Notes: Well, that was a longer chapter last time. Anyhow, in this chapter I think that those of you who have been waiting for the Master Sword will be happy to see that it finally gets its introduction! Enjoy!

Previous Chapter Summary: Arlon takes Link in secretly to meet with Princess Zelda, who asks Link to assist her in catching Lord Emit or obtaining evidence of his wrongdoing with the case of the illegal fighting ring by attending it as a fighter while in a disguise. After Aurora reminds Zelda that all the Princess can do with the Hero is ask for help, not gain his servitude, Link accepts the task. The fighting ring, called the Blood Brawl, sickens Link with its cruelty, and he fights to knock out his opponents while awaiting an opportunity. Unexpectedly tapping into Aurora's powers and visiting the strange location, which he suspects is inside the Sword of Souls, he defeats a black-garbed girl using an enchanted dagger that enhances her speed who is known as a favorite of Emit's. Then, a chain-scythe-wielding human boy assists him under the guise of combat in capturing Emit, whereupon Link fires the Arrow of Light into the sky, signaling the Knights to come break up the ring.

CHAPTER TEN: Legacy

Location: Hyrule Castle
Time: Morning of the sixty-fourth day of Summer (KAHII 35)

"Avery," the human said, offering his hand to Link, who was once again in his own green clothing.

Link took the boy's hand and shook it. "Link," he replied. "Pleased to make your acquaintance at last." Avery's mouth twisted into a smirk.

"Likewise," he responded in his odd accent.

"Great," Aurora said, clapping her hands. "Now that you're introduced, how about acknowledging my presence, you scythe-using vagabond? I know you can see me. You've been studiously avoiding looking where I am."

With a slight annoyed twitch at the corner of his mouth, Avery turned his head and acknowledged Aurora with a nod. "Hello, Sword."

"I have a name! Aurora!" she protested. He briefly rolled his eyes. She narrowed her own. "Don't do that," she said.

"Yeah, please don't treat Aurora like that," Link interjected, causing his new acquaintance to raise an eyebrow.

"You don't have any room to talk," the sword-girl said, leaning her face up toward Link's, causing him to blink and lean back in the fancy wooden chair he was sitting in. "You promised not to let go of me and then threw me!"

"I can't fire a bow at the same time as you're in my hand," he said mildly.

"You could have at least warned me!"

Avery propped one leg up on the other. "As amusing as it is to watch a swordsman argue with his weapon," he interrupted, "perhaps you should remember where you are." The companions turned as one to face him.

"What are you talking about?" they asked simultaneously.

"The fact that we are in the castle of Hyrule, waiting in a waiting room for audience with the Royal Princess of the same to be congratulated, presumably, on our assistance in the mass capture of many criminals, especially high-profile ones like this Lord Emert."

"Emit," Link corrected at the same time as the transparent girl standing beside him said, "Evil." The two shared a glance and grinned.

The room where the three of them awaited a meeting with Zelda was a fairly small room. The walls and carpeting were blue, as was the ceiling, and the only adornment were a few portraits along one wall and a half-dozen carved wooden seats with high, elaborately-designed backs. After the incident the previous night, they had been escorted to an inn (the same one where Link had stayed the previous few nights, funded by the Castle) and told to rest, and that they would be escorted to the castle the next morning. Link had been very tired, now that the battles were behind him, and after the two of them had shared a potion, they went to bed. As promised, they had been summoned to the palace in the morning, and they had finally gotten some time alone as they sat expectantly while the Princess handled some of the matters relevant to the previous night's case.

"So," Link said after a moment of silence, "Avery. Where are you from? Your accent is … different. Also, why were you there last night, and how did you know what was going on?"

Avery crossed his arms as he leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes. "I'm a foreigner," he explained, "come from past the eastern borders of Hyrule. The name of my motherland is not important to me any longer. I have long since abandoned all my ties there. I came to this Hylian-ruled land of Hyrule three years ago, and have made my living here as a wandering mercenary, selling my skills with the scythe as a protector and guard to travelers.

