"WHAAT?! You mean to tell me that the dragons are still alive?" Saphira screamed.
"Yes. Quogar sent me back to inform you that not only are the dragons are alive and well, but their guardian, too. And the dragons have become the sworn protectors of the city." The messenger said. The young man was a native of Crastalyina, and was one of Saphira's finest messengers. She had sent him to the Gragun City to see if it had been demolished yet, and he had come back with less-than-satisfying news. Saphira looked as though she might kill him with her magic, but she controlled herself. She took a deep breath, and turned away.
"How many other messengers do I have that are as good as you at their job?" Saphira asked.
"Umm...well, I'd have to say two or three, my Queen."
"Hmm. Not a whole lot. Well, for your efforts, I should reward you, shouldn't I? Stay right there while I go to my chambers." Saphira left, and the messenger sighed with relief. However, as Saphira entered, she said to Tyano, "Release Saberjewel."
"Saberjewel! But Your Highness, aren't you overreacting a little bit?"
"Overreacting! One of my key plans just got shot to the ground, so I have to take it out on someone. And I choose that messenger outside. If there's one thing I do not like, it's being sent bad news. Besides, it's been a while since Saberjewel had a decent meal. Now-let-my-dog-out." Tyano nodded, and went over to a nearby rope. He pulled it down, and meanwhile, a small portcullis opened in the Throne Room where the messenger stood. He saw the door opening, and gasped. He knew what this meant. He turned to the main doors, but the guards had left the room and closed them. There was no way out. The portcullis opened fully, and a pair of glittering blue eyes gleamed in the darkness. The messenger couldn't move, he was so frightened. The creature stepped out of the darkness, revealing a huge wolf. This wolf had thick purple armor all over him, and this armor was dotted with sapphires and silver spikes. However, the most frightening aspects were his enormous size, his glowing blue eyes, and his huge white teeth. The messenger looked around, and the wolf moved closer. Inside her chambers, Saphira waited. Soon she heard was she was waiting for-screams of pain and furious snarls. Saberjewel had been a gift to her from her father, and he was the most efficient guardian anyone could ask for. He had been found in the dense forests as a cub, with no mother or pack to care for him. Saphira 's father had taken him back to the castle, and kept him a secret from Saphira while he trained Saberjewel to be the best bodyguard a princess could ever have. When he finally did present him to Saphira, it was when a criminal was going to be executed for his crimes. Saphira had been pleased by the wolf's performance, and was forever grateful to her father, who died a few weeks after. Suddenly, there was an extremely loud crunch, and a loud, disgusting gulping sound. Saphira, with a smug and satisfied glint in her eyes, went back to the Throne Room. Tyano chose to remain, as he didn't wish to see the spectacle. Saphira found blood all over the place, Saberjewel sitting innocently on the bloodstained carpet, and a bit of armor that the messenger had been wearing. Saphira smiled, and went over to the wolf. "Very good, Saberjewel. Did you enjoy your dinner?" The wolf grinned and wagged his tail. Saphira patted his shoulder, and Saberjewel retreated to his den. Several maids entered, cleaning equipment in hand. Saphira went back to her chambers, and Tyano looked up.
"Well, now that you've reduced our messenger numbers by one, what do you plan on doing now?" he asked.
"Well, I've decided not to destroy the Graguns after all. I'm sure they've realized that I am a force to be reckoned with, and will not make such a foolish move again. However, there are other matters at hand."
"You mean with the Hero of Time."
"No, I mean with the other messengers. Of course, I mean that cursed rat Link! Now, I have to figure out who to strike at next. Excuse me for a moment." She left to her room, where the sapphire stood. "Now, Sapphire, who can I attack next? Hopefully someone linked to both the horse and Link?"
"The only people who fit that particular description are Malon, Talon, and Ingo of Lon Lon Ranch. However, they have moved themselves and their animals out of your reach."
"What do you mean, out of my reach?"
"They have moved to Hyrule Castle, the area you have saved for last."
"Oh, and I wonder who had them relocate? Don't answer that, I already know. Hmmm.Ah! I have an idea! Where did Link grow up?"
"In Kokiri Forest, located within the heart of the Lost Woods."
"Does one of the Sages live there?"
"Yes-Saria, the Sage of the Forest." With that, the image ring appeared, and Saphira saw a young girl with green hair sitting on a tree stump, playing some sort of flute. The girl looked to be about twelve years old, but Saphira knew that she must be much older than that. The Kokiri never grew older than age twelve, at least in terms of appearance. A small green fairy floated serenely over the girl's head, dancing to the music. Saphira could see other Kokiri in the background, each with their own fairy. Several houses stood along the sides, and Saphira knew that this was the village. If anything, this was the perfect time to start hunting down the Sages. She smiled, and left the room. She went to Tyano, who was waiting anxiously for her.
"Send for our Stalfos warriors," Saphira ordered. "Tell them they're taking a walk through the woods."
As soon as Link made it back to Goron City with his new friend, he was ambushed a second time by the Gorons. Darunia looked especially proud. "Quogar sent me a letter telling me all about your adventure. I must say, you've grown into a true-what in the name of the goddesses is THAT?!" Link looked behind him, and saw that Serpentina had slithered up behind him.
"Oh, this is Serpentina. She used to be the Graguns' guardian, but now they've got the entire population of cavern dragons guarding the city. So Quogar presented her to me." The other Gorons were still a bit wary of Serpentina, but Darunia was elated.
"So you're that wonderful dragon Quogar told me so much about! I must say, it's an honor to meet you, my lady." Darunia bowed-or rather, he tried to bow without falling over. Serpentina smiled, and Link could swear she was blushing.
"Well, many thanks to you, Darunia. I have heard much about you as well. And from what I hear, the Gorons couldn't have a finer leader." Serpentina said. The Gorons realized that she meant them no harm-unlike Volvagia, who had been an eater of Gorons-and crowded around her. After a few minutes of unending attention, Link pushed through the crowd, and managed to get them to let Serpentina pass. Darunia escorted them out of the city, but once he did Link had a horrible feeling that something terrible was about to happen. Serpentina could sense it, too. Bidding Darunia goodbye, Link hopped onto Serpentina's back and they flew off.
Meanwhile, in Kokiri Forest, all the children were playing outside enjoying the sunshine. Mido was conversing with Saria, trying to get the scoop on what happened in the Forest Temple and defeating Ganondorf, and the Know-It-All Brothers were eavesdropping, jotting down notes. Fado, a young Kokiri girl, was flirting with Remi, a Kokiri boy who was an expert at swordfighting. In the nearby meadow, the Deku Tree Sprout was growing at a steady pace. Everything was at peace once again.
Suddenly, a flock of birds came squawking out of the Lost Woods, flying in all directions. The children fell silent. Mido and Saria stood, and they listened intently. They could hear the forest spirits calling to them: "Go! Run! Leave the forest or you'll be done for!" Mido was alarmed, but Saria was frightened. Should they leave the forest? Or should they stay and see what had frightened the birds? The other children looked around, wondering who would dare enter the Lost Woods.
"It can't be Hylians," One of the Know-It-All Brothers said. "The only one who can actually enter here is Link."
"Yes, but if it's not Hylians, then who else would try to invade our home?" Fado asked. Suddenly, Saria gasped. Her face paled, and her beautiful eyes held nothing but fear inside. She turned to the others, and they knew that she knew who was approaching. She trembled as she tried to speak, but she was able to speak the one and only word necessary to say who the intruders were.
"Stalfos," Saria whispered. Suddenly, a huge army of them came crashing out of the Lost Woods, and the children scattered, screaming. The Stalfos charged, wielding their swords and carrying huge torches, and prepared to attack the town.
Link looked around as they flew over the field. He couldn't see anything suspicious just yet, but the feeling that something bad was happening grew stronger by the second. Suddenly, Serpentina looked over to the left, and gasped in horror. "Link! Look!" She was looking in the direction of the Lost Woods. Link's heart seemed to shatter as he saw the billowing clouds of smoke rising from his beloved home.
