Legend of Zelda:
Rise of the Dark Hero

Link was changed to fight the growing Evil with Darkness.
No longer is he the chosen champion of the eternal Light,
But of the endless Shadow.

Written By: Perfect Psionic Soldier

Edited by: -FernoTheMagicalFern
-PochePoke

*Note: This Fan Fiction is loosely based on the N64 game- Zelda: Ocarina of Time, the old TV series and Comic series. Since there is a mixture, some things may not make sense or have been dramatically changed. Other then that, enjoy ^_^

Disclaimer: I don't own Zelda or other Nintendo Characters. I just own my friends and the characters that I, myself created.

Welcome to my warped reality of Zelda. This is a world were reality is harsh, war is waged, the forces of evil is strong and this is a time when a hero needs to become something more in order to save those he cares for.

Things in the brackets are the character's thoughts.

Chapter 2
The Gathering


Link stared at the setting sun as he finished off the last piece of meat before he returned his gaze to the empty plate before him. It was a good meal, first good one that he has had in a while. Taking a deep breath, he relaxed, allowing his body to rest after the slight fulfillment.

Risa smiled as she watched the man before her finish his meal. Sitting back on the finely crafted wooden chair, she relaxed and looked around their table. They were currently sitting in a restaurant that was near the Town Square. The restaurant was a well known one called the Azure Sky. It was a fairly high class place with its pure white silk tablecloths and fine crafted wooden tables and chairs. The tables themselves sat on a wooden floor that was raised a good 2 feet off the street, built so that the people had to climb small steps to get into the dining area, but accessible to all. It was a getaway of sorts, where people could eat in peace and relax from the constant presence of war and danger.

Turning her head, Risa looked out at the setting sun, lazily tracking it as it disappeared behind the white walls that stood between the mountains. The city that lived within the bowl of the mountain was safe. The high peaks that passed the clouds protected them from harm, but only the rays of the setting sun to pass above the white walls, allowing the final rays to blanket the city for its night's rest.

Looking back to the person that sat in front of her, Rise couldn't help but stare at the young man before her. With a slightly tanned complexion, he was a very handsome if not one of the most beautiful people that she had ever seen. She had been watching him during their time together as they wandered through the town and she couldn't help but notice his lithe grace and well defined features. If anything, the man that sat before her was a great swordsman and someone that she found herself irresistibly attracted to. The only thing that had annoyed her was that during their tour across town, a few too many other girls also noticed him and their gazes lingered a bit too long for her tastes.

The darkest brown eyes that bordered on black suddenly focused and Risa suddenly found herself very nervous as the young man stared into her eyes, piercing her armour and striking her soul. Risa once again found herself at loss for word, her previous thoughts forgotten as she stared back into those dark eyes that held her immobile.

Suddenly the waiter appeared, breaking the unwavering gaze and the waiter suddenly found himself on the receiving end of a rather unpleasant and constant gaze.

"D...Do you require anything el...else my lady?..." the waiter stammered as he swallowed, his body stiff from nervousness.

"Umm, no. Can you please present us the bill?" Risa replied with a gentle smile, knowing exactly how the waiter felt as for the first few hours, the man's undying gaze gave her the chills. They still did but after noticing how good he looked and that he had potential as a great swordsman, she quickly left those fears aside as her interests sparked.

She liked good-looking men, as any woman would, but Risa had always wanted something more then good looks in a man. Her man would also have to be strong. Not strong as in the sense of physical strength but strong as in strength by skill or courage. The man she would choose would have to be competent in war and skilled with a sword as a sword was her weapon of choice. Risa always felt that the sword was the ultimate extension of one's will and power, so the better their skill with the sword, the greater their strength was. She wanted someone that could take care of himself and, though she would never admit it, to be able to also take care of her.

The waiter nodded and made a hasty retreat, walking away quickly as he felt a gaze follow his movements. The waiter sighed in relief as he felt the gaze leave his backside, prompting the man to hurry with his duty and fetch the bill before the darkly clad man decided to look for him.

Picking up a glass of water, Risa watched as the stranger looked out at the setting sun and noticed as his eyes softened momentarily before returning their attention towards the glass of water before him. Risa followed his gaze and blinked at what she saw.

Seated on a white silk napkin, the odd fairy like creature was currently finishing off her small meal, and was drinking from a floating droplet of water. Letting out a small content sigh, the small fairy then stretched and took to the air, her dark translucent wings fluttering in the air as she flew to the strangers shoulder and then sat down, her legs dangling freely from her perch as she leaned against the man's neck.

Risa instantly found herself feeling jealous at the fact that the small female fairy was able to be so friendly with him while she could barely stammer in his general direction most of the time.

"Your Bill my Lady." The waiter stated as he presented a small slip of paper to the lady before him.

Blinking, Risa smiled as she took the slip of paper and her eyes widened as she saw what was written. A meal for two people, two full steak dinners, ninety-three rupees...

Risa began to panic slightly. The price was much too high! And though she didn't doubt that the meal was worth the rupees, she simply couldn't afford it! She only had eighty-four rupees left. How would she deal with this? She couldn't just not pay, it would be terrible! A small tremble left her lips as she tried to figure out a way to deal with her current problem.

It a took a moment before she realized that she was no longer holding the slip of paper anymore and her eyes widened as she looked around for a moment, wondering when she had dropped it. Where is it? Why don't I have enough rupees? Why did I have to be so poor today, out of all days? Why? Risa panicked and blinked as she realized that the fairy was hovering in front of the stranger with a large slip of paper floating before it.

Oh My Goddess! He knows I can't pay! And I'm the one that dragged him here! I wanna die... Risa stated mentally as she felt the horrible feeling of relentless embarrassment flow through her body, making her face crimson.

The waiter let out a mental sigh of relief when the dark clad man reached into his satchel, withdrew a few rupees and handed them to him. After counting the rupees to make sure he had it all, the waiter quickly thanked the couple and made his hasty departure, away from the man's unnerving gaze. He would have probably fainted if he had to ask them if they had the money to pay for their meal. The waiter suddenly realized that if the man had so much as given him a glare, or an annoyed gaze, he would have wilted like a dead flower and paid for the meal himself. Concealing a quick frown, he was happy that he didn't have to do anything along those lines and felt immense relief as the couple left the restaurant. Stress like that would most likely kill him someday...sooner than by their constant war with Ganon.





Link stood waiting at the end of the street as he turned around and saw a meeker Risa walk towards him. After the incident at the restaurant, Link had guessed that she didn't bring enough rupees and decided to pay the bill himself. After all it wasn't like he was poor or anything, and he didn't mind paying as she had been a good guide. Even though he wasn't the best company as their dinner was eaten mainly in silence while others in the restaurant chatted away. However she didn't seem to mind and he found he was relaxed in her presence. There was nothing that he wanted to talk about and she seemed to understand. She talked to him while never expecting him to answer in return.

All in all, it was a good day.

Link gazed at the sky, which was almost completely surrounded in darkness, and smiled at it. The dark, it was a place where he existed, as if he had always existed within it. Only the memories of another life proved that he was once different. Looking down towards his outstretched hand, he saw past the black gauntlets to his own hand. He clenched his fist then he unclenched it, repeating the simple pattern for a few moments while staring at his fingers, and wondering how much he had changed since his encounter with the Triforce of Courage.

"Ummm..." Risa said abashed, wondering if she was interrupting something of importance. "Thank you... for paying for dinner..."

Link blinked as he broke himself out of his melancholy thoughts and stared at Risa. It was merely a few moments; however, it made Risa feel nervous, and suddenly self-conscious. After a few moments of awkward silence, Risa was about to apologize when suddenly, Link grinned, eyes alit with amusement. Risa's eyes widened a little as she stared at the amused figure before her, she found herself at a loss for words as she stared at him, suddenly finding him even more enthralling then before. Risa yearned to see what the man looked like with a full smile. If it was anything like that amused grin before her, she knew it would be awe-inspiring.

Link's grin faded a touch as he watched Risa stare at him in awe. He was used to such attention from young women, as he knew his looks attracted many of them, however he always found himself wondering if he would ever find true love, or if he would want too...

Blinking, Link returned his attention to Risa who was currently looking at him with a slightly concerned look.

"Are you alright?" Risa asked gently, with concern in her voice. Link simply nodded, figuring it would be enough but he was slightly surprised when Risa continued "You sure? You looked almost sad for a few moments..."

Link found himself forming a gentle smile as he stared at the woman before him. It had been a while, since someone else was concerned for his well being. He found it comforting that there were still people alive who genuinely cared for others even if they were but complete strangers. This is what I am protecting...to protect the lives of those who are innocent...this is the reason I fight, so that innocence may bloom in freedom, without the constant oppression of evil... Link thought to himself silently as he returned his gaze to the dark skies, This is what I shall die defending...

Navi yawned, stretching her body as she rested her weary head against Link's neck, sleep beckoning her with its persistent tugs. Ever so slowly, Navi was drifting to sleep and Link found himself amused by Navi's weariness. She was always a bundle of energy but he guessed that the last few days had drained her as much as it had drained him. She had been using a lot of magic lately and it must have begun taking its toll. Looking back at the waiting women before him, Link decided that it was late and that they should rest for the night. He was about to say his farewells but then Risa smiled and spoke first.

Looking at the sleepy fairy, Risa had decided that they should seek rest for the night. Forming a plan for tomorrow's get together, she smiled at the thought of spending another day with the mysterious stranger before her. "Well, I guess that this is good night!" Risa stated with a smile and quickly backed away, making a hasty, tactful retreat. With a final wave, Risa took a few graceful steps and disappeared down the street towards the barracks to sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day and she wanted to make sure that she was well rested for it.

Blinking, Link watched as Risa faded from view before he turned around and walked back towards the inn. After spending the day with Risa he had learnt that everything was directed from the town centre, a large fountain that held the statues of the three goddesses who allowed water to flow from their hands and onto the marble fountain below. With everything linked to the town centre, it was only a simple matter of time before he would find his way to the inn.

Link gazed upon the statues as he walked towards the fountain. He paused for a moment to look upon each of them. The statues were beautifully carved from the finest marble with meticulous care so that the three goddess were perfectly similar. The goddesses were arranged in a triangular fashion with each statue facing outwards, their backs directed towards the centre.

Looking at the statues themselves, Link couldn't help but be impressed by their beauty. With cupped palms that faced the heavens, water flowed from their outstretched hands. Held at their chest level, it gave a feeling of undefined elegance. Each goddess had long flowing hair the trailed elegantly to their ankles and spilled over their shoulders. Clothed in simple robes that layered down to the ground, it covered their entire body and hid their feet. They had no facial features, their heads simply carved to resemble young maidens. It seemed as if the statues wore a simple mask that was moulded to their features while revealing none. Though there were no eyes, to those who gazed upon them they couldn't help but feel as if the statues were mysteriously gazing back. They were symbols to remind the people that there was still beauty in the world, even amid these times of terrible war and for many they were the final symbol of hope, as war had stripped away so much from them and their lives.

Is that what you look like? Link asked to the sleeping entity within him, but there was no reply, there never was.

Sighing, Link simply began to walk, disappearing into the night air.





Link quietly walked back to the inn. The streets were deserted and had anyone been around, they would have been unnerved by the darkly clad stranger who walked without a sound as his leather boots glided forward, bringing the man closer to his destination.

Entering the inn, Link quickly made his way to his room and gently closed the door. The well kept door closed silently behind him. Taking a quick look around the room, Link found that his room remained unchanged from the morning, when suddenly something caught his eye. At the base of his pillow, there was a simple folded sheet of paper.

Sensing Link's sudden interest, Navi shook herself awake and hovered in the air briefly before gliding down to the letter as Link picked it up, unfolded the letter and read it.

Go to the east side of the castle and wait by the tree.
-Mr. Hero

Raising an eyebrow, Link read the signature with a smirk, only one person would call themselves that, and that person was Rett, the future all neato hero of the ages.

Fluttering to the dresser, Navi quickly splashed her face with cold water and returned to her master's side, landing gently onto Link's shoulder as he deposited the letter into his carrying pouch and walked quietly to the door, grabbing his black cloak as he exited the room and left the inn.





