Author's Notes: Well, it's about time I cleaned this whole thing up. I'm going to go through and revise the first two arcs of the story at the very least for clarity. I will make sure to keep the rewriting accurate to what the original versions stated (so that current readers aren't confused; I don't want info from a revised chapter to come up and current readers suffer never having read the info before). Here's hoping that goes well.

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda, its characters and such are all legal trademarks copyright by Nintendo.

Chapter Thirty-Six: Another Perspective

The trek across Hyrule was a slow and painful one, the silence between the two of us growing every step. My feet burned with each step, forcing me to question how many days I had spent in recent times running or jogging or traveling. The cloudy weather had not brightened my mood; sure enough, it had done no better to Knight's.

How long has it been since I started this whole mess? I had lost track of time long before today, but the question refused to leave my mind. Things had certainly changed since I left the village that day. If I had known all those months ago that I would be journeying with a man I had learned to hate, I imagine that I would have scoffed and laughed it off.

As we moved, however, I noticed that we were heading into a direction I had not intended on going. We were heading up toward the recently erupted volcano, following the river that served as a moat for Castle Town. The river went off through another pass that led further up the mountains and farther up north than I had ever gone before.

At first, I was perplexed as to why we were heading up to the lair of the zoras first. A realization soon struck me, however. Unlike Zelda or Saria, this idiot has no idea that we need to go to the ranch first. He was completely preoccupied with Zelda's request of compromising with the zoras.

How the heck was I going to get him to change his mind and head to Lon Lon Ranch?

I coughed. He gave no response. "So…"

He trudged through the grass, giving no reply. A breeze blew past. He paid heed to it by shutting his visor.

Asshole. "Anyway, we should probably make a few stops and prepare before we go to meet the zoras."

"No," he curtly replied.

Irritated, I tried again. "There are other things that we should do first, Sir Adam."

Almost inaudibly, "The princess' will is priority…"

I finally barked, "Hey! We have some things we need to do that are a little more important first!"

He spun around, and I could barely see the seething eyes between his helmets visor. "And what exactly are those?" His voice held a cool edge but I could detect the sting in his words. "Do elaborate."

I kept my glare strong. "I need to head to Lon Lon Ranch first in order to retrieve the map for the Pendant of Peril," I argued.

He pondered it, then turned around brusquely. "Do it later. We must investigate the zoras first."

I was stunned. "Do it later? I don't think you understand, Sir Adam. This isn't something that can wait. We need to do it now."

Knight sighed. "We do not want war with the zoras, now do we? Be a good little boy and follow me to our destination."

"Are you serious?" I sped up my pace. "If we don't find that damn key then the Dark Wizard will! By then, war won't mean anything!" How was he keeping so calm? I was now shouting by the end of the last sentence.

"War will mean something, and having the zoras as our allies rather than our foes will be a massive aid to us when disaster finally does strike. If you have any other concerns, state them now, Boy, before I lose my patience."

I attempted to discern what reason he had for avoiding the ranch, though I came up with no conclusion regarding Malon. However, a thought struck me. "Are you afraid that you'll wind up in prison again if you don't follow the princess' orders?"

He physically flinched at my words. "I am afraid of no such thing. Now, we are wasting time. Let's go."

I stuck my feet to the ground in a strong stance. "I'm not moving unless it's back toward the ranch. Go on ahead if you like, but you won't have my help if trouble comes around. I don't know where to go if you lose me."

He sighed in exasperation. "You are insufferable! Right down to the bone!" He huffed, pondering. Finally, he began to walk the other direction, back toward the center of the field. "Fine. Have it your way. We shall go to that den of madness, but only on the condition that we undergo no more sidetracking after that. Got it?"

I nodded, relieved. "Let's make this as quick as possible."

We turned around and continued on our way, this time to Lon Lon Ranch. The ground was muddy from the recent rainfall of the past few days, and I found that the slight slope of the field did not help my balance. I groaned at the thought of trekking for the rest of the day, but kept my words to myself, afraid of reprimand and a harsh argument with Knight.

It was about five hours later that we finally reached the ranch, the large rock walls of it offering protection from the various threats that appeared in the night. I found it difficult to believe that this would be my third visit to the place, but seeing as fate had screwed me over again and again countless times I doubted it would be the last. We approached the entrance of the ranch, and Knight put his foot down there and refused to go in.

