Author's Note(s): 'nother one. Hoping to get through this section pretty quick and onto the last stretch of the fanfiction. I've had this done for about a week and finally got around to finishing my submission. Chapter 38 was completed a couple days ago, so that will come right after this.

Random Trivia: I felt that a break in the battle would be very appropriate. This often happens in this kind of situation, anyway. Naturally, the Gerudo also have a camp set up. Actually, that's something I totally forgot about-the Hylians and Gerudo set up camp outside of the battlefield, and I really didn't explain anything about what happened with that. Especially since the Hylians were attacked from behind. Perhaps they made camp in the former Lon Lon Ranch... I don't quite remember what exactly I did. Naturally, the Gerudo camped in the valley before entering into the mountains.

I also hate what I did in the latter battle... I just got distracted focusing on one thing, so I decided to keep focusing on that thing and have them leave the area of the battle entirely. Towards the end I added a bit of a sense of urgency, and also hinted at something else to come.

The Legend of Zelda: The Demon Within

Chapter 37: On Stranger Tides

It was a rather uneventful morning so far, it seemed. Link leaned forward across the railing of the deck, staring out into the distant sky. "Wonderful, isn't it?"

Link jumped, startled, only to see Michelle standing next to her. "Oh, hey there..."

Michelle laughed. "I'm still surprised seeing you around here... You left so long ago... You didn't really leave the forest then, did you? I know that Saria seemed to miss you dearly... You two were so close, and then you were gone... She kinda fell into despair. Eventually she upped and left, without saying a word. I finally decided 'You know what? I want to see what's out there. Link and Saria left, too... maybe what the Great Deku Tree said wasn't the whole story,' and I finally just left."

She paused for a bit, recollecting her thoughts. "Joan tried to stop me... but I denied her every effort. I just... couldn't stay there any longer. I felt trapped. I wandered the forest for nearly a week, then I noticed Saria heading east on horseback, so I decided to follow her. She never noticed me, and she quickly was out of my sight, but I was at least able to make my way out of the forest at last and into a brand new world. I had trouble coping with everything all at once, but I found some farmers in Ordon who merely saw a child wandering alone and they took me in for a while. I stayed probably about a year or so, working for them for food, but I wanted to explore more of the world. They gave me a horse, and I returned to the forest for one final farewell, and then at last I rode off into the east, seeking adventure."

"And here you are," Link retorted.

She laughed. "Yup! When I saw the vast seas, I just couldn't get enough... I love this job... we're basically always at sea, looking for people who seek to travel from port to port. Our biggest route is between Raugmina and Landon Port, but we also travel to places like Lynna City, Ordona Port, and the Zora Kingdom, Atlantis."

"Atlantis?" Link asked. "I've heard of it... but barely... I only know about it because Princess Ruto of Hyrule married a noble of Atlantis... Mickaw. And that's all I know about it."

"Atlantis is a magnificent place," Michelle proclaimed. "Its so beautiful... Half of the kingdom is underwater, but humans may still travel there."

Link lowered her head. "Is that all that's out there? Are there any other distant lands?"

Michelle laughed. "We've barely scratched the surface! The seas are far and wide... there are numerous islands and continents, but our route is quite constricted. We've actually had requests to travel to Aetheria in the far south... but that would take nearly seven months at least and this ship cannot possibly stay at sea that long a time. Even if we left from Atlantis it would still be nearly five months to travel that great a distance."

The young stared into the southern skies. "Aetheria...?"

"Home of the elves, I believe," a voice from behind proclaimed.

The black-haired mystery, Shadow, stepped forth from the shadows. "Most of the elves have died off... only a few remain..."

Michelle raised an eyebrow, and finally laughed. "Wh-what? What are you talking about? Hahaha! We're constantly ferrying elves from port to port. Many live in Labrynna. It is true that most elves came from Aetheria, but they definitely haven't... 'died off' as you say... Have you studied history at all?"

Shadow nodded. "I have. They may not be dead yet... but they soon will be."

Michelle shut her mouth quickly. Link turned to her. "Please, don't mind him... Can you... let me talk to him for a bit?"

