CHAPTER THIRTEEN

"Hey," a deep voice called. Link, the Hero of Time, jumped.

"What was that?" he asked.

"Link?" called the voice again.

"SHOW YOURSELF!"

"LINK!" yelled the deep voice. "Reach into your pocket!"

Link reached into his pocket and drew out a stone.

"A…a Gossip Stone?" Link asked, surprised. The voice was coming from the Gossip Stone.

"Link, it's ME! Daphnes."

"Your….Your Highness! What are YOU doing trapped inside of a Gossip Stone?" gasped Link.

Calandra took the Gossip Stone from Link. "Sorry, whoever this is," Calandra mumbled. "The Hero of Wind has lost his memory and believes that he is the Hero of TIME!"

"Does he really now?" The King of Red Lions sounded amused.

"What's wrong with Link?" demanded another voice, a girl's voice. "What's wrong with my brother?"

"N-nothing, Aryll – ow, hey, DON'T STEAL THAT!"

"LIIIIIIINK! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" screamed Aryll into the Gossip Stone.

Yaphet stumbled back from Ganondorf. Ganon seemed unperturbed, his white teeth were flashing in the dull light of the moon.

"Yaphet, you are my nephew. Your mother is my sister," Ganon cackled.

"NO! You're...you're lyin'!" screamed Yaphet. Ganondorf drew his twin swords.

"Now, Yaphet, you will join them in death or you will join me."

"They…they DIED?"

"Oh, yes, boyo. I poisoned them. Why, you ask? They were trying TO DEFY ME!" Ganondorf roared. "So join me, boyo, or die right here and NOW!"

Yaphet looked up at Ganondorf, sweating, and gave him his answer.

"Hey, what's that?" Aryll cried, pointing at the ocean. "I just saw a dolphin!"

"Aryll, there ARE no dolphins," explained Daphnes. "It's probably just – "

But the dolphin jumped around and swam towards Aryll and the boat.

"OH GREAT GODDESSES!" yelled Aryll.

"Yes, a Zora," whispered the King.

"I retrieved the Master Sword from the Sea Temple. I became the Sage there."

"So you are Bryn the Changer." The King nodded. "Intriguing." He tilted his head to one side. "Mayhap you will join us on the way back to Dragon Roost Island?"

Bryn nodded. "I would be delighted."

Zill and Joel sat together, sobbing. Yaphet felt a pang as he watched the two boys in the cage. No one should have to be imprisoned, no matter what they did…

"How are the prisoners, my nephew?" asked Ganondorf.

"Fine," lied Yaphet. He had only joined Ganon to protect his life. Did this mean he was a coward?

"Nay, nay, that is bad."

"Wh-why, Master?" asked Yaphet.

"Because we want them to be hurt, to cry, to SUFFER! It's the best way to break them," Ganondorf explained, a malicious smile playing around his lips.

"YOU JERK! YOU VILE JERK! I WISH YOU WERE DIE! DIE, FIEND, DIE!" Yaphet WANTED to scream, but all he did was nod.

"I will have my Miniblins give them something to think about. And a few Bokoblins will be on their way." Ganon left the room.

"Duh-dink, duh-dink. Duuuuh-dink-dink, duh-duh-dink."

Yaphet gripped his dirk tightly as the loathsome enemies came into the room. As the Miniblins pulled Zill and Joel from the cage and began to poke them with their tridents, Yaphet lost it.

"DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE!" he screamed, leaping at the Miniblins. He slashed down a few. They turned to him.

"Duh-dink! Duh-dink!" they cried, trying to get at Yaphet with their tridents. Yaphet sliced them down.

In came some Bokoblins. They noticed the dead and disappearing Miniblins and Yaphet's blooded blade and put two and two together – actually, Bokoblins are stupid so they just assumed that Yaphet killed them.

"Yaaaaaaaatt!" yelled a Bokoblin, leaping forward. Yaphet held his dirk over his head and swept it down, slicing the beast in half.

"Yatt, yatt!" hollered the Bokoblins, coming to kill Yaphet. He swiftly slashed them to pieces.

"Quickly, now!" he shouted at Zill and Joel. "No time to waste! Follow me; we'll find a way out!"

Yaphet quickly began walking out, dodging guards. If he came across someone, he would need a good lie, and he needed time to think of a good lie.

He saw Moblins running towards them (but they couldn't see them because they were in darkness).

"Quick!" hissed Yaphet, pushing them underneath barrels. He hid underneath a barrel, watching, waiting…

He carved a small hole to see through in the barrel. He saw Zill and Joel's barrels and quickly slipped to them. He carved small holes and whispered, "If anyone comes, crouch below the hole! Use the hole to see through, of course."

Zill and Joel nodded and Yaphet got up, holding his barrel on his shoulders, and began walking. He tiptoed slowly around a corner and heard a grunt. He dropped the barrel as a Moblin came past him. The other two followed suit.

The Moblin sniffed the barrel and Yaphet grit his teeth, begging, praying, that the pig-like monster wouldn't find him inside of the barrel…

To his giant relief, the Moblin trotted off, swinging its lantern. Yaphet got up and began to sneak away. Zill and Joel hefted their barrels up and followed Yaphet.

"Gwaaark?" came a cry, and Yaphet turned around, forgetting that he was trying to be just a barrel…that happens to move all over. It was a Kargorok, and it had spotted them.

"RUN RUN RUN!" hollered Yaphet, throwing off his barrel at the Kargorok. It missed and the bird flew off towards a broken ship hull – Ganondorf's lair!

Yaphet and the two brothers stumbled along, avoiding Moblins, Bokoblins, Miniblins, Keese, and more Kargoroks. Yaphet ran threw a door and saw Keese hanging upside-down. He slew them and saw a huge piece of driftwood. He threw Zill and Joel into the water in the middle of the room, which they screamed and protested to, and threw the driftwood down, yelling, "Hold on to it!" Yaphet then dove into the water himself.

"GET THEM!" screamed Ganondorf's voice. He was holding a bow and arrows!

"KICK, BOYS, KICK!" screamed Yaphet, kicking his legs hard to get them away from the enemies.

"KILL THEM! KILL THEM! KILL THE ELDEST BOY FIRST!'

On a sudden impulse Yaphet pushed the boys and the driftwood underwater. A second later, an arrow hit the spot where the back of Joel's skull had been before!

They rose from the water, gasping for breath and kicking their legs harder then ever. Yaphet chanced a glance back and saw Ganondorf laughing. He turned his head and a second later knew why Ganon was laughing.

"Unh!" grunted Yaphet painfully. An arrow had just thudded into his back.

"NO!" cried Zill, but the boys kept on kicking. Yaphet lay his dirk on the driftwood and rasped, "My dirk now belong to you two."

Thus ended the days of Yaphet of Outset Island, son of Uriel and Arella, a true born warrior and friend of the Hero of the Wind.