Thank you all for your support with the plagiarism I was dealing with. That user has removed their account and thus my stories they were claiming they wrote. I want to thank writersblockagain for bringing that to my attention. It looks like they had been doing that for a long while.

I meant to have this up last weekend, but here it is now! I hope you enjoy!

Thank you to Stylin80, Rayst, Fairy Proxi, rylek196, Ulyces, Imagination that, Guest, Stormhelen, Marasia, drazol, SoopGoon, and NoNameAvailable Bis for your wonderful reviews!

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Part II

Chapter Eleven

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After a week and a half of training in basic self-defense with Jolene, Zelda felt confident. She certainly wouldn't be any match against Veran if it came to a battle, but at least she wouldn't get mugged by people on the street. Jolene was strict and stoic and didn't have much pity on her. It was very different from all her teachers at the castle. And Zelda liked that. At the castle, everyone knew she was superior and treated her differently. Too eager to please, too apologetic when she was unhappy, too afraid to be themselves. But Jolene didn't know she was royal, so she treated her like an equal.

Zelda was walking along the beach one morning after her lesson. Link was off making deals with smugglers for items he'd stolen while on Hyrule's mainland. It made her feel good that he trusted her to walk around Trash City on her own now. She knew her way around, she knew how to handle herself, she knew the places to avoid. It was the most confidence she'd ever had in her life because she had earned it herself.

As she looked out over the ocean she noticed a man down on the rocks near the water, burdened with suitcases and the waves knocking against him. The force of one knocked him over. Zelda started to quicken her pace, concerned for his wellbeing. When the next wave began to drag him into the ocean she burst into a sprint. The princess bounded down the rocks, nearly slipping and catching herself. She crouched down as close to the man as she could, the water splashing against her legs.

She held out her hand. "Grab on." He looked up, gratefully taking her hand, and they met eyes. She gasped. "Sahashrala?!"

His gray eyebrows shot up. "Princess Zelda?"

"Here, let me help," she said, quickly aiding him in climbing up onto the shore.

"Please, please, get the cases. They are important!" he fussed as the two of them salvaged his five different suitcases from the water. They sat down on the grass, panting from the effort.

"Sahashrala . . . what on Hyrule are you doing here?" Zelda asked, shocked at seeing the old castle advisor.

He started going through his suitcases, replying, "Well I'm traveling, of course! I've got to see the world again if I'm going to be able to give Hyrule the most up to date knowledge."

"Why were you in the ocean?"

He sighed mournfully, holding up a ruined book. "My translations. Gone. What a pity. At least I have two more copies at the castle. Hm? What? Oh, yes, well. I was catching a ship across the sea, but the captain did not like it when I told him he was taking the long way there. We had a disagreement over the position of the stars. So he had his crew throw me overboard in a little rowboat. I had only been out at sea for a few hours before the currents dashed me against this island." His eyes roamed over it, as if for the first time. "Ah, Trash City. It's been many, many years since I've been here." His eyes dropped back down to his supplies. "Aha! But my pocket spells are still here! Din's Fire, Farore's Wind . . . ah but I've lost Nayru's Love. What a pity indeed."

Zelda blinked, questions running through her mind. "Farore's Wind? Doesn't that teleport you? You could have escaped."

"Well, it teleports you to wherever you set the initial spell. I have set it for my old library at Hyrule Castle. I am not done with my travels yet, I didn't want to go home!"

The princess laughed. "You're a brave scholar, Sahashrala. This island isn't the safest place. Are you sure you don't want to go home now?"

He eyed her keenly. "I believe the goddesses have brought me here to you, my dear. And I don't intend to leave this island until I know you are safe."

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An hour later found them in a secret room in the back of Telma's Bar, the wooden door locked tight. They sat around a table, Sahashrala in his damp robes, Zelda sipping at some tea, and Link with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. He wasn't happy with the situation, as he'd made very apparent when Zelda tracked him down and told him who had shown up on the island.

"I can tell there is some tension here," the old man began. "But I assure you I have no intention of turning you in, Link."

"How can I trust that?" the young man snapped. "Zelda said you had a spell that could teleport you straight to the castle."

The princess sighed. "Link, I told you that to assure you. If he had wanted to whisk me back to the castle he could have already. We should give him a chance to understand our situation."

