again the enemy blocked. Finally, in a last-ditch attempt, her right hand shot over her shoulder, bringing her other weapon into play. Given not only the advantage of two blades, but also the element of surprise, Vira was quickly able to decapitate the creature. Looking about, she saw Connor and Nexx running toward a small dark recess in the valley, where Chandra stood, bidding them make haste. Vira didn't need to be told twice. Running at full speed, she made it to her cousin at the same time as the others.

"what… are these things?" she panted as they looked back over the issuing chaos.

"I think…" Connor said, clutching a small cut on his arm, "they… might be… Norstans…" Vira had heard stories from Connor about the Norstans before, but had never given them much thought. Long ago, in a time that was, literally, just a memory, they had been the enforcers of Majora's will throughout Hyrule, and his personal set of assassins. Oddly, Nexx seemed to know what they were talking about.

"The Norstasis," he said, the burning power of his hands subsiding, "the word means 'unholy shadow' in the old tongue of the Sheikah. It is said they flock to the greatest evil that the world holds, serving, empowering." Connor and Vira looked at each other.

The Norstans had last been seen under the command of Majora… was it really that hard to believe…?

"I fail to see how any of this matters," Chandra said, leaning on her knees, "who gives a damn what they're doing here if they kills us before we find out." She nodded at a small party of Norstans that were subtly making their way to where the four of them were hiding. Suddenly, she turned to Vira. "cousin, we deal in information here. I know why you've come. I wish you the best of luck. Go down this path. After a while it will fork. Go right. It will lead you to the top of Death Mountain, and, I hope, to the assailant you seek." She bobbed her head back toward the clearing, "I'll hold them off as long as I can. Go." Vira felt Connor's hand on her wrist. As they ran down the path, she ventured one last look back: there Chandra stood, a pair of golden scimitars in her hands, and nearly a dozen Norstans trying to claw their way past her. As they turned out of sight, Vira heard the old Gerudo war cry echo through the graveyard: "Raven take me! For the burning Desert Sun!"

The only sound remaining was their three panting breaths, their hurried footfalls, and the chill night breeze.

Chapter 10

"Pelos poderes das sombras... por morte e por ódio... pelo Senhor do Mundo Escuro..."

As thunder and lightening clashed in the heavens, Isra watched as Shyam continued his chanting as he moved about the massive circle of patterns in a kind of frenzy. Fire blazed, the wind howled, and the very mountain seemed to quiver before the magic that Shyam conjured.

"Soon…" Isra said under her breath as the gale whipped her long black hair about, "only a little while longer…"

All the way up the winding trail Vira had the death cry of her cousin in her ears. Chandra had been just as fine a warrior as she was, but had been overcome by these creatures. Connor had come out of the battle wounded, and Nexx's magic had had no affect on them. If not by blades or sorcery, then by what could these Norstans be stopped?

As they ran onward up the path, Vira caught a view of Kakariko graveyard stretching out below them. Even from this height, Vira could see the spreading flames that had begun with the thieves' bonfire, left unchecked after the attack. Even this far away, Connor and Nexx dared not stop for long.

"We've got to keep going," Connor said, resting his hands on his knees, "if those thing catch us, it won't be pretty. Once we're at the top, at least we'll force them to bottle-neck up the path."

"Right..." Vira said, re-sheathing her scimitars, "hurry."

"As sombras... morte... o Mundo Escuro…"

Isra's blood was racing. They were so close now… so close, she could feel it. Soon, her part would be over, and she could truly live. Isra pulled the Sword of Power from her side. Even after so long, she hadn't told Shyam about it, for fear he would take it from her, or demand she give it to her father. But she would never let that happen; she had been the one to defeat Linwood, and to claim the blade that only Majora had been able to truly wield. She, not Shyam nor anyone else, had obtained this weapon, and it was her right to carry it. Suddenly, Isra turned about; there, at the path leading down the mountainside, stood the three warriors who she had seen in her vision. Grabbing her old sword in her left hand and the Sword of Power in her right, she attacked.

Nexx fell to the ground, just barely getting himself out of the way of the woman's blade. Vira and Connor, however, were quick on their feet and able to draw their own weapons before she could strike again. As the woman's twin blades clashed with Vira's scimitars, Connor slashed at her waist. The woman, however, back-flipped out of the way, landing in a crouch on top of a small boulder, her black hair in her face. It was then that Connor noticed the sword grasped in her right hand.

"Vira!" he shouted over the crackle of thunder, "She has the Sword of Power! Watch it!"

So she had the Sword of Power… so this was the assassin they had been looking for.

As Vira and Connor battled with the new attacker, Nexx tried to think of what to do; he didn't have a long enough sword with him to help with the battle, and using magic now might strike Vira or Connor. So rather than make himself an obstacle, he clamored up the side of the boulder to get a look around. When he reached the top his jaw fell open.

Lying before him was a massive circle of magical markings, with fires burning throughout. And standing in the middle of these runes was a single man, his black cloak wafting in the wind and his hands raised to the sky.

"Escuridão! Ódio! Poder! Sangue! No nome de Ganon, eu cobro-o, magias, acordado!"

As the final words echoed through the night, the wind's power increased tenfold as a swirling pillar of blazing purple fire filled the circle of runes. Squinting against the flood of light, Nexx saw the outline of the sorcerer in the flames. Even as he watched, the man vanished, as if simply pulled out of existence. Looking back over his shoulder, Nexx saw the woman who Connor and Vira had been fighting dash across into the flames as she too, disappeared. Suddenly, Nexx felt the wind increase again, pushing him toward the column of fire. No, that wasn't right… it was more like something was pulling him…

"Nexx!" Vira cried as the Sheikah vanished into the inferno, "Connor, we've got to help him!" Connor turned to face Vira.

"Alright. I'll go first. If anything different happens, get out of here, you understand?" Vira shook her head.

"I'm not letting you go alone."

"Vira," Connor's face was set to a determined frown, but that wouldn't be enough this time.

"Look, either we go together, or neither of us goes." She glanced down at her feet, noting the lines in the dust from where they had been slowly pulled toward the flame, "I'm not losing you again."

"Fine..." Connor said, taking Vira's hand, "let's do this."

Together they raced headlong into the violet blaze, but no pain came to Vira. Rather, a gentle warming and a rush of air as if she had gained speed on horseback. The flames spun around her, wafting about like a whirlpool, making her swoon. As darkness closed in around her, she could still feel Connor's hand in hers. With her last sound breath, she thought, "heh, if this is death, it isn't so bad…"

And all went black.

"Shyam… did we make it?" Shyam looked up into the deep red sky above them thoughtfully.

"Yes," he said, gathering his scattered magical implements from the ground, "we're here. Now the question is, how do we get where we need to be?"

"I don't think that will be a problem," Isra said, gesturing Shyam to look behind him.

Another horde of Norstans slipped out of the shadows, some of them bending over to assist Shyam with his belongings.

"I see…" Shyam said, taking a bottle full of green powder from a Norstan's clawed hand and driving it into a sack, "very well; lead on."

Meanwhile, high atop Death Mountain, the rush of purple flames vanished and the wind subsided, leaving only the scuffs in the dust to give any sigh to the battle that had not ten minutes ago taken place there. But where the burning pillar had stood, there was now a lone tile of reflective deep blue glass.

Chapter 11

She stood in the Sanctuary. The sun was setting outside, casting a deep red glow throughout the room. Zelda looked about her. There was something different here…

Suddenly, the great oak doors burst open, lighting the chamber with even more of the blazing red sunset. As Zelda turned to face the doors, a vile sight came before her:

A boar, disgusting, foul, the most impure swine to ever walk the earth, stood before her. Its grizzled mane was matted and filthy, its nose dripped with foul-smelling fluid, its tusks were stained with blood, and the entire beast reeked of death and excrement. Zelda watched in horror as the creature stalked down the aisle toward the altar, grunting at random increments. Zelda wanted to move, she wanted to pull out her Sheikah assassin's knife and stab the beast to death, but no power came to her limbs. As the boar stood on the holy platform, it began to squeal in pain. As it fell to its side twitching, a young girl appeared. Zelda couldn't see her face, but she had long red hair, and dark skin. When the boar opened its eyes again, it stood and backed away from the little girl, snarling, or as close to a snarl as a boar could manage. It was then that Zelda became aware that a set of strong steel bars had come up between the girl and the beast. As she continued to watch, the boar lunged at the little girl, but the bars held strong. Giving up for a time, the creature tuned back toward the altar. Using its bloodied tusks and rock-hard hoofs, it ripped down tapestries, shattered glass, shredded holy books, turning the former place of worship into its own den. Finally the beast turned back to the strong bars that held it prisoner. Once again it attacked, but once again the bars held true. Zelda now saw that the young girl was holding the keys to the beast's prison. In a rage of frustration, the boar ripped at its own side with its pointed tusks, drawing blood from the spot. The beast then allowed a few drops to fall through the bars, landing on the side that the girl was on. From this blood came another girl, this one dark haired and pale skinned, as if she were a goddess of the moon. This one was fully grown, and held in her hand a dagger that she would use to kill the girl with the key. But by now the first girl was also fully grown. She gracefully kicked the dagger from the moon-like girl's hand, knocking it away. Both girls drew weapons now, and Zelda tried to cry out for them to stop; she wanted to tell the dark-haired one that releasing the beast would ruin the world, but she found no voice within her bosom. As the pair made their first strikes, Zelda felt herself being pulled away, watching in horror as the girls faded into the distance. The boar however, remained clearly visible to her much longer, as well as the key that the first girl had been holding. Zelda tried to reach for the key, but just as her hand was about to touch the warm metal…

Princess Zelda awoke with a start, the image of the beast still clinging to her retinas. Jumping out of bed, she rushed down the hall. Rounding a corner, she rushed headlong into Impa.

"Your highness, what's wrong?"

"Impa, I need to see my father right away, and Link too. Do you know where they are?"

"Your father the King is having a counsel with Princess Ruto at the moment; she's only just back from Lake Hylia, so I'm afraid you'll have to wait to see him-"

"There's no time! Impa, go find Link, and meet me in my father's counsel chambers in half an hour. It's good that Ruto's here…"

"Zelda, what's going on?"

