The Legend of Zelda: Divine Intervention

by Quincy007

This is it! The final clash with the Fierce Diety, will justice triumph? Does love conquer all? Who is the Patron Diety of Recreational Sex? Answers to these questions and more in the stunning conclusion to LOZ:DI

6. Over the hill and through the woods

The Legend of Zelda: Divine Intervention: Part 6: Even Goddesses Cannot Change the Past.

Quincy007

Author's notes: Since I doubt anyone is checking this daily (judging by the lack of reviews) none of you will have noticed that I haven't updated in a few months. No biggy right? I hope you enjoy and some people actually become fans of this series. I'd like it.

I don't own LOZ. I do own Nil Chavez and Billy Bob.

====================================================================================

            Her head was filled with all sorts of sadistic and almost evil plans as she reappeared in his room a large amount of personal items surrounding her. She had trusted this man and she was pretty sure that not ever mentioning this was a big break in that trust.

            She stopped when she saw that he was asleep. His arm was twitching slightly as he tossed and turned. Occasionally he would pat at his arms like brushing away a bug or something.

            She paused her fury and remembered her position. Wisdom. Like water that can clearly mirror the sky and the trees only as long as its surface is undisturbed, the mind can only reflect the true image of the Self when it is tranquil and wholly relaxed. No, Acting out of anger wouldn't accomplish anything.

            "What troubles your sleep Nil Chavez? Haunted memories? Foreboding future?"

            She turned and left him in his fitful sleep. She wanted to talk to Din.

            Din was shaking her head as Nayru walked in "What do you need now N?"

            "I've just heard something about our companion's sordid past."

            She looked up, "Well, I'm surprised you were the first one to say that. What did he do?"

            "I'm not sure exactly. Rumors mostly. Some how Nil picked up the reputation where if a body were found in the square you talk to him about it. He's been accused of almost every crime in the past two years."

            Din was interested now, and stood up, "What about before?"

            "Nothing. Its as if he didn't exist. At least in the rumor mill."

            "That's nothing. You know that dink I talked to the night we met him? The ugly one who couldn't take his lecherous eyes off of me?"

            "Wasn't his name Bogart?"

            "Whatever. He said that Chavez had been a part of the King's special knights until that whole incident with Agahnim. Then he was dishonored and brought back only as a guard."

            "I wonder. Think I should probe…?"

            "If it was important, or he intended to kill us he would have tried already. Unless he wants to have sex first."

            "Din!" Nayru said, trying to silence the other Goddess.

            "What? Oh, all right. You want to probe him? Did you consider asking him?"

            "I don't think he'd tell me."

            "Yea, and I thought this trip would take 10 minutes. Your point?"

            "Would you ask him?"

            "Personally? No. Its not my style."

            "C'mon."

            Din got up out of the chair and sighed. "Fine. Why do you need me?"

            "Aside from his normal psychic barriers, his mind is guarded by the essence of the Triforce of Power. You can…"

            "Oh no. I'm not diving into his mind. I'm not the one who wants to find out that badly."

            "So you feel completely at ease around him? You trust him with your life?"

Din rested her chin on her hand, "Why don't we back up a little bit and you tell me what it is you found out…"

*

The sun let its rays in through the small window, strategically placed to hit the bed no matter where you put it. Nil swore as he stirred from his usual round of nightmares. They hadn't been a problem when his nights were clouded in a mist of cheap rotgut booze. Fully aware of his state of undress and his near beheading last night because of that, he slowly eased out of bed, feeling awake and alert. His mood was a mix between confusion and bitterness. He wasn't quite sure what events led to what emotion, but he hadn't had anything to drink this morning.

            He blinked once at the pile of stuff laying around the room. That was his, usually safely tucked away in Mirax Terrik's Pawn shop. Oh, wait; He gave his check tickets to Nayru last night because he was garment less.

            He began to arrange the clothes as he would have every morning so many years ago. It had been awhile since his chain mail had seen the light of day. Certain traditions must be followed.

*

            Link awoke, much to his surprise, in a chair in the Goddess's room. That was not expected. And standing before him was Zelda and Farore. Where did Nayru and Din go?

            "Hey." He said rolling his stiff neck out, god he needed to start sleeping in beds, this chair and floor crap was killing him.

            "Hey? Hey? Is that all you have to say to me? Hey? I was afraid that something horrible had happened!"

            Link shrugged, "I wasn't worried for a micro second."

            Zelda eyed him carefully, Link would usually just apologize and move on with his life—no this was new, "Then you probably didn't understand the situation."

            He shrugged and got up, arching his back, the crack making everyone else in the room wince. He looked at the huge pile of weapons and nifty gadgets near the wall, but shook his head, he wasn't planning on getting into trouble this early…it was early wasn't it? He wished he had grabbed the room with the window.

            "Where is Din and Nayru?"

            "Engrossed in serious conversation for the first time in 10.2 eons."

            "You exaggerate." Link said, looking for his hat.

            Zelda broke in, "I just got done checking the prophesies, and this isn't anywhere in anything."

            Farore shrugged, "We didn't exactly plan this. We aren't even sure why it started happening. Kind of hard to tell some guy to write something we don't know will happen."

            Link felt his eye twitch, "Are you telling me that you knew my life was going to be this mess?"

            "Life is what you make of it, Linky-dear."

            "I'm going to check on Chavez, and enjoy some manly banter."

            "A long series of grunts and snorting noises." Zelda muttered.

            Farore chuckled and couldn't imagine Nil grunting or snorting. "Hey, Zelda, we're at kind of a loss for the location of the last piece, got any brilliant ideas?"

*

            Link slowly opened the door and was thoroughly confused. Nil was surrounded by pieces of an old-school chain mail armor set. Sitting cross-legged—naked in the center, he was reciting something under his breath.

            Link watched in utter fascination as Nil kept his eyes closed and he dressed himself in melee armor. Link knew what he was doing, but from what he heard about Chavez, found it unlikely.

            Hylian knights treated their armor as a reflection of themselves, so whether it was kept clean and shiny, or whether the bloodstains were little brown dots, you could learn a lot about a knight by checking his armor. Nil was in the process of completing the renewal rights, a ceremony where you spent three times as long suiting up because you have neglected your duties as a knight and want the Goddess's forgiveness. Personally Link thought that putting that much time into your armor was silly.

            Nil opened his eyes to look at Link, but didn't say anything. He finished clasping the armor in place and smiled at the fact that it still fit. Flexing his arms and taking a few steps, he was glad that he was still the same size as he was two years ago.

            "Something I can do for ya Link?"

            "No, I was just trying avoid the girls."

            He shrugged. "Whatever. We go to the forest next right?"

            "Yea."

            "I've never been there."

            "Most people can't get in. The Lost woods are a treacherous place. Most Hylians turn into Stalfos if they stay to long."

