Link staggered, head bowed, through the seemingly endless desert. His entering the wastelands had more than the motive of protecting his friends; this was the place where he had hidden the majority of his equipment on his return from the dark future. He hadn't been able to use most of it, he had been too young, so he had journeyed into the wastelands in order to deposit it and come back for it when the time was right. The time was most definitely right, and now he needed to find the Poe, the spirit of the desert to lead him to the right spot. He finally made it to a small stone building with a ramp up the side. Once on the roof, he cleaned the off the sand that had piled up on a small tablet, and he read the inscription.
"Guardian of the Desert, awake! Rise from beyond the grave and bring yourself to me, manifest your spectral power to do my bidding. Guardian of the Desert, AWAKE!"
There was no flash of light, no horrific apparition, no vortex from the netherworld opened. What did happen was a rather squeakish and irate voice replied:
"This had better be bloody good or else somebody's gonna get themselves cursed."
"Guardian, its me, Link!"
"Link? Who the… Oh, right, Link. You'll be wanting me to take you to your stash then."
"Please. Also there are two people following me, make sure we are not followed if you would."
"Very well then follow me."
"Wait a second, you're still invisible, how am I supposed to follow you if I can't see you?"
"Oh, sorry."
The Poe manifested itself. It was an ethereal, hovering figure, draped in tattered robes, its eyes aglow. It gestured for Link to follow, then set off into the sandstorm. Link nearly lost sight of the Poe at one point, but it slowed down to allow him to catch up after he yelled at it. Eventually, they reached a large, half-buried statue of Twinrova, the Gerudo witch sisters who raised Ganondorf and used to rule the Spirit Temple not far from here. Link dug down with his hands, he hadn't buried it that deeply or so he thought. Twenty minutes later he was no closer to the chest with his equipment. He looked at the Poe.
"Couldn't you give us a hand here? You have power over the sand, see if you can't clear it away from the statue."
The Poe did not reply, only rolled it's glowing eyes as if to say 'Oh, please.' It lifted an arm at the effigy of evil and suddenly a mini-whirlwind sprung up, hoovering up all the sand around the statue, revealing a sturdy wooden chest. Link ran in and grabbed its handle.
"Can you take me to the Spirit Temple?" he shouted above the howl of the whirlwind. The Poe nodded, and showed him the way.
Meanwhile, Erin had been following from a distance, evading the Poe's lookout. So Link had his toys back then. She did not know the exact contents of the chest, but she knew that any weapon in his hand would make her task far more difficult. She had underestimated him before, and he had fended her and his dark double off with a serious wound. He had surprised her in that way, and in another. Why had he saved her? What possible reasons could he have had for saving her life from Dark Link? At the very least, she had tried to kill him, was that not enough reason to stand by and watch her die? If he had forgotten all about how he wiped out her family it would not surprise her, his heart was so cold. She watched him kill them, his eyes filled with bloodlust on that terrible day nearly seven years ago. Her father had been a carpenter; he had been contracted to build the first bridge across the gorge in Gerudo valley. It had been a long job, and the family had moved out from Kakariko to join him. Her, her mother and younger brother and sister, twins. They had been living in a tent for some weeks, when one night her father had gone outside. She had crept to the door and spied on him. She saw a white horse gallop past with two riders, a woman and a young girl in a pretty dress. Her father had looked shocked, and then he had appeared. A young boy in a Kolkiri tunic had come from nowhere and spoken to her father. She had come forward and crouched behind a rock, but still could not hear what they were saying. Then, the boy had struck her father. He then took a bomb and casually threw it into the tent. She had heard the screams of her mother and siblings as it detonated and ripped them apart, burning them and the tent to the ground. Her father had screamed in horror and collapsed to her knees staring into the inferno. The boy drew his sword, his face an evil rictus grin, and cut her father's head off. He laughed and laughed and laughed, and threw it into the gorge. He had left then, and she had been sat there behind the rock for what seemed an age, in horrific shock. Shortly after, a man had appeared riding a black Gerudo stallion. That man had been Ganondorf. He had taken her in, raised and trained her. He made no pretence to being a good man and made no secret of his plans to conquer Hyrule using any means necessary. She held him in high regard, but did not care much for him. To her, he was a means to getting her vengeance on the one who had caused her this misery; Link. All her thoughts had been of killing him, and slowly her heart had been consumed by hatred and bitterness. She found herself more and more able to fulfil the Evil King's orders, assassination, murder, and ambush, with no remorse or guilt. But Link had vanished. For seven years she awaited his return, until one day, rumours of a young man in a Kolkiri tunic raiding the five temples arose. She begged Ganondorf to let her go after him, hunt him down, but he refused. As she argued more vehemently, he threatened to have her