The Legend of Zelda
Spirit Tracks
A Novelization by Kerian Halcyon
Chapter 6: Phantom of the Castle
Dark were his dreams of late. Link felt himself tossing and turning; a great pain in the back of his head forming into a numbing and mind-boggling agony. He was unconscious, and yet he was dreaming…dreaming dark and horrid dreams.
He was facing against a powerful wizard. A sword was in his left hand, and a shield in the other. The wizard wore dark blue robes, had powerful red eyes, and wore a midnight blue cap. He laughed as he began to transform into a much taller, much darker being, and floated around the room. Link could barely make out a young girl, lying against the wall, her body encased in stone. She wore a beautiful white and pink dress, and had golden blonde hair.
Zelda!
"The Light Force is mine, fool!" the wizard shouted, "You cannot escape the fate that I have proclaimed for you!"
"We'll see about that, Vaati!" Link found himself saying.
Link suddenly felt a very powerful force, like something tearing him apart. All of a sudden, three copies formed on either side of him; a blue one, a red one, and a purple one. Each wore similar clothing, and were his mirror image save for their emotions set upon their faces. All four of them held the same kind of sword…no, it was the same sword. Together, as one, the four of them leaped and struck out at the powerful mage.
The dream suddenly vanished, and was replaced by yet another. This time, Link was carrying a much different sword. This sword seemed right in his hand; as if it fit him somehow. It was a silver blade with a blue-purple hilt, and a green gemstone in the center of the crossguard. He was running through water, and he seemed to be inside of a chamber where there was nothing but water for walls, ceiling, even part of the floor! Link, somehow, wasn't afraid, but was concerned for the safety of someone…someone he loved.
"Keep going, Link!" shouted a familiar voice, "You can do it!"
"Not likely, girl. I will not let the Hero defeat me this time!"
Link turned and stopped running. Zelda was standing parallel to him on the other side of a circular basin that was rapidly flooding with water. As the stuff came crashing down, a man in flowing robes approached Link with his two mighty swords. His skin was dark, but his spirit was darker, as his eyes seemed to reflect the evil within his heart. His red hair was kept in a strange curling headdress, and his body was flowing with gold trinkets and ebon silk.
"Let us finish what we started, boy!" the man growled, "You'll pay for bringing my plans to such an end…"
"Only one of us will fall, Ganondorf," Link said, "And it's certainly not going to be me!"
Link struck with the sword, striking at the man and parrying each of his attacks with deadly accuracy. His movements were those of an expert, even though Link had never personally touched a sword in his life before. His sword seemed to sing with each strike, though it was not because it was made of bad metal, but because it seemed to have a spirit that was poised to strike at his monstrous foe.
The dream vanished one more time. In the next one, he was running around in a great circle, following a stone floor that was one of many that encircled a great pool in the very center of a gigantic chamber. As he ran, something very big and very black shot out from its hiding place within the depths. It was a tremendous, black tentacle, with a green and purple eye gazing out from the center of a giant paddle-like end. Link got out a bow and strung an arrow, and immediately shot a well-aimed and well-timed missile at the center of the eye. The thing shriveled and began to strike blindly at the ground before retracting into a monstrous, green mass. The giant thing was hanging off of the pillars of the room by other, similarly structured tentacles, and had a single black eye sitting atop the green and decaying mass. The smell of foul seaweed and disgusting carrion hung in the air, probably from the beast itself.
"Quickly, Link!" a green fairy said suddenly, "Take him down with your arrows! Send him crawling back into the depths that he crawled out from!"
"You've got it, Ceila!" Link shouted. He aimed again and launched several arrows at the eyes as they were blinking. Three tentacles shuddered and began to retract, while a fourth dodged out of the way. The lack of support was enough for the thing to lose its balance and fall, though not before it managed to save itself and begin pulling itself up to confront Link on his floor.
The monster opened its "mouth" and revealed its mighty black and green eye. It seemed to roar at Link as its eye rolled over backwards and popped out of the opposite end of the socket. The beast launched a series of tentacles at the boy. Link raised his sword, which had an hourglass at the hilt, and made a quick figure eight movement with the blade.