"I'm afraid Impa… nearly ten years ago I had a vision of things to come, and the world was nearly lost. This time, we have a chance to alter that future."

In less than twenty minutes the King, Impa, Link, and Ruto were all gathered in the conference hall, listening with perked ears to Zelda retelling her dream. When she had finished, Impa leaned back in her chair.

"I agree with the Princess," She said, "there can be no doubt that this is a prophecy."

"Agreed," Ruto said, leaning on the table, "but what action can we take? The boar and altar represent Ganon and the Sacred Realm, of course, but if trouble is brewing in that place, there is nothing we can do about it; the seal of the Sages' holds strong, and-"

"Your Highness! Your Highness, urgent news from Kakariko!" a messenger dashed through the doors, holding a scroll marked with the royal seal. Upon seeing the others, he stopped short.

"Oh, I'm sorry, sir, I'll come back later…"

"No need, no need," the King said, waving the fellow over, "what's happened?" "Sir, late last night, there was a massacre in Kakariko Graveyard. Several creatures attacked a band of thieves, slaughtering all but a few. Their leader, Blind, came out of it with only a few small face injuries, and has reported that Linwood, Dragmire, and a Sheikah had been present at the time of the attack." The messenger turned to Impa, "he said to tell you ma'am, that the attack was by creatures called 'Norstasis,' and that you would know the significance thereof. Also, a fire started by the thieves got out of control during the attack, and burned down nearly a square mile of the Graveyard."

The King's eyes were glinting with worry. Ruto's were creased with concern. Impa's were wide in… fear?

"Thank you, that will be all," that King said, and the page left. The King turned to Impa. "What was that all about? What are these 'Norstasis,' and why did Blind have the message given to you?"

Impa looked at the King, her mouth hanging open. "The Norstasis are an evil race, long told of in Sheikah legend. They are the most powerful beasts in the world, but only one person can summon them at a time. That person must be the most powerful evil that the world holds." Impa turned to Ruto. "You say that the Sages' seal holds strong, Ruto, but do we know that for a fact? There are only two people who are likely to be able to command the Norstasis: Majora and Ganondorf. Majora cannot summon them, for he is little more than spirit, and is incapable of magic that powerful. That leaves only one choice."

"I'm with her," Link said, speaking for the first time since Zelda had finished her tale, "I say we go to the Temple of Time and check this out."

"I agree," Zelda said, nodding her head. With that, the five of them left for the Temple of Time.

As Zelda played the entrancing tune of the Song of Time, the King, Impa, and Ruto walked up toward the altar. There they placed three of the holy gems of Hyrule; the Zora Sapphire, the Sheikah Amethyst, and the Hylian Diamond. With a blinding light the Door of Time vanished, leaving the path to the Master Sword's resting place open. As they walked through the hall, a dreadful sight came before them:

Although the Master Sword was unharmed, the same could not be said of the platform around it. Every one of the crests of the Sages' had shattered, leaving nothing but broken marble to decorate the floor of that holy room. For a long time, the five just stared at the shrine, too shocked for words. At last, Impa spoke:

"It's true then…" she said, shaking her head slowly, "the seal has been broken. Someone has either forced their way in, or out, of the Sacred Realm."

"it has to be in," Ruto said, clenching her hands into fists, "had Ganondorf been able to break free, we would have sensed it. A power like that is just too much to keep hidden with ease." Suddenly, another part of Zelda's dream clicked into place in her mind.

"It's Vira," she said, putting her hands to her lips, "it has to be. The dark-skinned girl in my dream had to be Vira. She held the key, meaning she was able to get through the bars!"

"If that is true, Zelda," the King said, his voice grave, "that means Vira, as well as Connor and Nexx, are in very grave danger. Every moment more becomes clear. The assassin they were chasing killed King Zora to create unrest here, allowing him to move more freely. It also made Hyrule weaker as a country, meaning that a strong leader could take advantage of the chaos."

"But what could be gained from breaking into the Holy Realm?" Ruto asked, her fins twitching slightly, as Zora's fins often do when they are worried.

"All too much," the King said, his mouth a flat line, "there were some who openly embraced Ganondorf as king."

Zelda looked at her father, so stressed from weeks of preparing for a war that really need not be fought; to Link, Hero of Time, who, she knew, would do anything he could to help Hyrule; and finally to the Master Sword, the Blade of Evil's Bane, and the only key into the Sacred Realm.

"I think," she said, crossing over the shards of cracked stone, "that it's time to fight back. Link, come here." he did so. "If we enter the Sacred Realm, we might be able to help Vira and the others. Rauru will surly help us, and Link is skilled enough to fight off anything that gets in the way."

"No." the King said flatly, "I cannot allow that to happen. There's too much risk."

"Father…" Zelda said, tears forming in her eyes, "last time I had a vision, you wouldn't listen to me, you said it was only a dream, and we nearly lost Hyrule. This time, don't allow inaction to win Hyrule for Ganondorf. I feel this is the right thing to do. Please, if not as your daughter, then as the Sage of Time, please let us go."

The King looked to the ground. "So be it…" he said, "do what you must. Link, draw the sword once again."

Link's hand closed on the hilt of the Master Sword, and the room filled with light. For a brief moment, the King thought he saw a tall palace, outlined by a glowing red sunset. But in an instant the vision was gone, and both Link and Zelda had vanished into the Sacred Realm.

Or so he thought.

"Link!"

"She pushed me! She grabbed the Master Sword from my hand and pushed me out of the way!" "Foolish girl!" the King exclaimed as Ruto helped Link to his feet, "why would she do a thing like that!"

Impa smiled at the pedestal, thinking. "I believe, not only did she want to keep anyone else from going into danger, but also wanted to make sure that this gateway stayed sealed."

"Although reckless," Ruto added, "it was a wise move to make."

"Perhaps…" the King admitted, "Zelda… please, don't fail us now…"

Chapter 12

"Vira?"

Vira closed her eyes tighter. She wanted to fall back into the bliss of unconsciousness. Maybe then her head would stop hurting.

But no; she was a Gerudo, and she had to face what lay ahead of her. Vira opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was the sky. Not the bright blue sky of Hyrule, but a sky of flaming red, as if time had stopped and the world was frozen forever in a blazing sunset. All around her were trees, but they too were unlike those in Hyrule. They were twisted, cruel looking trees, and although they had leafs on their branches, they were dark and dead looking, colored only the darkest of green, and often brown and red. The grass on which Vira found herself laying was dry and prickly, and the dusty red earth was clearly visible in many places.

A few feet away Connor was busy stirring something in a pot over a small fire, while Nexx rifled through the contents of their travel bags. Vira sat up, rubbing her head. She was slightly surprised to find a tight bandage wrapped around her forehead, and when she brought her hand away her fingertips were dabbed with blood. At that moment, Connor strode over with a bowl in his hands.

"Ah, I see you're finally up. Here eat this," he said, handing her the soup, "you've been out a long time."

"What happened? Where are we?" Vira said, putting the bowl to her lips, "what how'd I hurt my head?"

"Not one for chitchat today, I see. Well, as near as we can tell, when you passed out you fell over and hit your head on some rocks."

"That's it?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"How dull… but you haven't answered the other questions yet," she said, taking another swig of soup, "Where are we and how did we get here?"

"Although I'm not sure where we are," said Nexx, ladling himself some of the broth and sitting down next to Connor, "I believe it's rather obvious that we were sent here by a magical warp. But for a lone sorcerer to be able to forge one… he must be very powerful indeed."

"Speaking of which, what happened to those two anyway?" Connor said, turning to Nexx, "why didn't they end up here too?"

"The warp point was not fixed," Nexx said, "it was amazing we all landed in the same place. Had you entered a mere moment later, the two of you might have landed miles from here As it was I had to search for you two for nearly and hour."

"So what next?" Vira said, eager to get up and moving.

"Not much," Connor said, knowing that that was precisely what Vira was thinking, "Nexx suggested we set up camp here and move on tomorrow. I think he's right, not too much can be gained from going anywhere yet anyway."

"Alright," Vira said, sounding, and feeling, a little put out, "I'll set up the cots."

Zelda found herself on her knees as the light around her faded. The Master Sword was still clenched in her right hand with the Ocarina of Time in her left. As she returned to her feet, she took in the room around her; it was a massive room, with walls forged of pure magic that seemed to flow like water, and seemingly no floor, save for the single hexagonal platform on which she stood. All around her in the abyss floated six pillars of light, only colored slightly differently from each other, but each tinted with a color all its own.

"Princess," said a voice from behind, "what are you doing here?"

Zelda turned to face the ancient Sage, Rauru. The old man was the only survivor of the Sages of old, and had been dwelling in the Temple of Light for Din only knows how long.

"Rauru, the seal of the Sages has been broken. Attempts have already been made on the lives of Hyrule's leaders to cause unrest and turmoil. We need your help if we have any chance-"

"Your Highness," the old man said, "I already know much of what you have to tell. Already four outsiders have landed within this realm."

So Nexx and the others were indeed in the Golden Land.

"Three of them are alleys," Zelda said, "Is it possible to bring them here?"

"Yes," the Sage said, nodding his head gravely, I will send for them right away. Kiki! Come here, I have a job for you!"

Although Zelda hadn't noticed it, they had been walking for some time now, and had left the chamber of Sages far behind. How they had gotten wherever they were was a mystery to Zelda, but it hardly mattered; this was the Temple of Light, and magic as strong was to be found nowhere else. Zelda's attention was drawn away from these thoughts by the sound of soft, rapid footfalls.

Turning, she spotted a small animal running toward them down the hallway. As it grew nearer, Zelda identified it as a 'monkey,' creature native only to Termina, and one she had seen only in drawings in books.

"Ah, Kiki, there you are." Rauru said to the monkey as it came up to them, "I have a job for you." much to Zelda's surprise, Kiki spoke back:

"Master called, Kiki came, what master wants, Kiki will find it. Send her high, send her low, I find what master wants wherever it go!"

"Very good Kiki. Now listen very carefully: there are three strangers somewhere in the forests. I want you to find them. Tell them that Princess Zelda asked for them, and bring them back here. Know this is very important: do not let the Norstans follow you." Kiki nodded eagerly.

"Kiki understands. Find the strangers, bring them back, keep them from Norstan attack."

