I tore down the hills and through the fields astride Epona, racing toward the Kando border. The lack of foes I met on my way gave me apprehension rather than relief; it meant that Ganondorf had ordered those women to kill me, the Hero's Guide. I felt deeply unnerved knowing that only a dusty old scroll, given to the Gerudo Ambassador, had saved myself, Link and all of Hyrule from certain destruction.

They had put their lives in danger in the hopes that I could carry out my mission; to say nothing of poor Darmati, still besieged in his own home. The task ahead weighed even more heavily on my shoulders, especially since I had to bear it alone, at least for now.

The few attempts I made at contacting Link through magic went nowhere. I had never been good at it, and the few times I did manage to break through I only got a wave of nausea. His captor likely found it in his own best interests to keep Link only one step above dead.

Worn out and lathered by the time we reached the Kando border, Epona slowed down a good deal. I dismounted, running on my own two legs with her halter in my hand. By this time the storm had ended, but the large puddles and tiny rivers snaking their way along the path added mud to the water and sweat stains on my clothing.

The guards at the border stopped me, then waved me on when I showed them a small paper stamped with the royal seal. I repeated this with one of our own soldiers at the safe town, a scruffy little place with tipsy houses and more mud in the streets than the ditches. I smiled slightly, for there was no one outside, and I knew why; as much as the nobles likely hated their safe houses, they at least provided some shelter from the weather. I had orchestrated this whole village, of course, and knew that a sudden rise of conspicuous mansions just before the Bearer of Power's appearance would attract attention.

Pausing, I let my eyes linger on one of the larger houses, nearest the town well. A few of our infirm lived there, including my father. My heart ached, and I felt tears sting my eyes as I realized how much I missed his face, his voice, his warm demeanor. Would he fear for me? Or would he be proud that the things he had taught me had not gone to waste? I wanted to approach him, mud and all, and show him how I had learned to wield a sword and change my destiny.

But I could not. My entire mission, the source of my liberation, depended on secrecy. With difficulty, I turned my face from his house.

In the middle of the town I found what passed for a shop; upon entering the shopkeeper stumbled out of his chair and bowed eagerly. "What can I do for you today, milady?"

I recognized him as Ayural, a formerly successful merchant who often fell out of favor in the royal court. It had to do with his habit of securing illegal material. But here it was a matter of survival, and my heart lifted knowing that his traits were finally actually helping my people.

"I need healing potion," I told him straight off, then leaned in closer and lowered my voice. "Also…do you have any tools in the back?"

There was no "back" to this tiny place, but he understood what I meant. Prying a large stone from the wall, he pulled out an assortment of Kando weapons. He watched as I looked through them. "You have a warrior's eye," he said in a voice that I could tell was only half merchant's flattery.

I selected several different types of arrow. "How much for these and the healing potion?"

"Five hundred rupees."

I could easily afford that, but he would be suspicious if I didn't haggle. "They're not in the best condition. Two fifty."

"I can't take less than four hundred."

"I only have three hundred with me. Do you really know a lot of people in this little town who can use these properly?"

He sighed. "Three hundred it is, then."

I made my way to the back of the town, where it kept its rubbish heap. I figured nobody would look for an entrance to a castle among the broken pots and chicken feathers. Of course, there was another guard, though not dressed in soldier's garb. This was Sir Mawldin, and it was to him alone that I could reveal myself.

He made a great show of waving a stick at me. "Go on, you ruffian! There's nothing worth stealing here!"

I did not change my appearance, but I did loosen my gauntlet and allow the Triforce mark to show through my disguise. His eyes widened, and he made a little bow. "What brings you here?" he whispered.

"I need to get into the castle," I told him, just as quietly.

He stared at me as if I'd suggested wading through a pool of acid. "Are you insane? You haven't given up, have you? The usurper king is still there."

"I need to get something out of the castle. Don't worry about me, I know its passages like the back of my hand."

"I can't think of anything in there that would be worth that kind of risk!"

I sighed, and lowered my voice still more. "The Bearer of Courage has been taken. He's not strong enough yet to fulfill his role."

Sir Mawldin looked as if he would faint. "The Bearer of Courage taken? Then all is lost…"

"No it's not," I snapped. "I can get him out of there."

"But what if you come across the usurper king?"

I talked with more bravery than I felt. "I fought him once. I can do it again."

His eyes as wide as platters, he asked in a barely perceptible voice, "You fought him? And lived?"

"Barely." I grinned at my own dark humor. "Please, Sir Mawldin. I can fight you if necessary, but I don't want to…."

He stepped aside, awe and wonder in his eyes. "You are truly the leader of our people," he said. "Good luck, and may the Goddesses be with you!"

The outline of the door glowed blue at the touch of my marked hand, and I stifled a sigh of relief upon finding that my spell had indeed remained intact. Ganondorf did not know about this entrance, and if I did this correctly, he never would.

