Chapter One: Southern Hyrule

"Again!" Link called, prompting Lyndrys to let fly another powerful blow with the wooden sword the pair had been training with. He brought his own sword up to defend, but found the powerful strike that Lyndrys had delivered nearly disarmed him. "Ow...!" He swapped the sword over to his right hand and shook out his left. "You're getting good... To think you've gotten just about on par with me in two weeks..."

"Well, there's nothing else to do on this ship." Lyndrys shrugged. "And it was a week and a half, because I spent the first three days puking my guts up over the side." Link laughed at the girl's misfortune, remembering all too clearly her pleads for him to put her out of her misery. "It's a good thing I adapted... Can't imagine spending the whole trip like that..."

"Well, we did have some squalls first few days, so I don't blame you. I was pretty green myself the first day, remember?" He dropped the barrel lid he was using for an impromptu shield and leaned against the banister of the ship, leaning his head back to drink deep of the scent of the sea air. "It's liberating, isn't it? To be on the open ocean?" Lyndrys put her own wooden sword and barrel lid on the ground and advanced on the edge of the ship, looking out to the crystal clear waters which seemed to stretch forever. She closed her eyes and focused on the sound of the rolling sea, and the smell of salt in the air. She'd lived on a penninsula her whole life – no more then a two hour drive from the beach – but even she hadn't actually ever seen the ocean. Not first hand anyway.

"It's a lot prettier then the pictures, that's for sure." She answered with a nod. She looked over to the young man she was sharing this responsibility with, looking him over. It was impossible to guess he was younger then she was... his stance, his posture, his voice... they were all hallmarks of a much older man... or maybe it was her? Maybe she was the immature one? It was hard to tell right now. She turned around to lean on it like he was, her eyes glaring up the tall mast in the center of the ship, the sail billowing out as the wind carried them to their destination.

"Land ahead!" A voice called form the crow's nest above the mast. "Beach, captain!" From the back of the ship, where the wheel and most of the crew labored, came a tall, imposing man striding onto the foredeck. His appearance was more of a pirate – with a thick, black beard and a heavy frock coat which flapped gently in the stiff wind. He held a cane in one hand and rested the other on his hip idly.

"Aye, lad, I see it." He spoke with a simple, gentle tone, yet it was clear that he could be heard even from such a distance away. "You must be th' pair'a folk what be goin' ashore." Link nodded.

"Yes, Captain." Link nodded. "I want to thank you for your generosity.."

"Think nothin' of it, lad. We be settin' off for other lands after this, anyway. We're gonna be lettin' ya off on a dhingy, th' shore be too rocky for me ship to get too close."

"I understand." Link nodded. The tall man looked to Lyndrys rather closely, his cold blue eyes seeming to pierce into her soul.

"Th' sooner we have th' lass 'ere off, th' better me boys'll be. Women ain't nothin' but trouble on th' sea." They'd been down this road before, and Lyndrys had vague memories that seafaring men in her reality held a similar superstition in times long past. They'd already had an all-out shout fest about it – Lyndrys stating that he should be more respectful of people, and the Captain flat telling her that the girl didn't know what she was talking about. It would appear that Lyndrys had a way to go before any woman – let alone herself – got any respect. Link saw her as an equal – which was a plus – and Zelda seemed to think rather highly of her... but then again, being a woman herself didn't really account for much.

"You're all still in one piece so... how bad luck can I really be?"

"Aye, ya say that now, lass... but trouble can hit anytime." He turned away. "Prepare a dinghy for our guests! Taryn, see to it they get to shore!"

"Yes, captain!" A portly man answered with a nod. He began to operate a winch, which lowered one of the ship's four small rowboats into the water below, then hooked a rope ladder to the side and rolled it off into the boat so they could all climb down.

"There will be another ship around in a week's time to return you both to the palace. I only ask ye not miss it, otherwise it be a two month cross-country trek on foot, and ye not have th' provisions for such a slog. They'll pick you up right were Taryn's be droppin' you off." Link was already halfway over the side when the captain was barking instructions to them, and not-so-friendly warnings.

