"Link, Link! Come on, wake up!" The voice was faint and very high pitched. A series of chiming bells followed closely behind it.

"Link! Please wake up! Everyone's worried about you."

He groaned as consciousness returned. His vision was very blurred and the only distinguishing feature was a blue orb floating near his face. The last thing he remembered was drifting off as Zelda said something he couldn't remember and then… waking up here.

But where was here? Looking left and right, he realized that he was in his own tent which was dimly lit by several small fires from the outside. Night has obviously fallen and he could only guess that the battle must have been put on hold for the night.

Zzzzzip!

The blue orb zoomed past his face.

"Hey, listen!"

BAM! Link bolted upright, wide eyed and shocked as distant memories pounded his mind.

That voice.

That color.

Those bells.

Those... words...

"Navi?"

"Finally! Link, we were starting to think you weren't ever going to wake up."

"Navi?"

"Well, don't look so surprised! You should be glad I was here to save you!" she pouted

Navi was a blue fairy no bigger than a man's index finger. Her body was rarely seen because the blue glow of her magic was so bright that to the casual observer she appeared as a glowing blue orb. A pair of thin transparent wings protruded from her blue aura. They were like a mayfly's wings but longer and more narrow with a large top pair and a lower smaller pair. They made a quiet buzzing sound when she flew and Navi herself made a twinkling bell sound when she would suddenly change direction or stop.

Link stood up and took a look at himself, marveling at how he felt. His bruises and cuts were healed and his strength renewed. It was as if he had never even been on the battlefield that day. He looked at Navi who was hovering a couple of feet away from his face.

"I feel good." He said stretching. "I feel really good."

"Yyyyooouuu'rrreee welcome!" She said in a sing-song voice.

"You? Oh, thanks, but how…? It was over a thousand years ago that we were together. So how… are you here? Alive?"

"Silly Link, I'm a fairy. We don't age or mature like you humans do."

"Well, you don't mature, that's for sure."

"Hey! That's not very nice!"

Zelda entered the tent saying, "Oh good. I thought I heard your voice, Link. I was beginning to worry."

"You!" Link cried pointing a finger at her. "You knew about this didn't you?"

"Yes! And I'm so sorry! I wanted to tell you, honest, but Navi asked me not to."

"Navi?" he asked turning to the blue fairy.

"Well…" she hesitantly admitted "I'm not supposed to talk to you 'cause you're hylian and not kokiri. The Deku Tree Sprout told me not to. But I've missed you so much, that I couldn't help but follow you in your new quest."

"Wait a minute… Just how long have you been following me?" his voice suddenly dropped low with suspicion.

"Since the Ilia was taken by King Bulblin at the Ordon spring and then the twilight-"

"And, you're saying that you were watching me throughout the entire Twilight incident?" His voice was beginning to rise.

"Yep! Every step of the way. Like when-"

Zelda realized where Link was going with this. "Link, don't-"

"Stay out of this, Zelda." He cut in, jabbing a finger in her direction.

"So, you mean that whole time I was getting drowned, scorched, beaten, stabbed, shot, trampled, ambushed -"

He took a breath and continued.

-pursued, hunted, poisoned, frozen -

Zelda held up her hands defensively, "Ok, Link we understand-"

"No! I'm not finished yet! I was transformed into an beast, transported to another dimension, pitted against creatures who don't die, and you were there the whole time?"

"I-I'm sorry Li-"

He held up a hand for her too stop, "Just go." He said coldly

"L-link?"

"Please, Navi. I need… time. Just… just go. Please."

Navi stared at Link for a second and turn to Zelda who only shrugged and shook her head sadly. Navi then turned slowly drifted out with a low drooping hum from her wings. The tent was silent for a long moment, but Zelda couldn't contain herself.

"Link, what in the name of Nayru is wrong with you?"

"Trust me; I held back… a lot. This is just too much right now. First Armogohma and Argorok and now Navi too?" After a brief pause he continued. "Besides, in a few hours I'll be more than happy to sit down with her a reminiscent about the past. But for now..." He sighed before continuing, "What happened in the basin? Last I remember, we were about to lose the battle."

"We've postponed it for the night. Not long after you fell unconscious, a horn was blown and the monsters began retreating. No one understood at first but then we realized it was getting too dark to see. So we too pulled back for the night."