Link soon found himself staring at a large oak tree that was sitting in the middle of nowhere. To his left was the castle, to his right was the protective mountain wall and to the front of him was a small intersection where castle and mountain met. To his rear was a good couple dozen yards of cobbled street. In the middle of all of this stood the single tree. Link instantly found himself wondering what kind of idiot would plant a tree in the middle of nowhere.

Walking up to the tree, Link trailed his fingers across a dry bark, feeling the tree's rough skin slide beneath his fingers. Then, with a smooth hop backwards, Link avoided the single sword slash as a figure dropped out of the tree upon him.

Link blinked as he studied the man before him. Wearing a white cloak and brown boots, the man was dressed in a Hyrule military uniform. Grasping his sword in battered gauntlets, he held his sword with his right hand, the blade loosely pointed towards the sky and directed towards his opponent.

"Well Link, it almost seems like old times eh?" Rett stated as he drew back the hood of his cloak.

Gently smiling, Link replied as he unsheathed his sword with a hiss. "Yea..." they had done this many times when they were younger; each man trying to surprise the other in sneak attacks. It was to hone their skills and make sure that they never strayed from their chosen paths as warriors.

Looking at each other, both opponents tightened their grips on their swords, each man anticipating the battle that was to come.

Grinning, Rett tightened his grip on his sword further as he studied his opponent. Covered in his black cloak, Link was well hidden from view, only the bottoms of his black boots and gauntleted fist were shown, hiding any weaknesses from immediate view and forcing Rett to be cautious in his points of attack. If Link was anywhere as good as he was then, then Rett would effortlessly win as he had trained long and hard since his days of youth. However things like that never happened and Rett knew for a fact that Link had travelled across the land and there was no doubt in his mind that Link had improved since then. Sizing up his opponent, Rett guessed that he would be hard pressed to defeat his old friend.

It had been years since the two faced each other. During the years that they grew up together, they had fought each other countless times, using wooden swords, or later real swords, in order to find out who was truly the greater. However, with the master sword, Link soon became the stronger opponent. They had none the less fought each other with equal skill and vigor. Their time apart had obviously changed them, and the two combatants wanted to know just how much had changed since the days of old.

Holding his sword in a loose grip, Link positioned the sword so that it was directly between him and Rett, allowing him to easily defend any of Rett's attacks. Preferring that his opponent strike first, Link decided that caution was the best course of action and waited.

Rett slowly began to circle Link, deserting the tree for a wider arena, where he could gain room to dodge or strike without fear of limitations.

After a few moments passed, Rett saw an opening as Link's sword wavered slightly. Rett attacked, lunging forward with a quick downward slash that Link effortlessly blocked. Pushing against Link's blocking sword, Rett tried to forcefully push his opponent off balance but failed as Link held his ground.

Backing off a few feet, Rett then rushed again, his sword slashing from the right and as Link dodged the strike, Rett changed his grip so that the sword's blade was above his head and struck down as he took a step forward, putting all of his might behind the strike. Link raised his sword and with a loud clang, their blades met. Both their swords recoiled from the strike, bouncing off each other, and causing sparks to briefly light up the night sky.

Recovering from the recoil, Rett struck yet again, stabbing forward with rapid succession as he held his sword with his right hand, attempting to penetrate Link's defence. However, Link was more then ready for the attack and simply avoided or deflected each of Rett's attacks with the grace of an experienced fighter.

Breaking off the assault, Rett retreated slightly to re-evaluate his friend. Whatever had happened to Link since he left had dramatically changed his friend's fighting style. Whereupon Link once rushed forward relentlessly, his sword almost a living weapon, he now stood his ground like a mountain, fending off attack after attack with ease, his weapon flowing like water. This would be harder then he thought.

Gnashing his teeth, Rett decided that the warm up was finished and changed his stance. Where he was simply standing with his sword held before him, blade pointing towards the sky at an angle, he then shifted his stance so that his sword was tilted to his left side, hilt directed at his opponent.

Taking a few, quick steps in, Rett smashed his sword forward with a straight stab, crashing his blade into Link's own, forcing Link's blade to recoil sideways from the blow, leaving the man defenceless. Instantly taking a step in with his left leg, Rett gripped his sword with both hands and slashed downwards.

With his sword spinning away to his right, Link instinctively followed the path of it, quickly spinning to the right, he gripped his hilt with both hands and using the momentum to strike upwards, he countered Rett's downward slash with a bone-jarring clash that rang throughout the still air and momentarily lit up their swords with another shower of sparks as their blades grated against one another.

The two fighters stared at each other in the darkness for what seemed like an eternity. Then, breaking off, Rett paused for a moment to relax his breathing from the light exertion and to study his opponent once again. He watched wearily and noticed his opponent's lack of movement. He then decided that since none of his attacks were getting through, he should wait for his opponent to attack and see how the man fought. If there were any weaknesses, Rett would capitalize on them.

Link shifted his weight from his left foot to his right, seeing as how Rett had stopped attacking, he guessed it was his turn. Turning sideways, Link levelled his sword so that it was parallel with the ground, hovering at shoulder height. With his grip, the single blade of his sword was pointed skyward. Holding the sword with both hands, he then crouched slightly. Drawing a slow breath through slightly parted lips, Link prepared himself.

Rett watched as Link changed his stance. Taking no chances, he too changed the way he stood, spreading his feet slightly wider apart, he gripped his sword in both hands, leveling his own sword before him, Rett prepared himself for the coming assault.

Link suddenly dashed in, his sword slashing quickly, wasting little motion for every attack. Rett was soon on the absolute defence, spending his every moment guarding against attacks. With every swing, Rett was able to block each and every one of Link's attacks but there was little or no room for counter attacks. Soon however, Rett was able to halt Link's forward assault. Feeling drained, Rett found himself taking in deep breathes while he held his ground. Tired but not beaten, Rett was far from done.

By now, there was a small crowd of guards watching the fight from the sidelines or from the top of the castle walls. A few lanterns lit the scene of battle and everyone watched with interest as a stranger fought knight captain Rett to a standstill.

Sparing a glance to the sides, Rett was unsurprised to find guards watching the duel. He had noticed them for sometime, but until then had ignored them. Concentrating on nothing but the fight, Rett knew that he would have to fight with fewer self-limitations in order to defeat his friend. Allowing a quick moment of pause, Rett found himself wondering what Link was thinking about. However, Link was suddenly on the offensive again, rushing at Rett with the flowing grace of a fighter.

Blocking another slash, Rett was once again hard pressed to defend himself. Link was attacking in what appeared to be a wild fashion, swinging his sword almost aimlessly. However, Rett knew otherwise. Each and every attack was perfectly executed, his sword attacking when it would provide the most power for every blow, forcing Rett to constantly defend.

Countering a downward slash with his own upward slash, Rett saw his chance as Link's sword recoiled a bit too wildly and without hesitation, Rett lunged forward, his sword lancing towards his opponents unprotected side.

Pivoting, Link tried to lean away from the strike but as he was about to dodge the strike, Rett suddenly extended his arm further, driving his sword forward, and with that, he pierced Link's left shoulder.

LINK! Navi, who was silent throughout the fight, suddenly broke the silence as she let loose a single mental cry. She was worried as her master was just stabbed, but as she felt Link's mind briefly, she breathed a sigh of relief. Link was far from done and she had a feeling that Rett was in big trouble.

With a grunt of pain, Link grasped at the blade with his left hand and withdrew it from his body and as Rett backed away, he levelled his own sword to guard himself against further attacks, ignoring the blood that flowed from his open wound. He had underestimated Rett and that had been a mistake.

Rett was slightly confused and very nervous. He was glad that he drew first blood but he was also worried about his friend's well being. The wound looked serious and that led to Rett's extreme worry about Link's lack of reaction to the attack. Instead of screaming in pain, he just instead grunted and drew out the blade as if he was just simply taking out a needle from a pin-cushion. A man, who was strong enough to take direct attacks and still continue, oblivious to the wound, was a man to fear.

Letting out a slow breath, Link decided that enough was enough.

Crouching downwards into a position where he had his left leg stretched out before him, his left foot pointing towards his opponent and his right leg coiled beneath him, his right foot pivoted so that it pointed directly to the right. He then levelled the sword once again so that it was at his shoulder's height and was parallel to the ground, the sharp edge of the sword directed towards the heavens. With his right hand holding the sword in what seemed like an awkward position, the back of his fist was to the right of his face, wrist pointed outwards, Link then slid his left hand down the blade of his sword, his middle and index finger positioned so that they were a few spaces apart, as if they mirrored one another, with his pinkie and ring finger held into his palm by his thumb, letting the blade slide between his two fingers and stopping near the tip of his blade, allowing it to hover there as he repositioned himself for his next strike.

Taking a slow breath through slightly parted lips, he readied himself for his attack.





Rett awoke with a start.

Taking in deep breaths he sat up as he quickly studied his surroundings.

Looking around for a few moments, he suddenly and instantly recognized the barrack's infirmary.

Then the pain hit him.

Groaning, Rett held his right side as he clamped his eyes shut, clutching it in pain with his left hand as his right elbow tried to drive his left hand into his body more, as if by doing so it would lesson the pain.

After a few moments, Rett's breathing returned to normal and the pain slowly subsided, allowing him time to recover from his small ordeal. Blinking as sunlight reflected into his eyes, Rett looked around to see the source of his annoyance.

He was on one of many white beds that were lined up in a simple stone built room. Windows lined the far wall that he knew led to the barrack's courtyard. Currently there was sunlight streaming down and through the windows but didn't quite make it to his bed. Except when reflected from the glass of water that was currently positioned on a small dresser to his right.

Moving his left hand slowly, Rett grabbed the offending glass of water and drank its refreshing contents. Feeling better, Rett held onto the glass and allowed his arm to rest at his side. Feeling relieved from the annoying light, Rett slowly sat back down onto the bed, his body protesting at the movement.

Heh, This place is like my home away from home... Rett smiled to himself at the silent thought. Ever since he joined the King's Knight division, he had seen more combat than he cared to admit and had been injured more times than he could count. He practically lived at the infirmary.

Moving his eyes so that they stared directly at the ceiling, Rett allowed himself to rest as he slowly felt sleep coming to claim him. Thinking about nothing in particular, he concentrated on the numerous stones that lined the ceiling above him. Wondering about how long he was going to stay in the infirmary, a sudden thought occurred to him.

How by the goddess did I end up here???

Blinking quickly, Rett thought back to what he was doing before he woke up injured. What was I doing last? Figuring that he was fighting someone or something, Rett found himself thinking about people who could have injured him so badly and as he went through his list he found himself quickly running out of people. He hadn't enraged anyone recently and he didn't overdo any practice sessions recently... So what was I doing?....

Staring at the ceiling and the floating particles of dust that wafted through and around the sunlight above him, a bird flew by outside, obscuring the channel of light for a moment, casting a shadow where light once shone, Rett's eyes opened in shock as a memory pierced his mind.

A sword...a black sword that gleamed in the darkness...

LINK!!! Rett almost screamed as he sat up, the memories of his last battle flooded his mind. Looking at his body, he winced as he saw that his chest had bandages wrapped tightly around his waist and over his left shoulder, his body aching and crying out its disapproval at moving.

Thinking back, Rett tried to recount the last moments of the battle. Lying on the bed, he tried not to move as the memories of the fight flooded his mind.





First strike! Rett thought to himself pleased at the fact that he had wounded his rival first. However he was concerned about how Link fared as his friend just got stabbed in the shoulder. The worry was short lived as Link grasped the blade from his shoulder with his left hand and wrenched it out with a single motion. Backing away, Rett moved his sword into a defensive pose.

Uhhhh... Rett stated mentally as fear dawned on the man. He didn't even flinch!! His own mind screamed at him as he saw blood run down from Link's wound.

Then Rett watched with worry as Link crouched, spreading his feet slightly apart and levelling his blade, moving himself so that he faced his opponent, ignoring the fact that he had been stabbed a few moments earlier.

Time to start worrying... Rett thought to himself as he prepared himself for the next strike. Link crouched slightly once again, pausing for a brief moment. He didn't look friendly, not that he was looking that friendly before but, looking at him now, he looked like he was going to kill him without a passing glance. Ok...I feel that this is a good time to...PaNiC!!! Rett thought wisely, but he could only watch what happened next.