"Work up my sea legs only to be tossed back onto land..." Lyndrys mumbled as she struggled over the side of the ship, Link helping her over. "Just watch, we'll be there long enough for me to lose them, and the trip back is going to be hell." Her counterpart laughed at her rant, patting her back.

"Don't worry so much, Lyndrys. I'm sure everything'll be peachy. We'll be done well before that happens, and back home before you know it."

"You'll be home. Knowing my luck, I'll still be stuck here." He didn't answer, just smiled and took a seat in the boat as it was cast to the sea below. Lyndrys could see the beach from where they were – barely visible on the horizon, covered by a dainty layer of seafog – calling to them like some mythical siren.

"Okay, so you've been doing really good in your training, there's just one thing I need to appraise you of."

"What's that?'

"Any fight we get in... they won't care about form or fair. We get into a fight, it's a fight to the death."

"I know." Lyndrys nodded firmly. "I don't plan on dying anytime soon."

"Good! Stick to what you learned, and you should be fine."

"Is there anything I should know about this place?" Link thought for a moment.

"Southern Hyrule is a pretty rough place, very feral. A few hermits and independent shops that have made their homes here, but aside from that it's all wild forest and mountains."

"And this mountain we're supposed to go to... does it... deserve it's name?"

"Death Mountain? Before King Harkinian's dynasty took over, Death Mountain was a sight of ritualistic sacrifice by the local Garudo and Zora populations. The first King of Hyrule established a very tentative pact with both tribes, stating that we basically allow them to do their thing, under the condition they don't abduct Hylians for their rituals. Basically if we don't run afoul of either of them, we should be good." Lyndrys blinked, liking that descriptor less and less.

"So... exactly how easy would it be for us to 'run afoul' of either of them?"

"Stupidly, stupidly simple." She liked this even less.

"Great..."

"Aaaaah, don't sweat it. As long as we don't go swimming, or spend to long in any desert, we should be fine." This was a small bit of comfort to Lyndrys, yet she still had a burning feeling that it wouldn't be quite as simple as Link had put it.

Their boat trip would last almost two hours before they were within range to be dropped off, the salty sailor beaching the boat to let the pair off. He bade them a farewell as he was casting the rowboat once more into the sea to make the return trip. Link and Lyndrys stood on the beach, watching him make his slow way back to the safety of the larger boat before Link's voice broke the silence. "Well." He stood up just a bit straighter and puffed his chest out. "Shall we? Death Mountain is still probably half a day's walk from here."

"Can't we catch a cab?" Link simply blinked at her perceived joke. "I'm kidding. You don't even know what a cab is." The pair turned west and started to make their way towards Death Mountain and Spectacle Rock. The penninsula was sparsely treed, comprising of mostly rock and sand – the occasional bush dotting the landscape. "S'awfully free of shade... how do people live here?"

"It's easier then one might be lead to believe. Most carve livings out of caves in the rock or beneath the rootbed of trees."

"How do you make a home under a tree?" Link got a chuckle out of the contorted face Lyndrys made at this comment, shaking his head gently.

"It's easier then one might be lead to believe." He echoed sarcastically. He flicked his head towards her. "Surely you have similar magicks as your disposal in your reality."

"The closest thing we have to magic where I'm from is called 'Walmart', and it's both the most holy of magics, and the blackest of curses." This description caused Link to erupt into a cackle at the thought of something being both a holy magic and a curse.

"Yes, Impa spoke of your ramblings of a 'Walmart' at breakfast before we left. Tell me, what is it?"

"Including or excluding a disease to be purged?" A single look from Link answered her question. She sighed and settled in for a description. "Walmart is like this... you have stores, right?"

"Of course."

"Of course... Walmart is a store... except they sell almost everything you could ever want or need in your life, all the while draining your vitality through fake happiness, overpowering consumerism and good, old fashioned blood magic."

"I can't tell if you're jesting or not."

