Link and Akane were strolling over Hyrule Field, with the Zora Sapphire in their bag. They were glad that this chapter was finally over, but they couldn't help but worry about what the Gerudos would plan next. If what the old witch said was true, not only the Hylian kingdom was in danger, but all of Hyrule.

And there was one other problem: When they rejoined with Ukyo and Ryoga, should they mention Ranma at all?

Akane believed without any doubt that this Ranma was the same one that Ryoga held a grudge against. The way he described the young Zora-girl he bumped into while waiting for Ranma at Jusenkyo made it clear that this girl had been Ranma... or Ranko, respectively.

After giving it some thought, they decided not to tell their two friends for a while - at least not until they knew more about their grudges. And perhaps they wouldn't even meet Ranma again...

"Hey! Listen!" Navi's voice pulled them out of their thoughts. "I've been trying to talk to you two for some time now."

"Oh... sorry, Navi," Link sheepishly said. "What's the matter?"

Navi gestured ahead. "I just wanted to show you something... look who's over there!"

Link grinned when he realized the green-clothed girl that was approaching them from the direction where Death Mountain was lying.

He waved. "Yo, Ukyo! Over here!"

Ukyo saw them and came running. Soon, they could also see the spot of golden light that was hovering next to her head.

"Hey, everyone!" she greeted her friends after catching her breath. "How's it going?"

Link smirked and pulled the Zora Sapphire out of his bag. "Mission accomplished! And you?"

She smirked back and showed him the Goron Ruby. "Same here! So, this should be enough to protect this 'Triforce' thingy from that buffoon Ganondorf, eh?"

Akane looked closer at her face. "Ukyo, what happened? Your face is all green."

"Well, we met..." Tatl started to stay, but quickly shut her mouth when Ukyo glared at her.

When Link, Akane and Navi looked at her questioningly, she sighed. "Look, I'd rather not talk about it, okay? And please, do me a favor and don't mention the word 'owl' around me."

Link and Akane exchanged a confused glance, but shrugged and nodded.

That's when Akane noticed something. "Hey, where's Ryoga?"

"He stayed behind in Goron City," Ukyo explained. "His chief offered him to give him some training after we defeated the Dodongos within their cave, and he accepted. But..." She smiled. "He wanted me to tell you that he will return as soon as he's finished with the training."

"Well, that's good to hear," Akane said. "But hopefully he won't get lost again..."

"I dunno..." Tatl grinned. "He DID manage to follow us when we left the castle, remember? I guess he likes you so much that he simply can't bother with getting lost, eh?" She winked.

Akane blushed, while her friends giggled.

"So, you defeated some Dodongos?" Link asked. "Cool! The Great Deku Tree once told us about those nasty things... and you and Ryoga managed to beat them by yourselves? Not bad!" He smirked. "Lucky thing you didn't run into one of their kings, eh? I mean, they're supposed to be as big as my house."

But when he saw Ukyo's expression, he looked at her in awe. "You don't say... You... actually met one?"

Ukyo nodded.

"And you... fought him?" Another nod. "But how...?"

"Ryoga... grabbed him by his feet and... ahem... hurled him into a lava pool."

Link stared. "NO WAY! How can that Goron boy be so strong? Wow... I wish I could've seen it!"

"I'm glad I'm not there anymore," the spatula-wielding girl groaned. "That heat... I couldn't stand it." She then looked at her friend expectantly. "And you? What did you do to get your stone?"

Link and Akane looked at each other, once again.

"Um, we..."

"We walked through the innards of a giant whale."

Ukyo and Tatl looked at them, then at each other, and then they started to laugh uncontrollably. "Bwahahahahahah! That was a good one! No, really, what did you have to do?"

Akane considered telling the laughing girl and her fairy that what they said WAS true, but decided against it. It sounded too absurd in her own ears. So she simply sighed and said: "We had to help saving the Zora princess from a monster."

"Right!" Link nodded. "And her older sister Ranko helped us."

"You fought alongside a Zora princess? Was she a good fighter?"

"Um, you could say that," Link replied, recalling how easily Ranko tore right through the monstrous Barinade.

"And what was that about an owl?" Navi wondered. "Did you..."

"I thought we decided NOT to touch that subject, right?" Ukyo snapped angrily. "Now, can we please go back to the castle?"

And when they saw their friend marching ahead, the others wisely decided not to say anything more and followed her.

After they had been walking for some time, Navi fluttered up into the air and looked ahead. "I think I can see the city walls of Hyrule Town," she said.

"Great!" Ukyo grinned. "Then let's deliver those gems, so we can finally go back to the forest!"

"Something's wrong..." Akane suddenly muttered. "Why is it so dark above the town?"

They all stared at the clouds of darkness hovering over Hyrule Town, and the great plumes of smoke that were rising from the roofs of the houses.