"No!" Link cried, and Serpentina turned to fly toward Kokiri Forest. But Link had the dreadful feeling that they were too late. He searched in vain as they flew through the black smoke, but he couldn't find the village. Suddenly, Serpentina cried out, and swooped down. Now Link could see the flames towering over the trees. Serpentina flew over them, then turned her head toward Link.
"Hold on tight, Link," Link grabbed her neck, and she flapped her wings so hard that the wind coming from them blew out the flames. They flew down, and Link couldn't believe what he saw. All the houses had been destroyed, with nothing but ashes and burned pieces of wood lying on the ground. Kokiri Village was no more. Link looked down, and saw a small orange fairy lying on the ground. She was no longer glowing, and her wings were gone. Link then saw fragments of the wings scattered around the fairy's tiny body. Link knew she was dead, but wondered who she had belonged to. All of a sudden, he saw a pig-tailed girl running toward him.
"Link! Link!" The girl cried. Link realized it was none other than Fado, who had been one of his best friends. Her dress was torn and covered with dirt and ashes, and she was bleeding from minor wounds and had some small burns on her skin, but she didn't seem worried about that now.
"Fado!" Link cried. She ran directly to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing lovingly against his chest. Link gently hugged her, and felt relieved that she wasn't dead.
"Oh, Link, I'm so glad you're here!" Fado said. "But you're too late. We were attacked, and now." She trailed off, and Link had a feeling that something even worse was going on. Suddenly, Link heard sobbing. It was coming from the meadow. He dashed through the passageway to the meadow, closely followed by Fado, and found all the Kokiri children alive near the Deku Tree. Many of them were injured, and it made Link's blood boil to see his friends cut and burned so savagely. But then his eye was caught by one Kokiri in particular-Mido. He was lying near the Deku Tree Sprout, and some of the Kokiri were sitting next to him. Link came closer, and gasped in horror. Mido was bleeding all over, with vicious slashes and burns all over him. His wounds made those of the others look like paper cuts. Link also noticed that Mido's fairy was gone, with a familiar-looking green one in her place. Link knelt down next to him, and Mido opened his eyes.
"Link," Mido whispered. "Well, Mr. No-Fairy, you're too late once again." He coughed.
"Mido, I'm so, so sorry I didn't come in time. Please forgive me."
"Well, it looks like I'll have to, huh? Besides, it wasn't really your fault that this happened to me."
"Well, what happened?"
"It...It was an ambush...we were all playing outside...suddenly the forest spirits warned us to leave the forest. We didn't know if...we should listen, because you know the whole Kokiri Law...but suddenly, a huge army of Stalfos came stampeding out of the Lost Woods. We.tried to get away from them, but....there was just too many of them. We were lucky no one got killed back there."
"I tried to hold back the Stalfos from this meadow," the Deku Tree Sprout said. "I hoped that they would eventually turn back. But after a while, instead of leaving, they began to burn down the houses."
"It was like they were threatening us," Mido said, coughing. "Like they were saying, 'Let us in or we'll destroy the entire forest.' Suddenly, we heard crying. The twin sisters were...trapped in their house, and the Stalfos were getting ready to burn it down. Saria refused to stay in the meadow and watch them die.so she dashed out of the meadow. And, of course, I followed her. How she managed to get past that army of Stalfos I'll never know, but next thing I knew...she came out with the twins. She pushed them toward the meadow, and I rushed them inside.but all of a sudden I heard a scream. I looked back, and I saw that.the Stalfos had grabbed Saria. I rushed forward to save her, but a huge pack of them attacked me. Tarnia tried to protect me with her magic, but.one of the Stalfos grabbed her in his hand and.crushed her to death. Saria's fairy, Marlida, tried to use her magic against them, but they just swatted her away. Navi came to help, too, but one Stalfos grabbed her and stuffed her in a bag. I could hear Saria screaming as the Stalfos carried her away.then I blacked out.and then I woke up to find you here." He was growing more and more pale by the second. Link lowered his head as he realized that it was Tarnia, who had been Mido's fairy, who was dead on the ground in the village.
"But.why would they take Saria away?" Link whispered.
"She certainly didn't do anything to disturb the forest spirits," one Kokiri girl said.
"No, but maybe the Stalfos came from the Forest Temple. Saria did say there were lots of Stalfos there," a Kokiri boy said.
"Wait a minute! I know why they took her!" Link exclaimed. "I can't explain it right now, because you wouldn't understand it. Oh, but Mido."
"Don't worry about me. I'm no good as a leader anyway." But Link took a bottled fairy out of his tunic and released it over Mido's body. The fairy went into Mido's chest, but the wounds didn't heal. "You see? There's nothing you can do. Fairies won't work on us because.we're practically half-fairy ourselves. I'm dying, Link, and there's nothing any of you can do to stop it." Link started to cry now.
"But Mido, this whole village will fall apart without you. And don't say that they have me, because the way I'm always fighting I'll probably die on them someday. Besides, I'm not a real Kokiri. You made that clear years ago."
"I did, but.that's only because I was.jealous of you. You always had more courage than me, and not to mention every girl liked you more.especially Saria. Besides, the village did fall apart, after you left. After the Deku Tree died, I didn't know what to do when the monsters started popping up. Everyone started asking me what I was going to do, and that's why I went to the Lost Woods-I'm a terrible leader."
"So now what? We can't just fend for ourselves." Fado said.
"No.but I know someone who can teach you how to fight and be a good leader." Link said. He looked over at Remi. Remi had taught him how to fight, and had enough charisma to be labeled a leader.
"Me?" Remi asked. He looked at Mido, who waved him over.
"Remi.I want you to take over now.I won't be here much longer, and I.want to know that the others will have a good leader." Mido said. With tears in his eyes, Remi nodded.
"Yes, sir." Remi took Mido's hand and gripped it. The other Kokiri looked on, knowing that things would be much different from now on. Link, surprisingly enough, still had the Kokiri Sword with him. He took it out with its sheath, and handed it to Remi, who took it with trembling hands. Mido smiled, and slowly closed his eyes. Link touched his shoulder, but he lay still. Bowing his head, Link cried freely. The other Kokiri started to cry as well.
"Let me out, you mean ol' witch!" A voice screamed from the Throne Room. A huge iron cage had been hung from the ceiling, and inside stood a furious and screaming Saria, with Navi floating alongside. Saphira was ignoring the girl, as she was busy paying the Stalfos handsomely for a job well done.
"I must reward each of you for bringing back the girl and fairy not only alive, but unharmed. However, I do have a few questions. One, did you destroy the village as I asked?"
"Yes," the lead Stalfos snarled.
"Were there survivors?"
"Yes-but just the townspeople, and they were left with remnants of our attack."
"And the leader of the village?"
"Dead." Saria gasped when she heard this. Mido was dead? No, he couldn't be gone. But she had seen that mob of Stalfos attacking him back in Kokiri Forest.dropping to her knees, she began to cry. Saphira took little notice of this, and continued with the Stalfos.
"Excellent. Here's a grand bonus for each of you, then. Now go and enjoy yourselves. You deserve a vacation." As the Stalfos marched out, Saphira turned to the girl. "And as for you, have you any idea why I asked them to bring you here?"
"So you'd have a souvenir from the destruction that they left behind?" Saria sneered through her tears.
"Careful, now, young lady. I have enough magic in this staff to obliterate your entire forest, and I'd hate to think what it could do to you. No, I had you captured because you are one of the Six Sages."
"Six Sages? What do we have to do with you and your kingdom? We never did anything that could affect you."
"Oh, but you did. You see, my dear, I am engaged to be married to the mightiest man there ever was-Ganondorf. Yes, I am going to be his bride. And you, with the help of your fellow Sages, took him away from me! So now, I will have my revenge, one step at a time."
"Are you going to kill me?" Saria asked, trembling.
