Chapter 2
The last Twilight Bulblins fell to his blade, joining the dozens of others in the hall.
Link held his sword to his side. "I think that's the last of them."
"Impressive swordplay," Zelda commented idly. She strode down the hall with a grace that could only come from a royal upbringing. She had a single arrow nocked in case anything tried to surprise them.
"Thanks," he said. He then called out for his fairy companion, "Navi."
"Yes?" She fluttered out from under his cap.
"Scout ahead. We should be close to the vault by now."
"Right!" With a nod, she dashed down the hall and disappeared around a corner.
"I must say," Zelda said, "your fairy companion seems used to this."
He shrugged. "Did you think I'd have a title like 'Child of Destiny' without fighting all the time?"
"No." She shook her head. "It is her ease around such violence that has me curious."
"Then ask her sometime." Link flexed his off-hand. I need to get a shield, he thought. Without the metal on his right, he felt off-balance.
Zelda told him, as if reading his mind, "The royal family has kept dozens of shields in our vault over the years. You are free to take as many as you wish once we arrive."
Link grit his teeth, annoyed. He turned and asked what was on his mind, "Are you reading my mind? Because you're—"
"Body language," she informed him curtly, bringing him up short. "I was blessed by the Goddesses too, Link." She held up her hand and the sign of the Triforce glowed. "They blessed me with great wisdom and intelligence. It isn't difficult to guess your thoughts at the moment."
"Well stop it. Please," he said. "Navi lives on my head already. I'd rather you not live in it."
"Very well," she acquiesced. "I will respect your wishes, although I can't guarantee I won't still notice."
Link grunted an acknowledgment before digging into his pouches. While Navi scouted, he figured, he should take inventory of everything he still had. Zelda walked over to a bench and sat primly, bow still in hand and ready to draw at a moment's notice.
He was pleasantly surprised to find that, aside from his favorite Hylian shield, he still had almost everything he remembered. All of his tunics and boots were there as well as his mirror shield – though he would rather not risk cracking it unless he absolutely had to. Biggoron's sword was gone, but he could make do with the Master Sword. All of his tools were still there too: bombs, boomerang, fairy ocarina…
Wait. He realized something else was gone. "Where is it?" He rummaged through his bag more. When he didn't find it, he felt the urge to panic. "No. NO! It has to be here somewhere!"
"Can I help?" Zelda called over.
Link whirled to her. "Where's Zelda's ocarina?" he demanded.
Her only reaction was a slight arch of her eyebrow. "I assume you are referring to a different Zelda. One from you own time, I presume, as I do not own an ocarina." She thought for a moment. "As I told you before, I didn't look through your pouches, as I hadn't felt they were enchanted in any way. But tell me, are your referring to the Ocarina of Time by chance?"
"What other one would I ask about?" He nearly growled. Her stoic attitude was starting to wear his patience now.
"I don't know your personal history, but I can tell you what became of the Ocarina of Time – at least in this present time." She stood from her seat. "It was stolen from the Royal Family centuries ago."
This news surprised him. "Wha—"
"No one knows where it is," she continued, unaffected by his confused stare. She looked down the hall and said, "We can discuss everything else after we have made our escape. Your fairy returns."
As she said it, Navi flew around the corner. Link didn't want to leave it at that, but he saw the wisdom in her words. He instead looked at his own Triforce symbol, feeling the dull ache rather than the warmth he'd gotten accustomed too recently. He asked her, "Does this Twilight you mentioned have any adverse effects on people?"
"Many," she answered. "Its exact minutia elude me, but I know some. For one, it alters people's bodily forms, such as it has done to another who visited my prison…" She trailed off. She then added after seeing his curious stare, "It turned someone into a wolf."
That could explain the sudden change in the Triforce, he thought. He felt she was keeping something important from him about his wolf-person, but he let it go for now. Now wasn't the time. They needed to get out of the castle as soon as possible. He then asked as the fairy reached them, "See anything, Navi?"
She darted to him as Zelda walked nearer. "The way to the vault is clear, but its guarded by these two huge knight thingies."
"Darknuts," Zelda informed them. "Zant must have placed them there after my imprisonment."
Link filed away that name, Zant, to ask about later. He then thought aloud, "I can handle a Darknut or two, though a good shield would make it easier." He flexed his hand. He eyed the shield displays on the wall.