Time stood absolutely still. It wasn't just still as in everything was frozen in a flash of adrenaline, but time was literally standing still. Link was the only thing moving. Not even his fairy companion moved in the gloom.
Link came up and raised his sword at the creature's eye. With a mighty war cry, he sent the blade crashing down upon the creature's flesh…
And then he blacked out…
When Link awoke, he was in a firm bed and looking up at a stone ceiling. He was covered in light blankets, and the smell of oak wood smoke filled his nostrils. The night sky gazed down at him from a nearby window, and it seemed almost as if he had just woken up from a horrible nightmare. Was Zelda still waiting for him? Was it time to go yet?
Then he remembered. Something happened, before he was knocked out. This wasn't Zelda's room. A quick glance to his right confirmed that Alfonzo was indeed asleep in another bed, likely still unconscious. Link didn't see Riko anywhere, or Zelda…
Wait…where is…
"Link! Help me!"
"ZELDA!"
Link sat bolt upright in the bed, and suddenly gripped his stomach. Looking down, he saw that he was wrapped up in a bandage that covered his lower ribs. He remembered the blow that Cole's henchman had delivered when he was trying to protect the princess. If something like that was hard enough to break bones, he was lucky that his neck didn't get snapped.
"Well now, my boy! I'm glad you finally decided to return to the world of the living!"
Link turned to his left. The old man that was with Zelda during the ceremony, the one she called Teacher, was standing near his bed. The old man approached the boy and began to pat him gently on the shoulder in a fatherly manner.
"There, there, now," he said, "Calm down. You must have had quite a dream, young man. I bet it was a long one, too…you certainly had the time for it."
"The…time?" Link asked in confusion. He groaned when the pain in his ribs returned, though they quickly subsided. "How long was I out?"
"You were all out for at least the past three days," the old man said, "We managed to find out after the crowd outside was shouting about the disappearance of the tracks. After we heard all of the commotion, I sent my guards out and they came back with you, Alfonzo, and some barbaric Rito in tow. The three of you were all unconscious…and I think the Rito had a concussion or something in the head."
"Three days?!" Link asked. How could it have been three days already? What had become of the town since the Spirit Tracks were gone...and, even worse, what's become of Zelda?
"Excuse me, sir," Link said urgently, "But I have to go!"
"Go?!" the teacher asked, "Why, you most certainly cannot. From what I've heard, young man, you are the one boy who managed to have the fewest injuries compared to the other two. Since Alfonzo is still unconscious, and since the Rito is in no position or capability to be able to be talked to, I think that you shall be answering some questions before you even think of taking a foot out of that door! Am I clear?"
Link opened his mouth to protest, but then decided against it. "Yes, sir," he said.
"Alright," the old man said before clearing his throat, "Now…tell me…what in the blazes is going on? Where is the princess, and the chancellor? Why have the tracks disappeared so quickly? Any information you provide is worthy."
Well, the man said that any information was worthy, so Link decided that it was only best that he told the truth. He told him everything…about Zelda giving him the letter, how he snuck in and spent the night with her, how they got past the guards with Riko's help, how they managed to drive out of Castle Town only to be thwarted by the disappearing tracks. He even told him about how Cole was a demon, and what he managed to see while everyone thought he was unconscious.
The memories that sprung up were frightening. He couldn't believe that he had seen Cole…kill Zelda. There was no other way to describe it. What else could have done such a thing? They were speaking of how her soul was gone, and there was only one way for a soul to leave a body…in death.
"So…" Teacher said calmly, "So, what you are trying to tell me is that Chancellor Cole was trying to wipe away the tracks, that he and his henchman ambushed you, nearly killed Alfonzo and…this, Riko…and murdered the princess? And they are still at large somewhere with her body?"
Link bit his lip as he nodded. Coming out of someone else's mouth made it sound rather stupid. However, he could tell that the teacher had his doubts.
"Hmm…this is all a joke, isn't it?" the old man asked, "You'd better not be pulling my leg, boy, or I'll—"
"No sir," Link said, "I'm not…I'm telling the truth. I swear by the crest of Hyrule that I was speaking no lies or deceit."