Dashing forward, Link was instantly in front of Rett and stabbing forward with Murasame. Link turned his wrist to the right as he attacked, turning the sword so that the blade that was facing the sky now faced the earth as it penetrated Rett's military uniform. A good half a foot of sword was suddenly sticking out of Rett's back and then Link simply withdrew his sword with a clean pull.

Blood flowed from the wound freely but Rett managed to stay standing, his will the only thing keeping him upright as pain coursed through his side, his body suddenly feeling weak and heavy.

"It is over." Link stated simply as he touched the tip of his sword to the ground, before his left foot and with one smooth motion, slashed up.

Rett's eyes widened in surprise as he felt Link's sword slice up and over his chest, knocking him back through the air. Making a full spin in midair, Rett landed on his back with a thump and a crack as his head smacked against the cobbled street.

His vision blurry, Rett saw Link kneel before him for a brief moment and then he simply got up and walked away. Then there were other people. A few soldiers crowed the area then the priestesses appeared out of nowhere and fed him something watery and red. Drinking the healing potion, Rett found his vision darkening. He then simply gave way to nothing.





Blinking, Rett's eyes refocused as he found himself staring back at the unchanging ceiling above his bed. Thinking back to the battle, he couldn't help but be impressed. Whatever Link had learnt during their time apart had made his friend into an incredible fighter.

Raising his right hand, Rett stared at the sunlight before he reached in front of him and clenched his fist in front of the brightest window. I will become stronger. I will surpass Link and show him who is truly the best... his thoughts echoing in his mind. He had made this promise only once before, when Link became Protector of the Land, showing that he was the strongest. Ever since they had become friends, Rett had always dreamt of becoming strong, strong enough to defeat all those who came before him. However as Rett improved, so did he, they were almost dead even. Then as they grew older, Link seemed to almost outshine him and Rett quickly found himself struggling to keep up with his experienced friend.

Then Link left.

Rett thought back to the day when he had returned to Hyrule after training in the mountains for a few months. He had been training for the upcoming test of Knighthood, which would allow people to advance into the prestigious ranks of the knights. When he had learnt of Link's sudden departure, he was shocked to say the least, but he had understood why his friend left.

Link had loved Zelda, even if he didn't know it himself. However those around him knew, if they paid attention, they would have noticed that Link cared for the princess far more then he would admit. The sudden order to leave and never return must have been a shock. Rett had also heard rumours of a resounding slap and if that was true, it must have been a horrible moment for Link as someone he cared for struck him.

Knowing Link who grew up without many friends and no family, that rejection must have hurt him more then anyone could have guessed. He had unwittingly given his heart out and when that person rejected him, it must have been devastating.

Seeing Link now, Rett had guessed that his friend had seen more hardships since then. Rett remembered looking into his friend's eyes and he couldn't help but shiver. Where once the joy of life and self worth shone, there was almost nothing there now. It was as if his spirit had been drained away.

Those eyes... thinking back, Rett had seen them before it was what was known as the eyes of empty existence. They were the marks of soldiers who had seen too many battles, faced too many hardships and had lost too many things that they cared about. They were the eyes of people that only wanted to finish what was started, whether they lived or died was of no consequence.

Rett had a few friends like that. They were once vibrant people who loved life. Then as Ganon began his invasion and began to slaughter all who got in his way, they had all changed. Those that survived the first year now wore the expression that Link had. They were all veterans, waiting to fight and finish off Ganon or protect those that survived, that was their existence, their final hope. So far, from what Rett knew, they had all died in battle, none living past their first two years after acquiring such eyes.

It was such a sad fate.

Sighing, Rett felt sleep tugging at him. He would meet up with Link later, maybe tomorrow or so. There was much to talk about and much more to catch up on. A rematch... we should have a rematch. Thinking those final thoughts, Rett drifted into a peaceful sleep where he and a young boy with blonde hair fought each other with wooden sticks, a glowing fairy watching from above.





Link took in a deep breath as he sat up. Daybreak was approaching and Link sat in his bed breathing. Just breathing. The fight with Rett yesterday was both exciting and horrific.

Looking up and out the window of his room, Link saw nothing but the roofs of other buildings, the impassive mountains, and with his window pointing south, he saw the white gates. With the sky still dark, Link thought back to the fight and couldn't help but smile. Rett had grown, both as a man and as a fighter. Without a doubt, Rett had continued to grow and though they had both held back, it was a thoroughly enjoyable fight.

However. There was something equally horrifying.

Lowering his head, Link lifted his right hand and opened it before him. Suddenly tensing his fingers, his hand formed a claw that Link only help but stare at. Once again, Link wondered how much he had changed since his former days. It was just more than minor changes, such as looks, skills and powers. His changes were deeper then those that were cosmetic. He had changed on the inside.

Thinking back, Link shivered slightly as a single memory ran through his head. The black sword piercing his friend. His sword piercing flesh. It was a simple memory, nothing more.

What has happened to me? Such thoughts pierced his mind, making him slightly afraid of what he had become. He had severely wounded his friend and then finished the fight with an unnecessary final strike.

What scared Link the most was the fact of the emotions attached to the memory, or the lack of emotion. He felt nothing. There was no horror or worry as he stabbed his friend, causing a severe wound. It was just a simple action. It was an action that he knew deep down, was acquired during his travels. React before they act... his mind stated, making himself feel downcast.

Breathing hard, Link broke out of his line of thought before it went any further. He did this too often nowadays. Always thinking about himself and his changes, he often got lost in thought and if he allowed it to continue too far, he would become depressed. And with depression, he couldn't concentrate on tasks at hand, such as combat, and ended up making mistakes that would nearly cost him his life.

Concentrating on his breathing, Link forced his mind and body to settle. Slowly opening his eyes, Link saw the worried features of Navi who was currently hovering a few inches from his face. Smiling, Link raised his right hand, palm upwards and stopped it at shoulder height.

Taking the offering, Navi landed in his open palm. Settling down, she leaned back on her left arm as she looked up to her friend and master's face. "Are you feeling alright? Link?"

"Yea." Link replied simply, not wanting to worry his friend. "I'm alright."

Not convinced, Navi once again took to the air, flying lazily around Link's head a few times. "You're lying. What's bothering you Link?""

"Same old." Link said as he tracked Navi's flight the best he could.

Stopping in front of his face, Navi understood and was slightly worried. She didn't want him to get depressed again and was wondering what to do when an idea suddenly hit her. "A Bath!" she shouted out excitedly.

"What?" Link said as he raised his left eyebrow.

"A bath will fix you right up! And you could use one, you smell worse then Epona does after a hard run." Navi stated as she wrinkled her nose.

Link simply stared at her with the raised eyebrow.

"I'll go get you one!" Navi exclaimed and zipped off, and with a small spell opened the door, flew through and went down the stairs in search of a maid.

Link blinked, his mouth opened slightly in surprise as he was left behind, his final thought unanswered. Don't I get a say in this...





Soon there were sounds of people moving about and shortly after, a few maids came in carrying two tubs. The first was an oval metal tub that was a good three feet in height and a good seven by three feet long, the second was a metal circle that was far smaller then the tub as it stood a foot in height and was only five feet wide. Seeing as they moved the tub silently and not causing a ruckus, Link guessed they did this sort of thing often.

Placing the tubs in the middle of the room, they then filled the oval tub with hot water and left a bar of pink soap that they stated was the finest, a bottle of shampoo and two large white towels. With that done, they promptly left, their gazes lingering on Link and his body whenever someone mentioned the word 'bath'. Two wooden buckets of warm water were left beside the smaller tub. It was to be used after the person took their bath and needed to rinse their body of left over soapsuds that would cling to them as they left the tub.

As the last maid left with a curtsey, Link found himself staring at the pink soap with a slightly confused expression. Looking at Navi, who was currently fluttering proudly over the tub, Link raised his left eyebrow once again. "They make pink soap?"





Sighing, Link relaxed in the simplistic metal tub as he leaned back. Watching the rising steam, he couldn't help but feel at ease as the hot, soapy water worked its magic on his body. With pink scented soap, that the maids insisted he use, Link simply closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Taking the bar of soap, Link quickly washed his body and shampooed his hair. Covered in bubbles, Link took a deep breath and dunked himself into the steaming water. After a few moments, he returned to the surface, water streaming down his face as he splashed water over his head washing away the last of the soap and shampoo.

Leaning against the end of the tub, Link settled down to enjoy the remainder of his bath. Clean and comfortable, Link simply rested his arms on either side of the tub as he found himself contently watching the small groups of soap bubbles move across the water's surface at an un-amazingly slow pace.

"Shall I wash your back?" Navi asked sweetly as she hovered in front of Link holding a washcloth that looked like a giant blanket in her arms. Smiling, Link sighed and nodded as he leaned forward, allowing Navi access to his back. He never could say no as she always tried her best to help him out. Link then suddenly wondered if he was spoiling her in some way.

Gliding to his back, Navi gently washed Link's back, taking special care as she moved the cloth over the healing wounds and sensitive scars. Looking at the white marks that streaked Link's back, Navi found herself studying the newer scars to make sure that they had healed. Working hard to clean the backside, Link would have laughed if he saw the serious expression that Navi had on as she worked.

Finishing most of the back, she was slowly moving her way upwards and ended up at the left shoulder, were Link was stabbed the night before. Examining the wound, Navi smiled to herself proudly as she looked at the clean shoulder. Running her small hands over where the wound was, she felt pride on her quick healing job. The wound was severe, but she had worked hard and fast and the result was healed flesh that wouldn't leave a scar, unlike the other ones. Practice makes perfect! She thought to herself, assured that she could deal with any minor wounds in the future and heal them without leaving the slightest scars. "Finished!" she exclaimed proudly after a final look over and flew over to a side of the tub and hung the washcloth on the edge.

Looking back, she saw a sleeping Link who had slipped slightly into the pool and with only his head above water was content and resting. He's pushing himself too hard... she thought to herself as she flew to the opposite end of the tub, standing on the edge and undressed. Taking off her simple smock that covered her body as it left her arms and shoulder bare and ended near the middle of her thighs. She then simply walked off the edge of the tub and into the water with a splash.

Swimming lazily under water for a few moments, Navi then flew out of the soapy water, spraying soap, bubbles and droplets of water everywhere as her translucent wings fluttered. Flying over to the pink soap, Navi gently lathered her body, enjoying the moment as if they were to leave tomorrow, who knows when they would get a chance to bathe again.

Using magic, she got a few droplets of shampoo out of the glass bottle and began to wash her hair. With that, she flew up into the air, a good five feet above the tub and allowed her body to relax as her wings stopped to flutter. She began to fall.

Freefalling, she dove into the tub, causing a small spire of water to rise into the air as she broke the soapy surface, waking Link from his gentle nap. Swimming to the surface, Navi looked up at the now awake Link and was instantly apologetic about waking him.

Gently shaking his head, Link simply smiled as he felt the brief flash of regret through his bond. Navi then broke back out into her cheery demeanour as she saw the smile. She never could completely tell what Link felt as he kept most of his emotions bottled inside, she always trusted her master to be honest with her.

Getting up, Link stepped into the second tub and picking up a bucket, splashed the cool water over his head and down his body, washing away the clinging soap. Navi flew onto Link's head as he took the second bucket and emptied its content. The clean water washing away the last of the soap leaving the two beings feeling refreshed and clean. Feeling relaxed, Link wrapped a towel around his waist and tucked it in, making sure that it wouldn't fall off at an improper time.

Raking his left hand across his head through his black hair, Link sighed contently. His body felt relaxed and healed and his mind was at ease. If anything, for just that moment, everything was perfect.

Then the maids came.

At first there was only a light tap on the door. Blinking Link turned his head in time to see the door open and reveal one of the inn's maids. Dressed in a simple green dress with a white trim, a wreath of beautiful brown hair flowed down her back to her waist.

"Are you done with your bath my lor..." The maid then looked up and froze, her final word forgotten, as standing before her was her knight in shining armour, except that at that very moment her knight wasn't wearing any armour, not that the maid cared or anything.

There was a moment of silence as Link stared at the maid staring back at him. Feeling a small something land on his right shoulder, Link looked down to see Navi cross one leg over the other and before Link could ask his question, she answered. Her name is Sofia and she is in charge cause Gertrude is away attending to business.

Link stared at the fairy smiling sweetly at him for a few moments before he raised his head to reply to her question when he stopped. Raising her own head, Navi was curious why Link suddenly froze when she looked over to see what Link was looking at and her eyes widened.