Zelda spoke before he asked. "All the shields here are merely decorative. None would help against a Darknut."
Link nodded. "Then there's no point waiting. Let's go." Navi landed on his shoulder and dimmed her natural light-aura as they started.
Zelda fell into step behind him as he moved. Navi spoke true, he noted, as there were no other enemies nearby. The halls were mostly uniform with very little variety in décor.
"We're almost there," Zelda said after a few minutes. "Be ready."
You don't need to tell me twice. He reached back and drew the Master Sword from its sheath. "Stay at a distance," he warned. "If you see a chance, take it."
Zelda nodded, her body tensing in preparation for a battle.
Link glanced at her briefly. Unlike with the Bulblins earlier, he couldn't afford to protect her against two Darknuts. One misstep and he'd be crushed or bifurcated. All he could do was hope she took his warning seriously.
They at last reached their destination. They were at the mouth of a long hallway at least a few hundred feet long. At the end of the hall stood a large stone door that was easily twice the size of the Darknuts standing on either flank.
Link had faced Darknuts before, but these looked slightly different than the ones he'd faced in his own time. Their armor was darker than the ones he'd faced before; they wielded giant longswords as well as black shields; and they stood at least three meters tall.
For the first time he could remember, he felt a cold sweat crawl down his back. He quickly banished that thought and gripped his blade tight. He walked forward, and Zelda remained rooted at a distance.
"Navi," he whispered. "Watch my back and point out any vulnerabilities for…her to hit."
If Navi noticed his hesitation, she didn't mention it. She nodded once, flapped her wings, and radiated yellow so she could be seen easier, though it was a dull yellow due to the Twilight enveloping the castle. "Got it."
He stopped about ten yards from the Darknuts. He crossed the Master Sword around his body in a defensive crouch. He reached into his bag and pulled out a single bomb. He lit the fuse with a hint of Din's Fire and rolled it between the Darknuts. He counted the seconds until it began.
Three…. Two… One…
The bomb exploded, the shockwave batting his hair about.
It did little more than wake the Darknuts up.
Both giants groaned as they awoke. Each looked to their newest annoyance – him. A pair of steps that shook the hall was the first movement as both brandished their monstrous blades.
Link analyzed his foes quickly. Just as slow as I remember, but those swords are new. They have to be close to two meters long. It may take a bit, but I should be able to handle this if I'm careful. He suddenly missed his shield again.
The unthinking massive creatures both reached him at the same time. Both raised their giant swords and brought them down on top of him together. Link dashed behind them, their weapons gouging the stone floor where he'd just been standing.
As he passed them, he sliced through straps keeping their shin plates on. As both pieces hit the ground, three arrows pierced the exposed dark flesh. Link took barely a second to appreciate Zelda's astuteness and pressed the attack.
Twin roars of pain echoed from his foes, both falling to a knee from their wounds. Link picked the one to his left and moved before they could react.
He leapt across the distance and sliced through the Darknut's chest plate straps. Link ran up its back, grabbed its helm with his free hand, and drove his sword through its eye-opening. Its glowing red eyes dimmed to black. Black blood spurted from the helmet and he withdrew his sword.
Before Navi's warning shout, he felt the other closing in. Without looking back, he kicked off his now-dead enemy and flipped backward, passing over the other Darknut's blade as it sliced through its deceased partner and took its head clean off.
Link immediately leapt further back to put some distance between himself and a now-enraged Darknut. He swung his sword to the side, cleaning it of the dark blood and leaving a crescent-shaped trail on the floor.
The giant turned and loosed a deafening roar as it charged at him with reckless abandon. Link almost smirked. An enraged Darknut was a careless one. As it lumbered near, he rolled to the side and easily avoided it.
As he stopped, his eyes widened. In the middle of the fighting, he'd forgotten where he was facing. "Shit!" He stood and sprinted after the Darknut, as it was now going after Zelda at the other end of the hallway. But he was not as fast as an enraged Darknut.
Zelda, however, was composed as could be. She calmly drew another arrow from her quiver, nocked it, and aimed. She muttered a few words and a blue energy began to coalesce around the arrow tip. With an exhale, she loosed the projectile.