            "I don't suppose there is a way to prevent it?"

            "Ask one of the girls."

            Nil sighed. "They're something aren't they?"

            "Yea. If you had to use a word to describe them, what would you pick?"

            Nil smiled, "Beginning the deep thought just a little early are we? Ah, no matter. I'd just as soon say…one word huh…heavenly."

            "Good choice."

            Nil proceeded to take off most of his armor. He stared at the pile for a few seconds then started to put on some good adventuring clothes, which gives you plenty of room to move at the expense of protection.

Link watched him carefully. He saw something etched into the armor. It was Nil's coat of arms.

The coat of arms on his armor was a five-point star that hung from the flukes of an anchor with a central circular plaque depicting the Goddess of righteous war and wisdom, which would be Nayru, repulsing Discord. Under it was the lettering, "Personal Valor" It was an intricate coat of arms, and he wondered how it came to be.

"Nice coat of arms. I've never scene one so complicated before."

Nil smiled, picking up the breastplate. "Yea…My Great-grandfather had it designed after he was knighted by the King for his Valor on and off the battlefield."

"Off the battlefield?"

"Tulez Chavez was the kind of man who stopped any kind of injustice, wherever he found it. He would risk his life for strangers in trouble, even if they weren't held in the highest regard. Everybody was equal in his eye. Actually, in my opinion he was one of the few real heroes in the world."

            "So…you're a knight of Hyrule?"

            "Was. I was a knight. I got stripped of my title a few years ago. Remember Agahnim?"

            "Hrmm…just a little. Sounds familiar."

            "Yea, he was a sorcerer that caused that horrible drought a few years back, and then stopped it so he could become the king's…uh…aide or something. Well, he actually…"

            "I know who he is. I killed him."

            Nil stopped and looked at Link darkly. "Did you cause him a great deal of pain?"

            "Well…he was actually Ganon in disguise."

            "Hah. No wonder I couldn't kill him."

            Now it was Link's turn to stare, "You tried?"

            "He had a Gerudo in chains one night. Being the ever suspicious and vigilant protector of the peace I followed him. He had this really creepy alter set up and he was going to sacrifice her! The little bastard…so I try to give him a little steel through the back, and my sword shatters! Can you believe it? Probably, you had to fight the bastard, but hundreds of pieces. Cut me up so bad…"

            "Is that where the…uh?" Link gestured to the long scar on Nil's face.

            "No. Anyway, I get stripped of my title and thrown into the prison. When it was all over they let me out, but the King never gave me back my title. I guess he thought he was being generous giving me a guard job."

            "That sucks."

            Nil rolled his eyes, "Yea. To put it mildly, and that is my story as to why I'm ex-Sir Nil Chavez."

            Link said nothing, and watched Nil grab a sword and sling it on his back. He also grabbed the worn and tattered Hylian shield and slung it over the sword, akin to how Link wears his sword and shield. "Hey, Link. How did you kill him?"

            "I used the Master Sword to parry his energy balls back at him."

            "Oh." He turned to the door, "Lets go."

            "Where?"

            "To the Lost woods. All this nostalgia is making me remember things I do bad things to myself to make me forget. The sooner I get this triangle of the goddesses out of me the sooner I can be back at Havelock's Bar."

            "I don't suppose you've learned something from this or come to terms with your past?"

            "You're a good kid, but the only thing I've learned from this is that I can still make women hate me even when I'm sober and that there are levels of pain beyond which any Hylian should ever have to face."

            Link watched him walk out of the room. Sighing, he picked up the breastplate with the coat of arms on it. "Oh how the mighty have fallen. But that wasn't what broke your spirit was it Knight?"

*

            Farore watched Nil walk out of his room, not necessarily looking upset, but he wasn't exactly cheerful either.

            "Nil, you okay?"

            "I'm fine, I guess. If it isn't too much trouble, I'd like to leave for the Lost Woods sometime today. Whenever you three are ready."

            "Oh…well okay. When I find Nayru and Din I'll tell them."

*Hyrule Castle Town Graveyard

            "I didn't know that they had one here." Din mused as they walked down the path.

            It was actually a very bright and warm day, with the bright blue sky overhead. It didn't match the kind of weather you expected when walking in a graveyard.

            "Well, somebody must have decided it was to big a hassle to cart the carcasses to Kakariko." Nayru muttered.

            Din was never one for liking to sit still, so she insisted that they walked around as Nayru spilled the beans on what she had heard about Nil.

            "Now, I can understand why you got worried, and maybe even a little upset, but isn't Wisdom supposed to be, I dunno…the calm rational one? I overreact. Farore always manages to remain blissfully naïve, but you usually have a very rational and calculating way of handling crisis's such as this."

            "I know, but there is something about him that I can't quite place. And if puts me off."

            Din tossed her hair back and chuckled, "The fact that you don't know everything about him bothers you? This is the world of women and men."

            "No, usually you get a feel for a person from their aura and their spirit projections. Nil doesn't do that. He gives no clues as to what's going on inside his mind."

            "Oh, that. I thought it was a little odd, but he was an atheist as of three days ago. When you don't believe it's hard to project good images."

            "…Maybe you're right. Maybe you should be Wisdom."

            "Ha, right. Everybody, even Goddesses doubt a little sometimes. Its natural. Especially when were in bodies like these. Chemicals and hormones affecting our judgment."

            "Right. Hey—here it is."

            Nayru knelt by a small gray tombstone. It was barely noticeable compared to the other grave markers. It was just a small marble rectangle barely 8 inches tall.

Laura Chavez

Daughter, sister, mother

Do not be angry with me if I tell you the truth

            "A little over two years ago."

            "So…in relation to Nil, which is she?" Din asked.

            "Sister."

            Din looked to the left and right. "Parents on the right. Sibling in the middle. Niece on the left."

            "That's…so sad."

            "How did it happen?"

            "I'm not sure. All I heard was that everyone blamed Nil for it, but no one was left alive to press charges."

            The two Goddesses heard the jangling that Link made whenever he walked anywhere, it was almost trademarked. They stood up and brushed some grass off of their clothes. "Yes Link?"

            "I was looking for something."

            "Looking up Chavez's past?"

            Link scoffed and took a knee before the same marker that they had. He remained silent. After paying his respects, he stood. "Nil wants to leave for the Lost Woods today. I'm going with you."

            Link got up and walked out of the graveyard, keeping his eyes on the path.

            "He learned something."

            "And to not tell us, how rude."

            An old woman tapped Nayru on the shoulder. Both of the Goddesses turned and looked at her dubiously, "Yes?"

            Her voice was raspy and strained, but her message got across, "I think I should remind you that this is a graveyard, where people like to pay their respects to fallen loved ones, not the market square for your gossiping. Show some respect for the dead."

