Ok, here is the third part and finally we get to Link's part of the Second event! Have I just tortured you by making you wait? Well, it is better this way, believe me! If I had handed you the whole thing in one block your brain would have exploded, as my poor Beta will prove! I really am sorry about that! Anyway Enjoy!

P.S.-I realize this took a long time to get out, but I have just had Open Knee surgery and am not aloud to walk for the next five weeks. You should also know that I am confined to a recliner and my loving father has rerouted the whole computer system so that I can use the Compy as I lay here. And, if anything looks funny here, I think it would be fair to tell you I am taking Oxycotten every two hours. Hehehe. I feel a little woozy….

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The City of the Dead

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The sparkles left them standing on a stone alter. Link replaced his Ocarina and looked down over the old wooden fence, into what would have been the Kakariko graveyard, to the Sheikah priest below. He gave the young Sheik's arm an encouraging pat, for even though he knew the Sheikah were brave men, the temple yawning before them reeked of endless nightmare and overwhelming death; it easily qualified as the most horrifying place Link had ever been. Bracing his own nerves he marched down the stone steps to the horror beyond.

His feet ran swift and his memory pulled from its deep recesses the way through the temple. For the sake of time and his own mentality he skipped over the other parts of the Labyrinth and made straight for the door he knew would lead closer to the rotting monster in the bowels.

Inside he knew he could avoid the trial for the hover boots and that he could proceed on to the deeper depths of the illusionary temple. Past the dirt walls carved by undead hands he turned left gathered silver rupees and garnered the key. Reentering the room of three paths he took in a deep breath of the putrid air, turned to see sheik waiting for him and pressed on to the chamber of falling razors.

As he approached each yawning gape of a hole he took hold of sheik and floated the across. Always making sure the young man was safely following him. Not letting him lag and get lost. Not matter how strong Sheik was, he was not going to leave him in rotten city

The room he entered was full of spikes and with the Lens of Truth he was able to see the redeads hidden in the corners. Using the Longshot he pulled himself onto the ledge, used his key and waited for Sheik to climb his way up.

'I will leave no one alone in this pit of death and decay. Nobody should have to travel this place alone.'

While he waited he turned his head to the ceiling. He knew the audience was watching him and that they couldn't understand why he was just sitting there waiting for the Sheikah climbing up the outcrop. Reaching down he pulled the young man up, then turned to the cold iron door to proceed.

"Why do you help me? The others left me behind no matter what the trial." Link stilled himself against the door post. His eyes set on the young man.

"They thought I was merely the person to report their progress. They did not see the real trial." Sheik stepped past the door to look Link in the eye. Link looked back in questioning.

"Only a man truly worthy of being a king would make sure that the other person with him would make it out as well. You have waited for me and have done what you can to help me through the Labyrinth, even though you knew I could make it. You didn't just leave me to follow."

"How is it that only you looked after my well being? Why is it that only you understood my passage was not simple?" his fierce eyes demanded the answer Link could not give.

"You cannot fool me! You have been here before, for some reason you have been here before. Do you wait for me because you think I am weak, or because you will not leave me here alone?"

Not knowing how to give the young man an answer, yet wish desperately that he could, Link proceeded through the iron clad doorway.

'Is he angry because I have tried to help? Well, I'm sorry, but I don't want anyone to have to do this alone!'

At the end of the passage he could hear large fans, as he had expected. He removed his Hover Boot attachments and replaced them with the Iron Boots. It took little time after that to pull himself through the fans and into a room remembered well. At the end he waited for the Sheikah, but did not help him.

He climbed onto the floating ghost ship, waited on the deck. Only when he was sure Sheik was holding on did he venture to the Triforce mark in the center. His eyes rose to the upper north corner of the ceiling where he knew Princess Zelda and the King were sitting.

Reverently he removed his Ocarina and played notes he had come to love, and the ship shook in reaction to the Royal families lullaby. Sheik was startled from his feet at the sudden movement, but soon found a place he could sit.

Their travel was speedy and Link instantly noticed the lack of Stalfos, but was grateful for their absence. His mind calmed even though the air was still putrid and the earthen walls still crawled with the flesh of the dead that had carved them.

