Author's Note: Thank you to Post Rapture, DoomRater, Mihaele Rose, Ides of Diamonds, and everybody who read and/or reviewed my first fic. This is the second part of my epic fic and I hope you all enjoy it. And I'd like to give credit to any author whose characters or excerpts from their stories (No, I don't believe I'll be using one) that I used. I can't stress enough how much I'd like everyone to READ AND REVIEW, because I feel this may be something special.
Chapter 7
Link walked out to the shore of Lake Hylia. He sat down around the shore and began to ponder his latest dream.
Usually when Link had a nightmare like that, he would wake up in a cold sweat and try and figure out what it meant. It was different this time. This time Link woke up in a cold sweat, but he pretty much knew what the dream meant. The evil shape-shifter, Meyson, was alive, that much was for sure. He had taken his best friend, Saria, as his prisoner. But Link couldn't figure out if this was a vision of the past or of the future. And he wondered about the Iron Knuckle he saw. He was much bigger than the other ones Link faced, but where did it come from? Link thought that all the Iron Knuckles were defeated and exterminated in the Imprisonment War. Did Meyson have one hidden? There was much Link didn't know about the evil fiend. If he did have an Iron Knuckle hidden, then what other monsters did he have up his sleeve? And would he unleash them on the Kokiri in the Forest Temple?
Before he could answer that question, he saw someone sit beside him. Link expected to see Malon, but instead he saw Princess Zelda.
"Did you see it, too?" she asked.
Link was surprised at the question. "See what?"
Zelda wore a grim expression. "The dream, Link. The forest, the Iron Knuckle, Saria, and…Meyson. Link, don't you know what that means?"
Link wasn't there yet. He was still wondering how the princess had his same exact dream.
Zelda continued. "It means we didn't beat him. He's still alive. And that means the threat is still looming."
Link knew that threat well. Meyson was in this to free Ganondorf from his prison in the Sacred Realm, and if he were freed, it would spell the end of Hyrule, as he knew it.
"We've got to go," Zelda said. "We need to stop Meyson for good. I just hope it isn't too late."
Link hoped it wasn't too late, either. A thing as evil as Meyson wouldn't take defeat so well. If he were still looking for the stones, he would probably kill Saria first.
Link now noticed that Malon had woken up as well and began walking towards him and Zelda. As jealous as she was, he didn't know how this would look.
"What are you guys doing up so early?" Malon asked suspiciously.
It was Zelda who answered. "We each had a nightmare. The same nightmare." Zelda was interrupted by someone else who approached her. He looked like he had been traveling for days. He was decked out in regalia of a castle guard, minus the giant helmet. It was a messenger of the Royal Family.
"Princess Zelda, thank goodness you're still here," the messenger said. "I have an urgent message."
Chapter 8
Zelda looked at the messenger grimly. Link knew that the news couldn't be good if this messenger had come as far as Lake Hylia to deliver this message. But Link noticed something more immediate. Malon had walked up to him. Link had some explaining to do, being outside alone with Zelda.
"Malon," Link smiled sheepishly. "That wasn't what it looked like."
Malon smiled at Link warmly. "I know. Link, don't be so nervous. I trust you."
That relieved Link. If it were about a week ago, though, then Malon would have throttled him.
"What happened?" Zelda finally asked the messenger.
The messenger pulled out a giant note and began to read it. "Greetings, Princess Zelda. Stop. There's been a situation in the dungeon. Stop. The three Lizalfos calling themselves COMBAT have escaped. Stop. There were led out of the castle by what appeared to be one of our guards. Stop. But it was later discovered that no one had ever seen that guard before. Stop. So it has now been assumed that he was a fake and that the three reptiles have now escaped. Stop. End of message."
"Then it's true," Zelda said uneasily. "If the lizards are gone, then it really does mean that Meyson is alive."
Malon looked shockingly at Link. "Meyson is alive? He can't be. I thought Link killed him."
"It's true," Link said. "And if he's alive, then he's going to the Forest Temple. We've got to go right away."
Zelda nodded at the messenger. "Thank you. You are dismissed." The messenger left.
Link looked at Zelda who took out the Ocarina of Time. He and Malon gathered close to Zelda as she began to play the Minuet of Forest. But once again, much to Link's chagrin, they were still at Lake Hylia.
"Well, is there any more doubt that Meyson's still around?" Link asked angrily.
"It could be worse," Malon said. "At least the horses are here this time."
"I guess I can't argue with that," Link conceded. "But we leave immediately."
Link, Malon, and Zelda each mounted their horses. It would be another race against time for Link. This time, he hoped it wasn't too late.
