Evil's Bane

V3.1

By : (o'.')o

Disclaimer:

The Legend of Zelda and all subsequent related characters are property of……of…..ME! HA HA HA HA!!!! OW! Luigi broke me leg! Ok Ok…The Legend of Zelda and all related characters are property of Nintendo. There, happy?

Note from Author:

First of all, I'd like to thank those who have reviewed so far! I really appreciate your comments and suggestions and critiques! I love it! Thanks, and please continue to review!

This is the first chapter of the Third Volume of the Series. I think I'm going to call the whole thing together: The Legend of Zelda: Secret of The Gerudo. Why? Meh.

To those who are just starting with this fic, it's the 3rd Volume of my Series. The first is A Kid Named Link…the second is Trial of Keys. This will be the last. Thanks!

Warning: This one is long…9 pages in 10pt. Uhhh…if this is a problem…sorry Really sorry. If not, yippie! Also…it's really just an introduction to Evil's Bane. Not much action. :/

***********

Last Chapter:

The battle was fierce and intense, as Link and the one who had attacked Malon, the one who was causing a lot of strife in Hyrule, Knatagahnim, fought nearly to the death. For Link, he was fighting for revenge and for the Fire Key. For Knata, he was seemingly in it for fun. Nabooru, Zelda, Malon and Saria marveled at the way the battle ensued, and at Link's nearly superhuman abilities. But the battle wasn't going well for him, and Nabooru intervened, striking Knata down with an arrow. Knata disappeared, and Link recovered from his horrific wounds with the help of the fairy Esea, and Zelda. When all was said and done, the only good thing to come from this was the Fire Key. Finally for Link, the Master Sword awaits.

And on with the tale:

**********

The sun's morning rays were shining down on Kakariko, when Link and his companions readied themselves for the final leg of the journey. However, as bright as everything appeared to be, there still remained one major problem.

"Are you telling me…." Nabooru started, the young Gerudo looking harshly at Link. "…are you telling me that while traveling all this time, you never once thought about where the Master Sword was?"

Link shrugged sheepishly. "What do you want from me?" he said indignant. "I…we were busting our butt trying to get the Keys. We thought we could find the Sword when the time came."

"The time is now. Concentration on previous tasks aside, you shouldn't have ignored an obvious future one." Nabooru said, shaking her head. " You got clumsy."

"CLUMSY!" Link thought. "Clumsy my ass! Geez, who are you anyway, my mother?" he growled inwardly, speaking freely about a woman he never knew.

Nabooru stared at him again, seeing how he was silent and broody. "You have something to say to me?"

Malon saw where this was headed. She stepped lightly between the two. "Nabooru, you wouldn't have any idea where it was would you?" she asked sweetly.

Nabooru looked her up and down quickly, an act that infuriated Link. He stormed off before the Gerudo could answer. "I have no idea." She sighed. "I'm sorry."

Malon nodded and looked to Link, who was scowling at the ground, arms crossed. Wouldn't it be a fine mess, to go through all this trouble and not find the one object it was all for.

Zelda, who had been standing next to Destiny, suddenly stepped forward, her blue eyes shining brightly. "The Sage!" she said. "He'd know! And his house isn't too far from here. We should find out in hours."

That cheered Link up immediately. The Sage had said that the Master Sword rested in a 'Hidden Glade'. Maybe now he'd humor them with actual the whereabouts of the mysterious place.

********

The group had rented a horse for the remaining travel, and Link and Nabooru traveled together on one, Zelda on Destiny, and Saria and Malon on Epona. They reached the Sage's house quickly.

The cottage looked exactly the same as when Zelda and Link had visited before. The water was still churning over the small mill by the stream, and smoke still billowed out the small chimney.

The only thing that was missing was the Sage himself.

The group searched the house high and low, and they found no trace of the old elf that had given Link the Trial of Keys so many days ago.

Finally, Link stopped the search and chuckled softly to himself. This was a perfect turn of events. Maybe the Goddesses should fling him in a river and scatter the Keys again. Maybe then it'd be completely perfect.

Saria turned to him, and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I think we should stick around for a night. Maybe he just went out." Saria squeezed a little and smiled. "We could meet him on the way back."

