Here is the next part of The Price was Paid. Hope you enjoy it.

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The boy who would be hero

Link, Hero of time and Ex-kokiri, knelt looking at the alter in the Temple of Time. He knew his presence puzzled the priests who lurked in the hidden doorways along the hall, but he would not move. He had been there for well over three hours; ever since Zelda had sent him back.

A tear almost trailed out of his eye, but he managed to smother it before it escaped. An overwhelming spark of loneliness grappled with his mind, before he laid that to rest as well.

The world of hyrule was exactly as it had been seven years before the fall of Gannondorf. But link…he was exactly the same. A child trapped forever in a seventeen year old body. A mute hero for the use of a nation, cursed with eternal youth.

He and Zelda hadn't known what they were getting into that much was certain. And as much as he wanted to blame the princess, he knew he was to blame was well. Of course his bitterness was not devoted entirely to the task she had forced on him. It was her he was sour at the most. She would abide no marks of the quest they had both endured. Bearing no marks of the quest they had endured, she would live and die as any other person.

Heaving a sigh heavier than the temple it's self he stood, flexing his tired muscles. His green hat slipped from his head revealing his mess hair. With quick reflexes he managed to grab the hat just before it hit the ground. Behind the secret stone doors, he could hear the priests gasp. He wished he could chuckle quietly, just for effect. Instead he winked at the part of the wall he knew to be a door, as if to say, 'Get used to it, I'll be a round a long time.' and then was on his way.

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In hyrule castle a ten year old princess Zelda sat in her garden courtyard watching ambassadors from around the world fawn over her father. The monotony of it had lulled her head onto her and almost put her into a sleep of precarious balance. Just as her final winks were about to come on, a man dress in blue robes dashed into the hall.

"Sire! It must speak with you!" the activity in the court halted immediately.

"Who are you to speak like this?" the king demanded in a bellowing tone.

"I am Grolim, son of Grolan, Priest of the Temple of Time." The court chattered like squirrels having just found a stash of nuts.

"But my good sir" he began in taunting "I was taught to believe that the priests never leave the temple, what kind of wool are you tying to pull over my eyes? I warn you Grolim, son of Grolan I have sharp wits, I will not be lied to easily?"

The Priest bowed. "You are indeed correct, my liege. We priests are reluctant to leave the peace and seclusion of our Temple sanctuary, but we decided this news was too important to not tell you as soon as we could." His blue robes seemed to puff with self importance unbecoming to his chosen calling.

"Very well then tell us of this news, priest."

Grolim nodded and stepped to him full height.

"Today a boy appeared in the Temple of Time."

"And?" the king interrupted. "I am sure several boys visit the temple everyday."

"Sire, I was not finished. He didn't enter, he appeared. In a flash of blue light, brighter then anything I have ever witnessed before." The court's sense of interest seemed to be peaked. The king still sat uninterested in his high backed chair. He did however shift into a more comfortable position, which set his body jiggling like a plastic bag full of Jell-O.

"And I suppose this is odd for the temple? Just last week a man in the square denounced the house of Hyrule, My family, and declared that he had found the truth of all things. Surly illusions of that nature are common place."

" Sire, If I may. It was no illusion. The boy appeared out of thin air, we sensed no use of magic, not even a druid chant ritual. And then sire he knelt at the alter for several hours, my lord. Never moving from his place. And when he did stand, His hat slipped. Sire he caught it before it even hit the ground. His reflexes are fast sire; I would not want to be against him in a war."

And the king was loosing patience fast; a boy with fast reflexes hardly warranted the attentions of the king and all the Priests of The Goddesses

"Is that all?"

The priest smiled weakly, "No sire."

"On his hand glowed the bright golden triangle of the Triforce." The room exploded in gasps and shocking declarations of distress. The king sat silently in his chair, stroking his rapidly graying beard. His eyes seemed to be doing a number of equations in his head. Anger lit a fire in his mind, and he couldn't help himself from wanted the Priest to be gone.

"And what did this boy look like?"

"He was small sire, skinny, but he couldn't have been younger than sixteen. He had hair the color of the sun and wore a green tunic in the style of the forest children. His white leggings were patched and worn, as if he had seen many battles, and he had a curious hat. Also sire, on his back was a sword, with a deep purple handle. It is our belief that this sword is the Master Sword of legend."

The court turned their upset faces towards the King. And he summed up their thoughts in a sentence.

"Take him to the dungeon, have him headed for blasphemy."

The poor Priest yelled to anyone who would hear, that he was telling the truth, but none would listen. Shocked Courtiers held smelling salts to each others noses as Priest Grolim's screams became silent. Standing from his great golden thrown the king declared.

"There is no one with the Goddesses' mark; the people of the kingdom know that to wear the mark is sacrilege. The Master Sword is safely in the Temple of time, do not Despair."

