Thanks to pou for reviewing! Ahh, I see, so it's a rumor about the new game. I've heard a ton of rumors about that game, so I'm not sure I believe it yet (it would be really cool if it turned out to be true though!). I remember when Twilight Princess was coming out, there were also several interesting rumors; my favorite was that Link was going to get a glow-in-the-dark horse! How cool would that have been!

Chapter 37

Leaders and Followers

Orca had always been told that he had a one-track mind. He had heard it from his teachers, his fellow students at the school, and even from Link a few times. Once he became focused on something, it took quite a bit to pull his attention away to something else. He had always thought such a characteristic was useful, as it allowed him to ignore any distracting noises when he was working on something he was interested in. He never thought it could be a risk, but it was because of this particular ability of his brain that he completely missed Link and Beth being led by gunpoint by the Sheikah Impal, towards the room where Arlene, Hadiya, and his brother were currently working. He was far too focused on trying to turn on the train.

Hadiya was the first to notice the footsteps approaching. Two she recognized, but there was one set she did not. Turning sharply she saw Link, with an annoyed expression on his face and a gun pointed at his head as he helped Beth limp along with him. Behind the pair was one of the men her father had once held in his dungeon for a time; she usually didn't remember most of their faces, but this man was so large he was rather hard to forget.

"Making any progress?" Impal asked casually as the three entered the room.

Arlene turned with a glare on her face, instantly recognizing the voice.

Sturgeon, however, was nodding, still focused on the plaque in front of him. "Yes, yes, of course we are! Give us a few more minutes!"

Arlene gave him a sharp nudge with her elbow, and he finally realized that something was wrong. "Oh," he said weakly when he saw the predicament they were in.

"You," Impal said, gesturing towards Hadiya with his free hand. "Throw your weapon over there."

There was a short pause as Hadiya hesitated, and during this time Link clearly heard the Sheikah's grip on his gun tighten.

"Hey, Hadi..."

"Yes, Link?"

"You want to give him your gun before he shoots me? Maybe?"

"I am considering it."

"Oh. Well don't take too long."

Hadiya finally gave a frustrated sigh and tossed her gun towards Impal, who deftly snatched it from the air and pocketed it. "Good. Now, you two," he turned to Link and Beth. "Get over there with the others. Everyone stay where I can see you." He pointed his gun at Arlene. "Keep working."

The old woman crossed her arms over her chest as Link guided Beth carefully over to the group. "I'm not doing anything while you point that thing at me, Buster Brown. Put that away before you hurt someone."

Impal snorted in amusement. "You always did talk big, but we both know you're all talk and no bite. Now... get back to work."

Arlene narrowed her eyes, but was saved from having to make a decision by Sturgeon. "Hey, come on now, it's hard enough trying to solve an ancient puzzle without you threatening all of us. Just... give us some time, ok?"

Impal nodded curtly at him and watched as the entire group turned their backs on him.

"How close are you really?" Link whispered, barely hearing himself as he tried to keep his voice as low as possible.

"Close," Hadiya answered. "We believe we know the only possible sum these numbers could go up to."

"Well you're going to have to stall," Link replied.

Sturgeon glared at him. "You're kidding, right!? I can't stall! I don't know anything about stalling!"

Arlene quickly cut into the man's ramblings. "Then don't say anything. Let us do it. What's your plan, Link?"

"Still working on it. All I know is we can't let him get the Light Bow."

"What's taking so long!?" Impal shouted. "I don't see you doing anything!"

Arlene turned to face him. "We've hit a snag."

"What sort of snag?" he asked suspiciously.

"...You know, that's a very good question. Hadiya!"

"Yes?"

"Tell him what sort of snag we've hit."

"Right... one of the circles is stuck. It refuses to move."

Impal frowned and stepped a bit closer, craning his neck as he tried to see the puzzle. "Can't you solve it anyway, if just one of them isn't moving? Just rotate the others."