"Not really. It's a kind of place that... well, everyone goes there. Everyone. So many people, in fact, that they seem to forget they're people... and just strive to be as massive assholes as possible..." He blinked at her description, seeming to absorb everything Lyndrys was saying.

The Twin Heroes continued their walk north towards Death Mountain, Lyndrys finding holding her traction on so much sand to be a chore. Link's previous statement about the wildlife proved to be true. Of the creatures they had run afoul of on their long walk north were strange octopus-looking creatures with big eyes and a mouth that would make anyone gunshy around a fleshlight. "Link... d'fuck is that?" Lyndrys mused, pointing at the octopus. "Looks like someone forgot their a damn fish."

"Ah. An Octorok." he mused. "They're land-based creatures that consume rocks, then spit them back out as a defense mechanism. They're not too tricky, once you learn they puff up before spitting. The rocks hurt, but not what I'd call threatening. Keep your shield handy, it's not just for looks, you know." Lyndrys clumsily drew her sword and shield – the mark of a woman who has done so infrequently – and advanced on the small creature – no bigger then a large dog. It noticed her from a long way off, their eyes meeting as she studied her prey. One step at a time... one step at a-

As her foot fell once more, the beast's impressive head puffed up, it's eyes bulging slightly. Reacting more then acting, Lydnrys brought the heavy steel shield up, which was shortly echoed by a heavy strike against it, the entire impliment bucking backwards with the force. "S-shit!" The hit broke her block, causing her to drop her shield for a moment. The beast puffed up once more, and her right arm swung into action. Almost as if operating by itself, her arm lashed out an slashed the rock upwards with the sword blade, splitting the projectile into two harmless halfs.

Hopping quickly away, she barely managed to dodge a third projectile that went wide. With her shield arm returned to some semblance of use, she brought it up once more, the fourth and fifth projectiles slamming harmlessly into the steel barrier. She anticipated the strength of the blow this time, her form remaining unbroken as she advanced on the creature. She timed her strike, counting the seconds between each rock, noting it was exactly four seconds between each hit against the shield. It was just a matter of time before she could-

Wham! The shield bucked from the impact once more and Lyndrys instantly launched into her attack. Coming off as nothing more then forcibly dropping the blade downward, the edge found it's mark and struck true, the steel biting deep into the Octorok's rubbery hide and eventually piercing it. Giving a moan, the creature slumped down into a messy pool of it's own ink and blood, it's body going still.

"Good strike!" Link spoke abruptly behind me. "Far from perfect, it's true... but I can see you've got the potential there, so that's a plus."

"I... I did it?" Lyndrys droned in a state of disbelief.

"Aye, that you did! How'd it feel?"

"Like I'm about to become Target One on PETA's shit list... but other then that... good... no, great. Like I might actually survive here." His hand came down firmly on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, Lyndrys. Like I said, you've got potential. A little work here and there, and you might actually have the potential to be better then me."

That night found Lyndrys and Link staring up at the imposing facade of the mountain known as 'Death Mountain'. Lyndrys swallowed hard as she struggled to find her voice. "So... this is Death Mountain, huh?" Link nodded.

"'Tis. Keep your wits about you... there's a reason people don't venture into Death Mountain these days."

"Do they decorate for Christmas in November too?" Link chuckled, despite his complete ignorance of the reference. "Sorry, jokes are how I deal with the very real possibility I might die." She felt Link's hand on her back.

"Don't think of things like that. The only people who die... are those who believe they will." The look in his eyes was pure confidence, spiced with a healthy amount of determination. She tried to believe him... but something in the back of her head still nagged. She closed her eyes and took a slow, deep, cleansing breath to banish the thoughts of doom and gloom. She held it for a few seconds before slowly letting it out and nodding to Link.

"Alright. I'm about as ready as I'll ever be."