Link blinked once, then turned to her. He didn't even think of that possibility. He smiled back at the ex-Kokiri. "Amazing." He thought, then returned her small embrace.

"All right." Link told her, "we'll stay then."

*********

The others decided to stay in the house for the night. They drew straws for the bed. Link didn't bother, he knew he'd lose. Instead he opted for a night under the stars. Nabooru felt the same way, but went to another part of the field outside the Cottage.

Under a tall slim tree, Link rested, occasionally kicking it to force apples from it's leafy top. Link chuckled. If Saria heard of his plant-abuse, she's scold him for sure.

"This is nice…" he thought. "After all the crap we've gone through, it's cool to just rest for a while… really rest." Link sighed and pulled off the green long-tailed cloth cap* from his head. Link's hair swayed in the gently wind, and he lit the feeling calm him…nearly to the point of sleep.

* I've referred to it as a Tuke. It's a variation on the Canadian item….I dunno what else to call it.

The door to the cottage opened, and Zelda strode out in her nightclothes. Link wondered how she must feel, now carrying only two articles of clothing around, instead of the hundreds she must have at the castle. Still, he thought humorously, that was one more article of clothing than he had.

She walked straight towards the lounging elf, and sat right beside him. For a moment, she said nothing. She just looked at the stars ahead of her, and the huge moon that dominated the sky.

Link was beginning to feel like he was in trouble. Before he could open his mouth to ask, Zelda spoke, interrupting him. Link supposed he should have been used to it by now.

"Tell me about the kid you fought." She demanded.

Link looked at her, then shrugged. "He said his name was Knata, that he was a ghanim . He called himself Knatagahnim for a full title." Link looked at his feet, now free of his leather boots. " He was awesome…and he was insane. I don't know if he was evil or not, but he was definitely mad. He was working on orders." Link finished.

Zelda sat their silently, listening to his explanation. "Remember those assassins you took care of in the Castle, the first day we met?"*

*A Kid Named Link V1.1.

Link smiled in the memory. He was soooo cocky that day, completely surprising Zelda with his skills. In retrospect, he should have been more up-front with her. He guessed he'd grown since then.

Zelda saw the look of recognition in his face. "They killed themselves, you know. We interogated them once, that's all. All they said was that they worked for some master, to become ghanims. That's it. We left them alone for a few hours…by the time we came back, they were dead."

This time, it was Zelda's turn to look at her feet. "We traced them down to Hylians, Link. For a second, I thought they weren't Elves…because of their faces and the shape of their ears…but I was wrong. They were. They were just…."

Link nodded, she didn't have to say anything more. Besides, he had a feeling she wasn't the only rich kid to think that someone born different was a monster…even if it was for a second. "I guess, being outcasts like that would make it easy for this 'master' to recruit them into becoming a ghanim ." He said solemnly.

Zelda looked at him intensely. "I thought it was a cult, but after seeing what Knata was capable of, I think this 'master' of theirs is a real threat….and I have a horrible feeling I know who it is."

Link returned her look, then gazed ahead into the stars.

"Ganondorf." He thought. "Even from his eternal prison, he still haunts us." All of a sudden he became a ware of Zelda staring at him. "We'll find out more once we get the Master Sword." He said in all sincerity.

Zelda looked at him for a second, then rose to her feet. She brushed off the leaves and dirt from her clothes as she walked back to the Cottage. "Night Link." she barely called back, before she entered the building.

Link watched her go, letting out a small laugh, before he draped his tuke over his eyes and fell asleep

********

Saria's idea was one of great merit, and it deserved to be followed through. That being said, it was wrong. By mid-afternoon, the Sage was nowhere to be found. Nabooru had combed the area, looking for tracks. There where none. It was as if the Sage had vanished into nothingness.

Inside, Zelda was furious. She felt betrayed by the old man. If he was here, she would have wrung his neck in plain sight. Still, she kept her emotions silent, and discussed with the other girls on the next course of action. All the while, Link was gone…having said he needed to think alone.

While the conference was going on, Zelda noticed a huge owl peering at them from the tops of the slim trees that were clustered in the area. She looked back at it, and was greeted by knowing, intelligent eyes.