There was silence between the two. Link felt very awkward at that moment, and could feel beads of sweat falling down his neck. The teacher looked as still as a statue, and almost seemed as if he had indeed become a life-sized bust of himself, right there in the room.
Suddenly, the teacher screamed.
"AAAAAAAH!!!" the old man suddenly fidgeted and fumbled, his knees shaking and his hands gripping tightly upon a white, silk handkerchief, which was quickly becoming wet with sweat. Buckets of the stuff seemed to be pouring out of the pores of his body, and he needed to wipe his glasses off to keep the sweat off of it.
"Oh, dear! Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear! The princess is missing; likely kidnapped, or killed! And the Chancellor is behind it all! If she is dead, the royal line is gone, and w-w-w-w-we will have no one to lead us! Oh, I must tell the princess…oh, yes. Right…of course, she's not here. I've got to get a hold of myself. What would Princess Zelda do at a time like this? Yes…oh, that's it, Teacher…good thinking!"
Link could tell that the man needed time alone with his thoughts. He sighed and leaned back against the wall, with his back to the door.
Suddenly, he heard a strange sound…a sound that seemed like someone was crying. It was an echo…an eerie echo. It seemed to be coming from outside in the main areas of the castle, as if someone was wandering around…crying gently like a light drizzle of a rain.
That voice is familiar, Link thought. Oh…but I can't leave Alfonzo. He's my mentor. I've got to stay loyal to him.
Alfonzo seemed to stir in his sleep, though he quickly reverted to his normal state of complete lack of consciousness. Link looked behind him and out the door. The crying had gotten closer, and whoever was crying had just past. Link could almost swear that he saw a glowing dress tassel pass the edge of the door.
Ah, it did no good. Alfonzo could wait. If he really was unconscious and doing poorly, it was likely that he would need lots of rest, even if he wakes up. Link knew that the man could survive that long without him. Without a second glance back at the stammering teacher, he left the medical chamber.
The castle was very quiet. Even the breeze that once breathed through the window when he was here last had died down. Soldiers moved about in confusion, wondering what to do. They had heard the rumors that the Princess was missing and that the Chancellor was involved somehow. With no one to directly control the events of Hyrule Castle, there wasn't much that could be done. Everyone was either patrolling for no reason or just standing around.
Link was virtually ignored as he walked through the castle. He guessed that this was partially because he was still in his uniform that he borrowed. Someone must have been taking care of him very well, because he was wearing a rather clean tunic and pants. He kept following the sound of the crying, which led him down a couple of hallways and through at least a couple of banquet halls. Whoever was crying had a very familiar voice…and even though he only knew her for a couple of days, he knew just who it could be.
Of course, she had to be almost impossible to find.
Link made a real show of himself. He looked all over the place; behind tunics, under tables, even in chandeliers. When some of the guards asked him what he was doing, he just said that he was looking for someone. Surprisingly, they left him be, occasionally giving him some safety tips in case if he was trying to climb up something like a banister or a wall (Link's loved climbing trees; it was one of his most favorite past times).
Not once did he catch even a glimpse of the princess, or even proof that she was around. He did occasionally manage to find a golden hair or two, but they were so old that Link literally could blow dust off of them. He was just about to give up looking for her altogether when he reached the throne room.
Letting out a tremendous sigh and sitting down hard on a chair in the corner, he was about to call his search good. Leaning forward and burying his hands in his arms, he wondered whether he actually heard Zelda crying, or if he was just going crazy. At this point, due to the blow he received when Byrne struck him down, he pretty much doubted his sanity. However, as he raised his head up, his eyes began to grow wide in shock.
There was Zelda. She was crying all right…as a matter of fact, she was sobbing buckets of tears. What caught Link off guard wasn't the fact that she was there…but the fact that she was floating!
Her whole body had taken on a much paler hue. It wasn't just her body though; her skin, hair, even dress had gone completely pale; almost a bluish-hue. She was floating along, not even bothering to step down on the ground, and her head was buried in her hands.
"Please…" she said, "Can…can anyone hear me? Can anybody…see me?"
She passed in front of one of the guards. He stood rather unfazed, though he did wipe a hand in front of his eyes as if dust was getting in front of them. Zelda tried to get his attention as best as she could, but to no avail. Finally, the guard turned to his partner on the other side of the throne.
