-Note: First of all, due to some confusion, I would like to clarify that any chapters labelled as Missing Link are bonus chapters. So, if you would like to completely skip this chapter, it's not essential to the main storyline. Also, I would like to add that the character Phoeni is from a side quest in Skyward Sword. I know that she is still a rather new character in the Zelda series, but you can look her up on a Zelda wikipedia if it would help clear up any confusion. This chapter takes place during the night after chapter 7, in Hyrule Castle Town. I hope that helps!- TwilightFairy928
Missing Link
-Phoeni-
Ganondorf listened as another sob reached his ears. He did not enjoy punishing his son, despite the memories of all the times he had wanted to crush the other boys by the name of Link who opposed him in the past. The Gerudo king found this a curious thing, though perhaps, he reasoned, it was simply because he had convinced himself that this child truly was his son. Ganondorf rubbed the side of face, wincing as another soft whimper escaped Link's mouth. This task of keeping the new young hero alive and on his side was a bit more complicated than he had initially imagined.
At the sound of a creaking mattress, the man, who had been resting on his bed for the night in the Stock Pot Inn at Hyrule Castle Town, rolled onto his back to see the child get up with a sniff. One hand wiping his damp eyes and the other rubbing his sore behind, Link stood up and walked toward the door of their room.
"Where are you going?" 'Siegfried' Dragmire whispered.
"Bathroom," Link replied in what was almost a gasp, as he was clearly fighting another sob.
"Very well," his father said, "I have seen it. It is to the left, down the hall, then to the right." The boy nodded, opening the door. Light seeped into the room when he did, and he left it cracked open. Ganondorf listened to the child's soft footsteps and the creak of the bathroom door. Drowsiness was weighing heavily down on him from that day's travel and excitement, and everything soon became a blur of dreams.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
A scream tore the Gerudo king from sleep. Sitting upright, he drowsily tried to focus, attempting to detect the source of the cry. The voice sounded familiar, he noticed with a feeling of dread, as his heart still hammered away at the sudden noise.
"Papa!"
He turned just in time to see Link stumbling into the room and toward him, one hand gripping his chest. The boy's face was etched with terror.
"What is wrong?" the man said, "Why are you trembling so?"
"Th-the bathroom!" Link gasped, "I was in there, and something came out- tried to grab me-"
"Slow down, Link," his father said, placing his hands on the boy's shoulders, "I do not understand this gibberish. Now, tell me again." The boy paused, eyes darting around the room as he took a few deep breaths.
"In the bathroom," he began, "I was in the bathroom."
"Yes?"
"…and it was kind of dark," he said, "because there was only candle light. I don't know for sure what it was, but something shot out of the toilet and tried to grab me!"
"Grab you?" Mr. Dragmire said, frowning, "Did you happen to see what it looked like, this 'something'?"
"W-well," Link said slowly, "it… it looked… kind of like…"
"Yes?" he pressed, "What did you see, boy?"
"It looked like a hand."
"A hand," his father repeated, "Are you certain?"
"No sir, I don't know if that's what it was," Link admitted, "but that's what it looked like to me." The man nodded as he rose to his feet.
"I will investigate, and you will stay here where it is safe," he announced, but then glanced darkly down at his son, "Now, after your little fright, there will not be a mess for me to clean up, now will there?"
"No!" Link exclaimed with a pout, "I was only washing my face!"
"Very good," he said, "Now, stay here." Link nodded vigorously as his father walked over to the door. Mr. Dragmire sighed, feeling two small hands grab onto his leg and he looked down to see Link, his head poking out between the man and the doorframe.
"Stay," the man commanded.
Link's head disappeared and he glanced back to see the boy staring back up at him with his blue eyes wide. The child continued to back up until he bumped into the nearest bed and flopped back onto it. He scrambled back up until he sat upright on the bed and looked up at the man pleadingly.
"P-please be careful, Papa," Link said, his voice trembling, "I-I don't want anything to happen to you, o-okay? I want you to n-not get hurt be able to come back h-h-home with me." The boy nervously grabbed a blanket up from under himself and hugged it close, seemingly for comfort. Ganondorf smiled slightly at the reaction and nodded. He turned, walked out into the hallway and soon reached the bathroom. He slowly stepped inside, reaching for the candle that sat upon a small table in the room and held it over the toilet. Examining it, he carefully leaned forward for a better look. Mr. Dragmire suddenly jerked back as something attempted to grab hold of his face. Although he staggered back, the man was determined and curious, and so he held the candle up a little higher in an attempt to see what this creature was. He blinked in disbelief as a pitiful moaning emitted from the hole.
"Who…" Ganondorf muttered, finding his voice, "Who is there?" Only a groan answered him. He cleared his throat.
"Who is there?!" he barked, grimacing at the toilet.
"I am…" the strange, echoing voice of a girl replied.
"Who are you…?" he asked, stepping a little closer.
"My name…" she said, "My name was," she corrected with a sob, "Phoeni."
"Phoeni…" he repeated, "What are you doing in there? You have frightened my son. Why have you done this?"
"I-" she replied, trying to speak through tears, "I did not mean to frighten him. But I… I've been trapped here for a very, very long time. I called for someone- anyone- for help, but no one came."