"I came to the city two weeks past to pick up on the news from the other parts of the kingdom, since trouble had begun brewing where I was working. Once here, I saw you giving the Lord Emit a piece of your mind and decided you were interesting, so I followed you. From your rendezvous at the palace and subsequent actions, it was easy to determine where and what you were going to do, so I joined you. I have no love of vultures who see the blood of fighters as red money pouring out, nor did I like this Emit's display of his superiority over mere children any more than you did."

Avery opened his eyes and stared impassively at Link. "What about you, Link the Forest Wolf? I have told you my hailing and reasons, so now you tell me yours. Where do you come from? You are exceptionally skilled at fighting and use a strange style."

"Ordon. It's a small village – tiny, really – in the Hoklir Forest. My sister raised me, and I trained in swordsmanship and strategy with old Faro and Falo, both former Knights of Hyrule of some repute," he winked. "I developed my own style. I left early this summer –"

"You talk too much," Aurora said with a yawn. "You don't need to tell him your life's story."

"I wasn't going to!" Link denied.

The door opened, stopping the conversation, and a servant dressed in an expensive black suit came into the room and bowed.

"Her Royal Highness, Princess Zelda, will see you now."

*
Location: A Prison Cell (Hyrule Palace)
Time: Morning of the sixty-fourth day of Summer (KAHII 35)

Alexis, known alternatively as Alex or Lexi, sat in the darkness on the cold, uneven stone floor of her prison cell underneath the Palace of Hyrule. Even though it was summer up above, down in the dungeons it was chilly, even cold, and only the fact that her black faux-Sheikah suit was multi-layered kept her from shivering. The black-haired, green-eyed fifteen-year-old wrapped her arms around her legs. In the blackness, she could hear the sounds of other prisoners in nearby cells cursing and pounding the stone walls of their cells, occasionally rattling the metal bars of the doors. Only those with no surname and no merchant background to rely on were locked in the underground dungeon. The rich and noble had prettier, cushy holding cells above ground.

She wanted to believe that her lord and master, Raistler Emit, would free her. That he would come rescue her. But he had been arrested as well, and even if he hadn't, she knew that he wouldn't come for her. She had failed him, and she had not only failed him, but allowed his enchanted dagger to be shattered. He did not hold with failures, and he despised those who caused him to lose property. He had been her rescuer, her hope, her road to vengeance against the murderer who slaughtered her family, her salvation; and in return, she had learned to fight and to kill for him. A personal stealth killer, an assassin. Her hands were stained with the blood of others, and she had killed them willingly to pay her debt of gratitude. She had hardened her heart to the truth, that she was merely being used to pave the way to her master's success with the blood of those who stood in his way. And now, she was going to be tossed away, a casualty in his quest to absolve himself of his own sins in the eyes of others.

She shook her head. Even if they never found out about the murders she had performed on his behalf, for her participation in the Blood Brawl she was likely to remain incarcerated indefinitely, and that was if she were lucky. And even if they never found out about her crimes, she knew them, and she knew that she deserved whatever punishment she received, and more. Left alone without a purpose, her excuses and reasons for washing her hands in the blood of others vanishing like smoke, she was left with no choice but to come to grips with the things she had done. She shook.

It's just the cold, she lied to herself. It's only the cold. I haven't cried since the night my family was murdered five years ago. I don't cry anymore. What's done is done. I can't give life back to those I stole it from by shedding tears.

She sat in contemplative silence, wishing she could drive the thoughts from her mind. The sounds of the other prisoners kept her connected to the reality of her situation. She squinted her eyes and raised a hand to shade them when light suddenly flickered in the hall outside the cells. Someone had come down to them, carrying a torch. Whoever it was received the full oral force of the inmates' anger, but did not reply. She struggled not to close her eyes from the light that was blinding her when the torch-bearer stopped by her door. Her eyes were narrowed so much that she could scarcely make out the person.