"I do not care what you do inside that ranch," he told me, "but make sure to return alive and as quickly as possible."

"What, you're not coming?" I was amazed at his vehemence towards taking time away to accomplish an important goal.

He shook his head. "This is your detour, thus your problem. I will wait here until you are done."

Frustrated with his logic, I left him there and entered the ranch once again. Passing by the wooden walls that replaced the stone ones, I took in the familiar sight of the ranch. The horse gate was farther down in the center of the ranch, while the door to the barn on the left hung precariously open. I caught the sound of a horse neighing from the barn to the right, and I hurried past the open door and to the field in a hope that Malon would be out at the gate again, humming her little tune.

To my disappointment, she was not where I had wanted her to be. The gate was empty, all the horses apparently in their stable. This complicates things…I thought to myself. It's hard enough talking to her…now I have to find her?

Outside of the horse neighing, it was eerily quiet. I pondered whether or not she was even at the ranch.

However, my thoughts turned to the open door which I had so ingeniously hurried by without even glancing in. Stupid me. She's probably in there…

I made my way back over to the door, and heard the soft swish of movement in water. Curious, I peeked my head in and gazed into the barn.

Inside, Malon was sitting on a small bale of hay, turned away from me and reaching a large cloth down into a bucket of water. She had removed her dress and now used the cloth to run water down her back slowly. Her hair had been brushed to her front side in order to expose her back to the water. On her side was a scarred gash that brought to mind the conversation she had with the Dark Wizard as well as the trail of dried blood leading to her room. Most importantly of all, her back was covered in various scars from what must have undoubtedly been a whip, the injuries whiter than her back from the attempt to heal them.

I blushed (luckily she was turned away lest I really have a reason to blush) and took a step back, accidentally crunching onto some small bark that must have been dropped in a previous attempt to haul it through the ranch.

She shot up straight, turning her head around to make eye contact with me. Her bright violet eyes widened in a horrible realization of who I was. "T-turn away!" she urged. "Stop looking at me!"

I turned away, focusing my attention on the small intricacies of the wood used to build the adjacent barn. "I didn't know you were in here," I spoke in my defense. "Besides, who leaves the door open when taking a bath?"

She stuttered, "No one ever comes here anymore, so I just left it open…it's not like I expected you to come here today."

The patterns on the walls were sufficing, though my temper flared momentarily. "Well, I'm here. And I have some questions."

I heard her sigh. "What do you want to know now? I thought you wanted nothing to do with me…"

I wanted to get to the point of my trip, but too many questions nagged me. I ultimately gave in to them. "Those scars…I know who you got them from."

She was momentarily silent. "Why would you care? They're only harsh mementos to remind me that I'm not free."

My anger began to return to me, but I held it in. "They are what destroyed my home, and my family. Which makes me wonder…" I had an urge to turn and face her, but reminded myself that she was not clothed and that it would be a bad idea. "How did you know where the Pendant of Peril was? Who told you of Lyna Forest and Mycenia Village? Did you know of me, my friends, the elder of the village?"

I heard the sound of her fumbling with her dress. "You're bringing too many questions on me at once…"

"Then I'll start with a simple one. Whose side are you on?"

She groaned. "I…I'm only doing what I can to stay alive." I heard her stand up. "You can turn around now, if you'd like."

I spun around to find her now clothed in her white dress, her expression one of irritation. Yet, there was some anxiety present as well. "Then answer this question for me. How did you know of the pendant?"

She seemed as if she wanted to dodge the question. "Random circumstance, alright? It wasn't directly concerned with me, so I gave it no thought until that madman came after me for the information…"

"But who told it to you?" My intrigue was fired up now, the need for the truth building within me. "Who gave you the information that ruined my life?"

She almost literally shrunk away from my accusations. "A-a man, alright?"

"When did he show up?" I demanded.

"A few months ago, I don't remember. Around a month or two before I found you and your friends…"

That was shortly before the village was attacked, I realized. Hungry for more, I pressed on. "What did he look like?"

"I don't know! He was dressed in a cloak, so I couldn't see the details on him. I remember him being older than me, judging by his voice…" She was very uncomfortable from my interrogation.

"What did he say? Why was he there?"

She thought about it, though it seemed to bring up terrible memories. "He was hiding from someone, but never said who…I asked him what was wrong, and he began to mutter gibberish about a pendant and a village called Mycenia up the river…He was lost in thought. I asked him where that was and he told me that it was Lyna Forest. I figured that must have been those strange woods that appeared years ago, but-"

"Wait," I interrupted her. "Since when has Lyna Forest never existed?"

