Link spent the next two weeks in and around the engine room, making sure that any pipe or flange or hose that ruptured under the strain could be repaired as quickly as possible. When not asleep or working, he would grab a bite to eat in the kitchen, where he usually found Ganondorf speaking haltingly to Zelda. Now and again he saw the old man pouring over books, especially ones with pictures. He watched as Ganondorf stared long and hard at a picture of Link's home city, where the Nohasen Enterprises building towered over all others, and wondered what the old man would make of it all.

As the port came into view, Zelda turned to Ganondorf. "I think now is the best time to change Blacken back. Delmar's already radioed ahead and alerted the authorities, so the police should be there when we dock."

Link stretched his arms, and beckoned for some of the other sailors to come to his side. "We'll hold him down and make sure he doesn't try to escape by jumping ship."

With everyone standing ready, Ganondorf made a casual flick of the wrist over the jelly creature, and they found themselves staring at Blacken on his hands and knees on the deck. Blacken stared up at the old man before him, eyes as wild as they had been just before his transformation. "You fools…you fools! What are you doing?!" He stood and the sailors jumped forward to restrain him. "Captain! Captain! What horrible curse have you brought down on our heads?"

Captain Delmar scowled at his former First Mate. "Blacken, once we dock the police will arrest you for mutiny. I've nothing more to say to you." He turned and stomped back to the main deck, giving orders to slow the ship down.

Blacken turned to Link and Zelda. "What's wrong with you? Are you not Tetra's descendents? That man is the embodiment of pure evil!" He pointed with one free hand at Ganondorf, who wore an indifferent, almost blank expression. "You have unsealed the great darkness! Famine and disease will devour the earth as it did in ancient times! The King of Evil is once again free to wreak havoc!"

Ganondorf appeared completely unimpressed with this description of himself and turned his attention to the growing cluster of buildings onshore.

Blacken ranted and raved the entire time that they pulled into and secured the ship to the docks, growing in intensity as the uniformed officers seized him. "You'll regret this, you fools! Death is at hand! Be prepared to pray for forgiveness when the Apocalypse comes, the sky opening up again and drowning us all as it did Hyrule! May you forever be tormented in Darkness for the part you played in its quest for power!"

His voice turned to incomprehensible shrieks and babbling as the police dragged him off the ship. Link watched Ganondorf out of the corner of his eye. All this time the old man's face had been completely impassive; but the moment Blacken ducked out of sight, a small, satisfied smile crept across his face.

---

The old man had agreed to a "No Magic" commandment from Zelda, in order to keep the compass in his possession. Unfortunately he didn't feel that should extend to his swords, which could not possibly fit in his sleeves without something more than mere slight of hand. He had kept his nervousness in check long enough to get to the dock entrance; but when the sleek, black limousine from Nohasen Enterprises pulled up to the curb, out they came. The driver hurriedly shifted the car in reverse and was about to speed away when Link and Zelda pulled Ganondorf away, the old man poised to leap on the hood and stab the strange black monster in the windshield.

Zelda opened the doors and showed him the inside, explaining it was a means of transport. Then she held out her hands for the swords. A long argument ensued, ending with Zelda keeping the swords in the limo, in his sight but out of his reach. Ganondorf spent the trip to the Nohasen building examining every light switch, the minibar, and the radio, or sticking his head out the window to watch the scenery go by.

Link had never been in a limo either, but he decided to keep his dignity.

Once there, Zelda spoke briefly to the driver. "I need to meet quickly with my shareholders about what we have found," she informed them. "But both of you are welcome to stay at my home while we make preparations for our next voyage. Link, can you look after him, please?"

"Sure," Link said, looking out of the corner of his eye at the smirk on Ganondorf's face.

"All right. I'll meet you there in a few hours." She walked quickly to the elevators. Link mused for a moment over the fact that she was still wearing normal clothes. He wouldn't put it past her to have a whole closet of suits just at her office, outside of whatever she had at home, ready for just this kind of occasion. He'd spent so much time with her as an equal and now he was back to being just another employee. Though he doubted she'd treat him that way, even if other members of the Nohasen Corporation did.

Link swiftly pulled something he'd brought along out of the limo trunk, a large bundle wrapped in black fabric. He walked back to the lobby, where Ganondorf stood examining the surveillance cameras with great interest. "Hey, old man. Time to go."

Ganondorf glanced briefly over his shoulder with eyes narrowed in irritation, then turned back to the camera.

"I said," Link stated in a low voice as he casually flicked a bit of fabric away from a purple sword hilt, "It's time to go."

Ganondorf whirled round, his expression changing instantly to black anger. "You threaten me?"

"Not if you don't create a scene. Zelda wants us to go to her house. Is that really that bad?"