executed. She had backed down, her fires of hatred burning more powerfully than ever. When Link arrived at Ganondorf's castle and the final battle had raged, she had been trapped on the opposite side, unable to reach the upper levels where the confrontation was shaking down the foundations. Knowing the castle would collapse she had made her escape, but when Ganondorf transformed into Ganon in the ruins of the shattered tower, she had returned to watch to see if he would crush Link. If she could not do it herself she would at least witness it. But Ganon fell, and as he was banished to the Sacred Realm, Ganon used the last of his unimaginable might to drag her in as well. Time passes differently in the Sacred Realm, it is not fixed, and Ganondorf, unable to escape the realm himself, sent her back through the weakened barrier and she had returned to a different present. But she had never even heard of Dark Link, and she was shocked that Ganondorf would have entrusted the task of killing Link to another. But then he never trusted anyone, and Dark Link knew nothing of her as well. Their missions had been identical but separate. She understood, they were backups for each other. Ganondorf only wanted Link dead, he didn't care who did the deed as long as it got done, so that he could be freed. She too had been ordered to retrieve his blood, but she had not told the Links that. And she would have his blood, and his life. He would regret his compassion, be it genuine or fraudulent. And if she could kill two Links for the price of one, vengeance would be doubly sweet.
Link staggered into the desert oasis surrounding the Spirit Temple, dragging the chest behind him. He made one last effort, heaved it up the steps on to the stone platform at the base of the desert colossus, the gargantuan Gerudo statue that was the temple, then collapsed, exhausted. He lay there for a minute or two, breathing deeply, then forced himself into action. He stood up and checked his wound. With all the activity in the wasteland, the bandage had come loose and the gash had deepened. He was loosing blood again, and the wound was dirty with sand. He walked over to the small pool of water on one side of the colossus, went down on his knees, and began to wash the wound with cold water, a thoroughly painful business, but Link gritted his teeth and blanked the pain. This done, he tore strips of material from his tunic and dressed the wound properly, not a rushed bandaging as before. Link felt light headed and sleepy from the blood loss, but he had a job to do and he could not rest. He went back to the chest. This was more than equipping himself, this was a ritual. Ganondorf, the Great King of Evil threatened the land of Hyrule once more, and it was finally time to once more take up the mantle of the Hero of Time. He crouched before the chest, ran his fingers across the locking mechanism. He reached for the chain around his neck that carried the key, and yanked it free. He turned to key in the lock, and slowly opened the lid. As he pulled back the oilskin that covered his equipment, a brilliant glare of light struck his eyes. It was a reflection from the polished surface of the Mirror Shield. Memories filled his mind.
The Mirror Shield was a powerful defence, forged to provide protection from not only physical attacks, but magical ones too. Its highly reflective surface, trimmed with red metal around the edges, would turn back any dark magical attack that touched it. He had found the Mirror Shield right here, in the Spirit Temple, when he had conquered it in the dark future. It had been the final temple in his quest, and as he crept through its dark passageways, he had confronted a mighty armour-clad warrior, armed with a massive two-handed axe. He had defeated the warrior, and entered the door he had been guarding. Link had found himself outside, standing on one of the giant statues outstretched hands, presented with a chest, a chest that contained the Mirror Shield. He had gone on to defeat the witch sisters, Koume and Kotake, with this shield, reflecting one witches attacks on the other until they had combined their power and formed Twinrova, but Link had still defeated them once and for all.
He slung the Mirror Shield on to his back, and reached for the next item.
Biggoron's Sword. This mighty two-handed sword had taken a great deal of effort on Links part to obtain, running all kinds of seemingly pointless errands, only to find it was broken. He had journeyed to the very summit of Death Mountain to see Biggoron, the largest of all Gorons, as big as a house, and the finest smith in all of Hyrule. He agreed to repair the blade, but as fate would have it he was unable to because he could not see properly, a volcanic eruption having irritated his eyes. Link had shook his head in disbelief, the gone to Zora's domain, home of the elegant, amphibious Zora race and then to the laboratory at Lake Hylia, finally obtaining some eyedrops before racing back to Biggoron before they went off. Finally, Biggoron repaired the sword for him. In terms of power, the sword was even more damaging against regular enemies than the Master Sword was, but it lacked the legendary blade's magnificence, and was not as effective against the dark powers. Plus he could not wield it single-handed; he could not use it in conjunction with a shield or any other item. Still, it would suffice until he was re-united with the Master Sword, which if he were right, would only be a day and a half at the most. He had to reach the Temple of Time by then and retrieve it, or he would not be able to defeat Dark Link, or Ganondorf.