"It didn't use to be there," she responded. "Not until around seven or eight years ago. Before that there was a large rock wall; Zora's River used to pass through it into the canyon that separates the field from the desert-"

I stopped listening to her, deep in thought. That can't be, I realized. The forest had to be there! I remember it! My childhood had been spent in that forest, a time period that most definitely lasted longer than seven or eight years. I deemed her slightly delusional. "Is that it?"

"N-no…there's more." She took a moment to compose herself. "He soon realized that I was listening to him and getting information out of him, and he panicked… He shook me and made me promise not to tell anyone the info he had muttered. He seemed mad in the head and as if he had not had much sleep in recent days, the way he talked."

"Okay. What happened after that?"

Her expression deteriorated further. "H-he left…and shortly after…he found me…"

Curious, but now cut off from any more information, I decided that reminding her of her wounds would be going too far. "I think that's enough. I only have one more question." My eyebrows furrowed. "Did a horse ever come by here a month or two ago? Did it have food and items with it, a map perchance?"

She pondered. "I think so…though I don't remember what I did with the equipment I found…" She seemed wary. "Why, do you need it?"

"I only need the map," I told her. "I'm not used to the geography outside my home and would like it immensely. The princess gave it to me, and I'd rather not shame myself going up to her and telling her I lost it." I tried to smile. "So, if you have it, could you please return it?"

A long pause. "Let me check where I think I put it," she told me, and left the barn. A thought crossed me to follow her, but I ultimately reasoned that she hated the Dark Wizard and therefore had no reason to hinder me. I'm going to put my trust in her, this time.

It was a lengthy wait. Time passed, and the longer I stood there the more I began to suspect that she had hightailed it out of the ranch to as far away as she could run. I myself was on the verge of heading out in rage when she returned, a rather old map of Hyrule in her hands. "Is this what you were looking for?" she asked me.

I nodded. "Please give it to me."

She thought about it. "I'm considering the circumstances…why can't you just buy a new map? It seems strange you want this particular one." I didn't respond. "It's my turn to ask the questions. Why should I give it to you? What can you do for me in return? Why shouldn't I just rip this old map up and send you on your way?"

I growled. "Give me the map."

She shook her head. "Answer my questions…"

I stepped forward, reaching for the map. She turned away, holding it out of my arms' reach. I stepped close and attempted to take it from her.

She accidentally brought the map near me when I grabbed her, and it glowed in response to the pendant. She dropped the map in surprise, and in a second's thought grasped her hand on the pendant, yanking it over my head and into her hands. I let out an angered cry and chased her as she ran off with it. She yanked some hay down and it got in my face, getting in my eyes and forcing me to stop and rub my eyelids in pain. She made it up the stairs and into her room, slamming it shut as I finally began to make my way up the stairs.

"You can't run, Malon," I called out from my side of the door. "I'll give you until the count of ten before I break down the door." No response. "One…two…three…"

I could almost sense the fear she had as I counted up. I wondered what must have been going on her mind, though rage quickly quelled that as the count went higher.

"Eight…nine…ten. I'm coming in." Backing up, I charged the door and slammed it with my shoulder. It shook violently, but did not break. I clutched my shoulder in slight pain before trying again with my left shoulder instead. Running as fast as I could, I smashed myself into the door once again. This time it flew open, allowing me access.

Stepping in, I found her at one of the corners of the room, not much better off than a caged animal. I took a step forward, and her eyes lit up in fear.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't give this to him," she spat out. "It'll make him go away…" Her grip on the pendant was so tight that I could see blood trickling down her hand from the pointed edges of the trinket. It did not deter her nor weaken her grip on it, however.

I glared at her. "You know that's a stupid idea. Give it here now, Malon. I know what to do with it that'll make him go away." I had half a mind to take it by force, considering that she was the enemy and would not relinquish it.

She shook her head wildly. "I know who you aren't now. You're not 'Archie' or Link. I don't know who you are, but there's no way in hell you're Link!"

"Give it here," I demanded in a harsh tone, stepping closer. She cringed and tears welled up in her eyes before finally breaking down into crying.