"What... what's happening?" Akane whispered. Then, a thought hit her and she gasped. "The castle! MOM! KASUMI! NABIKI!" And she started running.

"Hey, wait up!" Link shouted. And they ran after the distressed Sheikah girl.

----

About two hours earlier...

Little Shampoo looked up from her resting place when her great-grandmother entered her room.

"Shampoo... I came to say goodbye. We'll be leaving now."

"I can't come?" the young Gerudo girl asked in a hopeful tone of voice.

The elder sighed and shook her head. "No, you are too young... but you know that, don't you? Now, be a good girl and wait until we return. As soon as Lord Ganondorf has conquered the kingdom of Hyrule, a better life will be waiting for us. The green plains of Hyrule will be ours to take. Not anymore will we live the life of outcasts, here in this dry desert." She smiled down at the child. "We will be free."

"Sounds too too good to be true," Shampoo sighed. "Great-Grandmother... you make sure to come back, is okay?"

Cologne smiled and petted the girl's head. "I'll do my best, child! Now stay here and do what Aunt Nabooru tells you to do, okay?"

"O-okay..."

Loud noises suddenly came from outside, strange bellows and shrill hisses.

Cologne sighed. "I guess the second half of our army just arrived..." She never liked working together with those monsters and outcast barbarians, but she had to do what her lord ordered her to do.

She took her broom and turned around to leave. "I'll come home as soon as I can, Shampoo! Wish us luck!"

The little girl then jumped from her resting place and hugged her great-grandmother from behind.

"You come back safely, yes? Is more important than taking over Hyrule... you promise?"

Cologne sighed. One of those days, she had to teach that girl the significance of their battle against the Hylians... but for now, she had a battle to fight.

So she simply said: "I promise, child!"

Shampoo then smiled and waved as the old witch climbed on her broom and flew outside.

----

Only a short march over the Hylian Plains later, the big army was standing in front of the gates of Hyrule Town. The startled guards on top of the big wall had quickly send a message to the king, to tell him that an army of desert thieves and monsters was approaching them.

And then, the knights and soldiers of Hyrule were standing on top of and behind the city walls, waiting for their enemies to attack.

But Ganondorf didn't attack immediately. "Let's let them sweat for a while," he decided, and the sight of the roaring and sword-swinging monsters really made the brave defenders of Hyrule worry.

After half an hour was over, Ganondorf finally raised his impressive blade and gestured at the walls that surrounded Hyrule Town.

"ATTACK!" he yelled.

And the battle for Hyrule had begun.

----

From the window of his personal chambers, the king of Hyrule looked down at the immense numbers of monsters, undead creatures and desert thieves that were surrounding his castle.

He sighed. He should have never believed in Ganondorf's lies and deceits. He should have listened to his daughter. He should have paid closer attention to what happened in the lands of his allies, the Gorons and the Zoras.

With a tired expression the king's shoulders slumped down. "Maybe..." he whispered. "This is the fitting punishment for a senile, old fool like myself..."

He wished the chancellor was at his side right now. He could use some of his usual cajoling to cheer him up.

But his so-called 'trusted advisor' turned out to be a coward who had locked himself inside his own room as soon as he heard from the Gerudo's invasion.

Well, at least Ganondorf had let the townspeople live. His troops simply cold-shouldered the scared inhabitants of Hyrule Town and marched straight towards the castle that was sitting atop the summit of the big hill. And now they were surrounding it from all sides.

The king had tried sending messenger pigeons to his allies, the Gorons and Zoras, but the flying monsters under Ganondorf's control quickly disposed of them.

There was no way to escape. They were trapped.

The door to the chamber opened. "Your Majesty!" It was Captain Mikado of the royal guard. "It looks like the enemy is making its move. What shall we do?"

Well, what was there to do? Was there even a chance of winning? The king felt so helpless right now. If he only had made the right decision...

"Your Majesty!" Suddenly, one of the castle maids stormed into the room. "Princess Zelda and Lady Impa are gone. I just went into her room to make sure they're fine, but they weren't there."

"What?" the king shouted in alarm and turned around. 'No, please not my daughter!' he thought. First they took Kodachi from him, and now his beloved Zelda?

"Where are Impa's daughters?" he asked. "Maybe they know where their mother has vanished to."

"I-I'm sorry, your majesty," the maid stuttered. "But I couldn't find them either."

Neither the maid nor Captain Mikado were able to interpret their king's expression right now.

"Your Majesty..." Mikado spoke up. "The enemy..."

King Gustaf the Third turned around to firmly stare into his captain's eyes.

"Tell your men that we won't back down! Let Ganondorf come! He took the two most precious things from me... he won't get my throne that easily!"

----

Princess Zelda and her nursemaid and bodyguard Impa, followed by Impa's daughters Kasumi and Nabiki, were running through the lower levels of Hyrule Castle.

'I'm so sorry, father...' Zelda thought. 'But I have to do this.'

