Chapter 6

Link's eyes slowly opened, his vision a little blurry. All he could make out were two silhouettes. When his vision cleared, he was comforted by the presence of Impa and Zelda. He quickly sat up and looked at them, then looked around.

"Where am I," he asked nervously.

"You're in your room at the castle, Link," replied Impa, causing Link to calm down a bit.

"What happened? The last thing I remember is that sorcerer casting a sleeping spell on me." Zelda frowned sadly.

"That sorcerer, Ganson, used you to free Ganondorf. We were too late in rescuing you. We got Ganondorf and Ganson to flee before they could cause you any physical harm."

"Ganson?"

"He's...He's Ganondorf's son." Link's eyes widened in surprise.

"You're joking, right?"

"He's only half Gerudo, though. And half Hylian. That's how he was able to be a male. Ganondorf had an affair with a Hylian maiden some time ago, and that's how Ganson came to be," explained Impa. Link then closed his eyes and lowered his head. Zelda looked at him worriedly and place a hand on his shoulder, sitting down next to him on his bed.

"Are you okay," she asked with concern. Link nodded slightly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he sighed.

"This is all my fault. I misinterpreted my dream, and I put you in a lot of danger. I'm so sorry," stated Zelda, choking back a sob. Link mustered up enough to make himself strong and pulled her into a friendly hug. Zelda sobbed into his shoulder as he patted her back gently.

"Shh, it's okay...it's all over now..." Link slowly closed his eyes again and held Zelda tighter, fighting back something. Impa looked at Link worriedly and frowned.

Chapter 7

Link had been pretty distant from everyone throughout the day, which worried Impa greatly. He wouldn't talk about the incident, and if someone brought it up, he'd just change the subject. That night, Impa spotted Link in the courtyard by himself, sitting on the steps to the window, staring at the ground. She quietly walked in and looked at Link's sad expression. She frowned and walked over to him, sitting down next to him.

"Is everything okay," asked Impa with concern. Link looked at her, then looked away from her.

"Can we talk about something else," pleaded Link quietly.

"I want to know what's wrong with you." Link sighed sadly and lowered his head, mumbling something. "What? I can't hear you." Link mumbled a little bit louder. "You need to speak up." Link clenched his fists tightly and shut his eyes tighter.

"I was scared, okay!?" Impa frowned again and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay, Link. Everyone gets scared," she stated, trying to comfort him.

"You don't understand...That sorcerer, Ganson...the only way for him to use me was to get me to be the opposite of what Triforce I had in my body. He made illusions to bring out my deepest fears, and once I was at the right point for him, he casted that sleeping spell on me...I was already scared when I was kidnapped...now I know how Zelda feels when that happens to her..." Impa heard Link's voice starting to break towards the end of his explanation. She pulled him into a hug to calm him down as he sobbed into her shoulder. She never thought she'd ever see the Hero of Time this way. Everyone expected him to be there whenever they needed him to fend off evil, but they never saw him as what he was: a normal person.

"Link, it's okay, it's in the past now," spoke Impa softly, trying to calm down her crying compadre. "We'll help you regain your strength, and we'll help you defeat Ganondorf and his son. Hyrule is depending on you, but we won't let you do it alone this time."

"Thank you, Impa..."

Chapter 8

The next few days Link spent with Impa and Zelda. Just being around them made him feel better. He trained hard with them, improving his skills, for he needed them in the final battle with Ganondorf and Ganson. All of his past fears had gone away, and the Triforce of Courage was restored to its original state. Soon, the time came when Link was to depart to face two of the greatest evils in the land.

"Link, are you sure you want to go by yourself," asked Zelda worriedly. Link gave her a confident nod.

"Yes," he replied. "I don't want you two getting hurt. You're sages, and both realms depend on you two being alive.

"Yes, but Hyrule also depends on you being alive," rebuttled Impa.

"I've been through worse jams than this."

"Really?"

"No, but I felt it was appropriate to say it at the time. Don't worry, I'll be fine." And with those words, Link mounted Epona and rode off towards Gerudo Valley. Impa frowned and looked at Zelda.

"You should have gone with him," stated the Sheikah.

"Why?"

"Remember the last time Ganondorf was defeated? Link couldn't have done it without your sagely powers to hold him down while Link gave the final blow. Link did most of the work, yes, but we wouldn't have sealed him unless you had summoned all of the sages together. Follow him. He can't do this alone. I'll warn the other sages about what's going on, and we'll be ready for your call." Zelda nodded and instantly transformed into Sheik.

"I'm on my way, Link."