The arrow soared through the air until it met its target. It pieced the Darknut's exposed shin less than an inch from one of the other ones she'd put there before. A sheet of ice thicker than its own thighs then enveloped the monster's entire leg.
It roared once more as it fell to the ground, unable to move and its sword skittering across the stone floor. A crash louder than a tree felled in the forest echoed throughout the hall. The Darknut flailed uselessly on the ground as it glared balefully at Zelda, who was less than twenty feet away.
Link's boots skid on the carpet as he stopped next to the felled Darknut. He looked at Zelda, surprised at how easily she'd handled such a dangerous monster. She gave him a small, almost taunting smirk and pointed to the thrashing Darknut.
Link shook himself from his brief shock and moved to finish the monster. He carefully approached it, avoiding the flailing limbs. With a single stroke of his sword, he separated the beast's head. Its body stilled and dark blood oozed from where its head had just been, staining the red carpet.
Zelda held the bow at her side and walked around the giant corpse. "Let's go."
Navi twittered over to his shoulder. "Did I…see that right?" she asked. "Did you just use an Ice Arrow?"
"I did," Zelda confirmed. "I am well-versed in most forms of Hylian magic. Especially when it concerns archery."
"Oh?" Link joined her walking toward the vault door.
She smirked at him. "Yes. Now let's be on our way. The sooner we are out of here, the better."
They passed both Darknuts and walked to the door into the vault. Now that he was up close, Link could make out the fine artistry carved into the stone door. It depicted the story of Hyrule's creation, with the Goddess Hylia standing below the golden forms of Din, Farore, and Nayru. Above Hylia was the glowing form of the Triforce.
Zelda laid a hand on the door. She whispered, "Open."
Hylia's form glowed a pale gold. The light quickly dimmed until only Hylia's eyes still glowed. The doorway then groaned, split down the middle, and opened inward. The stone grinding on the floor echoed throughout the hall until the doors stopped.
"Come," Zelda said. She then strode through the doorway and into the vault. Link followed her in.
The room was the size of a small house. The ceiling was ten meters above them. A single grand chandelier hung in the center with everburning candles, though Twilight had dimmed them considerably. All throughout the room were racks of priceless gems and jewelry that could buy someone a seat on the King's Council, but Link didn't care for those. Navi stayed at the door to watch if anything tried to take them unawares.
He immediately walked to the few racks that displayed armors, shields, bows, and blades. There were a couple spears and halberds as well, but he preferred a longer sword to a spear. He grabbed a large, well-made bastard sword from the top of one rack and felt its weight.
He gripped it tight in both hands and swung it a few times to test. "Perfect," he mused. It felt familiar in his hands, as if he'd wielded this very sword in the past. He asked Zelda, "Do you know anything about this sword?" He held it out to her.
She was standing by one of the archery racks. She nodded. "A Goron made that for one of my ancestors. I believe it was a gift. I'm told it's made by the greatest Goron blacksmith to ever live. A Goron who used Death Mountain itself as his forge. I'm not sure if the name I was told was a joke or mistranslation."
"Biggoron," he said with a slight smile.
"Correct." She seemed surprised for the faintest moment. She then asked, "Did you know him?"
"Yeah." He found the Goron's Sword sheath and sheathed it. "He made me one like this in exchange for some really good eyedrops once. Only sword better is this one," he patted the Master Sword over his shoulder. "I'm taking it." He pushed the giant sword into his magic pouch, where its entire ten-foot length disappeared.
"Feel free," Zelda told him absently. "Help yourself to anything you see. I'd rather Hyrule's legends be in your hands than Zant's." She grabbed a bow off the rack and then walked over to one of the jewelry racks. She looked over it carefully. She soon found a jade neckless and put it in her pouch carefully. "Except you," she whispered fondly, too low for anyone with normal hearing to overhear, but Link didn't have normal hearing. He almost felt like he was intruding on her private thoughts, so he didn't ask about it.
Link pushed down his curiosity and walked through the armor racks. He never wore mail, so he didn't bother looking at the displayed armor sets. He did notice a set of Sheikah chainmail that looked about the size Sheik had worn in his time, but he didn't spend much time admiring it.
