Hi there, folks! So... this story hasn't been updated in forever, mainly due to the fact that it was terrible. So I've finally taken the time to sort through my thoughts and actually plan this fic, hopefully making it halfway decent.

So, uh, this chapter hasn't really changed a whole lot. Just a few little changes here and there that probably aren't even noticeable.

The other chapters are going to be taken down, as soon as I figure out how. But fear not, I will be putting them up again, just as soon they fit in with my newly figured plot line.

Enjoy.

buddy w

Someway

"While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions." – Stephen R. Covey

Chapter 1

The constant dripping from the low ceilings provided a certain beat. What might usually have been comforting, some sign that clean water, sunlight, and fresh air actually existed, was now only annoying.

The four boys had been trapped in the mines for ... a very long time. With no indication of day or night, the time had passed without them knowing that it had. The Moblins surrounding them, paid to keep guard, were no help. Every now and then, they would sit down, or hit someone for no reason, but this seemed to be the only kind of rest they needed. Sometimes they would grunt conversations, but that was no help either. The boys didn't speak 'idiot'.

"Hey, I think I found something!" Dark exclaimed.

"Give it up, Dark. You say that twice a day and you've never found anything other than clumps of dirt and rock," Sheik groaned.

"No, I found that shiny bit of metal once!" Dark argued.

"That was the tip of your pick axe, Dark. It had chipped off," Link said. Dark 'hmphed' moodily, and continued chipping away at the rock.

"Do you think we'll ever get out of here?" Mido asked after a long silence, his voice a little high as it always was when he considered grave possibilities.

"Sure we will. When we die, they'll drag our bodies out of here and bury us in a nice quiet graveyard somewhere near the sea," Dark answered optimistically.

"You sure?" Mido probed.

"Nope. But a man can dream, can't he?" Dark answered cheerily.

"Anyway, Mido, nobody told you to come after us when we went into the Forest," Link said.

"I didn't know what you were going to do?" Mido retorted heatedly. "What if you were going to hurt the Great Deku Tree?"

Link laughed sardonically. "Me? Hurt the Deku Tree? I was Kokiri too, remember? As if I'd hurt my own folk!"

"Kokiri? You never even had a fairy!"

"I did so! Navi just ... got separated from me!" Mido laughed.

"But you grew up. You aren't a real Kokiri!"

"But-"

"Would you two give it a break?!" Sheik yelled exasperatedly. "Do you want those idiots to flog us? Their brains might be puny, but they can damn well handle a whip!" Immediately, Link and Mido abandoned their argument. It was one that they had started many times, and never finished. Whenever something had gone wrong down here, this was what it seemed to boil down to.

Now the only sound that was heard was the clang of metal against earth, and Dark's quiet, ever constant humming. Link kept a straight face, but he was stewing with anger and annoyance inside.

Mido was wrong, he thought. I am a Kokiri. They had been in the Kokiri forest that day not to harm the Deku Tree, but to talk to it. Over the lonely years Link had spent as Kokiri kid, the Deku Tree had been one of his only friends. When he had gotten a message saying that the old tree was ill, Link and his friends had travelled to see it straight away.

Mido's accusations had stirred something in Link. Dark's words had saddened him. Together, they had unhinged something. In his blinding anger, Link threw down his axe and swore. Sheik and Dark turned to him in alarm, only to see him slump against the wall, head in hands.

"What am I doing here?" he muttered feverishly. "My dream... it was so close...just... so close..."

"Link?" Sheik said gently. Link didn't respond. Sheik put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" As Link yelled, his voice cracked slightly. "Don't... Touch me..."

"Link, what's wrong?" Dark asked.

"I'm a failure... My dream is destroyed... I don't want to live anymore..." Standing up, he kicked away his axe and pushed past Sheik and Dark, towards their guards.

"Hear that? I don't want to live anymore!" he bellowed at the Moblins. Two of the Moblins, the ones closest to him, exchanged a confused glance.

"What's the use of living anyway? You only live to die," Link continued to say, though his voice had quietened considerably. He massaged his temples as his head started to pound. "Kill me," he whispered. Then, more loudly, "Kill me!" The Moblins seemed to understand these two words, as their faces changed, and they drew out the long whips from their belts. They started towards Link, their faces presumably contorted in large smiles.

"Link!" Sheik yelled. "Come back here!"

"Stupid conscience," Link muttered in response, pressing his temples a little harder and going forward to the guards. The Moblins grunted to each other, which infuriated Link further.