"Hey," he said, "I think I'm coming down with something. I swear that I can see something blurry in front of my eyes!"
"Ah, it's nothing," the other one said, "Probably just a dust cloud. Just ignore it."
This caused Zelda to weep some more. She buried her face in her hands and suddenly took off, brushing by the man's cheek as she did. Not once did she stop as she sped over to the door…and passed right through it!
She's a ghost! Link thought.
"Ack! Brrrr!! What in Din's name was that?! I think I'm coming down with a cold or something. First I'm seeing things…now my face is getting chills!"
"Why don't you go over to medical," the other guard said, "I think that kid got up, so they have a bed open."
"I think I might just do tha—OOF!"
Link had dashed over to the door and opened it with all of the strength he had. He obviously underestimated his own strengths, because the door suddenly slammed right into the face of the other guard. Link mumbled a quick apology before quickly dashing off and following where Zelda's ghost had disappeared to.
There was really only one place that Link could truly go to…Zelda's bedroom. Link quickly approached the hallway with as much stealth as he could, knowing that there would be guards around. However, since there wasn't a princess to guard, nobody paid much attention to him as he slunk his way up the stairs and into the hallway that led to Zelda's room. Taking care not to attract much attention he reached out and opened the door.
The sound of crying first came to his ears. It was almost like an echo that rose and fell in time to each sob. It was a sound that would make even the most heartless man feel despair in his soul, and Link almost cried as well. As Link approached, he could see, without a doubt, that the bed of Zelda was occupied.
Zelda's ghost, or spirit; whatever she was; was lying upon the bed. Her head was buried in her pillow, and her head moved back and forth in time with her sobbing. Had she have been…well, alive…Link would have come close and try to do his best to comfort her. As it was, though, Link wasn't sure exactly what to do.
So great was his confusion...that he had forgotten to close the door.
A slight breeze from inside of the castle rectified the problem, and with a loud slam the door came shut. Zelda raised her head in shock and confusion at the sound, and quickly turned to see the disturbance.
The eyes of the two children locked. An intense silence seemed to hang through the room. Link could only gaze into those beautiful eyes; though they were faded, they still possessed the same shine as they did in life. He could not tell why, but he was oddly attracted to Zelda…so much so, that he would be willing to do anything for her, even if she wasn't the princess.
Zelda seemed to be confused as to why Link was staring in her direction. Was she not invisible to everyone? She thought that there could be something that attracted his eye behind her, but the way that he stared so intensely…It gave her reason to try something. She decided to move out of the way, but when she did, she noticed that his eyes…seemed to follow her.
"You…you can see me?" she asked.
Link let loose a rather cute smile. Zelda's heart leapt for joy…well, sort of…when she saw Link nod his head slowly. With a cry of both despair and joy, she suddenly sped over to Link with lightning speed; floating as fast as she could, so that she could embrace the boy.
Link suddenly tensed up as he felt a very intense chill. Zelda had gone so fast that she actually sped right through him. It was like stepping into a cold shower, or getting tossed into the ocean when winter began to set in. In short…it wasn't the most comfortable of experiences.
Zelda gazed down at her hands in confusion. Once again, fate seemed to be laughing as she was reminded yet again that she was a ghost. She began to weep some more, burying her face in her arms as she knelt upon the ground in despair.
Link could only gaze at her. Such a sight was heartbreaking. He couldn't explain why, but he wanted Zelda to stop crying. More than anything, he wanted for her to stop being in despair and have a smile upon her face. It took all of his inner strength of heart to keep himself from weeping as well, for he felt helpless to comfort her…after all, how does one comfort a ghost?
Ghost or no ghost, I have to try, Link thought.
"Zelda?" Link asked.
The girl didn't move. "Go away," she said.
"Zelda," Link tried to sound as compassionate as he could, "We'll find a way to get you out of this. You'll see…"
Zelda sat rigid for a few seconds, and then suddenly leapt to her feet. Floating in the air, she gazed at Link with wild, crazed eyes; her hair floating in all directions, giving her the appearance of a phantom that had just sprung out of the fiery depths of Hell.
