Disclaimer: As per usual. I don't own Zelda. Nintendo do.

A.N: Hey howdy hey, I'm back! Whoop whoop whoop! Exams are over, I have weeks of free time on my hands and a whole heap of fanfiction up my sleeves! And it appears that I have exclaimationitis! Oh well. I'm happy, I got my Gamecube for my birthday! YAY! Which is the reason why I've been a bit quiet on the fanfiction front. That and the fact that my mother has taken up the task of running an entire horse show by herself, (I get an official badge!) and my little sis has been playing polo like there's no tomorrow and I've been dragged along to watch (willingily, you have no idea how gorgeous some of those guys are!) AND I've had writer's block. Sorry!

OK, now to the story. This is part four of the saga. "Four?" I hear you cry, "But there's only three stories in this saga so far!" Well, you forget that there's still the Pre-prequel and that'll be out soon, I'm just thinking that I'll do a George Lucas and release that once the fifth instalment is finished, just when you think that I've abandoned you. Not that I'd ever do that of course ^_^!

I realise that this might have a bit of a slow start compared to the last two fics. The pace will pick up as soon as Orla is seven, but for the first two chapters she will be five years old and having a bit of a hard time, poor little mite. Just bare with me. Also, there's going to be a lot of stuff in italics inserted in conversations. This is because Link and Zelda have a psychic bond and can communicate without words for those situations when they want to talk in private, which they will be doing a lot. I've used it before but I just wanted to make absolutely certain that people understood my madness.

So without further ado, allow me to introduce you to part four of the saga.

Endeffera

By anime animal

Chapter 1: The Darkness

An open log fire blazed in the circular chamber that made up the private residence of the priestess Griselda de la Lune. The night was cold and the seventy eight year old woman had become increasingly aware that she was slowing down by being acutely sensitive to the cold in her joints. Her appearance might still have been that of a young woman, but inside she could not disguise the fact that she was getting old.

"Did you see her?"

Petranella looked at her mother eagerly, her face a mixture of concern for the older woman's welfare and also of excitement at the prospect of new information.

"It was hard not to." Griselda replied, sipping from the beaker of tea that had been offered to her earlier. "Some day you must visit yourself, it would not cause alarm."

Petranella nodded but continued to uphold her expression of anticipation.

"Some day I shall, but in the meantime I wish to know of your visit."

Griselda sighed and threw another log onto the fire.

"Every time I see that child she grows all the more enchanting." She said, smiling fondly. "She has the look of her father about her, although she has much of her mother's beauty to her credit. As the tournament finished with her father's victory she tore into that arena as fast as her legs could carry her, throwing snow up everywhere and soaking her dress but with a smile on her face that could melt even the heart of winter. She adores that man you know, absolutely adores him."

Petranella smiled.

"I'm not surprised. From what I have heard the Prince adores her too, and Zelda's sentiments are the same in both attributes."

"She is with child again."

"I had heard." Petranella smiled. "It will be soon, won't it?"

"Indeed." Griselda agreed. "Any day now I'd say."

Petranella ignored the slight flatness to her mother's tone and took up her embroidery.

"That will be nice for the little one. I remember how pleased I was when Cordelia was born, it always gives a child a sense of responsibility..."

"Orla does not need responsibility." Griselda snapped, taking her daughter by surprise. "The child has enough balancing on her shoulders as it is without her parents foolishly introducing a second child to the world."

Petranella placed her embroidery back on her lap, looking up at her mother with confused eyes.

"I'm not sure I understand."

Griselda sighed and closed her eyes.

"There are many strong emotions in the world that can lead to conflict." She said slowly. "Hate. Fear. Anger. Love. As it stands Zelda's daughter has not yet been corrupted by any of these afflictions with the exception of love which, as you and I both know, can be both nurturing and destructive. This has not been harming the child, but with the arrival of this new babe a new and powerful force will be introduced that could throw everything off balance and quite possibly bring Orla's powers towards the surface."

"What force is that?" Petranella asked.

"Jealousy."

******

"Ranny?"

"Yeah?"

"Where do babies come from?"

