A/N: Sorry I took so long to update, but I have other stories as well. Which reminds me, I just finished one of my others, so now I have only three left on this site to complete before I can move on to another. And I'm so, so sorry guys, but this is a really short chapter. Sorry!

Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Zelda. Yeah...let's just say this has a lasting effect so I don't have to type it seventy thousand times (not that we'll have that many chapters...sorry, I can tell that you readers enjoy. *giant cheerful smile*).

And by the way, to one of you reviewers (forgot the name, sorry), I figured it would shock you...and the next chapter should explain everything eventually, if not the next...

Chapter Three.

"No way! Malo?!" Talo cries. "Are you saying that Malo did this to Link? But...we love being around Link! What could change him like that?"

I growl deep within my throat, nestled down on my front paws. Talo is currently sitting on a chair nearby the princess, and Zant is still within my shadow. Zelda is obviously on edge that he's still here, however, and so I mentally request for him to leave.

He huffs and mentally kicks me in reply, but vanishes anyway. My form morphs once again into my human shape, and I curse, once again, mentally. Pain rushes back through every limb, pulsing through my blood and giving me a major headache after just a few seconds. I let out a sigh. I had forgotten that Zant and I shared pain or emotions. On the other hand, Zelda seems to calm down enough and finally speaks what she has most likely been thinking for the past hour.

"I believe that Link's wolf form appearing was what alerted Malo to Zant's presence, and I believe that it's Zant he's after. What I'm wondering, however, is why Malo changed so. Talo, how good of an actor are you?"

"Give me a subject and I'll play it," he replies, the determination evident in his voice.

Zelda nods, her face as expressionless as ever. "Very well. Can I trust you to stick around Malo until further notice, and pester him? I need someone close to him to be able to observe if he is truly the one we are after. Even though his case sounds extremely suspicious, it may be because of something else. Therefore, Talo, I am putting my trust in you. Link can get you back to Kakariko, I believe. Right, Link?"

It takes me a moment to respond, because of the dizzying headache pounding on my skull like a door-knocker. I let out yet another sigh and write on my notepad, Yes, I can. What form of transportation would you like me to use?

"You should use Epona; it looks much less suspicious if Talo is riding in front of you upon Epona rather than on a blue-eyed beast." I smirk at the title she uses, which is exactly the same as what the spirits called me. Her brow hardens into a scowl for just a moment. "Link, I want you to take it easy and stay in the background for as long as you can. Perhaps you should travel back to Ordon, where Malo cannot reach you. His range, or whoever it is, only reaches out to Death Mountain and half of Hyrule Field, including the Eldin Bridge. Telma's place is always an option. She'll take good care of you."

I shudder slightly at the thought. Staying at Telma's, vulnerable to all her...dirty comments when she gets back? No, thank you. Ordon will be fine. I'll deliver Talo and go. How are you going to contact me?

"I'll contact you via Zant," the princess replies just as I feel a sudden weight in what seems to be my shadow, transforming into a beast straightaway.

"Malo is getting suspicious. He is either worried for his brother, which I doubt, or wondering if he is with Link, which is the most likely explanation. However, I do not believe that he knows Talo is visiting you, Princess. Renado, Telma, and Ilia have sworn to secrecy."

"You threatened them, didn't you?" Talo grumbles, glaring towards my rather short shadow.

"Maybe I did. So, your Majesty, what's the plan?"

Zelda, too, glares at my shadow and answers, "You are to lay low until told to get Link from Ordon Village. It would be best if you could help out Midna in the Twilight Realm while our hero is busy recovering."

"If he's the hero, then am I the superhero? Didn't I just save his life?"

"Yes, but he usually repays his debts at the very end of his adventures, and then some. So, really, you're just the sidekick. For now."

Zant growls and disappears once again, causing me to change shape for what must be the seventh time today, at least. I stand up and gesture for Talo to follow me, sticking my small notepad inside one of my many, many pockets.

'Take it easy?' I wonder silently, fingering the necklace Ilia gave me. Does Zelda know me?

Even if our enemy's reach only extends so far, monsters can travel anywhere they wish without someone to fight them back. I have no idea what could possibly happen, and that's what I don't like about this plan. In fact, I'm not even sure if Zelda knows what we're getting into.

It's never a good thing when you're unsure about the person you trust to know the answers to everything.

I ride into Kakariko Village with Talo, surprisingly without event. Like usual, Renado wanders the center of town, watching everything closely. A Goron stands at the very top of the lookout tower. One of his hands blocks the sunlight, and his head turns back and forth.

Talo, this is where you'll be dropped off, I write, handing him the notepad and looking around the village and back behind me to make sure no monsters are nearby. After I take it back, I finish, Don't do anything out of the ordinary. If you do, you have absolutely no chance of defending yourself against whoever is pulling the strings. Please, be careful.