"He could be lying," the criminal protested. He looked at Sahashrala. "What's to stop you from sending the entire army of Hyrule through the portal?"

The old man held up a calming hand. "I know why you are so upset, Link. You are afraid of getting captured again and sentenced to death, and I do not blame you. But enforcing the law is not in my job description. What is, is to listen and to learn. I could instantly tell Zelda did not want to go home because otherwise that would have been the first thing she begged. So I am curious what has our princess so far from home, on this unruly island, wearing ragged clothes and cut hair, but keeps her staying."

Zelda leaned forward, interlocking her fingers. "You knew the doubts I had about Link, Sahashrala. How I thought he was special and putting him to death was wrong. That my Triforce piece was telling me to help him. When the castle was attacked, Link escaped and had to use me to accomplish this. I was not in any real danger. His plan was to drop me off at a ship to take me home. But on the journey there I learned more about him and his story and I sympathized. I want to help him, and in doing so help Hyrule. And I intend to stay until that is accomplished."

"Oh?" Sahashrala looked at Link curiously. "And what is it you want to help him do?"

Zelda turned to the young man inquiringly. After glaring at her for a few long seconds he heaved a dramatic sigh, rolled his eyes, and exclaimed, "Well go ahead and tell him! Apparently he's privy to all the other information!"

"A woman has been hunting him all his life," the princess began. "Her name is Veran, and she goes by the title Sorceress of Shadows. She is extremely dangerous; she can fly, her presence attracts spiders, create fireballs, her dark magic makes her unable to touch holy objects like my Triforce, but, most prominently, she can possess people's bodies. This is what she wants to do with Link. He doesn't know why or what she hopes to accomplish once she has control. He also knows, for some reason, it isn't as easy with him as with others. She can't just hop into him. Her goal seems to be to fight him and weaken him, or knock him unconscious."

"Hmmmm," Sahashrala thought this over for a long time, stroking his long gray beard. At last he said, "That is quite the predicament to be in young man. This sorceress does sound like a very real danger to Hyrule. I believe I can be of help. I have a multitude of small items and spells that could prove useful. But, of course, the most powerful weapon is knowledge. If you'll allow me to, I can look through my books and see if I can learn something about Veran."

Zelda perked up, a smile spreading over her face. "You'll help?"

"If Link will allow me."

The young man clearly wasn't happy, but he said, "I suppose so. I can talk to Telma about getting you a room here."

"It is appreciated."

Zelda turned to the old man. "No one else except Link knows I'm royal. Here, I go by the name of Mila. You'll need an alternate identity, too."

"Of course. Like I said, this isn't my first time to this island. I'll pose under the guise of a traveling merchant who got shipwrecked and refer to myself as Shral."

"Just great," Link sighed, standing up and heading to the door. "I'll make arrangements with Telma, and be back shortly." He walked out.

The other two stood, stretching their legs. Zelda asked, "You were here before? Long ago?"

"Oh yes, in my early twenties on my first world voyage. Quite the rowdy island. I dabbled in a bit of gambling."

"This seems an odd place for even a scholar to go. What made you travel here?"

His face grew very serious, and his voice was soft as he replied, "I was investigating demon activity. And this Sorceress of Shadows seems very familiar."

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Link made his way through the crowded bar, searching for Telma. He didn't like Sahashrala being here. The old man could easily alert Captain Karane, the king, or the entire army if he wanted. Link knew Trash City wasn't a haven of safety. The Hylian army could storm it if they wanted. There had been a period, about fifty years ago, that the army had tried to rid the island of all the criminals that had gathered there. After the first two attempts only resulted in the island repopulating, the third found a criminal population much more prepared and they were easily able to thwart the army with guerilla warfare. The island was a highly defensible position, surrounded by water, a maze of buildings and trash, with underground tunnels and secret passages unknown to foreigners. Plus it was easy to see ships coming a long way off. Trash City was, truthfully, one of the safest places for Link.

But if Sahashrala could instantly teleport people into the interior of the island, right where he knew Link would be . . . that was trouble. Although the old man professed a desire to help and Zelda trusted him, the young man was shaken. He would need to ask Telma to keep a close eye on the advisor.