Sofia wasn't alone anymore.

Standing at the doorway was a good half a dozen maids, all peeking inside towards the single man who was currently only covered by a towel.

Walking to the doorway, every female eye tracing his every movement, Link stopped in front of them all and silently waited as the maids continued to stare at him. With a well-toned body, Link found himself feeling self-conscious as the maids simply stared at him silently. Even the jagged scar that streaked across his chest had allotted attention, bringing Link bad memories with their gaze.

"Can I help you?" Link asked gently, breaking the silence.

Sofia managed to stutter out "B...bath?" before she settled into silence, a deep blush settling on her face as a thought occurred to her. If I was a minute earlier... the thought caused her blush to deepen but she kept her thoughts private.

Giving a simple nod, Link stepped out of the way and went to sit on the bed, allowing the maids to attend to their task as Sofia gave out curt orders, assigning maids to accomplish the task of removing the metal tubs in groups. To say that the simple tasks went smoothly was an understatement. The maids took far more time to remove the tubs then was necessary as each maid seemed to find that it was their sworn duty to stare at the stranger for as much as possible without being caught. After a few moments of this charade, they discovered that Sofia was giving them death glares and they picked up the pace, quickly removing the tubs from the room and disappearing from sight.

Looking around to make sure that everything was done, Sofia took one more glance at the handsome and well-defined man before her. Quickly finding an excuse, Sofia walked over to the bed, where Link was currently sitting, the white towel still wrapped around his waist and draped over his lap, right before his knees.

"Do you require anything else, my lord?" Sofia asked in the softest voice that bordered on submission. It was a voice that would tease most men to the point where their wits were anywhere but in their head.

Smiling, Link gave his simple reply, "Thank you, no."

Smiling in earnest, Sofia raised her opinion of the stranger a notch, as it seemed that feigned submission wouldn't work on him. Eyes wondering, Sofia found herself studying the jagged white scar that went from below the man's right nipple all the way towards his left hip, stopping in between his hip and navel. She felt drawn to it as she felt something... Suddenly looking up, Sofia blushed as she realized that she was beginning to lean in to get a better look at the scar.

"It... looks painful..." Sofia stuttered out as she tried to hide the fact that she was going to study the scar as close as humanly possible. She felt bad for losing control of herself. A maid must always be calm, cool and collected... she thought to herself as Gertrude's words rang in her ears.

"It is a gift." Link replied emotionlessly. "A gift from someone..." With a sigh, Link ran his right hand through his damp hair. He didn't know why he told her that, he had simply answered without thinking. He never talked to others about it and he found himself wondering why he bothered to even reply.

Looking up to reassure her that the scar was nothing, Link's eyes widened as shock momentarily took over. Sofia wasn't standing before him anymore but was currently beside him, arms wrapped around his back, pushing him onto the bed as she pressed her soft yet hard body against him in one of the tightest embrace he had ever received. Her muffled sobs came out clearly to his ears.

Blinking Link looked over and was at a loss. Beside him, Sofia was hugging him with all her might as tears streaked down her face. Not knowing what to do, Link kept his arms dangling from fear of doing the wrong thing.

"Stop! Please stop..." her muffled cries emanated from his shoulder, confusing Link on what he should be stopping, he instead simply stayed still, hoping that it was the best course of action as he was at a loss of what to do or what he had done. Still feeling lost, Link stayed still, hoping that Sofia's outburst wasn't his fault.

Floating in the air, Navi looked down towards the sobbing young woman, her face concentrating at the sprawled figure hugging her master. A distant memory nagging at her mind. Looking up, Link wondered what Navi was doing until he noticed her looking down at them, or more specifically at Sofia.

Navi? Link sent the single question to the flying fairy.

Navi ignored Link for a moment, her mind thinking on something. She continued to stare at Sofia until she realized something. There was a slight aura around her. It was so light that it was practically unnoticeable and then Navi decided to try something else. The spell took her a few more moments of concentration before she released it. It was a spell of sight and it would reveal the unnoticed or hidden things around her. It would reveal something about Sofia that Navi hoped was true.

The spell took hold and wrapped around her eye, making one of her violet eyes silver, allowing Navi to clearly see the aura around Sofia. It was a gentle gold aura, glowing faintly around her body and as Navi looked at where Sofia's heart lay, the aura was brighter, making Navi smile sadly, the distant memory coming into sudden focus.

Sofia... Sofia is like... her... Navi stated simply, knowing what the final word meant to her master.

Her... Link thought quietly, the unbidden memories flooding his mind as he tried to stop them. Happiness, endless and overwhelming sadness, hope, despair, laughter, crying... it was a torrent of emotions.

Sofia felt what Link felt and feeling the overbearing sadness, she continued to cry as she attempted to bury her head into his shoulder. Keeping Link in her vice-like grip for what had to be an eternity, she eventually cried herself into exhaustion, limply hanging onto the person beside her.

Making sure that Sofia was asleep, Link gently brushed her head with his left hand, feeling her soft brown hair beneath his calloused hand. Moving silently, he slipped from her gentle grip and smoothly wrapped the blanket around her sleeping form.

A heartlander... Link thought to himself, knowing full well what it meant. Staring at the soft and gentle face of the sleeping lady, Link allowed himself to sympathise with her for a moment. She was a heartlander, a person with the gift to feel what others felt.

She must have touched your soul... Navi stated as she landed on Link's right shoulder. She is resting, we should go, staring at her will only remind you of her, and... we should go...

A single tear rolled down Link's cheek unnoticed as he sighed, the memories of the past returning. Navi flew upwards and stopped the single tear with her hands, cupping the salty droplet and allowing it to fall directly into the white towel that was currently still wrapped around his waist.

Come... Lets go, follow me... Navi gently suggested, knowing full well how Link was feeling. Watching her master get dressed and gather his belongings, Navi took the time to make sure that he was fully dressed before she lead him through the door and watched as he gently closed the wooden door behind him she lead him outside of the inn, into the bright sunlight.

Standing there, in front of the inn, Link was immobile, his mind a torrent of thoughts and emotions. Navi she knew, knew what was going through his head as she flew to his shoulder and hovered beside his right ear, giving it a gentle kiss, her thoughts cutting into Link's mind and thoughts. I know. I miss her too...

Blinking, Link sighed as a second tear fell from his left eye, rolling down his cheek gently. Feeling Navi snuggle her small face against his, Link smiled gently as he raised his hood. Wiping away the tear and tightening his gauntlets, Link smiled for Navi, knowing that she would know the reason for the smile.

Touching his chest, Link felt the small chain, and more importantly, the small ruby and emerald rose, that hung on the chain press into his skin. "She is still with us..." Link said, not knowing if it was a question or a statement.

"She is." Navi said simply, knowing that Link would be alright for the day.

Letting out a deep sigh, Link took a slow, deep breath and disappeared into the crowd.





Walking aimlessly, Link found himself immersed in the life of the city. Here people lived their lives regardless of war and fear. Walking amongst them, Link could feel a sort of flow as people continued to live on, giving him a certain satisfaction. The will of the innocent was strong, not weak, as Ganon had always thought. They strive to live, even now, during these dark times... the thoughts drifted through Link's mind, echoing with his belief that the strong are the ones who were able to continue living, despite the endless obstacles that faced them.

The people as a whole seem to pulsate, the chatter of couples and families filled the air. The screaming as people haggled with various vendors or that of children laughing with delight.

As a whole, they were cheerful and this made Link smile. Closing his eyes, he basked in its glory, the life of the people filled him for the moment with a feeling of vast contentment. Here were the people he was defending, the life and innocence that he protected. It was like water to the dying and Link drank his fill as he stood at the centre of the street and allowed the flow of people guide him.

Before long, he found himself slowing down. As he looked up Link found himself standing at the town centre, where the statue of the three goddesses resided.

Looking up, Link found himself in awe once more as he stared at the statues bathing in sunlight. The light seemed to be drawn into the statues, making them glow with an almost holy aura. Looking around, Link saw that everyone who passed by took at least a glance at the figures, their eyes always wandering towards their symbol of hope and peace.

Staring at the statues, Link found himself reminiscing about the past. He found his thoughts wandering to the ruby and emerald rose that hung at his neck. Feelings of joy and happiness filled him and for the briefest moment he forgot who he was. He was filled with content and the joy of being loved.

For the briefest moment...

Releasing a deep sigh, Link felt the happiness, joy and contentment melt away, leaving only the raw emptiness and sadness that would forever accompany him.

Navi felt bland. She had felt Link's joy, knowing exactly what memories Link had remembered. They were memories of 'her' and she knew it was also memories of 'her' that made him now feel so empty. It was just like it was at the inn as Link went immobile, locked in a depressed mood. Link...lets go see if Rett is all right! Maybe he's well enough to fight again. Knowing him, he'd probably force a priestess to heal him so he can come after you!

Turning his head, Link felt himself grinning, the thought of a rematch with his friend a welcoming one.

Come, I'll lead you there! Navi stated happily. Seeing Links grin meant that he wasn't going to go into one of his depressions.

With the small fairy leading the way, Link found himself walking north, towards the castle. Weaving in between throngs of people, it took less then an hour for them to reach their destination.

Standing before the open gates, Link stared at the white stonewalls, briefly thinking about his days when he dressed in the happy-go-lucky green clothes.

Hearing something, Navi flew overhead and, spotting a crowd behind the walls, she sent Link a quick thought, Link! There are people in the courtyard! Blinking at the high-flying fairy, Link fixed his attention before him and walked into the courtyard of the castle.

There was a crowd of soldiers standing around, making a circle as they cheered, yelled, cursed and hollered. The sounds of metal grating against metal rang clearly throughout the air, exacting sounds of awe from the crowd. Interest perked, Link walked forward to see what was going on.

Link stood at the edge of the crowd, unnoticed by most of the soldiers except for a few people who were littered around here and there. The people who noticed his presence gave a brief glance towards him before returning their attention back to the fight at hand. Those people who noticed, Link noted with interest, were mostly grizzled soldiers that he guessed were the veterans of this war. The other people who noticed him were still young and kept their gaze on the darkly clad stranger for a few moments longer before they too returned their attention to the fight.

Looking into the centre of the circle, Link watched as a young woman geared in red armour, holding a red hilted sword in her right hand and a red shield strapped to her left arm dodge or block incoming attacks before she retaliated with surprising speed. The other fighter was a young man armoured in what looked like silver with a flowing white cape behind him. Using a rapier, he continuously attacked the woman, sending in relentless barrages of stabs that the woman seemed hard pressed to defend.

Taking the time to study the two fighters, Link found himself concentrating on their movements as if they were his opponents, trying their best to defeat or kill him.

The first was the young woman in red armour. She had long, straight green hair that ended slightly below her waist. Red armour covered her torso with a high neck guard and separate shoulder plates. Her arms were bare except for red armlets that covered her entire forearms. Her legs were bare, guarded only with red greaves. Her sword a single double edged blade that was a good three to four feet long and was as thick her forearms, the red hilt with a ruby pommel. The shield was an oddity in itself. It resembled a large cross with the arms of the cross, higher up making it so it had a longer bottom half than the top. However, instead of straight intersecting lines, the edges of the cross were connected with curves, creating a stylish shield that the woman continually blocked with. On laced sandals, the woman moved with surprising agility as she, weaved, attacked and defended with lithe grace.

The second was a man with golden straight hair that fell midway to his back who was geared in silver armour. The silver armour he wore only covered his torso, leaving mere cloth to protect the rest of his body. A white shirt was worn under the armour, its sleeves covering the man's arms. A matching pair of pants fit snugly around his legs as the man glided from foot to foot on brown leather boots. His weapon was a straight silver rapier with an elegant white hilt. Holding the sword so that the tip of it was constantly pointed at his opponent, he forcibly kept his opponent on the defence.

Link, doesn't that man's style look like that style... from that country...ummm... Navi attempted to point out, but faltered completely as she realized that she oddly didn't remember much.

Smiling, Link replied as he continued to study the man's fighting style. It is called fencing and the Acadians developed it for man-to-man duels. It's a weak style, unless you're a master at it. That old man tried to teach it to us, but I wasn't very good at it.

"Strike! Thousand Blows!" the young man yelled out as he drew the sword before his face in a salute. The young woman's eyes widened for a moment but she tightened her grip on her sword.

