Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda.

Author note: I know it has been a long time. Full list of excuses at the end. For now, please enjoy this chapter. I've been waiting to write it for a long time.

Chapter 8

Legacy

Consciousness came to him slowly. It was a shift in his stance. It was the fluttering of the eyelids, though he did not understand it at first; his surroundings were hardly any brighter than the shadows behind his eyes. A silver flutter of wings was the only hint that indicated a change.

For a moment, Link was disoriented. He sat upright, unstable at first but that was a given considering how deeply he slept. He let his gaze wonder around him, and the first thing he saw beyond darkness was a bright flash right at his nose.

"Ah!".

In his surprise, he almost smacked the fairy away, before he realized what he had been doing.

"What the… I'm still at the Tower? What time is it?". Of course, the fairy could not answer. It was impossible to tell what time it was – everything was pitch dark, and the moon was high in the sky. Link had never been up at night before – or at any time after the sun set for that matter – so he had no idea what the current position of the moon meant. Link only figured out one thing; it was late.

I have to find the Master Sword… Surprisingly, his wounds did not hurt him at all. The fairies must have healed me. He had forgotten about them in the heat of the battle, but he was grateful. A few feet further from his position, he could see a floating red sphere. The Pendant of Power. It was calling out to him.

Shakily, Link got to his feet and wobbled to the Pendant. It was warm in his touch, like a pleasant flame. It reminded him of the heat in the forge. He carefully tucked it in his magic bag along with the Pendant of Wisdom. It was time.

Somewhere in the back of his head, the little voice of reason yelled at him for how he was planning to descend the Tower of Hera in complete darkness, much less the entire Death Mountain. But Link was not concerned. Somehow, he was confident. He could do this. Right now, there was no doubt in his mind that he could do this. It was unreasonable to think that way but it just was.

With completely calm moves, as if he was not doing anything out of the ordinary, he pulled the Tornado Rod from his pouch. He allowed himself a wild grin. And he jumped.

"WOHOOOOOO!".

For a few seconds the fall was exhilarating. The air whistled through his ears, the temperature seemed to fall from hot to cold into seconds, and he felt weightless. It was amazing. Unfortunately the drop was far too short for him to properly enjoy it, so he activated the Tornado Rod to slow his fall.

The sudden transition from free falling to gently floating to the ground felt like a punch to his gut. He landed on his knees gasping for air; his eyes were already watering from the drop earlier.

Once he regained his breath and wiped his tears, he realized that his leggings had been torn at the knees. Overall, he was actually really dirty.

Oh well. I'll probably have to swim on my way to the Master Sword.

Link suddenly realized how absurd that thought was. He was right at the top of Death Mountain, having just jumped from the freaking Tower of Hera, was on his way to retrieve THE most legendary weapon, and he was worried about the dust on his clothes.

When had his life become like that?

He wondered if things were like this for The Hero of Legend. Was he suddenly thrown into battle with next to no warning? The legends of old said absolutely nothing about him or his life or even his name! Just that he had "humble beginnings". That actually summed up his own situation pretty well.

He had to leave.

Link briefly considered calling Irene but immediately banished that thought from his mind. It was far too early for that. If he called her this early in the morning for the second time around, she would probably muster all her energy to kill him. No, he would have to go down by himself.

He could already tell this was a bad idea. However, he had to brave through.

He devoted a prayer to the bird statue at the entrance. Goddesses, give me your strength.

Climbing down the mountain was terrifying. The only light was the dull red glow of the fumes around him. The faint rays of dawn only made it worse, giving that dust an ethereal glow, blinding him at the worst possible moments. The monsters were asleep, for the most part. He could see the glowing eyes of the Lynels staring at him, but not chasing. It was nerve-wrecking. He could feel their gazes piercing holes through his back; his breath was caught on his throat, a dull ache. It would not leave him for a while.

The mountain was still awake. The rockfall had not stopped all night, and it was not going to do so any time soon. Time had no meaning for Death Mountain. In the silence of the ancient volcano, the echo and the tremors were more deafening than ever. His own breath was too loud in his ears. The wind was pressuring his head from the inside, making his eyes water. As if the exhaustion was not enough.

