Author's Note(s): Ah, 'bout time, 'eh? Well, two chapters in one sitting! Actually, as soon as I finished Chapter 10, Chapter 11 came easily and the next should be just as easy. I've got lots of inspiration right now, so expect plenty to come. I've been dying to get some nice writing in.

The Legend of Zelda: The Scepter of Darkness

Chapter 11: Pressing On

Link stepped into the throne room and walked along the red carpet, kneeling just before the wide stair which led to where the king and queen's thrones lay. The princess was just to the queen's left, while the captain of the guard was to the king's right. Link himself was grieved, but he kept his posture.

The king shook his head. "Arise," he stated.

Link nodded, standing straight up before them.

"So, you see the position before you?" Zelda asked of him.

Link sighed, but then slowly nodded, again. "Yes."

"I told you that the answer awaited you. Now you see the threat we face."

The young hero scratched his head. "Just what was that all about, anyway?! Who were they… and why did they want Saria?"

The king stood tall and proud. "I can answer that question," he stated.

He paced around a bit, eyes to the ceiling. "They are of my home kingdom, Masa," he proclaimed. "A messenger came to us just before you arrived and told of the reasoning behind this attack. They never wished to shed blood, but, according to what they told me, they were willing to do what was necessary if it meant stopping the evil power that has been released in the world."

Link just stood there, taking it all in.

"The fires were meant as a diversion to keep us occupied while they searched for what they were looking for—your friend, Saria. The attacking army was brought in for they knew that soldiers would come to defend the castle. However, they did not attack until we did. They tried to avoid spilling as little blood as possible for they knew that we were allies, but at the same time, they seemed to find that the attack was necessary to save this world."

As the king concluded his speech, he returned to his throne and sat down. Link simply scratched his head, bewildered. "So, they attacked because they thought it was the right thing to do? Is that what you are saying?"

Rohanes nodded. "Yes, that is correct."

Link sighed. "I really want to help you defend the castle. However, not to be rude or anything, right now I find this to be a nuisance. They've got Saria and who knows what they plan on doing with her! I must go rescue her…now."

Now it was Zelda's turn to speak, again. "Yes, you must," she stated. "These people have been tricked into thinking that killing her will solve all our problems. The messenger implied that no more harm would come to us if we left them be. They intend on taking Saria to Death Mountain and sacrifice her to Volvagia, the fire dragon."

Link gasped out. "Impossible!"

Zelda shook her head. "No, it is not. You know well enough of what Volvagia is capable of. You've defeating this creature once before, as we all know. However, that timeline is non-existent. Volvagia still lives to reek havoc upon the world."

Link gritted his teeth, pulling his sword from his sheath. "Then I must go immediately!"

Zelda nodded. "Indeed. Sacrificing her will not stop the power from growing. If anything, it'll only make things worse. Furthermore, her role as one of the seven sages is necessary in the near future for a power that has not yet awaken, but which shall be awakened soon. Her death destroys all hope of our survival."

The hero nodded, bowing his head. "Then, may I take my leave?"

The king shook his head. "Death Mountain is treacherous. You cannot possibly survive the mountain in your current state."

Link narrowed his eyes. "Wh-what?!"

The king raised his hand. Immediately, the captain of the guard nodded his head. "Yes, sire," he stated.

The guard left the room. Link turned and watched him go. A short while later, he returned, holding a large shield in his hands. He approached Link and hand the shield to him. "You will need this. Our Hylian Shields are resistant to the fires of that accursed mountain. It would be suicide to go without one."

Link stared blankly, but then quickly shook the expression of his face. He nodded his head, taking the shield in his hands. "Yes, of course."

He hung the shield over his back, then turn to face the king again, bowing once more. "Now may I take my leave?" he asked.

Rohanes nodded. "Yes, of course. Take the east gate of the town. It is a much quicker route than traveling through Kakariko Village as you know of doing. Death Mountain is only a short ride from there."

Link raised an eyebrow. "But wait… what of my horse?! I searched the stables but I couldn't find her, anywhere!"

The king nodded, again. "That is a simple question. When the inn was set ablaze the attackers set all the horses free. This was not so that we would lose our horses but simply so that the horses would not be burned in the blaze. Your horse is safely within the castle stables, now, being tended to by our maids."

Now the princess walked out in front of the king and queen, turning to her father, nodding her head. "Shall I prepare his horse for him, father?" she asked.