The fire in the old man's eyes slowly died, and he straightened. "No." Pushing past Link, he headed back to the limo. He seized his swords, which Zelda had left lying on the seat, and placed them back in his sleeves, with a very pointed look at Link. For his part, Link sat opposite him with his sword across his lap. They both sat there, not moving, watching each other for the hour and it half it took to drive to Zelda's mansion.

---

The Nohasen family mansion reeked of old-money charm, made of stone with the occasional lion's head sculpture, an enormous fenced-in and forested lawn separating the stately abode from the road. The driveway was made of cobblestones, and jolted the riders as colorful flowerbeds and sculpted bushes rolled past. A thin, middle-aged man opened the door for them and introduced himself. "My name is Jonathan, and I am Zelda Nohansen's house assistant. Sirs, if you would come with me, I can show you to the guest rooms. Ms. Nohansen called and said she should be home for dinner." He opened the enormous oak double doors at the front of the house and beckoned them inside.

Link had seen such homes in movies, but never really thought they existed. The front hall was made of marble and had the requisite crystal chandelier hanging over all, with a double stairway leading to an upstairs chamber. There were four smaller doors, two on each side of the floor where they stood. Portraits hung everywhere, and on small pedestals he could see some small artifacts of the drowned kingdom that had been incorporated into the Nohansen décor.

Jonathan led them through a twisting set of hallways, where they passed so many museum-quality portraits, sculptures, and furniture that Link's head ached. Finally, Jonathan opened a door into an airy, wood-paneled room with glass doors that opened out to a balcony. "Ms. Nohansen requested that you take this room, Mr. Link."

Link reminded himself to thank Zelda for giving him a room where he didn't feel like suffocating. Jonathan opened another door on the other side, two doors down. "This one is for you, Mr. Ganondorf."

Link sneaked a peek out of curiosity. The room had walls of granite, with dark, rich rugs on the floor and a large bed. Ganondorf grunted his approval.

"If you need anything, both your rooms have bells next to the light switch." Jonathan demonstrated and they heard a light chime. "Either I or another one of the staff with come to assist you."

Link expected him to start pushing the button as he had all the others, but the old man didn't seem to have any interest. Apparently buttons in houses were nothing new to him. As Jonathan left, Link could see Ganondorf laughing silently at some private joke. "What's so funny?"

The old man turned to him. "This very appropriate for a Zelda."

"Appropriate for Zelda." Link never missed an opportunity to correct his speech.

Ganondorf smirked again, at some other riddle Link had no answer to. Then he stepped inside and shut the door behind him.

---

"Mr. Link, if you are ready, dinner is waiting. Ms. Nohasen is already in the dining room."

"Thank you." After Jonathan left, Link hurriedly pulled on what he termed his 'fancy pants' and a clean shirt. He traced his way back to the entry hall and found Ganondorf staring at a portrait.

The old man wore the same thing he had been wearing since he had emerged from the stone. Link wondered how he stayed clean, for he had never seen Ganondorf wash it. Yet it continually looked as if he had bought it yesterday. Link figured that came from whatever magic that kept his swords hidden.

Magic. Another thing that had somehow become 'normal' in the short span of time he had been involved in the Hyrule excavation.

Ganondorf turned to meet him, but this time he did not have any words of contempt. He jerked his head toward the portrait. "You know this man?"

Link glanced at it. "It's King Daphnes, Tetra's ancestor. The one who sank the ancient kingdom because it was about to be overtaken by an evil force."

The old man gave him a steady look. "You believe this?"

Link shrugged. "We don't really know what the legends mean by that. It's one of the mysteries we're trying to solve with the expedition. I've heard Zelda say she thinks it was some sort of pandemic or something…but we don't really know." He smiled in spite of himself. "Maybe it was an eclipse that set Daphnes off. All that talk about darkness…imagine being afraid of the moon!"

Ganondorf gave him an odd look, then nodded as if satisfied. He gestured toward the portrait. "You see this man, you kill him. No questions."

Link stared. "He's been dead for centuries."

With an enigmatic little smile, Ganondorf said, "So have I."

Speechless, Link watched the strange old man turn and head toward the dining room.

--

The three of them sat in a small, private dining hall, probably reserved for the mistress of the house, on the few occasions she was at home and not entertaining company. Link felt relieved. He had been afraid she would bring in her executive compatriots, but she came home alone.

"We should have all our supplies restocked in a couple of days," Zelda said finally, breaking the long silence that had been accentuated with the tinkle of silverware on china. Both looked up at the sound of her voice, which seemed much thinner than usual. Link noted circles under her eyes.

"Do you want to rest for a few days?" Link asked. "The ruins have been there for thousands of years. They can wait a little longer."

