Worlds Apart
By Miss Lydia

Chapter 12

In the ruins of Hyrule Castle lay a lava pit. Above the lava pit, the Evil King Ganondorf dwelled. From the top of Ganon's Tower, a dark figure was positioned in the window, gazing east. The figure listened as a dragon shrieked in agony. The figure watched as the pillar of smoke rose from Death Mountain. It watched as the skies over Kakariko Village cleared. From the shadows of the figure's face, a wide, devilish smile appeared. He began to chuckle to himself as his Triforce of Power reacted to something.

"So," he said quietly, "that's their game."

Ganondorf turned and skulked away from the window of his dark, dismal tower. He began walking toward the large room in the center, talking to himself as he entered.

"The Triforce of Courage has finally revealed itself," he said loudly, as if he wanted someone else to hear. He stopped in front of the large pipe organ in the center of the room, the looked up toward the ceiling. "Your wait grows short."

"You will never get it," a voice said sharply from above the organ. Up there was a purple crystal prison, with Princess Zelda encased inside. Beside her head, Navi fluttered in a worried pattern.

"Oh no?" the Gerudo man asked her. "I know where the Triforce of Courage is, and nothing will stop me from getting it."

"Think about who holds it, foolish man. You will never get it from him. He will protect it with his life."

"Ah yes, that annoying Hylian Kid who began bothering in my business seven years ago. If he refuses to surrender, he will pay for it with his life."

Zelda scowled at Ganondorf and looked away. Navi's wings drooped.

"I will get the Triforce of Courage," Ganondorf continued, "and with that and the Triforce of Wisdom you hold, I will obtain the full Triforce and will truly rule the land."

Suddenly Ganondorf stopped and put his hand on his chin. "Still, those little magicians the kid hangs around with may be a slight annoyance to me. I'll have to get rid of them before I can take the kid and his Triforce piece."

He looked up at Zelda, who was still scowling at him. "I suppose I'd better not leave you alone, however. You'll just cause trouble. I'll have to ask a favor of my friends in the West."

Zelda slapped her hand on the side of the crystal cage. "You'll bring the Gerudo race into your plot?" she asked angrily. "How low will you sink?"

"It doesn't matter how," the Evil King replied shrilly. "As long as I get the Triforce of Courage in the end, it doesn't matter how it was done."

Zelda shrunk back in her prison. For the first time since the beginning, she was beginning to truly fear for Link's safety. And what if Ganondorf found out that she didn't have the Triforce of Wisdom anymore? She prayed to Nayru that she could stall him until Link and the sorcerers could come with full power to defeat him.

Zelda looked up as Ganondorf snapped his fingers in the air. A Gerudo woman suddenly ran into the room and stopped in front of him. She knelt down on the ground as Ganondorf began to speak to her quietly. Zelda couldn't make out the words he was saying. The Gerudo suddenly stood and saluted the Evil King, then turned to leave. As she was almost to the door, Ganondorf suddenly shouted to her.

"Nabooru!"

The Gerudo stopped and turned to face him.

"...Do what you must with the two sorcerers, but I want the Hero of Time brought to me alive!"

Suddenly, Zelda realized Ganondorf's plan. She fought back sobs as tears steamed down her face. She closed her eyes as a silent plea shouted inside her head.

Link. Lydia. Gordon. Please watch out for yourselves.

***

"Look!"

"It's them! It's them!"

"Hero Link and the Magicians!"

Link, Lydia, and Gordon had just re-entered Goron City. Link had pushed the monkey statue back in place. Lydia punched him in the stomach when he again insisted that it looked like her. He then took off his red tunic, revealing his usual green one underneath, and Lydia felt her brother de-activate his heat resistance spell. The three adventurers were now standing in the bottom level of the main hall. Gorons lined the balconies of the upper levels and were all cheering for the brave heroes that had saved them from a horrible fate.

Suddenly, Goron Link rolled down the stairs. The trio all dove in separated directions as the little Goron plowed past them and hit the wall. He grunted and sat up. Hylian Link stood and brushed himself off as Goron Link stood and waddled very quickly toward him. Hylian Link was about to greet him when the little guy threw his huge arms around him and squeezed hard.

"Thank you!!" Goron Link shouted happily.

The sorcerers looked on as Link's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. The little Goron was squeezing him half to death.

"You saved everybody!" the Goron continued. "And I know that Daddy's okay! Volvagia's gone! You truly are a hero!" In shrill happiness, the Goron squeezed Link even harder.

