Worlds Apart
Part II
By Miss Lydia

Chapter 20

Just hours before sunset, an dark figure stood at the southern window of Ganon's Tower, gazing south. He knew that those annoying kids were at the lake, and he knew they were messing around. But he wasn't too worried. After all, he'd set tons of traps in there. The traps had already snared many Zoras, and now that Hylian kid was in there among them.

Ganondorf chuckled to himself. The kid's practically sacrificing himself by going there. Oh well, it saves me the trouble. The Evil King was quite happy about this. Once that Hylian got himself killed, the Triforce of Courage would be his for the taking. Then, with Zelda's Triforce of Wisdom, he'd have full control of the Triforce, then Hyrule.

Needless to say, knowing this, Ganondorf was in an unusually good mood.

Until the water monster was destroyed. As Ganondorf watched from his perch in the window of the tower, he saw the same yellow column of light rise from the distant south, past the field. The Triforce of Courage was releasing its power again. The same thing had happened when those annoying pests destroyed Volvagia.

Ganondorf snarled angrily. That means the kid is still alive! Damn it all! The good mood diminished as the column of Triforce power slowly disappeared. The Evil King gritted his teeth. So much for getting that Triforce piece right away.

And then, the unthinkable happened. There was another flash from the south just moments later. As second column of yellow power rose from the lake area. Ganondorf's mouth fell open, and he gripped the windowsill with both hands. That wasn't the Triforce of Courage again! That was....

The Triforce of Wisdom!

Ganondorf twisted his neck frantically, hoping that Zelda was somehow no longer in her crystal prison. He hoped that she had simply escaped and was with them. But she was still there, and she was terrified. She had seen the power burst, too.

At the sudden realization, Ganondorf looked south again, then tightened his grip on the windowsill slowly. The bricks between his fingers cracked and snapped apart into little fragments of dust. He whirled around and sulked over to the crystal Zelda was sealed into, still holding pieces of brick in his fists. His eyes burned into hers as she looked back at him. The look on her face only confirmed his suspicions.

She had tricked him. He had been tricked by a little girl.

"You don't have it! The Triforce of Wisdom! You haven't had it this whole time!" Ganondorf shrieked loudly, throwing the brick fragments at the crystal. "You gave it to one of that kid's magic-user friends, didn't you?? Why, you little wench! I'll have your head for this!"

Zelda pressed her back against the crystal wall. Her decoy plan had fallen to pieces. The princess was angry with herself that she couldn't stall him any longer. And now, this evil man would kill her.

The fire that sparked between Ganondorf's hands was originally meant to kill the princess, but slowly, the Evil King's sneer curled into an evil smile, and the magic disappeared.

"Wait...," he said, mostly to himself. "This will still work." He began pacing back and forth. "Those kids won't forget about you. Not a chance in hell. If I kill you now, they won't come, and I won't be able to get those Triforce pieces easily. But, if I leave you alive, they'll come for you. They'll come right to me." He laughed to himself. "Then, those three will meet their deaths, and I will have the full Triforce."

Princess Zelda's face was damp with tears. He's right. They'll come for sure, and he'll be waiting!

"But...," the Gerudo leader continued, "I'm growing impatient. I had better send a messenger to speed up their progress."

He raised his hands and loudly snapped his fingers. A woman ran in and bowed down in front of him, her eyes glowing red.

"Nabooru," Ganondorf said, "I want you to once again find those meddlers. They have two of the Triforce pieces."

The Gerudo warrior raised her red eyes. "Two, m'Lord?"

"Two, yes. I want you to go to them again. If you can simply kill them, fine. Just be prompt in delivering the Triforce pieces to me. However, should you fail in killing them, as you have many times already, deliver a message instead. Tell those pests that I still have their precious princess, and if they want to see her alive again, they must surrender their pieces of the Triforce to me."

Nabooru rose and bowed her way out. "Right away, my Lord." In another moment, she was gone.

Ganondorf laughed quietly and turned to face Zelda, who looked both terrified and angry at the same time. "You're my ticket to the Triforce, girl," he said. "Stick around for a while longer."

Zelda sneered at him. "You will never win, evil man. They will protect the Triforce pieces they have. The Triforce of Wisdom is safer with them than it was with me, and you know that. They will never give them to you."

"Oh, yes, perhaps. That is, until they die, which will be quite soon, I promise." The Evil King turned and left the room, cape flowing and laugh echoing off the walls.