"Good, you'll be rewarded when you return. Now go, there is no time to lose." With that, the monkey scampered off.

"Kiki is my messenger and my company," Rauru explained, turning back to the Princess, "she stays here with me, and we talk. She's always willing to fetch me things if I need them, but only for a price."

"I see…" Zelda said as they began walking again, "but one thing concerns me: what did you mean when you were talking about 'Norstans'? What are they?"

Rauru let out a sigh. "It's been a long time since an outsider has been here. In your visions as a child, you sometimes saw this realm, did you not?"

"Yes…" Zelda answered, not liking where this was going.

"Then perhaps you should follow me…"

The old man led her down the corridor, and turned onto another at a conjunction. This one led them up a long spiraling staircase, the walls of which were made of a very dark stone. As they got higher, the stones grew darker, even appearing to be burned. When Zelda stumbled and had to use the wall for balance, her hand came away dirty, her white silk gloves stained with ash.

At last a small light could be seen ahead. As Zelda followed Rauru into the open air, she clasped her hand to her mouth.

As a child she had heard the stories of the Sacred Realm, the Golden Land, where the Three Sisters had left the Triforce as their seal upon Hyrule, and sometimes she had even had dreams about it. She had seen it as the most beautiful place imaginable; it was Hyrule, but purer, a thousand times more glorious, with waters as clear as glass, and mountains that were as wondrous as they were vast – unlike the barren volcanoes of the Death Mountain Ridge. A land where the days were warm and the nights cool, a land where anyone lucky enough to find it come be at peace forever.

This was nothing like her dreams.

They stood on the top of the temple of Light – or rather, what was left of it – with all of what had once been the Holy Realm stretched out in front of them. The temple was in itself a tall building, but the view was increased tenfold by the fact that the tower stood on top of a massive mountain, overlooking the entire realm.

"This is what became of this place…" Rauru said, waving his hand as if to take in the entire sight before them, "once it was a beautiful place unlike any other. But once the Triforce was taken, things changed."

"But how?" Zelda asked, unable to take her eyes from the land stretched before her, "surely even Ganondorf isn't strong enough to transform the entire world!"

A look of sadness came over the old Sage's face. "You are correct… Ganondorf did not make his land what it is…"

"Then how-?"

"It became like this on its own. When the seal of the Sages took affect, it went against the power of the Triforce itself. Ganondorf had wished to conquer Hyrule, and we took that from him by locking him in here. And so the power of the Triforce changed this place into a shadow, a mere mockery of Hyrule, so that Ganon's wish would be fulfilled. The Temple of Light is about the only thing that remains unchanged. Not that Ganondorf hasn't tried to take it for himself, but for now it holds strong. Look out on this land as you would from the top of Death Mountain, and you will see that what I say is truth."

Zelda did so. Looking out to her left, she saw what should have been Kokiri Forest, with its green leafs blowing slowly in the wind, perhaps with the songs of the Forest Fairies floating gently up to her ears. However, this shadow version was far different, with brown dead-looking leafs, and none of the little tree houses that the Kokiri would build.

Far to the south she saw what might have been Lake Hylia, but rather than the clean sweeping waves she remembered, it was filled with dull, murky water, and in the place of the Water Temple was a palace that looked as if it could be made of ice.

Hardly daring to look, she glanced down near the base of the mountain, where Hyrule Castle Town ought to be, only to find what seemed to be the base of a half-finished structure rising up from the ground.

Zelda allowed her brow to crease.

"How long until Kiki comes back with the others do you think?"

"They landed in the woods not far from here. I'd say maybe a few hours."

"Good," Zelda said, looking down at the Master Sword still held tightly in her fist, "we should begin to get ready. Do you have any weapons here, or anything else that might be of use?"

"Not much," the Sage admitted, "but you are welcome to everything I have."

"We should go then. There's no time to waste." As Rauru started back down the stairs, Zelda looked once more out over the vile new Dark World.

"Nayru protect us, and if not… let us die in your glory."

Connor felt a finger in his back.

"Wha-"

"Shhh," Vira hissed, her eyes darting about, "there's something out there…"

They had finished setting up camp only just before the sun when down, and gone to bed shortly afterwards. However, Vira had insisted on being the one to keep watch, and had agreed to wake up Connor if anything suspicious happened. Knowing Vira was not one to jump for anything, Connor, now wide awake, pulled his sword from its hiding place under his cot.

"Any idea what it is?" he said, getting to his feet.

"Not yet," Vira answered, "Nexx is going to cast a fire spell on my mark, and if we're lucky we'll get a look at this thing, or at least scare it off."

Connor nodded in agreement, pulling his blade from its sheath. Vira looked out into the darkness only a moment longer, and then shouted to Nexx "NOW!"

A blaze of warm light flooded the clearing and the surrounding trees, casting twisted shadows farther away.

"Show yourself!" Vira yelled, her tone full of confidence and force, "come out and we might not hurt you!" Then a small voice came wafting from somewhere high in the trees;

"Please, don't hurt Kiki! Kiki good, Kiki help you, Kiki here to find you, master said Kiki bring you back, and need Kiki's help you do to get past Norstans!"

Vira looked puzzled, but no less wary. "Come out, we won't hurt you." she said, lowering here scimitar, but only just.

Connor saw a small blur rush down the side of a tree, and soon after his eyes landed on a strange little creature, not quite like anything he'd ever seen before.

"It's a monkey…" Nexx said, slipping up behind Connor, "those things don't live anywhere near Hyrule…"

"Yes yes!" said the monkey, "Kiki brings no danger, by Rauru she's sent to find the strangers. Take you to the Princess in the tower, save you from the Norstans' power!"

"Did you understand any of that?" Connor asked Vira through the side of his mouth.

"Not much," she admitted, "but she mentioned someone called 'Rauru'…"

"Rauru is the Sage of Light…" Nexx said, just as confused as the others, "but that's in the Holy Realm…"

"Yes yes!" the monkey chirped again, "Now a Dark World it has become, so before the sunrise must we be gone. Follow follow, you will see, on top of mountain, follow me!" with that, the monkey dashed off.

"What do you think?" Vira asked as she watched the little thing scamper away.

"I say we follow it," Connor said, "what harm could it do? If it's lying and Rauru didn't send it, I think we could handle one small monkey or a few of its friends. And if she's telling the truth…" From off in the shadows, the cheery voice of the monkey came again:

"Please come quickly, hurry, hurry! Just follow Kiki, no need worry!"

Shrugging her shoulders, Vira picked up her pack at started off after the monkey.

Chapter 13

Isra walked down the aisle of what would have been, in Hyrule, the Sanctuary. Unlike most of the other locations Isra had seen in the Dark World, this one mirrored its Hyrulean counterpart well. The only real difference was the stained-glass windows; in the Sanctuary, they showed images of Fairies, Sages, gods and goddesses, and other pure things. Here they showed images of heresy; demons, Norstans, and other creatures the goddesses never intended. High over the altar was one more window, set with the image of the Triforce, but the Triforce was sitting in a pool of blood.

Shyam stood near the front of the room, calmly explaining his plan to his new master:

"It's a very simple spell to work compared to the one I used to break in to the realm," the wizard said, "but it's requirements are a bit more specific. In addition to some rare ingredients, I'll need a focus point for the magic."

Turning to face Shyam was the monstrous form of what had once been Ganondorf Dragmire. But he was no longer the tall, dark and handsome man he had been when he had ruled Gerudo Valley. Now he was a deformed beast, left twisted by the evil power of his own heart. His body was a grotesque hybrid of human and boar, with any hint of his former appearance long forgotten.

His feet were replaced by cloven hooves like those of a pig or deer, and his great bare legs were bent slightly to aid in balance. He wore a loincloth made of brown leather, and an open vest of the same material. His skin was a shade of dark grey, and on the tips of his fingers where nails ought to be were claws that looked as if they were made of iron. His palms and fingertips were stained red, as if he had soaked them in blood. He was heavily muscled, and was head and shoulders taller than Shyam or Isra. His face was that of a boar, but the snout was elongated almost like that of a wolf. Two tusks jutted from his mouth, also tipped with red, and his eyes were lacking pupils. In his left hand he held a trident; the ultimate heresy. It was said that in the end of time the Three Sisters would be fought by the King of Men, and that he would kill all three, and place each of their heads on one of the spikes of his trident. By carrying one, Ganondorf was placing himself above the gods. Even Isra was disgusted.

"Take whatever you like," Ganondorf said, his voice deep and guttural, "I grow tired of waiting."

"I'm afraid it is not that simple, my lord," Shyam said, a hint of fear creeping into his tone, "I need something that is already magical, and something that has spent time in both Light and Dark Worlds."

"What did you bring with you then? Surely you have something!"

"Nothing of the power level I'm talking about. We need something that transcends the bonds of the gods."

"Well, that's simple enough," Isra said, sitting down in the front most pew, "we can use-"

"Silence cur!" Ganondorf spat, hitting her across the face with the butt of his trident, "I have ordered you to remain in your quarters until I summoned you! And even after disobeying my will, you dare to speak before me? I am lord of this realm; you are unworthy to even stand in my presence, and yet you would suggest that you are more knowledgeable than I?"

"My apologies, master…" Isra said, tasting blood in her mouth, "I merely thought it possible that my suggestion might prove useful." As the beast raised the trident for another blow, Shyam spoke again:

"Please, lord Ganon, let her speak. Her wisdom has been very insightful to me in the past."

Ganon lowered the weapon.

"The mirror," Isra said, pulling the looking-glass from her belt, "use the magic mirror that you gave me, my lord, for it fits your needs perfectly. It was forged by Dark World magic, but was made in the Light World." Shyam nodded in agreement.

"It's the perfect item for the spell, my lord," he said, taking the mirror from Isra, "For you to be able to communicate with Isra from world to world, it must be extremely powerful. I can think of no better object for the focus point." Isra knew that although what Shyam said was true, he was also trying to save her from another beating. He glanced over at him, trying to express thanks without attracting the attention of Ganondorf.

"Very well," the lord of the Dark World growled, "you will use the mirror as the focus point for your spell." He turned to Isra. "And you will return to your quarters. I don't want you out of them until I have given word, no sooner."

"Yes master…" Isra said, giving a low bow and turning to leave.