The main entrance to the Treasure Rooms was unguarded, as most of the soldiers were standing on the castle walls to defend their king from the Gerudo army. But there were two guards standing in front of the entrance to the room where the Ocarina of Time was stored.

"Y-your Highness!" the soldier standing to the left stuttered in surprise. "You shouldn't be here. If the enemy attacks..."

"I know!" Zelda nodded. "That's why I need to take the Ocarina of Time to a safer place. Please, let me pass!"

The two soldiers looked at each other uncertainly, then blocked the entrance with their spears.

"I'm sorry, princess," the right one stated. "But we are under order from your father, the king... and he told us to let no one through until the enemy army has been defeated."

"We don't have time for this," Nabiki said impatiently. "If we don't hurry, the Gerudo will come down here and take the ocarina for themselves."

"I know," the princess sighed. "But they're just carrying out their duty..."

She nodded to Impa and Nabiki, and with very quick movements, the two Sheikah disarmed the soldiers and pressed them against the wall.

"W-wait!" one of them shouted, as Zelda ran into the chamber, right to the pedestal where the Ocarina of Time was lying under a thick glass dome.

She pulled out a silver key and removed the lock that kept the dome to the pedestal's surface. She quickly removed the dome and took the ocarina.

"If Ganondorf gets his hands on this artifact... he might become an even greater threat as he is now."

She ran back to the Tendo family and nodded. Nabiki and Impa understood and threw the two guards down to the floor.

"Please excuse us," Kasumi politely bowed before she followed her family and the princess. "But we have no time to explain."

Dazed, the two guards looked after the four females.

"Hiroshi, I still don't get it how kind, sweet Kasumi can have such a badass fighter like Impa as her mother," murmured one of them.

His pal nodded. "I know what you mean, Daisuke... you'd think she would be a tough girl like Akane and Nabiki." He winced. "Maybe Nabiki's a little bit too tough... ow... that hurts."

----

Meanwhile the fight had already started, and the air around Hyrule Castle was thick with the fog of war. Monsters, bandits and royal soldiers exchanged battle cries, while they were locked with each other in a heated battle.

Meanwhile, the Poe spirits had floated up to the castle walls where they tried to spook and kill the soldiers that were positioned up there. The wizards of the Wizzrobe clan, on the other hand, preferred to keep their distance and bombard their enemies and the castle gates with their deadly spells.

Finally, after a long and drawn-out battle, the main gate fell, and the Gerudos and Lizalfos cheered in triumph.

"My lord," Gerudo elder Cologne addressed her ruler. "The elite warriors are ready for the assault. Will you join them?"

But the evil desert king shook his head. "No, I'll stay here for now. I have to contact the Kuno boy... he will become a useful ally."

"But my lord," Cologne said. "Tatewaki Kuno is imprisoned within the castle's dungeon... how will you contact him?"

"I have my ways," Ganondorf smiled enigmatically. "Now go and instruct the troops... and you two make sure that no one disturbs me during the next ten minutes!"

The two Stalfos knights that were standing next to their master's dark steed nodded, while Cologne turned around her broom and flew over to where the elite warriors of the Gerudo were waiting for instructions.

Meanwhile, Ganondorf closed his eyes and concentrated. He felt the dark energies of evil flowing through his veins, a feeling that always drew him near ecstasy.

"Come to me..." he murmured. "My ghostly double... Evil Spirit from Beyond... I summon you!"

And with a commanding gesture, he stretched both of his arms out and gestured at his own shadow, that was being cast on the hillside of Hyrule by the rays of the blazing sun.

And then, moving like a puppet on strings, the shadow began to stir and writhe, as it slowly got up from the ground and changed its shape.

Ganondorf grinned at his demonic counterpart that was standing in front of him, with blazing eyes that were staring out of a deformed skull.

"You go down into the dungeon and free the young Kuno. Give him this!" Ganondorf produced a small item from his belt pouch and gave it to his creation.

He looked into his dark double's burning eyes and asked: "You know what do do?"

And Phantom Ganon replied in a perfect replica of his voice: "Yes, master!"

----

Tatewaki Kuno was fidgeting around nervously in his cell, when he heard the sound of battle outside.

"I knew it!" he muttered. "They're attacking! The Zora... those demonic fish fiends!" He ran to his cell's door and shook the bars.

"Let me out of here!" he shouted. "I have to defend my king!" But, no one was around. All of the guards were outside, fighting the enemy. And the few other criminals that were sitting in their own cells either ignored him or simply yelled: "Shut up already, you nut case!"

Kuno Jr. gritted his teeth in anger. Those thugs... how would they understand the sorrow of a true nobleman like him? He turned around and leaned against the walls of his cell in despair.

He didn't notice it when suddenly, a dark shape came stepping out of the shadows. One of the other prisoners looked up and murmured. "Huh? Who's dat guy?"

