This is a midquel (yes, I totally made up that word) to the Mysterious Travel Guide and Bermuda Triangle. Any readers who are not familiar with the stories of Cleo and Finn should check out said fanfics. They will be in my account page, just click on my username to go there. Because this story took place between the first two stories I wrote, my best advise is to read them in chronological order (MTG, Skribal, BT). As usual, the entire fanfic was prewritten and previously posted on DeviantArt under the same username, so one chapter will be posted every few days, no long waiting for the fans. And it will have bonus chapters just like the last two that will tell you all the trivia involving the events of the story.

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda series do not, repeat, not belong to me. They rightfully belong to Miyamoto. (May he continue to make excellent games for the rest of his days.) What does belong to me are Cleo, Finn, Syrilla and Okam (sorta).

So here is my third story, the Legend of Zelda: the Skribal Sword.

Chapter 1

It has been over a month since that fateful trip to Hyrule. 11-year-old Cleo Hayster, a blond girl with blue eyes and a ponytail, was painting a pumpkin blue after she was done carving it into a scary face she'd seen in Super Paper Mario. "Sweetheart, your costume's here!" her father called.

"Woo-hoo!" She dropped her brush onto the newspaper on the floor and went bounding through the hallway, nearly crashing into Finn.

"Whoa, slow down squirt!" the tall, older brother cautioned with a laugh. He rubbed his brown, slightly spiky hair in wonder at her pent up energy. He was still getting used to Cleo's uplifted spirits after she had finally recovered from her grief over her mother's death, three years ago, and stopped blaming herself for the accident.

"Sorry bro!" she giggled as David, their father, came up with the package.

"Came just in the nick of time. I was worried it wasn't gonna make it. Ebay's always been difficult." He handed the parcel to his daughter who opened it eagerly with a "thank you."

Almost immediately, Cleo could see the green tunic and hat she was going to wear that day for Halloween. The whole outfit was a Wind Waker style hero's uniform, complete with a plastic sword and shield. "Cool!"

"You'd best put it on now. Trick-or-Treating's going to start in a few hours," David said with a warm smile. "I'll take care of the 'Bleck'-o-Lantern while you change."

"Okay!" Cleo went to her room and closed the door behind her. After a few minutes, she was in her costume.

There was a knock. "You done yet Cleo?" It was Finn.

"Yeah." She opened the door again and showed off her appearance. "How do I look?"

"Like a genuine hero," Finn grinned. There was a mewl and Cleo bent down to pick up a gray kitten with orange eyes. "I heard you got a new gym teacher at your school. What is his name again?"

"Watai," answered his sister. "He has a son about my age, but I haven't met him yet." She was absently stroking the kitten as it purred.

"Well it's almost time. Maybe you'll meet him out in the neighborhood."

Cleo looked up. "What do you mean? You're not coming?"

"Sorry sis," apologized Finn with a shrug. "I don't have a costume."

"But this is our first Halloween since we moved here!"

"Cleo, I'm almost eighteen. I'm too old for this kind of thing now." He saw the look of disappointment on her face. "We've got a few hours. Why don't we go someplace."

Cleo's face brightened up again. "Are we going to..."

Finn smiled back. "Yeah... that place."

It was weird of him to suggest 'that place', especially since it had been the middle of September when they'd last gone there and it had resulted in a crazy almost life threatening, adventure. She suddenly smirked. "I see what's going on," Cleo said snidely. "You want to visit Syrilla, don't you?"

Finn's face became red. "Well-I-a-" he stammered. "That's not it!" He turned away. "It's not like she's my girlfriend or anything!"

"Right," she giggled. "It's okay, I don't mind visiting the Gerudo Fortress."

"Don't you dare say anything to embarrass me in front of those Gerudos!"

"What are you guys arguing about?" Their dad came into the hallway.

"Nothing!" Finn said automatically, going even redder.

After getting the Hylian Travel Guide out of the hollow tile in the basement, tramping out to the woods, drawing a portal spell circle, reciting the incantation, appearing in the Lanayru Province, traveling to Lake Hylia, getting shot out of a cannon toward the desert, and walking across the sands along a canyon pathway, they finally arrived at the Gerudo's Fortress.

They were not the least bit worried that it took hours, knowing that when they got back, (even after days) hardly any time will have passed in their world. As they approached the entrance, a guard stopped them. "Who goes there?"

"Uh, Finn and Cleo," Finn responded, a bit unsure.

"Oh really... Prove it."

"What?! How?"

"Fight me. Prove to me that you're every bit the warrior Syrilla said you are."

"I'm not even armed! How was I supposed to know about this?"

The guard shrugged. "That's not my problem."

"I'll do it," Cleo said with a sigh.

Finn looked at her. "Are you serious sis? All you've got is a plastic sword."

"I'll manage." Cleo stepped forward. "I'm ready."

The guard gave an amused smirk. "Brave one aren't you? For a child." She held her spear ready. Cleo also prepared herself.

Finn was about to open his mouth in protest when another female voice spoke "That won't be necessary". Finn gasped out. Coming to the entrance from the fortress was the Gerudian leader Syrilla. "At ease soldier." The guard nodded and backed off. Syrilla turned to the siblings with her hands on her hips, smirking at them. "It's been awhile Finn."

