Chapter Ten

Link flopped down on his bed and groaned. He was so tired. That day had been a busy day and he was too poofed to do another thing. The hero rolled over to his side, too tired to change or to even crawl under the covers. After a deep breath, Link drifted into sleep.

You know it kid... the time is coming and you're becoming too careless. Fierce deity's voice was cold and sharp in Link's dream.

Link tossed over in his bed.

How many times must I tell you?! You are chosen, you are the one! Face it! You're a loner! You were destined to- He was cut off when Link jumped straight out of his bed, breathing heavily and sweating.

"Arg..." Link grunted , and closed his eyes. He rubbed his face roughly with his fingers. It was darker outside now, being close to the early morning hours. The hero looked around his room. He glanced at his overturned mirror and sighed. 'He's getting too out of hand... I'm having much more trouble keeping him in my head.' Link thought. He knew of the mirror incident in Zelda's room. Fierce Deity, warrior of evil yet fighter for justice, was slowly getting out of hand. Indeed, Link couldn't keep the warrior in his head anymore.

Link tossed his head back as he sat down on his bed. 'I guess... I'm supposed to be him.' He was just about to give it up when the thoughtful smile of Princess Zelda brought him back to his senses. 'Zelda... is she the reason why I've fought against his grasp for seven years?' Link asked himself. He opened his eyes slightly and looked at the ceiling. "What do I do?" Link questioned aloud. He sighed deeply.

Zelda muttered as the sunlight broke through her window and shined upon her. She opened her eyes and yawned. The night was long for her. She was just about to stagger out of bed when the kiss came to mind. She closed her eyes and sighed passionately. Did he really kiss her, or was it just a dream? But it felt so real. It must have been real.

Zelda slowly got out of bed and looked at her dresser. She just remembered that she broke her mirror last night, and sighed. The princess walked to her bathroom to change. Zelda dressed into a light lavender gown and pulled her long, neatly brushed golden hair back.

The princess exited her room and walked down the halls. There she was greeted by Mila.

"Milady! Sir Link has requested for your presence in the garden." Mila told the princess. Zelda stared at the servant girl, bewildered. But the princess shook it off and walked to the garden.

'Arg! How am I going to tell her?! What will she think?! Will she understand or run away?' Link questioned himself in his thoughts.

Cool off man... she'll like me. Fierce Deity said. Link could imagine the man with a huge, cocky grin on his face.

'You be quiet. I don't want you interrupting our conversation, got it?' Link responded coldly.

Alright, alright already. Seesh...

Link turned around from the rose bushes to be greeted by Princess Zelda. He nearly jumped back when she giggled.

"You called for me, Link?" Zelda asked. She smiled cheerfully. Link held his arm out for her to take; then he led her through the garden.

"Yes, Zel, I did... I wanted to talk to you about something..." Link said. He didn't look at her.

"About what?"

"Well... it's kind of a long story... and... well- uh..." the hero's mind went blank, and so did his words. How was he going to tell her about Fierce Deity? Was she going to understand that he would slowly become the evil warrior? Link didn't know what to say or how to put it. The two just walked in silence through the rose garden.

"Is something wrong?" Zelda broke the silence with worry in her voice.

"Uh." Link shook his head. He saw a bench, and sat down with Zelda. Then, he took her hands in his and looked deep in her wise and caring eyes. "Zel- Zelda. I have something bad to tell you." His voice was soft.

"Yes, Link?" Zelda listened carefully. Her heart was racing with fear and excitement. What was he trying to tell her?

"I... uh... how do I- Zelda, I want you to know that no matter what happens or what I tell you I will always protect you. If you are scared I understand. I will leave you alone and never ever harm you." Link buttered out. 'That was not what I wanted to tell her. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.' He cursed himself.

Zelda smiled softly and squeezed his hands. "Link... I will never run from you. You mean too much to me to be scared of you. I will always be here for you. No matter what happens." Zelda replied calmly and sweetly. She gazed into his eyes gently. Link just stared at her blankly. He was busy sorting things out in his head.

'Okay... now that I know she'll understand I guess I can tell her.' Link thought. He took a deep breath and looked back at her.

"Zelda... I-"

"Princess Zelda!" Impa's voice shouted. Link rolled his eyes, as the guardian came running up to them from behind. "Princess Zelda! We have an emergency!"

"What is it, Impa? Is everything alright?" Zelda looked away from Link and let go of his hands.

"Zelda, trouble in the Gerudo Valley!" Impa told her. Link and Zelda stood up immediately.

"What's going on over there?" Link questioned.