Michelle nodded, reluctantly, and headed up to the crow's nest. Link then turned back to Shadow, yelling as quiet as she could. "What on earth are you thinking?"

"Just musing on the past..." Shadow retorted.

Link narrowed her eyes. "But you're IN the past... those events haven't happened yet! You can't just go around telling people what happens in the future..."

Shadow sighed. "If only I could... do something... but stopping a war between two fierce tribes of elves is out of my league... There's no way I can even get there... What I'm doing right now is a completely different matter..."

Link raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

Shadow lowered his head. "I have... friends... whom are elves... some of the few remaining in the world. A great cataclysm will soon wipe out most of them in only a few years when the two primary tribes rage against one another. The survivors slowly die off over the next four thousand years, and now, there's only a few who remain."

Link turned her head away, shaking it in disbelief. "I'm... sorry... I've never seen you so emotional before... Aren't Hylians related by blood to elves, as well?"

Shadow nodded. "Yes... but the pure-blooded elves are few and far between. Many descendants of Hylians remain, and I am one, but the Hylians are mere legends now. Hylians share the blood of both elves and humans, but elves live far longer. Descendants of Hylians do not share the long life, and are only noticeable by their long pointed ears, but not many really know the difference between them."

Link nodded. "Yes... You yourself don't look much older than I am... You may even be a bit younger, other than the noticeable difference in height."

Shadow shook his head. "No, you are wrong. I am an exception. An abomination."

He turned around and started to walk away. Link spun around. "W-wait... what do you mean?"

The dark one sneered, glanced back briefly. "Think about your Kokiri," he explained, before vanished below deck.

Link gasped. 'Wait... he doesn't age? How is that possible?'

"Link, you've got to come up here and see this!"

She turned up and saw Navi in the Crow's Nest, standing right next to Michelle, looking through a large telescope. Link quickly climbed to the top and Michelle turned back to face Link. "Take a look at this," she stated.

Link nodded. She put her eye up to it and glanced through. Nothing but open sea. She glanced back to Michelle. "I don't see anything."

"Trust me, Link. Its there. Look closer," Navi proclaimed.

Reluctantly, Link peered her eyes through the lens once again. She waited a few minutes, staring it down carefully. Suddenly, a ship appeared in the distance, seemingly partially transparent, mists spreading out around it.

Link pulled back, shaking her head. "You're joking, right?"

Michelle grimaced. "No joke. I didn't see it at first, either. It seems that Navi is the only one that can see it properly... but its there."

"We have to warn everyone," Link proclaimed.

Michelle nodded. "Yes... I wanted you to see this first, though, just so I knew I wasn't dreaming."

The three quickly made their way down and ran up to the bow of the ship, where Heath stood at the helm. "Captain!" Michelle called out, frantically, "we've got a problem."

Link held out a telescope and Heath walked over and grabbed it. "Take the helm," he called out, and Michelle quickly grabbed hold while Heath stood in front of the bow and stared in front of them. "My god..."

Gerran, Ambi, Laruto, and Sophia, as well as their personal guard, quickly made their way out from below deck. Shadow stood at the bottom of the Crow's Nest, watching as everything unfolded. "Crew," Heath began, turning around, "things have taken a turn for the worse."

"What's going on?" Ambi asked.

Shadow turned away. "Its a Ghost Ship."

Gerran laughed. "Hah! A Ghost Ship! Get real."

Heath shook his head. "Believe me, its real all right. Legends of the sea speak of a Ghost Ship, but none have ever spotted it. Have you ever seen a ghost? Any of you?"

None of them spoke. Link would have, but the question wasn't directed at her. Finally, Ambi stepped forward. "I... I have..."

"This Ghost Ship is as real as you or I. It may be that it has never truly existed before, but some force of evil has pulled it out of the doubts in our hearts," Navi called out, stepping forward. "You know of the dark powers spreading, do you not? You were at that meeting with King Travian and King Daphnes. True evil does exist in this world, and its doing everything in its power to stop us from destroying it. This ship is going to need every hand on deck to fight this monstrosity, isn't that right, captain?"