Lydia couldn't watch any longer. She crept up beside Link and leaned toward his ear.

"Judging from that 'get him off me or I'm gonna die' expression on your face," she said quietly, "little Goron Link is very strong."

Link drew in as much breath as he could. "It's not that I don't appreciate his thanks," he said, in a harsh squeak, since he couldn't manage anything louder, "but you're right. Get him off me or I'm gonna die."

Lydia chuckled heartily and bent down to the Goron. "Hey, come over here a sec," she said to him, tilting her head. "I wanna tell you something."

Goron Link smiled, bearing his huge teeth, and promptly let go of the Hylian. Link dropped to the ground, wheezing loudly. He raised his head long enough to wave a silent "Thank You" to Lydia. She waved a "You Owe Me" back and led the Goron away.

The little Goron followed Lydia over to where Gordon was standing. She knelt down on the ground and looked at Goron Link.

"You know," she said. "you were pretty brave earlier today."

"I was?" the Goron asked.

"Oh sure. I mean, you were gonna go to the Fire Temple all by yourself to look for everyone. It was foolish, mind you, but it was very brave. I don't know many adults in my world that are that brave."

"I'm brave?" The Goron was looking very delighted.

"I'll bet you'll grow up to be just like your dad. Or even like Hero Link."

"Yeah! I wanna be like Hero Link!"

"You should have seen him in the Fire Temple. He took that hammer and WHAM! Took care of the dragon just like that!"

A little ways off, Hylian Link stood, still trying to catch his breath. "You know," he said to the little Goron, "I can't take all the credit. Lydia here did a great job, as well."

Lydia was completely dumbfounded. Why is Link sharing the credit?, she thought. Why isn't he hogging it for himself or something? She didn't have to wait long to find out why.

"I think she deserves a hug, too." Link finished slyly.

Without a second thought, the little Goron pounced on Lydia, wrapping his mammoth arms around her, pinning her arms down. With the wind knocked out of her, Lydia couldn't even muster enough breath to curse at Link. She could only glare at Link, who was laughing loudly.

"I'll get you for this, Dodongo Buster!" she squeaked as loudly as she could.

As Goron Link kept squeezing, Lydia looked on as Gordon strolled over to Link and slapped him a high-five. "Thanks for not sharing the credit with me," she heard Gordon say.

"Hey, we both know she really deserves it," Link replied.

"You're both dead!" Lydia grunted.

After Link gave the little Goron an autograph, just like he promised, they all left Goron City. With one last good-bye to the excited Gorons, they disappeared through the door and reappeared on the trail. The Gorons' cheers faded into the distance.

Lydia rubbed her sore waist as she and the boys started back down Death Mountain Trail, toward town. "Strong little guy," she muttered to herself.

Farther down the trail, Gordon spoke up. "So, Link, where should we go tomorrow?"

Walking next to him, Link thought for a moment. "The Zoras should be next. We need to find them and help them."

"Sounds good. We'll start out tomorrow, then."

Suddenly, Lydia snapped her fingers. "Ah! I almost forgot!"

Gordon and Link looked over their shoulders. "Forgot what?" Link asked.

Lydia clasped her hands behind her back and smiled evilly. "Do you two happen to remember a little incident at the Fire Temple entrance?"

Raising their eyebrows in questioning, the boys turned around to face her.

"I seem to recall that you guys were really mean and tricked me into giving you a hint about my secret weapon," she continued.

Link suddenly remembered. Lydia finished before he could say anything.

"And I also recall that I said that I owed you two something as soon as we got back outside."

Link looked at Gordon. Judging from the look on his face, he had just remembered, too. Link gently nudged the sorcerer with his elbow.

"I think now would be a good time to run away really fast," he said.

"Yeah, now would be a very good time," Gordon replied.

"Ready?"

"Set."

"Go!"

They turned and dashed down the trail as fast as they could. Lydia shouted after them.

"Too slow, guys!" she shrieked. "Explosion Array!!"

***

Lydia could see the darkness rushing toward her. It wrapped around her body. She struggled as much as she could, but the darkness wouldn't let her move. She thrashed back and forth, trying to free herself and drive the darkness away. From the darkness that held her came a voice.

"Allies will fall, and evil will rise. Even when all seems lost, the last resort will fail. Only the power of all will defeat the evil. Ultimate power will restore the land."

Then another voice came.

"Hey!" it called to her. "Are you okay? Wake up!"