"Come on, you're being brought upstairs," the figure said roughly, identifying him as a man and most likely a member of the Palace Guard or the Hylian Knights. "Come quietly and calmly, and I won't have to put you in chains."

She widened her eyes in surprise and immediately regretted it as light flooded into her dilated pupils, causing her to wince at the sudden pain (and hold back a cry). She climbed to her feet slowly as the guard opened her cell. He reached out and roughly grabbed her wrist with the hand that wasn't carrying the torch, tightening his grip painfully as he dragged her past the other prisoners and toward the stairs. She kept quiet, her mind spinning as she tried to figure out what was going on. Lord Emit couldn't have spoken for her, could he?

The guard led her up stairs and through hallways, and after the long trip she found herself standing in a large room – at least 150 feet long and wide and some twenty feet high – in which there were a row of small chairs about 30 feet from the wall with the door facing the opposite wall and several rows of large chairs and long tables along the other three walls facing the center of the room, where a single small chair stood alone. The row of small chairs was empty but for Lord Emit, the man with whom Emit's primarily dealings had been done, and a number of other lesser nobles, all of whom Alexis recognized as having participated with the Blood Brawl. All of the large chairs were filled by politicians, which included, among others, all of the Heads of all the noble Houses and a large majority of the other nobles as well. All the chairs, that is, she noticed with surprise, except four – one particularly ornate chair held a man whom she could only assume was King Armin, at another the Princess Zelda, and in two more ordinary chairs nearby, two teenage boys – one of whom she strongly suspected was the one who had beat her in the Blood Brawl. Why was he here instead of down below?

The guard pushed her into one of the small chairs and stood next to it at attention. Alexis turned to catch Lord Emit's eye, but he completely ignored her, confirming for her that he had not been the one who had been behind her release. Someone cleared his throat, and the room became completely silent. All eyes turned to face the King as he leaned forward on the long table in front of him. His golden crown filled with its variety of rare gemstones glittered atop his head of graying hair. His thick arms folded over on each other, the purple sleeves splaying across the wood, and he flattened his large hands against the surface, his enormous signet ring displaying prominently among the several others he wore. His lined countenance, while showing signs of his physical unfitness and making him appear years older than his mid-fifties, also gave the impression that he was a man of power and authority with the way he held his stern gaze.

"All of you," he began in a voice that served to confirm his power, "are accused of violation of numerous laws protecting the life and well-being of the people of Hyrule. It has come to our attention that there has been an illegal event called the "Blood Brawl" being held with the knowledge and support of those present. All who sit before us were caught at the scene of the most recent "Blood Brawl," attending this unlawful fighting arena. You stand accused of multiple crimes, including withholding knowledge of illegal activity, gambling on the undisciplined life-and-death battles of this "Blood Brawl," participating in the organization, funding, and support of an illegal fighting event, and aiding others in participating in this illegal fighting, among others. Your crimes have resulted in the death of many individuals, for which, if you are found guilty, you will be held accountable." He leaned back and looked to Zelda. She stood and spoke, her voice steel.

"The two individuals who stand accused of formulating the idea and supplying tools, supplies, and monetary needs to perform the actual organization and running of the so-called "Blood Brawl" are here identified as Tiedrich, a merchant whose knowledge and connections allowed for the supplying of tools and locations for the event, and Lord Raistler Emit, Head of House Emit, a nobleman whose treasury supplied Tiedrich with the monetary requirements for setting up the event. It is also noted that both Tiedrich and Lord Emit stand accused of directly supplying fighters from among acquaintances and servants to participate in the "Blood Brawl." Tiedrich, come to the Questioning Seat."

The man who had worked with Emit stood and strode almost defiantly to the seat in the center of the room, sitting down slowly, staring directly at the King and Princess.

"What have you to say?" the King asked in a tone that allowed no disobedience. "Do you deny these allegations?"