"Good!" Link punctuated the sentence by drawing his blade, the steel weapon grinding against it's scabbard as it gasped to life. "Then let us cleanse this land of evil, once and for all!" Lifting his shield to his chest, he slowly advanced upon the gaping entrance to Death Mountain, the towering behemoth of a mountain looming ominously above him. Lyndrys followed suit, her sword coming from it's scabbard and her shield raising to protect her. As she moved farther into the cave entrance, the black abyss that greeted her began to fade, replaced by faint images of stonework walls – rough hewn walls slowly giving way to shaped brickwork – the farther in she advanced. Link was always just ahead of her, his head slowly looking about. Several meters into the cave, the floor dipped into stairs – the gentle glow of dim torches providing a meager wash of dim red-orange light – as their leather boots fell silently upon the stone stairs.

"Torches?" Lyndrys muttered. "And shaped stone bricks...?"

"Aye... this is no natural cave formation." Link echoed her thoughts as the pair continued down. The stairs stretched on for seeming forever as they descended into the Earth, the glow of the torches seeming to dim the farther down they got. Lyndrys couldn't tell if it was because the torches themselves were getting dimmer, or if the blanket of darkness which had surrounded them was getting thicker. Reason aside, it could be no doubt that the farther the pair descended, the darker everything became.

After moments, the stairs finally leveled out and came to an abrupt stop by a large stone door, carved with many runes and symbols both powerful and ancient. "The Stone Seal..." Link swallowed.

"The whatnow?" Lyndrys asked, looking him over.

"The Stone Seal. Centuries ago, when Hyrule was first invaded by the Wizard King, the most powerful mages of the time gathered at Death Mountain to seal evil away within the heart of the earth. They cast a powerful sleep spell upon the Wizard King and sealed him inside Death Mountain behind the Stone Seal..." He placed his shield hand upon the cold stonework, his finger tracing a crack. "I didn't think it was real... The seal's been damaged..."

"What... does that mean?" Lyndrys found herself asking the obvious.

"It means the Wizard King wakes once more." Link steeled himself and pushed on the heavy stone door, the blockade moving with surprising ease, grinding audibly against the ground. A pure amber light spilled through the door as it opened, showcasing the room which was on the other side. It looked very much like a throne room, a long room with pillars stretching to the ceiling and a lush, plush red carpet running the whole length of the room from the door Link and Lyndrys now stand at, all the way to the elaborate stone chair which dominated the back end of the room. The pair stepped in, more and more torches flickering to life, bringing a brighter and brighter glow to the seemingly endless room.

"Aaaaahhh..." An airy, deep voice groaned as the torches finally finished lighting. Seated in the elaborate stone chair was a massive, heavy-set figure of a pig-like creature. He was tall and rotund, his clothing looking very much to Lyndrys as something out of a D&D villain. He was dressed in all black, his ample stomach hidden behind an obsidian tunic and his legs attired in a long black dress. A black cloak with a red liner was pinned to the shoulders of his tunic, and resting at his side was a long trident, at least thrice the length of either Lyndrys or Link. The pig-faced creature stood and collected himself. "I was beginning to wonder when my return would be noticed." He spoke well for a bipedal pig, his tone deep and imposing as his three fingered hand wrapped about the trident at his side.

"Who are you?" Link asked strongly, bringing his shield up and his sword beside it. Lyndrys found her question considerably less heroic.

"D-d'fuck are you!?" She stammered, taken back by his pig-like appearance. The creature laughed, throwing his head back and letting out a deep, booming guffaw.

"It would appear... as though Hyrule has long forgotten me..." He shook his head dismally. "Well, we'll remedy that problem shortly, shan't we?" He threw his hands to the side, flinging his cloak fully over his back. "I am the Dark King, Ganon! The Terror of the Sands, the Beast Beneath the Mountain! Look upon me, foolish mortals, and despair!" He paused, almost as if waiting for something. "...is what I want to say." He gave a deep sigh. "I'm afraid, my powers have waned as I slumbered, and I can no longer stand against heroes such as you." A smile came to his face. "...is what you want me to say. Unfortunately for you, I have found a way to regain my lost powers!" The head of his trident glowed a fierce red as he spun it around, slamming it into the ground. The stone beneath their feet trembled as a powerful magic coursed through the room. "In my years of isolation, I have discovered a way to restore my lost power! I simply need-" In a brilliant flash of light, a glowing crystal appeared in the center of the room, an all-too familiar figure trapped within. "-an eager volunteer." Link recognized the figure.