The king nodded. "Yes, of course," he stated.

Zelda the princess nodded her head. She turned back and walked down the stairs, passing by Link on her way through. "Your horse will be ready for you out by the main gate," she stated.

Link brushed a hand through his hair. "Uh, heh… Sorry about our first meeting, heh…"

She shook her head, giggling a bit. "No, no, it's okay. Don't worry about it. I was just a little startled, that's all."

"Zelda!" the queen called out. "Hurry up and prepare the horse for him. He needs to set out as soon as possible."

The princess nodded her head, again. "Y-yes, right away, mother!"

Princess Zelda waved goodbye to Link and quickly rushed off. Link turned back to king and queen. "Well, then, I guess I am done, here. Shall I be off, then?"

Zelda nodded. "Yes, of course. Do not be too late, though. Your presence will be needed back here after this mission is fulfilled. The dark powers haven't taken us yet, but they are still ever growing."

Link nodded, bowing again. "Yes, I know. I will be back soon… with Saria."

Rohanes nodded. "Good luck, young hero."

Link nodded again and then left the chamber. He went straight through the castle and out into the courtyard. As expected, the princess was waiting for him with Melinda already saddled and bridled. He approached her.

"Here she is, Link," Zelda stated. "She is a fine horse."

Link chuckled a bit. 'If only you knew…' he muttered to himself.

Melinda neighed. Link chuckled, again, coming up next to her and brushing his hand down her mane. "Hey, hey, I haven't forgot about you. I'm sorry, but you'll just have to hang tight a little longer."

Zelda raised an eyebrow. "Who are you talking to…?" she asked, surprised.

Link stared blankly, then suddenly spewed something out. "Well, I, uh… I always talk to her this way."

Zelda giggled a bit. "Heehee… You're so silly."

Link was a little surprised by her change of behavior. Before she was chewing him out and now she was acting very… sweet. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

She cocked her head to the side, hands behind her back. "Hmm…?"

Link shrugged his shoulders. "Uh, I dunno… You just seemed so… How should I put this? Level-headed? At our first meeting, yet now…"

Zelda lowered her head. "Uh, well… It seems that this situation is worse off than I thought. Something's out their trying to corrupt our world and I'm sitting here yelling at the one who is destined to save it."

Link chuckled. "You actually believe that?"

She nodded her head. "I have no reason not to believe it. I've seen stranger things happen."

Link nodded in reply. Still, something didn't seem quite right. He turned back to her, curious. "This wouldn't happen to be about that boy I saw climbing out of your room, would it?" he asked.

She gasped, putting her hand on her mouth. "How'd you know about that?!" she demanded.

Link chuckled. As expected, her statement was in the same tone as the time when they first met. "So that's it, isn't it? The other voice I heard the other day was the boy who snuck into your room. You didn't want me to know about him so you covered it up."

She lowered her head. "I… I really have no idea who he is. He just popped up into my room mumbling something about me being his 'charge' and then left. I saw him a couple other times, as well, but after that one time when he climbed out the window then saw you, ultimately causing him to lose his balance and fall out, I never saw him again."

Link nodded. "I don't think he means you harm, princess, but still, be wary. I'll try and look into that later on."

Zelda nodded. "Yes, of course…" Suddenly a thought occurred to her. She placed her hand on her mouth. "Oh! You should be going soon, shouldn't you…?"

He nodded, his thoughts straying. "Yes, I suppose I should..."

Link climbed up onto his horse and started to move off, waving farewell to Zelda. Then she remembered something, though. "Oh my…" she muttered softly.

She raced after him, calling out. "Link, hold on!"

Link stopped just before the gates, surprised. He glanced back. "Yes?"

Zelda ran up to him, removing a small pendant from around her neck, a purple jewel hanging from it. "Here, take this! My mother gave it to me when I was young. She told me that I should give it to you before you left."

Link took it in his hands, nodding his head. He turned back to her. "Thank you," he stated.

She nodded, a sparkle seeming to emanate from her eyes. 'Keep it safe, young hero.'

He had begun to turn away, but that startled him. He turned back to her. "Uh, what was that…?"

Zelda blinked. "Hmm…? I didn't say anything…"

Now it was his turn to be surprise. He shook his head. "Mmm… Must've been my imagination, then. I'm sorry…"

"It's okay," she said.