Next were three scrolls, each written in ancient Hylian. The litanies on the scrolls would bestow magic properties on regular arrows. One would make the arrow ignite the target on contact, the second would freeze the target on contact, and the third was special in that the arrow, like the Master Sword, would strike at evil. He had used the latter in the fight with Ganondorf. He hadn't had much call for them before now, but hopeful they would come in handy. Of course he would have to learn the litanies again, it would be counter-productive to have to dig out the relevant scroll and read it, especially in a combat situation.
Ah, the Golden Gauntlets. These powerful magical items fitted over Link's hands and forearms, and boosted his strength many, many times. Not a weapon as such in that he had mainly used them for moving heavy rocks and pillars that blocked his path, but with them, Link's punches could kill, and sword swings did much more damage. And now he had the power to wield the Biggoron sword single handed, light as a feather.
These were all that he needed. He didn't want to burden himself with further equipment, which may not be of use. He moved the oilskin back over the remaining items and closed and locked the lid. He dragged the chest just inside the Temple. Walking back outside, he slung the sword and shield over his back, tucked the scrolls into his rupee wallet and donned the gauntlets. As he did so, a powerful rush of energy empowered him, strengthened him. He was ready to face the trials ahead.
Meanwhile, Malon was arguing vehemently with one of the guards at the entrance of Hyrule Castle.
"Just ask her!"
"Does Princess Zelda know you? Personally?"
"Well, no, but if you just tell her Link is in trouble and needs her help, she will understand! Please!"
"Link? Who the Hell is Link?"
"JUST DO IT! PLEASE!"
"Alright, alright, but if this is some kind of joke, If I come back and you've run away, or anything, you are in big trouble little missy…"
The guard sighed and began the walk up the steps, through the courtyard and into the castle's throne room. Zelda was acting as regent, as the King was currently on a diplomatic mission to the twin lands of Labrynna and Holodrum pursuing potential alliances. She was sat upon the throne, talking to a senior dignitary of the court. She was dressed in a flowing dress of light pink and white, lined with gold. Her golden blond hair was tied back in the latest style and a small coronet dotted with precious jewels and emblazoned with the image of the Triforce, three triangles forming a larger one, sat upon her head spoke. She acted with a regal, haughty demeanour, as she had been raised. The guard bowed to the Princess, who gestured for him to rise.
"What brings you?"
"My lady, a young lady at the gate, by the name of Malon, requests an audience with you."
"For what purpose?"
"She bade me tell you that 'Link is in danger' my lady"
For a second, her royal attitude was erased by the genuine concern that surfaced on her surprised features and shone in her eyes.
"Link!" she spoke, in a slow intake of breath. Then she caught herself and re-adopted her former poise.
"Admit her this instant. Bring her before me with the utmost of courtesy."
The guard bowed, turned and left. Shortly after, he returned with Malon in tow, eyeing him with a smug look of 'I told you so…' She curtseyed clumsily before Zelda, who nodded her head and addressed everyone present.
"Leave us."
The assembled guards and nobles who knew better than to argue with the strong willed Princess filled out of the room dutifully. As soon as the doors had closed behind the last, Zelda nimbly jumped down from the throne and podium and moved towards Malon, her steely visage discarded one more in deference to her fear for Link.
"Thank you for coming Malon" she said, clasping her hands, "What has happened to Link? How can I be of assistance?"
This was nearly too much for Malon. The royal Princess was addressing her as an equal, offering her assistance, her, a lowly farm girl. She swallowed her surprise and told Zelda all that she knew of the situation. Once she had finished Zelda leaned towards the doorway and summoned her chief advisor, a venerable old man by the name of Leoniro.
"Yes my lady?"
"Leoniro, mobilise a squadron of our best warriors on horseback and have my horse ready. I am departing on a mission of the utmost importance to the kingdom, you have command while I am gone."
"But my lady…"
"Now, Leoniro."
The adviser emitted a barely audible sigh. He had long since given up trying to reason with the Princess when her mind was made up, especially when her father was not present.
