*Okay, so I'm not sure ow many of you saw the latest update. It was only up for an hour or so before I took it down. But the gist of it was just me whining. Yeah, life is hard right now. But then I thought, "NO! Having that update staring me in the face will only make me MORE depressed!" So after taking a while drowning my sorrows in cute poodle videos and Yugioh Abridged, I hopped on my laptop and I got to work!

Sky: Great… I wonder whose eye she'll take out this time.

Young Link: Thanks for that. =_=

Cia: No, no, an eyepatch will make you look manly a few years from now! :D

Whatever! Let's get on with the new chapter! :3*

Cia thought she'd be content with the outcome she achieved. Sky now belonged to her and Wolf Link was trailing along. But somehow she found herself…unsatisfied. Was it because there was an infinite amount of heroes across time and space for her? Maybe. However, she decided against destroying more timelines and getting selfish. Greed never got anyone anywhere, after all. And two heroes under her control wasn't too shabby.

…Well, almost two. The Hero of Light (or whatever his title of the week was) had been a bit busy in the dungeons, and only the gods knew what was done with his impish sidekick. Cia clearly said she wanted the Twilight Princess thrown into the most secure cell they had, yet there was no guarantee her useless minions did as they were told.

"Cia?"

The sorceress quickly turned to the door of her chamber, somewhat surprised to see Sky back so soon. He was peeking out from the doorway with a sheepish expression.

"You're done already?" she asked, raising a brow. "I didn't think he'd break that easy."

"Uh, yeah, that's the thing," Sky replied with a nervous laugh. "He's not talking."

Cia's shoulders dropped in annoyance. She'd given Wolf the best ultimatum she could and he wasn't taking it. It was a pretty simple, "Tell me where the enemy is or I'll bash your skull in," but he wasn't taking it.

"Well, gee, how selfless," she said mockingly. "I know he's been to the enemy base. He had to meet that imp somehow. Guess it's my fault for not keeping an eye on him. I was too distracted with other matters."

"But I was wondering…" Sky folded his hands and avoided her gaze. "You could just put a spell on him or whatever. Kind of like you did with me."

"No, no, too easy." Cia shook her head dismissively. "I want to see if I can break him without the use of magic. It's more interesting that way. I suppose they say he's got an unbreakable spirit for a reason, though… Oh, well. There goes my fun."

She summoned her staff and started down the hallway, Sky following close behind. They silently made their way to the dungeons below and stopped before Wolf's door.

"What condition is he in?" she asked.

"I think I went a little far. He keeps passing out at little stuff," Sky answered.

"Any broken bones?"

"I think maybe a rib or two."

"Any serious injuries I can't fix?"

"I don't think so. I didn't do anything he couldn't live through."

"Excellent." Cia confidently pushed open the door, instantly being greeted by the sight of Wolf chained to the wall by his wrists. He was probably conscious, but his head was hanging down, making it difficult to tell. He had a few deep gashes as well, but nothing deadly. Sky had done a nice job in her opinion. "I'm back, dear!" she announced in an overly-sweet tone. "Sleep well?"

He raised his head slightly, but his face wasn't visible. Still, based on the silent treatment, he wasn't very thrilled to see her.

"Oh, don't be that way, love," she sighed. "This would've never happened if you had just talked."

"What did you do to Sky?"

The question was so blunt and sudden Cia was nearly caught off guard. "I'm sorry?"

Wolf Link looked up a bit, only enough for his hateful gaze to be seem. "I'm not repeating myself."

Cia exchanged glances with Sky. "Go into the hall. I'll speak with you later." He nodded and swiftly left, followed by Cia's quick call of, "And no eavesdropping!"

After the door creaked shut behind him, Cia gave her attention to Wolf. "You were saying?"

Despite his former decision to stay silent, Wolf said, "I know you did something to him. He's probably more innocent than me and my ancestor combined. I'm not buying that he'll support you of his own free will."

"True, very true," Cia nodded. "But Link, dear… I thought we had something together." Her only reply was a cold stare.

