Ow…ow…oh goddesses, ow…Link pushed himself up slowly, waking up enough to see where he was. Huh..? No wonder I'm in pain…Link looked to his left and sure enough, he had fallen out of bed. He rubbed the sore spot on the back of his head, and yawned.

"Well, that was eventf…what in the..?"

Link looked around in shock, seeing snowflakes scattered everywhere like crystal confetti.

"How did that happen," Link gazed at the window. "I wonder…"

Link got up and investigated. Sure enough, the window was slightly ajar. Must have left it open last night…oh, Nayru, I hope I don't get sick…well, time to start the day! He caught sight of himself in the mirror. It took him a while to realize he was looking at himself in the mirror and when he did, he laughed. Link looked as if he had run into a bear in the middle of the night, with his hair messed up and his shirt twisted to the side. Slowly, he recalled he had a nightmare, but was unable to remember what it was about. Link shut the window, but realized he was colder than he should have been. Wait…what in the heck..?Did I..? Something else registered at that moment as well, making Link's laughter die in an instant. It was replaced by a nervous laugh. Well, I know that whatever it was, it was terrifying…Link reasoned, changing into his tunic and tights. He was grateful no one was there to see him blush in embarrassment, ESPECIALLY Zelda. If it was THAT scary, it was probably another prophetic dream…it suddenly came rushing back. Link had been in an out-of-body experience of sorts, watching the war while unable to participate in it. He was impressed to see Zelda fighting as if it was second nature to her, but soon a Gerudo sneaked up behind her…Link tried to warn her, but she couldn't hear him, and the sword came down…and that's when Link realized he had fallen out of bed.

"Oh, goddesses…goddesses, I hope it isn't…" Link paced around in panic. "I can't fight right now! What am I gonna do…what am I gonna do…wait…what season was it in my dream? Let's see…there wasn't any snow…must have been spring, summer, or fall…in short, I need to get well enough to return to Hyrule…but what to do in the meantime? I'm trying to learn to read and write…but what about the stars? Or mathematics? How about medicine? Well, I can study that last one when all this is over, but…well, I can do basic math…let's see if there is anything around I can use to teach myself a higher level of it…"

Link paced until he remembered when Rusl gave him a few books a long time ago.

"Where did I…the basement! Of course! Where I put everything I can't use!"

He scurried downstairs. Link wanted to impress Zelda when…or if…he saw her again.

"Sheik…hello…are you in there?" Telro pawed the sleeping warrior desperately, panting tiredly. A bit of drool dropped onto Zelda's forehead. It was cold enough to wake her up

"Huh...what? Oh…" Zelda rubbed her eyes. Through the darkness, she could just make out a white, furry outline. "Eww…" She said, wiping the slobber off her forehead. "What is it, Telro?"

"The officer…he wants…everyone to the middle of camp! Immediately…" Telro panted, gesturing for Zelda to follow him. She jumped up and followed him, knowing that if the officer called everyone to attention when it was dark, something interesting was going to happen. She followed Telro through the camp at a brisk pace, trying to keep up with his speed. Shortly, they arrived at the middle of the camp and joined the crowd around the central fire. The clashing of armor filled the air, as well as the sounds of conversation, but all was silent when the officer shouted for everyone's attention.

"ALRIGHT! Listen up! The Gerudo army has been spotted just north of here. If we can advance quickly and quietly enough, we can take them by surprise…and end this once and for all!"

An uproar of agreement filled the air, but was hushed by a glare from the officer.

"Saddle up your horses, grab your armor, and follow me to their camp. When you arrive, get as close to the middle as you can, then start to attack people in their sleep…anyone. Steal nothing unless you absolutely need it…and if you can, attempt to kill their leader! Am I clear?"

Everyone nodded.

"Good…now, let's ride!"

Link awoke with a start. What in the…it's still dark out! Why am I awake? The triforce on Link's left hand shone brightly in the semi darkness of his house. Oh…it's today! I've got to find Epona! Link leaped out of bed and dressed hastily. He gathered his bow and arrows, his shield, and a sword he had found by the river one day. It's slightly dull, but it will have to do. Link raced out the door and called Epona to him. She seemed to understand the situation, because as soon as Link was in the saddle, she galloped to the bridge to Hyrule.

Zelda gripped Whirlwind's reins, while Whirlwind pawed the ground. From on top of the hill, she could see the whole Gerudo camp, including a large tent where she assumed Ganondorf was. Whirlwind tried to surge forward, but Zelda yanked on the reins, trying to keep him still. In the process of trying to move, Whirlwind almost stepped on Telro. Telro jumped to the side and snarled up at Zelda.

"Control your blasted horse…"

"Sorry…Whirlwind is a little much for me…"

Telro grumbled something about "incompetent rider" and gazed down on the camp.

"Okay…are we going for that really big tent in the middle?"

"I believe so…"

"Okay…and rip the throat out of Ganondorf, right?"

"If you can…but be careful…" Whirlwind tossed his head, and Zelda gripped the reins tighter.

"Don't worry about me…I'll be fine." Telro looked over at the officer, waiting anxiously for the go signal…everyone was. An eternity of silence and uneasiness passed, then the officer nodded. Telro slinked forward, and Zelda noticed how his paws made no audible sound when they hit the grass. Whirlwind saw Telro move, and took that as his cue. He surged forward into a full speed gallop, Zelda trying to slow him down the whole way to the camp. The rest of the army followed, each person hoping he wouldn't be the first one caught…and to be the warning to the Gerudos of an ambush. Whirlwind galloped into camp, with Telro close behind. Zelda was immediately grateful Whirlwind had lost all of his shoes on the journey, as the grass muffled his hoof beats. Her heart beat mirrored Whirlwind's hoof beats. Zelda was constantly afraid of being captured…they'd discover her secret for sure! She finally slowed him to a walk when she realized they had reached the center of the camp without being noticed or caught and breathed a silent prayer of thanks to the gods. Telro gestured for Zelda to follow him, and lurked into the tent where Ganondorf was expected to be. All was silent, until a vicious growl filled the air, the sound of a dog attacking, a smack, and a surprised whimper. Telro raced out of the tent with Ganondorf at his heels, and Zelda noticed that Telro's mouth was bleeding, staining his snow white fur scarlet. She turned Whirlwind around and rode for her life towards the edge of the camp. She had almost reached it, but she was too late. Ganondorf had awoken the army, and the Gerudos made a human wall to prevent Whirlwind and Zelda from escaping. Zelda turned Whirlwind around and rode back in the direction she came. Whenever a Gerudo approached her, she hacked at the person, hoping she had done enough to kill them. Suddenly, Whirlwind slid to a stop in front of a collapsing tent, knocking Zelda off. He galloped off in another direction, and Zelda anxiously took up her sword and fought for life.