He thought about lighting his lantern to better see what was in front of him, but the mountain would not allow him such luxury. All its light did was blind him even more and hide the path at the distance.

He had to meld into the walls more times than he could count. The treacherous path did not even grant him the luxury of stopping for a moment to regain his breath. He only vaguely realized that he ended up in the fairy fountain. Their magic felt like cool and refreshing water to his tired body. Small miracles. He was grateful. With their urging he filled his bottles with water and a new fairy. He still had a long way to go.

Thankfully he did not have to go through the lava cave this time. He wondered if the miner from earlier had made it out. He hoped so. The odds were not exactly in his favour.

The next time he stopped was at the rupee mines. A thought passed flew through his mind – to stay for a while and fill his wallet – but he quickly smoldered it. He had gathered a lot of money on the Tower. He could not waste any time.

When he finally made it to the lower mines, the sun was well high of the horizon. That made the contrast between light and darkness all the more jarring. The Keese were still in there.

Just a bit more.

The thought forcefully reminded him of his exhaustion. His limps felt like lead. His throat was dry. He spared a gulp of water to quench his thirst. His muscles were burning, they felt like stone and needles. His stomach was torturing him. When was the last time he had eaten? Yesterday morning? He could not complete his thought.

He had to stop somewhere and rest. No, he had to get to the Master Sword. But he had to rest.

He emerged through the cave. He could see Rosso's house in the distance. The windows were lit.

Almost… There…

Black.

Green.

The inside of his eyelids was green. He slowly opened his eyes. Just trying to blink was painful; he felt as if some invisible weight was forcing them closed. His vision was foggy and even as it cleared it did not get much better.

Then he realized that there was actually fog. Everything had taken a dull green glow. What time was it? There were no shadows, but it was nowhere close to bright enough for noon…

Next to him was a pile of apples. He took one and started chewing without thinking. The cool sweetness brought him back to his senses.

He was sitting on the grass. There were trees and bushes around him everywhere, it was foggy and he could barely see beyond ten paces. Ahead was a hollow tree trunk, fallen down, taller than him or any adult.

I've been here before.

The thought jolted him. Where had that come from? No… wait…

He did not remember it all that clearly but… Yes, now he remembered. He had been just a kid back then, right? Yes, that was it… He had visited this place as a child… Out to gather berries. He always liked to explore. He had gotten lost and then he ran into that strange man… He had been friendly and he had a really wide smile… But Link was… scared? Yes, he was scared… He had this huge sack on his back with a whole bunch of faces… Faces? No, they were masks. Yes, he was sure of it.

He had given him one of them.

"This is a very precious mask. Dangerous! Very dangerous! CATASTROPHIC! You must keep it in your care! Please, I beg of you! You must never leave it off your eyes or ELSE!".

He did not remember what had happened next. There was a huge gap in his memory.

And so Link had hanged the mask on his wall and did his best to forget about it. He tried to dismiss the mysterious man as one of the many odd merchants that found their way here from the south. Not that he was able, given that it was the strangest thing in his room. He could swear that its eyes were observing him at all times.

Something inside him was whispering that he was missing more. Whispers of songs…? Playing? Doors? What-what was this place? How did he end up here? The last thing he remembered was getting out of the cave at the base of the mountain…

A wooden sign caught his eye. Finishing his apples, he got off his feet – marveling at how easy the task was after yesterday's? fighting – and read it. "Lost Woods ahead! Stay out!".

Had he been holding anything, he would have dropped it. The Lost Woods? That's-

A splitting headache interrupted his thoughts. It felt like a stab through his mind. Link waited for it to clear before trying to gather his thoughts again.

The Lost Woods. That was one of the most feared places in Hyrule along with the Tower of Hera. Those who had gotten lost in here never returned. At least, that was what the legend said. Very few were the people who even dared to approach this place. The outskirts of the Kakariko Forest and that was that. This place was full of monsters.

Except that it was not. Not right now. In fact, Link realized that he had not seen anything move while he was here. All he could hear was the occasional rustling of leaves. No sign of movement was visible through the greenish mist.

The legends surrounding the Lost Woods spoke of countless secrets hidden in its depths. About ghosts, ruins, artifacts… Haunted and bewitched, enough to drive any man insane. Yet now it was deserted. The only path open was the hollowed tree trunk. He could not see what laid on the other end.

