VI
At last, they made their way to a clearing. Pieces of rubble littered the sides, and Reni told him that they were standing near the edge of a long abandoned city. A spectacular temple once adorned this spot, or so the Great Fairies told her. And there, resting atop a hexagonal pedestal, covered in vines, was the sword. Was this the one? Link had no idea what it looked like, but apparently it could only be wielded by those pure of heart. If this was the genuine Sword of Evil's Bane, then he would probably feel something when he picked it up. And there was only one way to find out. After staring at in awe for a moment and watching Reni fly away, he slowly approached the pedestal. A few feet from the dais he heard a voice behind him. "So you managed to find it." Roam.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were visiting your sister." Link turned around, but did not approach the knight. Roam merely shook off his cloak, revealing full armor and his sword, smiled, and walked calmly towards Link.

"A convenient excuse. Your quest was much more exciting. But I hoped it would take you much longer, and that you would fail. I had hoped I would find it first, thereby proving you unworthy. But it is too late for that. Link, I cannot allow you to return to Hyrule with that sword."

Something was different. This wasn't the Roam Link knew. He may have hated Link, but he was always a professional. "I don't understand."

Roam laughed. "Of course not. You are a danger to Hyrule and to the Queen. And I will end this danger now." With that, Roam took out his sword and, with a mighty swing, attacked a surprise Link.

But his reflexes took over, and Link rolled safely out of the way. His own sword and shield came out, and he met the next attack and parried easily. The time for questions and confusion was over, and Link knew Roam was serious. He would have time later to sort out the reasons for Roam's strange behavior. That is, if there was a later. In the back of his mind, Link remembered the plethora of jousts and contests he had with Roam. And although he wasn't sure what the exact count was, Link knew he had lost more than he won. The only thing worse than facing an unknown opponent was a known opponent who was superior to you.

Roam swung his blade, aiming at Link's head, but was blocked by Link's shield. The magical sword swung out in a counterattack, clanging into Roam's own sword as he parried the thrust. The sound of metal crashing into metal reverberated through the forest as the more experienced knight pushed Link backwards. The latter had lost any initiative he might have had, blocking blow after blow from Roam's heavy sword. There is no attack without defense, Link thought. But without an attack, he would only delay the inevitable, when one of Roam's slices went unmet. So as Roam swung from the right, Link blocked hard with his sword, pushing the deadly blade safely out of the way. At the same time, he lunged forward, crashing his heavy shield into Roam's face.

With a roar of pain, the general of Hyrule stumbled backwards, trying to regain composure. Blood ran down from his nose and he glowered at Link. For his part, Link hoped the slight breather would give him time to talk some sense into the knight. "You don't have to do this Roam. You know I am no threat to Hyrule or the Queen. Stop this insanity."

"Liar," Roam rasped. "I will not listen to your deceit any longer. You may have won our Queen's heart with your treacherous ways, but I see you quite clearly. I swore to protect Hyrule from the likes of you. I allowed the Triforce to remain in your hands for too long, but I cannot allow an inhuman foreigner to threaten Hyrule any longer."

This was more serious than Link thought. Roam was well beyond rational thought, twisting Link into some sort of monster. In his eyes, Link was no different than Ganon. "Then try me. I will allow myself to be brought before the Hylian Court. Let them decide my fate. It is not for you to judge me, but Hyrule's. Listen to reason Roam. Listen to me."

Roam laughed and stood up confidently. "Listen to you? I know better than to listen to a cunning villain such as yourself. All I hear is a fool caught in his deceitful ways and begging for his life. Prepare yourself!" Roam held his sword high above his head and charged at Link.

Block, thrust, parry, slice. Roam continued his onslaught on the beleaguered Hylian, who had once again been forced on the defense. But this time it was different. Roam kept attacking on Link's left, forcing him to block only with his sword. And Roam was much too smart and quick to fall for the same shield attack as before. Link was helpless, unable to attack as he blocked swing after swing. Before long, the magical sword was ripped from Link's hand by the force of Roam's blows. The heavy shield came up in time to block the next attack, but by now the situation was clear. Swordless, Link stood no chance against the more experienced knight. Finally, after what seemed an endless barrage of strikes, Roam knocked Link off balance. His shield arm was useless, trying to help him keep steady. There was no time to block the next swing, and he desperately tried to twist out of the way. But it was no use. In a split second, Roam drove his blade deep into Link's stomach, ending the battle quite effectively.