"Kill you? Oh no, not yet, my dear, it's much too soon. All I need to do is capture the other Sages, then my fiance will be free. Then we can get married, then take pleasure in destroying you."
"But there's one thing you're forgetting." Navi said.
"And what's that?"
"Link and Princess Zelda won't give up without a fight."
"Well, I'm sure you're right, my little fairy friend. However, I have already made plans on how I will handle them. Plus, I am slowly breaking his fighting power, little by little."
"How, by killing those he loved?"
"Precisely. Now, if you'll excuse me, I am going to engage in my next plan. Oh, and I wouldn't try to escape if I were you." She snapped her fingers, and the portcullis opened, releasing Saberjewel. He leaped out with a snarl, and glared at the prisoners. Saria and Navi gasped and scooted back to the other side of their cage. "Oh, don't worry, he's harmless if you don't try to escape. He may try to bite you every once in a while, but that's typical of him. Now, Saberjewel, I want you to be a good wolf and guard this girl and fairy very carefully, understand? Good." With that, she turned and left, leaving a terrified Saria and Navi with the malicious wolf.
"All right. So I now have one Sage out of seven. hmmm....now who to capture next.ah! Sapphire, who is the Sage of Fire?"
"Darunia, leader of the Gorons. They reside in Goron City, located on Death Mountain." The image ring appeared, showing a big troll-like creature that looked like a cross between a man and a rock.
"All right. Now, let's see.what if we were to kill two birds with one stone?.Sapphire, do any other Sages live near Death Mountain?"
"Yes. Impa, a Shiekah woman who lives in and is leader of Kakariko Village." The image shifted to show an armor-clad woman who looked unmistakably like a Shiekah.
"Excellent. Now.what creatures reside near Death Mountain and Kakariko that I can use?"
"Near Kakariko-the Poes, who love to wreak havoc and are naturally evil. They reside in Kakariko Graveyard." The image shifted to show a bunch of ghost-like creatures with lanterns. Saphira recognized them as Poes-there were some living in the forests surrounding her country, but they stayed out of sight. "On Death Mountain-the dragon Volvagia, said to be dead. His skeleton lies in the Fire Temple, but he was once resurrected by the Gerudo King, Ganondorf." The image shifted once more to show a fiery black dragon-then that same dragon as a skeleton. Saphira's mind clicked for a moment. This dragon had been resurrected before.surely he could be brought back again.and those Poes looked as though they could be very helpful.
"Sapphire-take me to the Fire Temple."
Link attended Mido's funeral with a heavy heart, knowing that if he had gotten there just a few minutes sooner he would've saved the kid. Remi sensed this, and spoke to him. "Link, you shouldn't blame yourself. Even you wouldn't have been able to fend off all those Stalfos. They would've slashed you to ribbons."
"I could've tried, Remi. Besides, I've got Serpentina back there. She would've been able to help me."
"She probably would've set fire to the whole forest, too. Link, stop blaming yourself. Look at it this way-Mido died trying to save his and your best friend. He died with a courageous heart, which a great feat in itself for him."
"I guess you're right." Link said. After the funeral, Link realized that Saphira might attack again. She knew that he loved these kids, and would probably try to kill them later on. He talked with the Deku Tree Sprout about moving the Kokiri.
"You want to take them out of the forest?" The Sprout said.
"Just for a while, in case this woman attacks again. She killed my horse, she killed Mido, and I know for a fact she's going to try to kill the other Kokiri, too. I just want to ensure that they remain safe for the time being."
"Where will they stay?"
"In Hyrule Castle. They'll be safe there." The Sprout sighed.
"All right. They have my permission to go."
"Thank you, Deku Tree." Link rounded up the Kokiri, and set them all on Serpentina's back. She was very long, so she could accommodate them. Link set himself on Serpentina's neck, and they flew off toward Hyrule Castle. The Kokiris' fairies struggled to keep up, and eventually they had to resort to being held. After a while, they arrived. Malon, her father, and Ingo were walking the horses when Link arrived, and the Kokiri dashed over to the horses in excitement. Zelda came over, wondering what the commotion was all about.
"What's going on? Why are they here?" Zelda asked.
"Zelda, Saphira sent an army of Stalfos into the forest and let them loose on the Kokiri. The Stalfos killed Mido, their leader, along with his fairy, and thank the gods no one else was killed. But the worst part is that.Zelda, the Stalfos took Saria, the Sage of the Forest, along with Navi. Saphira's hunting down the Sages, and at the same time trying to kill the people I hold dear!"
"Oh, no.so who do you suppose is next?"
"I have no idea. I wish I could sense a pattern, but I can't. She killed Epona as an ultimatum, then killed Mido because he was really a good friend.even though he was a bully."
"Link, I have a bad feeling about this, keeping all these people in the castle. I mean, what if Saphira attacks us with all of them inside? We'd be sitting ducks. Link, I know you're trying to find shelter for these people, but you have to find some other way."
"I know that. But we can't keep them in the temples, because Saphira's going to know that they're there! What place is there where we can keep them?" Link said, gesturing toward the refugees. The Kokiri were now enjoying pony rides atop the horses' backs, and Serpentina was snoozing a few yards away. Zelda sighed.
"All right, we'll keep them here for the time being. I hate to sound negative, Link, I really do. But it's not like the castle is an inn for all of Hyrule."
"I promise, I'll try not to keep doing this." Link said. Then his eyesight strayed back to the horses. He noticed one particular horse that looked very different from the others. It was a black filly, probably about two or three years old. She had white hooves and socks on each leg, and her mane and tail were a pure white. But the most striking thing about her was how much she resembled Epona. She had the same eyes.same muscular build.even the same white streak down her forehead. But Link shook his head. This couldn't be Epona's daughter. As far as he knew, Epona had never been bred to any stallions. Malon caught his gaze, and went over to him.
"Link.I shoulda told you this before.but.I don't blame you for Epona's death." Malon said.
"I know you don't, Malon." Link said. "I would never have tried to have Epona killed. I loved her almost as much as you did."
"Which is why she stuck by you that whole time. Oh, Link, if only I could be able to hug her once more." Tears started streaming down Malon's face. Link was about to console her when the ground shook violently. The horses screamed, and everyone tried to keep the animals from stampeding. When the shaking stopped, Link looked around. He could sense something was wrong. Zelda came over, a look of fear on her face.
"Link, what was that?" Zelda asked.
"I don't know. I do know that wasn't any ordinary earthquake, but.wait a minute.Zelda, look!" Link cried, pointing toward Death Mountain. It was erupting! Link watched in horror as lava began to ooze out of the crater. "Oh, no," Zelda whispered. " It's going to hit Goron City and Kakariko!" Serpentina slithered up to Link's side, and Link got on her back. Zelda called the soldiers and ordered them to help her and Link evacuate the cities. The soldiers got on their fastest mounts, and they followed Link toward the cities. As soon as they entered Kakariko, the people came outside.
"Get out of here now!" Link shouted. "The lava's going to hit this town!" The villagers shouted and screamed as they rushed to get their most precious possessions and left the town. Suddenly, Link heard an even deeper rumble. He looked up at the mountain, and did a double take. The lava had stopped flowing. Then he heard a shrieking roar echoing inside the crater. "Oh, no," Link whispered. "Not Volvagia." Then he heard screams coming from back of the village, near the graveyard. Poes were streaming out, swinging their lanterns at villagers. Suddenly, a blast of purple magic struck the Poes, causing them to retreat momentarily. Link looked to see where the magic had come from, and saw Impa standing on the roof of a nearby house.
"Go, Link, go! Volvagia has awakened once again! You must go and rescue the Gorons before it is too late!" She turned and fired at the advancing Poes again.
"But what about you?" Link could see the soldiers trying to get the villagers out of the town.