He nods and gives me a one-armed hug before clumsily dismounting from Epona and running off towards the Elde Inn, which has been cleaned up just enough so the kids can stay in there until Rusl comes to take them back to Ordon, which won't be very soon as far as we can tell, especially with all the recent monster attacks...on me.

As I ride out of the village, shooting a final wave at the kids, who all run out to say goodbye, I tear the paper I just wrote on off of the notepad and light my lantern, burning it as quickly as possible and hoping that no one will ever catch trace of the conversation we just had. I hope Talo is as good of an actor as he says he is...

I'm thinking something along the lines of that when I nearly crush a certain mailman that has bothered me during my entire journey to save the Twilight Realm. I realize that he didn't bother to call my name this time, and is clearly exhausted. Sweat beads his forehead, and he is panting as he hands me a letter.

I notice that it's from Ashei and read it silently.

Link

Meet me at the entrance to Faron Woods. I'll explain there.

Well, she's always been pretty blunt. Whatever...at least I'm going in that direction. Sometimes people will mail me asking me to meet them at some place far from where I'm actually going. And sometimes they'll just be girls with...really strange hobbies. Some of them don't even tell me who they are and just ask me if I'll meet them. By now I've learned to ignore that kind of message.

The mailman huffs and puffs before saluting and walking away, calling, "Don't go to the Eldin Bridge unless you like monsters!"

It's a good thing she didn't ask me to meet her there.

As I ride Epona through Hyrule Field, I suddenly grow dizzy, and I lean forward on Epona, clinging tightly to the reins. Even so, however, I fall right off and pull an already-bruised muscle in my neck. I groan and look around with one eye closed, wondering what could have caused that...

Epona trots over and nudges the back of my head. I turn around and stroke the tuft of fur along her snout. "Hey, girl. What do you think that was?"

She tosses her head back and looks back in the direction we came from. I, too, look over where she's gazing and notice a sort of haze not too far in front of us. I step cautiously forward and press my hand up against it. My eyes widen.

"This must be the border of power between the Eldin and Faron Provinces," I mutter. Finally, I turn back to Epona and mount her, saying, "Let's get out of here. Surely someone has noticed this force-field, which means we might have monsters upon us at any second. I just hope Ordon is alright."

"Ashei!" I call as my mare and I approach the entrance to Faron Woods.

She looks over at me briefly from her position atop a boulder that I don't remember seeing there before. "Link, listen. Something horrible is going on, as I'm sure you know, and we don't have much time left. Hyrule is crumbling beneath our enemy's grasp, and if we don't do something, we'll lose everything we've done to repair it, and then some. From my understanding, Princess Zelda and yourself are trying behind the scenes to solve this problem, yeah?" When I nod, she continues to speak. "It might be working a little, but not enough. Rusl told me that you're supposed to be recovering over in Ordon, which means we'll be working overtime. I need to know what the two of you know so far, yeah?"

"The princess is positive that our enemy's power lies in Kakariko, and that's why the beasts showed up so fast earlier. Our enemy is also intelligent and with a cool temper. Our assumption is that it might be Malo, the owner of Malo Mart, who also has some control over Castle Town's residents, but we're not positive on the subject," I explain. "Also, we know that the monsters are seemingly being controlled by a singular will, which makes them harder to defeat. I think that's one of the reasons we're not sure about Malo."

Ashei nods and looks back out to Hyrule Field. She looks mildly surprised for a moment.

"Whoa," she mutters. "I think we've got a problem on our hands."

I look back and notice a group of Bokoblins approaching us. With a sigh of exasperation, I draw my sword from its sheath. Epona rears up with a whinny, but we stand still, waiting until they grow closer. When they're about two hundred yards in front of us, she rears again, and we race forward.

It's just a moment too late before I notice the hazy shield in front of us and both the Bokoblins and Epona and I harshly collide with the force-field. She backs up, shaking her head, and I fall straight off again. I notice that Ashei is still running to catch up with us as the monsters disappear in a puff of purple smoke, as they always do when they die, which is rather strange, if you ask me.

"Need a hand?" Ashei asks, holding said hand out to me. I accept it and stagger onto my feet, cursing my stupidity. "I wouldn't call that recovering," she mutters, glancing back at the few remaining Bokoblins, who curse (I think) and stomp around, slamming their clubs against the force-field and simply exploding afterwards.

"Yeah, I'm not very good at that," I reply halfheartedly, rubbing the back of my sore neck with one hand. Since I've fallen off of her so much today, I decide to lead Epona into Ordon instead. "Do you think we'll be safe with that shield there?"

Ashei shrugs. "Hard to tell. Besides, I'm not here to stay. I've gotta go help out everyone else. All I'm wondering is, if our enemy is really trying to destroy Hyrule, why are they protecting its people?"

"Maybe they aren't," I reply softly, turning back around and heading to Ordon Village.