Meyson, Titanos, and COMBAT stood on the side of the Forest Temple. They had easily defeated the Stalfos knight and Meyson was soon ready to execute the next phase of his evil plan.
Meyson liked what he saw when he looked at Titanos. He was a ruthless warrior with no compassion. He reminded Meyson of himself. The evil shape-shifter enjoyed the exhibition of watching Titanos easily dispose of that foolish Stalfos. And he knew it could only get easier from there. How hard could it be to fool a few gullible Kokiri?
"You want we should wait out here, Meyson?" Kreature asked.
"Of course," Meyson said. "Just stand by and wait for my signal. I shouldn't be too long."
Meyson transformed into another form sure to fool anyone and began to walk into the Forest Temple.
Chapter 9
Sodo looked outside. The young boy was sitting near the entrance to the Forest Temple. It was almost nostalgic. He had spent most his life in the village watching the bridge to the vastness, but was finally relieved of that duty when the Kokiri moved into the Forest Temple with Saria.
Sodo was a wreck. It was a harrowing experience having the evil shape-shifter, Meyson, invade their home. And it made Sodo cringe when he thought of what could have happened to Saria at the hands of that fiend. Sodo had risked his life more than he ever had in his life. He risked slicing and dicing at the hands of COMBAT when he tricked the dopey lizards into an empty room. He then tried to rescue Saria himself, but was taken in by a sinister Meyson disguise and knocked out. Then he risked life and limb when he and Saria ambushed the three Lizalfos to save Link from an uneven fight.
The near-death experience made Sodo think. He reflected on his crush on Saria. He began to get the feeling it was more than just a simple crush. But there was one thing wrong. He never told Saria how he really felt, but that's what the peaceful boy was reflecting on. Had the evil villain killed Saria, then she would have died never knowing how much Sodo cared about her. He couldn't take that. He decided this would be the day. There would be no more waiting for Sodo. This was the perfect day, after all, because everyone was out in the Sacred Forest Meadow or the Lost Woods. He would tell Saria this very day how he felt.
The only thing that stopped him was a visitor that appeared at the entrance. It was a friendly face that Sodo instantly recognized.
"Link," Sodo said in amazement. "W-What are you doing here?"
Link looked at Sodo grimly. Sodo had a feeling this wasn't exactly a social call.
"Sodo, I've got to ask you, where is everybody?" Link asked.
Sodo knew it was a busy day. "They're all out. Well, the Know-It-All brothers are out in the Sacred Forest Meadow doing their training. Fala and Ralo are out somewhere in the meadow gossiping. Domi and Rala are in the Lost Woods somewhere trying to find some privacy. Miso went out to gather Deku Sticks. Mira found a new perch out there somewhere. She said it reminded of of her old porch back home. And Mido said he wanted to go out to the Lost Woods by himself. He said something about 'meditating'. The only ones here are me, Somi, and Saria."
"Do you know where Saria is?" Link asked. "I've got to talk to her."
"Yeah. She's in the main entrance hall with Somi."
"Can you take me to her? It's kind of urgent. I was hoping you would be there, too."
Sodo wondered what this could be. "Ok, this way."
Sodo led Link through the short hallway and entered the main entrance hall. Sure enough, Saria and Somi were sitting by a nearby wall. He was expecting Saria to come up running and giving Link a huge hug. Instead, he saw something that worried him. Saria and Somi were now standing in awe. They looked like they saw a ghost. Sodo turned around and knew exactly what had spooked the two girls. It had Sodo scared out of his wits as well.
Link was standing there…but his eyes were glowing red.
Link, Malon, and Zelda were finally in the Lost Woods. It was a good thing that Link had brought some bottles of red potion, because Malon soon began coughing violently. She took the potion before anything serious happened. Link wanted to make sure that Malon didn't become the next Stalfos.
Link crossed the tunnel leading to the Sacred Forest Meadow. He wondered if he could get to the Forest Temple before anything serious happened to Saria or any of the other Kokiri. But Link saw something that immediately grabbed his attention. The gate blocking the entrance was destroyed. And in the corner, was Guerros, the guardian Stalfos, who appeared to be fatally wounded…which sounded funny, considering this was a giant skeleton, but the situation was anything but humorous. Link walked over to the fighting Stalfos.
"H-He's been here," Guerros said. "And he went to the temple."
Chapter 10
Link couldn't believe what he saw. The Stalfos didn't look like he just lost, but was beaten within an inch of his life.
"I-It looks I've had my final fight, Link," Guerros said.
