Chapter 10

Link was riding in Hyrule field. He was happy about his friendship with Jinn. But he was also worried about facing Ganondorf. What if he was too weak? "Nonsense" Link thought to himself. Link was growing stronger each day. Ganondorf couldn't have been still more powerful. Link decided to train some more so he could assure himself with success.

He traveled back to his small cottage. He got off Epona and went inside his familiar little home. He sighed and pulled off his various weapons and armor. He was just about to go to sleep when he heard a loud shriek. He immediately grabbed his master sword and ran outside. He looked around but there was no one.

He heard the shriek again and stared in its direction. It seemed to be coming from above. He was looking towards a tree, which is where he thought the noise come from. There was a rather large and peculiar vulture sitting on one of its highest branches.

It seemed to be looking straight at Link. Something about that bird was creeping Link out. He was staring at it for a while and then he heard it right as the birds mouth opened. And then he realized the bird was the one making the strange shriek.

He stared out it for a while more and reentered his cottage. He set down his sword and crashed in bed. The next morning he woke up in a strange place. He seemed to be lying in a small cramped up brick wall room. He stared around. He didn't have any of his weapons or gear.

He looked around some more. There seemed to be no way out. He just sat down and waited. It seemed to be hours before something happened. "Grown tired of waiting, have you?" a raspy voice spoke out of nowhere.

Link stood up and looked around before shouting: "Who are you?" "Where are you?" he heard the voice laugh. Suddenly all of his surroundings changed. He was in a wasteland. A dark figure in a black cloak appeared.

"Hello, I expect you would like a bit more information on where you are, exactly." Link nodded. "Well I'll tell you" "You are in my castle" "And my name is …..Shad." The cloaked man said. There seemed to be pure darkness emitting off of him. "Shad, huh?" Link said. "How did I get here?" Link asked. "Heh heh" "My bird seeked you out and I brought you here" he replied. "So that was your bird!" Link exclaimed.

"What do you want with me?" Link asked. Some light shed upon Shad's mouth and Link saw him smile. "To kill you," Shad said quietly. Links heart skipped a beat. But then he calmed and said "You have picked the wrong person Shad!" "I am the hero of time!" Link shouted. "Oh have I really?" Shad suddenly cackled loudly. Then to Link's amazement Shad pulled off his cloak revealing a person much like himself.

Link was speechless. "The real name's Shadow" "To be a bit more precise Shadow Link," Shadow said. Link took a step backward. "Oh and as I said before we are in my castle" "Not in a wasteland although it looks much like it" "So there is no point in running," Shadow smiled. "Wait!?" Link shouted. Link looked Shadow over once more. "So your my opposite?" Link asked. "Precisely" Shadow said sounding amused.

Shadow started pacing while he spoke: "I suppose you wondering where I came from?" Shadow asked. Link nodded. "Well it is quite a long story" "But I suppose you not going anywhere" Shadow smiled harder. "Well it was quite some time ago, after my former master had lost a duel with you" Shadow said.

"Ganondorf?" Link said in surprise. "Indeed," Shadow replied. "He had taken me to this very castle" "And he started training me," Shadow went on: "Oh yes, he trained me harder than you can imagine" "I grew tired of him and decided I would rid of him forever," Shadow said. Link was completely silent and his expression bewildered.

"So I made a plan," "I started masking my power from him" "He grew tired of the weakness I displayed" "Therefore he was harder on me than ever before" "It was none other than quite a few months before I was powerful enough to overthrow him" Shadow looked off in to space as if he was replaying the memory in his mind. "Oh I made him suffer" Shadow said.

"I eradicated him completely" "Once he was gone I made other plans, plans that involved you" "You see Link or should I say hero of time?" "I am destined to rid of you and become king of Hyrule!"

Link was frozen, deep in thought, pondering about what Shadow just told him. "It's been quite a while since I've done this," Link suddenly smiled. Link calmly pulled out a blue ocarina out of his pocket and played the song of time. Shadow lunged at him but no, it was too late. Everything that Link saw at that moment was gray and frozen. Shadow was in midair about to land on him. An then the affect took place.

Link found himself next thing within the temple of time. He knew what he had to do. He walked up the ile and approached the legendary pedestal. He had all his weapons and equipment back. Including his master sword. He pulled it out and gazed at it.

He held it directly over the pedestal it was meant to meet with. He was not called the hero of time for nothing. He plunged the blade directly into the pedestal and immediately everything began to flash around him.

He smiled at the thought that he would once more become a twelve year old boy. But that boy had an important job to do…