His tunic was soaked by the time the castle came into view. Guards were everywhere patrolling the battlements and blocking off entrances. A dark foreboding filled Link as he looked on the castle. Long had he gazed on the splendor of the palace and felt a warm patriotic bond to it but now the feeling was gone. The warmth was replaced by an icy cold. "Link, time is of the essence. Please hurry!"

Again with the princess. Her voice was wonderful, sweet, and kind. He needed to save her. Had to, it was something inside of him that forced him to do it. It was in his blood. By her instructions he passed unnoticed over a picket fence and made his way to the royal gardens.

Two soldiers were talking together in loud voices. "I wonder what's so important about tonight that the King would want to increase the guard so much?"

"Beats me. Maybe his new wife Agahnim wanted to perform some more voodoo on the land and needed peace and quiet."

"Don't let any of those High Guards hear you talking about Agahnim like that or they'll take your head off. We both know what happened to Garion."

"Didn't he tell that old man about princess Zelda's house arrest?"

"Yeah, and after he got caught Agahnim had him executed."

"Wow!" the soldier said with a whistle.

Link had lingered to long and crept silently through the cobbled pathway that led through the rows of flowers. "Link," it was the princess again, "You will see a bush that looks out of place. It should be easy to pick up. Take it and move it and you will find a passage that will lead you to the castle."

Link found the bush but surprisingly it had been cut to pieces. With know time to waste Link slid his legs into the hole and fell.

The old man was dying and he knew it. His sword hung loosely in one hand and his shield was still tied to his arm. The darkness of the tunnel was closing in around him. The hand of death would soon take his life. There would be no hope for the royal family. Who else would step up? Who else could step up?

"If only Link was here," he said to himself, "I could warn him to leave Hyrule, nothing would be able to save the land."

And then suddenly like an answer to his prayer a body dropped into the pool of water he had become so familiar with. "Link?" the old man, asked hopefully.

"Uncle!"

His body looked like it had taken a royal thrashing. The old man's hair was tousled and blood was dried at the corners of his mouth. What had happened? "Uncle! What happened to you? Who did this?"

Link ran to his uncle and collapsed to his knees beside the man. "I'll kill them!" Link pledged through his tears.

"Link! There's no time for that. How did you get here?"

"A princess in the castle communicated with me asking for my assistance. Who did it! I'll KILL them!"

"Link-you're the one! The princess has seen something in you. You must save her. Protect her with your life. You're the hero, it's your destiny!"

"Uncle."

"Link listen closely. Take my sword and my shield and save the princess. My times almost over. Please do your best."

"Uncle."

"Link, remember, I love-you." The old man's heart stopped and his eyes glazed over.

"UNCLE!" Link buried his face in his uncles torn bloody tunic. "I will avenge you," he whispered.

He got to his feet and wiped his eyes. The sword that had been his uncles was lying on the floor, and the shield was on his uncle's arm. He would kill the one who had killed his uncle.

A cold corridor lead up to the secret passage into the castle, and Link passed through the area without a second thought. Nothing would stop him in the task at hand. The trip to the upper levels of the palace was uneventful and Link met no opposition. As he reached the main floor however, problems in the form of guards presented themselves. At first it wasn't hard to slip by the patrolling goons but then the groups of them got thicker and thicker.

He turned a corner quickly and ducked into a dark room. He found a large flight of stairs at the end of the room and followed them down. His idea was basic, the deeper I go the closer to the dungeons I get. At the end of the stair two guards stood by a door with a lock. Unfortunately for Link an encounter was eminent. It was a vast room that they guarded with many bookshelves and works of art. Maybe Link could get away without fighting. So far he had been pretty lucky.

He slipped carefully behind a bookcase and slid a book from its place. He glanced at the title and almost laughed. The book was called the Windwaker and had some small polygonish boy in a green tunic (almost identical to his own) on the cover. What a dumb book, he thought to himself.

Without a second thought Link hurled the book over the shelves and into a painted pot, knocking it and other pots over. "I'll check it out," he heard one of the guards say.

"I think it came from the bookcases," the second said making his way over to the bookcase in which Link stood behind.

Link pushed with all his might and the bookcase tumbled over ontop of the guard. The other turned at hearing the noise and looked directly at Link. "Plan A completed," Link muttered to himself, "Plan B-back to the drawing board."

The soldier grinded his teeth together and drew his sword before charging at Link. Great. Everything was going great.

Link turned around grabbed the top of the next bookcase and pulled himself up. The guard charged right into the bookcase and as it toppled over Link hopped off. The guard pushed himself up off of the bookcase just in time to see the large clay vase smash into his face.

Link found the key on the one under the first bookcases belt and used it to make his way through the locked door. Judging by the cages and sour smell Link guessed that he had just entered the dungeon. Suprisingly their were no guards to be seen in the actual dungeon. Weird he thought.

His eyes moved from cell to cell before finally they met with the extreme figure of beauty, princess Zelda. There eyes met and for a split second Link felt his heart stop. Then when he heard her yell, "WATCH OUT!" he came back to.

He spun around just in time to see a giant spiked ball speeding straight for his head.