"What are you to idiots grunting about? My mentor always told me that if you haven't got anything nice to say, keep your mouth shut. I think we can tailor that suit you too. If you can't talk, don't open your mouths!"

One of the Moblins' hands clenched around the whip, and he was the first to raise his weapon.

Dark and Sheik stood stock still, fingers loosening on their axes. This was the second time this week that this had happened to Link. This place was sending him a little loopy. Dark had made friends with a man earlier, and when he had succumbed to the same fate, one day he had just disappeared from the mines. Some people claimed he had been taken away by the Moblins to be tortured, others had said Ganondorf himself was behind his mental condition, and had sent him into a deeper area of the mines. Either way, if Link kept going this way, his future didn't look too bright.

The first Moblin brought his whip down on Link with a crack. The second joined in with relish. Link was standing his ground... for now. Each hit seemed to make his knees become a little weaker, and a few more of his earlier scars to open up. Soon enough, he was crouched on the floor, his hands placed futilely above his head. Sheik and Dark decided it was time to intervene.

"OY! Stop!" Sheik yelled, diving between Link and the Moblins. "Back off!"

Sheik's cry had alerted the other guards. Another Moblin, one who hadn't joined in the flogging, grunted at them. Surprisingly enough, even his grunt sounded like and order. The Moblins looked like they were going to object. One of the Moblins brought his whip down on the rock, then turned way and walked back to their post with the other.

Dark and Sheik slung Link's arms around their shoulders and helped him move away. Link spluttered, and coughed up a little blood. Putting him down against a rock wall far enough that the Moblins wouldn't see them, they turned to Link.

"That was stupid, Link," Sheik stated.

"Really?" Link answered hoarsely. "I didn't notice."

"Whatever. Lay down and I'll bandage you up as best I can." Link did as instructed, and closed his eyes.

Dark sighed next to him.

"Why d'you do it?"

"I... I have no idea..." Link whispered. He couldn't even remember the conflicting thoughts that had angered him so much.

"This place is making you crazy, Link," Sheik stated grimly.

"No. I was always crazy. This place is just bringing it out of me," Link said, cracking a painful smile.

"Aww, man. You've ruined your shirt," Dark said. "They're not going to give you another one."

"Do you have your old one?"

"Yeah, but you don't want it. It smells funny."

"Oh well. It's better than freezing to death because I don't have a proper shirt to wear."

"True," Dark agreed. He opened his mouth to say something else, but a huge crash interrupted him. Link sat up with a start, and all heads turned towards a rock wall. Or where there used to be a wall.

It was now just a huge pile of debris. The entire twenty foot wall had collapsed, and on top of the wreckage stood a black figure.

The figure standing on it was not black because of the lack of light, as there was several lanterns lighting the area surrounding. The figure wore black clothing. A cloak billowed out from behind him as the disturbance in the air form the crash still lingered. The man's face was hidden in the cowl of his hood. The only part of him that was noticeable through the dark was his eyes. His sparkling blue eyes.

The intimidating figure strode forward confidently, towards Link, Sheik and Dark. He walked right past them, and towards a set of stairs that were forbidden to the mine slaves. The six Moblins that kept guard of the four boys stepped forward in a line, three holding whips, the other three holding large wooden clubs.

With a disgruntled noise and an impatient gesture, the strange visitor pushed the Moblins away without even touching them. The boys stared at the spectacle with wide eyes, as the Moblins were thrown to the ground by a flick of the visitor's hand. The bosy watched on with amazement.

The Visitor continued forward and right up the stairs. When the shreds of his cloak had disappeared, Sheik turned excitedly to Link and Dark.

"I'm going to follow him."

"Sheik, I though you just said I was the crazy one. I think I'm rubbing off on you," Link said.

"I don't think that's such a good idea Sheik," Dark agreed.

"But look what he just did! What if he is on our side?" Sheik cried.

"What side are we on?"

"Well, we want to get away from Ganondorf, right? That guy headed up to his... crib, or whatever it is. I'm following him. I'll be back," he promised, before scampering off.

"Sheik!" Link called. "You know you can't hide in here!"

"I will be able to up there!" Sheik called back, climbing the ladder silently. Up the top, he just saw the tip of the Visitor's cloak, before it disappeared around a corner. Sheik strode quietly after him. As a Sheikah, many people thought that he and the rest of his people had the power of magic, more specifically, the power to become like a shadow. But that was just an illusion, most likely started and still continued by his people. The reality was that they used the shadows to stalk or follow, but they didn't actually become shadows themselves.

