It hadn't taken them long to saddle the horses and make their final preparations to leave the ranch. Since her horse was already saddled and ready, Zelda had nothing to do except help the others. That was how she noticed it.

Link was tense, his every movement betraying the nervousness he had to be feeling. She'd seen some of that tension on the way to the ranch, but now it was even stronger. Was he that worried about them?

He didn't need to; she and Malon were more than capable of handling themselves in a fight. He didn't have to protect them anymore.

Or was he worried about Hyrule? It wasn't as if the land was about to collapse. No, the three of them were more than capable of handling whatever the threat at the lake could possibly be.

Right?

Fade to Black
Side Chapter Three: The Ride

The trio had barely left the walls of Lon Lon Ranch before Malon spoke up. "So, Link, why did Epona come back by herself four years ago?"

Link groaned and slumped back in his saddle. "As I said, that's a long story."

"And we've got a long ride ahead of us, don't we? From what Zellie was hinting at earlier, this is something important. Therefore, I need to know, and we've got nothing but time at the moment, so tell me."

"Zelda!" Link snapped, suddenly straight as a board in the saddle, his entire body tense. "You did what? Weren't you listening when I said I didn't want half of Hyrule knowing about this?"

Zelda turned in her saddle to look at Link. "I do believe that Malon is not "half of Hyrule," and besides, if she is going to fight beside us, she needs to know who to and not to attack."

"Oh, so what?" Malon replied. "Zellie can know and I can't?"

Zelda couldn't keep the tiny grin off her face after that.

Link turned an interesting shade of red. "That's not what I meant! It's just..." He tipped his head back and looked up at the sky. "No. I'm not explaining it again. Zelda, you're the one who hinted at it, so you tell her what I told you."

In some ways, Zelda wanted to protest, but Link did have a point. She had one, too, though; if something happened and Link split, Malon needed to know that Time and Shadow weren't enemies. And it would be much easier to tell Malon ahead of time so she knew what to expect.

"Very well, then I shall."

Link rode ahead, although whether he was acting as a scout or merely getting far enough that he couldn't hear Zelda couldn't say. She noted that he stayed close enough that she and Malon could yell and get his attention, and then she started telling the story as best as she could.

Malon listened quietly with a look of horror that seemed to get more noticeable as Zelda went on.

"That is what he told me," Zelda finally said.

"That... That sounds horrible! He isn't hurting, is he?"

Zelda shrugged. "He says he isn't, but I don't know if I can believe that. He doesn't seem to be in any pain..."

"Then again, if he's been through all that, he might be used to it," Malon said, softly. "Let me get this straight. Link can... split into two people, both of whom are Link, only not."

"They're parts of his personality, it seems. I don't know much more than you do, since Link doesn't really like talking about it."

Malon smiled weakly. "Is that why he took off ahead of us? Where'd he go, anyway?" She stood up in the stirrups. "I don't see him anywhere. Ooh, he must have taken off after we started talking! Just wait 'til I get my hands on him!"

"He can't be far. I can't see him leaving us on our own as much as he worries about us. There's a wall; let's climb up on it for a better look around," Zelda said, pointing. Link wouldn't have just abandoned them. He must've gone over a hill or behind a wall or had gone just out of sight behind something else.

Zelda climbed onto the narrow top of the wall and managed to balance atop it. Looking around, she couldn't see any sign of Link or Epona. "I don't see him!"

"What?" Malon climbed up beside her. "Fairy Boy, you'd better not have left us behind!"

"He doesn't like it when you call him that," a soft voice said from below them.

Malon gasped and knelt down to keep her balance. Zelda jumped and almost fell off.

And the voice just laughed. "You... you should've seen the looks on your faces!"

Zelda climbed off the wall. That sounded like Shadow, but what was he doing here by himself?

"Hey, you're one of the guys Zellie was telling me about, aren't you?" Malon said from her perch on the wall. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

Zelda walked around the wall as Shadow shrugged. "It's a little bit of yes and no," he said, smirking. "I was just walking back to meet up with you two and decided to take a little nap here in the shade. Then you two rode up and climbed up there, so I said hi."

"You didn't say "hi." You just started talking!" Malon said, thrusting a finger accusingly in his direction.

Shadow just shrugged again. "Details, details."

Malon scowled and jumped off the wall. "I'll bring the horses around. Because if I stay, I'll smack him."

"Shadow, where are Time and Epona?" Zelda asked.

"Time said something about wanting to check out the gates. I came back so you two wouldn't think we'd forgotten about you. Anyway, he wants us to continue on towards the lake -- nice trick, that, with three people and two horses -- while he does whatever he's got in mind and then meets back up with us around sunset." Shadow looked up at the last afternoon sky. "Which means we'd better get moving, or we'll never make it in time."

Zelda just looked at him. "We're supposed to get as close as we can to the gates by sunset. We could make it if we ride fast, but one of the horses is going to be carrying two riders. Unless you plan on walking, that is."

"Well, I say he can walk," Malon snapped from the other side of the wall. "He just had to make us jump, so we just have to make him walk."

"What?" Shadow yelped. Then he cleared his throat and stood up, apparently trying to regain his composure. "I mean, we need to stick together --"

"Which is why Fairy Boy went ahead of us," Malon said flatly, walking around the wall with the horses.

"All right, fine," Shadow spat out, scowling. "Don't believe me. You won't be the first. Go on, ride ahead of me. See if I care." He whirled around and stalked off in the direction of the lake.

Zelda sighed. This was off to a wonderful start.

"Zellie, is he always that moody?"

"Not always." Zelda took her horse's reins. "Just a lot. Shadow, wait!"

He stopped, hip cocked and arms crossed. "Shouldn't we be moving, ladies? Or are we going to stand out here all night?" His voice was more amused than annoyed at the moment, and Zelda wondered what had made him change his mind so fast.

