A/N: I'm really sorry for the long wait! Please don't kill me… I'll try to upload the next chapter faster. I've just been procrastinating a lot lately…well, ever since I finished my exams… and I have a heck lot of homework this semester…and I am stuck with writer's block...and I decided work on the drawings. Again, I am really sorry :s.
Zelda cursed under her breath as she entered the Fire Temple. Who was the smart one who had the brilliant idea to build a temple in the middle of Death Mountain's crater? She sighed loudly and followed her companions. The everlasting heat was stronger here than in the Goron Mines. Fire keeses flew above the trio while some red bubbles bounced around them. The monsters were easily dispatched by the Spell of Water, which Zelda had now mastered. They soon reached a large room, where the exit was blocked by a large boulder. Despite their use of bombs, the boulder did not budge. Seeing the uselessness of their efforts, Link gave a closer look to the walls. Noticing a small fissure, he lit up a bomb and placed it at the foot of the wall. He was barely surprised as a passage was revealed, sealing a medium sized chest. The chest contained a massive hammer, seemingly strong enough to break the obtruding boulder. He reached his companions and handed the hammer to Zelda, indicating her to use it on the obstruction. After a few hits, the rock gave away, revealing the trio's way out. Following the path, they soon reached the final room's locked door. Upon unlocking it, they entered a large cave-like room. Molten lava bubbled throughout the floor, separating solid patches of land. As the Hylians ventured closer to the center of the chamber, a giant, legless, winged dragon protruded from the lava. Sharp edged golden armor covered most of it blazing red body, protecting it from most of the Hylains' weapons. Despite her use of the Spell of Water, Zelda could not harm the fiery beast. If only she could remove its armor, maybe then she could inflict damage upon it. Searching for a suitable item, she saw Shadow Link hurling a large stone at the dragon. Remembering the hammer, she pulled it out and striked the beast, hitting its head. The creature cried loudly and shook the shattered armor off its head before charging towards the young woman. With his sword, Link slashed the vulnerable area. Angered, the beast pushed the prince away with its wing, deeply slicing his abdomen in the process. The Hylian roughly collided with the wall and slid down to the ground. Quickly, Zelda ran and impaled her sword through the dragon's head, instantly killing it. Red lights gathered in the top triangle of her Triforce pendant as she gained the Spell of Fire. Recalling her companion's wound, she rushed to his side. Blood was steadily leaking out of the deadly injury. He was losing blood too quickly for them to bring him to a doctor. At this rate, he would soon die. Weakly, Link reached for the fairy-like charm offered by Nalia.
"Nalia…I need…your help…"
His hand fell down, weak, near death. A flash of light caught Zelda's attention. Looking behind herself, she saw Nalia, a look of great worry on her face. Promptly, she kneeled besides the prince. The situation was worse than she thought. Greatly focussing, she gathered her powers and concentrated them on the deep wound. Slowly, the cut sealed itself. Link's eyes reopened as he healed, a soft smile emerging on his features. Soon, the injury had disappeared. Her work done, Nalia rose and helped the Hylian prince up on his feet.
"Thank you, Nalia. I doubt that I would have survived if you had not helped."
A smile graced her face. She was happy to have saved him.
"I am honored to save the life of our prince. I must now depart back to Ordon. Please, do not ever hesitate to call me if the need arises."
Her work done, she left in a flash of light, leaving the trio alone in the Fire Temple.
Merunia bent down in fatigue. She had trained as hard as possible for the past eight hours. Straightening her body, she grabbed her bow and climbed on her steed, a powerful buckskin Akhal-Teke mare. Bringing her horse to full speed, she aimed at the targets set along the horseback archery range. She shot her arrow, only to see it vanish in a black cloud of smoke. She abruptly stopped and turned around. It was not a surprise to see the Gerudo King standing a few feet away, a smirk present on his face. The woman gulped loudly, nervosity arising in her veins.
"Good evening, Merunia. Still training? You should take a rest; you would not want to faint from exhaustion."
Her fear quickly converted into confusion. Since when did Ganondorf act so friendly towards her? He came closer and reached his hand out to her, inviting her to descend from her horse. Cautiously, she set foot on the ground. Unexpectedly, he flung his arms around her in a tight hug.
"It feels like I have not seen you in so long, Merunia. It does not matter now, though. We will always be friends, right?"
Her eyes widened in realisation. Ganondorf's personality had switched to Evalar's, back when he was eight years old. Memories flashed back through her mind. The young boy and she were best friends before he was imprisoned. She was five when he had first pledged his eternal friendship to her. With a soft sigh, she gingerly wrapped her arms around his torso, her head resting on his chest.
"Yes, Evalar, we will always be friends."
Looking down at her, he lifted up her chin and rested his forehead on hers. They stayed immobile for a while, their eyes closed in pure bliss. Suddenly reopening his eyes, Ganondorf promptly released his hold on Merunia. He had lost his dominance again. The Dark Lord turned around briskly and walked away, shame invading his ego.
"Do not speak a word of this to anyone. Or else."
The Gerudo woman rapidly acquiesced. As suddenly as he had materialised, Evalar had vanished.
