Okay, after a two-year hiatus and several reviews asking me to continue, this story is back from the dead! I've been having an insane amount of writer's block with my Transformers Animated fic lately, so hopefully this also clears some of that up as well. This is my first time writing for Four Swords (and Zelda in general) in two years, so forgive me if I'm a little rusty.

That being said, enjoy!

Chapter Three: Setting Out for Lake Hylia

Green woke the next morning completely rested and refreshed; no nightmares had plagued him during the night, in fact, he was finally starting to push the terrifying scenario out of his mind. Looking to his left, Green saw rays of sunlight poking through the arch-shaped windows and smiled to himself as he basked in the glory of Hyrule Castle Town at daybreak.

But not all was peaceful with the young hero. Even if the nightmare was leaving his mind, the dark boy's warning wasn't. "He's coming for you, Green…all of you." The boy hadn't sounded terribly concerned for Green's safety, in fact, he sounded like he was taunting Green. Like he would love to see Green try to avoid whoever was coming for him and his brothers. The only people he could think of with any sort of grudge against them were Ganondorf and Vaati; but Ganondorf had been destroyed for good, and Vaati…well, it was hard telling. Pulling the Four Sword should have released Vaati, but the boy made it sound like he'd already escaped before Green and Zelda had ever gone to the sanctuary. If either was the case, the wind mage had yet to show hide or hair of himself.

That left only one person…

No, that's impossible. Green shook his head at the thought. Shadow Link is dead! He destroyed the Dark Mirror himself, and even if he were alive, he became a hero, so he'd be helping us. But his heart refused to believe his mind. That boy at the festival had looked an awful lot like the hero's shadow…

"Green, you're awake!"

Green jumped and gave a startled cry at Princess Zelda's voice. The princess flinched at the sudden reaction before approaching. "Are you all right?"

"Y-yeah, Zelda, I'm fine."

Zelda gave Green a look that suggested she didn't believe him, but she decided not to press the issue. "The other Links are in the kitchen eating breakfast. I wanted to give you all something before you leave on your adventure. Hold out your hand."

Nodding, the young hero closed his eyes and cupped his left hand in front of him. His fingers automatically curled when he felt something smooth and cool touch his palm. Just as he was fingering the object, Zelda's gentle voice sounded again.

"Okay…open them."

Green obeyed and his azure eyes widened with surprised joy. Resting in the child's palm was an ocarina. It was the deep, soothing color of an emerald and shone brightly as it caught a few stray beams of sunlight. Just below the mouthpiece was a tiny golden Triforce, glowing very faintly in the morning light.

"Zelda…this is…"

The princess couldn't help laughing quietly at the boy's ecstatic face. "I made it myself…for your journey." Zelda's cheeks were the color of rose petals as Green admired his gift, thrilled that he loved it. "I made three more for your brothers, too. They might come in handy if you need to return here. I know the other races of Hyrule will have some songs to teach you as well."

Zelda was cut short when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her warmly. Blinking in surprise, she saw Green embracing her tenderly. His words were almost muffled as he spoke into her hair.

"Zelda…thank you."

Recovering from the surprise, Zelda gently wrapped her arms around the emerald-clad hero and closed her eyes, unable to stop a tear from sliding down her cheek. She knew very well that this could be the last time she ever saw him. That nightmare he'd had meant something, and the princess knew it. On her own left hand, the Triforce of Wisdom pulsed faintly.

"You're welcome…Link."

"Um…are we interrupting?"

Green and Zelda promptly separated and whirled around the doorway. The other Links stood there, Blue up front and smirking playfully at his green brother. Behind him, Red was giggling quietly at Green's embarrassed glare, and Vio had his arms folded across his chest, wearing a smirk of his own.

"N-not at all!" Zelda stammered, straightening her skirt in a flustered manner. "We were just…saying goodbye!"

"Uh-huh, sure." Blue snickered, winking at Green in a way that made the forest-clothed boy seethe. Before the immature warrior could agitate the pair any further, Vio calmly stepped forward.

"We're ready to head out anytime, Green." The leader nodded in reply, doing his best to focus all attention away from Blue.

"All right. Let's go." He turned back to Zelda one last time. "Goodbye, Zelda."

"Take care of yourselves, all of you!" she called after them. "I know you can stop the darkness!"