            Din looked around and saw a lot of people in black or darker colors leaving flowers or crying. A few had dark glares for them. While her first thought involved bloodshed and loud swearing, she also thought about how she wasn't exactly the glowing picture of divinity right now. She looked like any other Hylian…well, better than most Hylians, but still she looked mortal.

It was kind of rude for them to be conducting business as usual here—holy ground—of all places. She shouldn't have been so ignorant. "Nayru lets go."

* Hyrule Castle Town gate

            Nil and four horses were waiting by the gate when Farore, Nayru, Din, and Link walked up. He was sitting on the ground, a bottle of something in his hand. It appeared to be about half empty, but the glass was too dark to read accurately.

            "I got horses this time around. I assumed the hero had his own ride."

            "What is that?" Nayru asked, gesturing to the bottle as Din and Farore inspected the horses.

            "This? Nasty stuff, not good at all for a nice gal like you. You like white wine I bet."

            "I've never…"

            "Good, it's a horrible habit, first you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes you." He paused to take another swig, "But…come morning you won't remember why haven't killed yourself yet."

            "Drinking your memories away is nothing but hiding. An escape from the pain, when all you do is run away, you lead yourself to the point where it is either face it or jump off a cliff. By that time you are so used to running you jump without hesitation. It kills you. Why? For a few hours of bliss? To see you like that saddens me Nil."

            Nil grunted as he stood up and looked her right in the eye, his eyes not yet clouded by the alcohol consumed.

"Don't preach to me. I know exactly what this does to me, to you, to anybody. I've been a drunk long enough to recognize another one of my kind. When you can see the your problems in others, yet you hate what they have become, you have to realize that you hate yourself. When you hate yourself, you can't be love…or be loved."

            He put the cork back in the bottle and tossed it up, catching it by the neck. With a heave he tossed it as far into the Hyrule field as he could. Grabbing the reins of his horse, he jumped into the saddle. "Lets go."

            [There's hope for you yet.]

            'Shaddup'

* The Lost woods

            "I hate bugs. I hate this pine-scented air. I hate that music that's always playing. I hate the fact that the ground is wet and squishy, but not a swamp. I hate forests!"

            {What about trees? Do you hate trees?}

            "Of course I hate…no. I like trees, I make doors and such out of them."

            {You whine a lot for an evil king.}

            "I don't have a kingdom, so shut up. And I just happen to really hate the forest okay? Is that wrong? Not liking a certain landscape?"

            {Well…no. I suppose I can say I'm to fond of mountains, but you really hate forests.}

            "Yea. Now, which way to the Kokiri village? I want to kill some munchkins."

            {Now, yer talking. Umm…according to the directions Bob gave me, we should have been there already}

            "You gotta be kidding me. We're lost?"

            {Not lost. Temporarily misplaced.}

            Two hundred paces straight, Fifteen minutes left, and twelve steps right. Is it really that hard Majora?

            {"Bob?"}

            Yes, it's me. Now, follow those directions and find that Triforce piece. Your very lives depend on it.

            "Sure. Fine. Whatever." Ganondorf muttered and started counting his paces.

            {Hey! I just remembered one! What's the difference between Princess Zelda and a Mosquito?}

            "That's a dumb blonde joke."

            {But Zelda is a blonde.}

            "Crap. I just lost count."

            Thirty-five. GET MOVING!!

* Hyrule field, an hour out of Castle town.

            "Hey, Din. Do you still have the Master Sword?" Nil asked.

            "No, Link and I switched. He is a much better sword fighter than I am anyway."

            He nodded, "Farore, You still packing?"

            "Yea."

            "Nayru?"

            "I've still got the bow, why do you bring it up now?"

            "Just checking, Better to ask now, than when we're all fighting for our lives. Or has anyone else noticed that the creatures are getting bigger and nastier each time?"

            Everyone except Link raised his or her hands.

            "Yea. By the way, Link here." He tossed the Hookshot to the hero.

            "But, how did you…"

            "The Triforce works in mysterious ways Link, don't question it."

            "That's an awfully strong statement coming from you." Farore commented.

            "Well, I know I'm not exactly a religious leader, but you have to admit it does keep people from asking more questions."

            After a beat, the three Goddesses started laughing at this.

            Nil ignored them and moved his horse over by Link, "Tell me some about the forest."

            "Sure, what do you want to know?"

            "What's in there that can kill me?"

            He laughed, more like a chuckle of simple amusement. "Heh. The village is very safe, but the area surrounding area is full of Deku Scrubs, Wolfos, and those little black bird things…"

            "Are you sure? I thought those annoying black bird things were only around the lake."

            "Hrm…maybe. I haven't gone into the back woods in the longest time. I got this Ocarina that I use to magically warp places."

            "I think I experienced that. The sudden feeling of nausea that leaves you immobile for several minutes?"

            "Yea, that one."

            "You use that? Willingly?"

            Link shrugged, "When you are new to it, the benefits are few, but no matter what they say, you do get used it."

            "Yea…sure. So nothing too life threatening."

            "As long as you can swing a sword."

            "This bothers me. So far, the creatures have been kind of designed for existing in their area. I'm trying to figure out what it could be."

            "You worry to much—Aaahh!" Link dropped his reins and clutched his head. At the same time, Farore screamed in an even greater amount of pain.

            Din caught the green haired woman as she passed out, knowing what was wrong.

            "Link, what's wrong?" Nil asked, grabbing Link's reins.

            "We…gotta…get to the forest. Now."

* Kokiri Village

            The air crackled and snapped as the dark flames ate up the grass. Long dead trees turned into houses for tiny tenants were slowly burning, the smoke rising slowly into the sky. The high-pitched screams of children in terror made Ganondorf smile. He fired an energy blast at a retreating kid, barely up to his knee in height. Watching them try to defend themselves was laughable.

            {Do you ever feel…guilty?}

            "Not really, why?"

            {Well, you are trying to kill what appear to be young children.}

            "No, They're very old."

            {I know that, but physically.}

            "Oh, right. Well, they have high-pitched voices, and giggle. Doesn't that alone make you want to throttle them to death?"

            {Not really…}

            Ganondorf grabbed a boy with reddish hair by the head. His little head easily fit into his hand. He grinned as he began to squeeze, hearing the cracking of bones. His trill screaming was music to Ganondorf's ears.

            He dropped the child as a new pain ran up his leg; another forest child was holding a tiny knife and had just cut his hamstring. If it were not for his Demonic body, he wouldn't have been able to walk on that leg.

            "Heh, heh, heh. You want a piece of me?"

            "You leave my people alone. You're nothing but a bully."

            Ganon opened his mouth for a witty and spirit crushing retort, but he just closed his mouth and willed a Majora tentacle to appear.

            The tendril whipped the child across the small clearing, and Ganondorf laughed gleefully, watching the tree the child hit fall over from the impact.

            Soon all the children were in hiding, and Ganondorf was standing alone, amidst the firestorm he had created.