Left alone in her crystal, Zelda shook with terror and anger. "They won't give up the Triforces of Courage and Wisdom. They won't let Ganondorf win. I know it."

But the princess still wasn't satisfied. Ganondorf had been right – Link and the sorcerers would indeed come to her rescue, and may end up getting hurt. Or worse. Zelda knew she couldn't let that happen. She began to plot in the solitude of her cell. It was time to plot an escape.

"Link, can I borrow your dagger?"

"What for? Planning to take care of me once and for all?"

"My hair was butchered yesterday, just in case you forgot, and the ends are a mess. I just wanna trim them off so I don't look like some kind of animal."

"It's too late to prevent that..."

"......I'll let that one slide if you give me the knife. Now."

Link laughed to himself from his place on the bed, then slipped his hand into his right boot and withdrew his small dagger. Impatiently, Lydia held her hand out, and waved it slightly. The Hylian handed the knife to her, then gazed out of the window.

Lydia turned around in her chair and looked in the small mirror on the table. She pulled all of her hair out in front, then slowly began slicing off the ruined ends.

"What do you think is taking Gordon so long?" she heard Link ask.

The sorceress shrugged. "He went all the way to Zora Fountain to check on the Zoras, and their state is going to determine when he'll be back. If they're still frozen, he should have been back by now. If they're all right, he'll be talking to them, meaning he'll be back later. Just be patient."

He got off the bed and walked to the window, then stared through it thoughtfully. "…I hope the Zoras are okay."

"We trashed the monster that was keeping them frozen. Ruto said they'd be okay. And...I never thought I'd say this...but I trust what she said."

Link smiled. "You're probably right."

Lydia trimmed off the last of the split ends of her hair, and carelessly flipped all of it back behind her shoulders. She glanced over at Link. He was still looking out the window, and was impatiently drumming his fingers on the windowsill.

"Tell you what," she said, "as soon as Gordon gets back, we'll go to Kokiri Forest. Okay? Now, please relax. You're making me nervous."

"That's pretty easy to do, I've noticed."

"Har har. Sit down and be quiet."

Link crossed the room and sat in the other of the table's chairs. Neither of them said anything for several moments. The Hylian's mind was stuck on the Kokiri. He was anxious to get there and free them of the monsters. They were all right for now, and that was the only thing that had kept Link in this house all morning.

Lydia, however, was thinking about something much more serious.

"......I..," she began, "..I had that dream again last night."

Link snapped out of his thoughts and looked up at her. "You mean....that really bad one...from the other night?"

The sorceress nodded.

The Hylian sighed worriedly. That was a bad sign – her having that horrible nightmare more than once. That told him that it definitely meant something. He remembered what happened the first time. He remembered how she was awake so suddenly, screaming and sobbing.

"It was the same thing again," Lydia continued. "I was helpless. I just watched myself hurt Gordon and then kill you. Then that annoying prophesy came again at the end."

Link nodded. He had it memorized by then. "Allies will fall, evil will rise. When all seems lost, the last resort will fail. Only the power of all will defeat the evil. Ultimate power will restore the land."

"It's not very promising at all. It sounds like really bad things will be happening soon. Plus, that dream is really beginning to scare me." She bit her lip and looked across the table at Link. "Just...be careful around me okay?"

Link smiled, then reached over and squeezed her hand firmly. "Don't worry. Everything will turn out fine. Things have a way of working out. And, like we said yesterday, your brother and I will stand by you, no matter what.

Her eyes softened. "And like I said yesterday, that really means a lot."

Silence fell over the room again. Time stood still as they waited. Lydia began squirming around in her chair, and Link was finger-drumming the table. Finally, the sorceress stood up.

"Okay, okay," she said with a huff, "we'll go now. I just need to get out of this house!"

Link jumped up and followed her to the door. "I thought you wanted to wait."

"You didn't, and apparently, you're contagious. I wanna go."

"What about Gordon?"

"We'll meet him halfway. Even if we don't see him coming back, Zora's Domain is on the way. We can just pick him up. Let's go."

Within minutes, they were leaving Kakariko. Link pushed Epona up to speed; Lydia sailed alongside them. Both were feeling pretty good. Everything Ganondorf had thrown at them so far was a failure. They felt unstopable, and had no doubts that they could save the Kokiri.

And somewhere along the way, Lydia thought, we'll save Nabooru.

