For my expedition south I enlisted the aid of a former colleague of mine that was with the thieves' guild. Tall, dark-skinned and mustachioed, he said little yet his skill as a locksmith was unparalleled and I reasoned he would be handy to have on my team in case this wand was inaccessible by ordinary means. He had come from the thieves' hideout in the Lost Woods the day before and we set about exploring Hyrule's south, that lay between the desert in the west and Lake Hylia in the east. There was long grass about, with clear-blue ponds scattered around. Cutting a swathe through the grass, we made our way towards a rocky outcropping where I believed our best chance of success lay, for often I had found treasures hidden in caves such as rupee stashes hidden there by thieves of long ago and in one case a magic bottle that had fetched me a good price. Presently we reached a narrow entrance to a strange clearing, with a sheer rock face on once side and large stone statues staring down at us, similar to others I had seen around the land, carved by the ancient Hylian people. I heard my companion draw in his breath sharply.
'This place gives me the creeps. There's something unnatural about.. like magic is in the air,' he said.
'Then that's a good sign this is the place we're looking for,' I replied grimly. I began to canvass the rock face, looking for a sign of an opening. I was beginning to think we had hit a dead end when the thief shouted to me. I ran over and looked to where he was gesturing excitedly - a small opening at the base of the rock, well hidden by the long grass. It was too small to crawl into but I had come well prepared. I fetched a small bomb from my supply pack and motioned to the thief to stand back as I lit the fuse. BOOM! It sounded with a shattering blast, as loose rock and debris crumbled to the ground and dust filled the air. I crept inside the still quite narrow opening, my eyes adjusting to the gloom. The hollow was quite small, as if it was an artificial cave created to house something, or someone. Peering towards the back I noticed something peculiar - something was moving. It seemed to slowly rise out of the floor. Then next to it, another. I recoiled in horror at the dim outlines of the figures that were turning towards me - skeletons! I gave a shout and my mustachioed colleague was at my side in an instant. We leapt towards them with clubs at the ready and brought down swift crunching blows onto the undead corpses as they emitted piercing screams. They were soon felled and I gave a sigh of relief. It had not been the first time I had run into such creatures in my treasure hunting adventures but it wasn't any less mortifying. I motioned to the thief as I saw what the creatures had been guarding, a dusty treasure chest. I moved forward to open it but it was locked tight! 'Well my friend, this is where you come in,' I said. He grinned and went to fetch his tools from outside. I also exited the cave, breathing in the fresh air which was welcome after being in the musty cave. I took the opportunity to wade through the long grass and take a closer look at the surrounding statues. I wandered closer to where they seemed to converge and tripped on something in the grass. Cursing, I got to my feet and then saw to my surprise a rock that had a soft blue glow emerging from it. Could it be? I thought to myself. I strained to move the rock, slowly budging it bit by bit, my curiosity urging me on. My heart leapt for it was just as I had hoped - another magical transporter. Just then, my comrade called out to me and I hurried back to the cave. 'I've got it!' he exclaimed in delight and grinning, he handed me a fabulously crafted crystal-blue wand. It looked impressive but more than that, it somehow felt powerful too. I gave it a wave, yet to my slight disappointment nothing happened, as I had expected. 'Well then, let's get back to the castle and collect our reward!' I said, carefully putting the Icerod away. However, as I looked up, a hooded figure appeared in the distance and was coming slowly towards us. I soon realised it was a girl and she came up to greet us. 'Gentlemen, I know who you are and what your mission is and I've come to beg you not to relinquish that artifact to the wizard!' I was slightly taken aback by this for no way for anyone else to know of my mission. 'How did you..' I began but she then removed her hood to reveal her long blonde hair and sparkling green eyes and with that I had my answer. 'Princess Zelda!' I exclaimed. 'What are you.. I mean, how..'
'I've been spying on Agahnim, I didn't trust him from the moment I first laid eyes on him,' she explained. 'I haven't seen my father in days, I have a feeling something terrible has happened to him. I can't stay in the castle any more, I have to hide so I will go at once to the Sanctuary where it's safe for I believe the wizard will soon come for me and also the village elder, Sahasrahla!' Her eyes were wet and shining as she looked at me. It was asking quite a bit for me to forgo my payment yet I couldn't refuse her. My initial mistrust of the wizard seemed to be showing through and there would be no guarantee he wouldn't betray me once he had what he wanted. There were much bigger things happening in the world right now and I would do my part. 'You have my word Princess, I won't give up the wand to Agahnim,' I said gently. I turned to the thief. 'Will you take the wand with you and hide it somewhere safe?' He nodded curtly. 'I am with you on this one my friend, I think this has become far too dangerous. After I dispose of it I think I shall go into hiding for a while. I've tired of being a thief and these are dangerous times. And fear not, I will also warn the village elder of your news, Princess. Farewell to you both and take care.' With a bow to Zelda and a flourish he was away.
'Princess,' I began, 'I'll escort you to Sanctuary. I'm sure Agahnim will be searching for me but I'm quite the expert at disappearing when I want to. Let me just gather my things.'
'Thankyou so much, the world needs brave people like you,' said Zelda, giving my hand a gentle squeeze. I smiled, and turned to gather my things. I was nearly set to go when I heard a clattering noise that was steadily getting louder. Zelda shrieked as a contingent of castle guards marched steadily towards us. It was too late to run for it, they were almost upon us. Their captain called out to us, 'Princess Zelda, you are to accompany us back to Hyrule Castle immediately by order of Agahnim.' Zelda chose that moment to try to dodge past the guards but she had no chance and was captured immediately. 'Let go of me!' she protested but the guards were impassable. The captain then approached me and I could see his eyes were dull and lifeless as if he didn't have control over his consciousness. 'You, are to hand over the Icerod immediately.' I raised an eyebrow. 'I was supposed to take it to the wizard himself.'
'Change of plans,' the guard sneered at me. 'Now hand it over.' He advanced threateningly. I had an idea though forming in my mind. 'Can't do that, I haven't even found it yet, don't know where you got that idea,' I replied, moving slowly backwards. 'Nonsense!' he roared. 'Our scout was spying on you. It was lucky coincidence that we found the Princess too. I won't ask you again, hand it over!' Still moving backward, I reached into my back and threw a bomb toward the rocky cliff to my left. CRASH! The explosion loosened the rock and it tumbled off the outcropping, burying the captain under a pile of rubble and separating me from the other soldiers. I then leapt into the transporter, praying Zelda would somehow escape in the confusion.