The tall, armored man looked at the thug with disdain, raised his hand and uttered a simple word: "Sleep!"

Silently, all of the prisoners were falling asleep under the spell. All of them, except for Tatewaki Kuno.

The dark figure approached his cell and made a gesture with his arms. With a click and squeak, the door opened.

"Tatewaki!" a deep voice spoke up.

Kuno turned around in surprise. He gasped. "My lord!"

The dark phantom who was wearing Ganondorf's face smirked. "My boy, the time has come! You have to show the king your loyalty! Help him defend the castle from the intruders, and he will recognize you as what you really are: A noble knight in the service of the kingdom!"

Kuno bowed down in front of what he believed to be Ganondorf. "I will do as you say, my lord!"

Phantom Ganon then produced an item which he offered to the young swordsman. "Take this! It will give you the courage to protect your country!"

Kuno stared at the skillfully woven headband that was resting within his lord's grasp. He took it, bound it around his head and once again bowed down.

"I humbly accept this gift, my lord! I won't fail you... or the king!"

Phantom Ganon also made a long sword appear out of thin air and gave it to the young warrior. "I have to return to the battlefield," he exclaimed. "Fight your way out of the dungeon, and we'll meet each other in battle."

"I'm looking forward to it," Kuno said, while Ganondorf's double once again vanished in the shadows.

Suddenly a loud voice came echoing down the stairs. "Hey! What's going on down there?"

One of the king's soldiers entered the room and gasped upon seeing Kuno. "He escaped!" He aimed his sword at Kuno. "Don't move, or else..."

Kuno looked up from the ground. Through his eyes, the image of the soldier turned blurry, until it changed shape and turned into the image of a Zora warrior, armed with a deadly harpoon.

"Evil filth..." Kuno snarled as he grasped his blade. "Return to the depths where you came from!"

"He's insane..." the royal soldier muttered nervously.

Kuno drew back his blade and charged the man, who once had been one of his comrades, with a cry of: "DIE, ZORA VERMIN!"

----

Kuno ran through the corridors of the castle, striking down the soldiers from behind, believing them all to be hostile Zora warriors.

The Lizalfos and Gerudo warriors that have already breached into the castle were surprised that the royal defenders would be struck down by a member of their race, but then they remembered the words of their master, that a Hylian swordsman would fight at their side as soon as they would fight inside the castle.

The magical headband that was confusing Kuno's mind did not only make him believe that the Hylians were Zoras, they also turned Ganondorf's monstrous troops into Hylian soldiers.

"Don't hold back, men!" he shouted. "We will drive this vermin out of our kingdom! For our king!"

The monsters and Gerudos cheered in excitement, as all of them thought Kuno was talking about Ganondorf, the only king they were following.

Kuno fought at their side, cutting down everyone who stood in his way.

But then he saw a Hylian soldier that wasn't an illusion created by the headband.

"Mikado..." Kuno grumbled as he approached the captain of the guard. "You! You are siding with those aquatic fiends as well? You... TRAITOR!"

Mikado, who was standing among a small group of other soldiers, turned around and gasped. "Kuno? Who let you out of the dungeon?"

"My lord released me just in time for me to bring you to justice," the swordsman growled. "I always knew you were a fool... claiming the title of captain even though you're not even of nobility. But now you've gone too far." He firmly grabbed the handle of his blade. "Draw your sword, cur!"

"You really are insane, Kuno!" the captain muttered. "You are fighting alongside those monsters and yet you call me a traitor?"

"How dare you call the noble defenders of our kingdom monsters?" Kuno snapped, still believing the Stalfos that were surrounding him to be living, Hylian warriors. "ENOUGH!"

And he stormed right at Mikado, who in turn raised his own blade and met the young Kuno in a clash of steel.

----

Kasumi yelped in fright as a fireball, shot by a floating Wizzrobe, exploded on the wall above their heads.

Her mother quickly disposed of the evil magician by swiftly throwing a barrage of sharp needles at him. The cloaked wizard let out a choked gasp, before he imploded in a burst of fire and darkness.

"Quick, we're almost there!" Nabiki shouted as she, along with her sister, mother and princess were running towards a small door at the end of the corridor, which was leading outside.

All over the courtyard, monsters and Hylians were fighting each other. Zelda quickly stepped aside when the body of a soldier fell down from the castle wall, his chest pierced by the arrow of a Gerudo archer.

"We'll use Silver and Streak," Impa shouted. "They're the two fastest horses in the stables."

"Shall I saddle them?" Kasumi asked as she quickly threw a blanket over the backside of the white mare called silver, the personal mount of Princess Zelda.

"No time for that," Nabiki shot back as she jumped on the backside of the black stallion Streak. "We'll have to ride like this."

"Oh my..." Kasumi murmured as she climbed up as well and wrapped her arms around her sister's waist. "I've never ridden before, you know?"