Gordon had flown south early that morning and touched down in Zora Fountain near midmorning. He saw the Zoras immediately, alive and well. They were just crawling out of the partially melted fountain when he arrived. King Zora was first out, and he saw Gordon immediately. The fat King was smart enough to make a connection, and thanked the sorcerer on the spot. This was the second time that kid Link and the two sorcerers had saved the Zora race, and they were all very grateful to them.

The young sorcerer immediately told the story of the previous day. He told the Zoras all about what happened in the Water Temple, and all about Princess Ruto.

And now, Gordon was standing in King Zora's throne room, saying his goodbyes.

"Do me a favor, young hero!" the King bellowed. "Give my thanks to your sister and the Hylian boy! If you ever want anything, just ask for it, and the Zoras will be happy to deliver."

"Of course, sir," the sorcerer replied with a smile. "And we'll keep moving. Hyrule will be peaceful again soon, I'm sure of it."

"As am I!" The King shouted after him as he left.

Gordon walked through Zora's Domain toward the exit. Every Zora he passed clapped him on the back and thanked him again, and all asked him to thank the other two on their behalf. The sorcerer smiled to himself as he jumped through the waterfall to Zora's River. Another great obstacle has been overcome, and another race is safe and happy. Things were looking up.

He took flight from the natural bridges and flew due west. Zora's River glittered a short distance below him as he neared Hyrule Field. What a beautiful place Hyrule was. He swooped down lower, near the field's tree tops. He brushed the leaves of one with his hands as he flew over and past it.

Suddenly, something tightened around his left ankle and stopped him in midair. Twisting his neck around in surprise, he saw the noose of a rope coiled around his leg. The other end of the rope disappeared into the leaves of the tree he had just flown over. Slowly, the rope seemed to decend down the length of the tree. Whoever was at the other end was climbing down.

Gordon tried to yank himself away, jerking the rope in several directions, but the other end held. A figure emerged at the bottom of the tree and gave the rope a good, hard pull. The sorcerer was yanked right out of the air and hit the ground hard. Whoever it was had inhuman strength. No one should be able to break a Ray Wing with simple strength.

The sorcerer rolled over and followed the rope. His eyes landed on a familiar Gerudo woman.

Nabooru softly laughed to herself, then walked toward him, pulling out her scimitar. As she stood over him, she pointed the sword right at his nose.

"If you treasure your life," she said coldly, "give me the Triforce of Wisdom."

This is trouble, Gordon thought right away. If Nabooru knew he had it, that meant that Ganondorf did. But how? Zelda had been doing so well fooling the old man – how could he have found out so soon?

The answer hit him almost immediately. Until now, he hadn't used his Triforce piece. Along with the Triforce of Courage, he used it to destroy the water monster, thereby giving away its presense. Surely, with the Triforce of Power, Ganondorf would be able to sense the other pieces' activities. How reckless he had been!

Time to play dumb.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, woman!" he shouted back defiantly. "You have no business with me!" As his heart began racing, he heard a faint rythmic beating in his ears.

Nabooru only laughed coldly. "You have it and you know it. Give it to me, or do I have to kill you to get it?"

Time to change tactics.

"Nabooru, listen to me. Ganondorf's using you. You're under his control! Don't you understand? Once you've outlived your usefulness, he'll probably kill you! That's the kind of evil man he is." The beating in his ears grew louder.

She only sneered at him. "My Lord would never do that, as long as I remain faithful to him."

"We got through to you once before! Don't you remember? All we want is to help you! Why won't you let us help you?"

"Give me the Triforce of Wisdom!!"

Time to run away.

Gordon tried scooting backward, away from the sword, but the Gerudo only snarled and shoved it in his face again.

"You greatly try my patience, boy," she snarled impassively. "Make the right choice, or you will die."

As he stared down the length of the blade, his heart felt like it was going to explode, and the beating sound in his head grew louder and louder. And suddenly, he realized the sound wasn't in his head. It was off in the distance.

Approaching hoofbeats. Epona.

If I can just stall her for a few more seconds...

"No sign of him?" Link called.

Lydia, flying just above his head, had her eyes locked over the eastern horizon, searching for her brother. "Nope! He must still be in Zora's Domain. We'll have to veer off course slightly and pick him up."

Link nodded to himself, then turned his attention back to the terrian. His sharp eyes caught something up ahead. Two shapes – and he recognized both of them.

He slowed Epona to a stop almost immediately, and at the same time grabbed hold of Lydia's ankle to slow her to a stop. "We won't be leaving our course at all," he said as she touched down next to the horse.

"Why? Do you see him?" she asked as she softly touched down on the ground.