Dammit. I miscalculated again, she thought bitterly. That spell broke before it took full effect. That's what I get for letting him see who I really am so soon. I should probably do what I did to Sky, but… Let's see how far I can push this.

With a devious smile, she placed the end of her staff under Wolf's chin and forced him to look up at her. "Oh, come now. I thought I made it clear Zelda was at fault here. I'm just trying to stop her."

Wolf only scoffed at her words. "How stupid do you think I am? I guess it's my fault for not figuring out your true colors when I first saw you. If I knew what you were going to do, I would've gotten rid of you right then and there."

"Would you?" Cia smirked. "I thought you don't like hurting women."

"I don't," Wolf replied bluntly. "You're an exception."

"My, how chivalrous." The sorceress patted him on the head mockingly. "I'd expect nothing less from a great hero. But, see, I need to get some important things done. And I need a bit of your help in doing so."

The hero narrowed his gaze at her. "No."

"I don't recall saying you had a choice in the matter."

Wolf raised an eyebrow, partly from confusion and partly from irritation. "What?"

"This won't hurt a bit, dear," she assured him sincerely. Offering a kind smile, she placed a hand on his forehead, much to his annoyance. Cia found her fake pity becoming genuine as she gazed at him lovingly. "I won't let anything happen to you, I promise…"

"But Link, it's dangerous!"

Young Link turned back to the Kokiri children, who had gathered at the entrance to see him off. Saria wasn't too keen on letting him leave alone and by the looks of it, neither were the others.

"Let me go with you!" Fado offered confidently. "I want to help find Mido!"

"No."

His reply was instant. Link wasn't having anyone else put in danger. Plus, Dark was more company than he ever asked for. He had a secret weapon as well, not that he liked using it…not here at least.

"Link, please don't go…" Saria pleaded, taking a step forward. "If we lose you too, I'll-"

"I'm not going anywhere," Young Link promised. "I've been through a lot worse, trust me. I'll try to be back by sundown. Is that okay?"

The children exchanged wary glances before nodding in agreement. "Just come back real fast!" one of the twins called.

Young Link offered them one last smile before rushing off into the Lost Woods. It would be his first searching place, though he couldn't go very far. Not only was the forest just a big maze, the Great Deku Tree said any child who was lost there would become a monster. Then again, he did say the human world was evil, so maybe his advice wasn't very sound. Link certainly enjoyed being around human children nowadays, though he tried spending most of his time around Zelda.

Zelda…

He couldn't help but think about that little girl he met in the courtyard that day. She was so small and fragile, nothing like her future self.

Young Link found one hand unconsciously rubbing the bracelet on his hand. The one Cia gave him… Should he have thrown it away? He tried to avoid using it since Cia's betrayal, but he knew his emotions wouldn't mean much if an emergency popped up. If he had to defend someone, so be it.

"You sure that's a good idea?"

The hero suppressed the urge his eyes. "This tiny body is only so strong, Dark. As an adult I can fight much better."

"Oh, but what if something happens to the Kokiri kids? You know how much they fear humans. They'll instantly reject you if you turn in front of them!"

"I know, but…" Young Link's running slowed down as he thought more about it. Actually, he never even realized how the Kokiri tribe would react to him being human. Well, one thing was for sure: he'd avoid telling them the truth. It was better that way. "Whatever, doesn't matter right now. Just keep an eye out for Mido."

"Dumbass," Dark groaned. "Shouldn't you pay attention to the kid following us first?"

"Huh…?" Young Link quickly turned his head, seeing a deformed creature standing behind him, hands behind its back and whistling innocently. "You're that thing from before! Don't tell me you're following me."

The monster nodded its head with a wide, unnatural grin. Young Link wasn't very happy about someone he had to protect the whole way, but maybe this thing knew where Mido was.

"Hey, I've gotta ask you something." The creature perked up at his words. "See, there was this kid that disappeared a while back and I need to find him. He'd got red hair, green clothes, freckles, named Mido… Ring a bell?"

A frown crossed the monster's face. It seemed shocked at the description, but it didn't react beyond that. Instead, it stayed frozen in place.

"He's acting sorta suspicious," Dark mentioned. "I don't like that face he's making."