            He watched their little homes burn for a few minutes before he turned his head skyward, watching some pollen like substance fall and burn up before it hit the ground. He saw several unconscious and mortally wounded bodies-maybe even some dead. After seeming to revel in this destruction, he admitted something to his partner.

            "Majora…this isn't fun. I don't like doing it."

            {What?}

            "Before I was banished to the Golden Land I had control of the Triforce of Power. I took over the castle and was ruling the country with an iron fist. No one dared to oppose me; I could kill them in a heartbeat. Sometimes I just killed for the hell of it."

            {I'm with you so far…}

            "One day, about 3-4 years before Link showed up, this magician broke into my castle. He didn't try to attack me, he just talked to me."

            {What did he say?}

            "It didn't make any sense to me at the time, but now I think I get it, 'in the natural world, there is no such thing as boundless slaughter. The path you walk on has no end. Each step you take is paved with the corpses of your enemies. Their souls will haunt you forever. You shall have no peace."

            {Whoa. That's deep. What did you do to him?}

            "I killed him of course, but now…I think that I know what he means. I didn't try to take over Hyrule for power, or because I thought I could do better. I fought for the sake of killing, no loftier goals. I'm just looking for an excuse to kill as many people as I can. Unless I stop, I cannot save myself. Now that it's too late to save my soul I realize his words. Lets go. I disgust myself."

            He walked off into the Lost Woods, aiming for the Forest temple, the fire disappearing from the village as he disappeared into the trees.

* Half an hour later

            "Why did she collapse like that?" Nil asked, poking his toe into some ash.

            "Take a wild guess Nil." Din snapped, gesturing to the burnt clearing around them.

            "Fine." Nil knew when he wasn't needed. He walked off, a trail of ash billowing up behind him.

            As he walked around the small village he noticed the dark glares he got from the ageless children. He suspected that they would wish he had never come. Not like he did anything though.

            After his first lap, he was angry with Ganondorf, and even more so at himself. If he had been a stronger person at the beginning of this mess, Ganondorf would never have been looking for the pieces.

            "That's real productive, using my Twenty/twenty hindsight." He muttered, walking along a path to the top of a large hill. He saw a large footprint on the ground, big enough for an eight-foot tall total bastard.

            He gave a glance back at the girls, who were helping Farore, Link and the children. Priorities and all. He always came last.

            Scoffing at his selfishness he followed the footsteps. They went straight into the heavy forest.

            Din was watching over Link, He was conscious, but physically weakened. Farore was out cold, and by all rights she should be. All living things were her creation, and she had a high connection with them. And her close physical presence must have amplified her reaction to the sudden destruction and pain. Her breathing was evening out though and she'd probably be up within the hour.

            The forest was a different matter altogether. Nayru was helping the Kokiri, a lot of them were wounded, but the forest would have to recover on its own. She wished Ganondorf were here so she could turn the Biggoron's sword onto him.

            "Damn him, I'm going to slice off his head, stick it on a pike pole, and parade it around the golden land."

            "…Solving what?" Link asked breathlessly. He was kneeling with his hands just laying at his sides. He was devastated from the destruction his home had incurred, and he was worried about his friend Saria, who hadn't been seen since the attack started.

            "Technically nothing, but it would make me feel better."

            "…" Link looked around, taking in all the destruction. "Where's Nil?"

            "I don't know, I think he took a walk."

            "I hope he didn't enter the Lost Woods."

            Din looked around and didn't feel the presence of the Triforce that Nil had. It wasn't close by. "Aww, hell."

* The Lost woods, take four

            "I know I passed this pool of water before. At least four times now." Nil muttered, scribbling the turns he took this time to get here again on a scrap of parchment.

            He felt ill actually, but he couldn't tell whether it was from the scenes of destruction he'd seen earlier or lack of food or something. He scooped some water in his hands and took a drink.

            He picked the left trail again and started walking. Forests were actually nice places to be once you got past the whole 'getting lost in an unfamiliar location' He had already seen dozens of trees he couldn't even put his arms around.

            Still, the quiet was comforting in a weird sort of way, and when you walked under a patch of sunlight and you got that warm tingle…life was good.

            "I can see why people wouldn't want to leave."

            Nil came again to a fork in the path, and he thought long and hard about this.

            "Last time I went right. The two times before that I went left. Before that I went right. At least I know why it's called the Lost Woods."

            "Because it doesn't know where it is?"

            Nil frowned, "No, because you easily…get…lost…" Nil turned around looking for the speaker.

            "Uhh…hello? Anyone there?" He asked slowly, his hand reaching for the sword.

            "Actually you're hearing voices in your head."

            Nil swore and hit his head against a tree, "By Din's fire! Not more voices! I can't stand it? Why can't I be sane?"

            "Hey! I'm joking! I didn't know you actually heard voices."

            Nil leaned against the tree. "Well, I do. Now could you come out of wherever it is you're hiding so we can talk face to face?"

            "I did silly. Look to your right."

            Nil did as instructed, and saw a light blue glowing ball of light with transparent wings. If he concentrated enough he could see a human shaped figure inside the glow.

            "For Nayru's love…what are you?"

            "You got this far into the forest and you've never seen a fairy?"

            "At the beginning of this week I was an atheist. I'm seeing a lot of new stuff."

            "Right…"

            "I'm Nil Chavez."

            "Navi."

            "Cute name."

            "Gee…thanks."

            "What are you doing out here?"

            "None of your business."

            "Okay…fine. I won't pry. Why bother me?"

            "I pity you. I figured that as my good deed for the day I'd take you to the Sacred Forest Meadow. You aren't a bad guy are you?"

            "Not really. If you had to judge me by the company I got right now, I'm one of the good guys."

            "I only see one of you."

            "I left them back at the Kokiri Village. Link and Farore took the damage pretty badly. I saw Ganondorf's footprints and tried to follow them…"

            "Why does that name sound familiar? Link…like a name from long ago."

            "Maybe a past life?"

            If Nil squinted and tilted his head he might have seen the fairy roll her eyes, "I don't put much stock in that reincarnation, then again, most fairies don't."

            "Well, I was just throwing things out there."

            "Uh-huh."

            Nil stood up, wishing he could arch his back, but the shield and sword got in the way, "Okay. So, Navi, are you going to show me how to navigate this place?"

            "Its not that hard, you just have to have a good sense of direction. Compasses don't work in the forest."

            "I see. So…left or right?"

            "Left."

            Nil shrugged and let the Fairy lead the way. He was meeting all sorts of new people this week.

* 134° latitude, 64° Longitude—or—Middle of nowhere in the Lost woods

            "I know a short cut he says. Trust me he says. Majora, next time I want directions from Bob, Stop me."