Link pointed ahead. "Up there, near the tree. Gordon's there, and you'll never guess who's there taunting him."

The sorceress climbed up and squeezed into the saddle behind Link, then followed his gaze ahead. She could barely see him, but Gordon was indeed up ahead. Without Hylian eyesight, she was having a lot of trouble seeing who the person standing over him was, but was able to recognize the weapon that was being held toward her brother. A scimitar. It wasn't hard to make the connection.

She slapped Link's shoulder repeatedly. "C'mon, get this horse moving!"

"Hiya!" The Hylian gave Epona a good kick, and the horse rocketed across the grassland.

"You're making a big mistake," Gordon insisted. "That slimeball you call Master isn't going to win or accomplish anything. You must break free of his spell!"

"I continually grow tired of you, boy," she replied coldly.

She's got me in a really bad spot, the sorcerer thought angrily. In the time it would take me to throw a spell at her, she'd have the tip of that sword stuck in my forehead. What's taking Link and Lydia so blasted long??

Nabooru snarled, then sighed, almost regretfully. "I see I have no choice. In order for the Triforce of Wisdom to be given to my Lord, you must die."

It was at that instant that Epona appeared, charging over the top of the hill. Link was in the saddle, pushing the horse as fast as she would go. Nabooru looked up, surprised, and hesitated. That few seconds of hesitation was all Gordon needed.

"Lighting!"

He let loose a burst of light in Nabooru's face. She reared back with her hands over her eyes, yelling angrily. He rolled away quickly and stood up. Epona suddenly ran past him, and Link leapt out of the saddle without even stopping the horse. He landed next to Gordon and pulled out the Master Sword.

Nabooru rubbed her eyes, blinked a few times, then hissed like an animal at the two boys. She picked up her scimitar from the ground and taunted them with it.

Gordon leaned over and whispered in Link's ear. "Where's Lydia?"

Link only smiled. "You know her."

Nabooru slid the scimitar into her belt and held her right hand off to the side. It glowed for a moment, then was coated with fire.

Link gasped. "That's magic! How can she..?

"I remember it!" Gordon shouted. "That's Ganondorf's magic! He's given her use of his magic!"

Instinctively, Link raised his shield. Gordon prepared to throw up a defense barrier. This was going to be like fighting a weaker version of Ganondorf.

Off in the distance behind the angry Gerudo, a speck dropped out of the clouds and sped toward the ground, leveling off before it hit. Like a rocket, Lydia flew so close to the ground that she could touch it if she reached down. Slowing slightly, she rammed Nabooru in the back and grabbed her, and lifted her off the ground.

Nabooru, absolutely shocked, screamed in spite of herself.

"Whatsa matter?" Lydia called. "Scared of heights?"

The Gerudo twisted her neck. "...You!"

The sorceress flew only a short distance more, stopped at the top of a tall tree, and dropped the Gerudo into the branches. Almost immediately, she turned around and flew back. She hit the ground in front of Link and Gordon so hard that dirt flew around.

"That should slow her down for a few minutes," she said. "Enough time for you guys to get away."

Gordon raised an eyebrow. "Get away?"

"Look, she's been sent after the two Triforce pieces. You guys fly ahead to the safety of the forest, while I stay here and slow her down. After all, I don't have a Triforce piece she can get if I screw up."

Link sheathed his sword. "Miss Insane has a point. C'mon, before she can pull herself out of the tree."

The sorcerer shrugged and grabbed hold of Link's arm. "Ray Wing!"

Lydia watched them fly east for a few moments, then turned and started back toward the tree. As she got close, Nabooru was just working her way down from the lowest branches, mumbling angrily the whole time.

She dropped to the ground and made another fireball in her hands. "Why you lousy little witch! I'll burn you to—"

"Flow Break!"

Nabooru stopped in midsentence as she was outlined in light. After a moment, the light disappeared. The red color in her eyes faded to white, then back to red again. The color blinked back and forth as Ganondorf's magic fought with Lydia's magic inside Nabooru's mind. After a moment, the color stayed red, but it was fainter than it had been before. The Gerudo was left shaking and confused.

Lydia moved in for the kill while she was still disoriented. "Please listen. Ganondorf is using you as a slave. He's worked his black magic on you and is controlling your mind!"

The Gerudo shook herself, and glared at the sorceress with the red eyes. "Don't try your witchcraft on me. I'm forever faithful to my master, and I WILL get the Triforce pieces for him."