Link watched in fascination as the young man took three steps forward, covering the distance between him and his opponent and began. At first it was only a few light stabs but it quickly sped up. From what were five light stabs quickly turned into ten, then it was fifteen, twenty, twenty-five, fifty, hundred twenty-five, two hundred fifty and then what had to be five hundred blows crushed into the young woman's weakened defence. The blows were too quick to count but Link knew how the technique worked.

The woman in red armour had been defending since the beginning of the thousand blows and was doing well until the strikes reached the hundreds where her shield began to heavily waver. Then as the attack hit, her shield was knocked to the left, leaving her open to the final part of the strike, which mercilessly slammed into her, over two hundred stabs striking her armour, creating sparks as they rained down on her final defence. With that, she fell forward, towards the floor and was rendered unconscious. As soon as she fell, the young man instantly sheathed his rapier and kneeled down to check on her as her friends came running.

Link was amazed to say the least. The young man was obviously a master in fencing or at the very least, close to a master. The thousand-blow technique wasn't something that anyone could learn. It took time and great effort to master those special attacks and it taxed the user greatly. However, looking at the young man, Link was amazed to see that he was only temporarily out of breath. He had seen others use that same attack and they were either completely out of breath or extremely weary, their body barely standing by their own will.

Thinking back, Link only ever encountered one man who could use the style like the young man did and not be drained. He was a nameless old man who was on the constant move around Acadia. He was an absolute master in the art of fencing, knowing every part of his style he had even created a few attacks himself. Link himself had learnt from that man for a month before they parted ways, their paths taking them to different destinies.

For this young man to reach such a level of mastery, he must have trained very, very hard. Even Link himself couldn't perform such an attack. But then again, Link himself had a very different style than most other fighters.

Blinking, Link shook off his line of thought and realised that the unconscious woman in red armour had already been taken out of the circle. The young man with the rapier remained however as a grinning soldier walked up. The young man looked almost like everyone else, dressed in the same Hyrule military uniform with a single sword strapped to one side of his waist.

Giving the man in silver armour a respected nod, he addressed the crowd. "The winner, Delvol de Syrule!" the crowd broke out in a cheer. Waiting for a few moments, the man then continued, "Does anyone else wish to challenge Delvol de Syrule!? The previous challenger wasn't enough and we require another!"

The crowd was suddenly in a general distaste at the young man's final remark. Even the silver armoured Delvol was frowning making Link raise an eyebrow. It seemed that the woman in red was an apparent favourite.

"She just underestimated me this time. I won by luck, that is all." Delvol stated in a calm almost forcible voice, his respect for the red armoured woman apparent.

Coughing, the announcer quickly got the point. "I apologize for my earlier remark... Selina is a favourite, one of my favoured as a matter of fact. However, I shall not stray! Who here has the vigour to stand up and take this challenge!?!?"

Awkward silence met the man's announcement. It seemed that no one wanted to face the man but no one wanted to leave in case there was another challenger. No one moved, waiting for anyone to react to the challenge issued.

Smiling, Link realized that there wasn't anyone else wanting to fight the man named Delvol and turned about to leave the circle. His interests lay in a match with Rett, not some man in silver armour.

However, the man in the circle seeing the darkly clad stranger turn to walk away suddenly found inspiration. Pointing towards Link's back, he began. "Are you a coward! Do you have no courage! Come forth and fight, prove your worth in this circle!"

Blinking, Link turned and faced the stranger. Am I a coward? He thought briefly to himself as he entertained the amusing thought.

"Oh Ho! He has a backbone!" the announcer stated, hoping to bait the stranger into a fight.

Smiling, Link was thoroughly amused. With a slight bow, he then turned around and started to walk away again, choosing to ignore the words of the announcer. He was amused and that was enough.

Fate however, had other ideas.

As Link turned and began to walk away, a soldier in the crowd found himself staring at the hilt of the sword that was strapped to the man's back. Then realization dawned. It was the same sword that pierced Rett last night! Screaming at the top of his lungs, the young man caught the attention of every soldier within earshot. "Its him! The man who defeated Rett!"

That stopped Link.

Turning, he found that Delvol was quickly striding towards him and came to a halt, standing before the man dressed in black. Link took a moment and noted the fact that Delvol was almost the same height as himself. Knowing what was to come, Link gave Navi a silent order to stay away and not interfere. She left without notice or complaint, knowing exactly why she was being sent away, no dangerous events for her today.

"I wish to face you, good sir. If you have the strength to defeat Knight Captain Rett then obviously you are a worthy opponent to face my blade." Delvol stated in a calm, respectable demeanour that left no room for argument. Knowing that the man would persist until he got the match that he wished for, Link agreed.

Damn Acadians. Link thought aloud, forcing Navi to smile in amusement.

Walking into the fighter's circle, Link released a breath as he felt himself enter something similar to another world. People were everywhere, in every direction that he looked, their staring eyes, chatter, yells and hollering booming from every which direction making it harder to focus than it would have been on a battlefield. It reminded Link of his first time in a fighter's circle. The good ol' days... Link thought to himself as he stopped near the centre of the circle, facing his opponent.

"May I inquire your name?" Delvol asked and when Link didn't reply he continued. "How rude of me. Etiquette demands that I should reveal my own name before I inquire for others. Forgive me. I am Delvol de Syrule, son of the first Lord of Acadia." Delvol finished his introduction with a bow.

All that met Delvol was silence, making him sigh as his opponent didn't seem to share the same Etiquette that a Lord would, but then few did, and Delvol knew that his upbringing was well more refined then others. So he learnt to accept it but he would always strive to be a perfect gentleman, no matter the circumstance.

"His name is Darks." A familiar voice stated as the crowd parted slightly, allowing a man in a white cape to enter the circle.

"Knight Captain Rett! It is good to see you up and walking today." Delvol stated happily.

"Forgive my friend here Delvol. He is a wanderer and such constant travels during these times have stripped him of much manners that he once had." Rett stated simply, forcing Delvol to completely re-evaluate the darkly clad man before him. If the Knight Captain was willing to stand up for the man, then the man was worthy to be considered a rival.

"Delvol, be careful. Darks is a very strong opponent and from what impression I got from my match, he has many secrets." Rett warned, making Delvol smile in anticipation.

"If Knight Captain Rett warns me about you Sir Darks, then I feel honoured to be able to face you in combat!" Delvol stated proudly as he unsheathed his sword. With a muted hiss, Link unsheathed his own sword in reply.

Bringing the tip of the rapier to his forehead, Delvol saluted his opponent and waited as the man prepared himself. Link simply withdrew his hood, revealing his face to the delight of the female soldier's present, making them swoon with delight for staying to watch the circle fights.

Studying his opponent for a moment, Delvol found himself frowning slightly. Link, covered in his large cloak left little to see. The man's feet were parted only slightly, indicating great balance, and his sword held in the right hand, his left hidden within the folds of the cape.

Feeling that his opponent was ready, Delvol finished his salute and lunged forward, his rapier stabbing at Link's left arm.

Sidestepping, Link avoided the attack but didn't retaliate.

Backing off, Delvol gave a gracious nod to his opponent, raising his opinion of the man another notch. He saw through my feint... Delvol recorded mentally, trying to gather as much information on his opponent as possible. The aim of the attack was to see how the man would react to such an offensive strike. Seeing the man dodge but not retaliate meant that the man knew what he was trying to do.

Link, deciding that trading blows would keep him off guard, hopped towards Delvol, his sword slashing in from the right and as Delvol dodged to the left, Link followed up with a forward stab which was blocked by Delvol's rapier.

Turning the tables, Delvol slashed from below, raising his sword into the sky, which, to Delvol's surprise, was blocked. Backing off quickly, Delvol recovered and began to move forward, creating a wall of blades as his rapier flashed in the afternoon sun.

Slowly giving ground, Link couldn't help but admire his opponent's skill. Seeing an opportunity, Link decided to take a risk in order to turn the tides. Blocking a few of the relentless stabs, Link crouched and rushed in from below, surprising Delvol at the sudden shift in battle as Link began his attack. Rushing forward, Link began his assault, forcing Delvol into what seemed like a permanent defensive position.

Gnashing his teeth, Delvol grunted again as he blocked another slash, his rapier shaking slightly from each attack. Watching his opponent, Delvol couldn't help but admire his opponent's technique. From what looked like wild and clumsy swings was in fact a well-developed fighting technique that did two things. The first was that with each swing, Delvol could predict each attack but left no room for retaliation, as the power of each swing was contrary to what looked like weak and futile attacks. The second it seemed was to crush the opponent's will. With each passing moment, Delvol felt a touch more hopeless as he found himself wonder what he could do against such brutal and offensive attacks.

No choice... and this early also, he is truly a worthy adversary! Delvol stated to himself as he backed off quickly, creating distance between himself and his opponent. To Link's credit he did not follow, making Delvol slightly frustrated but just as pleased. "You are a worthy opponent, Sir Darks!" Delvol stated aloud as he raised his sword in a salute. "You are as worthy as Knight Captain Rett stated and I am honoured to have had the privilege to fight you. However, you raise the stakes against me and I must respond with my own. I must try to end things quickly, here and now."

Gripping his sword tightly, Link prepared himself for the upcoming attack as Delvol took a few steps back to create distance between him and his opponent.

"Flow! Gentle Gale!" Delvol yelled as he raised his sword and slashed downwards, touching the tip of his rapier into the cobbled ground, wind drawing itself into the tip of his sword. As the tip touched the stone, Delvol flicked his blade at Link, creating a small tornado of wind that launched itself at his opponent.

The crowd was awed. For Delvol de Syrule to use such a technique so soon into battle meant that the man known as Darks was truly a worthy opponent. However, instead of attempting to dodge, Link stood his ground.

How will you deal with this? Sir Darks. Delvol pondered to himself silently, his interest perked by his opponent's lack of action. Are you shocked at such an attack? Like so many before you? Or do you have something hidden away?

Standing still, Link watched as the small tornado made its way towards him. Putting his left foot before him, Link angled his left shoulder towards the incoming attack. Letting his right arm rest, the hilt of his sword behind him, the end of the hilt touching his waist as the tip of his blade hovered a scant inch above the cobbled ground.

Then as the tornado came within a foot away, with one smooth motion, Link turned his wrist to the right, so that the hilt was directed towards the heavens as he slashed upwards so that the blade was pointing towards the sky, a black vapour trail tailing the sword's swing. As the sword dropped back to its original position, hilt hidden and blade hovering, the wind blew in each and every direction.

The Gentle Gale was cut in two.

"Heaven's Ascension Strike..." Link stated solemnly to the awed crowd.

Rett was speechless to say the least. To defeat Delvol's Gentle Gale so easily... Rett found himself wanting a rematch... no... craving a rematch. Next time, I won't hold back, Link!

Delvol was stunned, his technique cut in two. However, he suddenly grinned. "Magnificent Sir Darks! No one has ever defeated the Flowing Gentle Gale before. It seems that we both have been holding back..."

Grinning, Link released a simple nod.

"I will use my all, Sir Darks... Prepare yourself!" Delvol stated emotionally as he dashed forward, his sword once again a wall of blades as he rained a relentless assault on his foe. Link however, simply dodged or blocked each attack, letting none of the strikes through.

Retreating, Delvol studied his opponent again. Breathing from light exertion, Link stood defiantly, like an unyielding mountain. "It seems that my simple techniques are useless against you, Sir Darks." Delvol said as he prepared himself.

Saluting, Delvol then dashed forwards, the wind carrying his words. "Shine! Break Point!"

Knowing what was coming, Link turned his sword so that it was parallel to the ground. Hilt held in his right hand and the middle of the blade in his left, he positioned the sword before his chest and defended Delvol's attack head on.

Staggering back from sudden recoil, Delvol was shocked to say the least. His Shining Break Point was an attack designed to hit the chest, left arm and right arm simultaneously and destroy any weapon and armour that was hit by the triple strike. Upon seeing nothing happen, Delvol became impressed with his opponent's quality equipment.

"So you are the old man's successor..." Link stated, sure that the masters chosen fencer stood before him.

"You know the master?" Delvol asked incredulously, momentarily forgetting that he was in battle. He couldn't believe what he was hearing as the master he knew avoided almost all people. For you to just meet the man, he had to find you, not the other way around. Delvol himself was lucky as the man saw the potential within him and had drawn it out with intense training.