I grinded to a halt at the sight of her bawling. What am I doing? I asked myself. Here I was, threatening a young woman nearly to the point of force to give me back a piece of jewelry. It all seemed petty in my eyes. Threatening and inducing fear in others…I'm not much different from the man she's afraid of…

She shut her eyes and continued to sob when I finally approached her. However, my thoughts were still reflecting upon my actions, and I finally came to a decision about how I should have been handling things in the first place.

To her surprise, I pulled her into an embrace, feeling her warmth as hot tears pressed up against my neck. "I'm not going to hurt you," I murmured. "We've all been hurt enough…" She choked up in response. "Anyone who's against the Dark Wizard is on my side…"

"I-I…why…?"

"It's okay," I told her. "My name is Link, though I'm not the man who saved Hyrule. I'm stuck in this mess just as much as you are. The princess tasked me with putting an end to it." I considered my next choice of words. "I want to help you. Please, don't give the pendant to him: it won't stop the pain for either of us…" I prayed to Farore that she would listen to me and try to make some sort of amends.

She sniveled. "What…what can we do…? What can you do about it?"

Without thinking about it, I dug myself further into the pit I was making. "I can make him go away. I can make him never come back, Malon…" I felt myself getting emotional and tried to hold back tears, though I did not know why I was on the verge of crying. "We'll all be free. Finally free from this mess…"

Her bloodied grip on the pendant loosened. "Do you…do you mean it?" Her breathing was uneven as she attempted to recover from her sobbing. "Can we really be free…?"

"We can. I promise…"

"I'll….I'll give it a chance…" My words placating her, she slowly returned the Pendant of Peril to me. "Then…can I request something of you, Link?"

Relieved to have my precious memento returned to me, I responded, "What is it?"

"If you ever run into…the real Hero of Time…let him know to stop by where he found his horse, alright?"

I nodded. "I will. Promise." With a sigh, I thanked her for her cooperation and prayed to Farore once again that I could form at least some sort of reliable trust between us so that I would have one less enemy to worry about.

As I left with the map and the pendant once again in my grasp, I found Knight standing outside the door, silent and unnerving in his lack of movement.

"What are you doing here?" I inquired in confusion. "I thought you said you'd stay outside?" He did not respond. "…were you listening in on our conversation?"

"You are a horrible person," he told me, "and a particularly terrible man who wastes his time with pleasantries. Why did you not just take your things and leave?"

"What're you getting at? What's wrong with the things I do?"

He gave a cold chuckle. "Is it not obvious? You are a devious liar who is against the fair sex."

"Excuse me?!" I asked, incredulous. "Are you telling me that I'm ungentlemanly?"

"Indeed. You use women as your tools and will them how you want with shallow promises."

That bastard! "I'm giving her a promise that I intend to keep!" I barked back. "If I didn't mean it, why would I say it?!"

He laughed, "Because you are a liar and a man who wastes his time. Why did you not strike her and take your things the moment you had the chance?"

I growled. "Who's the unfair bastard again? I wanted to leave her better off than she was before!"

He scoffed. "She would have been worse off whether you hit her or not. It would have made no difference. If anything, you made things worse than if you had hit her." I went silent; he turned to leave. "Let us head off to Zora's Domain. Make haste."

Unable to find a decent counter to his words, I followed behind slowly.

A few hours had passed before I decided to interrogate him as to his logic. The river and the pass through which it came were only the rest of the day's journey ahead of us, the always ominous Death Mountain hanging overhead with a now meager cloud above it. The scent of the field was still dashed by the ash that we crushed beneath our boots. Thankfully a gust of wind was not blowing as it had done earlier; I had had to cover my mouth when the filth blew up in my face.

I decided that now was perhaps the best opportunity I was going to get in regards to pressing him. "Sir Adam."

The soft crunch of boots trampling soil. "What is it?"

I took a breath. "What you said back at the ranch…" I choose my words carefully. "What did you mean when you said my talking to her made things worse?"

He was quiet. For a few minutes, we trekked through the field, him in contemplation, I in anticipation.

"You made a promise," he finally spoke.

I felt a touch of irritation. "You don't trust me with promises. I get that."

He walked a bit further before giving his reasoning again. "It is not that you made a promise, more so the promise you made."

"So, you don't have faith in the princess. Is that it?"

I could hear him almost bark back in rage before considering his words more carefully. "It is not that. You simply promised to be a hero."

I felt like giving myself a metaphorical pat on the back. "And I've been one, haven't I? Or at least an impersonation of one. If anything, I stopped Volvagia."