"Princess!" Alas, it was Princess Zelda herself who was trapped within the crystal.

"Heroes, eh? You think you're so special, what with your gifts and your skill. But you're overlooking one very important detail! You're gifts... can just as easily be stripped!" He thrust his hand through the crystal and grappled Zelda, the girl barely gasping in surprise. Drawing his trident close to her, he sneered. "Now then, Princess... why don't you hand over that beautiful piece of the Triforce..." She shriked in pain as a searing red-hot flame engulphed her whole body.

"Zelda!" Link broke into a sprint to save her, but ran face-first into an invisible wall. "G-gah!" He stumbled backwards and fell to his rear, sword spilling out of his hand.

"Foolish boy! I may be weak, but I can still use magic! Just sit tight, and I'll get to you when I'm done!" The glow around Zelda's body brightened as her screaming intensified. Suddenly, the glow ceased along with the screaming. "...what's this?" Ganon looked surprised, studying his captive. "You..." His eyes flared in anger. "How could I be so foolish!? You're not Zelda!" A smile came to her lips as she hung there in pain.

"How... nice of you to notice... Demon King." She choked out. "You'll... not get any piece of the Triforce... not so long as Link... and Lyndrys live..." Lyndrys couldn't understand it... the woman in his hand looked exactly like Zelda when they left... though he said she was not?

"You're not Zelda... you're not a princess... you're just an... orphan girl! Useless to me!" In a fury, his fist closed around her body, the sound of crushing bones met with the chorus of her pained scream, a spray of crimson fluttered out of her agape mouth, splattering her pink dress and the alabaster stonework. Her shriek lasted for only a short few seconds before being cut mercifully short as her body went limp in his hand. "Gah!" He growled, throwing her body to the ground in fury.

"Zelda!" Link shouted once more, running to her. Lyndrys could tell, even from here, that she was dead. Her mangled body, the crimson blood that drenched her from the neck down... there could be no doubt.

"The damned Triforce beat me again! Gave his Mind to a puppet! It knew... it knew I couldn't take it from a damn imposter! Damn it, damn it, damn it!" He seemed to be swearing at himself, his fist slamming angrily into the stone columns. He paused for a moment, his eyes falling on Lyndrys. "Or... maybe this could work out for me..." A dark chuckle came from his lips. "Yes... yes, I can see it in your eyes..."

"Ly-" Link tried to speak, but a motion from Ganon found him shoved into the side wall from some unseen force, a ring of blue flame circling him.

"Wait your turn, boy. The lady and I are speaking." Lyndrys couldn't hide her shaking form as the towering figure of Ganon advanced on her. He set his trident down and came over to her, a different look upon his visage. "Lyndrys... is your name?" She said nothing, simply tightening her stance and taking an uncertain step backwards. "Come now, my dear. There's no need for that. You and I... we can be friends... if you want." Ganon took a knee before her, the cloak falling over his shoulders and draping over him, to make him appear as a pig-faced black mass. "I can see the threads of everyone's fate... except yours... yours eludes me..." He smiled something Lyndrys though was supposed to be friendly. "You're not from Hyrule... are you?" A massive hand moved her short brown locks to the side, his talon cold against her cheek. He smiled as he could see her ears. "Of course you're not... you're human, aren't you? Human and Hylian... so similar... yet two very different species." He moved his hand back. "You don't belong here, sweet Lyndrys. Your home is across the Veil, isn't it? So far away, yet so close. Unreachable." She siezed up, unable to get her heart out of her throat. He was huge, and the way he just... killed Princess Zelda like that? That could have been hear... crushed like a soda can. Her trembling was minute, but noticable for the massive figure of Ganon. "I can send you home." Those five words quieted the trembling in Lyndrys' heart, and caused her to loosen her stance. "I have the power to pierce the Veil, and send you right back to mommy and daddy." He grinned a toothy grin.