"Yes my lady." He shuffled out.
Zelda turned to Malon.
"Now then, we can't very well go adventuring in dresses can we?" she said to Malon with a smile. "I've got some things that are a little better suited, and you look about my size."
She saw Malon's querying look and smiled. "Think of it as a makeover."
They walked to Zelda's chamber. At the back of the Princess's wardrobe was a second, and she opened it and removed a sword and shield.
"Link gave me these. Did he ever tell you about what happened…"
Malon nodded
"I don't have to explain it then thank goodness. We'd have been here forever. Anyway, when we got back, he took me to see to the top of Death Mountain to see a smithy called Biggoron. He's an amazing craftsman, and though he was used to making far larger weapons, he was easily able to create these. Here, hold them."
She handed them to Malon. They were smaller than regular swords and shields, more suited to female wielding, very light, but she could tell, even with her untrained eye, that they must be very strong as well.
"Hang on to that set, I have spares. Now for clothing…"
She reached once more into the wardrobe, retrieving two outfits, navy blue. Trousers, a short sleeved tops and jackets that had cloaks on the back, all of the same material. Malon knew more about clothing than weapons, and could see that the material, whatever it was, was woven in such a way that it would not tear or rip easily. They looked very comfortable. However, Malon was reluctant to accept that girls could wear trousers. Eventually she changed into them, finding them not as bad or alien as she had expected.
"Have you fought before?" Zelda asked?
"A little, nothing major" replied Malon
"Let's practice quickly, we have time before the cavalry will be ready."
The two faced off, then moved to fight with the swords, only to find that they were using the same moves, the same tactics. They stopped.
"Link's training, right?" Malon asked, grinning
"Right. Thank the Triforce that he's the best." said Zelda, grinning equally
They went to the courtyard where the troops were waiting, mounted their horses and headed for Gerudo Valley.
Back at the Spirit Temple, Erin cursed. That damned Link was in a much better state to fight than before. But still, she had the advantage of suprise. It would have to do. She peeked out from behind the rock she had hidden herself behind. Now he was heading her way. She gripped her sword and readied her mind. As he stepped past her hiding place she made her move, she leapt out in front of him and lunged.
Link had been walking out of the desert oasis when Erin attacked. He was startled by her sudden appearance, but his incredible reflexes were up to the task, and he blocked blow after blow with his gauntlets. No time to reach for my sword, he though, I'll have to fend her of like this.
Erin knew that the only way to win this would be to do it quickly. If this became drawn out, he would win. He had fended of her initial ambush, but all was not lost. She continued, pushing her speed and skills to the limit.
The pair battled on, Link parrying Erin's attacks with his armoured hands. Finally she over extended her reach on a stab attack, and Link stepped a little back and to the side and slapped the sword right out her hands with the back of his hand. He held her steely gaze for a second, then reached for his sword. Erin scooped up a handful of sand and hurled it at his face, and as he staggered back, she pulled a wicked looking dagger and jammed it in his midsection, slightly to the side. Link roared in pain, and as he had done with her sword, hit her with the back of his hand, sending her flying back into the rock she had emerged from behind and instantly knocking her out cold. Turning his attention to his stomach, her tore out the dagger and flung it aside. Clamping one hand over the wound to stanch the flow of blood, he stumbled over to Erin, and with his free hand, tied her up with a length of rope he had stashed in the chest. It took a long time, and a few times he had to use both hands to tie the knots and the bleeding would worsen. One of his gauntlets was now dripping red with his blood. His mind was ablaze with pain, his thought alive with emotion, anger at himself, confusion. He knew that whatever instinct inside him was telling him to keep her alive was once again putting him in danger. He had saved her once, and this is where it had got him. And now, instead of removing her from the equation he was going to take her back to the Gerudo fortress with him. Stupid, stupid, stupid. But he had questions that he needed answered, not only about Ganondorf but about this woman's past, because he knew full well he had not killed her family, so who the hell had? He hadn't even pursued Zelda as far as Gerudo Valley, the only one who had had been...
Everything clicked. Ganondorf. He had followed Zelda, lost track of her, asked the carpenter, killed him, bombed the tent with the family in it, and for whatever dark design, altered Erin's memory to make her remember the killer as being Link. Dammit. He would have to make her see truth. But now, he had his own health to think about. He had already lost blood today, and now he had another, more serious wound to attend to. He tore another strip of material from his diminishing tunic and bandaged his midsection tightly. He knew though, that it would take more than that to stop the blood leaving his body, but it had to get him as far as the Gerudo fortress. It had to. A few minutes of work with the Biggoron sword, some branches from a nearby tree and some left over rope produced a makeshift sled for him to drag Erin on. He lifted her on to it, and began his journey back into the wasteland.