"LOOK AT ME!!!" she shouted, "I'M DEAD, LINK! Don't you get it?!? There is no getting better once you are dead!! I'm gone…just like my parents…and there's nothing you or anyone else can do about it! For all I know, you could be imagining I'm here, and-and-and for all I know, you may as well not even care!! GO AWAY NOW!!"
She spun about for a few seconds until she went out of control and suddenly ran into a wall. Instead of passing through, she actually struck the wall and fell down hard upon her bed. She stayed very still upon landing, though her ghostly body moved once more as she sobbed again.
This time, Link could not help himself. Though he was indeed rather frightened from the reaction that Zelda gave him earlier, he wasn't going to let that stop him. Being brave, and knowing the consequences that would happen, he approached the bed, climbed up, and reached out towards her shoulder.
To the surprise of them both, his hand did not pass through her body. Her skin, though still soft, felt rather cold, though it was a discomfort that Link knew he could ignore. Zelda's skin seemed to go tense, and she looked back to Link, her eyes showing confusion and astonishment, as she gazed into his eyes.
"You…are you…touching me?"
Link really didn't know how to react, but Zelda didn't even give him time to. Link was swiftly swept into a very cold hug, and felt, strangely enough, very cold and wet tears flowing onto his shoulder. Though making a face from the uncomfortable cold, Link did the best that he could to embrace her back, going so far as to stroke her hair in an attempt to calm her down. As he did, he noticed that her crying had slowed down quite a bit, as if he was slowly draining her sadness away.
Link reminisced that he would never to this to any other girl. Indeed, he'd probably even be limited with some of the girls back home. He hadn't even given Kara more than a hug or a compassionate pat on the back. And here he was, hugging a princess, even if she was a ghost…
For some reason, Link was okay with that.
Finally, Zelda stopped crying. Wiping her eyes, which glowed even in the light of day, she began to speak up.
"I should really apologize to Alfonzo for all of this…" she said, "And…I should apologize to you. I had no…I had no idea that the Chancellor would be capable of such evil. I didn't…I didn't think he would hurt you."
She lifted her head up off of Link's shoulder and gazed deeply into his eyes. "Thank you for trying to save me," she said, "That was very brave of you. I didn't think anybody would be able to do that, lest they had a lot of discipline like Alfonzo or one of the guards. I was…I was a fool to think that we could get away with something like that. Please…can you ever forgive me?"
Even in death, her eyes were mesmerizing orbs, like beautiful gems or vast pools reflecting in the sunlight. However, this time the charm behind them, or perhaps even the influence behind them, was all gone. Zelda had become an ordinary girl; saddened, afraid, and truly sorry for what she had done.
Link sighed. "How can I not forgive you?" he asked, "If anything, I'm sorry for not being a better help. I should have tried to fight back, instead of stand there and asking to get belted across the…across the…"
Zelda's influencing charm suddenly returned, and Link was again mesmerized by the glow from her eyes. Neither of them said anything for a while, though had someone have looked in, they would have thought that Link was steadily going into madness by peering into nothing. Regardless, Link felt like he could just gaze into her eyes forevermore, and wanted the moment to last as long.
Finally, Zelda's eyes closed, and the moment ceased. Link could feel that his heart had been beating quite fast, and he took a deep breath to calm himself down. Thankfully, Zelda didn't notice…at least, she didn't point it out anyway.
"I'm such a fool to think that something like this wouldn't happen," Zelda said, wiping her eyes once more, "Who would have thought—"
"Hey," Link said, a bit more forcefully than he meant to. His instincts for dealing with sad girls, particularly Kara, had kicked in. All fear forgotten, he reached out with a hand and wiped a stray tear from her eye. "Let's not have any more of those," he said, "Nobody could have known that the Tower would have broken like that. It's not your fault. If anything, I wish we had spotted Cole sooner…though I bet that Cole pulled the wool over everybody's eyes far to well to see that."
Zelda took Link's hand and giggled. Even though she was cold to the touch, Link felt himself blush anyway. The princess was a good person at heart, and he could tell that she could have been a great ruler of her people…had fate and misfortune not have gotten in the way.