"Through sheer dumb luck," he responded. "You may have climbed the dragon, but you could have never timed the lightning just right."

"…you got me there." I thought about how I could argue back. "But I still climbed the dragon. You don't believe that I can do anything heroic?"

"…there are no heroes in this world."

His statement intrigued me. "Why do you say that?" But he did not elaborate.

Curious…why did Knight, unlike most of the people of Hyrule, choose not to believe the tales of the Hero of Time? Did he not believe in the Triforce, or the Evil King, or anything of the goddesses? I was now quite puzzled by his response. However, I did not know how to proceed in order to pry more information.

Ultimately, we continued on in silence. I wished that Saria was there with me rather than my hated comrade.

The sun was on the verge of setting when we finally reached the mouth of the mountain pass. Knight suggested that we continue on moving, but I insisted that we rest away from the river until nightfall; that way we could at least shove down some food and I could use the map to discern the last portion of the Key of Despair's location. To that he finally relented, and we made camp about fifty feet or so away from the riverfront.

I spent some time going around collecting branches from the few nearby trees to make a small fire before finally sitting down and pulling out some bread to feast on. The sky was dimming rapidly, and I could sense Knight's urge to continue moving, but I was sure that he would rather wait until nightfall to depart despite his anxiousness.

I caught him groaning as I took a large bite of bread. "We do not have time for you to dillydally and eat all of our food. Hurry up."

I told him between mouthfuls, "I'll eat however fast I want." He growled at my response. It didn't bother me; I continued to feast as I saw fit.

Once my meal was finished, the light of day was nearly gone, so I spent the last hour of sight drinking water, refilling my non-potion canteen with water from the river, and finally relieving myself before returning to the campsite. Knight's helmet prevented me from discerning his expression, and now was one of the few times it truly bothered me to not be able to see his face.

"Why don't you take that helm off?" I asked him as politely as I could.

"Because I do not want to see your face any better than I can now," he responded.

I took a swig from my canteen and shrugged. "Whatever. Your problem, not mine." I thought more about his armor. "Say, why did Zelda give you that armor anyway? Any particular reason?"

He caved and opened his visor to eat. After munching on a piece of bread, he finally spoke. "Since we are enemies, I suppose it is mandatory that we exchange information on ourselves. To know one's enemy is to know their weakness, and equal footing is common courtesy I was raised on, unlike the wilderness you hail from."

"I take offense to that."

He did not care. "I received it from Her Majesty years ago, on behalf of my allegiance to her and Hyrule. I see you have nothing in that regard."

I chuckled bitterly. "All I've gotten for my allegiance is a quest to the ends of the world and pain. Hardly anything ceremonial." A sigh. "Though I suppose you know nothing of what it's like to not live in a dainty castle and have to make a living for yourself."

"Things are not as they seem, fool. Do not make such assumptions based on appearance and personality alone."

I was impressed by his brash take on things. "Yet you assume there are no heroes in the world."

He gave a snicker that was the first real sign of true emotion I had gotten out of him: bitter humor. "I speak the truth, yet you only go on and make facts out of what you see alone. This land has turned to you to save it: You are no savior."

He really knows how to strike my nerves… "What of the Hero of Time? Or is he so far gone from your mind that you won't even consider him?"

He gave no response.

Figures, I thought to myself. Wanting to finally resolve my anxiousness towards the location of the Key of Despair I pulled out the map and held it so that the fire would light up the locations. I could make out the approximate area where we were near the northeastern edge of the map's field, a crudely drawn landmark titled Zora's Domain not far north from us.

I took a moment to further inspect the map, an action I should have done the first day I had gotten it. At the center lay Hyrule Field in its usual spot, Castle Town to the north of it. Death Mountain was not far southeast to the zoras' home, and further down was the other forest of which Saria hailed from, titled The Lost Woods on the map. Farther down south was a massive water source that seemed to be titled Lake Hylia, and to the far west of the field was a barren sector of the map called the Gerudo Desert.

Strange. Very strange indeed. What surprised me even more was that Lyna Forest was not on the map. I recalled it being there last I gazed upon the map, but remembered that the Pendant had only lit up the area where it was supposed to be. Why was it not depicted? Did Hyrule (outside of Zelda) not even know it existed? Or was the map far older than I realized? On second thought, I ruled out the second option based on Zelda's claim that the map was forged by the Dark Wizard. Either Lyna Forest was not known to most Hylians, or my foe was far older than I was and had made the map without knowing the forest existed yet.