Almost subconsciously, he took a step forward. And then another one. And a third. Before he knew it, he was at the entrance. His steps let light thumps against the moist wood of the makeshift tunnel.

Ghosts.

Link stopped. Floating off the ground, shorter than him, wearing green tattered cloaks and holding lanterns that glowed with a strange blue light. Beneath the cloaks he could make out their legs; naked other than their green shoes, and very much normal, if not taking into account how they grew transparent at the ends.

…Children?

"Hree hee hee! Welcome to the Lost Woods!".

The sudden laughter surprised his breath out of him. It was grating at his ears, yet confirmed his suspicion. They did sound like children.

Which one of them had spoken? Link could make out a moving figure way in the back. The mist made it too hard to see clearly.

"These woods will make you get lost forever! But only if you're an adult! If you're a kid, they'll just trick you into going back the way you came!". That would have been a cause of relief if not for the fact that there was literally no other way. "But all hope is not lost! There is a secret path through these woods that leads really, really deep! If you can follow me then you can walk a little deeper.".

Follow it?

"Watch carefully!". And in front one very confused Link, all the ghost performed a dance and switched places, before they all took to different directions.

Crap. This was like the cups and balls game. He had to keep track of the right one – the ghost that had spoken to him. Which direction had it taken off to? Link had been staring but the green cloaks blended in with the fog and…

Link shook his head. This was not the time to stand around confused. He carefully tried to reply the dance in his head. If his guess was right then the leader headed through…

The trunk straight ahead.

Link walked – or more accurately jogged – through the hollowed trunk to find himself in a new clearing. The only other path was a fallen trunk to his left. Looks like this place is full of them. Absentmindedly, Link noticed that it was getting darker.

Link found himself in another clearing, on top of a short but steep slope. The ghosts were waiting down bellow. It would be an easy jump, but climbing back would be impossible. Still, there was no other choice. Link slid down and stood in front of them.

"Oh. Well done.". It was impossible to tell which one had spoken, but it sounded disappointed at his success, like a toddler who lost at hide and seek. Next two voices spoke up, two ghosts at his right. Link could only tell because they both started waving their lanterns around.

"That was fun, but now we're going to MISLEAD you. Now two of us will bounce around.". Link paid apt attention. "So don't follow us, or you'll wind up back at the start!". Link nodded to himself. "Hree hee hee! Think you can get it right? Let's go!".

The ghosts started their dance again. Normally, keeping track of them would be very easy, but the fog made visibility almost impossible.

All the ghosts split up in three paths. Link briefly debated with himself before going down to the path that was at his left.

This clearing was much, much larger and the new trunk did not make much sense. Not that he could see it, but by its placement he was pretty sure that would lead him to the second clearing. Which by all right should not be connected with this one. Or would it be the first? Was he running around in circles? Were the ghosts tricking him in general?

Link took some deep breaths, trying to calm down. He had no choice but to keep going forward.

The ghosts were there, standing in a clearing that looked identical to the first one. Link's suspicions of running around in circles only intensified, but he could not afford to get distracted now.

The ghosts cheered. "Ooooh, very good! You're really good at puzzles!". "Yeah, he keeps winning!". "He's always been pretty good!". "That's true.".

Wait, what?

"Oh, very well done!". All the ghost children fell silent. "Hmph.". Link felt like the ghost was gauging him up. Something in its attitude seemed familiar, but Link could not point out what. He had met someone who acted like that before, had he not? Someone who kept snorting at him in disapproval. "I guess it's time to REALLY stump you!".

Link was already familiar with the drill. The three ghosts way in the back started waving around their lanterns to catch his attention. "Now three of us will bounce around! Don't follow us! Better not fail, you hear me!? Do not fail!".

This time the dance was simpler than the last one, but it had left Link scratching his head. The only direction the three ghosts had not headed to was the one right behind him. Exactly where he came from. Were they testing his patience? That made no sense!

Link was slowly growing aggravated, but he spun on his heel and marched back to the previous trunk.

Only to end up in a completely new clearing that had nothing to do with the previous one.

"Huh!?".

This-this made no sense. How was it even possible? Link smacked himself in the forehead. Right. Magic. He had no idea why he kept questioning these things.