Lydia's eyebrows wrinkled together angrily. "No. No, you will not. Because you are a good person inside. I got through to you once before, and I will again."

Nabooru said nothing, but only stared. Lydia had managed to weaken Ganondorf's hold on her. Her eyes showed deep contemplation. She only watched as the sorceress slid her thin sword from its long sheath on her belt and held it by the dull side of the blade.

"Look," Lydia said calmly, and pointed at the pink ribbon tied around the handle. "Don't you remember this? You gave this to me! You're a good person! Please listen to me! Break free of that horrible man!"

".......No! You're lying! Damn you and those other two!" Nabooru straightened to her full height and backed away a few steps. "....He is my Lord...." There was serious uncertainty in her voice. The magic was indeed weakened.

Lydia shook her head sadly. "No, you're being fooled."

Nabooru only backed away farther. "It seems I will not have the Triforce pieces this day. But my Lord prepared me. Know this, witch-girl. Tell that wizard and the Hylian that if they do not surrender the Triforces of Courage and Wisdom to Ganondorf, the princess will be killed by his hands."

The sorceress was shaking, now with anger. "That spell he has on you is still too powerful for you to understand! I'll just need to break it down some more! Flow Br—"

Before she could finish, Nabooru took off west at flight-speed and was out of the spell's range in seconds, leaving her standing there alone. She dropped the spell and lowered her eyes to the ground.

"....I'll destroy Ganondorf for this," she re-announced bitterly. "My secret weapon will teach him a lesson or two. ...Or three... God, I hate him. Ray Wing!" She turned east and flew off toward where she remembered Kokiri Forest to be.

"Dolph Strash!"

Gordon unleashed a spearlike shockwave that rocketed across the grounds of the Forest, destroying a solid line of the giant Deku Baba defense. Link, Master Sword in hand, ran down another line, slashing back and forth before the monsters could even strike down at him.

"There seem to be more and more of them every time we come!" Link shouted. "With the Deku Tree dead—" He paused long enough to slash a Deku Baba that tried to bite his head off. "there's nothing keeping these things—" Another slash. "from entering the forest!"

"And it doesn't help that—Dug Haut!—they keep regenerating themselves!"

Link cut a nearby monster to shreds. "The regeneration is Ganondorf's work! If only the Deku Tree was still alive!"

A shriek nearby cut the battle short. The two boys paused in their individual battles to try to find the source.
Near the pond, on the other side of the forest, a group of monsters had lined up and were preparing to attack a small Kokiri girl with green hair, curled up in terror on the ground.

Link's chest caved in when he saw her. Recognition was immediate. It was the one girl that had stood by him while he was growing up in the forest. The one that had protected him from Mido and his flunkies until he was old enough to fight back. His lifelong friend was in danger.

"Saria!!"

He broke into a sprint, madly slashing any monster in his path, but there would be no way he'd make it in time. The monsters around Saria were already coming down on her.

"Raza Klouva!!"

Sharp yellow light rained down on the monsters surrounding the Kokiri girl, and they were obliterated with a hiss of energy. There was a rush of air, a flash of brown hair, and Saria disappeared from the spot of grass she had been on.

Still in flight, Lydia blasted past nearby monsters, toward the side wall of the forest, which was lined with an arsenal of Deku Scrubs. Without pausing, the sorceress circled around them, running horizontally up and along the wall, above and past all of them before they could even turn to attack. As she neared where Link had stopped, she leapt off the wall and landed nearby, with a very terrified Saria cradled in her arms.

"We have to get out of here!" she shouted immediately. "They'll just keep coming!"

Link thought quickly, and motioned with his arm. "Come on! Into the Lost Woods!"

The Hylian led the way, with Lydia close behind. Gordon fell into step next to him within seconds. The two boys destroyed any creature in their path as the group made their way to the west side of Kokiri Forest. Lydia glanced back and saw that an army of Deku Scrubs had pulled themselves free from their bushes and were chasing after them. They were surprisingly quick for such little creatures.

"Up there!" Link shouted, pointing to a tunnel on higher ground.

Gordon took hold of Link's arm and took off toward the tunnel, just out of reach of a Deku Baba who snapped eagerly at their toes. Lydia, close behind, actually lowered a leg and angrily kicked the Deku Baba's head as she flew over it. It hissed at her like a huge cat, and she hissed back before flying on.

