Chapter 7

I'm sitting up in my bed, trying to find out what's wrong with me. Zelda's in the corner, looking like she might be sick herself. She's way too worried about me. Her nurse is trying to figure out what ails me.

"Now, when was it you first felt sick?"

"During training. I felt weak then, and I fainted."

"Were you feeling well before you came here?"

"Yes."

"What exactly hurts?"

"Everything, but I think my head hurts the most. I feel dizzy every time I try to sit up."

The nurse looks at Zelda. I get the distinct feeling there's something they're not telling me.

"Anything else you think you should tell us?"

I rack my brain, trying to think of something. "Actually, there is. The first time I passed out, I had an interesting dream, or at least I think I was dreaming. I felt like I was floating between dimensions again, and I heard Ganondorf's voice." Zelda and the nurse share a look. "Why? What's going on that you're not telling me?"

"Link..." Zelda looks near tears. That's not a good sign. "Link..." she tries again, but she can't seem to find the words. Her nurse solves the problem.

"You've been cursed." Zelda breaks down crying. If I had any emotion left in me, I'd probably cry too.

"Can it be lifted?" I ask, though I'm afraid to know the answer.

Zelda has composed herself, and is looking at me with red eyes. "It can be done, but it'll be difficult. I'm not sure if we can pull it off." She suddenly runs over to me and starts hugging me fiercely. "Link... I'm not going to let anything happen to you, not if I can help it." I can't think of what to say, so I hug her back. We stay like this for a good five minutes, her crying on my shoulder, and me trying to be strong for her. I don't really care what happens to me. I just want her to be happy again. Zelda removes herself from my shoulder.

"It's risky, but I think it's worth the risk. Of course, I can't really do anything without your permission."

"What's the plan?"

-----

A Brief Interlude

She looked down on the city from her vantage point on Death Mountain. Even from there, she could tell it was full of life and people. She sensed the growing tension coming from there, though. Something wasn't quite right...

A noise came from behind her. She turned around quickly, prepared for a fight if need be, but she needn't have worried. It was merely her brother.

"Would you quit sneaking up behind me? It won't do to have you scaring me senseless every five minutes."

Her brother shook his head. "You're not scared, just proud. You don't like it that you can't hear me coming up behind you."

The girl studied him for a moment. She wasn't sure, but it almost seemed as though the hold she had on her unpredictable and often unstable brother was breaking. But there wasn't time to worry about that now.

She turned back around. She needed to focus all of her energy into the town.

"What are you doing, anyway?" She didn't answer right away. She was trying to keep her connection with the cursed Hero...

-----

I'm dying. I'm slowly wasting away to nothing, and the only hope I have lies with Zelda. I know she's doing her best, but even her best doesn't seem to be working. We need someone stronger...

Another surge of energy hits me, and I jerk my head back, hitting it on the backboard. I'm used to it by now, though. It's happened about every five minutes. Zelda's been trying to send her energy into me, but it's just not working. It's really taking a toll on her, though...

"Zelda, you need to stop. You're going to kill yourself!" I can see that she's definitely tired, but she's too stubborn to admit it.

"I'm fine! You're the one that needs help!" she snaps at me.

"Zelda! You need to get the sages. They can help you!"

The sages were here a while ago. Zelda sent them off to search for Ganondorf, while she stayed here to try and hold off the curse. I want to help, but I really don't know how...

Suddenly, I feel the tension lifting from my body. One of three things has happened. Either Zelda's not sending her energy into me, the sages have found Ganondorf, or I'm losing consciousness. I don't doubt it's all three. I'm able to rule out unconsciousness by the fact that I'm still awake, and by the way Zelda's smiling, something good must have happened. I'm betting the sages found Ganondorf...

"Link... It's okay now... You can relax... The curse has been lifted..." The rest of her words fall on deaf ears... I pass out.

-----

"Link! Get up!" Someone's shaking me awake. I look up, half expecting to see Jen, but instead I see Zelda. She's looking at me with worried eyes.

"Whaddya want?" I ask thickly.

"There's someone here to see you."