"Then you better hold on tightly," Impa said as she helped her princess get up on Silver's back. "This ride will be no pleasure cruise!"

She looked over to her two daughters as she grabbed the reigns. "Are you two set?"

Nabiki and Kasumi nodded nervously, when suddenly, the shrill scream of a Lizalfos echoed through the stables.

Impa threw the lizard warrior that had appeared at the entrance of the stables an angry glare. "We'll just ride him over! Let's go!"

She spurred her horse, and Silver neighed wildly as she stormed out of the stables, throwing the screeching Lizalfos to the side. Streak, mounted by Nabiki and Kasumi, quickly followed.

Angry shouts came from all directions as the princess and her bodyguards were riding through the big courtyard. Multiple archers were firing their arrows at the two horses, but Zelda reacted quickly.

She stretched out her hands and shouted: "Nayru's Love!"

A blue, flickering crystal, made of magical energy, suddenly surrounded the two horses, shielding them and their riders from the arrows and every other attack that was flying in their direction. Even the magical spells of the Wizzrobes bounced off harmlessly.

"A good thing you managed to learn that spell quickly, princess," Impa remarked. "Otherwise we'd never make it through here alive."

"Hopefully I won't run out of magic energy before we're out of here," Zelda muttered, straining herself to hold up the magical barrier.

----

Ganondorf smirked as he saw the white and the black horse coming out of the castle gates, running down the hill.

"It is time," he said to elder Cologne, who was hovering next to him. "Tell the troops to kill every single Hylian soldier in the castle... except for the Kuno boy, of course! This will be our example for the rest of Hyrule! Everyone who opposes me will die."

"As you wish, my lord!" Cologne nodded. "Do you wish an escort that comes with you?"

The Gerudo king shook his head. "No! I want to do this by myself. I know our 'special guests' will be arriving soon. This meeting... will be a meeting of fate!"

He grinned. "I will meet my fate... just as Hyrule met its own fate!"

----

"Oy, dis is bad," Chancellor Kuno muttered as he stumbled through the ruined corridors of Hyrule Castle. Lifeless bodies were lying around, debris that has fallen down from the ceiling was blocking his way, and all the time he could hear the ongoing battle in the other halls of the castle.

He would have preferred to stay in the safety of his chamber, but as it turned out, those chambers weren't that safe. After nearly peeing his pants when a Gerudo warrior leapt through his window, the only reason why he was still alive was that by accident, the chandelier hanging from the ceiling had crashed down on the female bandit.

"Gotta go to da king, he'll protect his most loyal follower," Kuno Sr. murmured as he scampered through the castle, on his way to the royal chambers.

When he opened the door, he was glad to see the king sitting on his chair.

He grinned, hiding his state of panic. "Aloha, king! Well, dis is quite de mess we're in, right? Perhaps you can give da big Kahuna a lil' bit of sanctuary, eh?"

But His Majesty didn't respond, so that the chancellor frowned in irritation. "Huh? Why are you all still?"

He walked over to the king's body, tipped on his shoulder... and gasped when he fell over, revealing the mortal wound on his backside.

A sly chuckle made the chancellor turn around. Crouching on the windowsill was one of those bloodthirsty lizard-men, his short sword dripping with blood... the blood of the king.

"The king isss dead..." it hissed in its shrill voice. "Long live the king!"

And then it leapt outside, cackling maniacally.

The chancellor was shaking like a leaf by now. The king... dead? What was he supposed to do now?

Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming from the corridor. He turned around... and looked right into the face of his son.

"T-tachi," Kuno Sr. blurted out in shock. "W-what are you doing here?"

Tatewaki didn't respond. His gaze was fixed on the limp body of the man he had sworn to protect.

"My... my king..." the young swordsman whispered as he stumbled into the room. He then looked over to his father, whose hands were red with blood... the blood from the king.

"Y... you..." he grumbled dangerously.

"N-now wait there for a moment, Tachi," Chancellor Kuno said nervously. "This isn't what it looks like..."

Kuno Jr. grabbed his sword in a wild rage. "You... YOU MURDERER!"

And when he saw his son coming at him, the chancellor waved his hands in a panic. "Now, don't do anything hasty, boy... It's me, your father! No, Tachi, don't... no! NOOOOOOO!"

----

A dark cloud was hovering over the town of Hyrule and poured its rain down onto its streets and buildings.

In front of the massive drawbridge, a trio of young children was standing, accompanied by two flying spots of light, one blue, one yellow.

Link stared up at the golden Triforce sign that was adorning the wall over the wooden, withdrawn drawbridge.

"All of this..." he murmured. "Looks familiar, somehow..."

"Don't speak such nonsense now!" Akane grumbled. "We have to get in there, somehow!"

"Look," Ukyo shouted. "It's opening!"

And just as she said, the enormous drawbridge slowly descended, being held by chains that were as thick as tree trunks.