Hadiya and Arlene glanced at each other. "That... might work," Arlene said slowly. "But then again it might not. See? Like I told you, a snag."

Impal fired a warning shot over there heads, making both Beth and Sturgeon scream in surprise. "Quit trying to stall and just finish it!" he shouted.

"Ok, ok!" Sturgeon shouted back. "Just stop shooting!"

"Sturgeon!" Link hissed out.

"I'm sorry, Link, but I'm not going to let people die over a stupid bow!"

Sensing that Sturgeon was going to be the only helpful one, Impal quickly pointed off to the side. "The rest of you stand over there! I don't want you dissuading him."

Reluctantly they left the altar. Beth stumbled a few times, but she was supported by both Link and Hadiya now and so managed to stay upright.

"You alright?" Link asked quietly as they settled next to the wall.

Beth nodded silently. "Hey... Ed, what are those for?" she asked, pointing up at the ceiling.

Looking up at where she was pointing, they noticed several large holes in tight rows all along the ceiling.

Arlene's eyebrows shot up. "Oh dear."

"What?" Link asked.

"I've heard about some temples having booby traps in case someone who's not supposed to be there wanders in."

"Booby trap?" Hadiya asked curiously, unfamiliar with the term.

"Are you saying," Link began. "That if we get that puzzle wrong that trap might activate?"

Arlene nodded. "It looks like it. And from the looks of those holes there's probably spikes up there that are just waiting to fall on us."

Beth made an annoyed noise in the back of her throat as she sat down crosslegged on the floor. "Well that's just terrific. Are you sure you know the answer?"

"It can't be anything else," Arlene replied while Hadiya nodded confidently.

"But..." Beth began hesitantly. "I mean, isn't it a bit... obvious?"

Arlene pursed her lips. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I just feel like you figured it out a bit too fast, and this is the only thing guarding the Light Bow, right?"

"So your logic is that it was too easy?" Arlene asked dryly.

"So," Beth continued with a glare. "Wouldn't Abril's great-grandfather try to make sure that things were a little more... less obvious? I mean, logic is logic, anyone can do it, given enough time. "

"You think the numbers are there to distract us?" Link asked while Hadiya started to look alarmed.

"He did say we had to prove we were Hylians," Beth said with a shrug before resting her head against the cool stone behind her.

Link looked back to Hadiya and Arlene. "What do you think?"

Impal suddenly glared over at them. "Stop talking over there!"

"Oh be quiet, you!" Arlene shouted back. "We're just chatting."

Another warning shot brought dust and small bits of crumbling stone falling over their heads.

"Done!" Sturgeon quickly said. "Done! All we have to do is press this button!"

"Wait!" Link and Hadiya cried out, forcing Sturgeon's hand to freeze just a hair's breadth away from the button.

"What!?"

"We're missing something," Link explained quickly.

Sturgeon glared. "I am not!"

Arlene cautiously stepped forward. "Think about it! Anyone could have solved this puzzle! Figuring out those numbers doesn't prove our lineage."

Sturgeon's confident expression faltered. "I wouldn't say anyone could solve it, but... then what's the answer?" he asked in annoyance. "What else could it be?!"

"You're just stalling!" Impal shouted. "Press the button!"

"Sturgeon, if you press that button we could all die!" Arlene said, pointing up at the ceiling.

Even Impal turned more cautious. "Is there anything else that could be the solution?"

Sturgeon's entire head began to flush bright red as his brain raced to come up with another possible answer. "I don't see what else it could be."

"Then press it!" Impal said, backing closer to the door and holding the gun pointed straight at Sturgeon.

Orca had been able to ignore quite a few things in his lifetime, from the teachers mindless lectures about not doing whatever Link did, to the explosions that used to rock the city when the rebellion had still been in full action. The first time he heard the gun go off in the room where his brother was, only his subconscious registered it, as at the same time he had finally figured out which levers to pull to allow the steam from the coal to the actual engine.