A single shield caught his eye. It looked exactly like his favorite Hylian shield. It was polished bright, and it seemed to glow despite the Twilight engulfing everything. As he got closer, Link almost felt a connection with the shield itself. Almost as if he'd found a part of himself he didn't know he'd been missing. He thought he felt a small pulse from the Triforce in his hand.
"Zelda," he called her over. "What about this shield?"
She walked over and handed him his Fairy Bow back. She had a new bow strewn over her shoulder. He took his bow and stuffed it into his magical pouch.
She looked at the shield in question curiously. "Interesting you'd ask about this one."
"How so?"
"It belonged to one of if not the greatest Royal Guardsmen ever." She eyed him from the corner of her eye. "He was considered the greatest swordsman of his age. He never lost a duel – not even when he was almost dead from age. No one knew from where he came from. He just appeared one day at a tournament, challenged the then-Captain of the Guard, and beat him like it was nothing.
"From that day onward, he stayed by the princess's side through her time as Queen. His name has been lost to time, though there were…rumors at the time about his relationship with his queen. Even when she was with her consort, he guarded her. Wherever she went, he was at her side. He died before her, but she followed him only days later."
There was a momentary silence. Link could understand this man's devotion. He loved the Zelda of his time, and he knew the two of them could never truly be together. She had to think of her people before her own happiness. But he would've done anything to be by her side. Her dream for Hyrule was one worth fighting for. A place where people like Ganon could never rise to power. A place where a family didn't lose anyone to sickness or war.
Zelda continued, "My mother told me this story when I was young. As a warning." She had an edge to her voice now, and Link looked at her then. "As a ruler, I cannot allow something similar to happen. The rumors eventually boiled into a challenge of her heir's legitimacy." She looked him square in the eyes. "It almost led to full on civil war."
Link didn't know what to say, so he stayed quiet. They stayed that way for a few minutes more, neither saying anything. Zelda was calming herself down, and Link was wondering on whether his feelings for his Zelda would've led to something like that. He reached out and brushed the shield, and began seeing it happen as if he lived it. Flashes went through his mind.
He saw his Zelda, tall and regal, Knighting him after his tournament victory. He saw her accept the crown once her father had passed on, him standing at the head of the Royal Guard. He saw Zelda, slightly older but still beautiful, sitting on her throne with him standing imperiously on her right. He saw the worry on her face as her last potential suitor left the throne room, her hand resting on her stomach. He saw the palace staff whispering when they thought he couldn't hear. He saw himself training the prince, hair long, shaggy and blond; Zelda watched them both with a beautiful smile and her dark-haired daughter in her arms. He saw Zelda's consort threaten her, so he intervened and broke his arm. He saw the prince and princess, both fully-grown, talking in hushed whispers while their mother dealt with Nobles calling for his head. He heard her say his name lovingly. "Link."
"Link. Link!"
He blinked, coming out of his trance. "Huh?"
"You've been staring at that shield for far too long," Zelda informed him. She eyed him curiously. "What happened?"
He shook his head. "I…don't know," he answered honestly. It was like I was there, he thought. Some of it…felt real.
Zelda looked like she was looking at a puzzle. "We need to move," she reminded him. "There's no telling when Zant will learn of my escape, and I'd rather not be here when he comes back. Grab your shield and let's be on our way."
"Right." He grabbed the shield off its stand and strapped it to his arm. Its familiar weight was like a long-lost friend finally coming home.
"I have enough Rupees for us to live comfortably for almost a decade. Don't bother with anything unnecessary," Zelda informed him.
He nodded. He looked over the vault one more time to see if anything caught his eye. He didn't notice anything else, so he turned and walked to where Zelda was standing in the doorway.
The two of them plus Navi then left the treasury. The stone door slammed shut behind them, closing its secrets from the world once more.
They didn't say a word to each other as they walked through the eerie castle halls. Navi scouted ahead the entire time but didn't alert them of any other guards in their path. That worried Link, and he could see Zelda felt the same in the tension in her shoulders.
We're likely walking into a trap, he thought. He felt a small pulse in the Triforce in his hand. He spared it a glance and noticed Zelda looked at her hand too. Something's definitely up ahead. Something powerful. He didn't know what it would be, and he itched to draw the Master Sword. Whatever it wound up being, he was sure he could face it now.
He'd faced down Ganon. Nothing else could defeat him.