Either way, it was time. I drew out the Pendant of Peril. With a gulp of hope, I held it close to the map.

A section of the map lit up in response. I gave it a long, hard gaze of frustration and aggravation.

"Sir Adam, what the hell is the Key of Despair doing at Lake Hylia?" I barked.

Knight gave a shrug as he returned his helmet to his head. "As if I would know. Gods above, retrieve it later."

I snapped, "If I don't retrieve it as soon as possible there won't be a later, you idiot! We have to go get it now!"

He shook his head. "You gave me your oath that there would be no more sidetracking. Earlier you stated that you intended to fulfill your promise to the girl. How can I possibly hold you to that if you refuse to keep to any deals you and I make, you wretched brat?"

Oh, that one stung. I growled in response, but ultimately had to concede defeat. "Fine. We'll go to the zoras first…but after that we must retrieve that damn key! Got it, tin head?"

I could feel the sneer beneath the visor. "Very well. After negotiating with the zoras we shall go fetch Her Majesty the key."

As frustrated as I was with him, I had to admit that Knight put up with a lot of my anger quite well. Far better than before his imprisonment, anyway. Something caught my eye: he seemed to never leave the range of the fire once the sun had set. It was quite peculiar, but I chose not to press.

Thinking hard about the issue with the Key of Despair, I recalled the news that Ceaye had reported less than a month ago: that the zoras had built a garrison in Lake Hylia. She had also warned that the last half of the key may have been there too…it seems as if she was indeed correct. I would have to deal with it when the time came.

A few minutes passed. I noticed that Knight seemed to now have no inclination to move forward. "You ready?" I inquired.

He scowled. "I have been waiting for you this entire time." He glanced out toward our destination. "…let us leave now."

I would have stood and taken the initiative, but my eye caught something watching us in the darkness…I leaned forward to try to get a closer look. My eyes widened in realization.

Scarlet pupils.

I stood up immediately. "Ceaye!" I called out.

Knight was startled by my sudden movement. "What in blazes are you doing?"

The eyes disappeared into the shadows. I began to follow them. "Wait up! Come back!"

Knight called back, "You idiot! Return to the campfire at once!" Strangely, he didn't follow me into the dark.

As I ran further and further away from the camp I could have sworn I saw the glint of Ceaye's red eyes not far in front of me the entire way. It was, in a sense, my guiding light in the night, for the moon was not out due to the heavy clouds overhead. I knew it was a terrible, terrible idea to stray from fire on a clouded night in the field, but the presence of anyone besides Knight was worth the risk to me.

The breeze of the night wind brushed past my face as I continued to follow the eyes, but soon they disappeared and I was momentarily lost. I ran a bit farther in the same direction, but to no avail.

"Damn it!" I swore aloud. Was I seeing things? Was Ceaye really here? At this point I had absolutely no clue.

However, soon the eyes returned, though they were not the same shade. Bright orange pupils gazed at me now, and I began to take a step forward when they interrupted me.

"Do be careful where you step, Hero of Time," the familiar voice of Skull rang out. "You are about to step into the river."

I snapped back to my senses and noticed for the first time the potent sound of gushing water right in front of me. It seemed strange that I had not noticed it before…

"It is nice to meet you again, Hero of Time. I come with a warning regarding the zoras that lie in their domain further up the river."

I blinked in response. "I'll take any advice I can get, Skull. If you know something, speak now please."

I heard him blow a few soft notes on his flute before continuing. He seemed to be taking his sweet time. "When you reach the princess of their tribe, do not be deceived by those around her who speak; not all of them are righteous in their intentions. Be aware that the only person you can completely trust is yourself; do not put too much hope into expecting your companion will comply with anything besides basic tasks. Finally, make certain to watch out for the assassin who has plagued you throughout the past few months." A pause. "I trust you are certain that they have the Key of Despair's final piece?"

I nodded. "It's down at Lake Hylia. I think they're guarding it." I wondered to myself if he could even visually catch me nodding.

Skull seemed to consider the information. "I see. Very well: this task is up to you. Make haste in retrieving the final piece of the Pendant of Peril. The faster you can manage it, the more hope you have of beating your foes in this dark race." He gave a nod, one I could thankfully see due to his glowing eyes. "I shall leave you to your quest, then."

