A/N: Thinking of my ever-faithful readers, Frozen789 and Joystick Gamer, I pushed my brain to the limit to provide with an action-packed chapter. I hope you like it, as I dedicate it to you both! May the Goddess of Time bless you all! R&R


Link headed towards the staircase that led into the temple entrance when Taglo grabbed his wrist.

"Wait! Do you plan to go in just like that?" he asked.

"Why not?" asked Link, raising an eyebrow.

"Here, take this," he said, and tossed Link his own bow and a quiver of arrows.

"Hey, this is yours!" said Link. "You're going to need it."

"You will too, and it's better if you have it," said Taglo while raising his hood again. "I should go back to Kakariko Village and inform the head of the Shiekah about what's going on. See you 'round, Link," he said, as he drew a flash pellet out of his pouch and tossed it in front of him, vanishing from sight.

"Nice trick," murmured Link. "I've got to learn how to do that."

"Link, wait!" said Laila, coming out of his hat. "You've got to get some rest. If you don't you won't be able to go through the temple. I KNOW you're tired."

Link didn't want to admit it, but she was right. He could feel his limbs sore and tiredness overcoming him. He walked around the clearing and found a tree that he was able to climb. When he reached the top, he managed to fit in a hollow space between the branches and lay down. He fell asleep in no time.


"He's nowhere to be found, my Lord," said Captain Leoni.

"That's not the point," said Garoth in a menacing tone, while sitting up from the throne. "I want to know HOW the HELL did HE get inside the castle!?"

The two guards that were there with Captain Leoni recoiled in fear; Captain Leoni simply fell to his knees in submission.

"I'm sorry my Lord, but it seems to be that he came in through the sewers and managed to defeat our guards there."

"I want you to send more guards! Double… no, triple security! Every corridor in the Castle must be covered!"

"Yes, yes my Lord!" said Captain Leoni, standing up again.

"What are you waiting for? GO!" yelled Garoth, and the three men ran out of the throne room.

Garoth sat back on the throne and looked above him with a grim smile. The King was floating several feet above the throne, deeply immersed in a continuous dream; his head bobbed forward as he hovered in the middle of a purple cloud of dark energy.

"I'm so sorry, you Highness" he said with a mocking reverence. "But your reign is nearing an end. Soon, when my master comes, Hyrule will become a world of Darkness, and your bloodline will be cast into shadows, where it will be forever lost."


Tara woke up early in the morning. Her head was aching and she was feeling numb. She realized, by the softness of the surface where she was lying, that she was in a mattress made out of wool and linen. She sat up and looked around her, unable to recognize where she was.

"Oh… you're awake!" said a squeaky voice from the door of the room. Tara saw an old woman, too old for her own health, coming in with a wooden tray in her hands. She had deep eyes and a long curved nose, and her silvery hair was tied up in a tight bun above her head. She was wearing a blue gown and a white apron with a couple of colored patches.

"Who… who are you?" asked Tara, a bit frightened.

"Don't worry, my dear" said the old woman, setting the tray on the stool by Tara's bed. "I found you unconscious in the middle of the forest. I brought you here to heal you until you recover. Your horse is fine too. I just gave him some oat and hay for breakfast. Oh! I'm sorry; I'm Madame Salema, the potion maker."

Tara looked at the tray and saw a bowl of oatmeal, a glass of warm milk and a small vial of a red substance.

"What's that?" she asked, while pointing at the small vial.

"That, my dear, is my finest red potion," said Madame Salema with a hint of pride. "It will help you recover your energy in no time." She handed Tara the potion and she drank it in one sip. It had a strange sweet flavor, like… like… like what? She couldn't even place it!

"Thank you," murmured Tara with a faint smile. She then began eating her oatmeal in silence.

"Why so shy my dear?" asked Madame Salema. "Is everything all right?"

Tara thought back: the dark clouds, Link hurt, Link galloping away with Epona, the camp, the attack, moblins, children crying, her dad cutting the horse lose so she could flee, her dad raided by the moblins, the darkness… she couldn't hold it back anymore and she began crying hard. Madame Salema held her close.

"Now, now, don't cry my child. Such a pretty girl with a sad face? Tell me, what happened?"

Tara began recounting the events of the last couple days.


Link woke up startled. He heard some voices below and leaned over just in time to see to bokoblins walking through the clearing.

"Bokoblins," said Laila, also waking up and coming out of Link's hat.

"Shh, don't speak," whispered Link.

They were chatting in their own language and pushing each other while they laughed. Link drew out the bow that Taglo had given him and stringed an arrow. He had never used a bow before, but he guessed it wouldn't be much different from a slingshot. He was wrong.

"Damn it!" The arrow flew about 4 feet away from the two creatures and stuck itself on the ground, making then jump and turn around. Link jumped from the tree and unsheathed his sword. He raised his shield just in time to block an arrow from one of the bokoblins and sprinted towards the two creatures.

The bokoblin that wasn't playing archer held up a broad sword and slashed at Link, who parried it with his own and slashed, but he missed his target. The bokoblin took the chance and swiped his sword, nearly missing Link's chest. Another blow scratched Link's leg and another arrow flew past him. He rolled forward on the floor, lunged his sword forward and stabbed the foul creature on the chest.

"Link! Look out!" yelled Laila.

As the dead bokoblin fell, he raised his shield in time to block another projectile, tossed his sword and shield on the floor, and he drew out his own bow while stringing another arrow. This time, he hit his mark: right between the bokoblin's eyes.

"Nice way to wake up, eh?" he murmured to himself.

