AN-This chapter was originally chapter 8, but due to revisions, its now been moved forwards. Also, ATTENTION ANYONE WHO HAS ALREADY READ WISDOM AND COURAGE: This chapter has pretty much been completely overhauled! Which means, a new plotline for it and a new sequence of events! So please, read on and enjoy! :D


Chapter 6: Sorceress of Shadow

Edited as of 3/30/14

"It is your turn to taste despair... and the fear of death!"
-Veran, The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages

Despite the fact that Link and Zelda had probably only slept for about four hours that night, it was enough for them. They were well-rested regardless of their lack of sleep, and when the sun rose over Clock Town the next morning, the two were already prepared to return to Hyrule as they had planned. They had gathered up their belongings and had slipped out of the inn and into the empty streets unnoticed by everyone as they headed for the Clock Tower, even Tatl, who had flittered off in the midst of the carnival last night.

Link had already opened the large wooden doors as Zelda turned to take in one last glimpse of Termina, a land that, in a few short days, she had already grown to love. "This place is incredible…" she sighed wistfully.

"Maybe we can come back someday…" Link offered with a smile as the two of them passed through the doors.

"I'd like that very much," Zelda grinned warmly at him as the large doors closed behind them, leaving them in the noisy darkness of the tower. The din faded entirely however, as they passed through the next set of wooden doors, which led them out of the tower and into the bridged gap that they had traveled through days ago. Once again, they passed over the gap and climbed down the ladder, heading into the large room that the two had fallen into on the way there.

With the princess clinging onto the hero tightly, they used the hookshot to get back up onto the ledge that led back to the Lost Woods. Upon seeing the darkened forest once more, both Link and Zelda were suddenly reminded of their respective dreams, having forgotten about them during the excitement and joy of the previous day, but neither one mentioned the promotions to the other at the moment, lest they arouse any unneeded worry. After all, they were just dreams; there was no guarantee that they'd come true.

Link frowned as he looked to the spot that he had left Epona in three days ago, only to find no sign of the horse anywhere around. "Stubborn horse…" he muttered, pulling out the Ocarina of Time and quickly playing the song that always worked in calling Epona. However, the horse did not come speeding into the clearing as she normally would have upon hearing the song echoing through the tree, much to the hero's confusion.

"See?" Zelda crossed her arms as the two got down from the large stumps. "I told you! Someone must have come through here and stole her."

"I doubt it," Link said, rolling his eyes at her as he glanced around the clearing once more. "She must have just wandered off. But what I don't understand is why she's not coming…" Hesitantly, he played Epona's Song on the ocarina once more, only this time, he was greeted with the horse's panicky neigh sounding off in the distance several hundred yards away. The hero grew worried when he still couldn't see her in the thick woods and she would still not come. "It sounds like she's in distress…" Link said, making sure that his sword was still securely strapped to his back. "Come on," he said to Zelda with an exasperated sigh. "Let's go find her, and whatever you do, don't leave my side for a second, ok?"

"I'm not a little kid, Link," Zelda pouted somewhat playfully, though she knew that he only wanted to keep her safe. And she certainly had no reason to complain about that, considering her dreadful nightmare from a few nights ago. Nonetheless, neither of them said anything else as they began to go off into the woods, straying from the path to look through the inky thicket for Epona. They searched for quite some time, but their efforts were for naught, as the horse was still missing without a trace. At the very least, there appeared to be no signs of the evil being that had haunted both of their dreams, that is, until a chilling, ominous wind started to whip through the leaves of the trees.

Both Link and Zelda stopped in their tracks completely upon noticing the very sudden wind, their eyes widening at its familiarity. "Zelda," the hero whispered to the princess, his tone gravely serious and tense. "We need to get out of here. Now."

"But… what about Epona?" Zelda asked, her voice slightly shaking as she looked around at the waving tree branches overhead anxiously.

"I'll find her later," Link said with urgency, placing a hand on Zelda's shoulder as their pace quickened. "Right now, we have to focus on getting out of the woods."

The princess bit her lip as she noticed the look of concern and dread on the hero's face. "Do you think it's…?" she trailed off nervously, but he knew well what she was referring to.