Clad in her night-dress, Princess Orla sat upright at the top of her bed looking eagerly to her knowledgeable elder cousin who was at the foot of the bed for the answer to the question.

Ranlink scratched his head thoughtfully and paused.

"Why?"

Orla shrugged.

"Because Mama told me to ask Daddy and Daddy told me to ask Mama and I don't think they know so I'm asking you because you know everything."

Ranny smiled at having his genius acknowledged and stuck his chest out importantly.

"Babies come from the Great Fairies." His announced. "The Mommy and the Daddy have to go to the Great Fairy and then she gives them a magic spell and puff!"

"Puff?" Orla asked, tilting her blonde head to one side and raising an eyebrow sceptically.

"Puff, there's a baby in the Mommy's tummy." Ranny announced, looking extremely pleased with his explanation.

Orla frowned.

"Are you two still awake?"

Link was leaning against the door frame and looking at the two children with an amused look on his face. Orla looked slightly sheepish as did Ranny, who was hiding underneath the blanket.

"We can't got to sleep now Daddy, we're too excited!" Orla laughed, hugging her father as he sat down on the bed beside her.

"Excited about what?" Link asked, pulling the blanket off his nephew and earning a surprised squeak.

"Everything." Ranny said. "Show us how you did that thing again Uncle Link!"

Link smiled and shook his head.

"Sorry kid, but your aunt would kill me if I did that inside."

Ranny looked crestfallen and sighed.

"OK."

Link ruffled his nephew's hair and pried himself from Orla's chokehold.

"Seriously guys, it's way past your bedtime. Come on, time for you to get some sleep."

Reluctantly the two children took up their places and were safely tucked in, although both had expectant looks on their faces. Link took one look at their expressions and shook his head.

"Oh no, not tonight. You two are not going to suck me into your devious little schemes again."

Orla frowned and pouted.

"But Daddy..." She pleaded.

Ranny caught his cousin's intentions and joined her in the last part of her sentence.

"Please?"

Link shook his head.

"Every time you get me to tell you a story I always end up staying in far too long and then Orla's mother comes in and ends up telling me off for keeping you up too long and..."

Two pairs of pleading puppy dog eyes bored into him and weakened his resolve to the extent that he sighed heavily and sat down.

I don't believe this, I'm being blackmailed by a pair of manipulative kids who aren't even seven! Ganondorf would have a field day.

"Alright alright I'll tell you a story, but this is all your fault. Deal?"

"Deal." They piped simultaneously.

"OK. Many years ago a young boy was riding through the forest on his trusty horse when..."

"So, it appears that even you are sucked in by the infamous puppy dog eyes."

Aidyn's wife Catrine laughed softly and cast a sympathetic look at her brother in law whilst her son whistled approvingly.

"Wow Mom, you look great!"

"Yeah!" Orla agreed.

Catrine smiled and twirled around to show them all of her plum coloured velvet dress.

"Glad you guys like it. Now it's time to go to sleep."

Both children groaned.

"I bet you're letting Theo stay up." Ranny accused.

Link cast a sideways glance at Catrine who was rolling her eyes.

"Theo was asleep ages ago, like you two should have been." She replied. "You can't blackmail me as easily as you can blackmail Link."

"Hey!" Link announced indignantly.

Orla giggled and kissed her father's cheek.

"Silly Daddy." She said, smiling happily and snuggling up next to him.

Link hugged his daughter and then put her back into her bed.

"OK, I'm going to count to three and if you two haven't got your eyes closed by then I'm going to have to throw you in the moat. One. Two..."

With a squeak, both children burrowed underneath their blankets and squeezed their eyes tightly shut. Link smiled and blew out the candle on the nightstand and kissed the top of Orla's head.

"Good girl. Sleep well."

"Night Daddy."

Catrine finished tucking her son in and followed Link outside, shutting the door partially behind her.

"Do you think they'll go to sleep now?"

"Not a chance." Link chuckled. "Where's Aidyn?"

"Downstairs with your father, supervising the mulled wine. Zelda wants you, by the way."