"I met him, in my travels. He said that he had chosen a successor, and I am sure that you are the one." Link stated in his calm voice, respect apparent in his eyes.

Thinking on Link's words, Delvol realized that they were most likely true and the more that he thought on them, the more he realized it. It suddenly made sense, why his Flowing Gentle Gale and Shining Break Point or any of his quick forward stabs were so futile. The man he was fighting had seen them before and seen them preformed by a master, else why could his rival so effortlessly counter the blows?

Pausing for a moment, Delvol reflected on what his rival had just told him, however he couldn't completely believe the man. There were many masters and many old men, but the man his rival was referring to, was one specific person... "Very well, I do not doubt your words, but I do not completely accept them either. If you met the master, then he must have at the very least taught you one single technique..."

Nodding again, Link straightened his back as he brought his sword before his face. "Flow, Living Metal." With those words, Link waved his sword before him, many spectral shadows trailing his weapon.

Eyes wide, Delvol found himself stunned once again. He has met the master! I am the successor!??! Why me... Shaking his head, Delvol collected his thoughts and focused them on the fight at hand. Raising his sword in a salute, he proclaimed his next attack, "Flow! Living Metal!"

The two men clashed, their weapons continuously striking against one another, the spectral images continuing the strikes that the original weapons made, creating an illusionary chain of soundless clashes as their weapons met again and again.

Breaking off, Link was the first to back off. With his inferior experience, he would have inevitably lost.

Grinning, Delvol raised his sword again. "You are truly a man of many surprises and secrets. To master even one of these techniques requires years of practice yet you are able to use one of the master's seven with what has to be less then a years worth of tutelage. Prepare yourself, Sir Darks! Flow! Living Weapon!"

Frowning, Link knew what those words meant. The Flow of Living Metal meant that the sword was able to use its shadow to attack an opponent multiple times, however it was limited to the sword. Flow of Living Weapon meant that the entire body would be enhanced making the user quicker & stronger, plus the ability of illusionary chain strikes. With the increased speed, the chain strikes were in actuality high-speed attacks, but with the spectral images, it made it hard to discern a real attack from a fake and often confused the opponent, creating many openings for sudden, quick and viscous attacks. The images themselves followed the trail of the original blade, making it seem as if the victim was hit many times and allowing it to look like it was a continuous chain of attacks.

Slashing his sword out to his right so that his entire right arm was stretched out in one direction, Link then moved his arm upwards and arced it down towards his left, a vapour trial following his sword's every movement, completing a full circle as he moved his arm back to its original direction, the words echoing from unmoving lips, "Dancing Shadows..."

Delvol didn't know what that meant but he dashed forward, his sword leaving its trail as his body moved enhanced so that it would move two and a half times as quickly as before. However, Link wasn't about to stand still and allow himself to be struck.

Moving to the side, Link was amused to see Delvol's eyes widen. With Delvol's Flow of Living Weapon, his sword retained the spectral abilities as his body became stronger and faster. With Dancing Shadows, Link's entire body had the spectral advantage plus increased speed and strength, though he doubted that he was as fast as Delvol...

Moving cautiously, Delvol watched his opponent, weary for movement. Taking a chance, he dashed in, his sword a blur as it slashed forward. To his surprise, his opponent shifted and left a trail of shadows. Backing away, Delvol watched in fascination as a trail of three translucent shadows followed his opponent, the images trailing the man at less than a foot behind.

Taking the opportunity, Delvol experimentally stabbed at the end shadow, unsurprised to find that his rapier passed through effortlessly. Stopping a few feet away, Link stood still and allowed his shadow to catch up to him, the trailing images trailing up to him and disappearing.

"Interesting technique, Sir Darks, however it is not enough!" Delvol stated as he dashed forward once again, his rapier becoming another wall of blades, but as expected Link dodged, his shadows following behind. "There is a weakness in your style!" Delvol pointed out as he predicted to where Link was about to move and struck at Link himself. But his sword merely passed through a shadow.

Stepping back yet again, Delvol took a moment to re-evaluate the situation as he watched his opponent's, movement. Link stopped, his shadows catching up and vanishing.

He won't let me see his movements, but it seems that I have the advantage in speed so I'll... Deciding on a course of action, Delvol began his offence, taking every opportunity to attack, slash, stab at the shadows, attempting to attack a weakness.

Grunting after a few moments of pointless exertion, Delvol decided to try another tactic. If he couldn't simply lash out with just speed, then he would use an attack that would strike multiple areas quickly. "Shine! Break Point!"

Eyes narrowed, Link barely dodged the first attempt, and the second was a bare miss. The third and fourth try however, proved fruitful as it grazed his shoulder and right forearm.

Saluting, Delvol continued his assault, confident that he had broken the advantages that his opponent's Dancing Shadows gave. "Shine! Break Point!"

No choice... Link thought to himself quickly as he saw Delvol's salute. Moving back, his three trailing shadows flowed into seven and Link began his dance.

Knowing that Link would be in the forefront, leading the shadows, Delvol concentrated on the lead figure, his superior speed allowing him to act before his opponent could react. Seeing four extra shadows was of no concern, as it would change nothing. The lead figure had to be real in order to create the trailing shadows, strike at the leader and it will strike flesh.

Dashing to the side of the lead figure, Delvol struck with his Shining Breaker Point and hit...nothing. Blinking Delvol found it hard to focus as the shadows began to flow in an odd pattern. Suddenly, Delvol's eyes widened.

He couldn't tell where the lead figure was...

Looking around frantically, all Delvol saw was translucent shadows. Standing still for a moment to gather his bearings, Delvol held his ground, attempting to foretell were the next attack would come from.

The decision to stay still was a poor one, as Delvol would later reflect on as the shadows suddenly formed a circle around him. Their moving bodies forming a perfect ring. Soon an unexpected slash caught him across his left shoulder, scraping against his unblemished silver armour, but all Delvol saw was shadow repeating a past action. This is bad... He thought to himself silently as another slash sparked against his armour.

Delvol found himself surrounded with few options at hand. Thinking quickly, he opted to do what his opponent had done many time before, to take a risk that could either give him victory or defeat. Raising his rapier in a salute, he prepared himself.

"Flow! Gentle Gale!" Delvol announced as he created the attack, gathering as much wind into the tip of his blade as he could and touching it to the ground. But instead of flicking the tip of his blade towards the opponent, he instead flicked it at himself, and slashed at the incoming tornado, his words lost in the wind as it broke wildly around him.

Forced to block lest he topple over, Link stopped and guarded, giving away his position to Delvol who wasted no time. Leaping forwards, Delvol delivered a punishing massive attack, his rapier's shadow following suit, making it look like a storm of living swords was picking apart their chosen victim.

Dozens of cuts were quickly acquired as Link tried desperately to block the impending strikes. After a brief moment of blocking, Link was able to back off, leaving the wall of Delvol's blade behind.

Delvol, on the other hand pressed his advantage, pushing forward as he noticed that his opponent no longer had a trail of shadows behind him.

Link! Navi almost shouted, her worry for her master and friend growing with each moment. He's used the Dancing Shadow for too long... Unable to do anything, she simply fretted and hoped for the best. She knew that Link was a good swordsman and she put her faith in his skills, but she still couldn't help but worry.

"Strike! Thousand Blows!"

Link focused in time to see Delvol end his salute and dodge the first five stabs. Raising his sword, Link was able to fend off the following ten to twenty-five. The hundred and twenty-five got past his defences, creating wicked gashes along his sides. Dropping his blade down, Link instantly slashed it into the heavens, his Heaven's Ascension Strike caught Delvol off guard, allowing the blade to cut the front half of armour in two.

Backing off, Delvol was surprised at Link's instant counter attack. Looking down at his useless armour, the front half had a large vertical cut in it, making so that it couldn't protect his chest area. Taking off the burden with a clatter, Delvol smiled. "You have ruined one of my most excellent articles of armour, Sir Darks. I must say that I am surprised that you were able to so easily counter my Strike of a Thousand Blows. It shows your will and skill as a swordsman. However, I shall end this here and now!"

Raising the rapier to his face, Delvol held it horizontally instead of his normal vertical salute for a brief moment before he corrected his posture, bringing the blade back upright. "One of the Master's Seven, Limitless Strike! Rain, Thousand blows!" Delvol announced as he stepped forward and his sword became a blur.

Falling back, Link was unable to defend the onslaught of Delvol's attacks hundreds of small new wounds lined his body. If he remembered correctly, the Limitless Strike of the Raining Thousand Blows came in three parts. The first part was all the strikes up to the first five hundred in one instantaneous moment. The second would be five hundred and the last was the final thousand...

Getting up, Link staggered to his feet as he raised his sword before him. Ignoring the pain in his body, Link concentrated.

Delvol, seeing his rival stand up, quickly stepped forward and unleashed the second part of his attack, forcing the man to back away in a torrent of stabs.

The second part of the attack was quick but Link was able to avoid a measure of the blows by stepping sideways, so that his left side was facing forward, but now the left side of his body was bloodied, his dark clothing becoming drenched in blood.

"The final strike, Thousand Blows!" Delvol stated, sure of his victory as he drew back his rapier and took the single step forward.

Dropping quickly into a crouch, his left hand's middle and index finger gliding down the body of the blade, stopping near the tip. With that Link blinked once, as he drew a single breath through parted lips and prepared himself.

Delvol, ignoring what futile movements that his opponent was making, unleashed his final attack, his arm becoming a blur as he spontaneously unleashed his thousand strikes in a single moment.

Link lunged forward.

There was a sound of metal grating against metal and a light haze of red.

Blood dripping from his lips, Delvol was surprised to find that he was numb. His head resting on the shoulder of his opponent, he felt oddly pleased. His expectations of the man known as Darks were not only met, but also surpassed. He felt an urge to salute the man before he felt something being pulled out of him. Then darkness claimed him.






Rett was in awe. As was the entire body of soldiers who were watching the fight. Watching as Link withdrew his black sword from Delvol's unconscious form and lay the body down gently as priestesses rushed to the young mans aid. Rett simply stood silently, reflecting on the final moment of the match as he looked at his friend, leaning on his sword and breathing heavily.

Thinking back, Rett saw Delvol perform his third and final part of the rain of a thousand blows... but at the same time, he watched as Link crouched into the exact same position the night before his own defeat. The two men met in a haze of red as Link lunged forward, his sword held in both hands stabbing forward, through the wall of Delvol's final attack and piercing the man even as Link himself was cut almost a thousand times.

It was beyond belief. But seeing the priestesses perform their healing magic on the rather pale Delvol, Rett found himself staring at solid evidence that his friend was a great swordsman who could even beat one of Acadia's greatest warriors. Looking to his left, Rett watched as Selina, dressed in a red cloak walked up to stand beside him.

"Darks is a very powerful adversary, is he not?" She stated simply as she stared at the fatigued Link.

"Yea. He is. Although I still get the feeling that he is still holding back something... " Rett replied as he stared at Link's black sword. "His sword is interesting too..."

Smiling, Selina yawned momentarily, stretching her arms high into the air, and revealing her brown sandals as she stirred her cloak. "Holding back huh? Interesting guy..."

Turning his head so that he could stare at Selina face to face, Rett allowed himself to smile viciously. "So you're interested in him too?"

Whipping her head around, Selina wore a mask of shock. "What do you mean interested?" she demanded with indignity, but after a moment's afterthought, added something else. "What do you mean too?"

Letting out a laugh, Rett's smile only widened, to the dismay of the red armoured woman.

Then something zipped past the two.

Turning his head, Rett was surprised to see the small thing fly by him so quickly, however his eyes widened as he noticed that Link was on one knee as he leaned against his sword heavily.

As the priestesses attempted to help him, Link suddenly put up his hand, commanding them to stay were they where. Slowly getting up, his face looking taxed and strained, Link paused for a few moments as he took in deep, deep breaths. After a few moments, his breathing calmed down as he simply sheathed his sword and began to walk away.

Rett watched as his childhood friend walked towards the castle gates, the crowd parting to the sides, forming an unhindered pathway as the darkly clad man walked through, oblivious to their existence and quickly disappearing into the crowd of people outside the gate. Feeling something, Rett took a glance into a small alleyway between the two buildings on the far side of the castle courtyard. Being faraway and completely shrouded in shadows, Rett dismissed it as nothing as he turned back to the castle gates.