I look around. "We're the only ones in the room. Where are they?"

She holds out her hand, and there's a tiny fairy sitting in it.

"A fairy?" I ask, still half asleep.

"Not just any fairy. This is Navi, the fairy to the first Hero of Time."

I stare at her. "You're not serious." I remember her vaguely from when I played Zelda 64. She annoyed the living daylights out of me.

"Thanks. I can tell we're going to have a wonderful time together." She looks at me. I never knew what she looked like until now. She's got short, spiked blue hair, and an attitude just like mine. She's right. I'm gonna love her.

"So you're my fairy partner?" I ask.

"Yes. I get to follow you around and make sure you don't kill yourself."

Lovely.

"So, the curse has been lifted?" I ask. Zelda smiles. It's a sad smile.

"Yes, but not because the sages found Ganon. I'm not sure why he decided to lift the curse, but it would seem that's what happened."

"Are you okay? You weren't doing so well when you were trying to counteract the curse."

She smiles, looking relieved. "I'm fine, but I was worried about you. I need not have been. I should have known you were strong enough to survive a curse like that, but you gave us quite a scare, losing consciousness like you did."

I look at her. She's so worried about me. "It is strange... I mean, why would Ganon suddenly decide to lift a curse off of someone? It's not like him." I try sitting up, expecting to be dizzy, but I feel fine. I stand. I don't feel dizzy at all. I tell Zelda as much.

"That's good. You're just in time to catch dinner," she says.

"Good, 'cause I'm hungry."

-----

It's after dinner. I'm trying to find my way to the courtyard, thinking all the while about what my trainer was saying. I'm having second thoughts. I probably should turn back, but I don't know if he's telling the truth. Guess I'll find out sooner or later. I turn around, looking back at the way I've come. I'm lost. I still don't know my way around this stupid huge castle. How am I supposed to? It's way too enormous. I doubt even Zelda knows about all of the rooms in it. I look around, hoping to spot something that looks remotely like a courtyard. I don't see anything, but I'm spared the job of finding my way back when someone grabs my shoulder. I spin quickly around, and see the guy that offered to take me into the brotherhood.

"You're late." What a welcome.

"I, er, got held up."

"I heard. You in good enough shape to practice?"

"I suppose so." I still don't feel excessively well, but I'm well enough to practice.

"Come on then." We walk toward a well-hidden door in the wall. Why didn't I notice that before? As we walk into the courtyard, I notice there's only one other person there.

"Where is everyone?"

"What do you mean, kid?"

"Everyone else in the brotherhood." This is looking suspicious. Shouldn't everyone be here?

"Why should everyone else trouble to come? You only need one person to train you."

"Then who's that?" I say, pointing to the other person in the courtyard.

"That's who's going to train you. Came all the way from Kakariko, too, just to meet you."

A voice issues from under the cloaked figure. "I didn't come just to meet him. I came to make him more than just a clumsy kid." The voice is very muffled. I can't really see the person, either.

"Fine, fine, don't bite my head off. I just thought, well, never mind what I thought. Get on with it. I'll supervise to make sure you're doing it right."

I look at the cloaked figure. All I can see is a pair of cold, gray eyes. For a moment I falter. Whoever it is must see my fear, because they laugh. It's a cold, cruel sound, and I cringe. "Don't worry, kid. I'm not gonna hurt ya." I try and swallow my fear, because I don't believe a word of what he just said.

"First, if you didn't know already, you acknowledge your partner, usually done with a bow." We both bow. "Okay, I'm gonna come at ya, and I want you to block it with your sword. Shields are clumsy and heavy, and you never know if you're gonna have one, so it's best to know how to do this." I raise my sword clumsily, and he laughs at me again. "No, that's not gonna work. Like this." The swordsman raises his sword, keeping it level with the ground, about the height of his head. "You try." I mimic this movement, and he brings his own sword crashing onto mine, sending shockwaves through my arm. It's not as bad as when I was doing it wrong, though. Feeling quickly returns to my arm, and I regain my edge. I shift my weight backwards slightly, breaking the hold he's got on my sword. I then try to flick the sword out of the swordsman's hand, like I did with my other trainer, but it doesn't quite work. He pushes back, and I try another strategy. I swing my sword around in a complete circle, and bring it crashing on top of my competitor's. The swordsman has to reverse the force quickly, and only just catches it. I smile, but in the small amount of time that I let my guard drop, he's pushed my sword down, and in a grand show of talent, has flicked it out of my hand.