Grasping Zelda's hand, Link felt firm, moral resolve take over. His blushing stopped, and all of a sudden he appeared almost like a truly experienced warrior; a boy who was no longer just a boy, but someone who wanted to do more than just sit there.
"I'll tell you something, though," Link said, "I'm not going to just stand by while Cole's out there somewhere. We've got to stop him!"
Zelda nodded; her smile widening as she gazed at Link's face. "You know, you sound cute when you've got your mind made up," she said.
Link's resolve quickly changed to a cross between embarrassment, satisfaction, and a very crazy confusion. He was about to stutter and go into a flabberjastic fit when Zelda's smile disappeared.
"I absolutely agree," she said, "We need to figure out what he's doing. We know one thing's for sure; he's behind the Spirit Tracks disappearing. What I personally can't figure out is why…why would he do something like this?"
She slipped off of the bed and began to pace back and forth. Link hopped off as well, though he just stood there and watched her as she paced.
"Maybe we should just think about this for a little bit and then sort out what we know," Link said.
"That's a good idea," Zelda said with a smile, "Why didn't I think of it? Link, you are quite a bright young man! I'd have promoted you if you were a palace guard…"
"Uh…thanks…I think," he said.
Zelda had been pacing for over an hour. Nobody had come inside of the room to clean or anything, seeing as everyone thought that the princess was nowhere to be found, especially not inside their own castle. Link had been sitting on one of the armchairs, lost in thought in an attempt to figure out what in the world was going on, how he and Zelda were involved, and what they could eventually do to stop it.
"Let's go over the facts," Zelda said as she continued her pacing, "We know that Cole's the one responsible for this mess, right?"
Link nodded.
"And we both know that he wanted to kill me, and that he and his crony, for some reason, took my body and left you, Alfonzo, and Riko to die, right?"
Link nodded again.
"We also know that he has powerful magic, and that he had somehow conjured up a monstrous train to come out of the sky, cause the Spirit Tracks to disappear, and almost completely shatter the Spirit Tower. Right?"
Link nodded once more.
Zelda continued pacing, and then groaned in frustration. "I just don't get his motives!" she said, "At first, I thought he was after my throne. However, he said that he didn't want it; and since he's running around somewhere in Hyrule with my body…ugh. I don't even want to think about what they could do to me. I mean, he's a demon after all. He'll probably try something nasty, like violating me or something…I don't know. Anyway, I'm at a loss. I have no idea how we are going to solve this, and I also know that pacing around like this isn't going to…why are you looking at me like that?"
Zelda had been pacing so much that she didn't notice that she was steadily pacing upwards. Link had an awkward expression on his face as he saw Zelda's head go through the ceiling at least ten feet above where he was sitting. Zelda glanced around and suddenly noticed where she was.
"Oops!" she said, "Sorry…I guess I haven't gotten used to being a ghost yet."
She gently lowered herself down to the ground, catching her balance as she landed on her two feet. Link couldn't help but notice how graceful she was, even in death. Of course, now wasn't the time to think such thoughts. The two of them needed to solve this.
"You know," Link said, "we could always try finishing what we started."
Zelda cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Link leaned forward on his seat and placed his elbows on his knees. "Why don't we try going over to the Spirit Tower?" he asked, "You said earlier that there is a sage that lives there. Maybe that sage can help. I mean, I don't know how I can see you, but I'm sure that anybody with a trained eye can. Even the guards managed to glimpse you floating by while you were outside. Maybe this sage can see you like I can."
Zelda beamed as she listened to Link's words. "Link, you are a genius!" she said happily, rushing over to Link and giving him a ghostly hug, "Why didn't I think of that before? We should leave right away. You can use your train to get us there and…"
Reality came crashing down like a theater curtain. The Spirit Tracks were gone, and even if they weren't, Link's train was damaged beyond repair. There was no way they were going anywhere out of the castle…at least, unless they went on foot.
"It'll be a long walk," Link said, "At least, for me anyway. I don't know if ghosts can get tired."
"I never thought of that," Zelda said, "I'd go by myself…if…"
"If what?" Link asked.
Zelda bit her lip. "I'm scared, okay?" she said quietly, "I'm not exactly the bravest of princesses. I'd…I'd appreciate it if you came along. I don't think I can handle this myself. Can you come with me?"
