Disclaimer: OLYMPIC NOOGIE! 

{That's it.  Disclaimer Bob, you're fired.}

Disclaimer Bob: Aww…

*walks away*

New Disclaimer Ned: Rinaidran Warrior does not own Zelda or any related property of Nintendo.

{Better. By the way, I'm sorry for the lack of updates.  I was kind of stuck for a while, but my groove is coming back.  I threw off the emperor's groove!  The groove…beware the groove…hehe.

Little Note: I changed the Temples to be a lot shorter.  Instead of lots of annoying little challenges, there will be one huge, difficult challenge.  You'll see in this chapter.  Yah, shutting up now…*looks out window to see Disclaimer Bob holding a sign that says "RINAIDRAN WARRIOR IS UNFAIR!"*

{Bob, go away…}

Bob: Do any reviewers out there want to keep me? Please?  Wouldn't you rather a weird disclaimer instead of boring old Disclaimer Ned?

{Okay, fine. Vote if you want to keep Bob or not.  Anyhoo, on with the story!}

Chapter 8: Sheik and the Forest Temple

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We finally make it over the maze, and each one of us is battered or bruised in some way.  I was unfortunate enough to fall off the top and into a huge pond, and Link just managed to get me out with the hookshot before one of those mad pigs skewered me.  Ingo was pretty close to tearing his hair out, and we had to stop for a while and calm the poor guy down.

After shooting a Moblin patrolling the last hall of the maze, the three of us jump down and go up a short staircase.  We're greeted by a discouraging sight.

A Moblin twice the size of the other mad pigs is standing, blocking the passage, and swinging its huge club.  Why me?

Link takes out a tiny nut from his pocket, and gets ready to throw it.

"Link, how's a nut going to kill that huge-"

The nut hits the monster, and it turns bright blue.  Link stabs it four times, and it falls over and disintegrates.

"Cool."

"These are Deku nuts, Malon."

"Where do you find them?"

"Kokiri Forest.  So, do you want to come into the Forest Temple or wait until I find Saria?"
 "I'm coming with you!"

We walk past the Moblin, and Ingo looks suspiciously at it, like he's making sure it's dead.  Then we reach the end of the passage, and Link looks over at a tree stump.  He shakes his head, and glares at the Temple.

The Temple's entrance is on a high plateau supported by the enormous branches of an ancient tree.  In the middle of the clearing that we've just walked into is a small platform, with a weird symbol on it.

Mostly, though, I'm concentrating on Link's expression.  Why does he look so sad, and why does it seem like looking at that tree stump made him upset?

Maybe he's sad because it's a stump instead of a tree, and it was cut down…then why does he look like he's remembering something?  Maybe the tree was his friend-no, that was Saria. 

Link notices me looking at him, and smiles kind of sadly.

"Saria used to sit there and think. Sometimes we would sit there together."

I nod, and look up at the temple entrance. 

"Link, would your hookshot stick to that tree?"
Most of the sadness vanishes from Link's smile, which grows a little wider at he glances at the tree.

"Sure it would."

Suddenly, Ingo and I are sitting on a high platform.

"Master Link, would you mind not doing that?"

"Doing what?"

"Using that interesting weapon of yours to suddenly transport us to higher places…"

"Link, he means 'Give us a little notice before you use the hookshot.'"

"Hehe…sorry, couldn't resist."

With that, he turns and starts to walk into the Forest Temple, but then a voice rings out from behind us.

"Greetings, Hero of Time."

I whirl around and see a young man standing on the platform.  He's wearing a blue suit, and his fingers and his head are wrapped in a whitish cloth.  All I can see are his red eyes, which look more mysterious than evil.  The symbol of an eye is on his shirt.

"Who is it that you have brought on your quest, Hero of Time?"

"This is Malon, and he's Ingo."

"Greetings, Malon and Ingo.  I am Sheik, last of the Sheikahs.  I will aid you and the Hero of Time on your quest.  What I must do first is teach you the Song of Light, to drive darkness from your mind."

Sheik takes out a beautifully crafted harp, and plays a simple, light song.  Link takes out his Ocarina, which is a nice blue color.  That's weird, it was brown last time I saw it…which was seven years ago.  Link then repeats the song on his ocarina.  Then Ingo takes out a small whistle I never knew he had, and repeats the song.  The three men look at me, and I hesitate for a moment and sing it.  Link smiles, and Sheik looks like he'd be smiling if I could see his mouth.  Ingo is grinning proudly at me, and I smile back.  When we're distracted, I hear a small swish, and Sheik is gone.  Link shrugs and walks into the Temple.

"Does Sheik always just disappear?"

"I think so.  It's just a funny habit he has-" 

Link stops as we reach a huge room.  The walls are old and cracked, covered in vines, and very strong.  A little girl with green hair is standing in the middle, looking frightened.  Link rushes over to her.

"Saria!  Are you alright?"

"Link…is that you?  How did you get so big?"

Saria hugs her best friend.  Ingo sniffs, and takes out a hanky.  Then Saria glances at us.

"Link, who are they?"

"Oh, sorry.  Saria, this is Malon and Ingo.  Malon, Ingo, this is Saria, my best friend and Sage of the Forest."

I smile at Saria, but not the way you would smile at a child.  She is wise beyond her years.  Ingo grins crookedly, and Saria laughs. 

"So Link has made new friends!  Pleased to meet you, Malon and Ingo!"

Then she whispers something in Link's ear, and he blushes slightly.  Then he nods almost imperceptibly.  Saria laughs again and winks at me.  And, surprise, I'm completely confused.

Suddenly, maniacal laughter echoes from above.  A shadow descends on all of us.