"Guardian of the Desert, awake! Rise from beyond the grave and bring yourself to me, manifest your spectral power to do my bidding. Guardian of the Desert, AWAKE!"
There was no flash of light, no horrific apparition, no vortex from the netherworld opened. What did happen was a rather squeakish and irate voice replied:
"This had better be bloody good or else somebody's gonna get themselves cursed."
"Guardian, its me, Link!"
"Link? Who the… Oh, right, Link. You'll be wanting me to take you to your stash then."
"Please. Also there are two people following me, make sure we are not followed if you would."
"Very well then follow me."
"Wait a second, you're still invisible, how am I supposed to follow you if I can't see you?"
"Oh, sorry."
The Poe manifested itself. It was an ethereal, hovering figure, draped in tattered robes, its eyes aglow. It gestured for Link to follow, then set off into the sandstorm. Link nearly lost sight of the Poe at one point, but it slowed down to allow him to catch up after he yelled at it. Eventually, they reached a large, half-buried statue of Twinrova, the Gerudo witch sisters who raised Ganondorf and used to rule the Spirit Temple not far from here. Link dug down with his hands, he hadn't buried it that deeply or so he thought. Twenty minutes later he was no closer to the chest with his equipment. He looked at the Poe.
"Couldn't you give us a hand here? You have power over the sand, see if you can't clear it away from the statue."
The Poe did not reply, only rolled it's glowing eyes as if to say 'Oh, please.' It lifted an arm at the effigy of evil and suddenly a mini-whirlwind sprung up, hoovering up all the sand around the statue, revealing a sturdy wooden chest. Link ran in and grabbed its handle.
"Can you take me to the Spirit Temple?" he shouted above the howl of the whirlwind. The Poe nodded, and showed him the way.
Meanwhile, Erin had been following from a distance, evading the Poe's lookout. So Link had his toys back then. She did not know the exact contents of the chest, but she knew that any weapon in his hand would make her task far more difficult. She had underestimated him before, and he had fended her and his dark double off with a serious wound. He had surprised her in that way, and in another. Why had he saved her? What possible reasons could he have had for saving her life from Dark Link? At the very least, she had tried to kill him, was that not enough reason to stand by and watch her die? If he had forgotten all about how he wiped out her family it would not surprise her, his heart was so cold. She watched him kill them, his eyes filled with bloodlust on that terrible day nearly seven years ago. Her father had been a carpenter; he had been contracted to build the first bridge across the gorge in Gerudo valley. It had been a long job, and the family had moved out from Kakariko to join him. Her, her mother and younger brother and sister, twins. They had been living in a tent for some weeks, when one night her father had gone outside. She had crept to the door and spied on him. She saw a white horse gallop past with two riders, a woman and a young girl in a pretty dress. Her father had looked shocked, and then he had appeared. A young boy in a Kolkiri tunic had come from nowhere and spoken to her father. She had come forward and crouched behind a rock, but still could not hear what they were saying. Then, the boy had struck her father. He then took a bomb and casually threw it into the tent. She had heard the screams of her mother and siblings as it detonated and ripped them apart, burning them and the tent to the ground. Her father had screamed in horror and collapsed to her knees staring into the inferno. The boy drew his sword, his face an evil rictus grin, and cut her father's head off. He laughed and laughed and laughed, and threw it into the gorge. He had left then, and she had been sat there behind the rock for what seemed an age, in horrific shock. Shortly after, a man had appeared riding a black Gerudo stallion. That man had been Ganondorf. He had taken her in, raised and trained her. He made no pretence to being a good man and made no secret of his plans to conquer Hyrule using any means necessary. She held him in high regard, but did not care much for him. To her, he was a means to getting her vengeance on the one who had caused her this misery; Link. All her thoughts had been of killing him, and slowly her heart had been consumed by hatred and bitterness. She found herself more and more able to fulfil the Evil King's orders, assassination, murder, and ambush, with no remorse or guilt. But Link had vanished. For seven years she awaited his return, until one day, rumours of a young man in a Kolkiri tunic raiding the five temples arose. She begged Ganondorf to let her go after him, hunt him down, but he refused. As she argued more vehemently, he threatened to have her executed. She had backed down, her fires of hatred burning more powerfully than ever. When Link arrived at Ganondorf's castle and the final battle had raged, she had been trapped on the opposite side, unable to reach the upper levels where the confrontation was shaking down the foundations. Knowing the castle would collapse she had made her escape, but when Ganondorf transformed into Ganon in the ruins of the shattered tower, she had returned to watch to see if he would crush Link. If she could not do it herself she would at least witness it. But Ganon fell, and as he was banished to the Sacred Realm, Ganon used the last of his unimaginable might to drag her in as well. Time passes differently in the Sacred Realm, it is not fixed, and Ganondorf, unable to escape the realm himself, sent her back through the weakened barrier and she had returned to a different present. But she had never even heard of Dark Link, and she was shocked that Ganondorf would have entrusted the task of killing Link to another. But then he never trusted anyone, and Dark Link knew nothing of her as well. Their missions had been identical but separate. She understood, they were backups for each other. Ganondorf only wanted Link dead, he didn't care who did the deed as long as it got done, so that he could be freed. She too had been ordered to retrieve his blood, but she had not told the Links that. And she would have his blood, and his life. He would regret his compassion, be it genuine or fraudulent. And if she could kill two Links for the price of one, vengeance would be doubly sweet.