The stone door moved aside of its own accord, and with a final wave to Sir Mawldin, I sprinted down the corridor, the door closing behind me. As it shut, small veins of blue magic lit the way for me. I tried to run at a steady pace, for it would take me a good couple of hours at least to get to the end.

After what seemed like an age and a half – there was no way for me to determine time in that place – I approached the door into the castle. "Door" is probably misleading; I had engineered the spell to seal the corridor with a wall once all of the Hylians had passed through. Using another spell the Sages had taught me, I could walk through this wall without ever betraying its true purpose.

I placed my hand on the wall and closed my eyes, searching for enemies on the other side. I did not sense any in the immediate area. I nervously fingered my bow and the Kando arrows; if I used too much magic Ganondorf would sense my presence, and I wanted to avoid fighting as much as possible. If I did fight, I decided I would use weapons quick and destructive.

But even with all my careful planning, I still stood literally at death's door. My enemy was not one who would give any quarter. The two Bearers in his possession would be the end of us all.

But I was the only one who could do this.

I took a deep breath and forcefully drove all the worst-case scenarios from my mind. This is a search and rescue mission. Find Link and get out. Focus on nothing else!

I pressed my hand against the wall and slid through.

I felt a shock immediately upon entering, the prevalence of dark magic pressing in around me and infecting my lungs. I felt exposed and breathless, as if on top of a high mountain in thin air. Yet I knew I was undetected by my main adversary, at least for now.

After that first stunned moment, I immediately ran down the hall toward the lower quarters. The door stood at the edge of the royals' chambers; most likely Ganondorf had taken that area as his own.

I knew of three possibilities for Link's prison. One, the most likely, was the South Tower used to imprison important people with magic ability. It was the most secure place aside from next to Ganondorf himself, the second possibility. I tried not to think too much about that one. The third was the common dungeons; I doubted Ganondorf would put a warrior in one of those, whatever his condition; but if he suspected that Zelda or Kera would come for Link, it was a good place to use him as bait.

Using roundabout routes, I picked my way toward the South Tower, dodging most of the few enemies I encountered. The castle had been destroyed and rebuilt many times over the centuries, and sometimes a new castle would be built on the remains of the old foundation. As a result, there were many hidden passages, doors to nowhere, and vents of all shapes and sizes. Alone, none of them served any purpose. But I had explored them all thoroughly in my youth, and could hide better than a mouse in a grainary.

When I came upon the main corridor to the South Tower, I nearly bumped into a horde of goblins. Luckily they had not yet seen me. I took a quick peek around the corner to count them and take note of the fact that the hallway held no paintings or tapestries. I pulled a Kando arrow from my quiver and fitted it to my bow; reddish-orange in color, the arrow bore the mark of a flaming rose. Death Blossom, it was called.

I stepped quickly into the entryway, let the arrow fly, and ducked just as quickly back into the other room. A blinding red-gold light synchronized with the cries of the goblins, white-hot heat washing over me. After a few moments I peered around cautiously; the bodies of the goblins lay charred on the floor. I ran past them, trying not to breathe in the foul stench of burning hair.

Going up the tower the normal way would require more fights with guards. This particular tower had a built-in dumbwaiter, used to prevent prisoners from attacking guards that brought food. It had a double-locked door at the top; a person would climb in with the food, take it up to the tower, and open a small compartment from the inside. Once they closed the door again, the prisoner could open the door on his side and retrieve the food. Locks and magic controlled this system, but neither would be a problem for me.

I climbed into the dumbwaiter, using the ropes and pulleys to haul myself up to the top. After pulling on the lever that opened the first door, I entered the middle chamber and pressed my hand against the next door, searching for signs of life. My heart leaped as I sensed Link's presence; I had been right after all. What was more, I could not sense anyone in the room with him.

I paused ever so briefly, wondering if perhaps I still might be walking into a trap. Wouldn't Ganondorf have placed someone inside with the Bearer? Might he be watching somewhere, ready to pounce? Even if he didn't know about the dumbwaiter, surely he must have put some kind of spell or charm on the room to prevent Link from escaping?

Of course, I could sit here all day and think of things that could go wrong. There was really only one way to find out. I pressed my hand to the door and slid through.

I found Link lying on the clean but bare floor (the furniture had been removed; Ganondorf rightly figured that Link could use anything as a weapon), his head and hands wrapped in bandages. He sat up at the sound of my feet on the floor, even though it clearly pained him. "Kera!" he hissed. "How did you get here?"

I could tell he meant not "how did you get in" but "how did you manage not to get caught". "I'll explain later," I told him, and handed him a bottle of the healing potion. "Who tended to your wounds?" I asked curiously.

After downing the potion, he started ripping off the bandages, revealing the healed skin beneath. "One of the Gerudo women felt sorry for me," he said gratefully. "She put some kind of salve on the burns. It helped take the edge off the pain."

"Well, we can't hope for something like that again." I took his hand and pulled him through the dumbwaiter wall. If this startled him he didn't show it. I moved toward the dumbwaiter itself.