"Don't get arrogant. If you let your guard down for just a moment, the enemy will know." He tosses me back my sword. "Now, swing at me, and put your body behind it." I try to do this, but he swings back and forces my sword back toward me. The sudden change of direction catches me off guard, and I fall on my back. I thought I was finished with falling. I look up, surprised. He's got his blade pointed at me. "This is the part where I win."

A sudden idea pricks at the edge of my brain. It takes me all of two seconds to form a plan. I roll over on the ground and jump up again. He has to change sword position quickly to block me, but he's not quite quick enough. I catch my sword underneath his, very close to the hilt, and push upward. I just manage to break the hold he has on it. I use the same maneuver that I used on my other trainer to flick his sword into the air, and I once again catch it as it comes down.

"Not bad, not bad." He's looking at me. I can feel his piercing gaze. It's enough to send shivers down my spine. I get the distinct feeling that he could finish me off if he wanted to. I shake off the feeling, and hand him back his sword. "Where did you learn to do that?"

"I pulled that one on my other trainer. Caught him off guard." I look at him. If I look hard enough, I can almost see the amusement in his eyes...

"Yes, very well done. Very well done." I'm starting to wonder if this guy can say a sentence just once. He's looking at me funny, like he doesn't want me here. It's not hostile. It's friendly, or at least as friendly as this guy can manage. "I'd say we're about done for the day. Same place, same time tomorrow." The guy that invited me in the first place looks at him in alarm.

"What, that's it? You're not doing anything else today? Why stop? He obviously needs it."

I glare at him. "I do not," I mutter.

"No, I think this is quite enough until next time." He's suddenly all business. "I have places to be and people to see. No use waiting here any longer. Tomorrow, and be there, because I don't like to wait for nothing."

"I'll be there. I just hope you'll be there." I turn away and walk back into the castle. I'm wondering if this was such a good idea. These guys are like the Mafia. I'm starting to regret not listening to my trainer. I've just started down the hallway, when a hand grabs me from behind. I turn around, surprised to see the guy I was fighting. Or at least I thought it was a guy. The hood on the cloak is off, and I can see clearly it's a girl. "Is there something you need?" I ask.

"Yes. I need you to not come to the courtyard tomorrow." I'm caught by surprise by this statement.

"But you said-"

"I know what I said. It's just a front. Don't come. I mean it. You don't want to get caught up with these guys. They're bad news. Stop before you're too far in." She's looking at me, and I see the first sign of warmth in her gray eyes. "Take my word for it. The only reason I'm still involved with these people is that spineless worm of a leader we have. It's my job to get rid of him." I'm gonna guess and say that the 'spineless worm of a leader' is the guy that offered me the position in the first place. She starts to turn around, but a look of surprise and pain comes over her face. She stumbles, and I notice there's an arrow protruding from her back. I look over and see the leader of their group, holding a crossbow pointed at us.

"So that was an assassin. That's how we deal with people like her." She gives a small groan in my arms. He aims at her to shoot another arrow, but I leap in front of her.

"Don't even think about it." I draw my sword, forgetting for a moment that, besides the fact that I have no idea how to handle a sword, it's edges are too dull to cause any real harm. I stand protectively in front of her.

"Move out of the way, boy." He tries to aim at her, but with a surge of adrenaline, I rush him. I somehow manage to overpower him, driving him to the floor. He looks up at me, surprised.

"You truly are the great Hero. I see it in your eyes. Let me up, and I promise I won't hurt her."

"Why should I believe you?" I ask him, anger pounding in my veins.

"Because I can still fire my crossbow, and on top of me is not the wisest place to be."