"Don't worry about me, Link! Go and help Darunia! GO!!" Link knew he shouldn't disobey. He turned Serpentina, and they flew toward the mountain. The dragon hadn't emerged yet-it was still trapped inside the Fire Temple-but Link knew it wouldn't be long before it escaped. Serpentina soared through the air, flying as fast as she could toward Goron City. She flew right through the doors, and stopped in mid-air. All the Gorons had come out to see what was going on, having heard Volvagia roar.
"You gotta get outta here, now! That dragon's gonna escape any second now!" The Gorons immediately ran toward the stairs, and soon reached the main doors. They rolled up into boulder-like balls, and rolled down the mountain. Darunia came out, and Link had him hop onto Serpentina's back. They were just leaving when Darunia cried out.
"Link!" Link turned, but quickly realized that Darunia was not talking about him. He was looking down, where his young son, also named Link, had apparently gotten stuck between two boulders. The young Goron was struggling to free himself, but to no avail. Serpentina flew down, and Darunia jumped off to help his son. The human Link looked up, and saw a huge fireball come out of the crater. Volvagia had escaped. The other Gorons had made it out, and had evacuated to the Dodongo's Cavern-which provided too little space for Volvagia to move through-but Link was more worried about Darunia. He jumped down to help, and tried not to panic as the huge dragon emerged from the crater. Volvagia paused to breathe the air, and roared. Link and Darunia pulled with all their might, and finally pulled Link, Jr. free. But then Link heard a different scream. He looked toward the village.
"No!" He cried. "IMPA!" The Poes had grabbed hold of her, and were dragging her away toward the graveyard. But then he remembered Volvagia. It was too late to rescue Impa, but he had to try to get Darunia and his son to safety. He and the two Gorons jumped onto Serpentina's back, and she flew away with no hesitation at all. Link felt a small wave of relief as they flew through the air. He looked back-and nearly fell off when he saw that Volvagia was in hot pursuit. "Serpentina! Fly faster!"
"I'm trying, Link!" Serpentina cried. "But with all this extra weight, it's almost impossible!"
"C'mon! He's gaining on us!" Serpentina noticed how close Volvagia was getting, and flapped her wings, gaining more speed. But Volvagia wasn't giving up. As they reached the village, Link saw that the soldiers were already riding away-no doubt to alert Zelda of Volvagia's return. Serpentina tried to catch up, but Volvagia was already flanking her. Link looked down at the evil dragon. Volvagia was very big now-Saphira had not only resurrected him, she had made him several times bigger-and he looked even deadlier than before. Volvagia glanced at Link, and Link saw his green eye glow fiercely for a brief moment. Link knew that the dragon had recognized him, and a cold chill ran down his spine. Then Volvagia rammed into Serpentina. Serpentina roared, and snapped at the other dragon. But he stopped in mid-air, and suddenly picked up speed again. He then opened his mouth, reached forward, and took Serpentina's tail in his teeth. Then he pulled back forcefully. Link, Darunia, and Link, Jr. went flying, and landed on the trail below. They got up, and looked up to see Serpentina fighting with Volvagia. Serpentina snapped and breathed fire at Volvagia, and tried to wrap her tail around his neck, but it was a losing battle-Volvagia was too big. Volvagia slashed and snapped at her, and whacked her with his tail. Serpentina was bleeding form dozens of wounds, and was quickly tiring. Volvagia sensed this, and grabbed her throat in his teeth, and threw her to the ground. She roared in pain, then collapsed. She was unconscious.
"Serpentina!" Link cried as he ran to her. But then he saw that Volvagia wasn't done yet. The dragon flew down, and rammed Link into the wall. Link cried out in pain, and slid to the ground, nearly blacking out. When he finally recovered, he looked up just in time to see Volvagia reach out with one gnarled claw and grab Darunia.
"Link!" Darunia screamed.
"Darunia! No!" Link cried. Volvagia swiftly rose up into the air, out of Link's reach. Then, with amazing speed, he turned and flew away over the mountains. Link, Jr. was crying now, and Serpentina had woken up. Link had to try hard to keep from crying. He had let down Darunia and Impa, and both were lost. With a heavy heart, he helped Serpentina toward the Dodongo's Cavern to tell the Gorons of Darunia's kidnapping.
"My, my, I never would have thought that Poes can be so dependable!" Saphira said as she watched her guards lock Impa and Darunia in their cages. "Nor would I have expected Volvagia to be so quick in obeying my orders." She turned to face the dragon and Poes, who all bowed instantly. Volvagia could barely fit inside the Throne Room, but he had enough room to move around. "Poes-did you cause any damage to the village?" The lead Poe, who was bigger than the others, floated forward and spoke in a soft, raspy voice.
"Very little, I'm afraid, but we did manage to injure and frighten the villagers." He said.
"Not bad at all. Not as good as I had hoped, but otherwise commendable. You may all stay here and serve me in my army if you wish."
"Thank you, my Queen, you are most gracious." The Poe said, bowing and moving back to his group. The Saphira went over to Volvagia, who lowered his head.
"And you.you did an excellent job in bringing me Darunia alive. I know your favorite dish is Gorons, and I must commend you in obeying my commands. And to injure that other dragon was excellent. If you wish to stay, I shall appoint you Head Guard of this castle. You may protect it from any intruder you see." Volvagia, who could also speak, bowed his head again and spoke in a deep, charred voice.
"Thank you, my Queen. I shall serve you well." Saphira nodded, and waved them off. After the Poes and dragon had left, she turned to her prisoners.
"Three down, four more to go. By the way, I do hope it's not too cramped in those cages." Saphira said. Darunia growled and clenched his fists, but Impa simply glared.
"You will not succeed in this plan of yours," Impa said. "Whoever you are, you will pay for this." Saphira laughed.
"Fool! Do you think I'm afraid of you? I've heard all about you.You, the poor, orphaned Shiekah girl, who is the last known member of her race, trained by the Gerudos and a nanny to that little brat Zelda! Believe me, Shiekah, your powers are nothing compared to mine! I have more power in my thumb than you have in your entire body. Don't try to threaten me, my dear, for it is your life that hangs in the balance as we speak."
"Then why don't you just kill us right now and be done with it?" Darunia snarled.
"Darunia!" Saria said.
"That thought has crossed my mind once or twice. However, it wouldn't as pleasing to kill you now than it would be when my fiance is back, and your pathetic Hero of Time is here to watch." Saphira said.
"Do you really think that he loves you?" Impa asked quietly. "Are you sure he knows how to love?"
"How dare you ask such a question!" Saphira snarled. "Of course I know that he loves me! Otherwise he would not have given me this!" She raised her left hand, showing them her engagement ring.
"You are living under a blindfold," Darunia snapped. "That man killed relentlessly and without regret, and threatened to destroy my race twice!"
"And as far as I'm concerned, the world would be much better off without you." Saphira said coolly. "If you'll excuse me, I must go. Enjoy your new homes." With that, she stalked off. Saria sat down, and Navi floated down.
"What are we going to do, Saria?" Navi said.
"I don't know, Navi. But I'll tell you this much-Link will get us out of here."
"He always has," Darunia agreed.
"We must keep our faith in him. He is, after all, the Hero of Time."
"Well, my Queen, what are you going to do now?" Tyano asked as Saphira entered her chambers.
"I think I'll sit back for a little while and relax-Link is probably fretting over the loss of two more Sages, and will soon be racking his brain trying to figure out who I'll be after next. Yes, it'll be interesting to see how prepared Link will be when I attack again."
"Who do you plan to kidnap next?"
"Well, I have three choices, as I'm saving Zelda for last, but I do not yet know who I shall choose to be my next victim. Now-have our new spies picked up any juicy tidbits for us?"
"Well, I have received reports from the Poes that the Kokiri have been moved to Hyrule Castle, and the Gorons and Kakariko villagers have relocated to Draconiara."
"I see. So Link and Zelda are trying to keep those people safe from any further attacks. Hmmm. Very clever, but also very stupid. They don't know that I don't plan on attacking anybody a second time. Well, I'll give them some time to figure that out, and in the meantime, I'll be thinking about what to do next. Leave me now-I must rest."