Tiedrich looked around the room briefly, taking in the expressions of those watching, attempting to determine his chances. The faces were mostly impassive, but those that weren't had clearly already decided that he was guilty. Turning back to the King, he answered, "I do not deny that I assisted Lord Emit with his command to aid him in the creation of the Blood Brawl," he said. "He threatened my life were I to refuse or go to other authorities."

"That's a lie!" snarled Emit from his seat. "I never had anything to do with it!"

"Silence, Lord Emit," commanded the King, and Emit ground his teeth but did not continue. The King addressed Tiedrich, "You say that under fear for your life, you obeyed Lord Emit's orders and created an organization that lead to the deaths and permanent crippling of hundreds of men, women, and children without even one attempt to contact others?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Despite your numerous contacts and not inconsiderable personal fortune?"

There was a short, half-second pause, and then, "Yes, Your Majesty. Lord Emit is rumored to have skilled assassins and excellent spies. I was afraid that I would be found out."

The King gazed at him with a penetrating grey-eyed stare. Tiedrich quailed inwardly, but he did not allow his own staid expression to alter. Finally, Armin said, "Do any of the others present to judge have questions of their own?"

None did. He had admitted to his guilt, and that was enough.

"Then Lord Emit, replace Tiedrich in the Seat of Questioning," Zelda ordered.

Tiedrich stood and walked unflinchingly back to his original place as Emit rose and paced up to the central chair. He sat down hard, his face barely under control, hints of the fierce snarl he was holding back still visible.

"What do you have to say? Do you deny these allegations?"

"Yes, I do!" Emit answered angrily, almost shouting. "I was framed for this whole affair! I had nothing to do with this "Blood Brawl," nor this "Tiedrich" merchant! I am innocent of this! This is merely an attempt by my enemies to remove me from my position as the Head of House Emit!" He pointed at the green-clad boy seated near Zelda. "He's responsible! He threatened my life and then he brought me to that abominable arena!"

"That is absolute nonsense," Zelda responded, her voice cold with repressed anger. "He was sent to the Blood Brawl by me to ensure that the ones responsible for the crime did not escape." She paused and stared down at him. "Unless you are suggesting that I am the one attempting to discredit you, your accusations of him are baseless." She looked around the room pointedly and then seated herself.

Emit's face twitched angrily. So it was her! he thought furiously. The execution was too perfect for it to have been anyone else! But if I accuse her here…I may lose any chance I have at getting out of this. "But he participated!" he howled. "Ask these others! If he were truly working for you, would he have done that?"

"I'm quite aware of Sir Link's activities," she said coldly, surprising everyone with her use of the title. "And would like to note that he entered quite reluctantly and only at my insistence. I felt that it offered the best opportunity for catching the culprits unawares. Let it also be known that while this "Blood Brawl" was a rules-free, lethal tournament, every opponent that he was forced to fight he knocked unconscious with nonlethal attacks, save the last, who assisted him in your apprehension," she added, gesturing toward the brown-clothed human youth.

"That's just what he told you!" Emit vehemently denied. "You have nothing but his word to go on! There is nothing but that boy's word that I was even there before he kidnapped me!"

A short bark of laughter drew the room's attention to the head table where the King, the Princess, and the Heads of the twelve noble Houses sat (including a young man with House Emit's colors, a cousin of Lord Emit's who was next in line for Head). The youthful orange-haired Lord Damien shook his head, an incredulous grin on his face.

"Kidnapped you?" he asked. "You expect me to believe that this mere boy was able to kidnap you?" He shook his head. "I know you well enough to be aware of the numerous precautions you have against back-stabbing from the rest of us. You have your own personal soldiers, like all the noble Twelve, but you also have a separate personal guard and a veritable army of spies and watchmen. Even if you were alone in the streets yesterday and the boy somehow managed to capture you, it would have taken less than an hour for your men to find and free you. You were found in the middle of the night. What possible reason could there be for you to have been wandering the streets in the dark?"