"Don't say that, Guerros," Link said. "How did this happen?"
"I-I hope I can get out the whole story before I pass," Guerros said. "Here goes. Meyson came back and I, of course, challenged him…"
Guerros recognized this fiend. It was the huge being in brown skin that had defeated him. It was the one his new friend, Link, was looking for. It was the shape-shifter called Meyson.
"It is you," Guerros said. "You are the one Link was seeking. I shall honor him by defeating you personally."
"Do you think you can beat me?" Meyson asked. "You don't stand a chance."
"All I know is, Link wishes you to be vanquished," Guerros responded. "And I will be the one who vanquishes you."
"I'll tell you what, Stalfos," Meyson said. "Defeating you twice is tempting, but I have a new challenger for you. Titanos?"
A huge Iron Knuckle began to walk up to Meyson. "Yes, master? How can I serve you?"
Meyson grinned wickedly. "Titanos, destroy him!"
Guerros figured he should throw everything he had at this huge Titanos. He began to thrust his sword several times. His movements were so quick, they appeared like blurs. But the sword strikes hardly left a chink in Titanos's armor. Guerros continued his assault. He struck the Iron Knuckle from the front, from behind, and on the helmet. Nothing seemed to faze the huge monster.
Titanos unleashed his huge axe. He then knocked down Guerros in one mighty blow. The Iron Knuckle then walked over to Guerros and stood towering over him.
Meyson began to laugh evilly. "This exhibition has turned out much better than I expected. Excellent work, Titanos. Now finish him off!"
Titanos obliged. He began wielding his axe over his head and delivered a crippling overhead thrust.
"That Iron Knuckle was far stronger than what I expected," Guerros continued. "It was almost as if he were stronger than the average Iron Knuckle. His armor is stronger than anything I've ever seen and the power he holds when he yields that axe is unmatched."
Link began to grow nervous. He knew that he would soon face that Iron Knuckle. "Guerros, how long ago did he pass?"
Guerros coughed. "It hasn't been too long. If you hurry you can catch him. He must still be at the Forest Temple."
Link shuddered. He was after Saria again, and he couldn't stand that. "I've got to get going, Guerros. But I'll come back, I promise. You need help."
Guerros shook his head. "No, Link. It is too late for me. I have lost my final fight. But do not mourn for me. I am a fighter and I can say that I went down fighting. I shall die with honor." Guerros began to lay his head down, but pulled out a red rupee. "And do me one last favor, Link. If you see Post Rapture, give him these 20 rupees I owe him." Guerros then fell on his back and disintegrated in a puff of smoke. The fighting Stalfos was dead.
Link was saddened by the death of his new friend, but he had to keep going or he might lose another. "Let's keep going."
Link entered the Sacred Forest Meadow, closely followed by Malon and Zelda. He would soon be at the Forest Temple.
Chapter 11
Saria thought she was dreaming. She hoped she was dreaming, but she wasn't. The evil Meyson had returned. He shed his Link disguise and shifted back to his original form.
"Hello, kiddies," he said wickedly. "Remember ME?!"
Saria and Somi stepped back. There was no telling what could happen, and nearly all the Kokiri were out.
"Ah, the pretty little Forest Sage," Meyson said. "I've still got some business with you."
Saria could hardly move. She was frozen in fear. But then she saw something that could only warm her heart. Sodo had stepped in front of her. The brave young boy was standing up for Saria.
Meyson laughed. "Oh yes. I remember you. You're the one they call 'Sodo'. I know who would love to see you again."
Sodo looked to be frozen. He must have been under a Meyson spell. He was soon mentally thrown towards the door leading outside the temple.
"Oh boys?" Meyson called out. "Look who I have for you?"
Saria saw the three Lizalfos soldiers, collectively known as COMBAT, walk in and begin to surround Sodo.
"Hey, shrimp," the tall one called out. "Remember us? We've got a score to settle with you."
"Yeah. You thought you were too smart for us," the short one added.
"And now you're gonna pay!" the chunky one finished.
The three reptiles grabbed Sodo and began to walk into the door leading to the courtyard. Saria could only wonder what they had in store for the young boy.
Saria looked up at Meyson. "What do you want? Why are you here?"
Meyson grinned. "Don't worry your pretty little head. I'm not here for your stone this time. What I am here for is to take you on a little trip. You're coming with me."
Saria didn't understand. He was here to take her prisoner? Before she could say anything, Somi stood in front of her.
"If you want to take my best friend, then you'll have to go through me."
"Very well, then," Meyson responded. He waved his arm and Somi flew towards one of the doors. She had hit her head and was knocked unconscious.