"Alright, then," he remarked.

Link waved farewell and Zelda returned to the castle. Link rode down through the gates and into the streets, soldiers already helping to clean up the damage done and restore what was lost. He steered the horse to the left, clapping his feet together beneath her. "Ya!" he cried out and she dashed off through the gate and out into eastern Hyrule. Death Mountain lingered on the horizon. It would likely take a few hours to reach it, but it was closer than having to travel through the southern route and into Kakariko Village.

'Saria, I'm coming to rescue you…'

XXXXX

The heat pouring over my face was overwhelming… My body burned, enflamed… My wrists felt sore; aching with strenuous pain… Heat flowed over my skin… Bursts of fire echoed around me… Footsteps clanked on metal…

Saria suddenly jolted awake, breathing in heavily. She took a deep breath of air, then another. She tried to move her arms but seemingly could not. Glancing over, she saw that her right wrist seemed to have been chained to a rock formation. Her other wrist bared the same results.

Even more strange, though, was that her arms were mostly bare. She felt a small piece of cloth, probably a skirt, dangling from her waist. Her torso bared only a small tube top, white in color, which she could plainly see. Nothing showed that she did not wish to show, but she still didn't feel right. Regardless, she clearly would've sweltered if she had been wearing her normal clothes, now—she was already boiling in the intense heat.

An eerie red glow emanated on the outer walls. Apparently she was hanging, for her feet did not touch visible ground of any sort. Like her arms, she could not move her legs, either. Positioned in this way, her head hung low. She couldn't clearly see the molten rock bubbling far below. Chained up like this, she could not move. Even if she could, though, she didn't want to. There was a metal grating a few feet ahead which seemed to outline the edge around the chamber. However, there's no way she could possibly reach it from here—it was simply too far away.

She heard the clanking footsteps again. A man appeared before her. He walked up the grating to the central pillar where she now hung, chuckling to himself. "Ah, if it isn't the lovely lady. I've heard so much about you, my sweets," he stated, grinning slyly as he approached her.

He stood at the edge of the grating, looking over at her, mocking her. "You truly are quite beautiful, little miss. Unfortunately, it seems that you have to go. The curse you have brought about this land must end."

She hissed. "How do you know about that, anyway?!" she demanded.

The man chuckled. "Ah, but alas, you have been given up. The green-clad mistress has informed us that the dark powers will not cease unless you are dealt with."

Saria raised an eyebrow. "Green-clad mistress…?"

He nodded. "Evil has grown in our lands. Animals have become wild and fierce. Our people have been corrupting themselves, some even into demonic entities, while others change in mind only. The woman appeared in our halls and informed us of the cause of this threat. She gave us the exact day you'd be available and the exact time when it would be most appropriate. She also told us of the fire dragon in this mountain which would bare our sacrifice. Once we have pled to the gods for our land to be healed, sacrificing the cause of this catastrophe, then would the world be restored."

Saria gasped out. She pulled at her chains, yelling out, angrily. "You're insane! SHE is the one behind it all! I'll admit that I may have accidentally released this power, but she is controlling it. She tricked you, you fool! Once I'm out of the way, then she will have full control over everything."

The man crossed his arms. "And how am I to know the truth? So you admit that you are behind it." He laughed and started to walk away. "That is good enough for me," he stated.

He suddenly stopped and spun around. This time, Saria decided to take in the details. Now realizing the fact that she was inside of Death Mountain's crater, it was no surprise that he wore the lightest clothing he could. His hair was brushed back neatly with a small black band pushing it back. On his hands he wore a pair of silver gauntlets which glowed in the eerie light emanating from the lava below. Around his neck was a cloth fabric with a gold medallion at the bottom of it in the front. On the medallion was the insignia of Masa. He was clearly the same man that had captured her in Hyrule Castle Town.

It seemed like longer, but it was really only a few seconds since he turned back. "Oh, and by the way," he began, bowing. "I'm Captain Baask of the Kingdom of Masa." Then he turned his head back up to face her, yes still in the same posture. "Pleased to meet your acquaintance, Miss…?"

"Saria," she stated. Immediately after that, she spat. "And I'm NOT pleased to meet yours."

Baask chuckled. "Of course not," he proclaimed, boldly. Then, he left, leaving her alone in this fiery pit of hell.

Saria sighed. 'Where are you, Link…?'