Link thanked her and walked along the corridors to his room. Six years of living in the castle meant that he now knew the place like the back of his hand, due to various exploring trips by himself and with Orla. Despite this, finding various hidden passageways and false doors still constantly surprised him. Utilising this knowledge, he leant up against a wall and failed to react as it fell backwards behind him, allowing access to a room behind it. A small fire was crackling, casting a warm golden glow on the plush furnishings and the large fur rug on the floor in front of it. Silently closing the secret door behind him, Link stealthily crept into the room and prowled up to the figure who was sitting in a chair with a book in her lap. Just as he was about to tickle his unsuspecting victim behind, she raised her hand and grabbed hold of his wrist.

"Don't even think about it."

Link sighed and sat down on the rug, looking disheartened.

"How did you..?"

Zelda smiled and closed her book, putting it to one side.

"I've been married to you for six years, I knew you for eight years before that and you don't expect me to realise when you're creeping up behind me with the intention of making me jump."

She sighed and struggled to get to her feet, gaining assistance from her husband who gave her his hand and helped her up.

"I just thought that if I made you jump enough then maybe I'd persuade the kid to get a move on." He grinned, kissing her cheek.

Zelda smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, staring happily into his eyes as she did so.

"I do believe that you are perhaps a little bit excited about being a Daddy again, aren't you?"

"Mm, quite possibly. Now if you could just pull a few strings and go into labour now then maybe we won't have to go to this banquet."

The Princess laughed spanked his behind lightly.

"Are you that opposed to formal occasions?"

"No, it's just I can't stand all these stuck up people staring at me as though I'm a freak and I hate it when all these attractive teenage girls come up to me and flutter their eyelashes at me."

Zelda arched an eyebrow and shot him a withering look.

"Nice try pal, but it's not going to work. This is going to be the last time I'm able to let my hair down before it's back to screaming babies and midnight feedings."

Link smiled.

"Whatever happened to 'Oh Link, I miss having a baby so much, I really want us to try for another?'"

"That was when I could still see my feet." Zelda replied.

Link chuckled quietly and kissed her softly on the lips.

"Feet or no feet you're still the most beautiful woman in Hyrule."

"Flatterer."

Zelda sighed and nestled her head on his shoulder.

"But thank you."

Link smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"Does this mean we still have to go to the ball?"

******

It was cold and dark and the air smelt of death all around. Everything seemed to be a pitiful grey wasteland deprived of life or any activity to suggest that this world had once been hospitable to living creatures. An involuntary shudder filled her body as she continued to stare out at the destruction.

This is what will happen again if you don't stop it.

Suddenly the silence grew unbearable and out of nowhere a piercing scream split the noiseless surroundings, causing an shiver to run down her spine. Slowly, she turned around and came face to face with the source of imbalance, the great and evil presence that had been plaguing life and death with its malicious intent. Her eyes narrowed as she raised her hands above her head.

"I do not care that this will destroy me, all I care is that I am able to stop you from destroying my home."

As she spoke, power surged through her body with all the pain of a thousand red-hot daggers stabbing her body. The intense power expelled itself from every pore in her body, the sheer energy of its force ripping her clothes to shreds and leaving her body naked in the midst of the aura that surrounded her. Part of her heard the wail and shriek of the black presence as it was driven back, but her focus was totally on her agony. She felt her energy draining from her, and she slowly began to feel fatigue and never ending weariness set in.

Her body was dying.

But she couldn't stop now, not when she was so close to succeeding.

And now it was gone, it was finished. Her body crumpled to the ground, its limbs lifeless. She heard someone cry her name, and then a golden light surrounded the area and she felt something warm take hold of her, holding her tightly to its body, planting kisses in her hair and murmuring softly to her.

"Everything will be alright." A smooth but trembling voice reassured her. "Everything will be alright."

Over and over again the voice repeated the same statement, rocking her body back and forth until eventually the weariness and the fatigue overwhelmed her and a blanket of white smothered her. That was all she knew.

Orla shot bolt upright with a scream, trembling in fright and breathing heavily. She wrapped her arms around herself and rocked herself back and forth, hot tears pouring down her face.