            {Hey, I've never been here before, don't look at me. I don't know why Bob got the directions wrong; he got us to the village all right.}

            "Yea, yea…God I hate this. Trudging through the forest with at least ten minutes from anything resembling a path…Damn it all." He stopped moving for a minute and finally said, "All right I give, what's the difference between Princess Zelda and a mosquito?"

            {Eh? OH! Once you slap it, the mosquito stops sucking.}

            "That's pretty bad."

            {Fine, you tell me a joke then.}

            "All right, before going into the desert, three Hylians discussed what they wanted to bring. The first Hylian said, 'I'll take water in case we get thirsty.' The second Hylian said, 'I'll take food in case we get hungry.' The third Hylian said, 'I'll bring a carriage door. If we get hot, I'll open the window.'"

            {Ha ha, that's pretty good. Not bad at all for a dead guy.}

            Ganondorf walked in the forest, letting his feet guide him. A long time ago, he was lost in the desert completing the rights to become Gerudo King. He had just trusted his feet and he found the Spirit Temple, it worked for him then; maybe his feet could find something again.

            There was a secret grotto in the ground in the tall grass he was wading through. He didn't see it, nor did Majora notice it. He wasn't even aware what had happened until he had landed on his back after a twenty-foot fall.

            The Grotto was dark, as most grottos are, but it was amazingly expansive. He guessed it was about a quarter the size of the town square. There was a large amount of moss on the walls, making it slick. Dry gravel crunched under his feet.

            {I got a bad feeling about this George.}

            "Who?"

            {It's a Of Mice and Men joke, never mind.}

            "Right…"

            There was a horrible stench, like the smell of rotting trees and/or flesh. And when you have rotting flesh/plant, it can only be Deku scrubs or Business scrubs.

            Ganondorf formed a ball of energy in his hand, using it as a light. The gravel ceased being gray, and became a blackish red. He saw a grayish eggshell, if eggs were four feet wide, cracked in half, mucus like material coating the inside.

            {G, some big yet still small thing was in there.}

            "Yea. It couldn't still be here could it?"

            {You jinxed it.}

            Ganondorf looked to his right and left, and on the left he saw the remains of two business scrubs, which he would have otherwise assumed were piles of shredded roast beef. The only sign that they were once Scrubs were the leafy green hat things.

            It started out quiet, a slow hissing sound, much like a snake, but it grew more intense and you could feel the bass in its voice as it snarled and snapped.

            Ganondorf felt a terrible pain in his midsection as he flew across the grotto, landing opposite the Scrubs. He couldn't feel his legs, and as he looked at them, he realized they weren't there. His view began to get fuzzy and before he passed out he saw a quintuplet of blood red eyes with golden irises.

* Kokiri Village

             "He left? On his own? That idiot!" Nayru exclaimed, covering her eyes.

            Link shrugged, "He probably wandered off, and without realizing it, got lost or something. No big deal."

            "Link, have you forgotten the fact there is something big and ugly in the forest that is drawn to the pieces of the Triforce Nil has inside him?" Din asked slowly, clearly enunciating each word.

            "I'm going after him then." Link declared, standing up, and stumbling back down.

            "Uh-huh. You are still weak for some reason. Farore isn't up either. Someone has to stay with you two."

            Nayru stood up, "I'll go. Seeing as I'm the only one who really cares."

            She walked off into the forest, leaving Din and Link to watch over Farore and the littl'uns.

            "Oh yea. She likes him."

            Link rolled his eyes, "Sure Aphrodite. Or maybe she just doesn't want to see anybody die today."

            Din let out a sigh of exasperation before whispering, "A little late."

            "The hardest part about being a hero is not being able to do anything but watch when you are too late."

* Sacred Forest Meadow

            Nil backpedaled as the Wolfos lunged for him. After it leapt, he sidestepped it, driving his sword into its back.

            It gave a desperate howl before it collapsed into a dead sack of flesh and fur. Nil gave his sword a hard yank to get it out before finding a place to wipe it off.

            "Hey, thanks for showing me that sidestep trick."

            The fairy flitted around his head, settling on his shoulder, "You're welcome."

            Nil felt the ground shake a little, an impact tremor not to far off. He peered around the corner and didn't see anything. He lost that chill that the shade usually provided. His arms tingled with an all to familiar sensation. Taking a quick look down his shirt, he saw the Triforce mark pulsing.

            "Aw man…" Now he was beginning to see why the others had it on their hands, it would make it a whole helluva lot easier.

            As if on command, the mark shifted to his right hand, still pulsing though it was quicker.

            "Oh, the faster it pulses, the closer the thing is…"

            Navi peeped up, "Say what?"

            "Oh, nothing much just a monster coming to kill me and assimilate the pieces of Triforce in me."

            "…I don't think I want to hear this story."

            Nil looked around, "Where is the bastard?"

            The mark was just glowing now it had to be close. Nil eased forward into the path leading up to the Forest temple entrance. It was a convoluted winding path with lots of dead man corners. It was hard to see anything around them.

            Just seconds after stepping into the path a large, and by large he meant twenty feet tall, quadruped (which he later named Billy Bob) landed behind him, effectively blocking his escape.

            On the bottom of legs as thick as really big tree trunks with sharp bony protrusions were cloven hooves were as large as dinner plates. To liken the torso to a human would be…inaccurate.

            The upper portion seemed to be in a continuous state of change. Its body was swollen and rippling with strange muscles, the bare chest puffed and bloated with its endless scream. Of its four arms the upper right arm was 6 feet longer than its left, the stained bone claws jutting from the pulsing hand. The left arm ended in a six fingered clawed hand. The other two arms were basically tentacles about as thick as Nil's legs and 7 feet long give or take. A bulbous tumor in its right bicep looked like a jeweled stone, but it was so covered in slime that it was hard to tell.

The head looked like a human's (in terms of shape and proportion), but the five blood red eyes—two on each side—and one in the center of its forehead, the irises that glowed with soft light and pointed fangs sticking from its lipless mouth made any attempts to call it humanoid a spectacular failure.

            The two bearers of the Triforce of Power stood in silence for a few moments before Nil said, "That doesn't resemble anything from a forest."

* Billy Bob's pit

            {Ganondorf! Yo! G! Wake up you!}

            "Ugghh…is it bad?"

            {Your legs and waist are over there. See?}

            "No, not really…owww…" Ganondorf propped himself up, noticing how his torso had stopped bleeding before he redied of blood loss.

            "Oh, the wonders of being the living undead."

            {Living…undead? I don't think that's right.}

            "Shaddup."

            {You know, I'm starting to disapprove of that word. Shut up is much more effective and it doesn't make you sound like a lousy bum.}

            "…" Ganondorf put forth a great amount of effort to crawl the thirty feet to his severed legs. He figured in ten minutes he'd be knitted back together and out of this hellhole in ten minutes.

            "I'm thirsty."

            {Loosing half your blood tends to do that.}

            "Is that what that sticky mess on the floor is?"