Back in her room, Isra clenched her fists in anger and beat them against the wall.

"You will pay for this, 'father.'" Isra spat, tears of rage pouring down her cheeks. Reaching under the thin mattress of her bed, she pulled out the Sword of Power, studying the black metallic blade as she had done a hundred times before. This was the blade that had been known throughout the ages as "the slayer." The sword of Din, it was unmatched by any other in terms of raw strength. But even this legendary weapon would not help her in her quest for revenge. After all, what was the Sword of Power against the Triforce of Power?

Power.

What better way to get vengeance? It was said that all who gained power feared nothing more then loosing it… but she could not do this herself. She couldn't raise a sword against Ganon, no matter how strong her desire.

But others could…

Even if she could not harm him directly, there were other ways of attacking her creator.

"Your Highness!"

"Connor! Thank Farore you're alright!"

As the friends embraced, Vira couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy. She knew she didn't need to worry about the Princess stealing Connor from her, but it was in her nature to be protective of the things she cared about most.

"Vira, Nexx!" Zelda said, turning from Connor to the others, "I'm so glad you're all are safe. Rauru said that you'd all landed, but we weren't sure if you'd make it through the night."

"'Rauru said'?" quoted Nexx, "so this is the Temple of Light…"

"Yes," said Zelda, her face grim, "it is the only stronghold against Ganon's forces. We'll be safe here for a time. Come." Zelda lead them down a long hallway floored with deep red carpet, and with flaming torches set in the walls for illumination. After a time, they came to a dark stairwell. Zelda took a torch from its socket in the wall and continued down the spiraling passage. When at last they came to the end of the stairs, they entered a small room that lacked the carpet of the floors above. Here there was nothing but cold stone on walls and floor, and no torches provided light. A large fireplace was the only source thereof, offering the dank room a warm glow. There was a long wooden table in the center of the room, with six seats arranged around it, five of them normal, one more of a stool, with its seat almost level with the table. Kiki, who Vira had completely forgotten was present, scampered over to the stool and shimmied up it.

"Welcome," said the voice of an old man. Even as he spoke he stepped into the light of the fireplace, his face showing lines of not only age, but worry. He looked to Vira as if he had lived a very long time, and had been at peace for very little of it.

"My name is Rauru," he continued, "and I am the Sage of Light. Please, be seated." They did so, Zelda at one end of the table, Rauru at the other, and Vira and Connor on one side, leaving Nexx and Kiki on the other.

"Now," said the Sage, "how shall we begin?"

"That depends," Zelda said, looking at Connor, "how much do you three know about this world?"

"Very little," Connor confessed, "really the only thing we know for sure is that this is, or was, the Golden Land."

"That's true," Zelda said, nodding, "without going into detail, Ganondorf's wish on the Triforce changed this realm into a shadow of Hyrule. We think the assassin-"

"Assassins," Nexx corrected, "there's two of them."

"I see. Regardless, we believe they attacked King Zora and Ambassador Linwood to cause political unrest."

"Perfect time for a new power to come in and rip Hyrule apart; it's already divided." Nexx said.

"Indeed. Their mission is most likely one to free Ganondorf from this place. If they were strong enough to break into this realm, they most likely can break out."

"Wait a minute," Vira said, her brow creased, "who's to say this isn't just some bid for power? Maybe they're after the Triforce just like Ganondorf was."

"If that were the case," said Rauru, "then there'd be no reason to attack King Zora. You'll notice that Ganondorf himself only resorted to direct violence after his goals were met."

"Alright, you win." Vira said. All this talk about Ganondorf was unnerving her. She didn't like it at all…

"The real question," Connor said, "Is how we stop this. We simply cannot allow Ganon to return to Hyrule, that much is clear. But what course of action do we take? How do we engage an enemy like that powerful?"

"What of the holy arrows of light?" Nexx asked, "I spoke briefly with Link about his battle with Ganon, and he said that he would not have been victorious without them." Zelda looked across the table to Rauru, who was shaking his head.

"He's far too powerful." said the old Sage, "Even the holy arrows would not work against him, at least not in this realm. But there may be something… No. I simply cannot allow the use of the Silver Arrows."

Nexx's eyes grew wide. "You have the Silver Arrows?" he said, his voice full of wonder.

"I have one of the three, yes. But even in this time of need, I cannot give it to you."

"Why not?" Nexx said, "The prophecies state that the Silver arrows have the power to slay any evil, and what greater evil can there be than Ganon?"

"I agree, there are very few cases in which I'd sooner give one of them. But not this one. My arrow is the last of the three. One was given to Venus, the Queen of Fairies, to do with as she pleases. One more circles through the hands of men, and will do so until its time to slay has come. The prophecies are clear on that. But it is also said that the final Sliver Arrow must never fall into the hands of men until the ending of time, lest it should be lost. Only with it can the King of Men be slain. Thus I must not allow you to have it. I'm sorry."

"We understand." Said Zelda.

"Wait a minute," said Connor, "we're going about this all wrong. Rauru, would you say that short of the Silver Arrows there's no way to kill Ganondorf in this realm?"

"Yes, that is accurate."

"Then why bother trying," Vira finished for him, catching on. "If we can't kill him, we can at least stop him from breaking free."

"The wizard who broke the seal to enter this realm will be the key," Rauru said, "Ganondorf will be lost without him. But once the magic is cast, there will be no going back. We must make haste if this plan is to become reality."

"Agreed," Said Zelda, "Rauru, where is Ganon's stronghold?"

"Not far from the foot of the mountain," said the Sage, "it's the shadow equivalent of the Sanctuary. You should be able to make the trek in a day or less if Kiki guides you."

"Very well." Zelda said. Vira thought she glimpsed a flicker of understanding on the Princess' face. "Kiki will take the four of us will tomorrow. We should time our strike for night, or as close as we can manage."

"I beg your pardon," said Nexx, leaning forward on the table, "but what do you mean by 'the four of us'? Surely you do not intend to come with us?"

"Of course I do. I couldn't let you three go into that kind of peril while I waited here in safety."

"Your Highness; it's my duty as a member of the Sheikah race to protect you. I do not think I will be able to do so if you come along. I beg you, stay here."

"No Nexx. Although I appreciate the gesture, I must go with you; as Princess of Hyrule and Sage of Time, I hereby lift the ancient contract from you Nexx. You are free to do as you please; you are no longer bound to me."

"My lady, it would please me greatest to see you safe."

"Then fight your hardest, don't worry about me, and soon we'll all be back in Hyrule, safe in Hyrule Castle."

"As you wish, Princess…"

"Come," Zelda said, rising from her seat, "I'll show you to your chambers." As Vira and Connor rose and followed Zelda back toward the stairwell they had entered from, Nexx spoke:

"Go ahead, I'll be along in a moment; I wish to speak with Rauru for a moment, if that's alright."

"Of course," said the Sage, "Kiki can show you to your room when we're through."

As Vira's back disappeared up the stairs, Rauru turned to Nexx.

"What is it you'd like to talk about?" he said.

"I have heard… legends… that as Sage of Light, you can see all that passes in Hyrule. Is this true?"

The old man looked thoughtful for a time before replying.

"Yes," he said, "to some extent. There is a chamber here where I can gaze into Hyrule. I spend much time there. Why?" Nexx hesitated.

"Could you answer a question I have, one that only you would know that answer too? It is far in the past, so I could not really use the information for personal gain, but it is something I have always wondered…"

"I cannot say for sure if I'll be able to answer, but you may ask; I might be able to help you." again, Nexx waited before speaking.

"In the Civil War," he said, "Kakariko was attacked by the Gorons. If you can, please tell me, was Ganondorf responsible for that attack? Was he playing both sides of the war? Is the blood of the Sheikah on his hands?"

The Sage nodded.

"Yes, as well as the bloods of countless others. Ganondorf was behind the attack on Kakariko."

"Thank you, Rauru. You have answered a question that has bothered me for years."

"It's no trouble. Was that all?"

"Yes, that was all."

"Very well. Kiki, please show Nexx to his room."

"Will be done, will be done, Kiki's master, come now Sheikah, faster, faster!" Nexx followed the monkey up the dark stairway, his thoughts dark ones.

So it had been Ganon after all. All these years he had thought so, but he had had no proof. But now he knew, and he knew that he could not stand by and allow the beast to get away. He knew that with his bond of service to Zelda broken, he could do what he needed.

He knew that revenge would be sweet.

Chapter 14

Isra stared out into the pouring rain from the small window set in one of the walls of her room. It was so overcast it almost appeared to be night. She stood there, thinking of many things.

It had been less than a year ago that Ganon had forged her by his magic, making her into his own twisted vision of a servant. She had become aware of being alive on the top peaks of Death Mountain, completely naked and defenseless, already with a single thought planted firmly in her mind: return to free Ganon.

Ganon disgusted Isra. This entire world disgusted her. Even her own existence disgusted her to the core. It was heresy, all of it. Her father, this world, her very being – they were all perversions of what the Sisters had intended, a cruel mockery of life and existence, of Hyrule.

Hyrule.

What she wouldn't give to return to that place. A land that was peaceful, sheltered, pure, and free of the corruption that plagued this world. Hyrule, where she could feel the soft caresses of the wind on her face; where she could see the sky colored a clear blue; where she could taste fresh water from a spring; where she could smell the grass in Hyrule Field, or hear the chatter of a brook, the murmurs of townsfolk, the clip-clopping of horses' hooves, or perhaps the gentle singing coming up from Kokiri Forest.

But all that she had left to look forward to was a life of endless servitude and pain under Ganon, a life that should never had existed in the first place.

"I shouldn't exist," she thought, fondling the hilt of her assassin's dagger, "I am a heresy." She lifted the dagger from its sheath, "the goddesses didn't grant me life; am I even truly alive?" she raised the point over her left breast, gripping the hilt with both hands, "Sisters!" she shouted, not caring if she was heard, "If you can find it in your hearts to forgive one such as me, a vile blasphemy in your sight, please let death embrace me now, and take me from this world! Let me be cleansed of the heresy that has been wrought against you, and let me be free at last!"

She lifted the dagger and thrust down, but didn't feel its point go into her.

A pair of strong hands had clasped her wrists, stopping the blade from piercing her flesh.

