Zelda lay her head on Links' chest and heaved a great sigh. The sun was setting and the sky burned a deep red.

"It's getting late princess…I should take you back to the castle," Link whispered. She didn't want this moment to end, not now when she was so close to him. He usually wouldn't allow her to be on his lap, not with people around, they would just spread rumours. But this time no one was here, they were alone… she looked up and was surprised to see how close their lips were, she could just feel his pine fresh breath on her silk skin. He leaned in and was barely a hairs distance from her, she could just feel his lips…

Zelda jolted awake.

So it had been just a dream, the silly hopes of a naive girl in something as simple as a dream. Link had been gone for almost a year now and her guards were no closer to finding him. Her trips to the library hadn't pointed her in the right direction either. Link had been looking for something in the library before his mysterious disappearance – but what?

Zelda fell onto her pillow and sighed. That had been her last encounter with the hero. OK, so the kiss had never happened but they had been together, with her on his lap and his travelling cloak covering them both. What was the point anyway? Every time her guards even came close to something, anything, it seemed to slip away like water in her hands.

She looked around her rich room with its four poster bed and silk sheets, the rare Faron oak ( that had come from Faron woods itself) furniture with the most beautiful carvings. The blood red velvet curtains, the carpets – so deep you could lose your feet in them and her royal gown waiting at the end of the room on the wooden dressmakers mannequin.

Pulling herself out of bed, she showered and dressed (making sure her jewellery was all on properly) and stared out of the window. The sleepy town below the castle was only just starting the day's work. The fountain was glistening in the light of the slowly burning torches, the stone bird and triforce whiter than ever. Hyrule field stretched endlessly into the distance, that was where Midna had left this world, to rule her Twilight kingdom. Zelda laid her hand on the golden door handle as the first rays of morning lit up the triforce on the back of her hand. Perhaps she should take things into her own hands for a change…

Link raised the bottle to his lips. The cold, bitter taste of Gerudo beer ran down his sore throat that begged only for water but instead received the harsh alcohol. His back was sore and bloody from the large cuts that he had received by the slash of a whip. To give his back some relief from the pain, he had leant forward and now sat on the cold floor of his cell. How many prisoners had been where he was now only to die?

The single lamp that burned at the end of the room was almost finished with its supply of oil. That had been his own lamp and now it didn't help at all – he would have used the flame to burn something in order to escape, but there was nothing to burn. The only way out of here would be with his death… but his opponents wouldn't make it a quick death, it would be as painful as hell.

And how he wanted to see Zelda again! He had only gone for his quiet walk across Hyrule field the way he did every morning. He had just seen the skull kid, up in a tree staring at him from a distance when something heavy had whacked him over the head. He should have been dead (which was what was supposed to happen) but only his part of the triforce had kept him alive.

The lamp started to flicker, Link raised his head in the direction of the door. Its hinges complained with the heaviness of the 3 foot thick solid metal as it was opened and the room flooded with light. So much so, that Link was blinded for a couple of seconds. Footsteps could be heard making their way towards him followed by harsh hands grabbing his arm. He was heaved up and half dragged, half pushed towards the door.

He regained his balance as his feet led him towards the shouts of the crowd. He was tripped up and spat on walking through the mass of people and monsters. At last he reached the barred door of a large cage and was pushed in by the Gerudo guards that were on each side. The cage was about 4 metres wide, 8 metres high and circular. Beams of metal went from one side to the other of the cage creating slanted paths that fighters would climb, walk and fight across. The ceiling was covered in metal spikes and the floor was cold, hard stone; a pair of grappling hooks lay in the middle (they used to be his too).

Link crossed to the other side of the cage, ignoring the grappling hooks and leaned himself on the wall with his arm and his back to the door. Heavy footsteps thudded on the ground behind him, the crowd fell silent. Darknut they called him. His armour was black as night, his shield was rounded and strong and his sword was thick and hard. A thinner sword was sheathed in his belt but looked just as deadly – Link would need that.

Darknut banged his sword against the cage wall. With a clang, the metals met as the wall bent outwards with the force of the hit, that gave Link an idea. Darknut ran towards Link with his sword in the air – ready to finish the fight before it even started. Link did nothing. He waited until the final the final moment...3...2...1...NOW! He jumped up and somersaulted over Darknut as his sword crashed down into the wall. But this time it broke. Link snatched up the grappling hooks and aimed for the second sword in Darknut's belt. Good, now he was armed. Link aimed once again with the grappling hooks to the wooden wall that kept the crowd in – the door was just beneath his target. He let the grapple hook go and felt the tug on his arm as he sailed through the air - good thing these were magic or his arm would be ripped off!

An arrow was pulled back on a bow string. It was aimed, released… and sunk into the flesh of its target.

Link screamed in pain and let go of the handle of the grappling hook. He wasn't even conscious when he hit the ground.