Lydia opened her eyes to find someone shaking her. She was back in her own bed, with Link standing over her. Even in the dark, she could see concern in his blue eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked again. "It looked like you were having some kind of nasty nightmare."

Lydia rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up, clutching her covers for security. It was still dark outside, but the sun was starting to think about coming up. Gordon was sound asleep in his bed, snoring quietly. Link sat down on the end of Lydia's bed and looked at her.

"You were thrashing around and making a lot of noise," he said to her, lowering his voice to a whisper. "In fact, I'm surprised your brother's still asleep."

Lydia chuckled softly and said, "I could fire a Dragon Slave under his bed and he'd sleep through it." She watched as Link stretched his arms in the air and yawned. "I'm sorry I woke you up, though."

Link brought his arms down and waved his hand. "Ah, forget it," he said.

The sorceress opened her mouth wide and yawned. Link did the same thing and stretched again. He twisted his back away from her to look out the window. Lydia suddenly noticed something then. Extending down the length of Link's back was a long, blond braid. Shocked, she took hold of it and tugged on it.

"Hey, ow!" Link whispered harshly.

"Where'd this come from?!"

"…It grew out of my head, of course."

"I had no idea your hair was this long! It's twice as long as mine! Why haven't I seen it before?"

Link gathered up his hair and played with the end of the braid. "I keep it tucked into my hat during the day." He laughed suddenly and carelessly tossed the braid over his shoulder. "I can't believe you haven't noticed until now." He glanced over to her with a sly smile on his face. "Do men with long hair disgust you?"

Lydia's mouth fell open. "O-Of course not! …It's kinda…cool, actually. I….like it."

The Hylian laughed again. "I love catching you off guard like that. You're so much fun to mess with."

The girl reached over and slugged his arm.

Link yawned again, then turned to look at Lydia. "So…what was happening just now?" The glee in his eyes had changed back to concern. "….Do you feel like talking about it?"

The sorceress sighed. "There was darkness all around me, and it tried to swallow me up. In the midst of everything, that prophesy came to me again."

Link thought for a moment and then recited it. "Allies will fall, and evil will rise. Even when all seems lost, the last resort will fail. Um...how did the rest of it go?"

"Only the power of all will defeat the evil," Lydia finished, "Ultimate power will restore the land."

Link scratched behind his long ear. "It still doesn't make any sense to me."

"Me, either. But it keeps coming to me. It means something, we just have to figure out what."

"Well, it can wait until morning," Link said, standing up. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Lydia smiled. "Yeah, thanks. I appreciate that."

Link stretched one more time before crawling into his bed. He disappeared under the sheets and was asleep in moments.

Even after Link had fallen asleep again, Lydia was still staring at the ceiling in serious thought. She was beginning to seriously worry about their inevitable fight with Ganondorf, after they freed the races of Hyrule. Something terrible is going to happen, she thought. That prophesy is trying to tell me what will happen. What is it trying to say? Damn it, what is it trying to say?

***

In the morning, Lydia did not feel at all rested. It was as if she had been up all night. Groaning, she swung her legs to the floor and got dressed. Gordon was still asleep, she noticed, and Link's bed was empty. His sword and shield were gone, and his hat was no longer hanging on the bed post. That wasn't unusual. She knew he was probably just hanging around outside. She glanced at her brother again and was about to call him Mr. Lazy, but she looked at her watch instead and saw that it was only 8:30. Hmm, she thought, I guess that means Link hasn't been gone very long. I can probably catch up with him, then.

She quietly crept over to the window and opened the shutters. She gazed up at the sky over Kakariko and smiled. For the first time in weeks, the sky was a bright blue – the kind of sky that always made the sorceress happy. And on top of everything, Lydia could once again feel her full power within her. No more limited magic. ....At least, she thought, until next month.

She decided to let Gordon get another couple of hours sleep, and left the house quietly to look for Link. She looked around Kakariko as she closed the door behind her. Link was nowhere to be seen. She jogged around to the back of town, but still couldn't find him.

Lydia turned and ran toward Hyrule Field, waving a Good Morning to a few of the villagers she passed. She skipped down the stairs and stopped in the field. Epona was gone, too.

I wonder where he's gone to without us? "Ray Wing!" She didn't know where to start looking, but started flying south, toward Lake Hylia. She had an odd feeling that she should start there.