She sighed, and put down her fork. "The shareholders keep bothering me for results, and I showed them what I had. I had a hard time explaining the mutiny without mentioning Ganondorf."

"You didn't tell them about him?" Link asked. "Why not?"

"It is probably best," said Ganondorf, not wanting to be talked over but unable to contribute much to the conversation.

"They would not believe me if I told them. A man who steps forth from stone? They would lock me up if I did not produce proof. And I do not want to put him on display."

Link privately giggled at the mental image of Ganondorf inside a cage, with a little sign stating 'Ancient Man' above him. And children feeding him peanuts…

Ganondorf ignored him completely as he spoke to Zelda. "There is very little magic here."

"There is none." Zelda looked at him, eye to eye, and Link jerked out of his silly mental image.

A strange mixture of realization and deep melancholy flooded the old man's face. "I could feel it. The…energy is different. Static…"

"This is not Hyrule." Zelda's voice took on a lower tone, and seemed older, strangely resonant. "This is the country to which our ancestors fled after the legendary Golden Kingdom sank beneath the waves for the second time. The magic was unique to Hyrule…our ancestors had to adapt to a world without it. And so, these old ways have been forgotten. The only remnant is that small golden shard which was passed down through our family.

"We didn't even know it had magic properties. There was no way to identify such a thing. We just knew it was a strange energy, and had unusual elemental properties…like uranium, for instance." Link nodded, but Ganondorf looked blank. "But we knew it was drawn to the ancient kingdom…somehow."

Ganondorf took out the little compass and twiddled it around between his fingers for a while. "You know the creation legend?"

The others shook their heads. Ganondorf thought for a moment, gathering together his fragmented vocabulary. "In the beginning, there was…nothing. Three Goddesses came. Din, goddess of Power, made the earth. Farore, goddess of Courage, created all living things. Nayru, goddess of Wisdom, gave people the knowledge to govern themselves and separate them from the animals. When they left the earth, they left the Triforce behind. It is…the magic that fuels Hyrule. Hyrule cannot be separated from it." He pulled a face. "I don't know the words to tell the story well," he grumbled.

"So…then Tetra's ancestor, Daphnes…how could he break apart such a powerful thing?" Link asked.

Ganondorf thought for a moment, as if deciding how much he wanted to say. "The Triforce is Hyrule's heart. It was hidden for many years. Hidden and protected…like here." He thumped his chest. "Magic like blood, flowing in the body. But Hyrule's heart was exposed. It has such power, that you can make it do anything. Ask it to bend reality…end a drought. Make me king. Destroy my enemy. Daphnes asked it to destroy itself. No more Triforce, no more Hyrule."

Link squinted, trying to make the fragmented pieces fit together. "So…you could make a wish and the Triforce would make it so?"

Ganondorf nodded. He and Link turned their heads when Zelda made an irritated sigh.

"We have proof that the Triforce has magic properties," she said slowly, staring at her plate as if something rotten sat there. "But it is still so much outside everyone's comprehension, I can't show it to my shareholders. I haven't told them anything about Ganondorf at all, other than we met him on the Great Sea. I told them that he lived on an isolated island there."

"So what?" Link demanded. "Why does it matter? You didn't start this expedition to make money off Hyrule anyway."

"That's the problem." She put down her fork and pressed her hand to her temple. "Even though this is my company, I have to make sure the people who invest in it get something back. And the expedition only drains money. They are not interested in my ancestor's ruined kingdom." She shut her eyes." They've been trying to get me off this project for a while now. They've threatened to remove me from my position if I don't leave it to an academic expedition and go back to running the company." She looked up, her face drawn. "They say that if I don't come back with something significant on this next trip, they'll vote someone else in my place."

"No!" Ganondorf sat up straight, his face set. "We cannot restore Hyrule with someone else. The Triforce will only come to us."

"Why?" Link asked.

Ganondorf hesitated. "You are Tetra's direct ancestors."

Link felt he wasn't getting the whole story, but decided to let it be. "Zelda, why don't you quit? You probably could pay for this whole thing on your own…if you were willing to give up some stuff you don't need."

She sighed. "This company has been in my family for generations…I can't just leave." Turning to Ganondorf, she said, "I need to ask a favor of you."

He looked interested. "Yes?"

"There will be a banquet tomorrow. I want you to play the part I described for my shareholders…someone who has lived on the islands, and is familiar with the ancient kingdom. They won't believe you if you tell them everything, and you probably shouldn't anyway…but I need you to help me convince them that the expedition has value. That Hyrule is worth searching for." She looked hesitant. "Can you do that?"

A crafty smile spread across his face. "Of course."