Link staggered into the desert oasis surrounding the Spirit Temple, dragging the chest behind him. He made one last effort, heaved it up the steps on to the stone platform at the base of the desert colossus, the gargantuan Gerudo statue that was the temple, then collapsed, exhausted. He lay there for a minute or two, breathing deeply, then forced himself into action. He stood up and checked his wound. With all the activity in the wasteland, the bandage had come loose and the gash had deepened. He was loosing blood again, and the wound was dirty with sand. He walked over to the small pool of water on one side of the colossus, went down on his knees, and began to wash the wound with cold water, a thoroughly painful business, but Link gritted his teeth and blanked the pain. This done, he tore strips of material from his tunic and dressed the wound properly, not a rushed bandaging as before. Link felt light headed and sleepy from the blood loss, but he had a job to do and he could not rest. He went back to the chest. This was more than equipping himself, this was a ritual. Ganondorf, the Great King of Evil threatened the land of Hyrule once more, and it was finally time to once more take up the mantle of the Hero of Time. He crouched before the chest, ran his fingers across the locking mechanism. He reached for the chain around his neck that carried the key, and yanked it free. He turned to key in the lock, and slowly opened the lid. As he pulled back the oilskin that covered his equipment, a brilliant glare of light struck his eyes. It was a reflection from the polished surface of the Mirror Shield. Memories filled his mind.
The Mirror Shield was a powerful defence, forged to provide protection from not only physical attacks, but magical ones too. Its highly reflective surface, trimmed with red metal around the edges, would turn back any dark magical attack that touched it. He had found the Mirror Shield right here, in the Spirit Temple, when he had conquered it in the dark future. It had been the final temple in his quest, and as he crept through its dark passageways, he had confronted a mighty armour-clad warrior, armed with a massive two-handed axe. He had defeated the warrior, and entered the door he had been guarding. Link had found himself outside, standing on one of the giant statues outstretched hands, presented with a chest, a chest that contained the Mirror Shield. He had gone on to defeat the witch sisters, Koume and Kotake, with this shield, reflecting one witches attacks on the other until they had combined their power and formed Twinrova, but Link had still defeated them once and for all.
He slung the Mirror Shield on to his back, and reached for the next item.
Biggoron's Sword. This mighty two-handed sword had taken a great deal of effort on Links part to obtain, running all kinds of seemingly pointless errands, only to find it was broken. He had journeyed to the very summit of Death Mountain to see Biggoron, the largest of all Gorons, as big as a house, and the finest smith in all of Hyrule. He agreed to repair the blade, but as fate would have it he was unable to because he could not see properly, a volcanic eruption having irritated his eyes. Link had shook his head in disbelief, the gone to Zora's domain, home of the elegant, amphibious Zora race and then to the laboratory at Lake Hylia, finally obtaining some eyedrops before racing back to Biggoron before they went off. Finally, Biggoron repaired the sword for him. In terms of power, the sword was even more damaging against regular enemies than the Master Sword was, but it lacked the legendary blade's magnificence, and was not as effective against the dark powers. Plus he could not wield it single-handed; he could not use it in conjunction with a shield or any other item. Still, it would suffice until he was re-united with the Master Sword, which if he were right, would only be a day and a half at the most. He had to reach the Temple of Time by then and retrieve it, or he would not be able to defeat Dark Link, or Ganondorf.