He was right. If this guy didn't know where Mido was, what was with the surprise? "You know, don't you?" Young Link asked in a serious tone. "He's not dead, is he?"

The creature quickly shook his head.

"Then where is he? Look, I know you don't talk, but couldn't you at least draw me a map or something? I need help, dammit!"

After a solid minute of silence, the monster pointed towards itself, biting its lip nervously.

"I'm not asking about you," Young Link groaned. "The Mido kid, where is he?!"

The imp pressed its entire hand to its chest, giving the hero its best attempt at a desperate stare.

"Oh-ho!" Dark laughed. "This is interesting."

"What is?" Young Link asked, no longer caring about the imp hearing him talk to himself.

"Gods, you're dumb as shit, aren't you?" Dark sighed. "Alright, let me put it to you this way. You came back to Mido as an adult, right? So why can't he come back to you as something else?"

The reality hit Link like a brick. He turned back to the monster with wide eyes, stumbling back. "Mido?!" The imp nodded. "What the hell happened to you?!"

Mido slumped his shoulders shamefully. He wasn't going to give an answer.

"Hey, didn't the Kokiri say something about a Zant guy? Did he do it? Damn, this isn't good… How am I supposed to change you back?"

"…Zelda."

Young Link's head snapped up as he heard Mido's voice. It was distorted and painful to the ears, but understandable nonetheless. "Zelda? How do you know her, I thought… Did you go to the outside world?"

Mido nodded slowly. He must've been desperate for help to leave.

"Did you meet her?" Another nod. "And you want to see her again. Well, that's easy enough. I actually know the Zelda of this time. But the problem is that she's in another dimension right now."

"No…"

Young Link quirked a brow. "'No?' You're telling me she's in Castle Town right now?"

"The guards…."

Not being able to tell what he meant, Link turned to Dark for assistance. "I think he means the guards won't let her leave," he guessed. "I'm not sure how she got back, though. But that gives us a good excuse to find out, eh?"

"Alright, guess we're headed to Castle Town," the hero shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. "I won't ask a whole lot of details until we turn you back, though. Until then, we just go nonstop."

Mido managed a small smile, though it still made him look deranged in his current form. Young Link held out his hand with a confident grin, and his rival took it thankfully.

I'm sorry, Link mentally apologized to his grandson. I promise I'll find you once I'm finished this…

"Ghirahim, is that it?"

Agitha jabbed a finger at the huge rose garden across the way. They were at least half a day's walk away, but at least it was in sight.

"I believe it is," he smirked. "And I don't think Cia is still worthy of our services, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yeah!" Agitha huffed angrily, puffing her cheeks. "She's nothing like I thought. At least with you I knew you were evil."

Ghirahim grimaced at the statement, though he couldn't deny he liked to flaunt his immoral lifestyle. "I suppose it'll be quite a while before we reach it. All we can do now is hope nothing happens on our way there."

After all, he thought smugly. I have plans for you, Sky Child. And the Goddess too…

"Father!"

Zelda busted into her dad's study with no warning. He was violently caught off guard, nearly throwing the book he was reading against the wall.

"This pile of dust made you?" The man accompanying her leaned against the doorway with his arms crossed. "I find that hard to believe."

The girl ignored his comments and said, "Father, I need to ask you something. It's gonna sound crazy, but you have to promise to believe me, okay?"

"Zelda, you've never been one to make up tall tales," he smiled good-naturedly. "And after all you and Link have been through, I can believe anything."

"Alright, if you say so. See, I need a way to cross dimensions or…something. I'm not sure exactly what's going on, but I need to see if you have any information on that sort of travel."

Her father closed his eyes and nodded. "I see. You've traveled through time before, so crossing dimensions should be very possible. But I don't know much about how it works."

"That's all we're getting?" the blond man scoffed. "Ask him about the timeshift stones. They were around when I was."

Zelda wasn't sure what he was talking about, but asked about it anyway. "What about timeshift stones? Is there anything like that?"

Her dad raised an eyebrow. "How do you know about those? Have you come across them on the surface?"

"Um… Yeah," Zelda lied.