After the bridge hit the ground with a dull sound, Ukyo looked at her friends and shrugged. "Well, I dunno who opened it, but now we can get in, right?"

Link was going to nod, when he heard a strange sound. As he had been raised in the forest, it was expected that he wouldn't know such a sound. But Akane realized it as the sound of clopping hooves on the hard streets, accompanied by a sharp whinny.

"Look out!" she then shouted and pushed her friends to the side, as a black horse suddenly appeared out of nowhere, almost running them over. It was closely followed by a second, white one.

From where she was lying on the ground, Akane could easily recognize the two people that were sitting on the black steed's backside.

"Nabiki... Kasumi...?"

Link, on the other hand, saw only Princess Zelda, as she was sitting in front of Impa, who was holding the white horse's reigns. She looked at him, fearfully, but also with eyes that were filled with trust.

----

"That's Akane over there! Mom, we have to stop!" Nabiki yelled.

"Too late for that, she will have to follow us," Impa shouted ahead. "Go faster!"

The princess, who was cowering in front of her, only had eyes for a certain, green-clothed boy...

And in a resolute motion, she grabbed something within her pockets... and hurled it backwards, towards the three children that were lying on the ground.

"No! PRINCESS! What have you done?" Impa was almost ready to turn around the horse. "That was the Ocarina of Time... our last hope!"

"I know, keep going!" Zelda commanded. "That's why I'm entrusting it to Link... I know he won't fail me. He will keep it safe."

"He won't know what to do with it in the first place," Impa pointed out.

"I know," the princess sighed. "That's why I'm going to send him a telepathic message... now keep riding!"

----

Link saw how the strange object, thrown by the princess, flew over his head in a wide arc, until it fell into the town's moat with a small splash.

He and Ukyo exchanged a confused look. "What do you suppose could that be?"

Akane only looked after the two horses that were slowly disappearing in the distance. "Mom... Kasumi... Nabiki..."

Link shook his head. "You know, I've seen all of this before... it happened in a dream I once had."

"Are you sure?" Navi asked.

"Yeah, it was right before I met you for the first time," Link nodded.

Suddenly, a loud snort startled all of them and made them turn around.

Standing in front of them was another horse, a stallion as black as the night, with flaming red eyes... and it was mounted by that man they all knew to be their greatest adversary... Ganondorf!

They were all very confused how he managed to sneak up on them like that... they didn't even hear the hoofbeats of his steed.

The black stallion was rearing up, as Ganondorf was staring into the distance. "Curses..." he muttered. "They got away!"

He then sharply turned his head around to look at the assembled children. "You there! Little kids! You must have seen the two horses gallopping by just now... Which way did they go? Answer me!"

"Dream on!" Ukyo snarled. "We won't tell you anything!"

Akane didn't say anything, but her friends could see that she was not willing to betray her family, so she resolutely raised her fists. Link smirked at her as he drew his sword.

"So, you think you can protect her from me?" Ganondorf smirked. "You've got guts, you brats!" He chuckled ominously. "Heh heh heh... You want a piece of me? Very funny..."

The Gerudo king simply raised his right hand, and the three children could see how the magic energy got concentrated in the middle of his palm, forming a bright ball.

"Look out!" Akane screamed, performing a backwards sault. But Ukyo and Link weren't able to dodge the attack in time, and when the magic ball flew at them, the force of the blast threw them both to the ground.

"Link!" Navi gasped.

"Ukyo!" Tatl screamed.

Ganondorf pulled back his hand and chuckled. "Pathetic little fools! Do you realize who you are dealing with?"

He glared at them. "I am Ganondorf! And soon, I will rule the world!"

He then spurred his black steed, riding past the three stunned children and their fairies like a dark comet.

Link looked after him. Somehow, he knew that this wasn't his last encounter with the master of evil...

"He... he's going after the princess! And my family!" Akane's fists were trembling. "We have to go after him."

"Now wait just a minute," Ukyo called up. "Don't you think we should look at whatever the princess threw into the moat? I think it has to be important if she throws it away while fleeing for her life."

"I don't care!" Akane snapped. "I have to save my family!"

"Look, whatever it was, she most definitely wants us to have it, or else she wouldn't have thrown it," Ukyo said impatiently. "Don't you think we should respect that?"

"I got it," Link suddenly shouted behind them, as he climbed back out of the moat. In his hands, he was holding a blue item.

Akane gasped. "Is that..."

"I suppose so," the blonde boy nodded and opened his hand.

And they all stared down at the small, blue instrument that was resting in his palm.

"The Ocarina of Time..." Navi whispered.

Suddenly, Link clutched his head. "Oh... what's that?"

"Link, what's wrong?" Ukyo shouted in alarm. That was the last thing he heard before a soft voice reached his mind...

----

Link saw Princess Zelda, as she was standing in a white void, clutching something to her chest.