Shadow Link was irritated. In the past hour, he had been assailed by three groups of bokoblins, seven stalfos, and ten kargarocs. Ever since they had left the Fire Temple, monsters kept on attacking him, yet they barely did pay attention to his companions. Of course, they had helped him slay all the enemies. He let out an irritated growl. Further ahead, he saw a horde of bulbins on their bulbos, awaiting him. Bracing himself, he did not notice the red glow surrounding Zelda. Without warning, she created a jet of fire, easily neutralising the awaiting creatures. Despite his anger, the ex-shadow snickered. The young woman's hate towards bulbins seemed quite amusing to him. Satisfied with her work, she moved on. As for Link, he was lost in thoughts. Since the event in the Fire Temple, the prince had barely spoken, his thoughts taking over his mind. They were now heading towards the Forest Temple, deep within Faron Woods. The voyage was bound to be long. The fields were filled with sunshine, a slight breeze ruffling the leaves of the few sparse trees. The sun was slowly setting over Hyrule Castle Town, the castle's high towers small in the distance. Were it not for these pesky creatures, the scenery would have been magnificent to the trio. As darkness came, the Hylians stopped for the night. Impatient, Link paced around restlessly. He had highly anticipated their return to the Faron province, yet he did not know why. He reached for his fairy charm. Thoughts of Nalia lingered in his mind, along with a deep desire for her proximity. The prince shook his head; he could not be in love in such a short period of time, it was too improbable. Noticing her master's uneasiness, Epona nudged her head against his back, almost toppling him over. The Hylian gave a small smile before petting his mare. She had always been able to chase away his troubles, one of the many reasons why he liked his horse. Settled down, Link left Epona and laid down near a tree, sleep taking over.
Vaati was frustrated. It was to believe that only male Gerudos could handle magic. He had tried to teach them a simple offensive spell, only to see the Gerudo women fail to create even a small wisp of wind. It was not that hard to produce a gust of wind powerful enough to send the enemy flying a few feet away. At this rate, the Hylians would have reached Ganondorf's castle before they could manage to use the spell. The Hylian-like Minish stormed back inside the Gerudo Fortress. Why was the great Ganondorf assigning him to such a pitiful task? He should be slowing down the Hylians, not teaching the art of magic to the Gerudo. Was the King of Thieves underestimating him? Did he think it entertaining to watch him attempt to teach magic while the Hylians continued their advances towards him? Was this some sort of plan to lure Shadow Link towards the dark side? Even if they did have cake, it was very unlikely that the ex-shadow would willingly join them. The wind mage directed himself towards his quarters, located at the back of the Fortress. The area was filled with freezards, dodongos, and baba serpents, making it difficult for intruders to pass. With a wave of the hand, wind gathered and took the shape of the so called heroes. While observing the images, Vaati's eyes lit up. He had discovered a perfect way to slow the Hylians down.
Link had never been so jubilant to see the forest. The distance separating them from the thick greenery was now reduced to a few meters. Soon enough, the trio was in the vicinity of the trees, were their shadows offered a cool comfort. Tired from their journey, Zelda dismounted Astrid and sat down in the lush grass. Eventually, she was joined by Shadow Link. To him, the trip had been restless. Monsters kept on attacking him minute after minute. He was exhausted from the incessant raids. As he relaxed his sore members, he slithered an arm around Zelda's waist. The young woman rested her head on the ex-shadow's shoulder as she benefited from the soft shade of the looming shade. Taking notice of his companions' will to rest a little, the prince decided to explore the ruined camp. To his surprise, he found a lantern filled with oil, as well as an oil-filled bottle nearby. Testing the abilities of the lantern, the young man lit it up. A small orange flame rose in the center of the lighting device, creating a small area of light around it. Intrigued, the Hylian brought it near the remains of a small campfire. The remaining logs caught in flames with ease, creating enough light to clearly see the charred remains of a small shack. Satisfied, Link blew out the lantern in order to prevent the waste of the oil. Extinguishing the campfire, the prince joined his companions, who were mounting their steeds. The trio was now headed towards Ordon Village, where Link was anticipating his meeting with Nalia.
The mayor paced restlessly inside his house. A few hours ago, a gang of bulbins had invaded the village and had kidnapped Nalia. He had followed them as far as he could, but they had entered the Forest Temple. Unfortunately, he was not skilled with weapons, and neither were the villagers. He could not bashfully enter the temple; it was only a stupid action. In lack of a plan, he was now walking in circles. If only someone could help him rescue his daughter. A soft knocking caught his attention. Opening the door, he saw the prince and his companions standing on his porch.
"Your highness! Please, we are in great need of your aid!"
Link took a step back, perplexed. Why was the mayor so desperate?
"Calm down, we cannot help you if you do not explain your situation."
The mayor's eyes widened in relief. The Hylian prince was willing to help him out, despite his task at hand.
"My daughter, Nalia, has been kidnapped by a horde of bulbins and brought into the Forest Temple. Neither I nor the villagers know how to properly defend ourselves against these creatures. Please, rescue her."
At the mention of the bulbins, the young Hylian woman tensed up. There was no way that they were going to get away with that. Link promptly asked for directions to the Forest Temple, anger rising in his veins. He will make the monsters pay for their fraud.