Still on the trail of the strange cloaked man, Sheik stayed in the shadows, just behind him.

He followed the Visitor until a door at the end of the twisting corridor. Without hesitation, the Visitor went through the door, slamming it shut behind him. Sheik hid in the shadow closest to the door, listening carefully.

There was a shout of surprise, then a muffled curse. Sheik recognised the deep voice as Ganondorf's. He closed his eyes in concentration, making sure every single word was committed to his memory.

"How did you get in here?" Ganondorf asked.

"The door," came another voice. Sheik assumed that it was the Visitor's. The voice was calm, and not as gruff and Ganondorf's. There was a slight grunt of annoyance from Ganondorf, then the scraping of wood on tile. He was probably pulling a chair out, Sheik guessed. It also meant that Ganon had apparently added some luxury to the room.

"What do you want this time?" Ganondorf asked.

"Oh, no nice greeting? No, hi, or hello?" The Visitor sounded mildly amused.

"Hi, hello," Ganondorf muttered. "Now, what do you want?"

"I want three of your slaves," the Visitor answered serenely.

"What?!" Ganondorf roared. "No, no, definitely no! And they're workers, not slaves."

"Why? Surely you don't need so many. And any that seem to disappear, you replace within a day."

"Disappear? What do you mean by that?" Ganondorf's voice sounded guarded. Well, more guarded than before.

"You know what I mean. I know of your crazy tirades, Ganondorf. And don't think I don't. I know that after some time in here, the air affects them. Then you take them away."

There was a long pause, filled only by the sound of Ganondorf's frantic breathing, and the steady beat of the Visitor's.

Ganondorf finally spoke. "But why d'you wants them for?"

"What do I want them for?" The Visitor corrected. "Now, they are working for you. I want them to work for me."

"What work?"

"That is not your business. But I assure you, I want three of the men. I need hard workers. You can keep the women. I know you use them for... your other needs."

Ganondorf made a noise of displeasure.

"You are wrong. I need all that I have. Replacing them isn't as easy as you assume."

"In that case, I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I need three workers of yours."

"Why don't you find your own?" Ganondorf said, enraged.

"I have found yours."

"Find some others!" There was a sharp ring of metal, then the thud of wood. Something had embedded itself in the wall. Something that had made Ganondorf let out an uncharacteristic strangled grunt of fear.

"It appears you understand my language now. Am I right?" The Visitor still sounded calm.

"Yes, yes," Ganondorf said hurriedly. He cleared his throat.

"Good. Now, I need three of your slaves."

"Workers!" Ganondorf objected again. He paused for a moment, grumbled something to himself, then replied, "Yes, you will have them."

"I need them tonight."

Ganondorf groaned.

"I don't have a choice, right? If I say no, I take it I'll have a series of needles embedded in my body. And whilst that doesn't impose a great problem for me, it would be a little inconvenient."

"Inconvenience is my specialty," the Visitor added.

"And it annoys me to no end. Come down into the deep levels, and you may take your three workers."

"Good."

Some metal was sheathed, and footsteps thudded towards the door.

Ganondorf walked out of the door first, and Sheik stayed concealed in the shadows. As the Visitor approached the door, he picked something off a nearby shelf. As he slipped out into the corridor, Sheik caught a glimpse of the long feather he had picked up, before slipping the Visitor slipped it under his cloak. The feather seemed... familiar somehow.

"Nice souvenir," the Visitor muttered, walking out of the doorway completely. Sheik quickly stepped out from his hiding spot and made a tiny scuff with the toe of his worn boot. The Visitor spun around quickly, and his eyes narrowed as he spotted Sheik. Sheik gestured frantically to himself, trying to signal his message. The Visitor's expression, or in his case, eyes, didn't change. He looked at Sheik for a moment longer, then turned and sauntered after Ganondorf. Sheik swallowed nervously, and stepped back into the shadow, just in case.

He moved swiftly down the corridor, around all the twists and turns. He passed Ganondorf and the Visitor when they stopped to look into some other door, and climbed down the ladder just before they came in view of him. He ran to Link and Dark, and quickly picked up his axe and pretended to be working. Link and Dark followed slowly.

"What happened? What did he want?" Link whispered to Sheik between the clinks of metal.

