Link could feel his side tighten with cramps. He stopped in the middle of a path and stood with his hands on his knees, panting. He had been running for an unknown time, slowly with fatigue he looked up at the sun and saw that it was hidden behind a blanket of clouds. Grabbing his cell phone he looked at the small clock in the left hand corner, it read 5:00. He sighed unhappily, there was no way that the clouds had come out this early, unless. "We're here." Link looked at where Navi was heading and saw it, Ganon's Castle. It looked like Hyrule Castle, except more gothic. Sharp iron spikes hung above the gate and below the castle was a pit of lava. Link looked at the highest point of the tower and exhaled. He was ready for this; he had been waiting for this moment ever since he found out how his father died, and just to piss him off Ganon captured Zelda, Malon, and the other Sages. Grabbing the small jewel known as Ganon's Demise he put it in his pack and slowly began to enter the unguarded entrance to the castle. Suddenly, he stopped; he sensed something was wrong looking up he saw two figures a hundred feet above the gate and a third all the way on the tower. The first two figures jumped. Link grabbed the Master Sword and the Havoc Blade and readied himself for a fight. The two figures that jumped were Stalfos, but they were different from the other Stalfos he fought. These Stalfos were black, with blood red eyes. They walked toward him, grunting with each step, their eyes glowing. Link gripped the hilts of the swords and growled. The two Stalfos stopped and began to laugh. Their laughter was deep and menacing, much like the laugh that he heard in his nightmare. The laughter that Zerthus made when he killed Link's father. Link squinted with anger and growled, fatigue still filled every joint in his body, but the adrenaline caused by his anger gave him newfound strength. The two Stalfos looked at each other and held their hands up. In a flash of shadow two great swords appeared in their gnarled hands. Link gasped, he recognized the make of the swords. He had seen it only an hour ago, the swords were exactly the same as the sword that the Shados had (ch. 8). The first Shadow Stalfos, as Navi called it, attacked while the second just stood. Link rolled to the left, making sure to be aware of the ledge, and stood. Quick, as lightning he thrust the Master Sword into the Shadow Stalfos' back, but nothing happened. The head of the living skeleton turned around completely, and laughed again.
Link, surprised, backed away. He could feel the adrenaline rush die down and he shook from fatigue. The second Stalfos saw his opportunity and slashed at Link's arm, leaving a gash about six inches in length. Falling to his knees he kicked at the walking Halloween decoration, he missed by several inches, but it frightened the Stalfos and it fell into the boiling lava. Link looked down and watched as the Stalfos grasped unsuccessfully for the ledge. Slowly it sunk down into the lava, screeching. The other Stalfos scowled at Link, then suddenly it leapt at him. Link rolled out of its reach and kicked it over the ledge and into the lava. Panting, Link stood brushing himself off. When his hand brushed against the wound that he got while fighting he winced. "Great, three times in one day. If this is what saving the world is like, I'm not so sure I wanna do it anymore." He said making a slight joke, hoping to hear Navi's tiny voice telling him to stop cracking jokes, but instead he heard a light….snoring. She was sleeping! He couldn't believe it, as gently as he could he roused her. She looked around drowsily, and finally looked up at Link. She apologized and Link forgave. Suddenly remembering something, Link looked for the third figure that he saw, but he found nothing. Giving up his search he entered the gate of the castle. He wouldn't admit it, but he wasn't enjoying this. He was definitely looking forward to killing Zerthus, Ganon, and Nerrudon. But he wasn't looking forward to going through this castle to get to them.