Heath nodded. "Yes... Under normal circumstances, me and my first-mate, Michelle, would be able to handle any obstacle. But if this thing is as deadly as we think it is, we're going to need everyone in on this. Its merely a day ahead of us. We'll need all that time to prepare for whatever may come our way."

"Is there any way to avoid it?" Gerran asked.

Heath shook his head. "No matter where we go, it will catch up to us. The only thing we can do is pray that the creatures within do not destroy us first."

In the distance, off the forward bow, the Ghost Ship was clearly visible to all, sailing straight in their direction. An eerie glow spread out from it, a fog slowly beginning to drift towards them. Around the ship, clouds in the sky shot flashes of lightning and pouring rain spread out all around.

Link turned and stared down the spectacle, swiping her sword from her sheath. "I do not fear the dead," she proclaimed. "Whatever it takes, I will live through this trial! He shall never stop me from bringing her back!"

A pair of green eyes suddenly opened up in the front of the ghost ship, and an eerie laugh echoed all around them. One drop of rain landed on the tip of Link's sword. The dark clouds gathered around them, darkening the skies above, and the pouring rain fell down, bolts of lightning shooting through the shadows above them. All merely stared in wonder and horror as the ship slowly approached them from the southern seas.

"Let's see you try, hero!" the booming voice echoed out around them.

This was one battle that none wished to face.

Saria struggled in the everlasting darkness around her. She collapsed to her knees, slowly beginning to break down. She had tried hard to resist, but her fears continually gave way. She curled into a fetal position and cried. She lost all form of thought and feeling, unable to withstand the might of the dark one's eternal power.

Her thoughts turned to her friends... those she had betrayed... she still did not know why she had done the things that she did... it was unbelievable to her even now... She tried to blame his mighty power, but that simply wasn't the case. Right from the start, from the very beginning, she remained in control of every action.

She used the Scepter's power to find Link and draw him back into Hyrule. She regretted the mistakes she had made and tried to cover it up. She threatened the Masans, hoping that they would kill her and end her suffering, but she could not simply go through with it... yet she continually denied any involvement... Darunia loved her dearly, she knew, but she had betrayed him, as well, by reviving Volvagia.

She was the one at fault for Ingo's descent into darkness, and Malon's cursed predicament... Ingo was too greedy and power-hungry... she knew that if she granted him power, he could potentially turn the tide in her favor, even if it meant betraying Malon, as well.

Ganondorf was now on a quest to conquer all of Hyrule, and even the entire world. His release was at her hands. She hoped that, just maybe, if she got her hands on the triforce, she could rid the world of the accursed scepter. She tricked Link, the one she loved so dearly, the reason for everything that she had gone through, into releasing the monster that he worked so hard to lock away.

She couldn't help but cry... cry at all the tragedies she had done, cry through the haunting memories of how she destroyed the lives of every person she cared so much about. Sheila had taken the fall for her when Relm accused her of being a traitor. She knew when it had happened; she heard every word. She nearly jumped up then and there and confessed everything... but the nagging thoughts in her head prevented her from doing so.

Once Ganondorf was finally defeated again, she went in and stole the triforce from him. She then baited Link to follow her, before proceeding to Hyrule Castle and kidnapping the queen, killing her and taking her triforce. Not to mention the hundreds of lives that were taken when she infiltrated the city. Once she had the Triforce of Power, her lust for power led her to retrieve the other pieces, no matter the cost.

The destruction of the Temple of Time, Zelda's death, the soldiers who fell in that forest... everything, all of it, caused by her. Relm's hatred for her was completely justified. She had no reason to be loved, none. Ganondorf could not be sealed because she was not there to finish the job, so he was able to regain his strength and begin slaying the remaining sages.

She just wished... she just wished she had never been brought into this world... maybe... maybe then... none of this would have ever happened...

"But you have done so much good, Saria!"

She cried. "No... no I haven't... I have only destroyed..."

"If it wasn't for your courage to raise a little boy... Ganondorf would have destroyed the world many times over..."