            {I certainly hope so, otherwise…eww…}

            Ganondorf grabbed his booted foot and drug the severed lower body towards him. "Note to self: Next time, Repent on deathbed."

* Sacred Forest Meadow

            Nil bounded around the corner as Billy Bob swung its huge right claw at him, turning up the ground like water. His boots slid on the grass and he stumbled losing precious seconds.

            "Nil, Hurry!" Navi shouted, flying around the corner.

            All Nil concentrated on was following the fairy about fifteen feet ahead of him. He'd been alive long enough to know that when you look back, you get dead. He also knew that he was pretty fast when faced with a situation like this.

            The path was a series of short straightaways connected by ninety-degree turns. Nil doubted that Billy Bob cornered well, but he was already surprised how fast that four-legged bastard could run. If it were not for the fact that the path was a little narrow for him Nil would be dead now.

            He blinked once when he saw Navi disappear into the side of the wall. Undaunted, he ran after her and followed her through the smaller path to move onward.

            Unbeknownst to Nil and Navi, Billy Bob actually was fairly intelligent. He knew that he had no chance of getting the Triforce while the little fleshie ran away, so he would give chase, but not expend all his energy in doing so. When his prey disappeared into the wall, he just jumped over it, much to his prey's surprise.

            "Sweet mother of Din!" Nil muttered as the several ton creature leapt over the wall.

            When he reached the end of the path and leapt up the stairs two at a time, he noticed that Billy Bob had enough room to get up to speed in this section. Shoving the thought aside he ran faster, his breath shallow and his legs feeling like rubber.

            There was another staircase at the end, and he practically jumped up it, but Billy Bob stomped his feet as he landed, the tremor knocking him off balance. Nil fell forward, knocking his head on the stone staircase.

            His head pounding, but fear of death overwhelming his pain, he pulled himself up, wiping some blood out of his eyes.

            "Duck!"

            Nil flung himself down and forward His arms covering his head. Billy Bob had whipped his tentacles out at him so fast that they cracked the air.

            "All right boyo you want a piece of me? Huh?" Nil taunted as he drew his sword and readied his shield, looking for a weak spot in Billy Bob's golden armor. He was already out of breath, and his swing would be worth nothing, but he wasn't going without a fight.

            Billy Bob reared back on his two hind feet and roared, accepting the challenge.

*Ten feet from Billy Bob's pit

            Nayru skidded to a stop when she heard the heavy breathing coming from the long grass. The sound was most definitely human, but much deeper than Nil's voice. She slowly approached it, and nocked an arrow just in case.

            "Ganondorf!"

            "Aww Hell." He muttered, opening his eyes. "Could you try to kill me later? I really feel like the heel of my boot right now."

            "You…I should kill you where you stand…er…lay."

            "What? Are you upset because of the munchkins? I'm not going to apologize, and I really think that you have more pressing concerns. Some big monster just sliced me in half down there in that pit over there."

            Nayru looked at Ganondorf's waist, and he looked fine, even though his armor and clothes had a nice tear in them at waist level. "You got torn in half?"

            "Well…I got better." He offered humbly, "But anyway, it has got to be looking for your carrier and if it could rip me in half…"

            "Why should I believe you?"

            "I owe him one from the lake."

            Nayru considered her options. She could engage in a grueling battle of immense proportions with him right now, or she could believe him. She eased off the bow and glared at him, "Sometimes I wonder about you Ganondorf."

            She disappeared in a flash of blue light.

            {Well, you got out of it alive.}

            "Shut up."

            {You know? I'm not getting any recognition for my part in this trip. I think I should be able to talk to others.}

            "I'm not letting you speak to others. I'm not evil enough to let the world suffer like that."

            {That's harsh. Well, how about we change our name to something more appropriate? I've been thinking about it…Ganjora.}

* Sacred Forest Meadow

            Nil's shield absorbed most of the claw strike, but he wasn't fast enough to dodge the tentacle as it wrapped around his waist. Billy Bob picked him up and started to swing at him again.

            As the left hand came down, Nil blocked it with his shield, and ran the sword through the palm of the right hand that was trying to blindside him. In response, it squeezed him tighter.

            "Nil, cut the tentacle!" Navi shouted.

            Nil smiled. He'd be dead by know if it wasn't for that fairy. She seemed to be able to predict Billy Bob's moves and helped him aim.

            He had complied instantly, and with little flourish Nil brought the sword down on the tentacle slicing it through, and dropping him to the ground.

            He squirmed his way out of the convulsing limb watching Billy Bob back up. The big monster glared at him, but made no move forward. That was how it had been for the past twenty minutes, Nil not having the strength to attack him, but Billy Bob not being able to get close enough to kill him.

            He tried to catch his breath, save his energy for the next wave. Sitting down on a stump furthest away from Billy Bob, Nil waited for the thing to try something new.

            Both of the warriors heard the whimper, but only Nil recognized it. It was the cry of a small child.

            He looked behind the destroyed staircase and saw a girl, about ten or so dressed in green.

            "Fuck." he muttered, knowing that by making a sound she had made herself a target. His only choice now was to take the fight to ole' William Robert over there, and keep him away from her. Still, he wasn't about to risk letting the poor kid get hurt.

            "What's your name kid?" He asked, standing up. Billy Bob was alternating its gaze from him to the staircase.

            "I'm Saria."

            "All right, I'm Nil Chavez. That little blue dot by my head is Navi. You okay?"

            "Yea…I'm fine. But why…?"

            "Later, okay? Take my shield, because when the parts start flying, it'll hold up better than those ancient rocks." He tossed the shield on the ground.

            He also removed the scabbard and his over shirt. He twirled the sword once and charged Billy Bob.

            There was the clash of steel against bone and the battle began anew.

* Kokiri Village.

            "Hey, Link! She's getting up!"

            Link and a couple of forest kids gathered around Din and Farore.

            Farore stirred slowly, mostly holding her head and groaning in pain for a few seconds.

            "Ugh…the pain…it was a slaughter."

            "Yea." Din said, pulling her companion up. Farore wobbled a bit, but finally stood up.

            "Where's Nayru? And Nil?"

            "Nayru went to look for Nil, who disappeared shortly after we got here."

            Farore shook her head. This was never good, getting separated like this. Nayru was probably searching the Lost Woods, and if you didn't know exactly where you were standing and exactly where you were going you'd become lost. And with that creature here… This was a mess.

            "We have to go get them. Lord only knows what kind of things they're going to run into in there."

            Link drew the Master Sword. "My sword arm is still too weak. I don't get it, Usually I recover faster than this."

            Din nodded, "That is odd. Farore, you were out for the better part of four hours. I don't think it was just the psychic feedback."

            "Could it be Ganondorf?"

            "I don't think so." Link stated, putting the sword away, "He hates such indirect approaches."

            "An adverse effect of the Triforce monster?"