Link was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice the man standing before him until he nearly ran into him. Link jerked to a stop, pulled from his thoughts. "Oh, sorr-" he broke off, seeing who it was."Oh, Cohen."

The broad young man laughed, his square jaw covered in blonde stubble. "Well the politeness dropped really fast there, didn't it? I thought we were friends."

"We're not friends anymore," Link said bluntly. "And you know why." He tried to step around but Cohen blocked his path.

"You used to like the way I do things," the man stated. "You were a valuable part of our team."

"Before you got too radical," Link retorted. "I have no more interest in helping you attempt to topple Hyrule's nobles and leave me alone or I'll make you eat your teeth."

"Just give me a second, Link. I have a proposal for you."

"Not interested."

"I'll make it worth it."

"And yet, still not interested." Link made to move past him again, but Cohen stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. Link fixed him with a heated glare. "You're picking a bad day to threaten me. I already want to hit something and it's not even lunchtime."

The other man leaned close, saying in a hushed tone, "I haven't even begun to threaten you, Link. And if you don't help me on this last mission, I'll make you regret it for the rest of your life."

Rolling his eyes, Link shoved away and left the man standing there. Cohen didn't scare him. He knew what real monsters were. He knew what it was like to be too afraid to sleep in his own bed. And right now, he had too many things to worry about without throwing in an anarchist into the mix.

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That evening Link was set to sing at Jolene's club The Night Lights again. At first Zelda was surprised he asked her to bring along Sahashrala, but then she realized it was because he wanted to keep an eye on the old advisor. As exasperating as that was, the princess was glad to bring him along. She wanted to ask him more about Veran, and ask how everyone at the castle was doing in her absence. It was sunset when Zelda made her way down to Telma's bar, going in through the back and knocking on Sahashrala's door.

The old man peered out before opening the door fully. "Ah, Zel-uh, Mila, sorry. What do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

"Link is performing at a club tonight. I'm going to watch him and would like you to come along. I was hoping we could talk about things . . ."

"Ah, yes, of course. I understand." He walked out, dressed in ragged clothes of earthly colors that matched his tall walking stick. "I look like an old beggar in these, haha! And you look like an orphan in those rags. Have you been safe here? It's a dangerous place."

"I've been alright, Link has been with me," the princess assured. "Besides, I've been taught some basic knife fighting skills. Enough to defend myself, at least."

"Those won't be any good to you against a sorceress," he said as they headed out to the street.

"I hope I won't ever be in a position where I need to fight her."

"You have another weapon at your disposal, you know. The Triforce of Wisdom."

She frowned. "Well, aside from giving me a sixth sense about things I don't know how to use it."

"Unfortunately I can't teach you. The Triforce is well outside my realm of experience, ha! But, from my research, I know it has great power you can use for defense and offense in battle. If you can harness it, you could pose a very real threat to Veran. After all, you said she can't touch holy objects."

Zelda held up her hand, looking at the faint outline of the Triforce. "I wonder how I can activate it."

Sahashrala smiled as they neared the club, the sun sinking below the horizon. "The goddesses gave this Triforce piece to you, my dear. It is there to serve you. Just remember that." They walked into the club and were instantly assaulted with many-colored lights and sounds. There was a great deal of cheering as Jolene stood on the stage and announced who would be performing. Sahashrala and Zelda shuffled into the far back corner, sitting in a small booth. They ordered water and some snack food as the show began with a woman playing a banjo and singing raunchy songs that were met with a lot of whistles and laughs.

"So . . . how is my father?" Zelda asked softly, barely paying attention to the stage.

"He's very upset, as I'm sure you know. He worries that you are dead. Captain Karane has taken a group of soldiers and they have been searching for you."

The princess got quiet at that. It had been easy to get distracted with Link, Veran, Trash City, and being able to see Hyrule and a new way of life. But she had also used it to shut out her guilt. She could go back to her father but she wasn't. She hadn't left on a good note with him. They'd been arguing because he didn't trust her when she insisted Link was special and should be spared. He thought she was just being rebellious. Her last act in the castle had been going explicitly against his wishes and freeing Link.

"I don't know what to do, Sahashrala," she sighed heavily. "I feel torn in two directions."