Zelda held out her hand, stopping him. "I don't like this," she said. "I'm getting a bad feeling from the entrance hall. Can you call your fairy back without alerting anyone?"
"Sure," he replied. He then whistled the first few notes of Saria's Song. Any fairy within two-hundred yards would recognize it and come to its source. He didn't know why those notes were magical, but they had been long before he'd even left the Lost Woods. He guessed it was because Saria had always been the Forest Sage, even before she knew it.
Navi fluttered back a few second later. She glowed a concerned violet. "There's…a lot of them ahead," she reported. "I think every Bulbin in the castle is waiting for us."
"Bulblin," Zelda corrected without thinking. Navi shot her an annoyed look but was ignored. Zelda sighed. "I suppose we'll need to find another way. The servants have a series of tunnels that have an exit outside the castle walls. Come." She turned around and made to start walking.
Link grabbed her wrist and held her there. "Wait." The princess looked at him, slightly annoyed. "Let me look ahead for myself. I may see something Navi didn't notice."
Zelda stared at him for a long moment. At last, she nodded. "Be quick. I'd sooner be gone and long away from here."
"Navi, come with me," Link said as he walked away.
"I'm here." She fluttered around him a solid green now. She fluttered in front of his face and constantly stayed about a foot in front of his nose. "What's got you?" she asked.
They rounded the corner that connected with the hallway to the entrance hall. "Something feels off to me," he told her. "I feel like something big is about to happen." A small pulse came from the Master Sword this time.
Navi noticed it too. She looked quickly at the blade strapped on his back. She then turned and looked ahead nervously. She gulped. "How big?"
"Big," was all the answer he could give. He felt like he did the night Impa had spirited his Zelda away from Hyrule castle. The very air around him felt like it was surging with power.
Link stopped at the entryway and ducked behind a pillar. He peeked out carefully.
He was on the second level of the entrance hall. In the middle of the room was a grand marble staircase that led to the second floor. The second floor wrapped around the room so anyone could look down at whoever walked through the main entrance. Purple tapestries and carpets with the royal crest emblazoned in gold decorated the entire room.
As he looked around, he counted thirty Twilit Bulblins in total. Only ten were on the second level, so they were spread out pretty far from one another. He could easily sneak by them if need be. But the twenty on the ground floor left him surprised. All twenty were arranged in two neat, evenly-spaced rows of ten. Are they…kneeling?
An unsettling feeling sunk into his gut. He reached into his pouch and pulled out the Lens of Truth. Luckily, it was still in one piece. He looked through it and scanned the first floor again. He noticed something off about the Bulblins themselves, but his heart stopped when he looked in the center of their kneeling rows.
The Master Sword pulsed weakly again.
"Navi," he said evenly. "Go get Zelda. We don't have time to use the servants' tunnels." He put away the Lens of Truth and pulled out his Fairy Bow. "Go!" he said a little more forcefully than he meant to.
Navi gave him a concerned look. Then, seeing how serious he was, she dashed back to get Zelda.
He looked over the room again. The odds were not good that they'd get out, but they had to move now. If not, he didn't know if they'd get another chance.
Ganondorf was almost here.
He didn't know how. He thought he'd been sealed away for good. Apparently not. He'd found a way out somehow. That was a tear into the celestial realm Link had seen. And only someone with a Triforce fragment had enough power to do that. Only Ganondorf was mad enough to do something like that.
He then noticed the twenty kneeling Bulbins were directly beneath a very large chandelier. It was solid stone and held up only by a large stone pillar. Only a series of strong enough explosions would be enough to knock it down.
Thinking quickly, Link pulled three Bombchus from his pouch. With a small cast of Din's Fire, he sent all up the wall one right after the other. He could only hope his aim was good enough. Bombchus were not easy to aim when angles had to be accounted for.
A few of the Bulblins on the second level noticed the Bombchus' humming and pointed at them as they climbed the wall and reached the vaulted ceiling. Link took them out with a few arrows, but he was spotted. With a curse, he ducked behind the pillar as four arrows thumped against the pillar.
He muttered the incantation for Nayru's Love. A blue aura surrounded his body, but it felt more draining than usual to activate. Link pushed aside his brief attack of fatigue and peeked a glance at his Bombchus.