"Yes. Quogar sent me back to inform you that not only are the dragons are alive and well, but their guardian, too. And the dragons have become the sworn protectors of the city." The messenger said. The young man was a native of Crastalyina, and was one of Saphira's finest messengers. She had sent him to the Gragun City to see if it had been demolished yet, and he had come back with less-than-satisfying news. Saphira looked as though she might kill him with her magic, but she controlled herself. She took a deep breath, and turned away.
"How many other messengers do I have that are as good as you at their job?" Saphira asked.
"Umm...well, I'd have to say two or three, my Queen."
"Hmm. Not a whole lot. Well, for your efforts, I should reward you, shouldn't I? Stay right there while I go to my chambers." Saphira left, and the messenger sighed with relief. However, as Saphira entered, she said to Tyano, "Release Saberjewel."
"Saberjewel! But Your Highness, aren't you overreacting a little bit?"
"Overreacting! One of my key plans just got shot to the ground, so I have to take it out on someone. And I choose that messenger outside. If there's one thing I do not like, it's being sent bad news. Besides, it's been a while since Saberjewel had a decent meal. Now-let-my-dog-out." Tyano nodded, and went over to a nearby rope. He pulled it down, and meanwhile, a small portcullis opened in the Throne Room where the messenger stood. He saw the door opening, and gasped. He knew what this meant. He turned to the main doors, but the guards had left the room and closed them. There was no way out. The portcullis opened fully, and a pair of glittering blue eyes gleamed in the darkness. The messenger couldn't move, he was so frightened. The creature stepped out of the darkness, revealing a huge wolf. This wolf had thick purple armor all over him, and this armor was dotted with sapphires and silver spikes. However, the most frightening aspects were his enormous size, his glowing blue eyes, and his huge white teeth. The messenger looked around, and the wolf moved closer. Inside her chambers, Saphira waited. Soon she heard was she was waiting for-screams of pain and furious snarls. Saberjewel had been a gift to her from her father, and he was the most efficient guardian anyone could ask for. He had been found in the dense forests as a cub, with no mother or pack to care for him. Saphira 's father had taken him back to the castle, and kept him a secret from Saphira while he trained Saberjewel to be the best bodyguard a princess could ever have. When he finally did present him to Saphira, it was when a criminal was going to be executed for his crimes. Saphira had been pleased by the wolf's performance, and was forever grateful to her father, who died a few weeks after. Suddenly, there was an extremely loud crunch, and a loud, disgusting gulping sound. Saphira, with a smug and satisfied glint in her eyes, went back to the Throne Room. Tyano chose to remain, as he didn't wish to see the spectacle. Saphira found blood all over the place, Saberjewel sitting innocently on the bloodstained carpet, and a bit of armor that the messenger had been wearing. Saphira smiled, and went over to the wolf. "Very good, Saberjewel. Did you enjoy your dinner?" The wolf grinned and wagged his tail. Saphira patted his shoulder, and Saberjewel retreated to his den. Several maids entered, cleaning equipment in hand. Saphira went back to her chambers, and Tyano looked up.
"Well, now that you've reduced our messenger numbers by one, what do you plan on doing now?" he asked.
"Well, I've decided not to destroy the Graguns after all. I'm sure they've realized that I am a force to be reckoned with, and will not make such a foolish move again. However, there are other matters at hand."
"You mean with the Hero of Time."
"No, I mean with the other messengers. Of course, I mean that cursed rat Link! Now, I have to figure out who to strike at next. Excuse me for a moment." She left to her room, where the sapphire stood. "Now, Sapphire, who can I attack next? Hopefully someone linked to both the horse and Link?"
"The only people who fit that particular description are Malon, Talon, and Ingo of Lon Lon Ranch. However, they have moved themselves and their animals out of your reach."
"What do you mean, out of my reach?"
"They have moved to Hyrule Castle, the area you have saved for last."
"Oh, and I wonder who had them relocate? Don't answer that, I already know. Hmmm.Ah! I have an idea! Where did Link grow up?"
"In Kokiri Forest, located within the heart of the Lost Woods."
"Does one of the Sages live there?"
"Yes-Saria, the Sage of the Forest." With that, the image ring appeared, and Saphira saw a young girl with green hair sitting on a tree stump, playing some sort of flute. The girl looked to be about twelve years old, but Saphira knew that she must be much older than that. The Kokiri never grew older than age twelve, at least in terms of appearance. A small green fairy floated serenely over the girl's head, dancing to the music. Saphira could see other Kokiri in the background, each with their own fairy. Several houses stood along the sides, and Saphira knew that this was the village. If anything, this was the perfect time to start hunting down the Sages. She smiled, and left the room. She went to Tyano, who was waiting anxiously for her.
"Send for our Stalfos warriors," Saphira ordered. "Tell them they're taking a walk through the woods."
As soon as Link made it back to Goron City with his new friend, he was ambushed a second time by the Gorons. Darunia looked especially proud. "Quogar sent me a letter telling me all about your adventure. I must say, you've grown into a true-what in the name of the goddesses is THAT?!" Link looked behind him, and saw that Serpentina had slithered up behind him.
"Oh, this is Serpentina. She used to be the Graguns' guardian, but now they've got the entire population of cavern dragons guarding the city. So Quogar presented her to me." The other Gorons were still a bit wary of Serpentina, but Darunia was elated.
"So you're that wonderful dragon Quogar told me so much about! I must say, it's an honor to meet you, my lady." Darunia bowed-or rather, he tried to bow without falling over. Serpentina smiled, and Link could swear she was blushing.
"Well, many thanks to you, Darunia. I have heard much about you as well. And from what I hear, the Gorons couldn't have a finer leader." Serpentina said. The Gorons realized that she meant them no harm-unlike Volvagia, who had been an eater of Gorons-and crowded around her. After a few minutes of unending attention, Link pushed through the crowd, and managed to get them to let Serpentina pass. Darunia escorted them out of the city, but once he did Link had a horrible feeling that something terrible was about to happen. Serpentina could sense it, too. Bidding Darunia goodbye, Link hopped onto Serpentina's back and they flew off.
Meanwhile, in Kokiri Forest, all the children were playing outside enjoying the sunshine. Mido was conversing with Saria, trying to get the scoop on what happened in the Forest Temple and defeating Ganondorf, and the Know-It-All Brothers were eavesdropping, jotting down notes. Fado, a young Kokiri girl, was flirting with Remi, a Kokiri boy who was an expert at swordfighting. In the nearby meadow, the Deku Tree Sprout was growing at a steady pace. Everything was at peace once again.
Suddenly, a flock of birds came squawking out of the Lost Woods, flying in all directions. The children fell silent. Mido and Saria stood, and they listened intently. They could hear the forest spirits calling to them: "Go! Run! Leave the forest or you'll be done for!" Mido was alarmed, but Saria was frightened. Should they leave the forest? Or should they stay and see what had frightened the birds? The other children looked around, wondering who would dare enter the Lost Woods.
"It can't be Hylians," One of the Know-It-All Brothers said. "The only one who can actually enter here is Link."
"Yes, but if it's not Hylians, then who else would try to invade our home?" Fado asked. Suddenly, Saria gasped. Her face paled, and her beautiful eyes held nothing but fear inside. She turned to the others, and they knew that she knew who was approaching. She trembled as she tried to speak, but she was able to speak the one and only word necessary to say who the intruders were.
"Stalfos," Saria whispered. Suddenly, a huge army of them came crashing out of the Lost Woods, and the children scattered, screaming. The Stalfos charged, wielding their swords and carrying huge torches, and prepared to attack the town.
Link looked around as they flew over the field. He couldn't see anything suspicious just yet, but the feeling that something bad was happening grew stronger by the second. Suddenly, Serpentina looked over to the left, and gasped in horror. "Link! Look!" She was looking in the direction of the Lost Woods. Link's heart seemed to shatter as he saw the billowing clouds of smoke rising from his beloved home.
