The army of stalfos advanced in front and behind Link. He unsheathed his
sword and prepared. He will die fighting. He got ready to attack when
suddenly the cockerel crowed. The sun came up and all the stalfos descended
into the ground. Link looked all around him. They had all disappeared.

Navi whispered in Links ear, 'the stalchildren must have evolved from when
you were younger Link. We must hurry before morning breaks again.'

Link nodded and started dashing down the path towards Hyrule Castle. After
several uneventful hours Link and Navi reached the drawbridge to Hyrule
Castle.

'Are you ready to withdraw the master sword once again Link' Navi asked.
Link looked up at the castle walls and nodded slowly. 'Let's go'.
Link and Navi ran over the drawbridge and into the entrance to the market.
Once in the market there was something not quite right. Everyone was
talking nervously and looking into the, now disappearing, storm cloud. An
old woman was being carried off by two guards.
She was still screaming, 'he is back the evil king is back.'
A young man with fair dark hair and a moustache noticed him and ran up to
him with a pale face.

'It is you', the man said, 'you are the hero, can you save us from him
again, please save us.'
He grabbed Link by the arm. Link shook him off and ran towards the happy
mask shop.'
When Link entered the usual cheery atmosphere of the mask shop it felt cold
and frightening. Link looked at the man at the counter, expecting the usual
cheery grin that was absent from the man's face. It was instead replaced
with a horrified, frowning white face.
'Is it happening again, are the rumours true?' the man asked.

Link answered, 'I do not yet know but please may I borrow the mask of truth
and I will answer your query shortly.'
The man nodded gratifyingly, 'Of course you may Link'. The man took the
mask off the shelf and handed it to Link. He smiled cheerily but the ice
and fear in his eyes proved that it was false. Link smiled back and left
the eerie shop.
On arriving back in the market Link ran towards the Temple of Time. Maybe
he could find a sage in there to help explain what was happening in more
detail.
On the way he saw a few gossip stones littered in a row. Link put on the
Mask of Truth and asked the intelligent statues, 'Do you know what is
happening in Hyrule at the moment?'

Immediately the stone in the middle answered, 'he is back, Ganondorf the
king of evil has returned, my friend has even laid eyes on him I have
heard. But his evil has already killed. The Temple of Time is the place you
must go. Then you must proceed to Hyrule Castle where the most important
ally needs protection. It is too late for the one in the Temple.'

Link nodded, took off his mask and ran to the entrance of the Temple.

Inside the legendary holy place Link saw the familiar three revolving
stones on the altar. But the altar was tinted red with something. Drops and
pools of red littered the surface of the altar.
IT WAS BLOOD.
Link dashed behind the altar and bit his lip to stop from screaming.
A man was lying behind the altar, blood everywhere. His eyes were wide open
and he had a fearful expression on his white face. He was obviously dead
but that wasn't what Link was so aware of. Link knew this man. He was a
sage. He had helped Link on his first quest.
It was Rauro the sage of light.
Link stared at the still body for a while but then realised he had to hurry
to the castle and save Zelda as the gossip stones had said. He also had to
withdraw the Master Sword in order to do so. He ran out of the Temple and
hurried towards the grounds of Hyrule Castle.

When Link arrived in the grounds, he told the guard at the gate to open it,
which he did and Link ran through to the entrance to the castle itself.
Once inside Link found himself in the Main hall and he gasped. In the
centre of the hall was a big stone statue of. himself. His statue was
holding up the Master sword and had a shield on his right arm. When Link
had stopped marvelling at the statue he ran down the steps, trying to find
someone to help him to the King of Hyrule but there was no one around. He
called out but to no avail until he noticed a shadow in the corner where a
large man was standing.
'Excuse me,' asked Link, 'but do you know where I can find the king of
Hyrule.'

'I'm glad you have come at last Link,' said the man ignoring Link's
question, 'I have been expecting you.'
The man then stepped out of the shadows revealing him in a flowing red gown
and a crown upon his head.

'Link, I am the king of Hyrule. Are you here to accept your destiny and
take the Master Sword?'
Link nodded, 'but first can you tell me where Zelda is, Rauru is dead and I
think Zelda will be next.'

'Then it is true Ganon has returned and he is after the people that put him
in the sacred realm so as to make sure he does not go there again. After
which, I am sure he will attempt to take the triforce again. Very well
Link, I will protect my daughter but I will need your help in doing so. I
advise you to relinquish the sword that will defeat Ganon.' With those
words the statue of Link moved to the side revealing a staircase that must
lead to the basement.'

Link looked at the king, nodded and proceeded down the newly created
staircase. When he reached the bottom Link looked and saw that he was in a
circular room and in the centre laid the Master Sword that lay within the
Pedestal of Time. Link walked over to it and laid his hands on the handle.

He pulled the legendary blade out of its holding place with no effort.
Unlike before he did not awake in the sacred realm he remained in the room.
He ran back up the stairs towards the king with the sword in his hands.

When he arrived the king opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by a
loud crash.
'What was that' the king asked fearfully.
Link ran to the nearest window and saw roughly twenty stalfos and a few
other enemies Link had encountered before including an iron knuckle. They
were attempting to break down the gate into the hall which the king and he
were standing.

Link ran back down to the king and shouted, 'the castle is under siege, get
Zelda and run. I'll hold them off.'
The king nodded and ran through a door to the side. Link equipped his
father's hylian shield and spun the Master Sword in his fingers. It felt
good back in his hand and he was about to fight for his life.