"Can I get you out?" Ganondorf offered, "Reach out for me to pull you out."
"No… I…" she muttered, "…there's nothing left of me. But this…" The man gasped as a white gloved, disembodied hand extended out of the toilet. It was slightly transparent and faded into nothingness at the wrist.
"How… how are you…?" he stammered.
"They never came!" Phoeni wailed, "They left me. I do not for how long…"
"Is there…" he paused, thinking carefully, "…some way that I may assist you?"
"Paper," came the answer.
"Pardon?"
"Paper!"
Ganondorf stared at the thing for a few moments, then, guessing what she meant, he blindly grasped around the table upon which had sat the candle. His hand soon came in contact with what seemed to be paper. It did not feel like the kind of 'paper' that he was looking for, but it would do. He handed it to her, which she swiftly snatched away.
"Thank you…" she whispered, breaking into sobs again. He only had enough time to catch a glimpse of what he had offered her. It was a letter. Hoping that it was not anything too important, he turned to leave.
"Wait."
Ganondorf stopped and glanced back. The hand floated above the toilet again, but this time, it held something. He narrowed his eyes, examining the object. It was a glassy, heart shaped thing, which he recognized as a 'heart piece'.
"This is for you," Phoeni explained, before he could ask, "for helping me. This… this letter you gave me. I like it. I will find the man who wrote it." Ganondorf frowned, feeling a twinge of pity for that man, but nodded and accepted the heart piece.
"There is one thing I would like to ask of you, however," he said.
"Ask away."
"Leave my son alone," he said, "Whenever he may enter here, leave him be. He is the child that you frightened earlier. Never let him see you again."
"Agreed," she said, "Farewell, and thank you!" With that, she faded away. Ganondorf exited the bathroom and walked steadily back to the room. Link sat on the bed with his knees drawn up to his chin, staring uneasily down at his toes. When he noticed his father enter the room, he scrambled onto the floor and over to him.
"Papa!" he exclaimed, "What happened? Did you see it?"
"I saw it," Mr. Dragmire replied.
"Did you get rid of- hey, what's that?" Link said, noticing what his father held.
"This is a heart piece, boy," he explained, "They will increase your health; make you stronger, by simply touching it."
"Then, does that mean you won't have to take your medicine for a while?" the boy asked, then wrinkled his nose as he drew near it and added, "But why does it smell funny, Papa? Where did you find it? Was it in the toilet?" The man placed a hand on the child's head.
"I believe it is time for bed," he simply answered, "but I would like you to know that you will not be seeing her again."
"'Her'?" Link repeated, cocking his to one side.
"Never mind," Mr. Dragmire said, shaking his head, "It is gone, and so you need worry no longer. Now, go to bed." Link frowned, but nodded. He grinned up at the man.
"Thank you, Papa," he said, "You're really, really brave! Good night!"
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
"Papa!" Link exclaimed, bouncing up and down, grabbing onto his father's arm, "Papa, what are we going to do today?"
"I believe that we shall be buying you some new clothes," Mr. Dragmire replied, "Din knows that you are already outgrowing everything that you have." They both turned as a tired looking young man walked into the lobby of the hotel, groaning and holding his head as he went.
"Is there something wrong, sir?" the woman at the front desk, Anju, asked him.
"I feel terrible," he moaned, "I didn't sleep well last night at all!"
"Were you uncomfortable, sir?" she said, furrowing her brow with concern.
"Oh, it's not that," he admitted, "I don't know why I feel this way. Do you know where I could find a doctor?"
"Yes, sir," she said, "Once you leave here, if you take a right and just follow the road down, you can find the doctor's office."
"Thank you," he said with a quick nod. Turning on his heel, the man hurried outside.
"I hope whatever he's got isn't contagious," Link said.
"I do not believe it is," Mr. Dragmire replied, "But I do believe I know why he is ill."
"Why, then, Papa?" the boy said, "Why is he sick?" His father smirked, knowing that 'Phoeni' had found the man she was looking for, and, with her visit, had most likely affected him for the worst with her ghostly presence.
He simply said, "I will explain it to you when you are older."
-Did you forget that Ganondorf warned Link that he would be in trouble for running away from Lake Hylia, back in chapter 5? I nearly did. But his actions come back to haunt him here, both literally and figuratively. I had this idea, after playing around in Majora's Mask and playing through some of the side quests in Skyward Sword. In both games, there is a scary, sort of random hand that pops out of a toilet. So, I combined the two. I knew that Link and Ganondorf would need to stay somewhere at night while in Hyrule Castle Town, and so I remembered the Stock Pot Inn. So, instead of ? that's in Majora's Mask, I used Skyward Sword's Phoeni, instead. I figured that Link would no doubt panic at the sight of a ghostly hand reaching out for him in the middle of the night, in a bathroom of all places, and so I thought that he might come running to 'Papa' for help. Then, as you read, Ganondorf would have to deal with it. I thought it was kind of weird that you get a heart piece for helping the hand in Majora's Mask, so I wanted to add that in, too. Plus, Link mentions in that 'Arachnophobia' chapter that his father told him about heart pieces. This is when he was talking about.- TwilightFairy928