As the boys faded out of sight, Zelda smiled to herself. Even if she was worried, she knew that the four heroes were capable of taking care of themselves. Still, Green's nightmare troubled her greatly. And the boy from the night before…what could it all mean? Sighing in resolution, Zelda vowed not to think about it anymore. If any danger was present, the Links would be able to handle it just fine.

A loud gasp escaped the princess's lips as a sudden chill shot down her spine. A powerful one, full of darkness. Out of the corner of her eye, Zelda noticed the shadows swirling and growing until a specific shape was formed. The figure stepped out of the darkness and greeted Zelda's shocked face with a dark smirk.

"Hello again, princess."

~.~.~.~.~

"Wow, the river's so pretty!" Red gushed as he shielded his eyes from the sun. Kneeling down, the optimistic boy cupped his hands in the crystal clear water, shivering at how frigid it was. He lowered his mouth to take a sip when…

"Red, you idiot!" The scarlet-cloaked hero whined in pain when he felt a hard smack on the back of his head. "We need to keep moving!" Blue walked past his brother without looking down. Red rubbed the back of his head, wincing at the pain, but complied with his demanding comrade. The boys traveled along Zora's River, searching for any signs of a path to Lake Hylia.

"We've been walking for hours!" Blue griped after a while. It was true; the sun's position signaled that it was well past noon.

"Well, we won't be for much longer!" Green stopped at the opening of a large, but very short tunnel. Mist was blowing out into the field and the loud crashing of a waterfall could be heard. The other three heroes hurried to the entrance and cheered at the small victory.

"Looks like we'll have to swim across," Vio pointed out, seeing no pathway that traveled over the ever-flowing river. While Zora's River was not known for strong currents, it was still easy to get pulled away with the water if one wasn't careful. Wasting no time, the violet-clothed boy waded into the water, pausing to allow his body time to adjust to the cold temperature as his brothers followed suit. Red audibly shuddered as his entire body, save for his head, was immersed, but he quickly recovered enough to push through the water after his allies. It got harder to push through as the mist flew into their eyes, but the boys finally were able to grasp solid land and pull themselves out of the water.

"Well, anyone see any signs of an entrance?" Green asked, shouting over the crashing waterfall. The heroes scanned the entire area searching for a cave, a pond, anything that looked like it might lead somewhere.

Moments later, a terrified scream pierced the air.

"What was that?!" In less than an instant, the four brothers had drawn their swords, Blue looking ready to tear whatever monster was nearby to shreds. As they continued searching for the source of the cry, Red's eyes widened in terror.

"Guys, look!"

Plummeting down the waterfall was a humanoid figure. As it plunged into the water, the four Links rushed over to the base, struggling to see anything through the heavy mists until a pink lump rose to the surface, completely still…too still. Without a moment's hesitation, Green dove into the water and wrapped his arm around what he assumed was the figure's waist. It definitely felt like a Hylian's form, yet…it was different somehow. But he couldn't think about that now. Coughing and sputtering as he rose from the water, the other three heroes helped pull their leader to shore and lay out the person who had plummeted from the cascade.

The figure turned out to be that of a female Zora. Her entire body was covered in shimmering pink scales that were almost blinding in the sunlight, but her face was pure white. She was clothed in simple, flowing, satiny garments that were a subtle pink, almost white, and held together at the shoulders by two small, but regal-looking gold brooches. On the Zora's elbows were two sheer, glittering ribbons lay motionless on the muddy shore. On the Zora's head was long, pearly pink hair with ribbons of what appeared to be pink seaweed.

Clutched in her hand was a simple sword with a golden blade.

"She's bleeding," Vio observed, not quite keeping the panic from his voice. It was true, around the Zora girl's rib area was a long, deep gash, with maroon blood soaking through her dress. But before the heroes could eve attempt to help her, a loud, evil cackle was detected by their sensitive ears.

"Well, if it isn't the Four Sword heroes! Happy to see me alive?"

The four pairs of eyes traveled to the top of the waterfall, widening in shock and confusion.

"Shadow Link!"

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

This chapter was not my best work. Hopefully it gets better as I get back into the groove. Constructive criticism is welcome and appreciated, but please be nice about it.

As always, I love reviews!