The evil being then shifted his attention back to Saria. He waved his arm and Saria found herself again imprisoned in a giant crystal. She struggled to escape, but it was useless. She saw the three Lizalfos walk out of the courtyard looking proud of themselves.
"Did you three enjoy yourselves in there?" Meyson asked.
"Yeah. We just left that little brat 'hanging around'," the tall one said.
"He's at the 'end of his rope'," the short one continued.
"And if he makes a move, then we hope he'll 'have a nice fall'," the chunky one finished.
"Well then," Meyson said. "Seeing as how we're all here, I think it's time to leave."
"NO!!!"
Saria raised her head at the sound of that voice. She looked over at the door leading outside to see the one person who could save her now.
Standing at the door was Link.
Chapter 12
Link walked into the Forest Temple and saw everything almost exactly like he saw in his nightmare. There was Meyson, COMBAT, and Saria being held captive in a giant crystal. Link told Malon and Zelda to step back. They each went to opposite sides of the room. Link unleashed his sword.
"Let her go, Meyson," Link warned. "Or I swear I'll KILL YOU!!"
Meyson only laughed. "You don't scare me, Hero of Time. The Forest Sage comes with me. And you will be destroyed." He looked out towards the door Link came in. "TITANOS!!"
Link looked behind him and saw a giant Iron Knuckle walk in wielding a huge axe.
"Yes, master," the Iron Knuckle said.
Meyson pointed at Link. "Titanos, I want you to exterminate this pest…with extreme prejudice."
Titanos began spinning his axe and thrust down towards Link, who moved out of the way. Link made his move while the Iron Knuckle was stunned. He struck him with many strikes of his sword, but it only made loud clanks on his armor. The sword strikes didn't affect him whatsoever.
Titanos pulled out his axe and again tried striking Link, and again he missed. Link jumped back and pulled something out of his tunic. It was a bombchu, the bomb that rolled. Link rolled it towards Titanos and the bomb exploded upon collision. When the smoke cleared, Titanos emerged from the explosion and wasn't even singed.
Link got frustrated. He rushed the huge Iron Knuckle and tried a full frontal assault. He struck the Iron Knuckle over and over, and couldn't make a dent. Titanos then reached back with his free hand and struck Link with a huge backhand. Link literally flew back and hit the wall. When Link got up, he noticed he was standing inches from Malon.
Then Link saw Zelda walk towards the action. She began to warm up a spell to throw at the Iron Knuckle. She raised her hands and threw a huge beam of light at the Iron Knuckle. But she missed him completely. The light beam didn't strike Link or Titanos…but it struck Malon.
Suddenly, for Link, everything stopped. Malon had been hit and she was knocked out. Everything else didn't matter to Link at that moment. He leaned over the unconscious Malon and desperately tried to wake her up.
He couldn't see that Titanos was warming up for the final blow.
Saria couldn't believe what she saw. Princess Zelda tried to help Link, but she missed her target completely and struck Malon. But what made this worse was that Link was now distracted. He was trying to help Malon, but couldn't see that Titanos was about to strike with his huge axe.
Then Saria saw the brightened expressions on the three Lizalfos.
"Hey, boys," the tall one said. "This is our big chance to do some slicing and dicing."
"Yeah," the short one agreed. "We can take down the Hero of Time when he's not looking."
"Let's get him!" the chunky one shouted.
The three reptiles unleashed a battle cry and began to rush towards Link. But the chunky one tripped and knocked down the other two. They began rolling and didn't stop until they had also tripped up the Iron Knuckle. Saria suppressed a giggle when she saw the collision.
"Hey, get this metal monstrosity off me!" the tall one shouted.
"Jeez, Og, don't you use any deodorant?!" the short one exclaimed.
"I feel like a lizard pancake over here," the chunky one said.
Meyson walked over to them and didn't take the situation as humorously as Saria did. "You imbeciles! You've blown a golden opportunity for me." Meyson began to look at the distraught Link. "But no matter, Link's time will come. My plan is nearly complete." He walked over towards Saria. "I have big plans for you."
Meyson waved his hand. A huge black light began to surround them. Saria couldn't believe it. They were leaving the temple.
Chapter 13
Link thought he heard something. But he didn't care at that moment. Malon still hadn't come to. Link desperately tried to wake her up. If she died, he wouldn't be able to live with himself. He knew this would happen if he brought her along. He couldn't picture his life without Malon.
"Malon, please wake up!"