Clenching his right fist at where he saw Link last, Rett cocked his head to the side, his words drawing Selina's attention. "We will meet again, soon."





Walking slowly, Link tried to concentrate on anything but the pain that currently racked his body. All the wounds he acquired during that last moment of the battle hurt but paled in comparison to the pain that his body felt from the taxation from the Dancing Shadows.

Groaning slightly, Link hurried, or at least tried to, leaving the fighter's circle and returning to the inn. He felt something, several something's watching him from the unknown shadows and in his current condition, Link felt that it was safer to simply leave than stay and risk the dangers of being in the open and heavily weakened. If he was on the constant move then there was a chance to lose the watchers in the crowds of people.

Looking down momentarily, Link saw the limp and sleeping form of Navi. She had rushed to him at the first signs of collapse and spent most of her energy healing him. Being as tired from their long voyage to Hyrule, she was running off very little reserves and the most recent healing must have spent what little she had left.

At least she isn't dead. Link found himself thinking. He wouldn't know what to do if she died. She was as much apart of him as the darkness was. He often found himself thinking of her as a smaller part of him, rather than a separate person. Losing her would have been like losing an arm or two...

Shaking his head, Link thought back to Navi's last words before she fell asleep. Link, there's something watching us. It's a small presence, heavily cloaked in magic. I could barely make it out. Please be careful!

If there was something out there with enough magic to make Navi weary, then Link felt that it would have been the best course if he were simply really afraid. As Link was a man who didn't know much magic, he left most of the magic oriented things to Navi, who either dealt with the problem subtly or blew it up.

Cradling Navi in his left hand, Link casually walked into the crowd, unnoticed except for the occasional interested woman catching a glimpse at his face.

Thinking of nothing but of rest, Link faded into the crowd and made his way to the White Swan.





Silently watching, four people dressed in tight clothing were sprawled in the dark alleyway on the far end of the castle courtyard. One of the people sat on a stack of crates, leaning on the wall with his eyes closed, relaxing in the afternoon heat.

The other three were watching the ongoing fights within the fighter circles. The final two fights had caught their interests the most, the first with Selina and Delvol, the second with the darkly clad man and Delvol.

"Look like he made it into the city..." the first one, the nearest one to the alley's entrance stated.

"And he noticed us... but that is expected, he is after all an extraordinary person..." the second who was near the back of the alley stated.

"Rett noticed us also..." the third offered.

"It doesn't matter." The fourth, the one who was resting with his eyes closed stated as he opened them, revealing red pupils. "All that matters is that he is here and that we were summoned to return here."

Then suddenly, as silent as a gentle breeze, a fifth person appeared. "I have finished our report. We are ordered to return directly home and are allowed to relax until later tonight, when we will receive further orders." A cool, serene female voice stated as the other four nodded.

With that, as if nothing had happened, the five people vanished, leaving no trace of their existence behind.

A guard resuming his patrol after the fight eventually checked the shadowed alley and seeing that nothing was amiss, he continued on his patrol, oblivious to the five people who were just watching the fights along with him a scant few minutes ago.





Spryte silently watched as the man named Darks left the courtyard and she made sure to wait for a few moments before she stood. She felt the magical probe of the other fairy but she wasn't sure if she was found. What she was sure of was that she was noticed.

Whoever that fairy was, she commanded high level magic, strong enough to detect her near perfect cloak spell.

Deciding to follow Darks, she flew lazily into the air, making sure that she wasn't noticed before she zipped off towards the crowd, impatient to find out who this stranger was as he could be a powerful asset to Hyrule and perhaps help them find a key to turn the tides in this hopeless everlasting war.

Silently trailing, Spryte flew from building to building as she trailed behind her prey. She at first couldn't find the man, but after a few moments of searching, she realized that she wouldn't be able to find a single other man who had fine features and black hair. If she remembered correctly, the man didn't put up his hood, making it easier to blend in with the sea of people and she was forced to admit, she probably couldn't find a singing horse in that large a crowd.

Then inspiration hit her and she began to look around differently. In the city of Hyrule, there were lots of people, but not that many people wore a sword and even fewer people had a sword strapped to their back. Spotting only a handful of people with swords on their backs, Spryte was able to single out a man walking down the street with a black hilt. Smiling, content that she finally found her prey, she gently flew from the building and over rooftops, gently trailing the man.

Stopping at the town centre, she paused by an open window as she continued to watch him. Nothing was amiss, but she decided to not use magic anyways, just in case he had a strong detection spell or such.

However, as she continued to watch, she noticed that he was looking at the three statues of the goddesses. Standing there, he slowly turned around and Spryte held her breath as she noticed the darkest brown eyes that bordered on black staring at her. Then just as quickly he looked away, staring at his surroundings slowly, as if he was simply gazing at the marvels of the city.

Spryte wasn't fooled however. He has good instincts, better be cautious, just in case... she reflected to herself as she lazily hovered into the air, certain that the man may have noticed her, but she doubted that she was so simply discovered. As the man walked away, she followed.


However, the man seemed to slow down his pace, forcing her to slow down as well. Hovering from window to window and roof to roof, Spryte found herself annoyed as he began to changed his speed periodically.

Sometimes he would walk at a rather brisk pace, allowing herself to move more freely and quickly then he would suddenly slow down, forcing her to basically stop else she might have drawn unwanted attention. She knew that the greatest warriors could tell that they were being followed and if the follower made a mistake, they would be found. So instead of taking chances, she decided to play it cautiously as the man was strong enough to defeat Delvol. Eventually she had few doubts that he would allow her the luxury of mistakes.

At an aggravatingly slow pace, the man continued his walk, when he suddenly sped up and just as quickly stopped dead, the crowd around him never noticing his odd behaviour, with the exception of the few people who were studying his features but they weren't paying any attention to the way he moved.

Spryte on the other hand noticed the periodical brisk pace and was about to speed up herself when she noticed that he had stopped dead. Hovering on the edge of a rooftop, she was about to glide to the next window over when she caught herself. Breathing a sigh of relief, she congratulated herself on her luck, as she was sure that if she had moved into the open, she would have been caught...

Then just as quickly, the man dashed down the street and disappeared around the corner.

Blinking, Spryte was left speechless as she momentarily lost sight of her prey, but recovered quickly and cautiously flew over the next few rooftops, never crossing the street and hiding in the shadows.

When she was finally at a window that was well shaded, she looked down the street and found herself very vexed. The street was clear and long with no other intersecting streets visible but there were no signs of the darkly clad man. Even as she strained her eyes to search for a black hilt or even black hair, she found none and the only black hair she saw didn't match the man she was following.

Crossing her arms angrily, Spryte found herself forced to admit that she had lost her prey. Standing still for a few more minutes, she continued to scan the crowd for the man but soon gave up, and flew away, feeling distraught and aggravated at losing sight of such an important person.

Had she stayed for a few moments more or scanned for something similar or out of place, Spryte would have noticed that there was a man draped in a black cloak with its dark hood on, even in the warm rays of the sun.

Feeling that his pursuer had left, Link did a momentary scan of the buildings around him. He had felt that presence of the thing that trailed him for most of his return to the inn, but he couldn't find where the person was. He just knew that he was being watched from, somewhere.

With the thing gone, Link slid off his hood and trailed back into the crowd, steadily making his way back to the White Swan, feeling as though he would collapse at any given notice.





Standing on the balcony of a stone tower, his bedchamber directly behind him, Harkinian simply gazed at the city sprawled before him. The last vestiges of sunlight faded into the night air hours ago.

Standing like this, Harkinian felt at peace as he watched over a city that he considered a second child. Each and every person living here deserved to be protected and Harkinian himself would defend his people with his own life if need be.

Taking a deep breath, he released it into the cool night air.

Dressed in a simple worn white robe, Harkinian had his arms hidden in his sleeves. Without looking back, he spoke. "What do you have to report, Impa?"

Kneeling, Impa lowered her head in respect. The king never ceased to amaze her. Even in his old age, he retained the spirit and prowess of a warrior. "The scouts have returned. They weren't able to find any leads about Ganon's main fortress or where the majority of the Moblin army stems from. Also with the standing orders to be discrete, it is expected that they weren't able to find much."

Sighing, Harkinian returned to his bedchamber, closing the glass doors and drawing the curtain behind him as he entered. Nodding to Impa to show that he understood, he found himself studying himself in the large gold gilded mirror.

Grey hair had all but covered his head. Only the last remaining defiant strands of brown hair made their last glorious stand scatter around his trimmed beard. Long steel grey hair was combed onto his back, making him look like a regal and strict figure. It was this figure that the people saw, they still felt strength flow from him as they once did decades ago.

Staring at his body, Harkinian saw past his robes and knew that he was no longer fat, but muscular. He had trained long and hard since the first few months of the war and a few small famines helped him lose weight as he once again became the great king that would lead his people to victory within a great war against a great and terrible evil.

Turning around so that he could look at the purple haired Shiek, Harkinian bade Impa to stand. "Is there anything else to report?"

"The 1st Forward Lancers took over an eighty percent casualty rate. If the records are accurate, if it wasn't for Lady Risa and Lady Malon, then the 1st Forward Lancers would have been completely wiped out." Impa stated coolly, her anger at the loss of such respectable soldiers kept in tight reign as she had personally trained that unit herself.

"I see..." Harkinian sighed at the news. The entire military body of Hyrule was made up of the most couragious and stout soldiers that Harkinian had ever seen. This war with Ganon had brought out some of the greatest virtues in the people but it wasn't worth the cost of their lives. Ganon and his army of darkness had already taken so much from the people and Harkinian himself wondered what more he would take before he was stopped.

If he could be stopped...

Looking back at the mirror, Harkinian saw the lines of weariness that were so apparent he wondered how much the other nobles pitied him. Thinking on the subject, he suddenly thought of the dark young stranger who stood before him a scant day before. Such sad eyes. What burdens does that young man hold that could cause such sorrow to one so young? Harkinian thought to himself and had a few ideas, but left them buried, afraid to touch them lest they be true. It would be a horrible fate for the young man if this single possibility was fate. Hoping for the best, Harkinian left his thoughts buried...

Looking up as someone knocked on the royal bedchamber's door, Harkinian bade the person enter as Impa hid herself discretely beside the door.

A soldier in ring mail and hefting a spear entered. "Her royal highness, Princess Zelda has arrived, per your request, your majesty." The man announced, respect deep in his voice as he bowed and allowed the golden haired Zelda to enter the room before he bowed again and closing the door, left silently. Impa simply stepped out of the shadows and stood before the large chamber doors, guarding the iron entrance with her back.

"Father." Zelda announced lovingly as she curtsied in her white silk dress. It was a slit dress that wrapped around her figure, showing all who saw that she had a well toned body as it hugged at her waist and flowed beautifully to her ankles, revealing well toned thighs and the ever popular sandals that every lady seemed to wear. From her dress, which left her back and shoulders bear, a pair of silk scarves were connected between her wrists and flowed from under her arms to the back of her neckline, where it joined with the rest of her dress. A few simple pearls formed a necklace around her neck and a few short strands of pearl aligned strings hung from a wreath on her beautiful golden hair. Like her father, her hair was waist length but hung freely from her head, allowing her bangs to fall freely before her shoulders.

"Zelda." Harkinian replied as he smiled back, his deep voice full of sentiment. "You are just as beautiful as your mother was...except your'e taller... and your hair more golden..."

"Father!" Zelda scowled as she blushed slightly. She had lost her mother when she was very young, but all she remembered were joyous occasions and that she was a very beautiful person with a wealth of golden hair. She had loved her mother so very much but on the day that she died, Zelda couldn't help but cry for a week straight and mourn for over a month. However, she now only remembered the happy days, with the memories of joy embraced by her heart and soul. With those happy memories, she found that she could bear the loss of her mother and tried to live her life to her fullest, despite any and all obstacles. With the past of her mother, she vowed that she would try to live to her fullest.

"I'm glad you came, I have a few inquiries." Harkinian stated as he motioned for Zelda to follow as he walked across the room.

