On the other side of the warp, Zelda was sitting on the beach staring off towards the island in the center of the lake. As I approached her she turned to face me. The look she had in her eyes cut into the center of my soul. No matter what we had come across before, she always had this air of confidence about her, as if she knew exactly how to deal with things. Now the expression on her face contained pure terror.

"The dark man... Ganondorf... He was there...." She said.

"Yeah, looks like he's catching up. I think we lost him for now though."

"Why do you say that?"

"The warp tunnel to Zora's Domain had frozen over not long after I went through. If Ganondorf had known there was a connection between these two places, he would have come after us. He must have known he missed us and froze the domain out of frustration."

"Froze the domain?"

"Yeah, he did the same thing in the future...."

Zelda seemed to be in deep thought. She turned back towards the island and I sat down next to her. Then she gasped and jumped to her feet. "Sorry." I said hurriedly.

"It's not that, it's Epona! We left her by the river!"

She began to cast Faeroe's Wind, so I stood near her. There was a bright flash of green light and I felt my body being disolved. The scenery flashed by and before I knew it, we were standing next to Epona in front of the waterfall. Unfortunately, she wasn't alone. He was there too.

"Your luck has run out, fools. I knew you would come looking for the fish princess."

"What have you done with them?" Zelda asked with renewed confidence.

"I suppose I got a little carried away. I managed to cool down however. Perhaps it's time to heat things up."

He began to rise into the air and collect magical energy into his arms. Before he had reached the top of the waterfall, I had grabbed Zelda, hopped on Epona and was halfway down the river. He was in close pursuit, but he wasn't attacking yet. Epona did her best to navigate the watery terrain, but he continued to gain ground on us.

"You know what goes well with water?" he sneered.

He fired a bolt of purple lighting into the river and hit all three of us. Epona threw Zelda and me off and fell by the riverbank. My wooden Deku Sheild burst into flames as my body was flung to the ground. The embers of the ruined buckler scratched my face as I slid across the moist earth. I could barely move. My whole body felt numb. Damn... I can't take too many more hits like that. There's a reason I had to wait seven years to face him. I looked at Zelda, who appeared to be in the same condition. Her, once beautiful, dress was now caked in mud and grime.

"This seems almost too easy..." the evil king sneered. "I have nothing to fear from you. However, you are continually in my way. Now that I have the golden power, I no longer need to endure you. The princess however has something I need."

I focused all the energy I could and rose to my feet. "You... won't... lay a single thieving finger on her, Scum."

"Fool. Your courage is commendable, even if it is pointless. For that I will let you die with honor, defending your liege. Come; unsheathe your sword."

I pulled out the weapons of a home I couldn't return to and prepared to defend a world I had already saved. As Ganondorf fired another bolt of lighting directly at me, I could hear Zelda chanting softly. A blue aura appeared around the entire riverbank and blocked the spell. Before Ganondorf could react we had already been transported to the Temple of Time. Zelda was standing between Epona and me, gasping for breath. Her knees gave out suddenly and I ran to catch her.

"I think that's the last spell from me for quite a while..." she said looking up at me from my arms.

"Don't worry, let me help you this time. I don't know if my sword can compare to your spells, but I'll give it my best shot."

"I have had quite a bit of practice. Not much else to do except magic when you're... a person in my position." she closed her eyes as her breathing slowed down. "You had... better still be there when I awake. Your job isn't done yet."

"You have my word, Zelda."

If I did sleep that night, I certainly don't remember it. I kept most of my focus on the doorway, but various thoughts were bubbling inside my mind. All those Zora, he encased them in that ice.... I was useless. There was nothing I could to help. Without the Master Sword, there's no way to defeat him.... Maybe I can use it without moving through time. Would I be able to even swing it in this state? There has to be a way...

"I hope you know..." Zelda began, "that what happened wasn't your fault. Ganondorf would've done what he did either way. He is pure evil."

"I wish I could believe you. I never told you this before, but in the future, Ganondorf already did all of this. He had already frozen Zora's Domain. Epona was afraid of water in the future. This is probably why."

"That proves my point. You returned from the future before this happened. That means that it was inescapable."

I thought back to the well in Kikariko Village. It was already dry in the future before I tampered with it in the past. "No. My path was set as soon as I removed the Master Sword." I looked towards the pedestal with the three stones and at the Door of Time beyond that. "I can't stay here. I'm not a part of Hyrule's history." I turned and looked Zelda in the eyes. "I want you to hide. I'll be back but until then, don't let Ganondorf find you. Do you understand?"

"But... why? You aren't making any sense..."

"I know. You've got to trust me."

"Wait a moment. Link... I want to give you something. I had this made for you before Impa and I fled the castle." The princess moved to the pedestal of time and retrieved a gleaming metal shield. The way she was walking was slow, almost ceremonious. "It is called the Hero's Shield. I hope you never have to use it." She wasn't smiling. Her expression conveyed a feeling of grief, as though she was attending a funeral. I thanked her and strapped the sheild to my back to replace the one I had lost. It seemed to fit somehow; to meld with my body on a molecular level. She then reached into a compartment of her dress and produced the Ocarina of Time. "Take this as well. You may need it." I tried to refuse, but she would not hear it. Now, she smiled. "The way I see it, I'm giving this to you for safe keeping."

I turned and began to walk away. I didn't want to look back; it hurt me even to think about it. I heard the sound of rushing wind and knew that Zelda was gone. Then I heard a loud snort. Epona walked up and nuzzled my back. I wasn't sure what to do... I knew I had to bring Epona back to the ranch, but I couldn't. I had lost my fairy, my home, and now Zelda. If I brought Epona back, I would be completely alone. So I brought her with me. we walked through the town, towards Hyrule Field. The various salesmen were closing up their shops and draining out of the market. They didn't even seem to notice the green garbed young boy and his pony as they strolled over the drawbridge. "Looks like it's me and you for a while eh, girl? The only question is where to go..." We stood out side the town and watched as the sun slowly fell below the horizon. "You know, you're great and all... but you aren't anywhere near as talkative as Navi." I chuckled softly. "So how about we go get her?" I mounted my horse, and with a quick pat and a yell, we headed for the Lost Woods and didn't look back.