Several of the other nobles were nodding, realizing the sense of what the young Head of the House Damien said. Others looked thoughtful, considering his words. Only those who Emit was sure would vote for his innocence regardless were unaffected by the speech.

"Is it wrong that I feel the need to stroll through the streets of our fair city to admire her in her silence every once in a while?" demanded Emit, his displayed emotion shifting from anger to hurt.

"Completely alone," added Damien. "Without your usual entourage."

"I have my right to solitude!"

"This is going nowhere…" muttered Zelda under her breath. "A servant of yours was caught having battled at the event," she said aloud, diverting the conversation.

"Impossible," he declared. Zelda made a small gesture and the guard standing by Alexis grabbed her wrist and made her stand.

"Bring the girl forward," commanded the Princess.

Alexis was marched up to stand beside Emit. The guard let go of her arm. She glanced around the room with trepidation before looking down at her seated master. He completely ignored her, all trace of recognition expertly hidden.

"This girl was found lying unconscious in the battle ring," Zelda informed everyone. "She was one of Sir Link's opponents." She reached under the table and brought up the hilt of the shattered dagger, the emblem of House Emit clearly visible in the light. "This was nearby. As you can see, it bears the sign of Emit's House. Sir Link has affirmed that this girl did, in fact, use this weapon against him." She looked at Alexis. "What is your name?"

Lexi glanced down at Emit, who was still ignoring her, his eyes on Zelda. She answered hesitantly, "Alexis, Your Majesty." She curtsied, trembling. Why am I so afraid? There's no way out of this for me. I'm going to die regardless of what happens.

"Are you a servant to House Emit?" the aqua-eyed woman continued.

"Y-Yes."

"I've never seen this child before in my life," Emit interrupted, attempting to keep his voice calm. It wouldn't do to make this part emotional; that would make things suspicious.

Zelda ignored him. "How long have you been in service?"

"F-five years, Your Majesty."

"Do you acknowledge you were at the event last night, fighting by Lord Emit's orders?"

She glanced down at Emit again before saying, "Yes, Your Majesty."

Damien spoke. "Forgive my interruption, but you're just a girl, miss Alexis," he said curiously. "What do you do in your service to Lord Emit, apart from participating in illicit fighting tournaments?"

This time, Alexis shook, her expression pained and filled with regret, and she looked down at the floor. I can't cry anymore. I made myself incapable, she told herself. So why do I feel like my eyes are holding back tears?

"I…I'm an assassin," she admitted, and the seated crowd made a variety of noises. Some were surprised, others disbelieving, still others amused, and even more acknowledging that it was ludicrous. "I…I'm not proud of it," she continued, and the room fell silent again. She looked up, pleadingly. "My family was murdered," she said, feeling the sudden need to unburden herself. "And my Lord Emit took me in. He…he promised me revenge. He had me trained," she went on, looking around the room. "He had me trained in stealth and in combat. In ways to kill. He helped me find the murderer. I avenged my family. But I had a debt of gratitude to him that I could never repay! I vowed to serve him, to perform whatever tasks he set before me. I…I buried my heart and killed for him! But I…can never rid myself of my brother's smiling face," she added, the tears finally breaking through. "I know he never would have approved. He was a Knight of Hyrule, protector of the people. And when I think about the blood on my hands… I…"

"This is absolute nonsense," Emit snorted. "Does anyone here really believe this crying girl is capable of murdering someone in cold blood? Does anyone here really believe that I would use a mere child as an assassin? Baseless rumors aside, I do not use assassins. I am not that kind of man. This is a ridiculous farce. If it is necessary to stoop to such levels to prove my guilt, then is it not obvious that I am not guilty?"

"I think," said a calm, almost mocking voice, "that we are sidetracked. We have yet to receive answer for the main witness's credibility – this boy that the Princess has supposedly used to catch the criminals." Lord Yael's face was almost a smirk. "I don't believe any of us know this 'Sir Link,'" he said. "Perhaps the Princess would enlighten us?"