Link continued to shake her. He did everything he could to try and revive the young farm girl. Link was about to break down. He didn't cry much, but this would certainly be the time. But Link spirits rose when he heard Malon moan. She was waking up. But his anger began to rise when he heard the next voice.
"Is she ok?"
It was the voice of Zelda. Link had had it. This was the last straw. After everything she put him through, this was the act that pushed him over the edge. He wanted to take his sword out and kill her right there. Instead he just stood up and faced Zelda with a stern look.
"YOU!!! YOU DID THIS! THIS IS YOUR FAULT!" Link shouted.
Zelda stepped back, clearly shocked. "Link, it was an accident. I'm sorry."
"Is that all you know how to say?!" Link asked harshly. "'I'm sorry, I'm sorry.' Well sorry isn't enough! You could have killed her! I can't take it anymore! I've had it with you!"
"W-What do you mean?" Zelda asked.
"Don't be stupid!" Link said cruelly. "Everything bad that's happened in my life is because of you! It's your fault I left my life in the forest! It's your fault I went on that stupid quest! It's your fault that Saria almost died when she went out looking for me! It's your fault that Malon was beaten everyday! It's your fault that I lost seven years of my life! It's your fault that I was almost killed every single day during my stupid quest! And it's your fault that Malon's down right now! Well I've had it! I can't take it anymore! JUST GO AWAY!!!"
Link was more angry at that moment than he ever was in his entire life. He saw that Zelda was in tears, but he didn't care. He hated Zelda more than anything at that moment. She began to run out of the temple crying. It might have hurt Link if it was anyone else, but not Zelda. After everything she put him through, he felt no compassion for her.
He walked back over to Malon who was sitting up, a good sign for sure.
"Are you ok?" Link asked.
"It's just my ribs," Malon answered, but then she looked angrily at Link. "But I can't believe you, Link."
Link was confused. "What do you mean?"
"Did you forget everything I told you?" Malon demanded. "She made a mistake, Link. Yeah, it was a big mistake, but it was one mistake from the past. You can't let it overwhelm you. But you did and you hurt Zelda."
"Malon, she could have killed you!"
"But it was an accident, Link," Malon said. "She tried to help you. Yeah, she could have killed me, but she didn't. You can't keep blaming Zelda. I mean, put yourself in her position. Do you actually think she's had it easy during the Imprisonment War?"
"Well…yeah."
Malon groaned. "Why don't you go ask her and find out?"
Link didn't want to go out. If he saw Zelda, he might snap again. "She might be gone by now."
"She wouldn't leave," Malon assured Link. "Her entire kingdom's in danger and she's not just going to pick up and go home because of a bonehead like you! She's probably just outside."
"What about you?" Link asked. "You're hurt."
Malon looked irritated. "You're gonna hurt worse than me if you don't go talk to Zelda, NOW!!"
Link couldn't argue with that. He walked outside the temple and saw Zelda sitting on the ledge.
"Zelda?" Link asked softly. "Are you ok?"
"Why? You've got something else to say?" Zelda asked sadly. "After all, I did ruin your life."
"Zelda, I didn't mean that." Link didn't know how he managed to say that, because he actually did mean it. "It's just that while my life in the forest wasn't the best in the world, my life was good. Then I went to see you and it all fell apart from there. My friends were almost killed, I was almost killed, and I lost seven years of my life all because of the hunch of some ten-year old princess."
Zelda looked at Link dejectedly. "You're not making me feel any better."
Link sat down. "But I guess what I'm trying to say is that you didn't mean any of it. You didn't deliberately try to sabotage my life. You were trying to do what was best for Hyrule. You were doing what you thought was best. And you just made one mistake. I can't carry around that anger with me for the rest of my life, I need to get over it."
It didn't look like Zelda was convinced.
"Zelda, I'm sorry for what I said. It just came out. I was worried for Malon, but that's no excuse. You only tried to help. And I'm sorry." Link didn't know what else to say.
"I…accept you apology," Zelda said. "But Link, I have to ask you something."
"What's that?" Link asked.
"I know that I messed up big time. I didn't want to ruin your life like that. But what's happened cannot be changed. All I can ask is, can you forgive me?"
Link didn't know how to answer. "I don't know. I'll have to think about it."
Zelda hung her head down. "I hope you do. I know you had it difficult back then, but I didn't exactly have it easy myself."
That was exactly what Malon told Link. He had to ask to about it now. "What do you mean?"
Zelda was about to answer, until she was interrupted. Link turned around and expected to see Malon, but instead he saw someone else. It was Somi, one of Saria'a best friends.
"Link, come quick!" Somi shouted. "It's Sodo! You've got to help him!"
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