"This new guy is powerful. He convinced Ganondorf to let him take three men from the mines."

"Just like that?" Dark asked, surprised.

"There was a dagger of sorts involved too, and a little persuasion. But still, this guy is powerful."

"What about the three men?" Dark asked under his breath. The Visitor and Ganondorf were just visible in the dim light of the mines now. "Did he say who he's going to take?"

"No, just three strong men. He wants them to work."

"So... is he a friend of the red-head or not?"

"I don't think so. I... He's seen my face," Sheik said hesitantly.

Link snorted. "Careless." Sheik turned to glare at him.

"You of all people know that no one sees my face unless I want them to. Look, he may just be our way out of this place. So why not try?"

Mido came running towards them then, his breath ragged and his eyes about three times their normal size.

"Who is this guy? Why's he talking to the bad guy? Why is he here? What's he going to do? Oh, I don't want to die," he wailed pathetically, looking close to tears. Link's temper was shortening, and fast. He balled up a fist, ready to hit the little midget right in the face, but Dark stepped in his way.

"Don't be stupid," he told him.

"They're getting closer," Sheik whispered suddenly. He had picked Mido up and moved him against the wall, where he now sat whimpering quietly.

"- I want strong ones, Ganondorf," the Visitor said. He glanced towards the three boys, his eyes widening marginally when he saw Sheik staring at him.

"These three," he said. "You've been treating them badly, but a little work and they may turn out alright." He turned to the boys again. "You three are coming with me."

"Gah!" Link swore as Mido crashed into his leg, holding onto it with all of his puny might.

"No, don't leave, I don't want to be left alone, please don't leave, please please please don't-" His incessant gurgling was cut off by the Visitors' sharp voice.

"Three and a half then, eh Ganondorf?"

"The deal was three," Ganondorf spat coldly.

"What will one more do to you? Besides, he's not even a man." Ganondorf's eyes turned to the sobbing Kokiri, flashing with anger and annoyance.

"Take them, and be off with you. Don't come back for anything, Shade."

"Ganondorf," the smaller man replied. He nodded them started to walk off, back to the pile of rubble where a wall had once stood.

They continued down a long set of deserted mines, and right past the sets of Moblins. The guards all looked like they were going to protest the workers from leaving, but each time the Visitor would casually wave a hand and all the Moblins would be pushed against a wall.

Sheik schooled his face to show no emotion, but the other three stared at the man before them with horror mingling with awe on their faces.

Soon, they ended up in a part of the mines that they had never ventured to before. It was dark here, not a single lantern lighting the way. A little ball of fire flared into existence above the Visitor's head, showing them the way ahead. Link's feeling of unease grew. Without bothering to talk to one of his friends, he walked straight up to the cloaked man, blocking his way ahead.

"Who are you?" Link demanded.

"The person who will get you out of here," the Visitor replied coldly.

"Why? What do you want us for?"

"Your friend has already told you that. I have a job that I need you to do."

Link exchanged a glance with Sheik, who just shrugged reproachfully.

"How can we trust that you won't be as bad as Ganondorf?"

"You can't. You took the risk, now live with it." The Visitor started forward again, but Link put a hand on his chest. The Visitor pushed it off fast, like he was flicking off a bug.

"Don't touch me," he hissed.

"Why not?" Link taunted.

"You saw those Moblins. I can do worse to you if you do not comply."

"Really...?" Link poked the man just under his throat with his finger, pushing the boundaries.

"I warned you," The Visitor snarled, and raised his hands. Link was thrown against a rocky wall, a few bits of dirt falling onto his head after the impact. The Visitor spun on his heel and started forwards again, the little ball of fire still above his head.

Sheik and Dark helped Link to his feet for the second time today. Link rubbed his head a little where the clumps of dirt had bounced off.

"Dark, Sheik, why is it always me that gets thrown off his feet?" he complained.

"Because, you're all guts, and no brain," Sheik answered.

"Think before you do something next time, Link," Dark agreed.

"Like you?" Link asked sarcastically.

"It may not look like it, but the little walnut sized lump of mush inside my head does actually work now and then."

Link nodded, and stumbled forward a little, regaining his balance. He would have to remember their words next time he felt like doing something spontaneous.

Eventually they reached the end of the mines. All the rock walls ended, to reveal a blank, concrete wall. Link stayed a fair distance away from the cloaked man, prepared to wait until he disappeared to say anything.