The frightened Courtiers were herded out of the room, women continued to swoon and the men watched their Wives and Daughter's displays in indignity.

With Prying ears gone, The king of Hyrule motioned for his Captain of the guard to come forward.

"Find the Boy who bares the mark and destroy him. This calamity can yet be averted."

"Calamity sire?" the captain queered.

"Naturally I say calamity, Captain. The Champion of the Goddesses appears only when the land is in danger, as we can clearly see there is no threat to our country. It is obvious someone wants to cause ruin to the land of hyrule. If the people think a hero has appeared, there will be mass hysteria. We cannot let that happen, especially since there is no threat. Do you understand me now?"

"Yes, sire. But must we destroy him?"

"I understand that sometimes my religious convictions are thought of as extreme or even ludicrous I have been told on many occasions that I am obsessive in that area. However, his boy has not only attempted to bring hyrule to it's knees by pretending to be the hero of the Goddesses, but he dares to wear their mark for his dirty cause. This goes deeper then irreverence captain, this is out right dissolute sacrilege. He has dared to sully their grace by disgracing the Triforce. If you remember I forbid the people of hyrule to use the symbol of the Triforce in anything but religious activities."

The captain nodded his head down in respect.

"You are right sire, I was wrong o question you."

"There's a good lad. Now, collect a contingent f the guard and hunt down this wicked blasphemer. I want his head to roll for the executioners block before night fall. Understood?"

"Yes Sir!" The captains smart salute pleased the king. He waved the man off imperiously.

Out in the courtyard, Zelda gasped. A boy with the mark of the Goddesses. Thoughtfully, she removed her own white silken glove and bore the golden Triforce to the noonday sun. A mark just like mine.

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Link jumped from the roof top he had been hiding on and hide behind a chimney.

'Who would have thought? The hero of time crouching and hiding in the roof tops of Hyrule Castle Town, I don't believe this! Running from handfuls of guards, trying not to be arrested, and what is the charge? Sacrilege! Of all the people here, Call me Sacrilegious is like saying the Gerudo are kind misunderstood little girls who just want to play nice with their dollies and that Ganondorf didn't want to take over hyrule, he was forced to by his evil twin who is also named Ganondorf. Makes no sense. Just because I have the mark of the Triforce, people start trying to do me in. This is ridiculous.' His mental rants continued at a constant rate. Sometimes dipping into the Explicatives Navi had been so fond of.

Still continuing his fume he glanced over his shoulder, confirming that the Master Sword was indeed still slung over his back.

'There is no way they will let me out of the city with this. In their shrunken minds, no seventeen year old kid could ever wield the Master Sword. I would be arrested before leaving the town square. The people may not know wat the Sword looks like exactly, but they know what is should look like basically.' A stagnant wish for the life he had known before the quest raced itself around his mind, but he knew it was not to be. He was doomed the moment he touched the Master Sword. Forever it would be his lone companion.

Below he could hear yells of the guards searching for the supposed blasphemer. Vaguely he wondered where the guards had learned to search. Their methods consisted of collecting lines of suspects and questioning them till their frightened suspects collapsed into tears.

He dared to peak over the bricking of the house he was currently hiding on, and saw a line up of perspective culprits. If link could speak, he would have stifled a giggle. His mood had greatly improved since the temple. A good chase always did. Despite all his grumblings he truly enjoyed the thrill of the chase, whether he was hunter or the hunted. As he watched the show his attention became wrapped up in their current suspect; a young man of about 18. His face was red, baring witness of the guards brutality. So caught up in the display link didn't hear the roofs door open.

"Hey you! Stay were you are!" the exclamation stunned link out of his fun. He turned to face the hylian solider.

Link stood, mute as ever.

The guard approached, sword drawn. Link glanced at it, and backed into the low banister wall he had just been watching over. Smiling at the guard he executed a spectacular back flip off the three story roof and into the main square, he landed softly and righted himself without a problem. After all he had jumped from higher places and lived.

The guard on the roof was yelling, but Link had already managed to attract the attention of the scared civilians that had been dragged out into the night streets. He twisted taking in possible escape routes as the guards advanced. Seeing none, he shrugged the Master Sword out of its scabbard and swung it for balance as he prepared himself for the impending fight. He could count the villagers out of this fight, but that still left eight guards. Not good. But still, he had faced worse. Link pulled his Hylian shield from its place and fell in into a stance that had scared better men than the guards that were now mere yards away from him.

The fight that ensued went down in Hyrule Castle Town history; One teenager against eight Hylian guardsmen. The Soldiers were slaughtered without even managing to nick the Teen

Link looked at the townspeople, huddled together in scared clumps and again, would have laughed. He then replaced his sword and shield and left the frightened City of Hyrule Castle Town.

Link would not enter the city for seven years. And even then it would not be by his choosing.

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Alright chapter two! What do you think? Give me your input! I would love to hear from you! Revised 3/22/05.

Review!