The old advisor was quiet for awhile. Link got up on the stage and started to sing, winking and grinning and slapping hands. Then Sahashrala said, "I know why he is angry with me being here. It isn't just because he doesn't trust me. He's afraid I will take you away from him. That you'll remember you are royal and have duties and return home. You may be one of the few true friends he has."

Zelda nodded, watching the young man bound around the stage. "But I also have a father and a country that needs me."

"Your being at the castle does not necessarily mean you're helping Hyrule more than you are here. What does the Triforce of Wisdom tell you? What does your heart tell you?"

The princess thought for a moment before answering, "It tells me to stay here and help Link. Veran is a dangerous enemy that needs to be stopped. Our army is no match for someone who can possess bodies. The way I can do the most good is by staying in Trash City. And aside from Veran . . . there's something about Link. I don't know what yet. But he is special."

"Do you think he is the Hero?"

"I don't know. I did. I still do. But he seems to think it's impossible. He is an odd choice for the Hero. But if he is, it explains why Veran would want to possess him."

"But could she?" the old man asked. "If he's the Hero he must have the Triforce of Courage. Not an easy obstacle for her to bypass."

Zelda shook her head. "It's the only reason I can think of for her wanting to possess him. She's been hunting him his whole life. She wouldn't do that for just anyone."

"That is the big question then. Who is Link?"

She turned away from young man on the stage and smiled at the advisor. "I'm glad you're here, Sahashrala. Together I'm sure we can find the answers."

He smiled in return. "Like you, the place I can be the most helpful to Hyrule is not always at the castle."

Link left the stage and the show continued. Zelda excused herself from Sahashrala to talk to Link backstage, as she usually did. Jolene stopped her at the door, asking, "Dagger?"

Sighing, Zelda lifted a flap from her clothes to reveal the dagger tucked against her belt.

"Good, you're learning," the pirate acknowledged. "Go on back."

She did, smiling at the young man. "Nicely done, as usual."

He took a drink of water, grinning. "Thank you, thank you. Hey, I have good news! I spoke to a black market dealer before the show – he's coming up next, plays an awesome harp – and I've been hired to do some smuggling! Would you come with me?"

Zelda laughed, shaking her head. "Oh, I suppose so. Will it be dangerous?"

"Oh no, it shouldn't be at all. Honest. Just taking some ordered goods to his client. We'll take the ship in the morning and be back before lunch."

The princess frowned. "The . . . ship?"

He winked. "We're going to the mainland coast."

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Fog rolled in from the water and along the beach, extending nearly into the cozy coastal town. Morning sunlight turned the fog a hazy gold and made the dew on the grass shimmer. The buildings were pastel colors, the people young and smiling, and a pot of flowers set on every doorstep.

All in all, Zelda thought it was a strange place to meet with someone involved in the black market. Link claimed he didn't know what was in the bag they were delivering, but the princess had a fairly good notion it was drugs.

"We do have a deadline to meet," Link stated. "The ship will leave again for Trash City in three hours and if we're not on it, well, we're stuck here for a week."

"There's no way this can take three hours," Zelda replied as they walked up the stone path to the village. "You remember the address, right?"

"Oh, yes," he nodded, scanning the streets and buildings. People waved and said good morning. He would flash a smile back. "Does this make you miss home, Zelda?"

She glanced around. "No. I've never been here. It's lovely, though."

He was trying for nonchalant, but his words sounded rehearsed as he said, "You could head back to the castle easily from here. Nothing is stopping you."

She fixed him with a look. "Veran is still out there. Hyrule is still in danger. I'm not leaving until we figure this out."

He didn't reply, but she could tell he was pleased. He turned down a few side streets and then into an empty alley that had one wooden door decorated with floral designs. He went up to it and knocked five times.

The door opened almost instantly, a nervous looking middle-aged man peering out. He looked them over. "May I . . . help you?"

Link spoke the words he was told to say, "You ordered a present for your girlfriend. I have it here, sir."

The man's eyes lit up. "Oh, oh. Thank you. Let me fetch the rupees." He disappeared inside for a few seconds and then came out with a small bag. "It's all in here."

They switched bags and Link opened his, making sure the full payment was there. Satisfied, he nodded at the man. "Have a good day."

The man quickly vanished inside, the door locking.

"He was weird," Zelda stated.