This got a reaction. Every head (save the King's, Link's, and Avery's) turned to face the Princess, clearly expressing the same reservations. Zelda took a breath. The entire case hinged on whether what she was planning worked or not.

"Link," she said slowly without further hesitation, "remove your glove." The eyes of the nobles and politicians slid from Zelda to Link. He carefully pulled on the fingers of his glove and then slid it off. Some of those nearby gasped in shock. "Show them your hand." The Hero lifted his left hand and displayed the glittering golden tattoo. Many more people now echoed the gasp; most of them recognized the sacred artifact for what it was, the Triforce, and those who didn't still knew that it was part of the Royal Insignia.

"Link has been chosen by the goddesses," she declared, "to carry a fragment of their power, the Triforce. The legends passed down from antiquity say that when Hyrule faces danger, the goddesses will choose a Hero to house their power, and that Hero will be garbed in green as each Hero before him back to the very first Hero. The tales of danger outside these city walls – surely you have heard them. Some of you may have also heard the rumors of a curse that had befallen Lon Lon Village; that curse was broken by Link! Sergeant Hawke of the Hylian Knights has given his word that Link single-handedly defeated more than half the Kargaroks that attacked Napils a few weeks ago." She fell silent suddenly, looking around the room confidently.

After a moment of awed silence, Laxus suggested, "The legends also say that the Hero is the only one who can wield the Sacred Weapon, the Blade of Evil's Bane, the Royal Relic, the Hero's Legacy: the Master Sword. We could dispel all doubts as to his authenticity as the new Hero if he were able to draw the weapon from its ancient pedestal. It will suffer the touch of no evil man, and it will not allow any but the chosen Hero to withdraw it from its stone."

There was a murmur of assent from the people. Inwardly, Zelda winced. She had hoped it would not come to this. She had no doubt that the boy was the Hero, but who knew what would happen when the Sword was removed from the pedestal? If the legends were to be believed, it would bestow a final blessing on the Hero, giving him a unique power. However, there were also legends that said the drawing of the Master Sword foretold the coming of even greater perils. It was not something she had wanted to risk. However, it appeared now that she had no choice. She glanced at her father, who stood.

"We cannot take everyone to the Chamber of the Light, so only the Heads of the twelve noble Houses may come with us. We will see with our own eyes whether this young man who has aided our daughter in bringing about justice is truly the Hero told of in the legends." As one, Link, the Princess, and the Heads stood and turned to follow the King out of the room to travel to the Chamber of the Light, which resided in a far wing of the Palace. In that chamber, the Master Sword slept beside the Platform of Light.

The rest of the room fell silent. It would be at least an hour before the party returned. They might as well settle in.

*
Location: The Chamber of the Light
Time: Morning of the sixty-fourth day of Summer (KAHII 35)

Seated cross-legged upon the stone platform bearing the symbol of Light, the platform so similar in design to the one found in the forest, a clean-shaven man clad in a simple brown tunic meditated with his eyes closed. His tousled blond hair, his unlined face, his smooth yet toughened skin – all these things made the man appear to be much younger than he was. An observer would have guessed him to be in his twenties. Only his hands, which were calloused and worn, would have given any indication of the time and effort he had spent training with the sword, but they were covered by gloves. Across his back he wore an unadorned scabbard, in which rested a simple long sword, its hilt protruding over his left shoulder. On his waist belt a simple pouch was all that could be seen. The man's serene expression spoke volumes of his experiences, and told that he was yet un-jaded by the sights he had seen.

So that is the situation, to the best of your knowledge, then? he spoke mentally to the unseen presence that filled the Chamber. I see. It would seem that things are very grave indeed. In that case, I will remain in this time for now. He may need my help.

The presence assented. There was a long pause that stretched for several minutes. Then the presence assumed a voice and spoke to the man's mind.

"You must depart. The Hero and others come."