The Visitor raised his hands, and a grinding noise filled the stagnant air. The concrete was moving inwards, to reveal a slim space, just big enough for one person to squeeze through. Without a backward glance, the Visitor went through the gap.

"This guy is getting more and more dubious as we follow him further," Sheik muttered. Mido pushed past him, looking almost eager to follow. He still hadn't said a word.

"Dubious and painful," Link said, following Mido hesitantly.

It led to another dark corridor, only this one had walls made of dark grey concrete instead of the dusty rock of the mines.

The Visitor continued to walk at the front of the procession, the little light above his head.

The group walked for a long time. They couldn't say just how long, as life in the mines had diminished their ability to even estimate time. When the light doesn't change, and the even air loses its life, time is an element that takes a back step.

Finally, the dark concrete became lighter. A few lanterns hung on the walls, and the floor became smoother. The Visitor walked for a little while further, then stopped. Raising his hands up to his face, he seemed to pull invisible handles back. Four iron barred doors swung back, opening along one side of the corridor.

Link, Sheik and Dark stopped walking, about ten paces away from Mido, who was ten paces away from the masked, cloaked man. The Visitor spun around to face them.

"Get in," he instructed.

"Ha!"Link snorted. "You're expecting us to just... walk into dungeon cells without a fight?"

"Yes. You especially should realise that it is a very good idea, or... you know what I can do."

"Perhaps you should show him again, while I get out of here," Mido squeaked stupidly, turning to run. The Visitor sighed, and raised his hands again.

Link, Sheik, Dark and Mido were pushed along the ground by some invisible force, down the corridor. One by one, they were thrown with brute force against the far wall of the cell.

Link scrambled off his feet faster than the rest, and tried to run out before the iron gate closed, but a shackle closed around each of his feet, tripping him. He bent down in a futile attempt to undo the tight shackles, but then two more came out of nowhere, and locked around his wrists. Swearing, Link continued to stutter forward, but the shackles, which seemed to have a mind of their own, pulled him backwards. They dragged him, kicking, right to the back wall. The shackles seemed to extend backwards into the wall, and not pull out again. Link slumped helplessly onto his knees, and stared at the floor. The few strips of cloth Sheik had managed to bandage him with earlier had been ripped and had fallen away, leaving all his wounds, old and new, exposed to the darkness. He heard footsteps coming his way. The Visitor strode into the cell, and leaned down towards Link. As his cloak brushed Link's hand, it began to throb strangely, as if it had a pulse of its own.

The Visitor pulled a set of keys from somewhere in his cloak, and locked the shackles, marring any attempt of Link's to get out. He glanced down at Link's hand, and his eyes widened slightly, but then he simply turned away. His face was hidden beneath the hood of his cloak as he shut and locked the iron bars. His head straitened as the door was locked with a faint click.

"I did try to tell you to get in on your own. You left me no choice but to do it by force."

"Did you really expect us to listen?" Link asked caustically.

"Of co- No, no I didn't." The Visitor glanced down at his clothes for a second, as if he was confused by them. He locked Link's door, then moved down the corridor to do the other three.

As his footsteps finally faded into the distance, Link struggled against his chains once again. When the metal started cutting into his wrists and ankles, he swore vehemently, but never stopped struggling. He heard the clink of chains from further down the corridor, but after a few curses, the others were quiet once again. Link looked down at his cut, bleeding wrists, and went limp.

"He says he's going to help us," he seethed, "and then he locks in chains so tight I can't move without bleeding to death faster than I already am."

"These... damn... shackles..." grunted Dark, as he tugged against them once more.

"Link, Dark, calm down a little," Sheik said, though his own words were layered with stress. "Mido, you still with us?"

"Yes," came the quiet reply.

"Good. Try to make yourself as comfortable as possible, boys. I don't know how long we're going to be here for."

"I want to get out of here, Sheik," Link said through his teeth. He thrashed against the chains one last time, stopping as he felt the blood trickle down his hands and drip to the ground. He let out a slow, raspy laugh whilst he glared at the shackles keeping him down. "I have been in those mines... for too bloody long. I thought... that this cloaked guy... I thought he had come to get us out... What a stupid hope." He paused, then let out a furious roar, the air cold on his bare skin and open wounds. "All I wanted... was to see the sky again..."

"We'll get out of here, Link," Sheik said confidently.

"All I wanted..." he repeated, ignoring his friend. "Was to see the sky..."

Keep a look out for the next chapter.

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