"I see… Well, the timeshift stones are ancient technology. In books written before Skyloft existed, it is said they were a time traveling device. They could send you forward to an unknown era. There was no civilization yet, but many things changed. For example, a vast body of water called a sea turned into nothing but sand. You can find them in the Lanayru province on the surface. They're all over the place there. It won't help with dimensions, though."

"That's what we need," Zelda's companion nodded. "I have an idea, but we have to leave right away."

"Right," she nodded. "Thank you, Father. I think I can use that."

"But what are you using it for?" her dad asked. "Don't tell me you're going somewhere dangerous."

"I'm not doing anything that may take my life," she assured him. She could've sworn the man rolled his eyes at her, but she dismissed it. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

Zelda had been to Lanayru several times before. Link enjoyed taking her all over the land he traversed to show it off. Lanayru was very dangerous because of the monsters in the desert, but lucky for her there was what appeared to be a timeshift stone right in front of them.

"That's it," the man said. "Hit that and we'll travel forward in time. But we need to travel thousands of years… The stone won't take us that far."

"So what do we do?" Zelda asked in a concerned tone.

"Simple. You're the Goddess, you can control its power. Just channel your power and you'll be good."

"But… How do I know when I've gone forward enough?"

"I'll tell you," he assured her. "Just do your thing and stop when I say. It may take a lot out of you, but all in all, you'll be fine."

"If you say so…" Zelda gingerly placed a hand on the stone. Simply by doing so, the scenery around her began to get blurry. She flinched in surprise, but her companion's calm demeanor kept her relaxed.

"Keep going," he told her. "We're almost there."

Before long, Zelda saw people building homes around her at breakneck speed. A small village was quickly being built around them. She couldn't help but be in awe of it all.

"STOP NOW!"

Zelda jumped and took her hand off the stone. Time instantly came to a halt, leaving them in a stone room built around them.

"They must've made this building to protect the stone," the man observed. "Maybe they thought it was a relic of the gods. No matter, we're here. You can leave through that door."

Zelda followed his instructions and pushed open a nearby iron door.

"Oh, wait, I should tell you something."

She froze at his words. "What?"

"When you see the natives, say you're looking for Link, the Hero of Time."

Zelda gave him an odd look. "The hero of wha…?"

"Just say it."

She shook her head. Why would she tell them something like that? Without a second thought, she pushed open the door. On the outside was the village she saw before. It was simple, consisting of white tents, tall stone buildings, women with swords…

Wait.

"Who are you?" one woman shouted, pointing the tip of her blade at Zelda's throat. "It's been decades since we saw a Hylian here."

"I-I'm…" Remembering the words of her companion, she quickly said, "I'm looking for Link, the Hero of Time."

The group instantly lowered their weapons with shocked expressions. "The hero?" one young warriors asked hesitantly. "He's been dead for years."

"She's only a girl, he was gone before her time," an older woman added seriously. "How could she know him?"

"I did," she lied, deciding this was the best way to go. "We're old friends, I guess you could say."

"There's a chance she isn't human," a warrior suggested. "Perhaps a spirit of some kind?"

"A god?" added another.

"Demon?"

"The Sand Goddess's apprentice?"

"No, I'm not any of that," Zelda smiled apologetically. "I'm…" One sharp look from her companion cut her off. Saying she was human was a bad idea. "…I'm a messenger of the gods."

The women gasped and whispered among themselves.

The older warrior stepped up. "We take her to the king." All the others nodded in agreement. "They'll know what to do with her. Come with us, girl. Don't fall behind."

The group started deeper into the village, beckoning for Zelda to follow. She cautiously walked behind them, the blond man at her side.

"Not bad, kid," he smiled. "You got their trust without dying. Now let's see how you do against their king."

*Dang, that took a while! o_o But I actually wrote the bulk of it in one day, so I'm pretty happy with it. =w=

SS Zelda: Plus, I'm getting into the story! :3

Indeed you are, my favorite Zelda other than the TP one!

TP Zelda: :D

Well, better not waste anymore time. I'm finally out of the depression phase and I've gotta write some more! See you next chapter!

K bye.*