"Hah!  I have lured you all here.  I am Phantom Ganon, and I will enter your mind and take control!  Whom shall I capture first?"

Two glittering eyes in the middle of the huge shadow rove around the room, and focus on me.  "Ah, perhaps I should enter the mind of the Hero of Time and turn him against his friends?"  The eyes aren't even glancing at Link.  They're still focused on me, and I'm starting to feel a little dizzy.  Link doesn't notice, but Ingo does.  He moves towards me, but the voice stops him where he is.

"Perhaps I could control the ranch hand.  He could be dangerous when in my control."  My vision is blurring a bit as the eyes bore into me. Inside, I'm screaming for help, but I can't make a sound.  Then the voice echoes, not in the room, but in my head.

Well, well, if it isn't the ranch girl…

Who are you?  I yell at it.  My mouth doesn't move, but somehow I can talk telepathically.

My dear, I only want to be your friend…I want to help you

How would scum like you help me?

Well, I could tell you many things

Like what?

That the Hero of Time and that ranch hand aren't really your friends

Ingo is loyal to me! He wouldn't let anything happen to me, and neither would Link

Look at that scar on your side.  That is where Ingo stabbed you, and Link didn't even try to help

He couldn't help, and Ingo was hypnotized

So, Malon, can they protect you from this?

A painful jolt surges through me.  I look at Link and Ingo, and they're both running towards me.  Suddenly, their edges get all blurry, and when my vision sharpens, they have stopped.  A cold look is on Link's face as he turns away, and Ingo folds his arms and turns his back.

Why did they stop?

they realized you weren't worth it

You're lying!

Now, dear, would you call your one true friend a liar?  You saw how they stopped

you're right…maybe you are my friend…maybe they hate me

Now you understand.  Come, dear, to the darkness

will the darkness ease the pain?

Of course, Malon.  Now, before you go, do you want to tell them how you feel?

yes. I do.

Suddenly I snap out of my telepathic conversation, and face Link and Ingo.  Link is shaking me gently.

"Malon!"

"You…" I hiss. "You betrayed me."

"I what?"

"You heard me.  And you, Ingo…I thought you were better than that.  Go ahead, turn your back on me, see if I care.  I hate you!"  I hit Link as hard as I can.  He staggers back, clutching his bleeding nose.

"Malon, I didn't betray you!"

Saria turns to her best friend.  "Link, Ganondorf has her.  Do you have a way to bring her back to the light?"  Then I enter my mind again.

He said he didn't betray me

See what a bad friend he is? He wrongs you and denies it

You are right.  I will come with you

Yes, dear.  Come with your friend and your savior to the darkness

You…my friend…what is your name?

I am Ganondorf.

But you…are evil

oh, Malon…Link has deceived you…I am not really evil, it is he.  He can get the Triforce from Zelda easily, and then he will rule Hyrule.  He is evil-

Ganondorf is cut off by a light melody ringing in my mind.  A light melody that I have heard somewhere before…played on a familiar ocarina.  My vision clears, and something is lifted off my mind.  Ganondorf's voice, no longer kind and hypnotic, rings out.

MALON!

I concentrate on Epona's Song, and the happy memories it comes with.  My mother, singing in the corral…

Malon!

My first birthday…

malon…

The first time I saw Link…

ma…lon…

Seeing Link again after seven years…

m…a…l…o…n……no…

With that, Ganondorf's voice fades away into nothing, and a scream rings through the room.

"CURSE YOU, MALON!  YOU COULD HAVE HAD EVERYTHING…YOU COULD HAVE COME WITH ME…CURSE YOU!"

The shadow fades slightly.

"Now!" Link yells, and he puts the ocarina to his mouth and plays the song of light.  Ingo joins in on his whistle, and the shadow fades even more.  Then I start to sing, quietly at first.  As my voice and the two instruments get louder, the shadow starts to disappear.  Then, a bell-like ocarina rings out from behind me, and the shadow and the eyes dissolve with a scream.

Saria puts her ocarina back in her pocket, and smiles.

"Well done, Link.  It was quick thinking to play the Song of Light.  And Ingo, well done for resisting Ganondorf's entry to your mind."

Then she rests her wise, midnight eyes on me.

"And Malon…well done for coming back from so far in Ganondorf's control…and trusting Link and Ingo right after Ganondorf had almost convinced you that they were evil.  You have true power, and it was quick thinking to summon those memories to drive him away.  I respect you."

"Saria, thank you for helping me even though you hardly know me."

"Hey, any friend of Link's is a friend of mine!"  She laughs her bell-like laugh, abandoning all Sagely seriousness.

I walk slowly up to Link.

"Link."

"Malon, what happened?"

"You were running towards me…then you stopped.  You just turned away.  Why?"

"I didn't stop!  I was running so fast I almost collided with you!  But…did your vision go blurry for a second?"

"Yes…"

"Ganondorf can also control what people see."

My eyes widen with realization. Link smiles tentatively, but I run up and hug him as hard as I can.  Link's face reddens a little, and so does mine.  I let go and back away.

"Sorry."

"It's okay."

Saria is smiling very widely, and she winks at Link.  Link turns away, and the small girl starts to speak.

"Now, we must go to the Chamber of Sages.  Everyone, touch my shoulder."

We do so, and blue light surrounds us.  I turn my head to Ingo.

"By the way, Ingo, I don't really hate you.  Sorry about that."

"All is forgiven, Miss Malon."

"Can you do me a favor?"

"Of course."

"NEVER call me Miss again."

"Yes, Mi-I mean, Malon."

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YAY!  They KILLED phantom Ganon…mah fave character…oh well.  Hope you liked it!  And thanks SO MUCH to all my reviewers. You know who you are.

RW