"Wait!" I called out, before he could abandon me alone in the dark. "I saw red eyes before finding you here. Do you know who they belong to?"

He paused. "I saw no one of the sort, nor do I have such eyes. I am led to believe your mind is playing tricks on you, Hero of Time."

"I-I see…well, thanks anyway."

"I will meet with you when I once again retrieve information that is of use to you. Until then…farewell." With that, he exited my vision once more.

Skull's information was nice and all, but he had left me in the dark away from the camp, and for a moment I was disoriented in trying to relocate the campsite. However, I was able to finally pinpoint it and begin to make my way back over to Knight. I pondered on the zoras and how I could deal with Ruto and Mesovys, but no particularly helpful strategies came to mind. I knew almost nothing of the situation and thus could not make any effective decisions regarding it. In short, I would be going in blind.

The armored lout was clearly not impressed with my act of running off, and he showed it in his tone and word choice. "I see you have returned from your adventure. Was it as grand as suicide can be?"

"Not as grand as a moment with you," I contested. I figured that it was a stupid idea to push my sole comrade away with jeers, but the contempt and history with him was difficult to tame.

"Now that you have wasted our time so extravagantly, I suppose we should head off to the domain before sunrise." He stood up, and glanced down at the kindling fire. A moment's hesitation. A long pause, and a lengthy gaze. Finally, he put it out.

I yawned, not even attempting to suppress my fatigue from the day's journey. "Let's get this over with so I can go do important things."

Our moods grim and despondent, we set off toward the mountain pass and worked our way carefully as not to fall into the river. Besides the gush of river water and our weary footsteps there was a strong silence permeating through the air. The further we traveled, however, the gradual increase of howling wind picked up as we gained altitude. A reminder of Zelda's words concerning the zoras all those months ago rang through my head, like a rotten lunch ready to retch up. Someone murdered their monarch…and they assumed it was a Hylian? All sorts of possibilities flooded my mind as to why they believed this; there must have at least been evidence to support it, though by this point I'd seen more damage done on a whim than by calculated guesses.

As we traversed further up the pass, I perceived more and more clearly a slight clatter of Knight's armor, invisible for the first time by sheer darkness. Strangely enough, it was a consistent but nearly inaudible clattering that resembled…trembling?

Was Knight shaking right now?

"Uh, what's up?" I called out as quietly perceivable over the rushing water as I could. "Why are you shaking? Scared?"

"Pipe down," was all he told me. His response was less than wholehearted. "Keep quiet…"

"Whatever," I replied. It amused yet irked me that he was beginning to panic for whatever reason.

More troublesome, however, was the steadily increasing difficulty we were experiencing in traveling in the dark. An entire three feet of rock layering was present further down the riverside, and we had literally walked directly into it in our nearly blind stumble. I was quickly becoming more and more disconcerted with the whole ordeal, and the urge to pull out the map and attempt to use its glow from the pendant's touch to light the way grew the further we walked. What was the point of traveling in the dark if we can't damn well see our way? The idiot was even turning into jelly the longer we spent dragging ourselves up the river!

This continued for an excruciating amount of time, though I suspect it had really only been around fifteen minutes. Knight's shaking grew, and so did my discontent. With each step and each increase of incline my patience wore thinner and thinner. This whole mess was ridiculous.

My exasperation finally overcame me: I reached into my satchel and drew out the map. "To hell with this," I murmured, and held the Pendant of Peril to it.

A slight glow lit up the reflection of Knight's armor as well as the bright clear river water we passed by.

"You fool!" he seethed. His voice was almost unrecognizably weak. "Put that out!"

"Why?" I demanded. My eyes flicked to our surroundings. I realized that it should have been strange, the lack of sound. No animals…

…They're here.

I turned my gazed, hurriedly. Rock wall to our left, river to our right. Gleam of armor, gleam of water.

Gleam of eyes.

They took action immediately. I caught sight of Knight making sudden movements, grunts of zoras previously hidden by gushing of water. A few strikes made, a yowl from Knight, and within seconds he was off his feet.

…What was I thinking? What was I thinking?

I caught the dim glow of azure eyes. They were everywhere now. I tensed up. Reached for my sword…

They waited for me to light up our exact location.

My arm was grabbed, a strike to my head brought me to the ground. Spinning and pain. It all only meant one thing…

They knew we were coming.

A swift kick to the back of my head.

Everything went blank.