Link slowly walked to the new trunk. He could swear that the air was clearer here. He stepped through the tree trunk, wondering what he would find there.

Upon stepping out, he had to cover his eyes. It was bright here. The fog was gone. Link could hear life all around him. The birds were singing and sitting on the branches and the grass, foxes, rabbits and squirrels of strange colours were running around without chasing each other, paying him not mind. The ghosts were floating in front of him, blocking the view ahead. The warm rays of the sun made in clear how immaterial they were; only their cloaks were visible now.

"Hree hee hee! You're as good at games as we remember! You've always solved all the puzzles! We've kept your stuff safe for you so go and get it, okay? Bye!".

They vanished in thin air, leaving Link perplexed. What did they mean? Did he somehow know them? Had he met them before when he met that weird mask man? No, that could not be right; he could swear that he had not seen anyone in the forest that day other than him, that much was clear. Were they messing with him? Why did they seem so familiar?

A bird perched on his head, waking him off his stupor. Did he really stand still for that long? He shook his head trying to clear his thoughts, and the bird flew off. Link gazed at the sight ahead, his view finally unobstructed.

Before his was a pillar of golden sunlight, cutting through the thin remnants of the silver fog and the shades of the leaves. The lush greenness paled at the sight in front of him. The sunlight shone down a large stone pedestal; it felt ancient yet it seemed untouched by time. Three pillars stood around it, forming a triangle.

But all of this was unimportant. Only the center of the pedestal mattered. The breathtaking sight. It stood proud, peaceful, grand and intimidating in its deceptive plainness, its mere presence more than enough to make up for the lack of decoration. A work of art that no mortal blacksmith would ever be able to approach, much less imitate it. It seemed to glow with its own light.

The Master Sword. A legend among legends. An artifact more revered that the Triforce itself. The holy sword that the Hero of Legend had once wielded to shield the world from evil in a bygone era.

Link was mesmerized. When did he get so close to it? Its handle was made of metal in a purple shade, reminding Link of wings spreading wide, decorated with a single amber stone. The hilt was crisscrossed with bright green lines, standing in sharp contrast. How did one make metal to take this shade? Did the ones who crafted it grinded amethyst in it? Was the green on the hilt simple dye? Or was it a secret only known to the goddesses? The metal was bright, with the symbol of the Triforce on it, marked with a simple change in shade, just a tiny bit brighter. Link touched it in awe. No change in texture. No different temperature. The blade was cool to the touch, unaffected by the warm rays falling on it. No tool had touched this blade to engrave the Triforce on its side. It just was.

This was with no doubt, the work of divinity.

His hand moved to the hilt as if by itself. The moment he touched it, three spots started glowing right beneath his eyes. The Pendant of Courage worn beneath his tunic and the Pendants of Wisdom and Power kept in his pouch glimmered with ethereal power. In front of Link's amazed eyes, the three artifacts flew on their own towards the stone pillars that surrounded the pedestal. Now that he looked closer, Link realized that there were gaps on the stones, made to perfectly fit each of the three pendants. Quietly, they all attached themselves to their respective slots. Something in the ground beneath him and the air around him seemed to change.

It filled Link with purpose. Beyond a shadow of doubt, he finally knew – no, understood – that he was ready for this. He was meant to do this.

He took a step closer to the blade and wrapped both his wands around the hilt. It was warm. Smooth. Flawless. His hands fit perfectly around the hilt as if it had been made for him. His heart was fluttering in his chest as he tightened his grip. The three pendants shone brighter. And Link started pulling.

He was met with no resistance. The blade slithered out of the stone with ease, as if it was water. Link could feel its power, like an electric charge. This was far beyond anything he had felt before. The power of Ravio's items, the feeling of turning into a painting; they were nothing in front of this. The scar on his arm was pulsing, trying to protest against the action, sending shocks up on his forearm, but the light of the Master Sword soothed all of the pain away.

The metal sang as it was released from the stone. Link lifted it above his head. The blade caught the light, brighter than the sun. It was beautiful. Perfect. Surreal.