***

Link sighed quietly and looked down into the empty Lake Hylia, staring blankly at what he believed to be the entrance to the Water Temple. He was leaning up against the wall of the Lake Laboratory, which was run by a crazy old guy who researched the water there. He was all holed up in the Lab since Lake Hylia had almost completely drained.

Link crossed his arms and turned his gaze toward the gray sky. It wasn't like the blue sky over Kakariko this morning. The only sounds he could hear were the gentle breeze blowing through his hair, the occasional bird call, and Epona's neighs coming from the entrance of Lake Hylia.

Then a new sound reached him. A voice called down from somewhere in the sky.

"There you are!" it called.

Startled, Link uncrossed his arms and looked toward the voice. Lydia was flying down toward him. He relaxed and waved to her. She stopped a few feet off the ground, then dropped down and looked at him.

"You're up unusually early," Link said.

"Couldn't sleep," Lydia replied as she leaned on the wall of the lab. "Why did you leave without saying anything? You almost had me worried. Almost."

"I didn't think you'd be awake for at least another three hours, so I came here."

"Why?"

Link looked back up at the sky. "…This lake used to be so beautiful," he said coolly. "When I was a kid, I always came here. It was always so peaceful – I came here often to do some thinking."

"What about? …Come on, tell me."

Link leaned his head on the wall and looked toward the dry lake. "Mainly about our quest. What our goals are and how we are going to accomplish those goals. I was just thinking about how well we've been doing so far."

"And that is pretty well. We toasted that dragon a good one, didn't we?"

"Yeah," Link replied with a laugh, "but we still have so much ahead of us. And I'm getting really worried about Zelda."

"You're not alone in that. But at least your bug Navi is with her. She's not alone. Besides, this is what she wanted. Her decoy plan is still working."

"…I guess you're right."

"And don't you worry, Link. All we have to do is keep up the pace. We'll save Hyrule, yet. Right?"

"...Yes, right."

"I can't hear you...!" Lydia mocked.

"You're right!" Link said loudly, smiling. "We'll save Hyrule."

"That's the spirit! Keep that in your head and we'll be fine."

Lydia looked up at the sky and relaxed her mind. Several silent moments followed, until Lydia spoke again.

"So....were you thinking about anything else?"

Link rubbed the back of his neck and said, "Yeah, actually. I was thinking about how bored I'm going to be once you and Gordon go back home."

Lydia laughed and patted his shoulder. "You have the Ocarina of Time, remember? You can come visit us if you want, you know," she said. "You will always be welcome at my house."

Link smiled sweetly and opened his mouth to thank her, but he suddenly stopped. His ears had picked up something very faint, and his sixth sense was screaming of danger. He pushed off the wall and listened to the air.

All the while, Lydia kept talking. "You may not believe it, but I know I'll be bored if you're not around to be my personal punching bag. So, actually, I guess that invitation is more of a request."

She looked up at Link, and was surprised to see that he wasn't looking at her at all. His narrowed eyes were darting around the lake area, and his muscles were poised to jump.

"Link...?" she asked quietly with a meek tone. "...What's wrong?"

"Quiet," he whispered back as he held a hand up.

Lydia, now rather scared, glanced around to one side as Link looked to the other side. Suddenly, Link flinched sharply.

"Watch it!" he shouted quickly, and he grabbed Lydia's shoulder and shoved her away. She fell to the ground with a surprised yelp. When she hit the ground, she heard a thunk sound. She looked up again, and stared in horror at the Lab's wall.

An arrow was now stuck in the wood, right where her head had just been.

"My GOD!" she shouted in shock. Link jumped in front of her defensively and drew his sword, keeping his eyes on something up ahead. Still terrified beyond the ability to move, let alone stand up, Lydia shifted her head and gazed past Link.

Standing a distance away was a brown skinned woman with red hair. She was dressed in desert clothes and was holding a bow toward them with another arrow positioned in the string. The woman stared at Link with cold, vacant eyes.

Without hesitation, she released the second arrow. Link quickly leaned to the side, and the arrow grazed by his shoulder, cutting his skin. He cursed loudly in pain backed up, forgetting that Lydia was on the ground behind him. He tripped and fell backward, landing across her back.

The woman still hadn't moved. She was slowly pulling another arrow from her quiver.

Lydia groaned and tried to squirm out from under Link. "So," she asked, "is she an ex-girlfriend of yours?"

Link held the arrow wound with his other hand. "Very funny. She's a Gerudo."

"From that race of women? Why is she trying to kill us?"