"No!" Link cried, and Serpentina turned to fly toward Kokiri Forest. But Link had the dreadful feeling that they were too late. He searched in vain as they flew through the black smoke, but he couldn't find the village. Suddenly, Serpentina cried out, and swooped down. Now Link could see the flames towering over the trees. Serpentina flew over them, then turned her head toward Link.
"Hold on tight, Link," Link grabbed her neck, and she flapped her wings so hard that the wind coming from them blew out the flames. They flew down, and Link couldn't believe what he saw. All the houses had been destroyed, with nothing but ashes and burned pieces of wood lying on the ground. Kokiri Village was no more. Link looked down, and saw a small orange fairy lying on the ground. She was no longer glowing, and her wings were gone. Link then saw fragments of the wings scattered around the fairy's tiny body. Link knew she was dead, but wondered who she had belonged to. All of a sudden, he saw a pig-tailed girl running toward him.
"Link! Link!" The girl cried. Link realized it was none other than Fado, who had been one of his best friends. Her dress was torn and covered with dirt and ashes, and she was bleeding from minor wounds and had some small burns on her skin, but she didn't seem worried about that now.
"Fado!" Link cried. She ran directly to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing lovingly against his chest. Link gently hugged her, and felt relieved that she wasn't dead.
"Oh, Link, I'm so glad you're here!" Fado said. "But you're too late. We were attacked, and now." She trailed off, and Link had a feeling that something even worse was going on. Suddenly, Link heard sobbing. It was coming from the meadow. He dashed through the passageway to the meadow, closely followed by Fado, and found all the Kokiri children alive near the Deku Tree. Many of them were injured, and it made Link's blood boil to see his friends cut and burned so savagely. But then his eye was caught by one Kokiri in particular-Mido. He was lying near the Deku Tree Sprout, and some of the Kokiri were sitting next to him. Link came closer, and gasped in horror. Mido was bleeding all over, with vicious slashes and burns all over him. His wounds made those of the others look like paper cuts. Link also noticed that Mido's fairy was gone, with a familiar-looking green one in her place. Link knelt down next to him, and Mido opened his eyes.
"Link," Mido whispered. "Well, Mr. No-Fairy, you're too late once again." He coughed.
"Mido, I'm so, so sorry I didn't come in time. Please forgive me."
"Well, it looks like I'll have to, huh? Besides, it wasn't really your fault that this happened to me."
"Well, what happened?"
"It...It was an ambush...we were all playing outside...suddenly the forest spirits warned us to leave the forest. We didn't know if...we should listen, because you know the whole Kokiri Law...but suddenly, a huge army of Stalfos came stampeding out of the Lost Woods. We.tried to get away from them, but....there was just too many of them. We were lucky no one got killed back there."
"I tried to hold back the Stalfos from this meadow," the Deku Tree Sprout said. "I hoped that they would eventually turn back. But after a while, instead of leaving, they began to burn down the houses."
"It was like they were threatening us," Mido said, coughing. "Like they were saying, 'Let us in or we'll destroy the entire forest.' Suddenly, we heard crying. The twin sisters were...trapped in their house, and the Stalfos were getting ready to burn it down. Saria refused to stay in the meadow and watch them die.so she dashed out of the meadow. And, of course, I followed her. How she managed to get past that army of Stalfos I'll never know, but next thing I knew...she came out with the twins. She pushed them toward the meadow, and I rushed them inside.but all of a sudden I heard a scream. I looked back, and I saw that.the Stalfos had grabbed Saria. I rushed forward to save her, but a huge pack of them attacked me. Tarnia tried to protect me with her magic, but.one of the Stalfos grabbed her in his hand and.crushed her to death. Saria's fairy, Marlida, tried to use her magic against them, but they just swatted her away. Navi came to help, too, but one Stalfos grabbed her and stuffed her in a bag. I could hear Saria screaming as the Stalfos carried her away.then I blacked out.and then I woke up to find you here." He was growing more and more pale by the second. Link lowered his head as he realized that it was Tarnia, who had been Mido's fairy, who was dead on the ground in the village.
"But.why would they take Saria away?" Link whispered.
"She certainly didn't do anything to disturb the forest spirits," one Kokiri girl said.
"No, but maybe the Stalfos came from the Forest Temple. Saria did say there were lots of Stalfos there," a Kokiri boy said.
"Wait a minute! I know why they took her!" Link exclaimed. "I can't explain it right now, because you wouldn't understand it. Oh, but Mido."
"Don't worry about me. I'm no good as a leader anyway." But Link took a bottled fairy out of his tunic and released it over Mido's body. The fairy went into Mido's chest, but the wounds didn't heal. "You see? There's nothing you can do. Fairies won't work on us because.we're practically half-fairy ourselves. I'm dying, Link, and there's nothing any of you can do to stop it." Link started to cry now.
"But Mido, this whole village will fall apart without you. And don't say that they have me, because the way I'm always fighting I'll probably die on them someday. Besides, I'm not a real Kokiri. You made that clear years ago."
"I did, but.that's only because I was.jealous of you. You always had more courage than me, and not to mention every girl liked you more.especially Saria. Besides, the village did fall apart, after you left. After the Deku Tree died, I didn't know what to do when the monsters started popping up. Everyone started asking me what I was going to do, and that's why I went to the Lost Woods-I'm a terrible leader."
"So now what? We can't just fend for ourselves." Fado said.
"No.but I know someone who can teach you how to fight and be a good leader." Link said. He looked over at Remi. Remi had taught him how to fight, and had enough charisma to be labeled a leader.
"Me?" Remi asked. He looked at Mido, who waved him over.
"Remi.I want you to take over now.I won't be here much longer, and I.want to know that the others will have a good leader." Mido said. With tears in his eyes, Remi nodded.
"Yes, sir." Remi took Mido's hand and gripped it. The other Kokiri looked on, knowing that things would be much different from now on. Link, surprisingly enough, still had the Kokiri Sword with him. He took it out with its sheath, and handed it to Remi, who took it with trembling hands. Mido smiled, and slowly closed his eyes. Link touched his shoulder, but he lay still. Bowing his head, Link cried freely. The other Kokiri started to cry as well.
"Let me out, you mean ol' witch!" A voice screamed from the Throne Room. A huge iron cage had been hung from the ceiling, and inside stood a furious and screaming Saria, with Navi floating alongside. Saphira was ignoring the girl, as she was busy paying the Stalfos handsomely for a job well done.
"I must reward each of you for bringing back the girl and fairy not only alive, but unharmed. However, I do have a few questions. One, did you destroy the village as I asked?"
"Yes," the lead Stalfos snarled.
"Were there survivors?"
"Yes-but just the townspeople, and they were left with remnants of our attack."
"And the leader of the village?"
"Dead." Saria gasped when she heard this. Mido was dead? No, he couldn't be gone. But she had seen that mob of Stalfos attacking him back in Kokiri Forest.dropping to her knees, she began to cry. Saphira took little notice of this, and continued with the Stalfos.
"Excellent. Here's a grand bonus for each of you, then. Now go and enjoy yourselves. You deserve a vacation." As the Stalfos marched out, Saphira turned to the girl. "And as for you, have you any idea why I asked them to bring you here?"
"So you'd have a souvenir from the destruction that they left behind?" Saria sneered through her tears.
"Careful, now, young lady. I have enough magic in this staff to obliterate your entire forest, and I'd hate to think what it could do to you. No, I had you captured because you are one of the Six Sages."
"Six Sages? What do we have to do with you and your kingdom? We never did anything that could affect you."
"Oh, but you did. You see, my dear, I am engaged to be married to the mightiest man there ever was-Ganondorf. Yes, I am going to be his bride. And you, with the help of your fellow Sages, took him away from me! So now, I will have my revenge, one step at a time."
"Are you going to kill me?" Saria asked, trembling.