They were almost perfectly on target. Almost wouldn't cut it this time though. At the angle they were on, they would all miss the chandelier's column by less than a foot. Link cursed. He wouldn't have another chance. He needed to do this now.
He drew his bow again. He stilled his breath and aimed carefully. Trusting his spell to protect him against any arrows for now, he cast the spell to create a fire arrow. It too felt more draining than usual, but he didn't have time to think about it.
He felt a few arrows bounce off his magical shield, followed by a series of squawks from the Bulbins around him.
The first Bombchu passed the column.
Link aimed for it.
His heart thumped in his ears.
He fired.
And hit.
The Bombchu exploded, igniting the two directly behind it. The resulting explosion seemed to rock the entire castle. The twenty kneeling Bulblins didn't react at all, and that unnerved Link. Large hunks of stone broke from the ceiling and plummeted to the ground, crushing a few of the kneeling Bulblins where they sat.
Link didn't watch any further. He had to clear their way. He immediately put three arrows in just as many Bulblins on the second level, since they were all converging on his position. He then ducked back behind his pillar, pulled out a bomb, lit the fuse, and lobbed it at the closest group of three Bulblins. The explosion sent all three flying over the railing and to the ground below.
It was then that Zelda sprinted into the room. He rolled in front of her and drew his shield up protectively. In the same movement, he pulled the pulsing Master Sword from its confining sheath.
Zelda was panting. It seemed she wasn't used to moving so fast before. That would be a problem when they ran for it. He may have to carry her in order to get far enough away.
She analyzed the room. "I see you've decided to redecorate without asking me." She then saw the stone chandelier, now barely holding on to the ceiling. She said absently, "I never liked that thing." She sent an ice arrow at the small portion of stone still holding it up. She muttered a few words and the ice shattered, destroying the stone as well.
CRASH!
Tremendous shards of stone seared the air as the chandelier shattered like glass. Link grabbed Zelda and yanked her behind the stone pillar. Spear-like pieces of stone blew by the column right where she'd been standing. A few also hit and lodged into the column. There were a few dying cries from the remaining Bulblins and then everything was silent.
Link and Zelda both peered around the column and saw the destruction. The entrance hall was littered with stone debris. Bulblin corpses were strewn about the room, their limbs hanging limp like rag dolls. Navi fluttered around the room to check if any were still alive, but she found none.
Zelda walked out from their cover. "Well," she said. "I suppose we can go out the front now."
Just then, there was a terrifying ripping sound. It was so loud that it seemed to echo throughout space itself. Link and Zelda looked to where the chandelier had fallen. That was where the sound originated.
Link's hand and blade pulsed stronger this time. His grip tightened on the Master Sword. "Zelda." His voice was steady. She was looking at her hand. "Run."
They did.
Link sprinted forward and leapt over the railing, plummeting towards the ground. He twisted in the air and trusted Nayru's Love to protect him from the fall. When he hit the ground, he rolled forward to help his knees. He stood back up, ignoring the stone debris all around him.
"Jump!" he yelled up. "I'll catch you."
She only hesitated a moment. Then she leapt over the railing as well. She held her skirts down to protect her modestly while falling. Link caught her and set her down.
A blinding light suddenly filled the room. It was so bright it seemed to force even the mythical Twilight back. Link's hand was pulsing constantly now. Zelda's hands shook. The Master Sword seemed to almost be singing.
Link grabbed Zelda's hand and ran. She didn't resist. He used his agility to avoid the debris easily, but Zelda was not as agile as him. She stumbled a few times, almost falling and slowing their escape. He just turned around and hefted her over his shoulder, ignoring her indignant squawk.
Navi was flying as fast as she could in front of them. He nimbly ignored and avoided the large hunks of grey stone strewn across their path. He'd made it nearly to the exit when he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up on end.
He reacted on instinct. Before he even saw the stone move, he threw Zelda through the doorway with all his strength and slid to a stop. Navi was already through the door, so she couldn't make it back to him in time.
A ton of stone sealed the doorway, sealing Link inside.
The laugh then came. The laugh he heard in his nightmares. It seemed to envelope everything. Nothing else existed but the laugh.
Link turned around. The Triforce in his hand almost burned, it was so intense. He drew the Master Sword, its length glowing dully.
He was facing Ganondorf once again.
Alone this time.