"Ah... but your parents... an interesting subject." He stood and opened his cloak, the red lining seeming to morph into a swirling mass of light and shadow, coalescing into a portal of some kind, images of her meager tent in the back yard of an abandoned house. "It's been two weeks, hasn't it? Mother and Father are very worried about their little girl." The image changed to her parents – a short brown-haired man and a taller blonde woman holding one another and talking to a man in front of a camera. "I can send you home, Lyndrys... but more then that, I can give you the life you've always longed for. Loving parents... a place where you're accepted..." He motioned to the portal as the image changed. It was the inside of her parent's house, the bone-white carpet and interior something she was used to. What she wasn't used to, was all the pictures hanging on the walls. She remembered that her father always hung pictures of his 'glory days' of football when he was growing up, and as she watched, the football pictures and the memorabilia that she remembered turned to pictures of them... all three of them. Mother, father, and daughter. Lyndrys was smiling in one picture – her grin marred by a single missing tooth as she held a dollar bill in her hand. Another was of her and her father on a boat as he helped her reel in a big fish. And the third?

The third and final picture Ganon showed her was of her parents holding her when she was a newborn, the small sign under the picture reading 'Our Darling Daughter'. She watched these pictures, as Ganon weaved a new reality for her... created years of love and affection she's been denied. "I can give you all of this, Lyndrys. I can send you home into the arms of your now-loving parents. I can give you the life you've always wanted... always been denied." Hot, salty tears pooled in her eyes and rolled over her cheeks as she watched an image of herself – still dressed in the black tunic – run into the waiting arms of her mother and father as they cried, rejoicing at her return.

Her heart burned... ached for this to become true reality. Every fiber of her body struggled to contain the agreement... to give the pig-man whatever the hell he wanted for this. "Lyndrys!" Link's voice pierced her revery. "He's lying to you! He'll take the Triforce and just kill you!"

"I said the lady and I were talking!" Ganon barked, waving his hand to stifle Link's words, the young boy starting to choke on some invisible ligature. "Don't listen to the boy, my dear. He doesn't understand what he's saying. Under normal circumstances, he would be right. But... killing you my dear is... too much work. If I could simply send you home... all the better for us both, yes? You keep your life and return home... I get what I want. Really, no one looses." Lyndrys' gaze returns to the portal, watching scenes of her and her parents enjoying each other's company, going out to eat and even visiting a theme park. There was no way that Ganon could know all this... he had the ability to change reality...

"I..." Lyndrys choked out. "I want that..."

"I know you do, my dear... I know you want nothing more then to return. And I promise you... all you have to do is hand over your piece of the Triforce. That's it. They'll be no pain... no strife. Just a quick motion... and home you go." He held out his other hand. "Put your hand in mine, and give me the Triforce... and off you go." The sword and shield clattered out of her hands to the floor, her eyes locked with the portal, watching as her mother held her in her arms in a longing embrace, kissing her forehead over and over again. Her right hand reached out, the image of the Triforce glowing the closer it got to Ganon's hand.

"I just... give you this... and that's it?"

"That's it." Ganon echoed with a nod. Still... she hesitated. "Lyndrys my dear... it's not your fight. They... ripped you out of your life! They stole you from your reality to fight their fight! They're not your allies! They're not your friends! They're thieves! All of them! And you can help me rid the Multiverse of their taint. All I need is your cooperation. You and I... we'll be the best of friends." She got closer with his words, her hand hovering inches from his... she could have it... she could go home and be loved for once. She can go home, and never have to think about this again. She looked over to Link who was staring at her with pleading eyes.

"You're right." She finally spoke. "It's not my fight." She nodded, smiling. "They took me from my home... made me fight their battle... because they're too weak to fight themselves. I... I want to go home." Her muscles twitched to set her hand in his... but then her eyes fell on her once more... her mangled body, her face contorted in pain as she relived her last moments for all eternity. She can't explain it... nor did she think she wanted a reason... but after looking at Zelda's lifeless body, she ripped her hand away. "N-no..." She stumbled backwards, her hands on her head. "She... she trusted me... gave her life because... because she trusted me... because she knew I-"

"Lyndrys, dear... you're a victim here. Don't listen to the words of your captors. Don't pay them any mind." He chuckled. "Look... if I truly wanted you dead... you would be dead already. I just want what you want. Freedom." Her hand reached out slowly once more with his words, ready to give it all up. Then... seconds later... something in her head snapped.