"How is it alright?" She whimpered. "It's not alright, it's not!"

Ranlink was still snoring softly at the foot of the bed, dead to the world. Shaking, Orla slid out of bed and padded across the room in her bare feet, putting her thumb in her mouth like a baby and making her way to the staircase in the corridor. The sounds of the party downstairs drifted up to the higher levels of the castle, making the silence that normally filled the castle practically non-existent but that didn't bother the frightened little Princess. Her shaking hand gripped the railing as she traipsed downstairs into the ballroom, her eyes wide with fear and alarm. She got more and more scared as the noise got louder and louder until she ended up standing totally still, staring at the people and trembling.

"Mama..." She whispered, looking around her with a frightened look on her face.

The room seemed to be spinning to her, whirling around getting faster and faster until she couldn't bear it any longer and screamed as she pitched forwards and toppled down the stairs.

"Orla!"

General Olaran flung himself at the falling child and caught her before she could cause herself any harm. Surprised gasps and startled cries alerted her parents, who battled through the crowd to their now sobbing daughter.

"What happened?" King Harkinian asked his friend.

"She just fell." Olaran replied, cuddling the little girl close to him.

"It's not alright, it's not..." Orla mumbled.

"Oh sweet Gods Orla!" Zelda gasped, running to her daughter.

"Dad, what happened?" Link asked as he took Orla from him.

"She was standing on the stairs and before I knew it she was falling." Olaran explained again.

"It's not alright..."

"Yes it is sweetheart, it's alright." Zelda said soothingly, brushing Orla's hair from her face. "Link, let's take her back to bed."

Link nodded and wrapped his arms protectively around her.

"Harkinian, lets get this party going again." Olaran suggested. "This hushed silence is slightly uncomfortable."

Harkinian nodded and gestured at the band to start playing. Zelda cast Link a worried glance and followed him upstairs as he carried Orla.

I don't like this.

Link nodded his head as he tried to comfort the shaking Orla with kisses on her brow.

"It's not alright..."

"What's not alright?" Zelda asked.

"It's the darkness. The darkness is coming. I'm going to die." The rest of the princess' words collapsed into tears.

Zelda stopped mid-step and looked at Link, who was repeating the action in her direction. He touched his daughter's head softly and frowned.

"She's burning up."

Aidyn came charging up the stairs behind his brother, panting slightly from dashing.

"Is she... OK?"

Link shook his head.

"She's shaken up and feverish."

Aidyn looked grim.

"I'll go put Ran in some other bed so that she can have hers to herself." He suggested.

He ran ahead and left his brother alone with his family.

"Was it a nightmare darling?" Zelda asked.

Orla lifted her head and nodded, her big blue eyes misted over with tears.

"The darkness is coming..."

Do you think it's a prophecy? Link asked.

Zelda frowned.

Gods I hope not. You heard what she said.

Link nodded and carried his daughter into her room once her uncle had emerged with a sleeping Ranlink draped over his shoulder. He and Zelda placed Orla in her bed and tucked her in, Zelda lighting the candle on the nightstand and then sitting down on the side of the bed.

"It's alright sweetheart." She soothed, passing her hand over her daughter's head. "Daddy and I are right here, you'll be OK."

Orla hiccupped and looked up at her parents, her small body shaking nervously.

"Don't let the darkness come." She whispered. "I don't want to be the light."

Link glanced at Zelda, who had her eyes closed and her hand on Orla's head. He picked up the little girl's hand and brushed his thumb across it, looking at her anxiously. He knew what Zelda was doing, he didn't need to be told that she was going to read Orla's mind to see what had happened. Orla's eyelids begun to droop and her breathing slowly evened out as she begun to fall asleep. All of a sudden Zelda gasped and her eyes flew open in shock.

"What? What is it? Is it the baby?" Link asked.

Zelda shook her head and looked at her daughter with a panicked look on her face.

"It's the prophecy Link."

Link closed his eyes and shook his head.

"No way Zel, no way. I told you before, we are not going to lose her."

He enfolded his wife in his arms and held her close.

"We won't lose her." He repeated.

to be continued