The light filled his mind.

it was a chamber stone windows light leaves forest shadow light water silence noise life death stasis movement it was strong weak incomplete complete sacred cold hot black white short long loving voiceless accepting rejecting perfect DEFATTHEYLOSTNOWONSEALEDMERMANENTINCOMPLETEBLOODFAILURESUCCESSLUSTLONGINGIMSORRYINEEDYOUYOUWEREWRONGBYHERTHEIRNAMEOATHDUTYWILLETERNITYLEGACYNO-

The sword was broken. It had always been and no amount of tempering could ever complete it. Perfection is unobtainable, because no mortal was meant for perfection even with Her favour and the will of the Goddesses. It was crying in its slumber for forgotten tales. It had felt the blazing heat on its blade more times than it cared to count. It barely had any power to spare for itself, for its judgment was poor at the worst possible moment. It was a failure; a massive failure and it only had itself to blame for it. Not the child. Herself. She did not make the same mistake twice. She kept on singing but she could not look at him in the eye. The days of happiness were bittersweet though she had never known its taste; she merely knew that was the correct word for it. This one was wounded, branded by magicks with evil will and arrogance. He was young as well. She would soothe him; that was all she would do for his brand was not only a curse but a blessing in disguise. Irony. This was called irony. She would make sure that its power would not corrupt his body, his soul, his heart.

Warning. Seal has been breached. Malevolent energy leaks detected. Scanning seal…

Malfunctions detected. Unable to contain malevolent energy.

Warning. Evil presence detected ahead. Scanning…

Scanning archives… Possible match found. Compatibility: 87.5%

Initiating modification parameters. Scanning: Subject Hero No. 4

Modifying parameters…

Complete.

Adjusting Master Sword parameters to Hero No. 4.

Presence identified. Proceed with extreme caution.

The light was blinding. The sounds… The images… They were fading… What were they? He could not remember. They were fading faster than a dream. Was he… dreaming? Did he fall asleep? There was… a light? What…? …what was he thinking about?

His head… It was worse than a migraine. Whatever it was, he could feel it pressing from the inside of his skull. No. Not just his skull. His whole body felt like it was on fire from the inside. Even breathing was painful, but not breathing was just as painful. The pain filtered everything.

It vanished as quickly as it came. Link fell on his knees, gasping for air. His eyes had watered so badly that all he could see a vague greenness and nothing else. He rubbed his tears away with his sleeve. He then saw it. It was still in his hand. The sword.

The Master Sword.

I'm… "I'm actually… holding it.". His voice was barely more than a whisper. His throat was so dry. What in the world had happened? The last thing he remembered was drawing the Master Sword. Was… this supposed to happen? He had passed out, right? His head was spinning. Link tried to sit in a more natural position. He knew that if he tried to get up now he would just end up falling again.

Someone was standing there.

What?

Link lifted his head and tried to focus on the figure ahead. His vision was still blurry; all he could see of it was black. And red. Wait… were those… its eyes?

It was right in front of him. It raised something. A sword.

Instinct took over.

Link just rolled out of the way, raising the Master Sword just in time to block another attack. He tried a counterstrike on his own but his blade only met thin air. However, the sudden assault was enough to clear Link's senses.

It was black, as if it was made of smoke, but looking far more solid. Its eyes were glowing red; next to them, the eyes of the monsters looked normal. It was holding a sword and a shield on its own. They looked as if they were part of its own body.

His opponent looked just like him.

This revelation shook Link to his very bones. It sent a shiver down his spine. Now that his mind was clear, he could feel its presence crawling on his skin, pressuring him from all directions as if he were underwater.

Face yourself.

No choice.

Link knew that this would be his hardest enemy yet.

It seemed to be waiting for him to make the first move. With one swift movement, Link secured the shield on his right arm and thrust his blade forward. The other had its own shield already lifted to block – no, slide the blade away from its body, raising its sword high up to take Link's head. Instead of blocking, Link slid into a roll ending up behind it. The black blade did not hit the grass. Instead, the shadow spun around in a swirl. Link recognized the attack. He had pulled it himself, after all.

Instead of allowing it to build momentum, he blocked the sword with his own blade and attempted to attack again. Sword with shield and shield with sword; they were locked. Link attempted to push forward, but the other was stronger. He ended up on the ground, with the other above him. He was blocked from all sides. His head was free. His forehead connected with its nose.