"This is not the way, Isra," Shyam said, gently wrenching the weapon from her hands, "there is much still for you to do."

"Like what? Serve him?" she waved her hand in the general direction of the door, and spat on the ground, "I grow tired of all this. It's sick, Shyam, just plain sick."

"What? You were his strongest supporter!"

"I was a fool!" Isra exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air, "I was bound by the magic that made me! But I am blind no longer, Shyam, and will not be a slave to him, nor to anyone!"

"Perhaps if you simply asked-"

"'Ask?' 'ASK?'" Isra turned her back to Shyam, pulling down her shirt, reveling three deep, charred stab wounds across her back, "this is what I got for asking to simply leave the building, Shyam! If I were to propose something as crazy as leaving, he would either kill me, or put me in enough pain to make me wish I were dead." A thought suddenly struck Isra. "Why are you trying to comfort me?" she said, her desperation beginning to turn to rage, "you're spying on me! You're going to turn me over to him!" Shyam shook his head.

"No Isra. You saved my life by fighting on top of Death Mountain. Those warriors would have sooner killed me in cold blood then let me complete my magic. You saved my life, and now I return the favor. The minute I step from this room, all that has transpired will be forgotten. However, if I ever hear word of treason come from you again, you will no sooner be done speaking then I will have reported to Lord Ganon." Isra nodded, but she knew Shyam well enough to know that any kindness he offered was most likely double-sided, and somehow worked to his greater advantage. Perhaps… was Shyam thinking of treason as well? Might she have an ally other then the three travelers that had followed into the Dark World? But what would he gain from turning on Ganon now?

Shyam stood, still holding Isra's dagger in his hand. "Be ready when the time comes, Isra," he said, tossing the weapon onto her bed, "because as the old saying goes, 'the serpent only strikes when she knows how to escape afterwards.'" With that, Shyam left the room.

Four figures stood atop a hill, less then an hour before sunset. Two of them were male, two female. Both women were born to Kings, but only one was a Princess. Two of the figures had come to protect, one had come to avenge. The last had merely come.

Connor, Vira, Zelda and Nexx looked down upon the structure that ought to have been the Sanctuary. Zelda stood no longer in the attire of a Princess, but in the tight-fitting white-on-blue garb of a Sheikah, her long blonde hair blowing in the wind and the Master Sword clenched in her left hand. Nexx also wore similar garb, but colored red-on-black instead.

Connor was holding Vira's hand in his own, the other resting on the hilt of his sword.

Zelda was not frightened of the battle. She had faced Ganondorf thrice before and lived, although history and time itself had been re-written to say otherwise. She was not afraid of Ganondorf Dragmire anymore. What she was afraid of was failure. Should they fail, all her effort would be in vein. If Ganon were to break free, Hyrule would be lost, and the four of them would be trapped in the Dark World for all time, never knowing what had happened to Hyrule and those they loved in it. It was this thought that gave Zelda determination.

Nexx looked down at the building that housed his foe. All his life he had sought information about his mother's and sister's deaths. Now he knew the truth, and with act on it:

Ganondorf Dragmire was responsible for his loss. He was the one solely responsible for the near extinction of the Sheikah race. It was fitting that Nexx had return to bring him a taste of the misery that Ganon had so long inflected upon him. It was this thought that gave Nexx contempt.

Connor was risking everything in this battle; his life, the life of the one he loved most, the lives of his closest friends, and any chance for saving his father. Only once had he been this afraid, and that had been when was being held prisoner by a group of cultists and had been stabbed in the stomach to have his blood used to revive the evil Majora. But each of those reasons to fear was also a reason to fight. Should they be unsuccessful, Vira, Zelda Nexx, his father, and everyone else in Hyrule was as good as dead anyway. Connor made a silent oath to himself: to either succeed, or die in the attempt. It was this thought that gave Connor inspiration.

Dragmire. A name now uttered with hatred across Hyrule. Yet Vira had taken it as her own. Why? Had it been because she felt power in the name? Because she had known it to be a way to get revenge at Janan and the others? Perhaps even because she felt proud to be the child of Ganondorf, the most powerful man to ever walk the earth? Perhaps it was all of that, and perhaps it was none of that, but now it was finally time to face what she was.

Her father was Ganondorf Dragmire, but she was not his daughter. She was not even the daughter of Safira Mahvash, the woman who had given birth to her. But she was Dragmire. In the days of old that name had inspired fear and awe. It had been under the Kings of house Dragmire that wars had been won, and peace had been restored; under them that justice had been dealt, and balance brought; under them the Gerudo people had turned into a powerful nation and the Valley transformed from a wasteland into a thriving society.

She was no one's child, but she was a Daughter of Dragmire.

It was this thought that gave Vira revelation. It was this thought that gave her the strength to go on.

Chapter 15

"What takes you so long, wizard?" Ganon spat, driving the butt of his trident into the floor, "I grow tired of waiting! For more than seven years I have waited, and now as I stand inches away from regaining my strength you would have me wait longer still!"

"My lord, I beg you," Shyam said, lowering himself to one knee, "be patient just a while longer. I have made the oil and coated the mirror in it, and as you see I have the incense burning as we speak. You will be free within the hour, I promise you that."

They were standing in the main chamber of the Dark Sanctuary. Shyam had been spending almost all of his time in this chamber since he arrived, and was now beginning to grow very sick of it. But if all went well, he would soon be free of this place, and this realm, forever. The blue-tinted mirror that Isra had provided was set on the altar, having been covered many times over in an ancient potion that Shyam had spent many hour re-creating. A dozen large white candles were lit around it, all burning with a slightly green-tinted fire.

The sun was just beginning to set, bringing the time for the incantation ever nearer. Once the red glow bathed every inch of the room, Shyam would speak the tongue of the ancients and break about every law of magic Nayru had ever given. He was sure he was already cursed to endless damnation anyway, why not finish the job? Of course, if he was lucky, there was a chance he could redeem himself…

The King of the Dark world snorted, "Gorons will sooner swim then a wizard keeps his word. But I have no choice. I shall wait until you are ready." The massive creature that had once been Ganondorf strode behind the altar and sat at the mighty pipe-organ, and began to play. It was a haunting tune, unlike any that Shyam had ever heard before. Curiosity got the better of him for a moment, and he let slip a question:

"My lord, what is that you're playing?" Shyam immediately regretted asking, but was surprised by Ganon's response; rather then get up and strike him, as he had expected, Ganon merely continued to play, and answered quite calmly.

"This is a tune I learned when I was younger," he said, steel-tipped fingers gliding seamlessly over the keys, "I don't know who taught it to me. But I have always played it, and it became my companion in the dark hours I spent here. I played it on the day that I battled with the Hero of Time. I find some comfort in it, for though Princess and Hero were able to take almost everything I had, even my body, they could not take the song." For a moment Shyam thought he might feel sorry for Ganon, but it quickly passed. As Shyam returned to his work, however, Ganon simply kept playing, never looking up.

"Hylia!" shouted a Zora solider as an arrow shot through his chest.

Death, slaughter, mindless bloodlust. This was war the likes of which Hyrule had not seen for nearly twenty years.

And this was only the first battle of what was sure to be many, many more.

King Daphnes stood with Impa on a hill, a good distance away from the main battle, along with Ruto and Nabooru, the Gerudo Sage of Spirit. Having defected from Janan, Nabooru had tried to sway her people from the conflict, but to no avail. Darunia and the Gorons had yet to arrive.

"It's disgusting," said Ruto, looking down over the carnage, "How could my brother do this to his own people?"

"For the same reasons that Janan does it," replied Nabooru, "greed, pride, hatred. Such things are powerful motivators for those too weak to overcome them."

"And in the wrong hands, powerful weapons as well." Impa added. "I fear for Hyrule, now more than ever."

"As do we all, Impa." The King said, his head lowered, "but unless Linwood or my daughter return from the Golden Land, there seems to be no other fate but bloodshed."

Isra knew they were coming. She had been waiting for them far too long.

She began to ready herself. First, she slipped into the black, skin-tight jumpsuit she most often wore for battle. After that, she slid two twisted daggers into her belt, along with her assassin's knife in its small sheath on her left hip. Her old sword she wore on her right, with her bow over her shoulder. Finally, she added the Sword of Power across her back.

Lastly, Isra said a prayer to the Sisters, begging that if these warriors could not help her, her death would be quick and painless.

With a dull 'thud' another Norstan head hit the floor, its beady eyes losing their fire. Instantly the body of the creature began to rot, its flesh smoking. Where ever the blood of the creatures landed was burned as if by acid, making them far more deadly then anyone had anticipated.

The four of them were in the entrance hall of the Dark Sanctuary. It was a fairly large room, roughly fourteen yards long and only slightly less across, with massive wooden doors at both ends with a deep red carpet running between them. In each of the side walls were three doors, leading no doubt down stairways to the floor below. As the building was perched on top of a hill, it was possible that there were in fact two basements below them, but that fact hardly mattered seeing as the room they were currently in was filled to the brim wit the deadly Norstasis. Vira's twin scimitars and long training as a Gerudo warrior was good enough to keep her safe, and the Master Sword cut through the flesh and bone of the monsters as if it were nothing, but Connor and Nexx were at a disadvantage. Although one-on-one Connor could probably best any of the creatures, he was now being swarmed by them, stopping him from attacking and putting him solely on the defensive. Nexx's magic was fairly useless against them, and he was forced to stay behind the protective wall his allays had created. However, his ice-based attacks seemed to be able to lock their feet in place for a few moments, and that was just the sort of advantage the sword-bearers knew how to exploit. After what seemed like an eternity of battle against the Norstans, Vira slit the throat of the last one, bringing the flood to an end, for the moment.

"Finally," said Connor, "that's all of them."

"For now," Vira corrected, her voice broken by panting, "there's probably more around her just waiting to ambush us." She turned to Zelda. "Where would you perform a rite like this? What would you need?"

"Most ancient magics require an altar of some sort," the Princess replied, "so the main hall would be most likely."

"Okay… Nexx, burn down the door." As Nexx began to charge his fire magic, a strange voice interrupted his thoughts.