"Yes," Link nodded as he took another cautious look around the nearby area as the winds began to rage on even more. "I do."

A sudden, yet quiet laugh started to sound out amidst the ominous gale, one that struck fear into the princess's heart as the hero quickly drew his sword, ready to fend off against whatever this was. "How right you are, hero…" the laughing voice said, and much to both Link and Zelda's surprise, it was undeniably female, something that neither of them could have guessed from how it spoke in little more than a dark whisper their nightmares.

The shadows of the already dreary woods began to grow even darker and more encroaching as the winds blew around the hero and the princess at hurricane speeds. The female laugh grew even louder and more wicked as she moved closer to the two of them, and as it did, Link drew Zelda into a protective embrace with his free arm, his other hand clenching onto the hilt of his sword tightly in preparation to fight.

"Well, well," the smooth, almost alluring voice said with malicious delight from her unknown hiding spot. "Look who I've finally found… You two have no idea how long I've been waiting for this moment… How long I've been watching you from the shadows, looking for just the right moment to strike… And it seems as though the time has finally arrived…"

"W-who are you?" Zelda whispered timidly as she clung onto Link tightly, her voice unheard in the rushing winds.

"Leave the princess alone!" the hero shouted in fury, knowing that this mysterious being certainly sought Zelda's life, which only made Link more determined than ever to protect her by any means necessary.

Cruel laughter reverberated throughout the area once more as the woman finally materialized behind the hero and the princess, neither of which knew she was there. "Oh, foolish hero…" she whispered tauntingly, just loud enough for both of them to hear. "Princess Zelda isn't the only one I want…" In a movement so silent that it never could have been anticipated, she leaned forward and placed a hand on Link's shoulder, startling him as she whispered darkly to him. "I want you too, Link…"

No less than a second later, the hero roughly freed himself from her grasp and, still securely holding onto the princess, spun around to face this new threat. The woman's physical appearance was almost exactly what both Link and Zelda had expected the moment they heard her voice. She was tall and imposing, towering over both of them by at least a foot and her skin was a pale blue pigment, showing that she clearly wasn't Hylian. Much of her head was covered by a dark blue, downward curving, pointed headdress that covered one of her eyes though an unbroken bang of bright red hair jutting out from it over her face. The one eye that was visible was a scarlet pupil surrounded by yellow, filled with wicked malice. She wore a magenta midriff-bearing armor as her top, with upward pointed, thick shoulder pads and a white, flowing yet formfitting skit that fell well past the ground with more armor at her thighs and a piece of blue cloth bearing an eye symbol that looked similar to the Sheikah eye, but not quite. She was clearly quite a few years older than both the hero and the princess, but she still looked to be quite young and beautiful, her very presence commanding an air of power, respect, and treachery.

For a long moment, she said nothing as she looked upon Link and Zelda, a calm, villainous grin upon her dark violet lips as she sized them both up, gazing upon both of them as they were nothing more than her prey. The hero and the princess exchanged a brief, nervous glace as they stood before their new foe, this woman who clearly had been seeking them both for some no doubt evil intent. "Who are you?" Link finally spoke up, showing no signs of fear since he was not afraid. Rather, he was dedicated to protecting Zelda, whose heart was racing as she pressed herself up closer to him for safety. "And what do you want?"

"Allow me to introduce myself…" the woman bowed mockingly before them both, though she clearly had no respect for either of them. "I have gone by many names over the years, but you may call me Veran, Sorceress of Shadow. And as for what I desire… well, I'm sure you'll both find out soon enough…"

The sorceress let out a cold laugh as Zelda finally worked up the nerve to say something. "P-please," she pleaded as evenly as she could, despite the fact that she was scared out of her wits, as she had never faced such a danger as this before. "Just… just let us go… We were just on our way home and we-"

"Silence!" Veran demanded, her cruel smile finally fading into a glare of anger. "You impudent little child! Thinking that I would dare let the two of you slip out of my grasp simply because you asked?! Foolish princess! Clearly, you not as wise as you are made out to be."