Suddenly the entire world slammed into me from all angles, driving piercing pains through my body. I couldn't move. I couldn't see. Magic, powerful magic, pinned me down as a terrifyingly familiar presence snaked its way around my head and needled eagerly, teasingly, at my mind.

I pushed back, hard as I could, drawing in strength from my mind, my body, my life force. I thrust the searching tentacles from my brain and forced the bindings around my body away from my chest and neck.

I opened my eyes to find myself on my knees, head down, tears streaming from my eyes and sweat dripping off my face. Link kneeled next to me, holding one of the potion bottles in front of my face and yelling in my ear. "Kera! Kera! What happened? Are you all right?"

He put the spell on Link himself…once he crossed the walls, the spell attacked the person helping him escape…

"He knows you're out," I gasped, groping for the dumbwaiter's rope. "I can keep us hidden…but not for very long…"

Link took the rope from me and started working the pulleys. "Okay. You show me how to get out of here. I'll do the rest." Once we reached the bottom of the tower he pulled my sword from its scabbard and grasped my hand. "Which way?"

"Wait a moment."

"I thought we were in a hurry!"

"He set off a magical alarm…wait for the first rush…"

A horde of goblins and armed skeletons rushed past the little alcove where we hid. I could feel his nails digging into my shoulder, sense the anxious look on his face as I clutched my head in pain.

After that first rush, I nodded and we ran down the corridor. I had to keep grasping his hand to avoid bumping into walls or falling down stairs. Ganondorf's angry presence filled my vision and stabbed into my head. The assault on my mind rubbed my brain raw, as he relentlessly pressed to determine who I was and where we were.

Dimly, I could sense Link fighting off other attackers. More than once I felt the nick of a blade and the bite of teeth. Once he bumped into me and I felt hot liquid from his face transfer to my own. I fought to keep my eyes open so I could point him in the right direction, toward the wastewater sluice near the basement of the castle.

The pressure built until I feared my head would explode. I had to cut off one of my spells. "I can't hold him off much longer!" I shouted to Link. "He's going to know where we are…but I can kill off some of our other pursuers at the same time…"

I didn't hear any acknowledgement from Link, but it didn't matter. I held the massive power that constructed the invisibility spell, then suddenly thrust it outward in all directions. I felt the shockwave resonate throughout the castle and heard the defeated cries of our pursuers.

Then, in the back of my mind, a triumphant chuckle that nearly drove me to my knees. My sight restored, I pulled Link behind me. "He knows where we are! Hurry!"

Luckily we had reached the castle basement. With only a few hundred yards to go, I heard the thump of booted feet and the jingle of mail behind us, along with an unmistakable presence. Link must have felt it too, for we both doubled our speed.

We halted at a small platform, a narrow ladder leading down to the sluice gate. Four levers controlled the gates; when all four were pulled, a massive amount of wastewater would push us out of the castle and down toward the lake. I was counting on its power to get us away from the castle quickly. As I snatched my sword from his hand, I ordered him to go down and pull the levers.

"But…" he stared off toward the sound of rattling armor. "You can't fight him alone…"

I pulled a Lightning Arrow from my stash of Kando weapons. "We can't let him take both of us, and it's more important that you stay free. Hurry!" I practically shoved him down the ladder.

I pulled the arrow back as a dark shadow appeared on the floor from around the corner, letting it loose just as the shadow's owner rounded the bend. The corridor lit up with crackling light and Ganondorf's livid cry of pain nearly shattered my eardrums. The electric power that would have killed a lesser man faded, and he stood straight, pulling the now-drained arrow from his shoulder. I plucked another arrow from my quiver, this one tipped with poison.

With a wave from his hand, my bow split and shattered. I gripped my sword and planted my feet, straining my ears for the sound of rushing water.

"Kera, is it?" he said in a maddeningly calm voice. I made the mistake of meeting his gaze with my own. At once I felt a strange sense of apathy sweep over me, then a gentle caress over my mind very different from the stabbing pains of before. It held the sickening sweetness of opium, pulling the ground from beneath my feet, until I felt an overwhelming urge to reveal all, tell him everything, rush forward and give myself up to an all-encompassing embrace.

Somewhere behind me, Link cursed at someone or something and it jerked me back to my senses. I drove the invading spell from my consciousness as it attempted to wrap itself around my mind like a starfish over a clam. As I hit back, a discernable snarl hung in the air and I could see his fury in his face, like a hawk that has missed its rabbit.

He drew his sword. "I don't know where you came from, Hero's Guide, but your journey ends here. Consider yourself honored that I would bother to kill you with my own hands."

I steadied my sword knowing there was no way I could survive another fight with him. As he rushed toward me, I heard a triumphant yelp and the sudden roar of water.

Just as he reached me I spun around and leaped into the water, grabbing hold of Link as he swept past. I pulled him under the surface just as a fireball exploded over our heads, and when we surfaced I could hear Ganondorf's furious shouts echoing in the halls behind us.