"NO!" She found herself shouting, dropping down to pick up the sword, she gave a wild, uncontrolled swing of the razor-sharp blade, which sliced effortlessly through Ganon's outstretched hand.

"Graaaaaa-aaaaahhh!" The Wizard King bellowed in rage and pain, retracting his bleeding stub of an arm. "You fool!" He barked, the portal vanishing as he nursed his sliced hand. Link dropped to his feet, gasping for air as the ring of fire vanished. "I offered you the world! Everything you've ever wanted! And you spit in my face! It may have been easier to send you home, but now I think I'll just kill you and get it over with!" Lyndrys' face was streaming with tears as the realization of what she just threw away set in. Both her knuckles were white-hot on the handle of the sword. Link charged to her aid, blade drawn and shield at the read before another wild swing from Lyndrys collided with Ganon's trident, knocking it from his hand. "Rrrgggh! Bitch!" He shouted. Link launched his own attack, the tip of the blade barely grazing his rotund belly. "Grrah! Fine! I know when I'm outnumbered! If you wish to finish this, meet me to the West, in the Fields of Flame! There, we'll finish this!" With a flick of his good wrist, his trident returned, the pig pulling his cloak over his body and vanishing in a puff of acrid black smoke.

With the object of her hate, aggression and rage gone, Lyndrys settled to wail pathetically, and throw her sword into a random corner of the room with an enraged shriek. Loosing all will to continue living, Lyndrys collapsed to the ground, her kness giving out as she covered her head with both hands and sobbed into her palms, unable to believe what she just discarded.

"Lyndrys!" Link ran to her, a hand on her back.

"Get off of me! Leave me alone!" She wailed, shoving him back and to his own ass. "Don't touch me!" She continued, her bloodshot eyes boring holes into him as she shouted, her hoarse voice echoing off the cobblestone walls. Undeterred, Link scrambled back to his feet and rushed to her, dropping to his knees and wrapping her up in a hug from the back. She answered by shrieking and flailing again, but eventually even that stopped. Unable to shake the boy from her back, she settled on just crying and wailing about her own ignorance and stupidity.

Minutes stretched into almost an hour before her crying died down to a pathetic whimper. "...link...?" She finally spoke.

"Mm?"

"...tell me i did the right thing..." She mewled pathetically, her eyes still downcast.

"There was no right answer, Lyndrys. Honestly? If wouldn't have blamed you if you had taken it. You did right by Hyrule, Zelda and myself... but you didn't by yourself. Do you know what that's called?" She grunted. "That's called being a true hero. Sacrificing your own happiness for others. If you would have given him the Triforce... well... I think we'd start seeing 'Walmarts' springing up here." Lyndrys gave a self-depreciating, dark chuckle. She wiped her eyes.

"Yeah..." Her voice was hoarse and tired as she stood, Link finally letting her go. "...thanks... you know, for helping." Link nodded to her.

"Hey. We're partners. That's what partners do." He grimly turned to the corpse of the woman just a ways away. "Speaking of... help me with her?" Lyndrys nodded, sheathed her sword and collected her shield. She didn't relish the idea of having to carry Zelda's body all the way back to Hyrule Castle but... she couldn't just be left rotting on the floor of some God forsaken crypt. Lyndrys dipped down, something instantly catching her eye. Her left hand was clenched tight, almost as if holding something. Fighting with rigor mortis, she finally managed to pry the woman's cold fingers open to find a crumpled piece of parchment there.