Its reaction was so human that Link almost lost a second to observe it. Almost. He pushed it off and wrung himself free. He attempted to bring his sword down, to pierce its back, but it rolled out of the way much like he had done earlier. Sword collided with sword. A loud clang resounded through the area. They exchanged strikes, but everything was repelled back. Link bashed it with its shield. He caught it in the head, off guard. He took the opening. His blade landed on its side.

First blood. Only to be met with its own shield on his head. It copied his movement. His vision blurred, his headache returning. His ears were whistling. No time to lie down. He got up on his feet again. Something warm filled his nostrils. Blood? Something black lunged towards him. He blocked. His vision clear fast enough to see it right in front of his face. The held the lockdown just for a moment before Link spun around to throw it off. Just like it had done earlier. He did not give it time to recover.

He sprinted forward, his sword held like a lance. It brought up its shield to block the strike. Not good enough. Link did not get its heart; he got its shoulder. The shield arm. It howled. The scream was otherworldly.

Link leaped back from the counter attack. He could see it now. Shadows oozed from both wounds he had inflicted. It was gasping for breath, and now the shield was hanging uselessly. It tried to lift it back into position, but that just caused more shadows to ooze out of it. He had hit the jackpot with that one.

The sight brought a smile on his face. The blood from his nose dripped into his lips. It really did taste like metal. Huh.

Now was his chance. Once again, Link lunged forward, swinging the Master Sword in a wide arch. With its right arm practically useless, the shadow had a far greater difficulty blocking. It merely deflected his strike, and brought its sword up for a counterattack, aiming for Link's head. Link ducked under it and went for another thrust. It side stepped. More shadows oozed from his wounds. Link rolled forward to regain his balance and rolled up on his feet again. He took a good look at it, looking for another opening. It appeared… fainter? Yes, it was definitely fainter. Perfect.

He had a hard time breathing. His head was swimming. Everything ached. He lunged and leaped upwards. He brought his sword down to the shadow's head. It dodged. The sword was embedded in the ground. Link tried to wrangle it out but he had no time for that. The shadow aimed another blow at him that he only barely managed to dodge. It brought its foot down and kicked Link hard in the gut, knocking the air out of him. Once again it thrust at Link, but he managed to lift his shield just in time. He swiped his legs under it. It tripped and Link grabbed his chance to run to his sword. Even with a useless limp weighting it down, the shadow was dangerous.

It was a struggle that took a bit longer than he would have liked, but Link was able to free his blade. The heavy wounds made the shadow slow. Link himself was nowhere near peak condition. His injuries were much lighter, but everything just piled up to his exhaustion. He had to finish this quickly.

Just as he finished the thought, he saw movement behind him. He barely turned around. The shadow lunged towards him and slammed him on the ground. It raised its sword to deliver the final blow. Link raised his first.

It them both a moment to realize what he did. Link traced with his eyes the path that the sword followed, from the hilt in his hand, to the blade's end embedded into his enemy's chest. With a grunt, Link got up to his feet. The shadow was very faint now, almost transparent. Moving under its weight was much easier than before. Their positions were reversed. Link took hold of his sword with both hands and drove it deeply into the place that should be its heart.

The smoke erupted from its wounds. The shadow seemed to vanish in front of his very eyes, its own red orbs wide and dimming. Eventually, only wisps remained, and they too soon vanished.

It was over.

So this… is the Master Sword… It's great.

Once again, Link welcomed the darkness that overtook him.

He woke up to the smell of something cooking. He was too dazed to figure out what it was. Wherever he was, it was warm. Very much so. He realized that he was covered with a blanket, and the air on his face was also heated; must have been from the fire used for cooking.

His whole body felt like it melted. His eyelids were heavy too. Link just wanted to stay under the covers forever. He tried to do exactly that. That went on for about ten minutes before he finally groaned and was forced to change sides. That was when he took a good look at the house. And realized that it was not his own.

That woke up Link with a start. He sat up but a sudden wave of nausea hit him, blanking out his vision for a moment.

"Careful there, young man. You took quite a beating.".