            "Then why aren't you affected?"

            Din shrugged, "Maybe it's a bad plot device."

* Sacred Forest Meadow

            Nil threw himself to the side, rolling as he landed. The impact stretched the cuts on his back and stomach, but he was still breathing so he could keep on going.

            Billy Bob and him had been going at it for so long it was all blurring together. Bill would lash out, He would defend and maybe kick him or something. Either way, he was slowly losing, then who knows? Maybe Din would kill it and get her favorite triangle for herself.

            As Billy Bob swung his super clawed hand at Nil, he didn't have time to move. He weakly thrust his sword in the way, but Billy Bob wasn't going to be stopped by just a sword through the palm this time.

             To be honest, he didn't hear the sharp musical twang of the Fairy Bow. All he noticed was that Billy Bob was no longer attacking him.

            Nayru was nocking and releasing arrows as fast as she could, about thirty a minute. Some of them struck flesh, some didn't. Most snapped uselessly against its armored hide.

            Billy Bob roared in defiance and jumped into the air, landing behind Nayru and its now five-fingered hand reached out for her.

            "No!" Nil shouted. He threw the sword like a javelin at Billy Bob, striking it in the front left eye. As blood and water like eye juices flowed Billy Bob halted its attack for a second or two giving Nil the time needed to tackle Nayru, the impact sending both of them sliding along the ground, away from Billy Bob.

            "Good afternoon, welcome to Hell, may I take your order?" Nil wheezed as he rolled off of her.

            "No, I'm quite full right now, though can I have the free water?"

            Billy Bob shook his head trying to force the sword out of his face. He slowed down and reached with its arms.

Nayru, Nil, and Navi appropriately used the distraction to hide behind the remains of the staircase, catching their breath. Nil looked over at Saria, who had Nil's shield on her back.

            "How's that working out for you?" Nil asked

            "…F-fine, thank you. Are you all right? I thought it was over when you got the backhand."

            "I was damn lucky that yellow bastard didn't kill me with that one."

            Nayru peeked over the edge, "He's not moving. I hope he drives that sword even deeper."

            "Hey, this is a situation involving me here, knowing my luck as of late he's going to divide into two of them." Nil muttered, holding his side, "You have any more arrows?"

            "I got…seven." She said, checking the quiver.

            "Seven? Damn it all. I don't suppose you can call down bolts of lightning or something?"

            "No. Din is closest we have and she is pyrokinetic."

            Billy Bob was still clawing at the sword, finally succeeding in shaking it out of its head. Now, that particular eye wasn't that important, but he did lose some of his situational awareness.

            Nil spotted his sword across the clearing, the handle sticking up from the dirt. "If we can't kill it with the arrows then I'll need my sword, but he'll get me before I get to it."

            Nayru's eyes lit up, "I'll get your sword. You'll have to cover me though."

            "What?"

            "I have a spell that will protect me from physical harm, but if he hits me across the clearing I'm pretty much screwed. Plus I'm not bleeding from at least four holes."

            Preferably he would have not put her directly in Billy Bob's path should he miss seven times in a row. He gave a look at his stomach. She was right. Nil was getting tired of her being right. Which was most of the time he was noticing. "All right. I'm a novice archer at best though so I'll only be able to distract him."

            Nayru formed a small blue sphere of light in her hand before she threw it up around her, a large diamond shaped shield formed around her. She looked at Nil who held the nocked bow horizontally.

            "You go girl."

            Nayru took off running faster than he could when he wasn't wounded. After watching for a second Nil rose from his hiding spot and aimed the bow.

            "Nil, let me help you aim." Said Navi, flitting out from behind Nil's head.

Navi danced around Billy Bob's head and torso. Nil felt the bow pull in a direction and on instinct released.

            The arrow got the right back eye. Billy Bob ceased his chase to roar in pain.

            Normally he would have dropped the bow in disbelief, but Nayru was only halfway to the sword. He let out a deep breath and let that unseen force pull the bow.

            The shot would have gotten another eye, but Billy Bob was dodging now. Its head shifted to the left, the arrow bouncing off of a hard skull.

            Nil nocked and fired the bow two more times, both missing the creature's only visible weak spot, the eyes.

            Billy Bob figured out that the first shot was a fluke, and if he turned his head fully away from the archer, he wouldn't get blinder. He turned to chase after Nayru, who had pulled the sword out of the ground, and held the grip with two hands.

            Nil frowned, but he shot another arrow, this one making a hollow 'tink' as it shattered on the jewel in Bob's arm.

            The giant creature swung its hand down and knocked Nayru back, but her spell held tight, as no blood or limbs went flying. She staggered up, trying to wield off the vicious blows, but she was lighter and not as physically strong so she was continually pushed back.

            Nil gritted his teeth and shot another arrow, this one landing a solid hit in its flank, but it only gave a half glance before returning to its target. Nayru's shield was beginning to crack and shrink.

            Nil grabbed the last arrow, and swore to himself. His arms were trembling and he couldn't hold the bow straight to save his life. Only it wasn't to save his life, it was to save Nayru's. His vision was getting blurry from all the overworking of his body, and blood loss.

            Though the words made no sense to Nayru, Navi, Saria, or Billy Bob, Nil shouted them with such resolve that they all believed him,

"Never again!"

He pulled back on the string and released the arrow; its path not aimed at any particular vital spot, but for the space between the armor scales on Billy Bob's upper torso back. When Billy Bob reached with an arm, the plates shifted enough to expose real flesh.

            The arrow sank up to the feathers, the blood making a fine spray. Billy Bob stopped his assault on the divine woman to roar in pain. The arrow landed in such a spot that it caused it great amounts of pain to move its huge claw arm. It glared at Nil and for a moment Nil saw something, a flicker.

            There was no time to ponder on the emotions that the look had on him, because Nayru jumped up and cleanly sliced off Billy Bob's head, the blood arcing and spurting all over the clearing. With a spasmodic twitch, Billy Bob's body collapsed before exploding in golden light.

            As Nayru stepped from the smoke Nil just stopped and stared. Despite her tunic being draped in blackish blood and his equally bloodied sword in one hand, when she flipped her long blue hair over her shoulder and smiled, she looked absolutely stunning.

            "How does she always manage to look so good?" he whispered to no one in particular.

* Five minutes later

            No sooner did the echoes of the Minuet of Forest fade away did the shouting begin. Nil wished he could cover his ears, but that wouldn't solve anything and Din would probably hit him for it. He gave a look over at Nayru, who was leaning on the remains of a pillar and she just smiled and shrugged in that way that told him, 'Don't worry about it'.

Din was angry, mostly because she didn't get to kill anything. She was also angry with Nayru for being so reckless, and infuriated at Chavez for being Chavez and getting hurt again, being useless, and making Nayru do all the hard work. While not exactly true, it helped her vent frustration and express her dislike of Chavez at the same time.