"But..."

A small green light appeared before her. "Saria... don't hate yourself. Don't wish death to the only life you have. All of these horrifying things you have done... You have to accept your fate and live on... You have to learn from your mistakes. You're a child doing the job of an adult. You have such great power and potential... but you were still naive... You thought you could change the world, but you failed. That doesn't mean you can't still try and change the world."

"No, I... I can't..." she cried again.

The ball of light grew bigger, and two wings sprouted forth from it. A tiny green-haired fairy appeared in its midst, the aura still surrounding her. "Yes you can! I know you can do it, Saria! You're one of the Seven Sages. He has no power over you!"

Saria lowered her head. "N-nala..."

She dried up her tears and stood up. Nala flew up to face her. The mists seemed to die down a little. In front of Saria, a door started to open, a white-haired woman standing in the opening with her hand drawn. "Come. You still have much work to do."

Saria shook her head. "No... there is no escape from this eternal Void... My life is an empty shell... My body is broken... There's nothing I can do..."

The woman laughed. "You almost sound like me when I was a young sage. You're not the only one facing doubts, Saria. Even though you are of the ageless Kokiri, you're still the youngest of all us in maturity... and the successors still have to overcome their fears and doubts. Relm is the worst of them."

"That girl?" Saria remarked. "She's so strong... far stronger than one such as I..."

"Relm is strong... but she is very weak in her heart. She is still very young and insecure, even if she does not show it outwardly. She has begun to feel the darkness that plagues the outside world... she may have grown up in a different environment from her sister, but the two of them were still in very much the same predicament—alienated from the real world. She has quickly begun to see things differently from what she ever thought possible."

Saria closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. "I think... I'm ready... But, Impa... how can I possibly escape from this realm?"

Nala laughed. "Even with his soul locked away... Ingo's spirit was brought back into the real world by Ganondorf's power... you and Ingo still have strength left in you, you far more so... Don't sell yourself short, Saria. I will help you! We need your strength right now!"

"Your soul will remained bound in this realm, but with help, you will be able to leave temporarily," Impa began. "The demon is distracted right now. The sages will weaken his power to give you time to escape. We won't be able to hold him for long, though. Now, are you ready?" she held out her hand.

Saria turned back to the darkness, then turned to face her fellow sage. "Y-yes... Please, help me!"

"Grab my hand, now. The door will not remain open very long."

She still had a hard time believing that this was possible. However, she knew she could trust Impa. At last, she put her full faith forward, pushing all doubt aside. She grabbed Impa's hand, and the light shined forth brightly, like the sun in the morning light. As she stepped through, she found herself in a field of grass, and for the first time in what felt like ages, she saw the sun shining down from the sky.

Impa stood before her. Saria stood up and tried to reach out her hand, but it passed right through Impa's body. "Wh-what...? Am I... a ghost?"

Impa shook her head. "In a sense, yes... except your spirit was torn from your body. While your soul is still held by the demon, you cannot possibly rejoin with it. Please, come with me. There is much we must discuss. Nala must come, too... it is through her power as your guardian fairy that you are able to stay within this realm."

Saria turned to Impa, staring at their next destination. She shook her head, crying out. "No... not there... why must we go there? Why must we be here?"

Impa snorted. "Cast out all doubts. Do not fear judgment. In order to overcome the past, you must face the trouble you have caused."

Nala flew out in front of Saria, waving out to her. "Come on, Saria... I will be here with you!"

Saria gulped, and walked up the stairs... and into the ruined chamber of the Master Sword, where a portal opened up to the Temple of Light. Impa stood before it and turned around. "Now, Saria... for the moment of truth. It is time for you to face your past."

The girl stood there, her head turned low. "Okay... I... I guess I must..."

Finally, she stepped forward, and up into the portal, Impa directly behind her. She knew exactly where this would take her. She knew exactly what was about to happen. She had to face the six sages. Judgment by the sages, she knew, was far worse than anything the demon had ever done to her. She prayed with all her might that this would not be the death of her after all she went through to get here...