--

Link spent most of the night hiding in the corner with his gin and tonic. Upper-crust banquets were extremely uncomfortable, he decided. He pulled at the neck of his starched shirt, and frowned in the mirror at the ridiculous bow tie he had to wear. It was a 'black tie affair', and therefore specific monkey suits were required. Zelda had asked that the two outfits be made for both her companions.

He could see Zelda off to the side speaking to what he assumed must be the investors. She was stalling as much as possible. Both she and Link could sense that there was something about Ganondorf, something hidden beneath the surface, that should be kept out of sight from other people. And not just his uncanny ability to practice magic. But sooner or later they would demand to see the last bits of the expedition she had been holding back, and Link would have to go get him. He was not looking forward to it.

Link saw Zelda walking toward him, with two men flanking her on either side. Both wore sour, expectant expressions and looked as if they actually liked the uncomfortable penguin outfits they all wore. She stopped next to him and gave him a gracious smile. "Link, would you bring our guest in? My companions would like to meet him."

The man on the left, with a face like granite, nodded shortly. "Yes, and be quick about it, please. We've been waiting all day." He shot an annoyed look at Zelda, who ignored it and simply smiled her serene smile.

Link wondered at her patience. He would have smacked those two men around ages ago.

He opened the small dressing room that Ganondorf had been given. The old man wore a dismally grouchy expression, tugging at the fabric which he had put on wrong, despite being shown how to do so several times. He'd forgotten the cummerbund, and the bow tie sat untouched on the opposite side of the table.

Link sighed. It was like being put in charge of a very violent, disturbed child. "C'mon, you were supposed to be ready by now." He picked up the cummerbund and walked toward him.

Ganondorf snatched it out of his hand and pushed him away. He fumbled with it for a bit, glaring at Link if he didn't keep his back turned and refusing any help. He picked at the fabric for a bit, attempting to make it look exactly right. Apparently he understood the value of appearances, even if he didn't understand the use of this particular outfit.

"This too." Link picked up the bow tie with a perverse kind of displaced pleasure; if he had to wear one, then so did Ganondorf.

Ganondorf took it from him with a snarl and brought it around his neck. He fumbled with it for a bit, both sneaking a look at the lopsided one Link wore in order to figure it out, and also sneering at the young man for his relatively haphazard appearance.

"Hurry up." Link did not want anything to go wrong for Zelda. He reached for the bow tie but Ganondorf slapped his hands away. After watching him fumble for several minutes more, Link shoved him and took hold of the bow tie.

Link had to concentrate very hard on the bow tie not to look up into the severe, burning yellow eyes that stared at him with deep hatred and suspicion that Link still didn't understand. Ganondorf stared at Link like a man at the gallows with a noose around his neck, and Link could feel a tense nervousness, as if the old man were really afraid Link would simply choke him out of temper. And with that fear came a boiling rage that made Link briefly fear for his own life as he struggled to make the damned black fabric stay in the shape of a silly little bow.

Finally he stood back. "There, all finished. Now let's go."

Ganondorf tugged at the tie a little, then ran his hand through his neatly brushed red hair. He really did look good in that outfit, quite sophisticated, but Link wasn't about to say so.

But when they reached the ballroom, the old man's demeanor completely changed. Instead of snarling like a wet cat, he gave a gracious smile equal to Zelda's to the two corporate hangers-on, as well as a crisp handshake. His face relaxed, as if he could not think of anyplace he would rather be or anyone he would be more delighted to see than the two sour-faced men.

"I have seen small samples of the artwork in the ancient kingdom," Ganondorf said smoothly. "Surely you have an eye for such things? It may not be practical, but one with a refined taste would certainly find it intriguing…"

"Ah, of course, I love art," said the man on the left. "I am more into modern art, though. There is a much higher level of creativity…."

"Indeed. But when you take into consideration the amount of work put into the old carvings…"

"Ah yes!" The man on the right spoke up. "Nothing beats the classics, I say. I have quite a collection of ancient art at home."

Zelda walked away with a slightly perturbed expression on her face, and approached Link. "Like a duck to water…he acts like he's dealt with snobby aristocrats many times before. Look at him make them try to one-up each other in front of him!"

Link shrugged. "Yeah, he seemed pretty barbaric before, but maybe that's because he couldn't talk outside of waving his swords. Besides…we found him in the ruins of a castle, he probably went there now and again."

A little worried crease formed on the bridge of Zelda's nose. "We've got something very big on our hands, Link…so big I'm not sure how we can contain it…and we know so little about it…"

Link turned, surprised. "Do you mean Hyrule, or Ganondorf?"

She watched as the three men broke into laughter, and Ganondorf walked off to find new victims. "Both."