Zelda would have sworn she knew those eyes, but before she could react, the owl beat it's huge wings, and disappeared into the distance.

*********

Link was several miles downstream the wide river that housed his old 'Fishing Spot'. He sat on the edge of a mossy hill that nestled by the side of the crystal flowing waters.

He was desperate. He had to find the Master Sword, or he'd go stir crazy. Most of him wanted that extra power to help free Hyrule from any Time of Trouble, so he could go on with his life.

Another part of him wanted the power to beat Knatagahnim's head in.

Link peered at the waters flowing before him. It reached everywhere, throughout every part of the land. It remembered everything it touched, every mystery, every act, every legend….

Something came over him, and he leaned over, removed his right glove, and placed a hand into the freezing waters.

"Ruto…." He thought. "If you can help me….please…. I don't know if you'd know…but I have to try…"

He yanked his freezing hand out of the water, and leaned back on the embankment. Link thought the act was probably a waste of time. Even if Ruto did show up….what would she know about the Master Sword that they didn't….

Link waited, almost lulled to sleep by the sounds of the water and the birds around him. He waited for around 40 minutes, before he decided it would be rude to the others to waste time, and got to his feet.

As if on cue, the waters of the river churned. A burst of water and foam knocked Link to his back-side, and a gigantic serpent towered from the waters surface, glistening proudly.

Young Ruto sat on his head, smiling and waving widely at the stunned elf. She got to her feet and hopped off, landing smoothly on the ground before him.

"Hiya Cliff!" she exclaimed, and gave him a big hug. Link was even more stunned on the fact that she was still wearing that two-piece seaweed suit they had come up with before returning to the Zora.

"Ruto"…Link smiled. He gently pried her away, gripping her thin shoulders. ",You actually showed up."

"Of course! I'm not YOU Cliff." She gasped. "I'm an example of an all-around great person! You're just a nut!"

Link put a hand on his hip. "Nut eh? Seems my madness is catching, what you doing wearing clothes?"

Ruto's eyed widened, and then she blushed slightly. "I guess I didn't want to embarrass you in front of your three women, Cliff." She said slyly. Then she looked around quickly. "Where are they?"

"Elsewhere." Link said. " Listen, Ruto…we've got all 3 Keys. Now we can get the Master Sword." He put his hands behind his back and put on the most pathetic look he could muster. "Do you know where it is?"

Instead of laughing, Ruto put a hand to her chin, thinking carefully. "Well, my Father told me that it's definitely nowhere near the Temple of Time…so you can rule that out…."

Link nodded. It was true. A few years after the last Time of Trouble…the Imprisoning War as it was referred to in the Annuls of Time, there were quite a few tragedies attributed to the Master Sword.

It seemed that many people, pushed by greed and curiosity, would sneak into the Temple of Time. Some would go to steal the Master Sword, some would go just to touch it, to feel it's power. Regardless of the motives, the result was always the same. They were literally cut to pieces by the Master Sword's Power. The last straw came when some of the victims began to include a few curious children…

So the Sword was moved, hidden away, and forgotten after all this time. This tragic turn of events, taken place nearly 1000 years ago, was now hunting the Link of the present…and all of Hyrule.

"A Sage told me, it was in the 'Hidden Glade'" Link explained further.

Ruto began to take on a sly look. "'Hidden Glade' eh Cliff? That could be anywhere."

Link nodded.

"Unless I was the King of Hyrule and I wanted the Sword close for safe keeping." She continued.

Link shook his head. "Zelda said that the Castle nor it's surroundings housed the Master Key. None of the Parks or forests around the Castle have it."

"And they shouldn't Cliff!" Ruto exclaimed. "If they didn't, it wouldn't be a Hidden Glade now would it?"

Link scowled at her, and Ruto giggled. "Hey, don't be mad! I'm just saying, I just think it'd be someplace obscure…maybe…underwater…or…."

"Underground!" Link exclaimed. The gears in his mind were churning now. "Underground glade…close enough for Hylians to get to it …"

Ruto finished for him. "I'd try the Imprisoning War Memorial, Cliff." She said, shaking her head slightly. "Either that or the graveyard in Kakariko, you know…the Royal Tomb-"

Ruto didn't get a chance to finish, Link grabbed her by the shoulders, ecstatic. "You're fantastic!!!" he shouted happily. With that, he turned and started to run to where the others where conferencing.