Link smirked, tucking the money into a pouch on his belt. "People buying from the black market are always like that. Nervous, paranoid, guilt-ridden. They're an easy bunch to intimidate. Once I pretended someone didn't pay me enough rupees, and you should have seen how she fell into a panic! Haha. Anyway, let's get going. We-" He stopped abruptly, blue eyes wide.

"What?" she asked, "What's wrong?" She followed his gaze to the wall and saw a spider crawling down it. "Link, it's only one, I'm sure . . ." Then she was the one rendered silent as spiders began to stream down the wall. Zelda looked up to the rooftops and saw a woman standing there, looking down at them. She was just a silhouette against the sun. "Link . . .?"

Suddenly his hand latched around her arm and she was nearly pulled off her feet as he ran. They weaved through the back alleys and side streets, a maze of walls and doors. Zelda wondered if Link knew where he was going, or if he was just trying to put distance between themselves and what the princess assumed to be Veran. She glanced back over her shoulder to see they were being chased. Between the corners of the homes she could make out black clothes and red hair done up in a ponytail.

"Link, she's behind us!" the princess panted, breathless.

He didn't respond, pushing harder. She'd never seen him run this fast or be this serious. They took another turn and suddenly the woman was there in front of them, smirking. They skidded to a stop, stumbling from the momentum.

Veran was not what Zelda had originally pictured. She looked to be in her thirties, with a small waist and high cheekbones. Her dark clothes including traveling boots and a tunic that reached her knees. Her skin was a pale blue like a corpse, her eyes and lips were red like blood.

Veran cast out her hand with a shout, a fireball erupting towards them. They dove out of the way, and Link threw a smoke bomb on the ground. Then he pulled Zelda to her feet, running again. He stopped at a ladder and began climbing up, saying, "We need to get out of this village, find a place to hide. She'll kill everyone here if we don't lead her away."

They reached the rooftops, running again and jumping between homes. Zelda was breathless, her legs aching and side cramping. But fear drove her onwards. She couldn't believe this was happening. She was not prepared to face Veran. What could she possibly do against a sorceress? Her dagger would be useless against fireballs and whatever other magic Veran could conjure. Sahashrala had said to use her Triforce of Wisdom, but how?

People were stopping to stare from the streets, shocked and confused. Their quiet beach town disrupted. A fireball sailed passed the two. Link skidded to a stop, turning around. Zelda stopped beside him, her heart thundering.

Veran regarded them from a separate rooftop, one hand on her hip. "What a coincidence finding you here, Link," she said, her voice had a deeper pitch, a confident tone. "I've been following Hyrule's finest as they have been searching for you. They went through his village just yesterday. Lucky for us both you were not here then."

Captain Karane, Zelda realized. She's searching along the coast for me.

Link tilted his head to the side. "Oh, so since your glorious failure inside Hyrule Castle, you've been reduced to letting soldiers lead you in your hunt?"

Veran lifted up a hand to strike with magic again, but Link was faster and threw a dagger from his belt. It cut through the air and struck her across her arm. If she hadn't jerked out of the way it would have taken off her hand. Zelda got just the briefest glimpses of green blood dripping from the Sorceress' wound before they were running again. Fireballs and streams of dark magic were shot after them, striking the rooftops and sending up explosions of tiles and wood. Zelda did not let go of Link's hand as they weaved across the buildings. Screams and shouts sounded from the terrified villagers.

Suddenly dark magic struck Link in the back. He grunted and fell down, rolling over and sliding off the roof of a two-story shop. He grabbed the edge, his feet dangling in the air.

Zelda slid to a stop, her hair whipping around her face as she turned towards Veran. The Sorceress held up another glowing hand, ready to strike again. The Princess wasn't sure what triggered this reaction. Perhaps it was part desperation, part the instinct to fight back, and part the touch of the Goddesses within her. But she lifted her own hand which glowed blue and struck, a bolt of power shooting from her Triforce and hitting Veran square in the chest. The woman was sent flying, landing on the opposite side of a building.

"Let's go," Link said, pulling himself up and grabbing Zelda's hand. He led them a couple buildings over before descending safely to the street. Amidst the horrified stares of townspeople, the two ran out of the village. They didn't stop until Link dropped onto the bank of a river and went inside small cave, the ground damp and moss hanging from the walls.