"H-hi... sorry I haven't called." Finn rubbed the back of his neck.

"No matter. Come on in." Then she turned her back and walked off. Finn watched her retreating back almost in a blank gawk.

Cleo sniggered. Finn looked at her. "Shut up!"

"You know I couldn't help but notice your eagerness to fight," Syrilla proclaimed as Finn and Cleo joined her in the sparring hall. "So you've been training your skills with a sword, have you?"

"Well... yeah sorta. I'm still practicing."

"Wait, you mean in a video game or in real life?" asked Finn in wonder.

"Both," Cleo piped with a bit of satisfaction.

Finn shook his head wryly. "I didn't know that!"

"Well in that case, let's see how strong your swings are." She held her staff tightly in a defensive position. "Now don't hold back, hit me with your best shot." Nodding, Cleo took out her sword and swiped horizontally at her and then made a vertical slice. Syrilla blocked her every move with the staff. "Very good. Now try to stab at me." Cleo charged forward and thrust at Syrilla who dodged with ease and countered. Cleo was knocked off her feet, causing Finn to gasp. "You need to be faster than that, even in defense. Now if I attack like this!" Syrilla was about to swing one way but then tried to psyche her out by changing her aim. Cleo was quick to notice and managed to block it with her shield. "Very good! And finally, a spin attack. Think you can pull this off?"

"I've never done this before. But here goes..." Cleo held her sword ready and spun as fast as she could. Syrilla blocked it and Cleo again fell on her rear. She was momentarily dizzy.

Finn came to his sister. "Are you alright?"

"Your balance needs work. You still got a long way before you're at my level." Syrilla gave her a warmer smile. "But you definitely have the makings of a great warrior. I guess that explains your green attire. Now what about you?" she asked Finn. "Have you been practicing too?"

Finn looked at her with slight embarrassment. "Uh..."

Syrilla scoffed. "Slacker."

"Hey, c'mon! I had other things!"

"Well, whatever... I'll admit, you seem more like a strategist than anything. I could use that too."

"Wait, what do you mean?" Cleo asked in curiosity after getting back up.

"Of course, you wouldn't know. But you came at a perfect time. I just heard the whereabouts of a rare treasure up in the mountains and I plan to get my hands on it."

Cleo suddenly became more curious. "What kind of treasure?"

"You sure you want to know?" The child nodded with intense interest. "Very well. It's called the Moon Pearl. It's suppose to be a legendary treasure. According to my resources, it is located in the Temple of Hira."

"Really? I've heard of that. It's said to have the power to protect you from dark curses. We're really gonna find it?"

"Whoa! Hold the phone now!" Finn cut in. "Cleo, I know you're exited about this. But do you remember what happened the last time we had an adventure like this? You know, the one that was crazy and almost life threatening? Well there's a limit to this: One."

Syrilla shrugged. "A shame. But your brother's probably right." Finn was a little flustered at that. "It's your decision, and I won't force you otherwise. I was planning to go on my own anyway."

"Wow I..." Finn didn't know what to say.

"I'm glad you came to visit, Finn. It's nice seeing you again." Syrilla armed herself with her two sabers. "I must be off now. Wish me luck you two." And then she was out the doorway.

Cleo was feeling a little let down. Then she looked at Finn and noticed something peculiar. The look on his face immediately told her that he was about to make a really stupid decision. It wasn't long before both siblings caught up with Syrilla. "Hey, wait up!"

They got the horses ready and climbed up to the higher grounds of the canyon and crossed a bridge that stretched over a valley far below. On the other side they climbed even higher on a mountain. Cleo could feel her ears popping as they neared their destination.

The temple was a tall tower. It was in the shape of a square layered cake (that was the child's impression), each floor slightly smaller than the previous. The dull bricks almost blended into the rocky environment. They dismounted and walked up the stairs into the building.

Inside, the interior was decorated with the blazing sun and crescent moon. There were stalfos and weird looking beetles guarding the place. There were many crystal switches throughout the tower that opened certain gates and closed others. There were also pitfalls, some of them hidden that wouldn't open until you walked across it and suddenly found yourself a floor or two back down. The puzzle solving required a bit of teamwork and cooperation. It took awhile (around a couple of hours) before they reached the top.

As they came outside again at the top, the brightness of the setting sun shined on their faces and a cold breeze (that felt pleasantly refreshing after an exhausting climb) blew through their hair. And there, sitting out in the open, was the Moon Pearl, pale and glossy.

"Well, that wasn't so hard!" Finn had to shout over the howling wind. "I was expecting something big to happen." He was about to take a step when he suddenly stopped. "Wait a minute." He picked up a rock from the ground and tossed it at the path to the pearl. A pitfall opened up before them. "I knew it!" The hole was big, too big to just hop across.

"So what do you suppose we do?" asked Syrilla.

"Give me a second to think. Maybe-Cleo!" He saw his sister run full pelt toward the pit and leap as far as she could. He could barely breathe when she caught the edge on the other side and pulled herself up. She had made it. Despite that moment of terror, Finn and Syrilla started whooping excitedly.

Cleo was grinning ear to ear. "I'll get the pearl!" She turned around and reached out to grab it. What happened next was when the real trouble started.