Whoever that was, Link did not recognize him. It was the voice of an old man, but it was not Sahasrahla. Link's vision finally returned to normal and he was able to take a good look at the old man. There was nothing special about him; he was completely bald but with a really bushy grey beard, and he wore a green tunic with a faded yellow scarf. Link was pretty sure that he had seen him before, but he could not remember where. The house he was in was not anything special either; a completely ordinary stone cabin for one person. The only things that stood out were the unusually large chest in the corner and the boiling pot on the fireplace.

The old man obviously saw him eyeing it. "It'll be ready in a few minutes. It's just some rabbit stew I made. I thought you'd like to put something in your stomach.". As if to answer him, Link's stomach growled loudly. Link felt his blood rush to his face, and the old man laughed heartedly. "Looks like I was right!".

Link tried to remember when it had been that he had last eaten. In his mouth he had the aftertaste of… blood? Why was there blood-

In a flash, he remembered it all. The Lost Woods. The ghosts. The Master Sword. That fight. He had been on his way from the Tower of Hera to find Sahasrahla and ask him where the Master Sword was so he could finally save Zelda. And then that… mess happened. What in Nayru's name was all that?

"You seem pretty upset, young man? Is there something wrong?".

First things first. "Did I have a sword with me? And a pouch?". He added the pouch more as an afterthought, but he felt silly for only remembering it just now. The pouch and all the stuff it contained were invaluable.

"Why, yes! Two swords in fact! But that second one is quite magnificent. I have left all your things there in the corner.".

Link still did not feel well enough to try and leave the bed, but from where he was sitting, he saw both the captain's sword and the Master Sword, as well as his shield – it was very battered – and his pouch. The Master Sword stood out like a beacon compared to everything else in the small house.

And now for the other pressing matters. "Where did you find me? And how long was I out?".

The old man looked surprised. "Don't you remember?".

Should he tell him? "I remember being in a big clearing at the forest.". Seeing the other man's expecting look, Link spared a few more details. "I was lost and then I got into a fight…". He quietly prayed the old man did not ask for any further details.

"I'll say. When I found you a fairy was tending to you! I haven't seen one in years! How it found you I'll never know. Or maybe did you find her.". Seeing Link's somewhat panicked expression, he laughed. "Oh, don't worry young man, I'm just joking.". Link had a distinct feeling that now he was joking.

How had the man found him? Link was absolutely sure that wherever he had been in the Lost Woods, there were no exits. In fact, he had no idea how he had gotten in the woods to begin with. The last thing before that was the he had passed out some distance away from Rosso's house. Now that he thought about it, he had passed out quite a few times in a row… What time was it? Fear gripped Link's heart. What day was it?

"How long was I out?", he repeated. "What time is it?".

The old man looked at him with an expression filled with understanding. "I found you four hours ago or so. I don't how long you were out before that. Right now… I think it's afternoon. Or maybe early evening?".

Not as much time as he had feared, but far longer than he had hoped.

"Looks like our meal is ready. Come on, young man? Can you get up?".

Link nodded. His dizziness was completely gone. Link threw off the blanket, silently lamenting for the sudden loss of warmth, and sat in one of the chairs at the table. The old man brought a couple of plates from the cupboard and served them both a hearty portion. The stew smelled delicious.

Link eagerly accepted the spoon that had been offered to him and immediately dug in the soup. His tongue was burned even faster.

The old man laughed at his misfortune. "Careful there young man! You must never rush into things to hastily, be it life or food.".

Link wanted to tell him that a warning would have been nice, but that would be incredibly rude to a stranger who had rescued him and opened his house to him. Still, the old man must have seen it in his eyes. "Tell me, young man, if I told you to be careful, would you have listened?".

Link was about to protest, but the old man interrupted him. "And if I told you "it's too hot", what would you do? You'll blow on it to cool it down, but then it'd be too cold. It's best to experience things as they are.".

Link just stared at the old man baffled. What was up with that guy? I don't think he'll answer… But… "Have we met before?".

The old man barked a laugh. "Of course we have! At Kakariko Village. I spend most of my time there!".

"Ah, you're the Streetpass grandpa!". Now Link remembered him. He had run into him when he had first bought his shield but honestly he did not pay much attention. That old man was always around trying to start up that "streetpass" thing of his and failing. To think that of all people that could find him, it was him…

"So you do remember me! I was worried for a moment there.".