Looking around, Zelda found herself studying her father's bedchamber once more. To one side of the room was the large royal bed, trimmed in red velvet with more then enough room to hold two adults. A small dresser stood on the left side of the bed, where her father usually slept and on the right side was a few potted plants. On the opposite side of the room, away from the bed stood a large desk with volumes of books and scrolls piled or scattered about. The large iron doors where Impa stood guard was the only entrance into the room, other than the balcony and as far as she knew, only a handful of people could get in effortlessly and they were all Shieks.

Standing beside her father, Zelda found herself studying the broad map of Hyrule. It was a newer map, only a year or two old, and showed the current landscape. A small carefully drawn city the size of a thumb, which was surrounded by small mountains, represented the city of Hyrule. There was only a few small towns scattered about, occupied mainly by soldiers protecting the weak perimeters within the field of Hyrule. The surrounding other kingdoms were depicted there as well, but they were copied from the maps of old as any scouts attempting to record the surrounding regions never made it back after they left the shrunken boarders of Hyrule. What was once vast and large, the kingdom has severly shrunk, shrinking until all that Hyrule encompassed was a third of Hyrule field and a small area of land around the city. With no excess land for farms, the people within the city had to feed off the underground farms that encompassed an underneath area rivalling the size of the city itself.

Pointing towards the map, Harkinian slowly spoke, his voice serious as he pointed out the map. "As you know Zelda, we have lost contact with our allies the Gorons and the Zoras. We need the three spiritual stones in order to free enough of our soldiers to go and find out what is happening to the other kingdoms."


Nodding, Zelda understood what her father was saying, but there were problems that she knew would arise from tonight's plans. Pointing towards the kingdom of the Gorons, specifically at Goron City, Zelda Began. "The Goron's Ruby, one of the three stones lies here, father, but it is an unreachable territory." Harkinian nodded, understanding but annoyed none the less at their helplessness.

Moving her hand to the Domain of the Zora's, Zelda continued. "With the Zora's spiritual stone, I don't know what has happened to it, but I do know that it should reside with their royal family..." then moving her hand south of Hyrule city, she pointed at the Khikori forest."Here is where the closest spiritual stone should be residing, but I don't know how much father. It was Link who acquired them and it was Link again who returned them. I just know the vague locations of their whereabouts, and it has been years since I listened to his tales of adventures during our youth."

Taking a deep breath, and releasing a heavy sigh, Harkinian studied the map for scant moments, his eyes locked on the Khikori Forest. Thinking on the risks of what was to come in order to simply attempt a search, he knew that sending in simple soldiers, no matter how good they were, wasn't enough. It looked like he would have to stick to his original plan after all...

"Father?" Zelda whispered silently as she stared at her father's intent gaze on the large map before them.

Letting out another sigh, Harkinian came to his decision. "I will send in a small group of people to look for the spiritual stone... Zelda, I want you to accompany this party since you are the only other person here who even knows what it looks like..."

Blinking in surprise, Zelda took a slight step back. "But... I can't leave the city! What if another attack occurs? Who will help maintain the white walls!?"

Raising a hand, Harkinian stopped his daughter from rambling further, "Zelda I know how much you wish to protect this city, as do I. However it is clear that we must risk it. You know as well as I do that we are fighting a losing war! Everyday soldiers are lost, supplies used. Even now you are becoming fatigued, taking longer rest periods to do what you normally do. You are quickly killing yourself Zelda..." Harkinian stated with slight anger at the thoughts of his daughter suffering but he stopped and willed himself to calm down. A general should never give orders while in a boiling rage and a father should never speak to his daughter in such fashion either. Unlike most fathers, he learnt.

"...It makes no difference anyways... Zelda what we are doing now is delaying the inevitable for only a short while. We have no real chance at winning against Ganon and his armies. Our only hope is to unify the kingdoms and with a combined force push back and reclaim what we have lost. This is the only way, please, Zelda, trust me once more..." The royal king stated solemnly, the truth of his own words stinging even his own soul.

"I... I... understand father..." Zelda conceded slowly, not liking the fact that she was leaving her people but understanding her father's words, as deep down, she knew that they were true.

"My Lord..." Impa stated briskly, knowing that she was interrupting something important but she also knew the importance of what was going to happen. "Are we proceeding as planned?"

After a moment of thought, Harkinian nodded. Bowing, Impa lowered her head in respect and acknowledgement. Standing back up she caught Harkinian's notice. "What is it Impa?"

Hesitating for a moment, Impa stared at her lord and master, a man who had saved her when she was young and thus earned her loyalty and obedience. "My Lord... I wish to take a few of my men to go search the ruins of the town of Kakariko, where my people once resided..."

Gaining an interested look from the king, Impa continued. "I as you know am the last of the Shieken shadow guardians. You learnt as much during the days when you took me under your wing. As a shadow guardian I have certain obligations that override many things. The reason for this is that deep within a well in Kakariko resides an ancient temple where we once sealed a great evil. It took many lives of brave Shieken warriors to weaken the evil spirit enough so that we could seal it within a cave, protected by the greatest spells at our disposal. As a shadow guardian I have bonds connected to the seal, but recently they have been broken. I am unsure what is happening but I ask you for permission to leave and see what has transpired. If my fears are true, then an ancient evil may have been released once again and this could create great problems for us as it would attack any and all living things, and with the city of Hyrule housing so many people, it would only be a matter of time before we fall..."

Listening to Impa's long speech, Harkinian nodded. He knew of the ancient legends of a sealed beast within Kakariko. Once he would have dismissed it as a myth but then again, he once dismissed the Triforce as myth as well, until the day that Zelda was chosen as the Triforce of Wisdom's guardian.

"Permission granted, you may leave after the search party does. Are the preparations ready, Impa?" Harkinian asked as he began to walk back to his balcony.

"Yes my lord, they are. Knight Captain Delvol de Syrule of the 2nd Knight Brigade, Lady Selina Corsair Lieutenant of the 2nd Knight Brigade, Knight Captain Rett of the 3rd Knight Brigade, Lady Risa and Lady Malon, of the 1st Forward Lancers have all assembled and are all currently on castle grounds."

"Very good." Harkinian complimented with a nod as he mentally went through his list. "When will they be able to leave?"

"Tomorrow afternoon my lord."

Opening the curtains and doorway, Harkinian walked back outside into the cool night air as he once again surveyed his city, Zelda trailing silently behind.

"Is that the entire party father? So few people?" Zelda asked, concerned at their small numbers.

"It will be alright Zelda. They are among the best and greatest warriors, they will succeed as no one else can do what they can." Harkinian replied, slightly calming Zelda's fear.

However, Zelda wasn't completely convinced. She after all did hear of them, as did everyone else. They were heroes, fighting off entire legions of Moblins and such creatures. Though she was princess and often out in public, she had few interactions with them, her duties preventing her from being able to freely befriend them as she wished to.

Frowning slightly, Harkinian watched as small objects flew towards them. Zigzagging through the many spells, traps and defences, Spryte weaved effortlessly through them as she knew each and every spell that was active.

"Spryte! What brings you hear at this time of night?" Harkinian asked as he studied the oddly energetic fairy hovering before him.

"Harkinian! You wouldn't believe this!" Spryte blurted out, her tiny voice full of excitement. "Remember the stranger who visited us at court yesterday? The one with the black sword?" Nodding, Harkinian motioned for Spryte to continue. "I saw him again today! At the castle courtyards were he fought Delvol and won!"

Blinking, Harkinian took a few moments to digest what he had just heard. "Are you sure Spryte? That it was the same man as yesterday?" Harkinian questioned, curious to know as he had overheard the same story from one of the maids who had served him his dinner.

"Yes I'm sure! But... he has strong allies. He has a fairy with him as well and that fairy is very powerful, powerful enough to detect even my best cloaking spell..." Spryte stated with agitation, as there were very few people who could notice her presence when she was cloaked.

With a slight frown, Harkinian pondered Spryte's words. If there was something with enough magic powers to make her worry, then this wanderer could become a most powerful asset to the prolonged life of Hyrule city. But deep down, Harkinian knew that the man would never stay long enough to help him as during their initial encounter, he got the impression that there was something greater at work with that one man then meets the eye.

Looking up, Harkinian motioned for Spryte and Zelda to come closer. "The both of you better go and get some rest. Tomorrow the both of you are going to Khikori Forest. Spryte, before you start asking questions, you are going as a guide to lead them around the forest in hopes of helping them find one of the spiritual stones."

Nodding, Spryte knew better than to push her luck today as the serious expression on Harkinian's face was more than enough to make her shut up.

Waving his hand towards the door, Harkinian ushered everyone out. "Good. Now everyone go get some rest. There is a long journey ahead of you, so you better rest now, as you might never know when you'll get a chance like this again."

Bowing, Impa opened the door for Zelda, who gracefully left, worry etched on her face. Spryte followed behind the princess, chatting to her about the events of the day even though she was being ignored. With the others gone, Impa dipped her head and left, closing the door behind her.

Taking a deep breath, Harkinian let out a deep sigh as he walked back to the balcony, where a gentle breeze was passing. "They have gathered... and the quest for our salvation has finally begun..." Harkinian stated to the silent breeze as it tussled his robes slightly in reply.






(") ( " ) (")
Author's corner: Well I'm done Chapter 02 and it took me a while cause I had a flood of writer's block and people were asking for this to be done, so I finished it. Yay!

This thing took me a while cause of 7 things:
1) I got a job, ugh, I hate work
2) I'm back at school, ugh, school sucks
3) I'm moving to another part of the city, ugh, moving is an... uhhh. Hassle....
4) No Internet for almost 21/2 weeks, Goddess help me! The boredom! The merciless boredom!
5) Uhhh, my ultimate technique, Procrastination! A Lazy Author!
6) And finally, more writer's block then you can throw a lazy author at...
7) One of my pre-readers took forever to proof, arg the Hatred! The annoyance! The aggravation!

Other then that... what do you think of the story so far? Other then the fact that there are new oddities such as the new fighting stuff, Announce! Weird attack name!

Gahahahaha! I love doing neato stuff such as that. But I can say that I wont change the series so that all battles are oriented like that. I just wanted to add some flare to the fight and add more life to the over battle styles in my story. Most fights will be simple -I bash you, you bash me, repeat as desired.- Unless it's a big/major fight were I can throw around as much garbled and strange names as much as mortally possible!

Well... uhhh... what to say... uhhh... hmmm... thanks to all the people who emailed me! It's for you that I write this (Sort of...) and your lovely emails of encouragements and overly good opinion of this story makes me want to write more! Yea!

Well what else can I say, I'm winging this fanfic and only have major events planned out. I wasn't going to originally add Delvol de Syrule and Selina, they kind of popped out of nowhere and screamed to be added. Instead Malon and Risa were supposed to make an appearance. Coincidently, Sofia was supposed to be a simple maid but same thing happened and um, yea...


Editors Corner
Whoo! Here I am again! Finished editing another instalment of Rise of the Dark Hero! Sorry it took so long for this one, motivation to edit combined with school, work, other people, and having a life conflicted with my getting the story edited on time. For further instalments I'll edit right away. Well it's like almost 6 am so I'm gonna get some sleep! Bai bai!
p.s. Watch Gundam Seed it roxorz

-Pochepoke



Filler Interview with the Author:

How many more characters are you going to add Mr. Odd-Fanfic-Author? - Well I'm glad you asked cause I don't know... I'm winging it and I can add as much or as little as I please. But I am going to add at least another two characters and change/horribly mutate other characters along the way. The sweet powers of a fanfic auther!

Mr. Odd-Fanfic-Author, are you a loser with no life and no hopes for the future? - Yes...

Mr. Odd-Fanfic-Author, why are you filling this author's corner up with so much useless junk? - Umm, I have no friends and crave social interaction... so yea... talk to me please... I'm lonely... its dark in here... help?...

Mr. Odd-Fanfic-Author, it was good talking to you, I hope to talk to you again next chapter. - Umm, where are you going? Hey wait a minute, stay and talk some more! Wait! Don't go! Hey running away is cheating! Stay! Police! Come back here!


Comments? Criticisms? Questions? Praise
My email? Well its, Psionic_Soldier@hotmail.com

Update-14hours after release...
Special Thanks to Ironbob, who found a name error in my Fic, Thanks!!!
And a round of Boo's to my editors who couldn't find my mistake. You guys suck. jk ;)




Chapter 03

A Silent Plea...
A Green Hope...
An Unknown History...
A Revelation...
A Destiny...
A New Path...
A Legend has Begun...



End Chapter 02 v1.11