Author's Note- Hello everyone! Once again, sorry for the unexpected long update time, I swear I'm not meaning to do this on purpose. In addition, this is a relatively short chapter because I was just desperate to get something published. Anyways, thanks to miano53, Lady Fai, sippurp123, bindweed-flower, ShiverIntheLight, guest, guest, and guest. So, Chapter 14 of Monster! Enjoy!

Monster: Chapter 14

Zelda gasped for air as she descended from the vision. She wasn't sure why she was out of breath, whether it was an effect of the transition, or the psychological effect of them, but all she knew is that there was no air in her lungs, and she was trying to remedy that.

She felt a hand on her back and managed to look up to see Link above her. He must be more accustomed to either the visions' effect or having the breath knocked out of him. He patted her gently and spoke words of encouragement. Eventually she felt her lungs fill, and she spoke her thoughts on the experience. "That was awesome."

He laughed, and she felt her cheeks burn. Awesome? Not exactly the proper choice of words for a soon-to-be monarch. But she didn't care; he wasn't going to reprimand her for her choice of words.

She stood up from her doubled over position. There was nothing different in the room from last they saw it. But as her eyes swept over the wall, a sinking feeling settled in her chest. "There isn't any exit Link."

He turned to where they had entered and saw that indeed a large slab of stone blocked their way out. He turned back to her, no worry on his face. "There has to be some way out of here, the Hero proved that." But as he walked around the cavernous area, probing walls, looking for a chink, moving air, anything that represented a way out, he realized Zelda was right. There wasn't any kind of exit forthcoming.

He walked back to where she had been sitting and sat heavily down next to her. "Well..." Was all he had to say for a while. She didn't ask for clarification. There wasn't any needed.

After a few minutes of forlorn silence, Zelda voiced her thoughts. "Um, Link?" He turned to her; she bit her lip, nervous. "What was the Hero talking about, when he said the issue that's been dominating your thoughts lately?" His elven features shone the same bright shade of crimson that he had earlier and mumbled something quickly, to quiet for her to hear. This only further goaded her curiosity.

"Please Link; what is it you could have to hide from me?" He risked a glance at her face and instantly regretted it. Her fair face pleaded for answer, blue eyes big and questioning. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, taking as much time as he could spare. He could feel the Spirit needling him inside, and was too keenly aware of how much like a cherry his face must look now. Holding the Triforce of Courage wasn't helping much now, was it?

Finally he forced himself to look back at her, and gathered what little courage he could spare, he opened his mouth to speak, desperately praying to the Goddesses that he wouldn't regret this, that he wouldn't say something stupid, that she would be gracious-

A loud clatter interrupted him, and they both looked to the direction that it had come.

Another crash, seemingly louder than the first, sounded from the same stretch of wall. Both Jumped from where they sat, Link's blade already drawn and held in the direction of the offending noise. He heard a ring of steel behind him and knew that Zelda had come prepared as well. As the crashes continued he wished he had brought his bow or at least a knife to throw.

Finally a crack appeared in the wall, right where the door had been. Another crash, and a crack to go along with it. Link's muscles tensed, another blow and the door would break apart. He heard a sharp intake of breath behind him, and then the door shattered.

He leapt forward in an instant, moving like water, fluid and graceful. In mere seconds he had dropped from the platform, rolled and got up running without ever breaking stride. His sword cut through the haze of dust, then vibrated painfully as it struck another blade, he had retreated and swung twice more before the smoke cleared enough for him to see the Hyrulean crest on the armor of his would-be foe.

The opponent took advantage of his distraction to attempt to disarm the Hero, but hard earned reflexes nullified any advantage the enemy had. Within seconds the offending blade clattered to the ground. Instead of the usual finishing blow he would normally deal, Link held the blade loosely, unsure whether to strike or not. Finally the dust settled completely, no longer aggravated by the duel, and a familiar face gazed back at him

"Perhaps we could go two out of three, Link?" Captain Markus's welcome voice echoed through the room. Behind him were four soldiers, two of which Link recognized, Arthur and Carver. All were equipped with as little armor as possible, presumably to reduce weight, and carried knives about 7 inches from pommel to tip of the blade, and various ropes and anchors for descending the entrance of the cave.

"Captain!" Link was overjoyed to see his friend. "How did you get here so fast?"

The captain cocked his head quizzically. "What do you mean Link? A full day has passed since you and Her Highness fell into here." He glanced around. "Wherever "here" is."

Link glanced back at Zelda, whose expression reflected his confusion. How had a full day passed? When he turned back to the captain, whose puzzlement had multiplied, he suddenly felt the need to be away from this place, where he could sort this out away from prying ears. "Perhaps we should get Her Highness back to her castle. We'll explain everything on the way and on arrival." He turned and spoke over his shoulder while he moved towards the princess. The fall, while not particularly dangerous, still was enough that he would help her down. And it also gave him the opportunity to let unbridled confusion wash across his face. He would have much to discuss with the captain on the way back, and even more to ponder to himself.

AN- So what did you think? Liked it, didn't? Leave a review, please, and tell me what you thought! Thanks for reading!