"Hey, Link... she had a note of some kind..." She instantly opened it, looking it over. "...check this out..." She cleared her throat. "'Link, Lyndrys. If you're reading this, then I am dead. I knew from the moment you left that Ganon would come for me... and I knew that if he did, I would perish. There is a secret you must know about the Royal Family. My birth name is not Zelda, but Annabelle. I was born in the Town of Saria. My mother parished shortly after my birth, leaving me orphaned. I was taken in by the King of Hyrule as a...'" Lyndrys paused. "'...as a fill in for the true Princess Zelda, who has been placed into a magical slumber...'" Lyndrys blinked at this. "'...When you return to the castle, tell the King of my fate, and that my dying wish is that he tell you the full truth behind the Princess' fate. Take the amulet from my body and pray to Farore to carry you to Hyrule Castle on winds only a goddess can muster. Link... Lyndrys... I know that Hyrule will be saved under your stewardship. Please... rescue the true Princess Zelda, and restore peace to Hyrule. Do not weep for my death, as I, like you, have a part to play. My part has come to an end. 'Princess Zelda'.'" She read it over once more to herself.

"Not really Princess Zelda...? I... had heard rumors of Zelda being ensorcelled by some black magic but... with Zelda – I mean Annabelle – being so active in the community, I always thought them rumor..."

"Guess they're not. I hate looting the dead, but grab the amulet and her body. We'll see if we can't at least get her a proper burial when we get back." Link nodded to her and rolled her body over, gently taking the beautiful blood-stained emerald pendant from her neck before handing it to Lyndrys. "...oh sure, hand me the bloody necklace..." She grumbled, folding the note into a small square and running her hand down her leg, sighing at the useless motion. "...dammit, I keep forgettting no pockets!" Opening the small leather satchel at her side, she found a place for the note. She held the bloody amulet by the chain as Link picked up Annabelle's body. "So, who's Farore?"

"The Goddesses of Favorable Winds." He answered with a groan. "Worshiped by ship captains and generals... anywhere where one might need navigation or guidance. Make a prayer and see us home."

"I'm not religious, man, I can't make prayers."

"Just... just do something. I'm sure it'll be fine." Lyndrys had played more then one game when she was younger, most of which revolving around magic and the like, so while it felt odd for her to be using something that looked like magic... she wasn't foreign to it. Holding the amulet up she cleared her throat.

"Uh... Goddess of Winds, I... uh... ask...? No, beseech? Yeah, that's good. Goddess of Winds, I beseech you to... uhm... take... us home?" She shook her head. "I sound stupid."

"You have to have more confidence, or she won't listen." Lyndrys rolled her eyes, feeling very nerdy, and extremely foolish talking to someone who she couldn't see... if they were even there at all.

"Fine fine fine." She responded, tightening her stance and clearing her throat, the amulet raised just a bit higher. "Goddess of Winds, I humbly beseech you to whisk us to Hyrule Castle. The fate of the realm demands haste, and we ask you in this most dire hour to bring us back to the light!" A chill wind blew through the dungeon as Lyndrys finished her words, most of the torches being snuffed out by the gout of wind.

"That was good." Link mused, nodding as the wind circled them both, stone dust and sand around their feet swirling around them like little sand devils. "She's heard you! Good on you using the fancy words!" The wind stung Lyndrys' face and dried her eyes, causing her to shut them quickly as the wind became a gale. Lyndrys gasped as all the air was knocked out of her lungs, causing her to choke on a vaccum.

Seconds later found the pair standing back in the Grand Dining Hall in Hyrule Castle, Lyndrys choking and coughing as she regained lost air. "Dungeons and Dragons was wrong! Teleporting sucks!" Lyndrys heaved out as the emerald amulet in her hands crumbled to dust, it's power expended. It was about this time when the dining room doors opened, Impa appearing through them.

"Master Link, Mistress Lyndrys... you've returned? And with such haste... what-" She gasped as her eyes fell on Annabelle's lifeless body. "Princess!?" Link laid her out on the table, her midsection completely crushed from Ganon's mighty fist. "Princess what-" She turned to Lyndrys and Link. "What happened?"

"We'll explain in a moment. Where's the king?"