Next were three scrolls, each written in ancient Hylian. The litanies on the scrolls would bestow magic properties on regular arrows. One would make the arrow ignite the target on contact, the second would freeze the target on contact, and the third was special in that the arrow, like the Master Sword, would strike at evil. He had used the latter in the fight with Ganondorf. He hadn't had much call for them before now, but hopeful they would come in handy. Of course he would have to learn the litanies again, it would be counter-productive to have to dig out the relevant scroll and read it, especially in a combat situation.
Ah, the Golden Gauntlets. These powerful magical items fitted over Link's hands and forearms, and boosted his strength many, many times. Not a weapon as such in that he had mainly used them for moving heavy rocks and pillars that blocked his path, but with them, Link's punches could kill, and sword swings did much more damage. And now he had the power to wield the Biggoron sword single handed, light as a feather.
These were all that he needed. He didn't want to burden himself with further equipment, which may not be of use. He moved the oilskin back over the remaining items and closed and locked the lid. He dragged the chest just inside the Temple. Walking back outside, he slung the sword and shield over his back, tucked the scrolls into his rupee wallet and donned the gauntlets. As he did so, a powerful rush of energy empowered him, strengthened him. He was ready to face the trials ahead.
Meanwhile, Malon was arguing vehemently with one of the guards at the entrance of Hyrule Castle.
"Just ask her!"
"Does Princess Zelda know you? Personally?"
"Well, no, but if you just tell her Link is in trouble and needs her help, she will understand! Please!"
"Link? Who the Hell is Link?"
"JUST DO IT! PLEASE!"
"Alright, alright, but if this is some kind of joke, If I come back and you've run away, or anything, you are in big trouble little missy…"
The guard sighed and began the walk up the steps, through the courtyard and into the castle's throne room. Zelda was acting as regent, as the King was currently on a diplomatic mission to the twin lands of Labrynna and Holodrum pursuing potential alliances. She was sat upon the throne, talking to a senior dignitary of the court. She was dressed in a flowing dress of light pink and white, lined with gold. Her golden blond hair was tied back in the latest style and a small coronet dotted with precious jewels and emblazoned with the image of the Triforce, three triangles forming a larger one, sat upon her head spoke. She acted with a regal, haughty demeanour, as she had been raised. The guard bowed to the Princess, who gestured for him to rise.
"What brings you?"
"My lady, a young lady at the gate, by the name of Malon, requests an audience with you."
"For what purpose?"
"She bade me tell you that 'Link is in danger' my lady"
For a second, her royal attitude was erased by the genuine concern that surfaced on her surprised features and shone in her eyes.
"Link!" she spoke, in a slow intake of breath. Then she caught herself and re-adopted her former poise.
"Admit her this instant. Bring her before me with the utmost of courtesy."
The guard bowed, turned and left. Shortly after, he returned with Malon in tow, eyeing him with a smug look of 'I told you so…' She curtseyed clumsily before Zelda, who nodded her head and addressed everyone present.
"Leave us."
The assembled guards and nobles who knew better than to argue with the strong willed Princess filled out of the room dutifully. As soon as the doors had closed behind the last, Zelda nimbly jumped down from the throne and podium and moved towards Malon, her steely visage discarded one more in deference to her fear for Link.
"Thank you for coming Malon" she said, clasping her hands, "What has happened to Link? How can I be of assistance?"
This was nearly too much for Malon. The royal Princess was addressing her as an equal, offering her assistance, her, a lowly farm girl. She swallowed her surprise and told Zelda all that she knew of the situation. Once she had finished Zelda leaned towards the doorway and summoned her chief advisor, a venerable old man by the name of Leoniro.
"Yes my lady?"
"Leoniro, mobilise a squadron of our best warriors on horseback and have my horse ready. I am departing on a mission of the utmost importance to the kingdom, you have command while I am gone."
"But my lady…"
"Now, Leoniro."
The adviser emitted a barely audible sigh. He had long since given up trying to reason with the Princess when her mind was made up, especially when her father was not present.
"Yes my lady." He shuffled out.
Zelda turned to Malon.
"Now then, we can't very well go adventuring in dresses can we?" she said to Malon with a smile. "I've got some things that are a little better suited, and you look about my size."
She saw Malon's querying look and smiled. "Think of it as a makeover."