The princess rested her hands on her knees, breathing hard. "Oh, wow. Are we safe here? How long-" She stopped as Link held a dagger to her throat. "Link!"

His blue eyes were hard and panicked as he said, "Secret Dungeon Visits."

At first she was confused, wondering what had gotten into him. Why he was saying such a meaningless sentence. Then she remembered. They had had a conversation about this before. They were their secret words. Secret words to test if one of them had been possessed by Veran. Created from how they had first met, when she defied the King to visit him in the castle dungeons and learn who he was. If she answered with anything other than those three words, she knew there was a very real chance he would kill her.

So she met his gaze solidly and responded, "Secret Dungeon Visits."

Link lowered his dagger. All at once his energy seemed sapped, and he slumped to the floor, sweating and gasping for breath. Zelda followed him. They remained silent as the minutes passed. It was half an hour before Link at last spoke in a quiet tone. "How did you do that? You used magic against Veran."

"I don't know," she replied. "I've never used the Triforce of Wisdom like that before. I just . . . felt it."

"You saved our lives, Zelda."

She smiled. "You're the trained fighter here. I just do what I can."

Link chuckled, resting his head back against the wall of the cave. "We're going to need to be sneaky when we get back on the ship. She could still be searching this area for us."

The princess looked at him with a new perception. She'd known the danger he was in before, but actually experiencing it was something else entirely. "I can't believe you've done this your entire life, Link. This is awful. We will stop her, I promise."

He offered her a small smile, but there was no hope in his voice as he replied, "That would be nice."

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Captain Karane sat on a boulder along the coast, the sun setting over the ocean. Around her, her twenty soldiers were making camp for the night.

Another fruitless day, she thought, frustrated. It was taking too long to find Zelda. By now, the princess could be dead. How could she return to the king with that news? She had promised to bring his daughter home. Each town they had passed claimed they hadn't seen anyone matching Link or Zelda's description.

"Where are you?" she whispered aloud.

"Captain!" Kev came running up, panting. "Captain, a village is on fire!"

Karane turned around to see billowing smoke coming from far down the coast. She jumped to her feet. "Get to your horses, we must help them!"

It was a long ride back, even going their fastest. It was past midnight by the time they arrived in the village, and the majority of the fires had been put out. Most buildings were charred, but only one was destroyed. The villagers appeared exhausted and upset, carrying buckets of water and cleaning up the mess.

"Hylian soldiers!" someone announced, drawing attention to their approach.

Karane swung down off her horse, coughing in the smoke-filled air. "What happened here?" She looked back at her group. "Jon, Kev, coordinate relief efforts here with the soldiers."

A woman walked up to them. "We were attached, Captain! Just out of nowhere. We didn't do nothing wrong, either."

"Who attacked you?"

"This morning these three people were fighting along the roofs, firing magic at each other. Two of them vanished, the third – this demonic looking woman – prowled around the area for hours before shooting fire at our homes and then walking off. A couple of the men tried to attack her but she blasted them with dark magic."

"What in Hyrule?" Karane whispered, looking over the mess. She turned back to the woman. "Describe them for me."

"The bad woman had blue skin and red hair. The two that ran off was a man and a woman, younger, blonde, definitely Hylian. All three were wearing dark clothes."

That caught Karane's attention. "A young man and woman?"

"Yes, Captain. The woman shot blue magic from her hand."

Karane had never seen Zelda use magic aggressively before, but she did have it inside her. It was a better lead than they'd had for a long while. "Thank you for this information. I believe they are fugitives we are hunting. In your opinion, if they were on the run, where would they go from this village?"

The woman thought for a minute before answering. "Well, if they are fugitives today is a good day to be in this area. The ship for Trash City came and left today. They may have taken it to the island."

Karane couldn't believe it. The ship was here today, and possibly Link and Zelda were here. It was an even better lead than she could have hoped for. "Where is the dock for this ship?"

The woman pointed. "A half hour that way."

"And when does it arrive again?"

"It comes once a week, Captain."

Once a week . . . That will give us plenty of time to make a plan.

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Well, I haven't had any luck with this so far. But I've entered my original novel in a contest and if I get the most $10 preorders by the end of this month it will be published. The link is on my profile. Please support my writing.

And please review, thanks!