"When, will it resume?"

"At midday tomorrow."

"Well, that was nice of them." He said sarcastically. "And what about our numbers? How many did we lose?"

Zelda bowed her head and sighed heavily.

"A lot."

Later that night, the five rulers were once again in the main tent engaged in a conference. Navi's blue glow mingled with the light of Zelda's white orb as she zipped here and there, healing injuries and washing away fatigue. None of them had been seriously injured but King Bulblin had taken an arrow through his left arm and Rutela had large nasty looking bruise that completely covered her right side.

Link spoke first. "First off, thank you. Thank you for sticking by my side and for believing in my plan. You are all true friends."

Darbus and Rutela looked each other and moment later burst out laughing. Then Zelda began to giggle. Link could only stare with a raised eyebrow.

Then, the three of them began speaking in between laughs.

"Do you have any idea how ironic that is?" Zelda asked

"You are thanking us." Darbus said

"when you're the one who should be thanked." Rutela finished.

The laughing died down and Darbus continued in a more serious manner.

"Link, my brother, we were all beginning to deeply worry about Argorok. No one had any idea of how to get that monster to stay on the ground so we could attack. Then you come running out of nowhere and bring the fight to him!"

"It was very brave, hero." Rutela praised. "But now, on to business."

She bowed her head and said sadly,

"For the sake of knowing our current status, can everyone here confirm the loss of approximately one-half of their soldiers?"

Darbus make a thoughtful grumbling grunt, then stepped forward and said, "I think more than half my gorons survived today. We lost about a quarter of them maybe more but no less."

"Well, that's good news." Zelda commented. "I think we can all agree that the gorons are our most valuable asset right now."

Everyone nodded in agreement and Darbus grinned widely at the unexpected praise.

King Bulblin stepped forward. His voice was devoid of all emotion as he said, "There are less than half of my Bulblins left..."

With that he stepped back into the shadows of his corner. Rutela said sympathetically, "I'm sorry to hear that, King Bulblin. We are ever grateful for your help and the help of your race."

He only nodded in acknowledgment of the words, seemingly unaffected by the fact that he had just lost so many members of his fellow race.

Zelda asked the green skinned monarch, "With so little soldiers, what is your plan for the battle tomorrow?"

"I wish to lead the charge with Lord Bullbo."

"Granted." Was Link's immediate response.

Then he addressed all of them before Darbus could object to King Bulblin taking his place at the point of the charge, "What shall we do tomorrow, in terms of the initial attack?"

"Is everyone in favor of the same strategy as today?" Zelda asked.

They all nodded in agreement.

"Ok, then." Link said enthusiastically, "Before we close this meeting, is there anything else left that should be discussed?"

"Yes." Was the concerned solid answer of Darbus.

Everyone looked to him in surprise.

"I maybe wrong but just before the battle was put on hold I thought I saw Darkhammer skulking around."

"Oh, no."

"It can't be!"

"Are you sure?"

"It was only a glimpse so I could be wrong but if I wasn't then at least we are all prepared for when and if he shows his mangy hide."

"But… how?" Link questioned to no one in particular. "I slew him in the Snowpeak Ruins. I still have his ball and chain hanging from the far wall in my house back in Ordon."

"You also defeated Argorok and Armogohma but they're here as well." Darbus reminded him.

"Armogohma still is anyway." Rutela added.

"Arrrrrrggggg!" Link slammed his fists onto the table in frustration. "How? Why? This is supposed to be the end! Not a reiteration!"

Although no one spoke it, the general thought that crossed all of their minds at that moment was that it was the end… for them.

Darbus took a heavy step toward Link and placed a hand upon the hylian's shoulder.

"Save your anger for tomorrow, brother. We will all have great need of it. I doubt anyone here can explain why the bosses are returning, but if we survive this battle, I'm sure we'll find out."

There was a respectful silence. They all knew that there was little chance of prevailing against the monsters amassed before them but retreat was not an option. The factor that had dragged the war on for so long was that the monsters had never formed armies, not even among their own races so this was the time to take out as many of them as they could while the monsters were all here in the basin.

The meeting was closed and the leaders of each race retired to their tents for a night of uneasy sleep.

Except for Link, Zelda and Navi.

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