"It won't work," the voice said. Nexx turned to regard the speaker. Standing in one of the side doorways was a woman of fair height, with hair as black as the night sky and eyes as blue as the sea. Her skin was unusually pale, made to appear even more so by her dark hair and dark clothing. Hers was a sad beauty, like a goddess of the moon, and Nexx recognized her at once; she was the woman from the mountains.

"You see," she continued, "those doors are strengthened by magic. They cannot be destroyed, and they will only open for those chosen by Lord Ganon." She smirked. "I believe I can assume that none of you have that requirement, so you will not be passing through them." she reached behind her back and across her waist, grasping a pair of swords, the one in her right hand colored a metallic black.

"I'm sorry." With that, she struck.

But not at the group as a whole.

She only attacked Vira.

"Venha, escuta, para eu fala; vem, escuta, para eu fala…" Shyam chanted, his body aglow with a sickly purple aura.

It was almost done. The sun was setting even now, and within the hour he would be free of this place, free to come and go, and, perhaps, free of Ganon. All he needed to do was draw a little more power, and the final step would be complete.

It was lucky that Vira still had her scimitars in hand; otherwise the first strike would have left her in three pieces. The woman from the mountains had leapt twelve feet into the air, bringing both swords down with crushing force. Knowing she could not block that much power straight-on, she sidestepped the attack, catching both of her foes weapons on the inside curve of her left blade. She quickly aimed a blow at her opponent's neck with her right-hand weapon, but to no avail; the Moon-Girl blocked with the normal sword in her left hand. Vira then drew away her other hand, attempting an over-head attack that would cleave the woman's skull in two, but again her attack was met, this time with the Sword of Power.

Vira spun to her right, bringing the weapon in the same hand across her enemy's belly, with a follow-up to the neck with her left. The Moon-Girl caught both attacks, and with a skilful twisting of her blades plucked the scimitar from Vira's left hand.

"You're good," Vira said, taking a step back.

"Thank you," said the Moon-Girl, "but I truly wish I didn't have to be."

Vira struck. Taking advantage of the Girl's distraction, Vira was able to land a glancing blow to her opponent's left hand, forcing her to drop one of her swords. Vira quickly kicked it away, bringing them back on an even playing field.

"Cleaver," said the Moon-Girl, sucking at her bleeding hand, "perhaps we'll both win and I'll be killed."

"What?" said Zelda from somewhere to the right. Neither Vira nor the Moon-Girl took their eyes off the other. "You want to loose? Why not just let us pass?"

"Believe me, Princess, when I say I would, if it were within my power, but I am bound to serve my Master, and I cannot allow you to leave, save in death."

Again the Moon-Girl attacked, this time by means of a two-handed thrust aimed at Vira stomach. Vira was able to knock the blow aside, only to realize too late that that was what the Moon-Girl had wanted. Once more the black metallic sword twisted, flinging the golden scimitar across the room. But even before it had hit the ground, Vira heard a shout of 'catch!' and quickly turned to see Princess Zelda throwing the Legendary Master Sword to her.

She caught the blue-tinted hilt just in time. Holding it straight up with tip pointed toward the ceiling, she blocked the strike that would have ended her.

It was a strange feeling to hold the Master Sword. Her body was filled with outlandish warmth from the moment her hand grasped the handle. The hilt seemed to shape itself to perfectly fit her hands, and the blade seemed to glow with a gentle light so perfect that it could have only been called divine.

From the block, Vira aimed an upward slice at the Moon-Girl's groin. She easily blocked, but Vira took the chance to land a powerful kick to the woman's chest, sending her staggering backwards.

Vira saw her window open. She made a powerful horizontal slash at the Moon-Girl's right shoulder…

A blinding light filled the room. For an instant Vira thought that this had to be some trick on the Moon-Girl's part, but as her vision cleared she saw that the woman was in no condition to take advantage the momentary blinding.

The Moon-Girl was levitating roughly two feet above the ground, her body vertical, and the expression on her face was one of sheer agony. Light was pouring from her open mouth and eyes, and the wound on her right shoulder sizzled and snapped as if her skin were too hot for the blood to remain on it. The Moon-Girl let out a scream unlike anything Vira had heard before; it was a scream that spoke of pain unlike any mortal had ever known, a scream of sadness, rage, perhaps even of lust. It was terrible to behold, and Vira and the others could only stare as it continued for what seemed like hours.

Then, suddenly, an outlandish purple smoke stated to issue from her shoulder wound. It twisted and writhed, and, slowly, formed itself into the gruesome image of a face; a face with a long snout, small ears, and two pointed tusks issuing from its mouth. It was the face of a boar. With a deafening screech to outmatch ever the Moon-Girl's, this vile thing of dust and shadow faded into nothing, just like the smoke it was. Through all this distress, Vira hadn't noticed the Moon-Girl fall to the ground. Zelda was at her side in an instant, with the other three only a moment behind her. But when they reached the woman, they found that she was not only conscious, but laughing.

Then Vira understood.

The Blade of Evil's Bane.

Isra opened her eyes. She felt her shoulder, but felt no blood on her hand. She looked up just in time to see the face of the boar disappear. She understood. Somehow, she knew what had happened.

She was free.

The Master Sword had done it. It had lived up to its name in the fullest. It had been able to slay the evil within her, but her body was unharmed.

Isra laughed. She was dimly aware of the four others gathering around her, but she didn't care. She was redeemed. The Master Sword had removed the binding that Ganon had forged in her. It was all so wonderful. Wiping aside tears of joy, she turned her head to look up at the Princess, Zelda.

"Thank you," she said clutching the Princess's shoulder, "thank you so much."

"I must tell you," replied the Princess, a gentle smile on her face, "I had no idea anything like that would happen." Isra shook her head.

"It doesn't matter," she said, "now that the Binding is broken, all that matter's is that we stop Ganon before Shyam has anymore time to act."

"Shyam?" asked the Sheikah, looking more than a little confused.

"Yes, Shyam Lycurgus. He's the wizard that Ganon had me fetch-"

"Wait," interrupted Linwood, "did you just say 'Lycurgus'? As in Ciardha Lycurgus?" Isra nodded. "Yes, he was Shyam's brother." A look came into Linwood's eyes then; a look that Isra recognized all too well: it was a look of loathing. A look of sheer bloodlust.

"Can you open these doors?" he asked, gesturing to the massive entrance to the main hall.

"Yes," Isra said, taking up the Sword of Power once again, "shall I?"

"Wait a moment," said Zelda, "we don't even know your name."

"Isra. Is that all?" when Zelda nodded, Isra went to the doors.

Chapter 16

"Venha, escuta, para eu fala; vem, escuta, para eu fala…" Shyam repeated again and again. The time was growing near. Mere moments separated him from freedom.

A deafening 'bang' sounded from the far end of the chamber. Still chanting, Shyam turned around to face the noise.

Standing in the open doorway was Isra, just as Shyam had predicted. Her timing couldn't have been better. With Isra as a distraction, he would be able to escape the Dark World, and take the mirror with him. Once free, he could use the hundreds of magical ingredients that Ganon had supplied him to cast any magic imaginable. He could have everything that the mortal realm could offer him; money, power, women – hell, he could rule the world! But there was one slight complication:

With Isra stood four others. One was clad in the skin-tight garb of a Sheikah assassin, her blonde hair flowing down her back. Shyam knew her face at once: she was Princess Zelda.

The other three Shyam didn't recognize, but each seemed to be of a different race from Hyrule; one was a Gerudo warrior, her flaming red hair in a high ponytail. The second Shyam judged to be a true Sheikah assassin by his dark hair, pale skin and form-fitting clothing. The last was a Hylian, but with a far darker hair color than one usually found in that race. All five were armed, but from across the chamber Shyam couldn't make out anything in particular about the swords.

But Ganon didn't seem to notice the intruders. He still sat at the mighty organ, playing the mournful tune with unbroken resolve.

The warriors began to step forward.

But before they had traveled ten steps down the path, Ganon stopped playing and they halted their advance. "For more then seven years I have been imprisoned here," he said, not turning to face the band of enemies, "and now I am on the threshold of victory. Already I have been defeated by the Hero twice; once with the aid of the Princess of Destiny…" Ganon stood and faced them. "…it shall not be so again. You have come ill-prepared, Your Highness. We are but two of the three. Without the third, you have no hope of defeating me."

Zelda nodded. "I know," she said, "but we must try."

"Venha, escuta, para eu fala; vem, escuta, para eu fala…" Shyam continued to mutter. It was a matter of minutes now. If Zelda and Ganon would just keep speaking a little longer…

Vira gazed at the form of Ganon.

For the first time in a great while, she found herself at a lack for words.

She had seen portraits of her father for as long as she remembered; the great painting in the Chamber of Kings, his face on banners on holidays; she had even seen him from a distance once or twice when she was young – before she had been told she was his child.

But the vile thing that stood before her now was far from the roguishly handsome man that had ruled Gerudo Valley. It was a monstrous creature, forged from boar and man in equal measure, with cloven hooves, grey skin, and a trident in his hand. But his face, the face that had once been envied by Hylian men and swooned over by Gerudo women, was now purely that of the beast, with pupil-less eyes, a long snout, and an off-white tusk jutting from either side of his mouth.

"So be it, Zelda," the monster said, stepping down between them and the wizard, "but know that no matter your numbers, your companions will not survive should they choose to fight. You and I, we are beings of power. Without the last piece, neither of us can win. We will duel until the goddesses are slain, and the King of Men rules the earth. But your friends," – he eyed the other four warriors – "will not live so long. I tell you this not because I value their lives, but because I have no wish to see the heirs to my throne destroyed in such a disreputable fashion." Vira turned to look at Isra, only to find the Moon-Girl staring straight back at her. It was then both realized that they were bound together in a way neither of them had ever thought possible; they were sisters, after a fashion, both possessing the blood of Ganon in their veins.

"I know now that your carry either the Master Sword, or arrows of light," Ganon continued, "for only in that way could you pry Isra from her duties. Again, I tell you, even with tools such as that, you will be unable to gain victory. This realm," – he gestured with his free hand – "is tainted. Even the power of such weapons will have little affect." The fiend stepped forward. "Come now, if you will. Come and face he who was once Master of Hyrule, Lord of Gerudo Valley, and has become…" – Vira thought she saw his eyes dart to the trident – "the great King of Evil." Then Vira heard a voice come from her end of the room:

"Ye'doska mashatta!" Nexx' voice rang out, "Ye'doska shakata Mandrag Ganon!"