"Kill you? Oh no, not yet, my dear, it's much too soon. All I need to do is capture the other Sages, then my fiance will be free. Then we can get married, then take pleasure in destroying you."
"But there's one thing you're forgetting." Navi said.
"And what's that?"
"Link and Princess Zelda won't give up without a fight."
"Well, I'm sure you're right, my little fairy friend. However, I have already made plans on how I will handle them. Plus, I am slowly breaking his fighting power, little by little."
"How, by killing those he loved?"
"Precisely. Now, if you'll excuse me, I am going to engage in my next plan. Oh, and I wouldn't try to escape if I were you." She snapped her fingers, and the portcullis opened, releasing Saberjewel. He leaped out with a snarl, and glared at the prisoners. Saria and Navi gasped and scooted back to the other side of their cage. "Oh, don't worry, he's harmless if you don't try to escape. He may try to bite you every once in a while, but that's typical of him. Now, Saberjewel, I want you to be a good wolf and guard this girl and fairy very carefully, understand? Good." With that, she turned and left, leaving a terrified Saria and Navi with the malicious wolf.
"All right. So I now have one Sage out of seven. hmmm....now who to capture next.ah! Sapphire, who is the Sage of Fire?"
"Darunia, leader of the Gorons. They reside in Goron City, located on Death Mountain." The image ring appeared, showing a big troll-like creature that looked like a cross between a man and a rock.
"All right. Now, let's see.what if we were to kill two birds with one stone?.Sapphire, do any other Sages live near Death Mountain?"
"Yes. Impa, a Shiekah woman who lives in and is leader of Kakariko Village." The image shifted to show an armor-clad woman who looked unmistakably like a Shiekah.
"Excellent. Now.what creatures reside near Death Mountain and Kakariko that I can use?"
"Near Kakariko-the Poes, who love to wreak havoc and are naturally evil. They reside in Kakariko Graveyard." The image shifted to show a bunch of ghost-like creatures with lanterns. Saphira recognized them as Poes-there were some living in the forests surrounding her country, but they stayed out of sight. "On Death Mountain-the dragon Volvagia, said to be dead. His skeleton lies in the Fire Temple, but he was once resurrected by the Gerudo King, Ganondorf." The image shifted once more to show a fiery black dragon-then that same dragon as a skeleton. Saphira's mind clicked for a moment. This dragon had been resurrected before.surely he could be brought back again.and those Poes looked as though they could be very helpful.
"Sapphire-take me to the Fire Temple."
Link attended Mido's funeral with a heavy heart, knowing that if he had gotten there just a few minutes sooner he would've saved the kid. Remi sensed this, and spoke to him. "Link, you shouldn't blame yourself. Even you wouldn't have been able to fend off all those Stalfos. They would've slashed you to ribbons."
"I could've tried, Remi. Besides, I've got Serpentina back there. She would've been able to help me."
"She probably would've set fire to the whole forest, too. Link, stop blaming yourself. Look at it this way-Mido died trying to save his and your best friend. He died with a courageous heart, which a great feat in itself for him."
"I guess you're right." Link said. After the funeral, Link realized that Saphira might attack again. She knew that he loved these kids, and would probably try to kill them later on. He talked with the Deku Tree Sprout about moving the Kokiri.
"You want to take them out of the forest?" The Sprout said.
"Just for a while, in case this woman attacks again. She killed my horse, she killed Mido, and I know for a fact she's going to try to kill the other Kokiri, too. I just want to ensure that they remain safe for the time being."
"Where will they stay?"
"In Hyrule Castle. They'll be safe there." The Sprout sighed.
"All right. They have my permission to go."
"Thank you, Deku Tree." Link rounded up the Kokiri, and set them all on Serpentina's back. She was very long, so she could accommodate them. Link set himself on Serpentina's neck, and they flew off toward Hyrule Castle. The Kokiris' fairies struggled to keep up, and eventually they had to resort to being held. After a while, they arrived. Malon, her father, and Ingo were walking the horses when Link arrived, and the Kokiri dashed over to the horses in excitement. Zelda came over, wondering what the commotion was all about.
"What's going on? Why are they here?" Zelda asked.
"Zelda, Saphira sent an army of Stalfos into the forest and let them loose on the Kokiri. The Stalfos killed Mido, their leader, along with his fairy, and thank the gods no one else was killed. But the worst part is that.Zelda, the Stalfos took Saria, the Sage of the Forest, along with Navi. Saphira's hunting down the Sages, and at the same time trying to kill the people I hold dear!"
"Oh, no.so who do you suppose is next?"
"I have no idea. I wish I could sense a pattern, but I can't. She killed Epona as an ultimatum, then killed Mido because he was really a good friend.even though he was a bully."
"Link, I have a bad feeling about this, keeping all these people in the castle. I mean, what if Saphira attacks us with all of them inside? We'd be sitting ducks. Link, I know you're trying to find shelter for these people, but you have to find some other way."
"I know that. But we can't keep them in the temples, because Saphira's going to know that they're there! What place is there where we can keep them?" Link said, gesturing toward the refugees. The Kokiri were now enjoying pony rides atop the horses' backs, and Serpentina was snoozing a few yards away. Zelda sighed.
"All right, we'll keep them here for the time being. I hate to sound negative, Link, I really do. But it's not like the castle is an inn for all of Hyrule."
"I promise, I'll try not to keep doing this." Link said. Then his eyesight strayed back to the horses. He noticed one particular horse that looked very different from the others. It was a black filly, probably about two or three years old. She had white hooves and socks on each leg, and her mane and tail were a pure white. But the most striking thing about her was how much she resembled Epona. She had the same eyes.same muscular build.even the same white streak down her forehead. But Link shook his head. This couldn't be Epona's daughter. As far as he knew, Epona had never been bred to any stallions. Malon caught his gaze, and went over to him.
"Link.I shoulda told you this before.but.I don't blame you for Epona's death." Malon said.
"I know you don't, Malon." Link said. "I would never have tried to have Epona killed. I loved her almost as much as you did."
"Which is why she stuck by you that whole time. Oh, Link, if only I could be able to hug her once more." Tears started streaming down Malon's face. Link was about to console her when the ground shook violently. The horses screamed, and everyone tried to keep the animals from stampeding. When the shaking stopped, Link looked around. He could sense something was wrong. Zelda came over, a look of fear on her face.
"Link, what was that?" Zelda asked.
"I don't know. I do know that wasn't any ordinary earthquake, but.wait a minute.Zelda, look!" Link cried, pointing toward Death Mountain. It was erupting! Link watched in horror as lava began to ooze out of the crater. "Oh, no," Zelda whispered. " It's going to hit Goron City and Kakariko!" Serpentina slithered up to Link's side, and Link got on her back. Zelda called the soldiers and ordered them to help her and Link evacuate the cities. The soldiers got on their fastest mounts, and they followed Link toward the cities. As soon as they entered Kakariko, the people came outside.
"Get out of here now!" Link shouted. "The lava's going to hit this town!" The villagers shouted and screamed as they rushed to get their most precious possessions and left the town. Suddenly, Link heard an even deeper rumble. He looked up at the mountain, and did a double take. The lava had stopped flowing. Then he heard a shrieking roar echoing inside the crater. "Oh, no," Link whispered. "Not Volvagia." Then he heard screams coming from back of the village, near the graveyard. Poes were streaming out, swinging their lanterns at villagers. Suddenly, a blast of purple magic struck the Poes, causing them to retreat momentarily. Link looked to see where the magic had come from, and saw Impa standing on the roof of a nearby house.
"Go, Link, go! Volvagia has awakened once again! You must go and rescue the Gorons before it is too late!" She turned and fired at the advancing Poes again.
"But what about you?" Link could see the soldiers trying to get the villagers out of the town.
"Don't worry about me, Link! Go and help Darunia! GO!!" Link knew he shouldn't disobey. He turned Serpentina, and they flew toward the mountain. The dragon hadn't emerged yet-it was still trapped inside the Fire Temple-but Link knew it wouldn't be long before it escaped. Serpentina soared through the air, flying as fast as she could toward Goron City. She flew right through the doors, and stopped in mid-air. All the Gorons had come out to see what was going on, having heard Volvagia roar.