Malon shook her head slowly. "We're faster when we're all riding. I suppose I could carry your gear, Zellie, and then he can ride with you until we meet back up with Link."

Zelda sighed. "Very well."

xXx

In the end, that hadn't worked at all. No matter how much Malon and Zelda had tried to keep the horses calm, neither of them would let Shadow get close enough to touch them, let alone try to mount. After several tries, the trio had decided that they'd wasted enough time and to just travel on foot, with the ladies leading the horses and Shadow walking ahead as a scout.

Their first good view of the gates came just after sunset, the gates barely visible.

"Where are we supposed to camp?" Zelda asked, staring in the direction of the gates. "If things at the lake are as horrible as the evidence claims, it would be best if we weren't in plain sight. I'm not entirely certain we can even risk a fire..."

"Time's supposed to find us a place to stay," Shadow replied, climbing atop a nearby fence and scanning the field ahead of them. "That is, if he hasn't gotten himself caught."

Malon cleared her throat. "Zellie, someone's coming." She pointed to a large figure coming towards them from their left.

Zelda turned to look. A dark horse with a light mane and a strange winged thing on its back. "Is that Epona?"

"It looks like her," Malon said, "but I can't tell for certain."

Shadow jumped off the fence. "You two stay here; I'll go investigate."

Zelda watched him walk towards the figure on horseback. "I hope he knows what he's doing."

Malon climbed onto her horse. "Just in case, Zellie, I think we should get ready to run."

Zelda could only hope that it wouldn't come down to that, but she mounted her horse and then readied a pair of throwing daggers. There was only one Epona, and she doubted an enemy could handle the horse well enough to ride. Still, she couldn't help but be cautious. There was clearly something not right around this lake, and that something might just be riding Epona towards them.

She glanced around the field to ensure nothing else was trying to sneak up on them. This time, she hoped, she was just being overly cautious...

"Malon! Zel! Get over here!" Shadow's voice shattered the stillness.

Zelda quickly urged her horse towards the figures in the distance. As she approached, she realized why the figure had seemed so strange; the rider was slumped forward, clinging to Epona's neck, his long cloak flowing behind him as Epona ran. The rider was Time, and his clothing was torn and bloody.

"What happened to him?" she demanded.

"Control Epona so I can get him off!" Shadow snapped, clearly torn between wanting to get Time off Epona and not wanting to spook her.

Malon tied her horse to a nearby tree and then gently approached Epona, singing her song in a shaky voice.

At the first chance she had, Zelda ran over and helped Shadow ease Time's battered body out of the saddle. Time had several deep gashes down one arm, and half of an arrow stuck out of his shoulder.

She managed to lay him on the ground and open his cloak so she could better see his injuries. Something, a beast perhaps, had attacked him; he was covered in deep gashes, and was that wound on his right forearm shaped like a bite, or were her eyes playing tricks on her?

"Who did this to you?" Shadow demanded. "Who did this?"

"Shadow, stop it!" Zelda snapped, running to her horse and digging through the saddlebags for one of the vials of potion she knew was in there. "We need to tend to those wounds!"

"Tell me! Who did this? Where is he?" Shadow yelled, his fists clenching what was left of Time's shirt.

Time's only response was a weak groan of pain.

"You're not helping him!" Malon yelled, grabbing Shadow by the shoulders and pulling him off of his other half. "Stay back if you aren't going to help bandage him."

Shadow growled and stepped back, standing up and staring in the direction of the lake.

Zelda ignored him; there were more pressing matters than Shadow's temper. Her fingers brushed glass, and she pulled a bottle of red potion out of the saddlebag. By the time she got back to Time's side, Malon had already started dressing the worse of the lighter half's wounds.

Behind them, Shadow muttered something they couldn't make out and walked away.

Malon and Zelda spent the next while tending to Time's wounds, pausing only to light a lantern. Zelda wasn't certain she wanted to risk the light, but they didn't have a choice; they couldn't very well tend to those wounds if they couldn't see.

Finally, Time seemed to be resting somewhat peacefully, and Zelda had a chance to look around. Shadow wasn't there. She stood up and picked up the lantern, holding it as high as she could. He wasn't there. Where did he go...?

"Shadow? Shadow, where are you?"

Her only answer was the wind.

"Shadow, tell me where you are, right now!"

"Din, Nayru, and Farore," Malon swore, standing up. "I don't believe this. He's been nothing but trouble ever since we first saw him!"

Zelda turned to look in the direction of the lake, seeing the gates more in her mind than with her eyes. "He's gone to the lake."

"By himself, and he's left us to tend to his brother!"

Time groaned behind them. "What...?" His eyes widened quickly as he tried to jump to his feet, but he fell back to the ground clutching his side.

"Sit down and rest before you tear something open," Malon said with a sigh. "Your brother has apparently gone off to avenge you."

"That's not funny, Malon..." Time said weakly, wincing as he carefully stood up. "Where is he?"

Zelda sighed. "She isn't jesting, Time. Shadow's not here. Our guess is he has gone to the lake."

Time stared out into the distance for a moment, as if lost in thought. Then he swore and stamped angrily at the ground. "Shadow, you damned idiot!" He glanced at both Malon and Zelda. "We have to go after him; maybe we can catch him before..."

"Before what?"

"Before he finds who he's looking for."

xXx

"He destroyed the Hunter. Are you sure it's wise to have let him ride away like that? He was injured, my Lord; we could have killed him if we'd merely tried."

A smirk. "He knows the one I'm hunting. The monster of a man who tore through my land like a cyclone, who destroyed my village and slaughtered my family, is his brother. And now, the beast will come running to me seeking vengeance. And I will slaughter him."

"That's what you think, you worthless son of a bitch!"