As the ghost ship bobbed and floated down the corpse river, Sheik perched on a beam not to close, but not too far from Link; his unshakable nerves had been torn to their greatest limit from the dungeons travails. Link sat placatedly on the Triforce mark, where he felt safe from the dungeons despairing power.

"I am sorry about the way I spoke to you. I was raised to play this part in the competition, yet no one knew. My anger at the others for ignoring me should not have been taken out on you, I apologize." Link nodded. Sheik seemed to accept that as an answer.

"You seem to know this way well, the others wandered around a lot. Your trail has led in a specific direction. I say again, you cannot fool me Sir Llewellyn, You know this place, and you have been here before." Link turned to his companion and made an expression neither positive nor negative. Sheik had seemed to have lost his previous anger.

"But how can you have been here? The Sheikah lived here once. Did you know that? They did, long ago, but they were forced to leave. The dead, they forced them out of their homes. I know you know what I mean, you have been here. The dead live once more down here. Their magic practices did not sit well in the final rest of the dead. Generations after they had settled in here the crypts in which they buried their loved ones became a dangerous place. The dead would not remain buried. Soon it was not safe to leave our homes. They sealed off the entrance to the city; the screams of those trapped still haunt the survivors. The few that lived settled in what you would now call Kakariko."

Link closed his eyes. Yes he had known. The poor people trapped in the city of their death had written about their end. And while Link had never been taught to read, Navi could. She had read every last entry to him.

"You wonder why I have told you this, don't you. I think I would wonder too. Just being in here makes me wonder why. Speaking of such things is looked down upon in our culture. We do not speak of the dead city. But to you, I can speak all I want and you will not betray me."

Link stood to glance over the ships' edge, through the green fog, the deck began to appear. He looked at Sheik who had stood as well. The ghost ship ground to a stop with a tremendous lurch and began to sink into the murky waters, jostling the two warriors from their feet.

Link was the first to recover.Steadying his feet he lunged through the air and landed smoothly in a tucked roll.

Sheik seemed torn between two fears. He looked down at the water dipping and cresting below him in abject terror.He gripped the rail and pushed vaulted himself over it, landing gracefully in a crouch. Regaining his feet in relief, he turned to look at the ship just as it plummeted into the murky abyss. A giant wave of water washed out of the river and both Link and Sheik were washed off their feet in the flood.

Link made no effort to move, his clothes were soaked and his drenched doublet was making it hard to move, he felt pinned to the dirty ground.

Sheik sat himself up and took in a heavy breath,

"Well, that could have been worse." Link nodded; indeed it could have been worse.

He hefted himself to his feet and stretched out his back.

"I think we shall be alright. Are we near the end? I think we must be, you seem to know the way well enough. But still, I must wonder why."

Deciding that everything still worked properly and realizing that a soggy doublet did add a lot more weight he pulled the thing from his shoulders. It fell in a sodden heap. Link sighed (he had rather liked the over coat although it was a bit more excessive a piece then he personally would have purchased) and left the green article behind.

The two of them walked down the causeway into the maze room. Link quickly destroyed the FloorMasters while Sheik kept a distance, still producing a volley of commentary. "This chamber was once used in the Ritual of Oshira. Only those who could find their way through were worthy of the Ritual."

'What ritual?' Link wondered, but as usual, contented himself with the unanswered question.

Sheik's constant chatter had annoyed Link when it had first began, but as the pair of them had continued Link found himself grateful for the conversation, even if it was completely one sided. He was sure Sheik was talking to fill the void of silence.

'Not that I can blame him. The only thing that kept me from running out of this place was Navi, and sometimes I wanted to rip her wings off and feed her to the fire.'

"What is so funny? The Ritual of Oshira kept this city safe from those who would have taken it by force."

Link gave him an incredulous look (He had never believed in any of the superstitious nonsense the Sheikah books talk about) and marched on to the room where the Boss Key waited, the room of wooden spikes.

Clink. The door behind them slid closed; dubiously Sheik looked to the wooden spikes. A series of hollow snaps echoed in the room and the walls sprang to life. They jerked harshly forward in small but frightening increments. Sheik backed into the door of ancient steel.