"Link... can you hear me? It's me, Zelda.

When you hold this ocarina in your hand... I won't be around anymore. I wanted to wait for you, but I couldn't delay any longer. At least I could leave you the ocarina... and this melody."

Zelda's mental image raised the ocarina to her lips. "This song... it opens the Door of Time."

And then, soothingly, the princess began to play the notes of the song... a song that Link would never forget.

The Song of Time...

"Play this song in front of the altar in the Temple of Time!" Zelda's voice reached him one last time. "You must protect the Triforce!"

----

Link shook his head, as the faces of his friends became visible to him again.

"What happened?" Tatl asked. "You just zoned out on us there!"

"I... I got a message from the princess," Link groaned. "She... wants us to protect the Triforce."

He looked down at the ocarina in his hands, then he pulled out the Zora Sapphire.

Ukyo took out the Kokiri Emerald and the Goron Ruby and looked at them as well.

Both of them understood: They couldn't allow Ganondorf to lay his hands on these artifacts OR the Triforce.

"We're going!" Link said in a determined voice. "We will protect the Triforce!"

"I'm with you!" Ukyo said firmly. The two fairies nodded.

"I'm not coming," Akane suddenly said. The two forest children turned around in surprise.

"Akane?"

Akane looked at them. "Don't you see... I have to go back to my family! I have to make sure that creep won't hurt them. And besides..." She suddenly smirked. "Someone has to protect the princess as well, right?"

Link and Ukyo looked at the young Sheikah girl in surprise, then Link smiled and nodded. "All right... we'll leave it to you, then. Go and protect the princess and your family... we will take care of the Triforce!"

Akane gave him the thumbs up. "You can count on me!"

She nudged Link's shoulder playfully and gave the surprised Ukyo a quick hug. After waving at the two fairies, she turned around and started running, towards the open fields of Hyrule.

She turned back around one last time and waved at her friends, then she kept on running, until she was gone.

"We'll see her again," Link said. "I'm sure of it."

Together, the two friends then turned to face the entrance to Hyrule Town.

"Let's go... to the Temple of Time!"

----

Darkness has covered all of Hyrule.

In the silence of the night, the undead forces of Ganondorf, king of the Gerudo, were marching through the Castle Town, spooking the good people of Hyrule with their presence. And what at first had just been a rumor, had turned into a shaking piece of news that was spreading throughout the entire population:

The king was dead!

After having conquered Hyrule Castle, Ganondorf just positioned a few of his forces into the city and never thought once about informing his new subjects about his new position as their king... he would do so as soon as he was holding the Golden Power within his own hands!

After a troop of Stalfos knights had vanished behind a corner, a pair of green-clothed kids stealthily hurried through the otherwise silent back alley. A pair of floating, colorful lights were following them.

"That Ganondorf..." Tatl muttered. "I would have loved to kick his butt..."

"You saw how easily he finished us off, right?" Ukyo grumbled. "I'm afraid there wasn't much we could do about it... but we have to at least follow the princess' wish and take those Spiritual Stones to the Temple of Time."

"Yeah... if we only knew where it was," Link muttered. "She could have given us a map of town, along with the ocarina, could she?"

"Well, it's not like she had much time to prepare such a map," Ukyo sighed. "Oh well, let's just keep on searching..."

Navi then turned around in mid-air and looked up.

At the impressive, cathedral-like building that was towering behind them.

"Guys...? I think we might have found it."

----

It was quiet inside the Temple of Time. Even though it was dark outside, the temple's interior was illuminated by some unseen source of light.

In awe, the two forest children and their fairies looked around, at the impressive stained glass windows, the awe-inspiring symbol of the Triforce on the wall ahead of them, and the marble altar standing below that symbol.

And the Gates of Time behind it.

Carefully, they approached the altar. Link knelt down and took a look at the inscription on its surface.

He then turned around and laughed bashfully. "I can't read it..."

Ukyo groaned. "Some hero you are..." she muttered. "Move aside, I'll take a look at it..."

She knelt down next to her friend and read the inscription aloud:

"Ye who owns 3 Spiritual Stones

Stand with the Ocarina of Time

And play the Song of Time."

She blinked. "That's all?"

Link shrugged. "Apparently… Okay, I can do that!"

They took out the 3 Spiritual Stones and put them onto the altar, next to each other. First the Kokiri Emerald, then the Goron Ruby, and finally, the Zora Sapphire.

Link then grabbed into his pocket to take out the Ocarina of Time, but he accidentally grabbed the wrong ocarina.

"Whoops," he said and chuckled. "That's the one Saria gave to me."

He then looked down at the wooden instrument and sighed. "I really wish that we can go back to the forest after this. Hopefully Ganondorf will leave us Kokiri alone... Well... at least that's what I hope. I mean, with the Deku Tree gone..."