"Come now, if you will. Come and face he who was once Master of Hyrule, Lord of Gerudo Valley, and has become… the great King of Evil."

Nexx was sweating. He knew this wound be his only chance. Like lightening, he struck. Grabbing Isra's wrist, he applied a Sheikah disarming grip forcing the Sword of Power from her hand. Before the weapon could fall, he had it in his own hand and was dashing down the aisle toward the monster that was the source of all his pain.

Ganondorf Dragmire had killed his mother.

Ganondorf Dragmire had killed his sister.

But this thing, this monster that had brought death thousands, this manifestation of what was truly in Dragmire's heart, deserved so much worse then what Nexx was about to give him.

"Ye'doska mashatta!" he shouted in the old tongue as he leaped into the air above the creature, the Sword of Power held in a thrust that would go straight through Ganon's skull, "Ye'doska shakata Mandrag Ganon!"

A flash of pain crossed Nexx' chest, and the Sword of Power fell from his hand. He looked down to see the face of Ganon looking up at him. Clutched in his left hand was the trident, all three points of which were now sticking clean through Nexx' body.

Nexx couldn't feel his legs. Breathing was agony. Darkness closed around his vision. The world began to spin, and he dully felt his back impact against the floor. He could hear the others talking, but could not understand the words.

"What have I done?" he thought as the vision clouded further, "how can this be?"

Nexx took in one more breath, knowing it would be his last. With it, he once more muttered the curse:

"Ye'doska shakata Mandrag Ganon."

"No!" Connor shouted.

"Nexx!" screamed Zelda.

But it was far too late to save their friend.

As Nexx' body hit the floor, Ganon shook his head. "I warned you," he said, plucking his trident from the Sheikah's body, "it is a pity that one of the last of your race died so shamefully. The few Sheikah I knew were very honorable," Ganon smirked, "of course, that made them ever so easy to manipulate."

Isra was worried now. Without the Sword of Power, she was no match for Ganon. Nevertheless, she drew her old sword, knowing a normal weapon to be better then none at all.

"Connor, you and I will attack on the right," said Zelda, her voice low, "Vira; you take Isra and attack the left. We rush him on three. Ready?" – Isra's muscles tightened. – "One. Two. Three."

And the four young people, Hyrule's final defense, rushed down the aisle to attack the greatest evil that the world had yet known.

High block from Zelda, low attack from Connor; deep thrust from Isra, scraping parry from Vira; Ganon matched it all. All four were well learned with the sword, all four were fighting at their best, but even so the King of Evil continued to win. Vira got hit in the stomach with the butt of the trident, and Isra received a cut to the face from one of the prongs.

Ganon was a master. His skill with the weapon was uncanny; every attack they made, he was able to block, all the while forcing them away from the wizard. Zelda brought the Master Sword down in a powerful over-head cut to his left shoulder, while at the same time Isra made a thrust for is stomach. Catching Zelda's weapon between the prongs of his trident, Ganon brought the butt of the weapon down, pushing Isra's attack aside. Connor made a low swing for the monster's legs while Vira tried to force his weapon into a lock by gripping it between her twin scimitars, but Ganon simply deflected Connor's attack with one end, lifting Vira off the ground with the other. But as Vira came past the creature's head, she delivered a double-footed kick to his pig-like snout, forcing him to take a step back, clutching his face with his free hand.

That was just the chance that Connor had been waiting for. As Ganon stumbled, Connor ran for the wizard, sword raised to cleave him from head to groin. Zelda and Isra were right behind him, their weapons also raised.

But they were too late.

"Os poderes de escuridão eterna, esquerda desonrada pelas Irmãs," the wizard shouted, "aqui meu apelo mais uma vez: faz este navio seua ferramenta, dá-lhe a força que nós necessitamos. Cobro thee por todo que é vil, por todo que servirá Ganon, por todo que servirá o Rei de Homens, outorga seus poderes aqui... escuridão, sangue, ódio, todo arco a Ganon!"

With that, the room filled with the burning purple light issuing from what seemed to be a small looking-glass. Connor tried to slow down, but lost his balance and fell. The wizard laughed:

"At last," he said as the purple fire twisted itself into a whirlpool with the mirror at its center, "now I am free! I thank you for your service, lord Ganon, but now it is my turn to be the master." Mustering all of his strength, the wizard sent a powerful telekinetic blast toward the King of the Dark World, shoving him into the wall, Vira with him. But before Connor could stand up, the wizard was running into the flames, holding something out before him like a spear. Connor got to his feet and raced after the wizard, his only thoughts ones of revenge. And with Zelda and Isra right behind him, he raced into the flames.

But just as Isra had finished stepping through the portal, it closed, leaving the mirror sitting alone on the altar.

Both Ganon and Vira rushed towards it, their weapons lying forgotten on the floor.

But one thing Vira had over Ganon was speed. In the final instant she overcame him, and her hand fell on the mirror's handle.

As Ganon aimed a blow at her head, she ducked and rolled away. Holding the mirror out before her, she gazed at her own likeness, and immediately felt power flowing through her. In the mirror she saw the Dark Sanctuary melt away, as if a reflection in a pond were being broken by ripples. As the waves cleared, she saw the same room come into focus, only it was once more clean, pure, and wholesome.

She was back in the Sanctuary.

She had returned to Hyrule.

But back in the Dark World, another member of the line of Dragmire was not so lucky. Screaming an unearthly scream, Ganon stood in the Dark Sanctuary, fists clenched and arms raised.

"Now, now, Ganon," said a silky voice from the far end of the hall, "why do you create such a ruckus?"

Ganon's eyes filled with loathing. "You!" he said.

The person he spoke to was a woman, unmatched in her beauty. Her brown hair was long and wavy;but tied into a long ponytail reaching almost to her knees. She wore a dress of deep emerald, and a pair of thin black gloves that covered only her palms. Her demeanor was a gentle one, but her very presence seemed laced with venom.

"Again you have betrayed me, witch," said Ganon, striding up to her, "you told me that in creating that servant I could gain freedom. But you knew it would never work!"

"Ganon, Ganon," she said, her voice smooth and her eyes kindly, "I knew no such thing. What reason could I possibly have for keeping you from returning to Hyrule?"

"I know not, vile temptress, but you do nothing without it playing a role in your own ends. I would I had never set eyes on you!"

"Well, although I cannot grant your wish, I hope you will be happy to know that you will never have to see me longer. I am leaving this realm, and will not return." She reached up and stroked the side of his snouted face. "There is much work for me elsewhere." As she turned to go, Ganon shouted after her:

"A curse upon your head, Charna Morana!"

And then, in a flash of purple fire, the green-clad woman was gone.

Chapter 17

Shyam hit the ground hard.

Suddenly, he noticed that he was lying on wet, green grass. Looking around, he saw a building, not unlike the one he had just left, but clean, made of fresh-looking wood. The sky above him was blue, and spotted with fluffy white clouds.

He had made it. He was free.

And with such a horde too! Before escaping the Dark World, he had been able to not only grab his bag of ingredients, but also the weapon that the Sheikah had dropped! He found it lying a few feet away from him, but was amazed by what he saw: the weapon was colored a deep metallic black from tip to tip, with a golden Triforce engraved into the blade. Shyam had heard legends about such a weapon, but had never believed it real: he held in his hands the Sword of Power, the legendary weapon of Din herself!

Then Shyam heard a loud 'thud' behind him. Turning, he saw Isra and the other two warriors who had been chasing him lying on the ground, weapons still in hand. Thinking quickly, he shoved the Sword of Power under his cloak, and began to sneak away.

However, Isra saw him all too quickly.

"There he is!" she shouted. In a matter of moments Shyam had a set of three blades at his throat.

"Connor," said Princess Zelda, "according to Hylian law, this man's crimes have earned him death." Shyam swallowed hard. "If you would like to be the one to do it, I see no problem."

"W-wait," stammered Shyam, "I can explain!"

"You served under Lord Ganon," Zelda said.

"And you conducted magics that the law would never allow," Isra added.

"You also made the poison that has left my father nearly dead," said the man called Connor, "you would have killed him if you'd gotten the chance."

"P-please," begged Shyam, "I know a remedy for your father! Only let me live, and I can give it to you!" the man seemed to consider this.

"Alright," he said at last, "go on." Being careful not to drop the Sword of Power, Shyam reached into his robe and pulled out a small canvas bag. He opened it, showing that it was full of what seemed to be flower petals. "These are the petals of a rare type of lily that grows in the Dark World," he said, picking one out of the bag. "Crush them and add a small amount of water from a pure spring. Pour it down his throat, and he will be cured from any poison." Connor took the bag, but did not lower his weapon. "Um, I'll just be going then…" Shyam started to say, only to have Isra give him a quick cut across the cheek.

"You've still committed crimes against Hyrule," said Zelda, "You will be punished for them."

"I know," said a voice from behind, "send him to Mt. Lycurgus. That's one place I'd never want to go again."

Connor turned around.

There, standing in the bright Hylian sunshine, was Vira; her cloths ripped, her face speckled with blood, and a dark blue mirror clenched in her hand.

Dropping his sword, Connor ran over to her. Pressing her to him, he kissed her with more passion then he ever had before.

"I thought you'd never come back," he said, pulling away from her lips.

"And I thought you had abandoned me," she replied. Connor took Vira's hand in his own, and they returned to where Shyam stood, sweating.

"But really," said Vira, "if you want to punish him, send him on the path we took when we were chasing Os Filhos De Majora. Once he's on the mountain, leave him there."

"Exile is one of the options for crimes like his," Zelda said, "I'd be willing to make that his punishment, but I'm afraid that the Royalty will want something more… severe."

"I have an idea," said Isra, "I will escort him as far as the border of the Gerudo Desert. From there, he'll be on his own. And believe me, I," she looked cruelly down at the wizard, "am a severe punishment."

"I'd say that's fair. But it will have to wait until he and you have both been questioned at the castle." Isra simply nodded in reply.

"C'mon, Shyam," said Zelda, prodding him with the tip of her sword, "we've got a bit of a walk."

Vira started to follow, but Connor held her back.