"You have led us into the wrong room"

Link, with a clear mind took hold of Sheik's arm; knowing that without physically touching him, the Sheikah would be fried. From his pouch he pulled a red gem; a quick and spell-less version of Din's fire. Collecting enough force in his arm muscles he hurled the jewel to the stone ground. It shattered with an intense light, so bright it left Sheik (who had not been ready for the blast) blinded for moments afterward. A red dome of fire exploded outwards, engulfing the spikes and reducing their threat to cinders.

Using the sun's song he stunned the redeads guarding a large treasure chest. It took all his strength to haul the ornate lid off and retrieve the only key in the dungeon that really mattered.

'The boss key. With this I will end the second event.'

Returning to Sheik, he checked the young mans eyes. Link was no medical expert but he was reassured Sheik would not bear any lasting damage after looking directly into the heart of Din's fire.

They paused in the maze room for Link to catch his bearings.

'I still need one key to get to the boss door.'

It didn't take Link long to remember where the next one lay. He took a deliberate course to a room directly opposite the room they just exited.

When they reached the room, Sheiks eyes had refocused completely. They slid the door open and slithered in. The room was gloomy, dank, and smelled of torture. Link shuddered; he had always disliked this room. Sheik however seemed to have opposite ideas. His knees caved in and he bowed respectfully before the bloody 'X' in the middle of the floor. Chains rattled eerily from its points and an ancient pool of dried blood stained the floor, a reminder of all those who had died because of its use.

"The Alter of Oshira, My eyes are not worthy to look upon it." Sheik ran his eyes along the Chains, eyes filling with tears of admiration. Links' eyes scanned the thing uncertainly.

'Bowing to a device used for torture? The more I find out about Sheikah, the less I want to know!'

Link moved across the room and pulled out the Lens of Truth. In the corner sulking, waiting for the attack it knew was coming, was a FloorMaster. Link moved forward cautiously, his sword poised for assault. If the FloorMaster had any real eyes they would have all been fixed on Link.

The beast tensed and sprung, its withered fingers gripping at the air and narrowly missing Links' face. The Master Sword swung in a wild arch and the FloorMaster found itself sliced in half.

Link dashed to Sheik and held on to his arm; from his pouch he drew his last spell-less version of Din's fire. The crystal exploded in another blinding flash. Sheik pulled his eyes away from the 'X' to see what Link had destroyed, but saw nothing and returned his gaze to the 'X' in the middle.

"There is nothing here for you to fight, Llewellyn. What are you doing?"

Link didn't do anything to show he had heard Sheiks' question, but retrieved the key he needed for the next door. He paused before the unbarred steel door and poked Sheik in the side.

The Sheikah pulled his eyes from what he called the Alter of Oshira and leapt to his feet, following Link out the door. He made no explanation for his admiration of the 'X' and Link was left to wonder why a torture device had stirred the Sheikah so deeply.

They pressed on from the room. Sheik no longer chattered, but remained in a resigned sadness. Not knowing what else to do Link left him to his thoughts.

He created a bridge using an unstable stone statue and after crossing over, turned his new found key into the lock. They easily hover booted their way across the gaping stone monoliths. On the other side Link used his Boss key. He wanted to tell Sheik to stay, but could not find a way to sign his concerns to him.

'I wish Navi was here…Did I just say that? I must be sick'

They both crossed into the room where a large hole had taken up residence in the middle of the floor. Sheik dared to peak over the edge and looked to Link uncertainly.

"You are afraid of… holes?" Sheik could tell by Link's rolling eyes that he was wrong and pressed the matter no further.

Link walked to the metal clad fissure and pulled his bow from his pouch.

"Where did that come from?" The Sheikah exclaimed, surprised.

'Link Space' He snickered slightly and hurled himself down the pit. Above him Sheik's gasp of surprise made him aware that his Final challenge of the Task had shown itself.

It's great red pulsing eye unfurled like a sick and demonic flower, focusing its attention on Link. The whole room stunk of rotting flesh and, strangely enough, Hylian leather wax.

Link hit bottom, was tossed into the air and landed in a heap of skin on the edge of the bong.

'He waxed the Drum?' His mind tried to figure out why anyone would wax a drum.

His wondering was answered when Sheik came tumbling down the hole and slid across the Drum to the edge. He landed oddly and was still.

'He means to make the surface to slippery to stand on' Link realized in horror.

A terrible voice sang to a ghostly drum. He could see Sheik staying away near the lip of the bongo. He seemed to be holding his leg.