Ukyo put her hand on the boy's shoulder. "Don't worry! With Saria, Mido and Konatsu back there, they'll have everything under control. And right after we made sure that Ganondorf will never lay his hands on the Triforce, we can go back home."

Link smiled and nodded. "Yes, you're right. So, no worries, huh?"

Ukyo grinned and shook her head. "Nope, not a single one!"

Link then put Saria's ocarina back into his bag... and took the Ocarina of Time.

He put them to his lips... and began playing the Song of Time!

And when he was finished, the Triforce symbol above them, up on the wall, suddenly began shining in a golden light. The light streaming forth from the three yellow triangles was blinding them for a short while, but afterwards, the Gate of Time... was moving.

Slowly, the massive stone plate parted in the middle, and both halves of the gate moved aside with a scraping sound, revealing the entrance to another hall behind it.

Confused, Link put down the ocarina. "I thought this was the entrance to the Sacred Realm?"

"I don't get it either," Ukyo shrugged. "But perhaps we'll find it somewhere over there."

Together, they entered the big, empty hall behind the Gate of Time, with a ceiling that was even higher than in the entrance hall. Rays of moonlight shone into the chamber, illuminating a grand pedestal standing in the middle of the room.

Marmoreal stairs were leading up to that pedestal, and several strange emblems were surrounding it.

And in its middle...

Navi gasped. "Link, isn't that..."

She flew over to the weapon that was stuck in the middle of the stone, glinting in the moonlight.

"It's that legendary blade..." she whispered. "The Master Sword!"

"You're kidding, right?" Tatl blurted out.

Ukyo and Link looked at each other, shrugged and said, at the same time: "The what?"

"Oh, come on!" Tatl shouted. "Don't tell me you never heard about the legend where the hero took the sword of evil's bane and... never mind!" She sighed. "Obviously, the two of you lack a proper general education."

"Hey!" Ukyo snapped, but Link walked up to the pedestal.

"I don't get it," he said. "What's this sword doing here? The princess told us all about the gate leading to the Sacred Realm, and the Triforce, and now all we get is this shabby sword?"

"It's not 'shabby'," Navi protested. "The Great Deku Tree once told me it was being forged to fight creatures of evil."

Link shrugged. "Yeah, whatever... So, what do we do? Just pull out the sword out of the stone?"

"Sword in the Stone," Ukyo chuckled. "Heh, sounds like the title of a novel... Well, step aside, I'll take care of it!"

And she stepped past her confused friend, climbed up onto the pedestal, rolled up her sleeves and pulled.

It didn't move.

"What the heck?" she gasped and tried again. It didn't budge an inch. "What's with that thing? Is it stuck?"

"What, are your arms made of Chu Jelly or what?" Link mocked. "Ah, c'mon, lemme give it a try!"

He gently shoved the protesting Ukyo out of the way, grabbed the handle of the sword, pulled...

and it easily slid out of the stone.

He grinned. "Seems like a man is needed for that kind of job!"

But suddenly, the whole pedestal shone up in a strange, green light that surrounded them all.

"What the...?" Ukyo gasped. "Link, what did you do?"

"Me?" the blonde boy protested. "You wanted to pull that thing out of there, right?"

But neither could say anything else, as the light suddenly turned more intense and seemed to engulf them all.

For a while, everything was quiet. They couldn't hear or see anything, just the blinding whiteness all around them.

And then, they heard that laughter... a laughter that would be haunting their dreams!

A dark figure appeared in the middle of the light.

"Geh heh heh..." the king of the Gerudos chuckled. "Excellent work! As I thought, you held the keys to the Door of Time! You have lead me to the gates of the Sacred Realm... Yes, I owe it all to you brats!"

And then he let out a long, roaring laugh - and that was the last thing they heard before they passed out.

----

Somewhere, in the middle of the Lost Woods, the Sacred Forest Meadow...

Saria looked up at the leaves of the trees and sighed. "I wonder how they are faring?"

Sprite fluttered up to her face and smiled. "Don't worry! Nothing can stop those two! And remember, they always have Tatl and Navi with them. They'll be fine!"

"I guess so, but still..." the green-haired girl murmured. "I have this feeling that something has happened to them..."

The brown and green shape of a Deku dropped out of the trees. "Don't worry!" Konatsu said with confidence. "Even if that's true, they will find a way to come back to us." He clasped his hands in front of his wooden chest. "For it was Ukyo who taught me... to never give up on my wishes." He looked at Saria. "And so... I'm wishing with all my heart for Ukyo and Link to return some day, to our forest."

"Yeah, that's what I'll do as well," a dark purple spot of light nodded, as he zoomed in next to his Deku friend. "I'll be waiting for sis and the others to come back, always!"

Saria smiled back at Konatsu, Sprite and Tael. "Thank you, everyone! I'll try and do my best as well." She closed her eyes as she imagined the faces of her two best friends. "No matter how long it takes... I will be waiting."