"You gotta get outta here, now! That dragon's gonna escape any second now!" The Gorons immediately ran toward the stairs, and soon reached the main doors. They rolled up into boulder-like balls, and rolled down the mountain. Darunia came out, and Link had him hop onto Serpentina's back. They were just leaving when Darunia cried out.
"Link!" Link turned, but quickly realized that Darunia was not talking about him. He was looking down, where his young son, also named Link, had apparently gotten stuck between two boulders. The young Goron was struggling to free himself, but to no avail. Serpentina flew down, and Darunia jumped off to help his son. The human Link looked up, and saw a huge fireball come out of the crater. Volvagia had escaped. The other Gorons had made it out, and had evacuated to the Dodongo's Cavern-which provided too little space for Volvagia to move through-but Link was more worried about Darunia. He jumped down to help, and tried not to panic as the huge dragon emerged from the crater. Volvagia paused to breathe the air, and roared. Link and Darunia pulled with all their might, and finally pulled Link, Jr. free. But then Link heard a different scream. He looked toward the village.
"No!" He cried. "IMPA!" The Poes had grabbed hold of her, and were dragging her away toward the graveyard. But then he remembered Volvagia. It was too late to rescue Impa, but he had to try to get Darunia and his son to safety. He and the two Gorons jumped onto Serpentina's back, and she flew away with no hesitation at all. Link felt a small wave of relief as they flew through the air. He looked back-and nearly fell off when he saw that Volvagia was in hot pursuit. "Serpentina! Fly faster!"
"I'm trying, Link!" Serpentina cried. "But with all this extra weight, it's almost impossible!"
"C'mon! He's gaining on us!" Serpentina noticed how close Volvagia was getting, and flapped her wings, gaining more speed. But Volvagia wasn't giving up. As they reached the village, Link saw that the soldiers were already riding away-no doubt to alert Zelda of Volvagia's return. Serpentina tried to catch up, but Volvagia was already flanking her. Link looked down at the evil dragon. Volvagia was very big now-Saphira had not only resurrected him, she had made him several times bigger-and he looked even deadlier than before. Volvagia glanced at Link, and Link saw his green eye glow fiercely for a brief moment. Link knew that the dragon had recognized him, and a cold chill ran down his spine. Then Volvagia rammed into Serpentina. Serpentina roared, and snapped at the other dragon. But he stopped in mid-air, and suddenly picked up speed again. He then opened his mouth, reached forward, and took Serpentina's tail in his teeth. Then he pulled back forcefully. Link, Darunia, and Link, Jr. went flying, and landed on the trail below. They got up, and looked up to see Serpentina fighting with Volvagia. Serpentina snapped and breathed fire at Volvagia, and tried to wrap her tail around his neck, but it was a losing battle-Volvagia was too big. Volvagia slashed and snapped at her, and whacked her with his tail. Serpentina was bleeding form dozens of wounds, and was quickly tiring. Volvagia sensed this, and grabbed her throat in his teeth, and threw her to the ground. She roared in pain, then collapsed. She was unconscious.
"Serpentina!" Link cried as he ran to her. But then he saw that Volvagia wasn't done yet. The dragon flew down, and rammed Link into the wall. Link cried out in pain, and slid to the ground, nearly blacking out. When he finally recovered, he looked up just in time to see Volvagia reach out with one gnarled claw and grab Darunia.
"Link!" Darunia screamed.
"Darunia! No!" Link cried. Volvagia swiftly rose up into the air, out of Link's reach. Then, with amazing speed, he turned and flew away over the mountains. Link, Jr. was crying now, and Serpentina had woken up. Link had to try hard to keep from crying. He had let down Darunia and Impa, and both were lost. With a heavy heart, he helped Serpentina toward the Dodongo's Cavern to tell the Gorons of Darunia's kidnapping.
"My, my, I never would have thought that Poes can be so dependable!" Saphira said as she watched her guards lock Impa and Darunia in their cages. "Nor would I have expected Volvagia to be so quick in obeying my orders." She turned to face the dragon and Poes, who all bowed instantly. Volvagia could barely fit inside the Throne Room, but he had enough room to move around. "Poes-did you cause any damage to the village?" The lead Poe, who was bigger than the others, floated forward and spoke in a soft, raspy voice.
"Very little, I'm afraid, but we did manage to injure and frighten the villagers." He said.
"Not bad at all. Not as good as I had hoped, but otherwise commendable. You may all stay here and serve me in my army if you wish."
"Thank you, my Queen, you are most gracious." The Poe said, bowing and moving back to his group. The Saphira went over to Volvagia, who lowered his head.
"And you.you did an excellent job in bringing me Darunia alive. I know your favorite dish is Gorons, and I must commend you in obeying my commands. And to injure that other dragon was excellent. If you wish to stay, I shall appoint you Head Guard of this castle. You may protect it from any intruder you see." Volvagia, who could also speak, bowed his head again and spoke in a deep, charred voice.
"Thank you, my Queen. I shall serve you well." Saphira nodded, and waved them off. After the Poes and dragon had left, she turned to her prisoners.
"Three down, four more to go. By the way, I do hope it's not too cramped in those cages." Saphira said. Darunia growled and clenched his fists, but Impa simply glared.
"You will not succeed in this plan of yours," Impa said. "Whoever you are, you will pay for this." Saphira laughed.
"Fool! Do you think I'm afraid of you? I've heard all about you.You, the poor, orphaned Shiekah girl, who is the last known member of her race, trained by the Gerudos and a nanny to that little brat Zelda! Believe me, Shiekah, your powers are nothing compared to mine! I have more power in my thumb than you have in your entire body. Don't try to threaten me, my dear, for it is your life that hangs in the balance as we speak."
"Then why don't you just kill us right now and be done with it?" Darunia snarled.
"Darunia!" Saria said.
"That thought has crossed my mind once or twice. However, it wouldn't as pleasing to kill you now than it would be when my fiance is back, and your pathetic Hero of Time is here to watch." Saphira said.
"Do you really think that he loves you?" Impa asked quietly. "Are you sure he knows how to love?"
"How dare you ask such a question!" Saphira snarled. "Of course I know that he loves me! Otherwise he would not have given me this!" She raised her left hand, showing them her engagement ring.
"You are living under a blindfold," Darunia snapped. "That man killed relentlessly and without regret, and threatened to destroy my race twice!"
"And as far as I'm concerned, the world would be much better off without you." Saphira said coolly. "If you'll excuse me, I must go. Enjoy your new homes." With that, she stalked off. Saria sat down, and Navi floated down.
"What are we going to do, Saria?" Navi said.
"I don't know, Navi. But I'll tell you this much-Link will get us out of here."
"He always has," Darunia agreed.
"We must keep our faith in him. He is, after all, the Hero of Time."
"Well, my Queen, what are you going to do now?" Tyano asked as Saphira entered her chambers.
"I think I'll sit back for a little while and relax-Link is probably fretting over the loss of two more Sages, and will soon be racking his brain trying to figure out who I'll be after next. Yes, it'll be interesting to see how prepared Link will be when I attack again."
"Who do you plan to kidnap next?"
"Well, I have three choices, as I'm saving Zelda for last, but I do not yet know who I shall choose to be my next victim. Now-have our new spies picked up any juicy tidbits for us?"
"Well, I have received reports from the Poes that the Kokiri have been moved to Hyrule Castle, and the Gorons and Kakariko villagers have relocated to Draconiara."
"I see. So Link and Zelda are trying to keep those people safe from any further attacks. Hmmm. Very clever, but also very stupid. They don't know that I don't plan on attacking anybody a second time. Well, I'll give them some time to figure that out, and in the meantime, I'll be thinking about what to do next. Leave me now-I must rest."