"You've said it. Link, you're bleeding!" said Laila in surprise.

Link saw a small cut in his leg. A crimson thread was trailing down from it, staining his gray leggings.

"It's ok, just scratched me."

Link saw a shallow pond next to the entrance of the temple and walked up to it, rinsed the wound clean and headed towards the staircase.

"Well, let's get this over with," he said. They both entered the temple and Link closed the door behind him.

Link was shocked from the moment they stepped inside. He had just been to the temple a few weeks ago for the harvest season ceremonial rite, but now it seemed like nobody had stepped inside for years. Cobwebs were hanging from all around the ceiling; the chandelier in the middle of the room was rusted, as if it hadn't been lit in a long time; dry leaves were scattered all around the room and Link was sure he could feel a damp atmosphere around him.

"What's that rotten smell?" asked Laila with a squeaky voice making Link think she was pinching her nose.

"I don't know… it's never been like this."

Link climbed down a staircase into the atrium. There were four doors, counting the main entrance, exiting the room which was perfectly square. The door in front of him was locked with a silver padlock, so he wouldn't be able to go through it. Both side doors were unlocked.

"Well, where to?" asked Laila.

"Left," said Link, and they headed towards the left door.

They went through it into a garden. Link remembered having played with Tara in that garden, chasing birds and squirrels and picking up flowers to take to their mothers; however, now it seemed to have lost all life, as grass had dried up, flowers had withered and the formerly crystalline pond in the middle had now dried up. There was a dark fog all around the garden, and Link could barely see through it.

"Link, let's turn around. There must be another way," said Laila.

"Maybe we can go through this fog," said Link, and he gave a step forward.

"Wait, Link! No!" yelled Laila.

As soon as the fog entered in contact with Link's skin, he saw how his skin began darkening. He jumped back to the door and his skin returned to normal in a couple seconds.

"What in the name of the Gods happened?" asked Link.

"I don't know, but I don't like it either," replied Laila. "Let's go back, Link."

They returned to the entrance and Link walked up to the opposite door. There was a loud rustling sound and Link turned around.

"Did you hear that?" he asked Laila.

"Yes. It came from ab… LINK, WATCH OUT!" she yelled as she shot upwards and illuminated the ceiling.

Link jumped backwards and drew out his sword and shield as a large spider came down from the ceiling, a thick sticky thread of web erupting from her behind. The spider was about four meters wide and had a skull-like design across the top of her abdomen.

"Link, it's a big skulltula!" explained Laila.

"I don't care what's its name!" yelled Link. "How do I kill it?"

Link slashed the air with his sword as the skulltula hissed and showed her fanged chelicerae, dripping with venom. She tried to grab Link with her forelegs but he sliced one of them with the sword. It recoiled hissing in pain.

"Try going for her lower abdomen," explained Laila. "It's supposed to be softer underneath."

Link swiped his sword, slicing another leg. The skulltula lifted her head screeching in pain and Link took the chance. He dashed forward, slid under the spider, and with one swift move he sliced it open while he kept sliding. He came out from behind it and saw how the spider crumbled lifeless into the floor.

Link stood up and Laila fluttered back to him.

"That was a close one," she said.

"Yeah, thanks for the warning," said Link with a smile.

"No problem, Link," said Laila, smiling back.

They headed again towards the door and Link pulled it open. They came into a large shrine; about twenty meters wide and ten meters deep; a spiral stairway went all the way down to the murky water below and the darkened sky could be seen above them. A spear flew inches by his head and stuck itself to the wooden wall.

"Woah!" yelled Link as he pulled his bow and stringed an arrow. He saw the bulbin running towards him and released the arrow. He missed by about two inches.

The creature lunged at Link while he readied another arrow and the momentum of the impact sent them both over the edge and they fell, punching at each other, into the murky water below. Link quickly surfaced again and started swimming towards the edge of the pond, while the bulbin tried to grab his ankle. When he reached the shore, he readied his sword again and, when the bulbin reached him, Link swiped the sword beheading the vile beast.

"Link, Link! Are you ok?" asked Laila, fluttering towards him.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He looked at the lifeless creature and then at the water. "This is not right. This is the shrine were we used to pray to the great spirit of the forest, Faron."

They heard some more squeaks and screams, and Link saw about three more bulbins heading down the stairway. He reached for his bow but he realized he had dropped it when he fell with the bulbin. He grabbed his sword and ran towards the creatures that were heading his way and began slicing the air. Soon, the only remaining bulbin was running for his life, trying to get as far away from Link as he could. Link then grabbed a spear that one of the dead bulbins had dropped and tossed it with all his strength, impaling the runaway to the wall, where he hung dead.

"Nice throw!" cheered Laila. "Where did you learn how to throw a spear like that?"

"I… I really don't know…" he muttered.

"You know what?" asked Laila, "I think you really are the descendant of the Hero."

"I wish people stopped calling me that," said Link, while he cleaned his sword. "Hey, what's this?" he saw something shiny under one of the dead bulbins, so he tipped him over and picked up a small silver key.

"Do you think it will work on the padlock on the other door?" asked Laila examining it closer.

"Maybe," replied Link, and he pocketed the key. "Come on, let's try it."

They climbed up the stairs again and Link found his bow and quiver lying on the floor. He picked it up and hung them on his shoulder again and exited the shrine.

After disposing another bulbin, Link walked towards the locked door and inserted the key into the padlock. It opened smoothly and fell on the floor.

"Well," began Link, looking at his partner fairy. "Ladies first?" he said with a smile.

"Don't count on it," she replied playfully, and Link opened the door to the next room.