'Is he hurt?'

Bongo-Bongo whipped his body down to eye level with Link; it bobbed a little in gloating then raised its hand and shoved Link across the drum. Link slid frictionless, legs scrambling for purchase. Nothing could stop him and he found himself looking in the direction he was headed. The edge zipped forward. All he could do was grab onto the rough lip of the drumhead as Bongo-Bongo's hand pushed him off the edge. Hanging he was at a loss.

'I can't stand on the Drum, He will push me off. I can't move on the Drum it has been waxed and I can't fight because the only place I can stay up is hanging over the edge of a suspended Drum!'

His brain raked itself trying to find a way to beat the challenge. His fingers ached horribly and he could feel his grip slipping. He had little time. Wait, that was it! He swung his body until he managed to grab hold of the rim, and with both hands gripping the side he pulled himself up. Balanced on the edge, he pulled from his sack the Iron boots, a pair of heavy metal bracers. Secure in the knowledge that the boots would hold him upright he turned his attention to Bongo-Bongo.

The beast hovered above the drum, taunting. The monsters' head bobbed in front of Link, just out of bow reach. Link's eyes darted to Sheik; who was still sitting on the edge, pain laced in his eyes. He had been injured. Knowing the Sheikah would at least be safe from the battle Link pulled out the lens of truth. Bongo-Bongo responded to the use of shadow magic and descended.

Link, a plan forming in his head and knowing he had to be quick, set about dispatching with the monsters hands first Link's bow sang as one after another, two arrows sped into the monster's hands, immobilizing the detached limbs for a moment. The lens of truth showed him the great eye, now bloody red with anger. It rushed forward with demon speed. Link stood ready, his sword raised. Twenty feet, Ten feet, Five feet…Three...Two...One. Spelch!

The Master Sword slid into Bongo-Bongo's luminous eye as if it were slicing butter. Clear Vitreous Body dripped from the clean cut like a gluttonous blob. Link slipped the sword further through the eye fluid and into the beast's rotting brain.

The screams of Bongo-Bongo's death throws seemed like wicked orchestras playing upon saws, and as he wrenched the sword from the disappearing flesh Link covered his ears to keep it from destroying his hearing. Sheik, he could see, had managed to pull his leg into a better position. He stood, wincing slightly.

In a hazy of spell strings clearly visible to Links eyes the walls of the Labyrinth began to fray. Large sections of it disappeared entirely in runic designs until nothing remained and Link stood tall and proud facing the audience.

Sheik stood yards away from him, thought his eyes where clouded with pain, He stood still watching Link while the healers seized his arms and physically forced him into the healing tent. As he was being led away, Link glanced back to Sheik, limping his way back to the priest.

Link managed to point back to the arena and bring the healers attention to the injured Sheikah.

"Oh, him. Don't think about him. He's going back to his Master." Link looked again. Sheik was sitting obediently at the priest's feet, while his Master performed spells to seal off his illusions.

"Would you look at that, he's hurt!" One of the healers exclaimed.

"Maybe his master will let him see a healer."

"Not likely! You should have seen them earlier. That priest is wicked towards his Slave. Of course, I am in no place to criticize someone of higher rank than myself, but you mark my words. Anything that boy sustained in today's competition will be left untreated. The Sheikah priests are not kind men. I feel bad for the boy. Who knows what tortures he has had to endure."

Link looked back the whole way to the tent. Sheik seemed to know what was expected of him and remained at the man's feet.

'So he's a slave for the Sheikah Priest. That makes sense, but how did that happen? I thought slavery had been abolished in Hyrule.' He didn't know what to think. But now that he knew, things made a little more sense. He understood why Sheik had been so upset over the help he had given him.

'If I had been a slave all my life and nobody had ever shown me kindness before I would be shocked by it too. He is nothing like the Sheik Zelda was during the quest…I wonder if their near identical looks are a coincidence'

Link was not sure what to think, what he did know was he wanted to know more about the enslaved Sheikah boy.

'I have to help him if I can. No one should have to be a slave to anyone.'

The tent entrance cut his view of Sheik off. It was much larger inside then he had first thought. Two rows of seven beds each decorated the room, but four were curtained off; blocking the bodies of the fallen.