            Looking around, Farore didn't say anything, she only smiled when she saw that they were all right, and was impressed when she realized just exactly what Nil did. She missed one helluva fight.

            Link was just confused. Everything he was seeing was just blowing his mind away. Nothing like this ever happened when he went on quests. His confusion soon turned to shock when he saw the little blue fairy floating around next to Nil.

            "Navi?"

            The fairy flitted over to him, "Hello…who are you?"

            "But…I…then…you…gone…but…here now…me go…Termina…and you were in the lost woods the whole time? Ow…my head hurts."

            The three Goddesses shared a look and Nayru sighed. "She doesn't remember you fully Link. Only three people…" she paused for a minute before continuing, "…yea, that's right…anyway, three people who happen to be the bearers of the Triforce at the time were actually capable of remembering. Everyone else forgot what happened during those seven years and events thereunto."

            "Is that why she left?"

            "Pretty much. You appear in a large building with a stranger, you get the heck out, simple isn't it?"

            Link sat down, "Yea, I suppose…still…it kinda sucks."

            Nil looked over at Saria who was in a similar state of confusion, "I have no idea what the hell is going on, how about you?"

            "Not a clue. Is it always like this?"

            "No, sometimes they take the time to explain it to the uninformed, but not usually. I try to leave the Triforce-ish questions alone."

            "I see…no…I don't see, never mind."

* Hyrule field

"When Bob kills us, do you think the ground will open up or he'll rain fire and brimstone?"

            {Personally, I would just concentrate on getting the hell out of here. If he can't find us, he can't kill us.}

            "Did you forget that he can psychically contact us at any time? Or how about the fact that he knows where we are at all times? How else could he give us directions?"

            {Oh yea...crap.}

            "We're all gonna die."

            {Technically, we can't die again. You see the metaphysics of the living redead, as you have obviously died more than once…}

            Ganondorf ignored his loquacious partner and started some serious thinking. Death = judgment in afterlife. That means you have no physical body, only spirit. Wayward spirits are often called Poes. They often appear in shadows before taking a seeable form, hence the name Shadow temple…}

            "By Jove I think I got it! The next piece is going to be in ghost form! A shadow, like the temple behind Kakariko graveyard!"

            {Were you even listening? I figured it out; we're just short of Gods!}

            "Goddesses, why do I even bother?" He asked the sky.

* Sacred Forest Meadow

            "…And then she cuts Billy Bob's head off." Nil concluded, waving at the expansive destruction around them.

            "I can't believe you're letting him name it Billy Bob." Link said, who was quietly talking to Saria up to this point.

            "Fine, since Nayru killed it, she can name it." Nil sighed, inspecting his over tunic. Since he shucked it earlier in the battle, it wasn't as badly damaged as his under shirt, but the black fabric was specked with dried blood. He flicked some blood off of it and put it back on.

            "Nil, you should probably try to relax a little, you'll disturb your wounds." Nayru chided. She was a little concerned, seeing as he outright declined her offer to help heal his wounds. Apparently Nil Chavez's typical male pride had chosen to resurface, "And anyway, I really don't care what it is named because it's dead, and there won't be any more things like it. Okay?"

            Link shrugged, "Billy Bob doesn't really convey the horrible monster you described."

            Nil grabbed his sword from the ground and buffed the blade on his sleeve, "Would you prefer something long winded and hard to remember that people are just going to find a corny nickname for because they are too lazy to remember the real name? I seem to remember someone referring to something as 'black bird things' earlier today."

            "Fine, you killed a horrible monster named Billy Bob, now what?"

            "I killed it, thank you very much, and he just helped."

            Din sighed, "I agree with Link, whoop-de-dang-do. What did you think we were here for, finding true love? William Robert's timely death was the preferred outcome. Now what do we do?"

            Farore looked around, "Did you get the Triforce piece?"

            Nil flinched, "Uhh…no, not yet."

            Nayru chuckled and scratched the back of her head, "Well…we couldn't find it."

            "You people, I swear to my mother…" Din muttered and looked around the clearing. "Eh…random thought here. What if that wasn't the Triforce monster?"

            "Oh, hell no. You didn't see the look in its…eyes." Nil stopped speaking and was staring at Din.

            "What?"

            "Billy Bob's eyes…blood red with golden irises. They reminded me of you." He said quietly, sitting back down and resting his chin on his hand. He seemed to be in deep thought.

            Din didn't know whether to be hurt or intrigued by his admission. She slowly walked up to Nil and took a seat next to him on the stump.

            "How?"

             He glanced at her with his eyes and whispered to her, "Sorrow. The kind you feel when you know that it's over and your goal is forever unattainable."

            "None of my goals are unattainable."

            Nil then turned and looked at her, then he turned his head to Link before getting up. "Maybe I'm wrong."

            As he walked off to search the meadow, Din watched him, "Not as much as I'd like you to be."

            Nil was the one to find the Triforce piece, but instead of just reaching for it and taking it into himself, he waited. He knelt before it and watched. He pondered why it would float to him sometimes, or they would just sit there.

            Now that he thought about it, he never really got a good look at the Triforce, piecemeal or otherwise. He took the opportunity while he had it.

            It was a brilliant golden yellow, more yellow than gold. It glowed dimly, a rhythmic pulsing sensation that he timed to be in sync with his own heartbeat.

            "How is it that we are linked?"

            [Normally, the Triforce will split when an unbalanced person touches it. The Goddesses forced it to split and since its destined carrier was not alive at the moment, it had to randomly pick one. Though you won't believe me, you like being powerful. You think power is more important than most other things.]

            'If you have enough power you can stop things from happening. If you are weak, you can't help anyone, not even yourself.'

            [I guess it's more correct to say you hate weakness, and the opposite of weakness is power.]

            "Yea. Sure." He reached out and the triangle was absorbed into him. He instantly felt better, and out of curiosity, he looked at his arm. The scratches and cuts were gone. Replaced by flawless skin.

            His eyes got wide and he checked his 'bum' arm. The scar from his fight with Big Ugly was still there. He relaxed.

            [What is it? Don't you want to be better?]

            'When you heal, you should be taking time to reflect on why you have to be healed. When its done for you in seconds and leaves no reminder of your mistakes, or your victories, is there a point to even being wounded at all?'

            He got up and told everyone he got it. 'Besides, when this is all over and they leave, I'll still be able to look at those scars and remember them.'

            [You seem to know that they will leave you.]

            'They are young and beautiful, with lives ahead of them. The average life of a Hylian guard is twenty-two. I'm two years too old.'

            [Have faith in yourself Nil Chavez, and perhaps some faith in a higher power.]

            'Don't push me Essence.'

            As he walked back to the group, he noticed Din was looking at him oddly. Well, he seemed to have gotten her attention somehow. Now if only he could survive her scrutiny.