"She's of Ganondorf's race. He naturally has something to do with it."

The Gerudo woman confidently put the arrow in place and began to raise the bow again.

"Oh, no you don't," Lydia muttered. "Wind Brid!"

The Gerudo didn't even see it coming. An invisible wind arrow flew through the air and knocked the bow from the woman's hands. The Gerudo watched her weapon sail through the air and land by the shore of the empty lake. The woman snarled and slowly drew a scimitar from her belt.

Lydia shoved Link off her back and stood, glaring at the woman. Link stood beside her, ready for anything.

"Well," Lydia shouted at the woman, "thanks to you, I have a new reason to hate the Gerudo race."

The Gerudo only laughed as she raised her scimitar in challenge. Link drew his own sword in acceptance. Lydia stepped aside and said, "She's all yours, Hero."

Link raised the Master Sword and took a few steps forward, then he stopped. Looking over his shoulder at the sorceress, he said, "Um, but, Lyd, I have this thing about fighting girls..."

Lydia let her head flop back and her arms fall to her sides. She picked her head up and shouted, "What do you mean? You fight me all the time! I'm a girl!"

"Barely! ....And we don't fight like this."

Meanwhile, the Gerudo raised an eyebrow, watching her two targets in amusement. I would be such a shame to carry out her master's orders.

Link turned his attention back toward the woman. "Who are you?" he called out. "And what's your business with us?"

For the first time, the woman spoke. "I do believe that my opponent should know my identity," she said coolly. "I am Nabooru, the leader of the Gerudo race, second-in-command to the great Ganondorf. My orders were to obtain the Triforce of Courage by any means necessary."

Oh, crap, Link thought.

Lydia's face twisted. Ganondorf knows he has it!

Nabooru smiled and repeated part of it. "By any means necessary."

Link stiffened and raised his sword. Lydia positioned her hands at her sides and prepared a fireball spell.

Nabooru snarled and put her sword away. "But it seems I have underestimated my targets," she said. "You got the best of me this time, but it won't happen again. Be on guard – I'll be back."

With that, the Gerudo turned and ran toward the entrance to Hyrule Field with incredible speed, scaring Epona as she ran by.

Link frowned and sheathed his sword. "Nasty old wench," he muttered. He glanced at Lydia, who was staring blankly at the two arrows stuck in the lab wall.

"Hey," he said. "You okay? I didn't hurt you when I tripped, did I?"

Lydia turned and looked Link right in the eye. "You saved my life, do you know that?"

"Huh?"

"See this arrow? That's where my head was. I would have been killed if you weren't there. …I want to thank you."

Link flushed deep red in the face. "Oh, well, er, it was no problem at all," he stammered, putting one arm behind his head.

"I just wish I knew how to thank you enough."

"Heh, this isn't like you at all, Lyd."

Lydia looked at the ground, but didn't say anything. Suddenly, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Link and buried her face in the front of his tunic.

"Just promise me…," she whispered, "Promise me you'll always be there to protect me like that."

It took Link several moments to find his voice. "I…um…"

"Just promise me…, please?"

Not knowing what else to do, Link smiled and returned the embrace. "…I promise. I'll be there."

Another few seconds went by, and suddenly Lydia stiffened and pushed away quickly. Her face was beet red. "…Oh, my God. I am so sorry. I…kinda got ahead of myself there…" She nervously rubbed the back of her neck. "Didn't mean to put you on the spot like that… How embarrassing."

Link bit his lower lip. He had very little experience in dealing with girls. They were so complicated! What was he supposed to say?

Lydia looked up again and smiled meekly. She moved to his shoulder and began to heal the arrow wound with her magic. "Don't worry about just now… I'm just out of my mind."

The Hylian smiled at her again. "Even if you have lost your mind…I intend to keep that promise."

"…Thank you…"

As soon as that was finished, Lydia moved over to the wall and pulled the arrow out, and broke it over her knee. "Damn Gerudo," she muttered as she threw the pieces on the ground, "I'll get her for this. She's my new best friend, and best friends deserve special treatment."

Link laughed. "Now that's the Lydia I know!"

Suddenly, a voice rang out above them. "Hey! I've been looking for you guys!"

Lydia and Link looked up to see Gordon flying down to them. He landed in front of them and smiled.

"Morning!" he said energetically. "I was wondering where you two had gone. So, anything cool happen? Did I miss any action?"

The other two both gave him really sarcastic looks.

Gordon raised one eyebrow. "…What did I say?"