"Progress!" he had exclaimed, and the distant echoes of the gun faded from his mind.

Then the gun was fired for a second time, and this time Orca noticed it a bit more than the last time.

"What are they doing in there?" Orca grumbled to himself as he poked his head through the doorway and glared down the platform, trying to see into the room. He could make out a tall, very muscular looking figure standing right in the doorway, and as Orca focused on him he heard him say something about pushing a button.

Orca studied the figure; Link wasn't nearly as muscular as this guy, and he was fairly certain that Beth, Hadiya, Arlene, and his brother weren't, either. Which meant they had an intruder, and he hadn't even noticed.

He scrambled off of the train and crept closer to the room, slipping past a completely oblivious Byrne. As he passed the front of the train he peered around it, just to make sure Link still wasn't there looking for Beth. He wasn't certain how much time had passed since Link had said he was going to do that, but he couldn't see either so he could only assume they were in the room with the large muscle guy.

He was drawing closer now, and so he quickly began to fumble with his belt in search of his gun. With a start he realized it wasn't there. He vaguely recalled pulling it out before, after Link had said it was dangerous here, but then what had happened to it? He cast his mind back; he had the gun, he was complaining about Link, and then he noticed some pipes attached to a few of the levers, and so... oh yes, he had put the gun on the floor. He glanced in back of him; the train wasn't too far, but it was far enough that he didn't have time to go back. From the sound of his brother's panicked voice he didn't have much time to do much of anything.

Where was Link? This seemed like a Link sort of job, but the man was nowhere to be seen. What was he even supposed to do? He didn't have a weapon, and Byrne was being useless. Not that the tiny guy could do much, but he would feel better knowing someone else was with him, trying to come up with an idea. This really wasn't his forte. He was the follower. Always had been. He had followed Sturgeon everywhere when he was young, and when his big brother had been taken two years before he had, to school, he had been absolutely lost. Then he arrived at school, and there Link had been, throwing his breakfast porridge at the headmistress.

After that he had sought him out, and when he finally found him he was hidden away in one of the smaller passageways, reading. Or writing. He couldn't remember which. All Link had done was make a deal; don't tell, and he'd teach Orca how to do the same. So he hadn't told, and he had learned to read as he followed Link everywhere, getting into all the trouble that Link got into.

Now there was no one to follow. He had to make the decision. His heart began to race as he tried to figure out what to do. He had to do something. He was the only one who could. Last time he had been in a situation like this, he had hesitated for too long; if Link hadn't shown up Hadiya would probably be dead right now. He balled his hands into fists and took another step towards the giant man. No one was going to come out of nowhere and help this time. It was up to him. He knew he had to do something, so he took another step. He was close enough now he could easily grab the man, but he still had a gun. He couldn't risk it going off and accidentally hitting someone in there.

Glancing about hurriedly, he spotted a piece of the floor that looked loose. Prying the stone free from its position, Orca readied himself. The man was still screaming for a button to be pushed, and so Orca took his time to position himself properly. His lessons on hand to hand combat that he had taken from Hadiya while they had still been with the rebellion floated through his mind.

"Stop stopping right before you hit me!" she shouted. "Do not aim for me, aim for whatever is behind me. Pretend there is someone behind me, and the only way to hit him is get through me at the same time. That way you will be certain to use the right amount of force, and that way you will not stop before you've done any damage to me."

So Orca pretended that the headmistress was right behind the intruder's head, and he struck towards that smug expression on the Gerudo's face.

Zelda coughed and felt her pulse pick up when the unmistakable copper taste of blood filled her mouth. "Damn... I think a rib's broken..."

The Gerudo woman standing above her gave her midsection another sharp kick and then stepped back.

"Well?" Ganondorf asked from a short distance away. "Tell me what I want to know and we can end this."