Atticus sat propped in a cot, his face severely swollen. He gave Link a drugged smile, and returned to gazing at the ceiling. The others were missing, in the stands most likely.

"People of Hyrule! This concludes the First session of the 740th Suitors Competition. Tomorrow evening the Final Event will begin at dusk!" the announcement filled the stadium with the kings booming voice.

A thrill of horror shot through link.

'Tomorrow night? Can I pass my self off as Llewellyn until then? And what about the real Llewellyn?' Heavily he realized he would have to use some sort of sedative to keep the noble asleep.

To keep his mind distracted he looked around the tent. The healers had paid no mind to the king's announcement. Instead they brought him a bottle of red liquid. He instantly recognized the healing potion, for he had drunk many of them during his quest. (Unlike the ones he had purchased on his quest, which often smell of things unmentionable and tasted ten times worse.)

'I guess when you learn to be a healer; they also teach how to make these things taste good, that hag in Kakariko could use a few tips from these fellows!'

His stay in the healing tent was not long, and slipping out discreetly he found himself walking in the dark to Llewellyn's tent; only to discover a crowd had gathered at the opening. Cheers erupted from the mass like the cork out of a shaken bottle. The excitement oozed from their faces and Link debated hiding in the Temple of Time for the night. He only let his weakness, his definite dislike of crowds (Which probably came from growing in a forest with a tree for a parental figure) bleed through for a second and then screwed up his courage. He only had a few yards between himself and the crowd but he could already feel their oppressive heat.

The crowd converged on him in a raving throng. Girls flashed pearly smiles and men patted his back, but Link plowed through them. His ears pounded. Arms reached out to grab his clothes.

'This is ridiculous! They hated me earlier!'

With a quick dip and a run he dodged out of the crowd and slipped into the tent. Inside the crowds ruckus was muted to a dull roar, a huge relief after the screaming outside. Mentally exhausted from the day's activities Link sat on the edge of the down feather bed. A groan from within reminded him that Llewellyn Tiluvian of Artemisia was still tied up.

Hastily, Link removed the covers and assessed the noble. Llewellyn's eyes were open and wide.

"Hmmm?" he protested, but the gag prevented Link from understanding.

"Hmm, Hwhhph Hmmmm!" Link spread the comforter over Llewellyn's head again.

He wasn't sure quite how to handle the situation now that he was in it. Saria had always said that would be his downfall. Rushing in without planning everything out never made anyone happy. It was worse the giving a cake to someone with a smile and not tell them you forgot the sugar.

'What a mess I've created for myself to clean up. Not only do I need to keep Llewellyn hidden for the tournament tomorrow, but after I win (which I will) I will need to keep him in secret until I can get the Ocarina. Nothing matters after I escape with the Ocarina.'

Firm in his decision but clueless how to initiate it he resolved to think on it when his head was clearer, better to take in one problem at a time. Feeling lighter about the subject Link turned.

His heart skipped a beat in surprise and he froze. Standing before him, in the corner was Impa and in her hand a sharp, dangerous looking short sword. Her eyes burrowed angrily through his mask as the sword's point hovered millimeters from his chest.

"Tell me what you are doing here, or I will cut your heart from your chest and throw it to the dogs."

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This was originally 36 pages long, but after I sent it to my Beta. (I have a beta! Isn't that exciting!) It was decided it was simply too much. So it has been cut into approximately three pieces. Never fear, it is the same length, just shipped and packaged in bite sized pieces. I don't want to overwhelm anyone. Anyway, tell me what you think. I live for this!

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P.S. I rather like pain medication; however I do not like the recliner I am typing this from. Although I think you should know that I don't have a laptop. My dad has pulled the whole Computer over to me and placed the monitor on a swiveling arm that will pull it over to hover next to me. I can pull the keyboard onto my lap and type like that. A very sweet set up if I do say so myself. And to top it all off, Garnet Runestar, who you may not know about she does Harry Potter fan fiction, is angry at me because she can't type her story with me in my present condition. Hehehe. Anyway. The next chapter will be out as soon as possible. .

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P.P.S. - I think you should also know that Vitreous Body, which Mentioned during the battle with Bongo Bong, is the clear fluid that is the inside of you eye. Sorry, every once in a while my human anatomy classes jump into my stories. Hehehe

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