"Leave her alone!" Link shouted in anger, enraged at how the sorceress was mocking the princess in such a way and knowing that it was his duty to defend not only her, but her honor as well.

Veran smiled once more at Link, seemingly amused by him. "Oh, hero…" she said with a slight laugh as she began to circle both of them. "I have to say that your reckless boldness fascinates me to a certain degree… And so in light of that, I am compelled to ask… Are you afraid, Link?"

"Of you?" the hero asked with challenging defiance. "Not at all."

"Hm," the sorceress scoffed as her grin deepened. "How very brave… Well, let me assure you… You will be afraid…"

In a sudden burst of violet flame, Veran suddenly disappeared, though Link and Zelda both knew that she was certainly somewhere nearby, preparing to attack them both. They both still clung onto each other for dear life, refusing to let go no matter what was about to happen.

"Stay behind me," the hero whispered to the princess as he pulled out his shield, hoping that Veran couldn't hear him.

"Link, wait," Zelda said worriedly, glancing down at his bandaged wound. "Your leg is still hurt. You can't fight her like that. She could kill you."

"We don't have any other options, Zelda," Link said firmly, glancing back at her and seeing that she was already growing more panicked. "Listen to me," he said steadily, knowing that he had to be strong for both of them, least they both meet their end at the hands of the sorceress. "When I tell you to, you need to get out of here as fast as you can while I distract her. You can't let her get you under any circumstances, do you understand?"

"Link, no…" the princess said tearfully, realizing that this sounded too much like a goodbye. "I won't leave you."

The hero sighed, knowing that this was difficult for both of them, but there was much more at stake here than just the two of them. "Zelda, you have to," he said insistently, refusing to hear no for an answer. "If she captures you then Hyrule will be without its ruler and I won't let that happen. But if she captures just me then-"

"No!" Zelda nearly shouted in frustration with him, hating how selfless he was sometimes, especially towards her. "I will not let you sacrifice yourself for me! I don't care what you say; I am not going to leave you!"

Before Link could argue with her anymore, a sudden burst of flame appeared out nowhere, darting towards both of them quickly. Right before it hit them, the hero shoved the princess out of its path roughly; however, because of that, he caught the brunt of the strike, which managed to hit his already injured leg. Zelda nearly screamed in horror when she saw the horrible burn the flame had left on Link's leg, but he mostly ignored it despite the agonizing pain it caused him, and instead diverted his attention to Veran, who had reappeared in the center of the clearing.

"Are you sure that it's such a good idea to oppose me while injured, hero?" the sorceress asked tauntingly as she lit another flame above her palm, showing off her great magical abilities. "Wouldn't it be so much easier to just surrender? It'd be a shame if I were to ruin that handsome face of yours…"

Though Link ignored her teasing, Zelda couldn't help but feel a burst of hot jealousy run through her upon hearing Veran comment on the hero's attractiveness, though she wasn't quite sure why. But all the same, it momentarily replaced the princess's fear with anger, enough for her to join Link in opposing the sorceress, despite the fact that she had no weapon of her own.

For what seemed like ages, Veran remained still, observing the two of them and simply watching to see what they would do, as if she were studying her opponents in curiosity instead of fighting them. The hero and the princess looked towards each other for a moment, waiting for her to move, but she didn't and so they decided to briefly convene in hushed tones once more.

"Get ready to run as fast as you can," Link said to Zelda, still resolved to save her in any way that he could. Before she could protest, he quickly and discreetly slipped the Ocarina of Time into her hands, giving her a look that told her exactly what she needed to do with it.

"Link, please, no," she pleaded, already becoming hysterical at the thought of leaving him to face this deadly, wicked woman alone. "If you do this, you'll die. As wounded as you are, she won't hesitate to kill you; I know it."

"And if I don't," the hero said firmly, unrelenting. "Then you'll die. And I promised you that I wouldn't let that happen."

"But-"

"I'll be fine," Link quickly cut Zelda off, not wanting to hear any more of her arguments lest she convince him otherwise. He gave her a small, reassuring smile, and she hoped and prayed that it wouldn't be the last one she'd ever see him give her. "This isn't goodbye, ok? We'll see each other again and we'll stop her before she can even try to do anything to Hyrule. But until then, we both need to be brave, no matter what happens."