Zelda glared at him as she struggled to catch her breath. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know we'd started yet. Your captain over there kicks like a girl."

Ganondorf scowled. "Tell me how you're hiding your Triforce from me!"

"Maybe I threw it out," Zelda said as she sat up, wincing more at the grinding noise the movement created amongst her ribcage than at the actual pain said movement created. They were in Ganondorf's throne room, and Zelda noticed that he had mounted the Master Sword on the wall, just above his chair. Pain flared inside her, but she pushed it away. She had had worse.

"...Threw it out?"

"You know, in the garbage," Zelda said slowly, adopting a tone that one might use when dealing with a young child.

Ganondorf let out a short bark of laughter. "You expect me to believe that you would just abandon something your family has been protecting since time immemorial?"

Zelda shrugged and examined her surroundings more closely as Ganondorf tried to come up with something else to say. There were two guards at the door, but even if there hadn't been any she knew she couldn't manage to drag herself out fast enough before Ganondorf caught up with her. Then there was the Gerudo captain of the guards, who was standing next to Ganondorf and looking like she was just itching to jump back in and start kicking at her again.

"Just try it, missy," Zelda said in a glare. "You took me by surprise last time, but I'll be ready for you this time, bound hands or not."

This reminder of her hands being bound brought her attention to where they were currently resting in her lap, the thick metal shackles digging tightly into her skin. Her gloves were gone, and the first thing Ganondorf had started to rant about was how she even managed to hide the symbol of the Triforce from her skin.

As Ganondorf started to repeat his question on how she was doing what she really wasn't, Zelda surreptitiously looked back to the Master Sword. It was closer than the door, and even if Ganondorf did catch up to her, once she had that in her hands she would at least have something to fight back with.

Shifting again, the pain in her ribs rose to a level that made it difficult to breath. After quickly moving back to her original position some of the pressure was relieved, but standing was going to be a bit of an issue at this point.

"Don't ignore me!" Ganondorf hollered.

Zelda didn't even glance at him as she felt a sliver of doubt worm its way into her. "Link will be here eventually, with the Light Bow... maybe I should just wait it out? But if Ganondorf learns that I really did leave Wisdom behind, then he'll charge into that forest, scary monsters or not." Imagining the last of her people being slaughtered forced her into a decision.

A crackle of energy brought Zelda's gaze back to Ganondorf, where a sphere of dark magic was growing around his hands. She tensed. "Now or never, Zelda. Time to move." So she did. Her breathing all but stopped from the pain that leaping to her feet caused, but she was moving and she made sure to keep it that way.

"Stop her!" Ganondorf shouted, the magic fading from his hand in his surprise.

The Gerudo captain was charging towards her, and Zelda quickly sprang up, slamming her knee into the other woman's stomach and forcing her to double over. Gripping the Gerudo's back, Zelda pushed herself up, leaped over the woman and passed Ganondorf, who was already preparing another spell. She heard him throw it just as she started to scramble up the large throne. Her fingers brushed against the hilt right as the powerful magic crashed into her.

Waves of agony forced her down, and she slid into the chair with a pained scream.

"Pathetic," Ganondorf spat. "I see now this is a waste of time. I will simply kill you and take Wisdom for myself. Perhaps then it will teach me that trick that you learned."

Ganondorf approached her as she sat there, unable to move save for the few involuntary twitches that racked her body as the sharp pain continued to burn through her.

"You know..." Ganondorf said casually as he pulled his sword from its scabbard, its dark blade glinting in the bright light. "I hear your daughter died a similar, pitiful death..."

A cloud of red filled Zelda's vision, and suddenly the pain didn't seem nearly as bad as it had before. Zelda lunged back up and grabbed the sword before letting herself fall back down, her weight and the force of her grip yanking the sword free from its mounts on the wall. She only got to see the startled expression on Ganondorf's face for a split second before it disappeared behind a wall of blue light.

Thanks for reading!