"An assassin is attacking! The women can't hold much longer." Impa told him.

"Why can't they? They're a bunch of amazons, they should be able to handle it." Link said.

"This one came out of nowhere... it played hide and seek with them. Go help them out, Link, and hurry!" the warrior woman told him. Link nodded and ran out of the garden.

Once he was out of the Market, Link pulled out a small size ocarina and quickly played Epona's song. Not waiting for her to stop, Link jumped on her back and kicked her gently. "Run like the wind Epona! To the Gerudo Fortress!" Link said in her ear.

Epona was off. The wind was like needles rushing past Link's face as they rushed through the field. The horse's hooves clapped loudly on the ground as she galloped. Clouds began to form over Hyrule and thunder could be heard from the heavens. The canyons cliffs could be seen ahead.

"Faster, girl, faster!" Link said. He could hear the echos of screams and clashing of weapons. Rain petals began to fall from the sky as the wind picked up. The warrior's heart started to beat with anticipation of battle.

'No Fierce Deity... this battle is mine and mine alone.' Link thought to himself.

Epona's hooves now clapped and echoed with the rain on the canyon walls. The sword clashes and screams were louder now. Link reached back to pull out his sword. Once he and his horse were over the bridge, he hopped off her back and ran into the fortress. The rain had made his clothing wet and his hair matted. Mud mixed with rain stuck to his boots as he ran into the canyon's heart and the Gerudo's home.

There, he was stricken. Already many of the women-like warriors were dead on the ground. The rain had washed all the blood into the mud, which turned into a very dark brown. Link looked at it with disgust. But he listened carefully to where the sounds of a battle were coming from. The training ground.

Link rushed over to the gate that led into the training room. He pushed up on the steel gate and it opened. Water ran down the steep path into the room. It had been ages since rain had fallen in the canyon. Link almost slipped and fell in, but he caught his balance and walked through.

The torches were still lighted, and the cave was pretty humid. Three doors led into different rooms; the door straight ahead led to huge maze while the two on the left or right led to smaller rooms with keys to get through the maze. The training ground was really only a huge circle with many rooms and a huge, steel cage puzzle in the middle.

Link looked at the three doors after wiping his eyes. He decided to sheath his sword back until he found the battle. Finally, the warrior decided to take the left path, hoping he wouldn't have to go all the way through. Once the large stoned door slide out of his way, Link walked through into a circular room filled with sand and three boulders in the center. There was nothing there, so he walked through the sand and into the next room. The hero walked straight to a wall of fire; there, he aimed his hook shot to a soft target. He was lifted up to higher ground and a doorway.

This room was where the battle was taking place. Just as Link walked through the door, the sound of a blade being stabbed into flesh filled his ears. He quickly pulled out his weapon and walked further in. There, he was greeted by a black person.

"You again eh?" Link remembered the assassin from their earlier meeting. The hero brought his sword in front of him, holding it in both hands. The assassin's eyes gleamed at Link. Its bloody blade was pulled out of the gerudo it had just killed. "What do you say we finish what we started?" Link smirked. No response came from the killer; instead, it charge forward with great speed. The hero crossed his blade with its, pushing down to the side to deflect its strike.

Link swung his sword at it but it brought its sword to meet his, and kicked him in the shin. The dark warrior let his sword drop a bit but brought his guard back up when he saw that bloody, curved blade coming at him for his neck. Link ducked and rammed his shoulder into the person's stomach. There, he felt it was slim and almost feminine.

'Is it a girl?' he asked himself while pinning the assassin to the wall. The person dropped its sword and struggled to get free, but Link's strong hands gripped its wrist too tightly. Finally, it gave up the struggle and breathed with frustration.

"Who are you and why did you do all this?" Link questioned angrily. His breath was short as well, but from trying to control his rage.

"None of your goddamn business!" The voice was muffled from the mask; even then Link could still hear a bit of girlish tint to it.

"Tell me or I'll cut your throat!" the hero threatened. He could feel bitter hate building in his heart. His grip on the person's wrist squeezed even harder. Fierce Deity wanted to come out and kill this guy. 'No... I said I would take care of this!' Link yelled in his head.

"Eh... you're a fool Link!" it said. Link grinned and slapped the person.

"Answer me!" Link shouted.

"I know who you are, 'hero'! You'll bring death and mayhem to Hyrule!"

"What does it look like you're doing?! You've killed a lot of Gerudo's already!" There was a pause after that. Link took a deep sigh and let go of the assassin. "Go. Get out of my sight before I do kill you." His voice was bitter and cold. The person only stared at the hero. "GO!" With that, quicker then wind, it was gone.