"Wait a minute," he said, still holding her hand, "I want to talk to you a bit before we get to the castle."

"Okay, I'm listening."

"Vira, I wanted to say this after the Tides Treaty was signed, but, seeing as that never happened anyway, I never got the chance." Vira looked at him quizzically. Was he about to…?

"We've been together… a long time. And now more then ever, I know that life doesn't always work out like we plan." He shook his head. "I'm not letting worry get in the way again. Vira, Princess of the House of Dragmire," – he got down on one knee – "would you take my hand in marriage?" reaching down the front of his tunic, he pulled out a long silver chain from around his neck, with a golden ring set with a ruby on it. He removed the necklace, and took the ring from it, presenting it to her.

Vira felt tears coming to her eyes. Less then a year ago, she would have thought it impossible that anyone could love her enough to ask her that question. Of course, less then a year ago, she hadn't cared. But now that she knew what it was to love, and to be loved in return, there was nothing she wanted more.

"Of course," she said through her tears of joy, "why wouldn't I, Kokiri-boy?"

"…and then Shyam cast the spell, opening a portal back to Hyrule," Zelda said, "the rest you've all heard."

She was seated at the conference table in Hyrule Castle, along with her father, Impa, Ruto, Darunia, Link, Connor and Vira, and lastly, Mark Linwood. Isra had already begun her journey to Gerudo Desert with Shyam, and probably wouldn't have wanted to attend anyway.

Also seated at the table was Nabooru, newly appointed Queen of the Gerudo. Even after the events surrounding the assassination of King Zora had been revealed, Janan had refused to end the war. For the first time in over a century there had been open rebellion in Gerudo Valley, and Janan had been dethroned. Since Nabooru was in command of a small faction of Gerudo already, she was appointed Queen. But Mikas and his leading traitors, on the other hand, did not get such a kind fait as simple dethronement. They had been banished from Zora's Domain, and were never allowed to enter again. Those that remained, the so-called Ruto Tribe, were now allied with the Hylia, bringing the entire country once more to relative peace. After Zelda finished telling the story of their journey yet again, the leaders would sign the Tides Treaty, and end the conflict for good.

"I see," said Darunia, stroking his craggily beard, "so you think the threat has passed?"

"Yes," said Zelda, "I don't believe Ganon will be able to return in that manner, not without the mirror."

"But it is possible," said Ruto, "that another wizard could cast the same spell." "No," said Impa, "that spell cannot be used again. That would throw the magical system out of balance. The spell would fail. There are others, however, that would accomplish the same end."

"So we are still not safe from Ganon's wrath," said the King sadly.

"I'm afraid not," said Impa, "but it will be a long time before anyone else manages to do what Shyam did. We are safe, but our children are not so."

"Well, there's nothing more we can do," said Darunia, "Ganondorf's wrath will continue to plague Hyrule for eons." "Please, Sword Brother, do not call him that any longer," said Nabooru, her face wrinkled in disgust, "I knew Ganondorf before he became like this; and I know it's hard to believe, but he was good once. This thing he has become, whatever it is, is not Ganondorf Dragmire any longer. He needs a new name."

"I agree," said Vira.

"What about the name Nexx called him?" said Zelda, "that seemed to fit well enough."

"You said you didn't understand the curse, Zelda," Impa said, leaning forward, "I can only assume that it was in the old tongue, as you understand the Sheikah language quite well. Do any of you remember what the curse consisted of?"

"How could we forget?" asked Vira.

"Ye'doska mashatta," said Connor, Vira, and Zelda in unison, "Ye'doska shakata Mandrag Ganon."

Impa was silent. After a long moment, the King asked, "Did you understand it, Impa?"

"Yes…" said the Sage of Shadow, "I'm surprised that Nexx took the time to learn it. It translates roughly to 'Death upon you, death upon the Vile Beast, Ganon.' The word 'Mandrag' is considered the ultimate insult in Sheikah culture. It's the vilest single word in Hyrule, or any land. Some legends claim that there was once a spirit by that name who attempted to place himself on level with the Sisters, but not many believe them to be true."

"'Mandrag Ganon,'" said Ruto, suppressing a shiver, "It seems fitting, I think,"

"Me too," Mark agreed.

"Well, now that that's settled," said King Daphnes, pulling out a large scroll, "are we ready to sign the treaty?" the rulers nodded. The King stretched out the old parchment across the table. Although most of the writing had begun to fade, the treaty had some fresh ink on it; the new additions to the agreement that had been arranged by the rulers months ago. Added still more recently was a clause that read:

…and in the event of the return of Ganondorf to Hyrule, the undersigned governments agree to help in whatever way we can to repress and defeat him.

The first to sign was King Daphnes. After that came Impa, Darunia, Ruto, Mark Linwood, and Nabooru; the leaders of the countries visited going clock-wise around Hyrule's border.

When all had signed, the rulers just stood there for a moment, looking down at the treaty. Finally, the King shouted:

"Guards! Sound trumpets! Today is the day Hyrule sees peace! Get the kitchens to work on a feast, declare the entire week off for he workers!"

With many a 'Huzzah' the pages set to work, and throughout Hyrule there was music that night.

But Vira and Connor were far too distracted to hear it.

Epilogue

Blind pulled himself over a rough gray rock. Just a little farther…

There. At last he had made it to the top of Death Mountain. Now to find out what had become of those "heroes…"

It was nighttime. Ever since the attack on his camp, Blind had been unable to travel during the daylight hours. During the attack by the Norstasis, Blind had fought well, but even that hadn't been enough. One of the vile creatures had tripped him, sending him face-first into the glowing embers of the bonfire. His eyes had been greatly damaged, repaired only by very strong magic. The down side was that his eyes were now immensely sensitive, and he could hardly see at all in the light. Oh well; the Sheikah had always been a people of the night anyway, so why not get back to his roots?

He looked about. His was on the highest peak; there was no way for him to get farther up the mountain. He started looking around for something, anything that might tell him what had happened to them. if they were alive, he would make them rue the day they brought the Norstasis down on him.

But there was nothing here; just a large dusty plane, nothing special about it.

Or was there?

Something caught Blind's eye. Walking over to it, he looked down to see a single shimmering blue tile set right in the middle of the dusty earth. Leaning closer, he prodded it with his foot…

Blind felt the wind howl against his body, and his vision was filled with purple fire.

Shyam stumbled through the thicket. He had been tramping through the desert for over a week when at last he had found Mt. Lycurgus, and now was in the tiring act of climbing the infernal mountain. Fortunately, although Isra had many times over gone through his belongings, he had been able to keep the Sword of Power hidden. Not much else was left to him, save the brightly-colored Majora's Mask. At last Shyam found a clear spot where he could rest for the night. Lying down, he set the mask and sword beside him; they were extremely painful to sleep on.

Once asleep, Shyam had unpleasant dreams. He dreamed of a black figure, like a walking shadow, coming up beside him, and taking the Sword of Power. He then dreamed that the shadow took Majora's Mask, and put it to his face. But even as Shyam watched, the mask vanished into the shadow-figure, almost like it was sinking into water.

When Shyam woke up, he found the sword and the mask both missing. Only then did he remember just what half-spirit was said to haunt this mountain…

It was a lovely day on Outset Island. Although it was rather overcast it was not gloomy, and the cool breeze off of the ocean was extremely refreshing. Link stood on the porch of his grandmother's house, looking out over the sea.

"Big brother!" came a call from behind. Link turned, meeting the gaze of his now nineteen-year-old sister, Aryll. "C'mon inside," said the young woman, still as energetic as ever, "Tetra and Grandma are waiting!" Link did as he was told and entered the little house. Around the table sat Grandma, Prince Komali and Medli of the Rito Tribe, and Makar, a small Korok.

Also at the table sat Tetra, cradling a small bundle in her arms. It was this bundle that had called the group together, and it was now time for a time-honored family tradition to begin.

"Now, as some of you know," said Grandma, getting to her feet, "Link's mother's family was very big on personal history. For hundreds of years they kept a record of their family tree, all the way back to the time of the Legendary Hero." Grandma pulled a large leather-bound book from a shelf, and placed it on the table. "In this book," she said, "is the list of Link and Aryll's ancestors. There are also many entries about family members, but not many people take the time to read them." Opening the book, Grandma unfolded a long over-sized page, reaching at least four feet. All along it were names, connected by little lines. "This is your family tree, Link," said Grandma, "all of your history is on this page. And now that another member has come to the family," she looked lovingly at the bundle in Tetra's arms, "it is time to add her to it. But first-"

"I'm sorry it interrupt, Grandma," said Tetra, now standing to look over the list, "but I couldn't help but notice that there's another column there besides your own."

"Firstly, I am not on this list. This came from Link's mother's side," said Grandma, "but you are right; the members of her family who began this record had two daughters. Link and Aryll are descended from the younger of the two."

"I see," Tetra said, eyeing the list. Suddenly, she pointed at a name at the bottom of the second column. "Wait a minute," she said, "that's the same name my great-great-grandmother had!"

"You're kidding," said Grandma, "according to Link's mother, the family lost contact with that branch during the Great Flood. While we came to the mountaintops, they built-" Grandma froze, "boats! Tetra, my dear, you're actually Link's cousin!" Link chocked on the water he was sipping and started to cough. "Many times removed," Grandma added, rather late. "Tetra, would you mind filling out the missing names from your end of the family?" Grandma handed Tetra a pen. Handing over the baby to Medli, Tetra filled out the missing names, including her own, which she connected to Link's name with a short horizontal line.

"Now," said Grandma, taking back the pen, "if you would finally tell us the name you've picked for the child, we can make this list complete." Link looked to Tetra, who nodded.

"We're naming her Saria," said Link, "after an old Sage of the Koroks."

"What a lovely name," Grandma said, adding the name to the list. Tracing directly from little Saria to the beginning, the list read as follows:

Saria,

Daughter of Link,

Son of Mya,

Daughter of Aleta,

Daughter of Rubina,

Daughter of Ren,

Daughter of Sean,

Son of Olivia,

Daughter of Kaye,

Daughter of Jaya,

Daughter of Lewella,

Daughter of Tal,

Son of Delilah,

Daughter of Hippolyta,

Daughter of Stella,

Daughter of Vira, the Daughter of Dragmire.

The End