Now Link was genuinely curious. "What exactly is that "streetpass" thing?".

To Link's surprise, the old man appeared almost embarrassed. "You see young man, I was quite the warrior in my youth… The years have gotten to me I'm afraid and… I wanted a challenge. A young springy warrior to challenge me. I see some talents in the palace but they're all wasted in the royal guard… I wished to cross paths with a truly talented and dedicated warrior. But I suppose it's just a selfish old man's foolish wish.". Link listened attentively. "But you, young man! You look as if you just bested the opponent of your life! How rare that is!".

Link scowled. That …shadow had been hard. Incredibly so. It could copy all of his moves. But it was not the fight of his life. "I still have some things to do.".

The streetpass grandpa nodded, understanding crossing his face. "I can see that. It's all over your face. But you must eat first, right?".

The rest of the afternoon was spent quietly like that, with the two of them eating in silence. The meal really was delicious. Link could feel his strength returning to his bones and melting away his remaining tension. It was probably the most fulfilling meal he ever had.

Sometime later, Link felt ready to leave. He went to organize his stuff. True to the grandpa's word, none of Ravio's items were missing. What his eyes fell on were the two swords. The captain's sword and the Master Sword. Link would obviously go for the Master Sword but he did not have a sheath for it. What to do…

"Is something wrong, young man?".

Link thought about it for a moment. "I don't have a sheath for this sword.".

The old man's eyes sprinkled with mirth. "Ah, yes! That's quite the magnificent blade there. It certainly needs a scabbard of equal value. Lucky for you, I do have something.".

Link's curiosity peaked as the old man went to dig around in that gigantic chest of his. He found what he was looking for and presented it with a prideful smile.

It was the most magnificent sheath that Link had ever seen. Far too long to be carried at one's hip, the sheath was made from a material in a royal blue colour that Link could not quite identify, decorated with elegant designs made of solid gold. Link brought it next to the Master Sword. It was with great disbelief when he tested it that he realized how perfectly the Master Sword fit to the scabbard.

"Will this do, young man?".

Link had no words. "Wh-where did you find this?".

The streetpass grandpa just laughed. "Oh, I've had it for a long time now. I have no need of it, don't worry. You can keep it.".

Link could not believe his eyes and ears. With the new scabbard, the Master Sword seemed a bit more complete. Link fastened the brown belt with the elaborate buckle around his shoulder, marveling at the incredibly light weight, and slid the sword into it. The weight was just right. It fit perfectly.

"That looks pretty good on you! Looks like I made the right choice."

Link put the captain's sword with the other stuff in his pouch and readied his weapons. He tested the rest of his supplies – it was high time he bought a potion – and prepared to leave.

"Do you need some help, young man? This cabin is in the forest, so you might get a bit lost.".

Link waved him off. Irene should be awake by now. "Don't worry, I know someone who can pick me up. Thank you very much.".

"Best of luck then, Link. May the goddesses be with you.".

It was only a few minutes of walking later that Link realized he had never introduced himself. He turned around to find the cabin, but there was nothing in sight.

"Just who was that…?".

Author Notes: Okay, wow. It has been a long time. Almost a year, short of a few days. I know I had promised a chapter during the summer but I kind of lost interest in LoZ, and then I discovered Mass Effect, Spacebattles, and Shin Megami Tensei, and at the same time I had to deal with moving to a new town for my very first semester of university. Needless to say, it was a time of big changes. I spent that time trying to figure out where the up and down was, gaming, writing snippets for the infinite loops and trying to adjust to almost living on my own (almost because my dad stays with me but he's hardly any better than your average university student and missing most hours due to work).

When I actually did get around to writing the chapter, I rewrote the entire first section because I did not like it, and the rest... Just flowed of my fingers. I got out like 5000 or so words in a single weekend. It was amazing.

I had been planning to write this chapter almost as soon as I started this fanfic but I had no image of how it would come out. My personal notes wrote nothing more than "MIND SCREW" and a bullet point version of the events; ghost=kokiri?, Shadow Link boss fight, streetpass grandpa, may mention MM. That was it.

I am very, very glad to be back. I think I have a better track on my life right now, so you might see some more of me.

Please, read and review!

Signed, HelenTheMoon.