Ruto stood shocked for a moment, then ran to follow him. "Hey Cliff!" she yelled, "Tell me more about my eyes!"

Link glanced back. " I didn't say anything about your eyes!"

"I know!" Ruto grinned. "But since you're so good at complements, I thought that'd be a good place to continue!!"

Link laughed and took the girl by the hand. They continued on the rest of the group, determined to finish the journey's final leg.

***********

Ruto's theory was right. The Imprisoning War Memorial was in the middle of a dark cove to the East of Hyrule Castle. Inside, the large stone slab in the center told the secular tale of the Strife that gripped Hyrule nearly a millennia ago.

The stone had taken some time to push back, but when it was, it revealed a deep long staircase that led to an inner-sanctum of sorts. Unlike the woods that housed the Memorial, the glade was bright and colorful. The trees were thick, their leaves full and bright. The grass was equally healthy, and small animals and birds sounded contentedly in the wonder of the glade. The group were astounded…it almost seemed to good to be true.

The glade was really a long tunnel, a row of impassable close grouped trees sent the travelers in a certain direction. The end of this tunnel was very dark, almost to the point of sucking in the light around it.

As they got closer to the end, they began to hear noises. Music actually. Saria stopped and looked around, trying to get a feel of the source. The others slowed down, the music getting louder. It was actually more than chanting…a chanting of Hyrule's Royal Family Anthem.

"This is….." Zelda started. She searched for the source of the voices. They were both male and female, young and old. They sung beautifully, but with a type of foreboding . "Why does this feel so familiar…" she thought to herself.

They continued to the dark end of the path, and as they neared, the music faded. Finally, they were inside the darkness. Inside was a circle of trees, bunched up closely against each other. A huge canopy covered the area, and the object in the middle, embedded deeply in a slab of rock.

The object was covered in moss and weeds, but it was easy enough to tell what it was. The Sword of Evil's Bane. The Master.

As soon Link laid eyes on it, several dark shapes burst into the area. The flew in from the outside of the room, and stood side by side along the perimeter.

The wraiths took the shape of a Hylian elf, garbed in Kokiri clothing. For the most part, they were similar and shape and size. They only varied somewhat in weight, demeanor and height, but for the most part, they all resembled Link. Zelda, Malon, Ruto, Nabooru and Saria stared and shocked amazement. Link just looked down at his feet.

Zelda noticed them all now. They wore the same clothes, and most had the same weapons. Some had the broadsword, some with the single edged-blade like Link wore. Some had shields, some didn't.

There was a large muscular one, standing with arms crossed and grinning widely. There was many that looked just like the boy standing with them. There was a tall lanky one that looked very awkward, but joyous nevertheless. There was a young man, around 17, he looked as if he were new somehow. Zelda thought she saw a glimpse of a young child inside him.

She then noticed another Wraith. Like the rest, he looked like Link, but he was more gaunt. His muscles were hard and defined, but were thin. His face wore a scowl, and he gave off a look of viciousness and mercilessness. But the most defining feature about this one were his eyes. They were a cold, steel gray.

Zelda whipped around at Link, who was still looking at his boots. "Link! Who-"

"They're Link's of the Past." Link said quietly. " I guess they've come to see if all of their effort has been for nothing."

*********

Malon walked up to him, extremely concerned. "What do you mean?" she asked carefully.

Link sighed. "I mean…they're here to see if my training has been worth their time." He looked up to each girl in turn. "They're how I know how to fight. I've seen them many times…more than I'd like to remember."

He looked at the Wraiths now, standing in silence. "It started when I left the Kokiri…as if the Holy Woods blocked them from entering my mind. The first night out, they came into my mind…my dreams. They invaded me without so much as a knock." He glanced down at his blade. "They formed the sword they saw fit in me, and began to train me there. Every night, all night, they thought me something. They taught me so many ways to kill, it made me sick, but they still pushed and pushed. They weren't content until they showed me everything there was about the art of violence."