They walked to Zelda's chamber. At the back of the Princess's wardrobe was a second, and she opened it and removed a sword and shield.
"Link gave me these. Did he ever tell you about what happened…"
Malon nodded
"I don't have to explain it then thank goodness. We'd have been here forever. Anyway, when we got back, he took me to see to the top of Death Mountain to see a smithy called Biggoron. He's an amazing craftsman, and though he was used to making far larger weapons, he was easily able to create these. Here, hold them."
She handed them to Malon. They were smaller than regular swords and shields, more suited to female wielding, very light, but she could tell, even with her untrained eye, that they must be very strong as well.
"Hang on to that set, I have spares. Now for clothing…"
She reached once more into the wardrobe, retrieving two outfits, navy blue. Trousers, a short sleeved tops and jackets that had cloaks on the back, all of the same material. Malon knew more about clothing than weapons, and could see that the material, whatever it was, was woven in such a way that it would not tear or rip easily. They looked very comfortable. However, Malon was reluctant to accept that girls could wear trousers. Eventually she changed into them, finding them not as bad or alien as she had expected.
"Have you fought before?" Zelda asked?
"A little, nothing major" replied Malon
"Let's practice quickly, we have time before the cavalry will be ready."
The two faced off, then moved to fight with the swords, only to find that they were using the same moves, the same tactics. They stopped.
"Link's training, right?" Malon asked, grinning
"Right. Thank the Triforce that he's the best." said Zelda, grinning equally
They went to the courtyard where the troops were waiting, mounted their horses and headed for Gerudo Valley.
Back at the Spirit Temple, Erin cursed. That damned Link was in a much better state to fight than before. But still, she had the advantage of suprise. It would have to do. She peeked out from behind the rock she had hidden herself behind. Now he was heading her way. She gripped her sword and readied her mind. As he stepped past her hiding place she made her move, she leapt out in front of him and lunged.
Link had been walking out of the desert oasis when Erin attacked. He was startled by her sudden appearance, but his incredible reflexes were up to the task, and he blocked blow after blow with his gauntlets. No time to reach for my sword, he though, I'll have to fend her of like this.
Erin knew that the only way to win this would be to do it quickly. If this became drawn out, he would win. He had fended of her initial ambush, but all was not lost. She continued, pushing her speed and skills to the limit.
The pair battled on, Link parrying Erin's attacks with his armoured hands. Finally she over extended her reach on a stab attack, and Link stepped a little back and to the side and slapped the sword right out her hands with the back of his hand. He held her steely gaze for a second, then reached for his sword. Erin scooped up a handful of sand and hurled it at his face, and as he staggered back, she pulled a wicked looking dagger and jammed it in his midsection, slightly to the side. Link roared in pain, and as he had done with her sword, hit her with the back of his hand, sending her flying back into the rock she had emerged from behind and instantly knocking her out cold. Turning his attention to his stomach, her tore out the dagger and flung it aside. Clamping one hand over the wound to stanch the flow of blood, he stumbled over to Erin, and with his free hand, tied her up with a length of rope he had stashed in the chest. It took a long time, and a few times he had to use both hands to tie the knots and the bleeding would worsen. One of his gauntlets was now dripping red with his blood. His mind was ablaze with pain, his thought alive with emotion, anger at himself, confusion. He knew that whatever instinct inside him was telling him to keep her alive was once again putting him in danger. He had saved her once, and this is where it had got him. And now, instead of removing her from the equation he was going to take her back to the Gerudo fortress with him. Stupid, stupid, stupid. But he had questions that he needed answered, not only about Ganondorf but about this woman's past, because he knew full well he had not killed her family, so who the hell had? He hadn't even pursued Zelda as far as Gerudo Valley, the only one who had had been...
Everything clicked. Ganondorf. He had followed Zelda, lost track of her, asked the carpenter, killed him, bombed the tent with the family in it, and for whatever dark design, altered Erin's memory to make her remember the killer as being Link. Dammit. He would have to make her see truth. But now, he had his own health to think about. He had already lost blood today, and now he had another, more serious wound to attend to. He tore another strip of material from his diminishing tunic and bandaged his midsection tightly. He knew though, that it would take more than that to stop the blood leaving his body, but it had to get him as far as the Gerudo fortress. It had to. A few minutes of work with the Biggoron sword, some branches from a nearby tree and some left over rope produced a makeshift sled for him to drag Erin on. He lifted her on to it, and began his journey back into the wasteland.