Zelda took in a shaky breath, ragged with tears of fear and dread. "Ok…" she said softly, taking simple solace in the fact that he had hope for their situation where she did not. Knowing that it was quite possible that she would never get another chance to do this, she impulsively placed her hand over the hero's, looking into his light blue eyes with aching admiration. "Link…" she began, her mind racing as she tried to put what she wanted to say into something as simple as words. "I…"

Before the princess could get another word out, Veran finally made her move, as she had spent the entire brief moment that they had been speaking conjuring up a new spell, one that she knew neither one of them would be able to escape from. As she raised her hand into the air, the shadows around her seemed to bend and move at her will, taking the shapes of jagged, menacing hand-like tendrils as they somehow peeled off the ground. For a moment, they rose up beside the sorceress as she grinned darkly at both Link and Zelda, before she thrust her hands towards them and the shadows moved entirely at her command.

The princess had only a moment to stare in awe at the darkness speeding towards her with wide eyes before she felt the hero harshly shove her away, urging her to get as far away from them as possible. "Run!" he shouted to her, slight desperation in his tone as he tore his blade through one of the shadows, which did little, for while the shadows could fully touch the two of them, they could not touch the shadows in return. It took Zelda less than a second, as terrified as she was, to follow Link's instructions and hurry off into the dark woods, not even caring what direction she was going in as long as she made it out of them with her life.

However, as she ran, she still had the wits about her to spare one last glance behind her, only to see the hero fruitlessly struggling against the shadows that Veran was commanding to attack him relentlessly. Her breath caught as she stopped abruptly in her tracks, watching with worry as all of the shadows preyed upon him alone, none of them even trying to chase after her. Though she was several feet away from the action, she could still see the Sorceress of Shadows, laughing wickedly as her evil shadows started to overpower Link, taking full advantage of the fact that he was already injured by striking his hurt leg head on. The hero cried out in pain as the tendrils of darkness immobilized him, robbing him of his weapons as they began to wrap themselves around his entire body, restricting any and all movement and pulling him to the ground, despite his resistance. Right before the shadows claimed him completely and pulled him into the void of unconsciousness, they dragged him towards the sorceress, who leaned in close to him and gave him a bone-chilling grin.

"So, hero…" she whispered to him darkly, her face only inches away from him as he glared back at her, despite the fact that his eyes were the only part of his body not drowned in shadows. "Are you afraid now?"

She didn't give him a chance to answer however, for with a dramatic wave of her hands, she commanded the shadows to sweep over him entirely, dragging him into their empty darkness and causing him to vanish completely out of sight. Zelda gasped in horror as she saw Link disappear, knowing that he had stood to defend her even when he couldn't and for that he had paid the ultimate price. Guilt and fear filled her as she thought about how much danger the hero's life was in had the hands of the sorceress, whom the princess could tell that what she lacked in mercy, she made up for in deadly power. But she could scarcely dwell on that now, for no more than a second after Veran claimed Link as her prisoner, she set her gaze on Zelda and grinned maliciously, already preparing to have her shadows target their next victim.

The princess's mind was blank with scattered terror as she turned on her heel and hurried away from her foe, remembering the hero's words as she ran as fast as her legs could carry her: "This isn't goodbye, ok? We'll see each other again and we'll stop her before she can even try to do anything to Hyrule. But until then, we both need to be brave, no matter what happens." Wishing for just an ounce of the courage that Link possessed in abundance, Zelda pushed her fears of capture away for just a moment as she pressed herself harder, ignoring the fatigue that was already starting to settle in as the shadows raced after her. She knew that if she could just make it out of the blackened depths of the woods and into the bright daylight of Hyrule Field, where Veran's shadows couldn't follow her, then she'd be safe and she would be able to start working on a way to save the hero. However, as Zelda pondered this, she remembered the instrument that Link had given to her, still clenched tightly in her fist as it had been since he had slipped it into her grasp.