"Whoever said I wasn't?" Link asked, "The Spirit Tracks are gone, which means I'm out of the job barely a week after I graduated. Even if I had nothing to do with this, I'd still go with you. You're…well…my princess. And my friend."
Zelda smiled. "Thanks, Link," she said, "I'm glad to have someone as loyal as you around. Now…we need a plan. Since the Spirit Tracks are gone, I'll bet that Cole must have set something up to make sure that nobody leaves Hyrule Castle in case if he needs them later. I know Cole enough to understand that he doesn't like leaving things dwindling. He'll box us in until he has desperate need."
"We don't really have much of a choice," Link said, "We have to figure out how to leave. Isn't there a secret passage out? All castles are supposed to have one, aren't they?"
Zelda put her hand up to her chin in thought, and then suddenly slapped her forehead and groaned. Link cocked his head to one side in confusion.
"What? What is it?"
"I can't believe I haven't thought of this before," she said, "There is a secret passage…but it's supposed to be heavily guarded. There's also monsters everywhere…I don't think that the guards will allow anyone in, much less a teenage engineer."
Link was about to give in to the hopelessness of the situation, but something suddenly dawned on him.
"Maybe not," he said, "But they might let in a recruit from the royal guard."
"Yeah, but where are we going to find—"
Link stood up and let his arms open up, revealing the green uniform that he was wearing; the uniform of a recruit.
Zelda felt her arms go slack, and her jaw dropped. "Oh."
To be continued…
Kerian: *insert sighing smiley here* Phew!! I bet I surprised you all by updating this, aren't you? Thought that I was going to leave behind a broken fanfic, did you? Well, Spirit Tracks has been updated, so I hope you enjoyed it!
Ceila: I know I have. Thanks for adding me in as a cameo!
Kerian: You do realize that the Ceila I added was the original, right?
Ceila: Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?
Kerian: *rolls eyes* Things have been real busy on my end of the Halcyon bandwagon. I've just completed a 6 chapter (4 chapters, a prologue, and an epilogue) prologue fanfic to my every-LoZ-game-in-existence prequel, The Clan Wars. If anybody wants to read it, just look up "The Legend of Zelda: The Clan Wars, Rise of Dethl," and be amazed! It's my official first-time success yet (as in, a fanfic that's complete, has reviews, and people enjoy it), and I'm proud of it. I've also been busy updating more on my other stuff, such as a little bit of Legacy of the Sages, a tiny bit of Secrets of the Lost Woods, a bit of The Fallen Star: A Tale of Redwall, a lot of The Seige of Uldaman, and I've begun writing on a Treasure Island fanfic. All in all, I'm pooped.
Ceila: Geeze louise, got enough fanfics there, Kerian?
Kerian: Meh...I probably should never have posted some of them until they were officially ready or until I was ready to take a break on one, like Legacy of the Sages. Oh well. It's too late now. Anyway, I'm going to continue working on fanfics as best as I can. After I go through a single chapter sweep on everybody (this one included), I'm going to embargo all of my fanfics except for the three shortest ones that I can do (Seige of Uldaman, The Fallen Star, and the upcoming LoZ: Treasure Island). If I work on shorter ones, there's a guaranteed chance of me actually finishing them, and since my brain is so hyperfocused on Warcraft once again I'm going to take full advantage of it and keep going on my one and only Warcraft fanfic. It's kind of logical that I should finish it, seeing as people have all claimed that it's the best Warcraft fic they've read when they look it over (at least, I think they did. I'll have to go back into the reviews and check...).
Now that I've updated this, I hope you guys are satisfied...somewhat. The next chapter will focus on Link and Zelda heading to the Spirit Tower, and their meeting with the Sage...until then, me out!
Ceila: You mean "we, out," right?
Kerian: Alright, I guess you've earned that much. We, out!
Ceila: Cue the signature
...
Kerian: ...Well?
Ceila: Hey, why isn't the signature up yet?
Kerian: I don't know...maybe there's another bug or something.
Ceila: HEY! I resent that!
Kerian: I meant software! Darn it...stupid fairies.
-Kerian and Ceila