Link turned to Zelda, staring at her intensely. "After a while, I started to learn more than just sword techniques from them. That one…" he indicated the gray-eyed one. "..that one had a harsh time when he was alive. His rage made him powerful. He'd just slip into his anger…and everything else would be moot." Link smiled sadly at the thought. "I guess….I guess I learned that from him too."

He looked at Malon sadly. "That's why I was really cranky most mornings, sorry." He looked back at the spirits in front of him. "I thought it was all a figment of my imagination, just a really bad recurring dream. I thought it even more so when they stopped coming to me last year." Finally, Link took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"I guess it's not my imagination if you guys can see them too."

***********

Zelda shook her head slowly, then turned to the others. All of them, all these different Link's of the Past, their abilities and personalities…all manifested in this one boy. How was this possible? There was absolutely no documentation of this ever happening with ANY other Link. Not only that, with all these personalities flowing around in Link, which one was his?

Who was it she had such strong feelings for? Did he even exist?

Zelda was a bit startled when Link brushed by her, towards the Sword. He turned to her briefly, then the others. "Enough lolly-gagging. Let's do what we're here to do." With that, he turned to Evil's Bane, and took a step forward.

"NO"

Link halted. He stared hard at the mossy blade, then took another step forward.

"DON'T!"

He continued moving, every step causing another protestation from the Holy Blade. He stepped up until it was right at the edge of the stone slab that held the Sword.

Link took a deep breath, peering at the Broadsword. He steeled himself, and brought a gloved hand up to the blades mossy handle. He touched it, just the slightest bit….

…..and with a thundering blast, he was blown back to the side of the room, back slamming hard against the wall of trees.

Leaves fell down hard on him, and he struggled to get up to his feet. Someone tried to help him up…he didn't know who. He brushed her away angrily. He checked his nose for blood, then leveled a vicious stare at the Sword.

"You bastard…."

Saria came up to him. "Link…" she started calmly.

Link ignored her, striding up to the Master Sword. "You rat BASTARD!" he screamed. "You want to play around with ME? That's fine, but it's THEM-" he pointed to the young women near the entrance. " It's THEM and the rest of the World you're damning….not ME!"

Link put a gloved hand on the handle. A screech of power blasted his ears, and he was shoved back from the Weapon. He skidded to a halt, staying on his feet, dust and dirt blowing up beneath his soles. He stood there for a second, pain wracking his body. Then he looked up again, a viscous look on his face. His eyes were a very light brown.

Ruto looked at the others frantically. "You think we should stop him?" she asked. Before they could answer, Link was on top of the Sword again.

"Whatever you think of me…." He said calmly, putting a grip on the handle. Dark waves of energy flowed in from the air, surging into the Sword, and pounding through Link. "…..ARHG….whatever you think of me…." Link rasped, as he put another hand on the handle.

Another wave of force crashed through the Sword, threatening to blast Link apart. He could feel the bones rattling in his body, but he still hung on…as if for dear life."

"….you're…..going to…HELP….THEM!!!" Link blasted.

The rock holding the Sword exploded, and a brilliant painful light flared in the area. A wave of force pulsed through the room. The girls were picked off their feet, a blue and white light enveloping them. They were aware…and then…there was nothing.

*********

Malon blinked slowly, getting up to her knees, wiping at her eyes. She looked around, they were above the Inner Sanctum, in the memorial. The other women were getting up too. She looked around desperately, until she found what she was looking for.

Link lay flat on his back, breathing heavily. Another sword, similar to the one in his scabbard lay in his hand. The handle had 3 small stones, blue red and green, emedded in it, and halfway up to blade was the mark of the Triforce.

Malon, Nabooru, Ruto, Zelda and Saria all looked at each other. Link's eyes shot open, a dark brown color, and he smiled at them.

"I guess I should have known it wouldn't have been easy." He gasped, getting to his feet. Still it was there, and it was in their possession. Evil's Bane. Master Sword.

Link grinned and let his head fall back to the ground. Now the next hunt, the one for the ghanims, would begin.

NEXT: So you want to hunt a ghanim ? Where do you start? Hmmm…. Maybe the Master Sword knows? Next Chapter, we learn even more about this Link…including his heritage. This one was looooong. If it was a problem, let me know! I'll make it shorter in the future. Well, I hope you enjoyed it anyway. Please review! Later! (o'.')o