The man nodded. He slowly opened his pure blue eyes. In them, the courage and determination that were so foundational to his character were clearly visible. In them, the wisdom and knowledge that only comes with age betrayed that the man was not as young as he seemed. He quietly rose to his feet. For a moment, his beautiful eyes rested on the Master Sword, sitting in its pedestal in front of him. Then he reached into his pouch and withdrew a single instrument, a small blue ocarina. He lifted it to his lips and began to play.

The sweet, melodious sound, laced with power, echoed off the walls of the Chamber, and in a flash of light, he was gone.

*
Link's first reaction upon stepping into the Chamber of the Light with the Royals and twelve noble families was one of awe. The spacious Chamber felt almost like a tiny temple, a place where only those with appropriate reverence were worthy to be. The symbol on the raised platform was unfamiliar, but given the nearly identical nature of the platform to the one in the forest, he guessed it must be the symbol of Light. It was all the boy could do to keep his mouth from hanging open at the simple, yet majestic room. He felt an awareness as if someone were watching him like a guardian would. When his eyes fell on the Master Sword, he stifled a startled cry.

That's the sword that Dark Link has! he told Aurora. Except that his is pitch black. I saw this one, this purple one with that golden mark, in my dreams!

Settle down, Link! Don't get over-excited. This is why you're here. Your dream led you to this place, she said. But you know, she remarked with an element of awe evident in her own voice, that's an amazing sword. I can tell just by looking at it. If there ever were a sword that rivaled me, that one is it. I can feel the sacred power of that blade – it, too, was forged by the goddesses' will.

Link could only do the mental equivalent of nod. It was just as beautiful as he had seen it to be in his dreams. He found the Sword of Souls to be more beautiful, to be sure, but there was an almost tangible feeling of rightness about the Master Sword. It almost seemed to call him. The pull of destiny was indescribably strong. He walked in an almost dream-like trance toward the long sword. The others stood aside and watched him with expectant gazes.

The youth wrapped his left hand around the hilt of the sword, and the Triforce on the back glittered even more brightly. He felt as though he had just grasped a string connected to an unlimited power source. He paused. This was his sword by right. He was the Hero. Hadn't he been told that by the Sage of Forest six years ago? The enormity of his decision weighed on him. If he drew the blade, he would be bound to Hyrule as its guardian and protector. He, a mere seventeen-year-old, not yet even a man.

Pull it out already! complained Aurora. She was still bitter about having to keep spirit inside the Sword of Souls so as not to attract attention from those at the trial who might be able to see her.

He pulled. The sword did not move. He struggled mightily, using all of his strength, focusing all of his will and determination. The back of his hand began to burn, and the Triforce blazed with a blinding light, causing the others to shield their eyes. When the light had faded, he was holding the Master Sword.

Suddenly, his right hand rocketed to Aurora's hilt of its own accord. The cloth covering her light fluttered to the ground as the Sword rang out of its sheath. The Triforce and the Master Sword both began to glow with a golden light, and the Sword of Souls wreathed itself in multicolored lightning. Link's eyes snapped shut without his input. His heart beat faster. His blood began to pound in his veins. His eyes flew open again, and the back of his right hand burned. His glove flared up with a golden fire, and then vanished. He stared in amazement at his right hand. A strange symbol in rainbow colors had appeared. It looked like one of the characters he had seen in the tomb.

Blades, Aurora read, astounded. It says, Blades. Never in the history of the Sword of Souls has this happened.

"Blades," he echoed aloud, his own amazement evident in his voice.

"And a new Hero is born; the Hero of Blades," the presence in the Chamber said to itself. "What, I wonder, will his fate be?" wondered Rauru, the timeless Sage, the Sage of Light.

END CHAPTER TEN

COMING NEXT IN CHAPTER ELEVEN: DARK REVELATIONS

The trial is over, and punishments have been laid out. Link spends his time practicing with his legendary swords, and discovers that he is not the most skilled man around. A double-agent works under cover for a dark, mysterious being. And a dark swordsman comes to Castle City with ill intent.