With wide eyes, the princess stopped in her tracks and turned around, watching as the tendrils of shadow started to slow down and approach her more ominously. Glancing around, she couldn't find any sign of Veran, but she knew that the sorceress was certainly there, relishing in her supposed victory over both of them. And sure enough, her taunting laughter could be heard throughout the trees nearby, her sultry voice ringing out from an unseen place as she tried to further unletter Zelda.

"Well, it looks like your dear, noble little hero is mine now, princess," she cooed wickedly. "But, don't fret. I promise to take good care of him… After all, he's going to be with me for quite some time… Dare I even say… forever?"

Zelda felt the blood in her veins boil with fury upon hearing Veran's audacious claims, knowing that she would never let Link die in the grasp of their new enemy, no matter what kind of magic she wielded. However, before she could throw out any protests in response, the sorceress let out another dark chuckle.

"And, there's yet another thing for you to take solace in, Zelda…" Veran said, her tone haughty and assured in her success. "The fact that you're about to join him."

As the shadows crept ever closer to the princess, she simply glared at them, already through with listening to the sorceress's words. Without another moment's hesitation, she held the Ocarina of Time up to her lips, recalling the Prelude of Light, the song that would transport her to the Temple of Time, for she knew that was as close to the castle as she could get. She began to shakily play the melody, but Veran quickly caught onto what she was doing and immediately commanded her shadows to ensure that Zelda would not finish her song. As the shadows began to pounce relentlessly upon her, the princess hurriedly closed up the tune, thankful that she had committed it to memory since she was a child. And before she could meet a fate similar to her Link's, Zelda felt herself being enveloped in light, transported far away from the darkness, far away from the sorceress, and even farther away from the hero who had risked everything to protect her.


"I'm not sure if I understand…" Zelda frowned at Link as the two of them conversed once more upon the courtyard steps about his adventures. "Why would I send you back seven years in time after you just saved Hyrule? Wouldn't that just undo everything?"

"Well, I guess it kind of did…" Link shrugged. "But I think you felt bad about everything that had happened. You said that everything that happened to Hyrule was your fault and that it was because of you that I missed out on my childhood. I guess you just wanted to make things right."

Zelda sighed, still clearly bothered by this. "Are you mad?" She asked, looking at him nervously. "That all your hard work had been for nothing? It's OK to blame me if you are…"

"I'm not…" he assured her with a small smile. "You must have known that I was going to come back to tell you about Ganondorf's plan, so that none of it could happen in the first place. That was pretty smart of you."

Zelda blushed for a moment before her smile faded into a pout. "Well I must not be that smart. I thought that opening the Door of Time was a good idea, but clearly it wouldn't have been. It's a good thing you were around though, otherwise who knows what would have happened because of me?"

Link shook his head, refusing to let the princess take the blame for something that had been out of both of their hands. "By sending me back, you saved Hyrule from seven years of Ganondorf's rule," he said consolingly. "It was you who saved Hyrule."

"No," Zelda said, a smile coming across her face. "You did! You're the Hero of Time! You were the one who defeated Ganondorf in the first place."

"But I never would have been able to do that if it wasn't for you!" he proclaimed, his competitive nature getting the better of him.

"But you had to end up saving me in the end!" Zelda declared stubbornly, .

"I wouldn't have known where to go most of the time if you hadn't been there, guiding me and showing me the way!"

"Don't be so modest! Admit it: you saved Hyrule!"

"No, you did!"

"You did!"

"You did!"

The modest argument went on for some time, until finally, the princess and the hero eventually decided that it was through their equal efforts that the kingdom had been saved and now knew peace. And for that, they could not have been thankful enough to each other.


Yay! So the plot finally commenceth! Now before i say anything else, allow me to say that the Veran in this story is NOT the same one from Oracle of Ages, but entirely different character (who just looks and acts like her... hm...) Anyway, so now that we are finally at the plot, allow me to say that for the sake of improving this story overall, I'll be adding several new chapters along the way, with a TON of new and better content, so I really hope you enjoy! Don't forget to Review! Until next time!

Revisions to chapter 6: general overhaul, changing of the plot, improvements to dialogue and action scenes, improving Veran's character, general proofreading, ect.