The tunnel came into view just ahead of them. Link had spoken about the Lost Woods before. It was a strange tangle of tunnels and paths that all looked the same. Unless you memorize the path, you'll just end up back at the entrance, or lost forever, if you were having a bad day.

They landed just inside the tunnel, and all broke into a run. The sound of the monsters' pursuit at their backs. Link took the immediate lead. He was one of the few people in all of Hyrule that could run around in the Lost Woods without getting lost. He confidently led them around turns and through different paths.

The sorcerers, on the other hand, were lost after only two turns, and had to rely entirely on Link.

The group continued charging through the Woods with the monsters close behind. Link's insurance was that he knew the woods far better than the monsters did. Sure enough, after a few minutes more, the pursuing mob had taken a wrong turn after losing sight of their prey, and were gone, hopelessly lost.

After a short time, once sure that they had lost them, the group reached a small, grassy clearing, and Link slowed to a stop. Everyone stood for a while to catch their breath before speaking. It was Link who spoke first.

"Deku Scrubs sure are faster than they look, aren't they?" he huffed.

"Yeah, boy, that was close," Gordon huffed. "Do you suppose those things will ever find us?"

"They'll be dinner for a pack of Wolfos before they ever find their way back to Kokiri Forest." He turned his attention to Lydia. "Seems you made it just in time."

"I seem to be good at that," she replied with a smile, then turned her attention to the small girl in her arms. The girl's face had been hidden in her hands for most of the retreat, but now her huge eyes were peeking over her fingertips and looking up at the sorceress. The green eyes immediatly trailed over to Link, who was smiling at her.

Lydia set the girl down on the ground. She kept her hopeful eyes on Link.

"Is...Is that really you?" she finally asked.

The girl didn't even wait for an answer. She already knew. She charged forward with tears in her eyes. Link got down on one knee and received a really tight hug from the little girl.

"I thought I'd never see you again!" she cried. "Then, Mido said you had come back, and I was so happy!" She backed away from him and looked him over. "But, I have to admit, I didn't expect you to look like this when I finally saw you again."

Link laughed. "Rather strange to see me this way, huh?"

The girl smiled back. "I like it, though. You're very handsome now." She stopped slightly short, and her eyes widened. In her excitement, she had forgotten all about that tall girl with the strange magic that had saved her. She twirled around, ran back to Lydia, and hugged her waist.

"I don't yet know who you are," she said, "but thank you for saving me!"

Lydia smiled and patted her head. "So, Link, who's this?"

The Hylian smiled proudly. "Lydia, Gordon, this is Saria, one of my best friends."

Saria let go of Lydia and backed away, bowing respectfully to the two sorcerers.

"Saria," Link continued, "I'd like you to meet Gordon and Lydia. They've been helping me ever since I left the Forest. They've become my closest friends, after all the battles we've been through together."

"Be careful of me," Lydia added with a smirk. "I'm the crazy one."

Saria smiled up at them. "Well, any friends of Link are friends of mine...crazy or not."

"And likewise," Gordon said.

After a moment of silence, Link turned strangely serious. "Saria, what were you doing out there among those monsters?"

Saria frowned at him. "Are you sick or something?"

Link rolled his eyes. "Let's not get into that again. Please?"

"It's just that.....you know me well enough to know what I was doing out there."

"Would you care to enlighten us anyway?"

The Kokiri girl sat down on the ground. "I was on my way to the Sacred Meadow, of course. But there were more monsters outside than I thought. It's a good thing you all came when you did." She paused for a moment and smiled at Lydia.

Gordon tilted his head slightly and straightened his glasses. "What's the Sacred Meadow?" he asked the girl.

Link answered the question first. "The Sacred Meadow is a clearing hidden in the very back of the Lost Woods. Other than Saria and myself, very few have ever been there, since it's so well placed within this maze."

"Why were you going there, Saria? Why risk getting mixed up with all the monsters?"

Saria's eyes turned hard and sad. "The Forest Temple is there."

Lydia nodded with understanding. She had a rough idea of Saria's reasons to go to the Forest Temple, and what the Kokiri said next only confirmed that.

"These monsters have been torturing us Kokiri ever since the Deku Tree died. I decided to leave the Forest and go to the temple. Perhaps an answer to our problem is there."

Link nodded. "That's where we're heading, as well. We've already saved the Gorons and Zoras from Ganondorf's magic. ...Speaking of which, Gordon? I haven't had the chance to ask until now, but how were the Zoras?"

Gordon brightened up. "They're doing fine. The fountain had already thawed when I got there. King Zora asked me to send you and Lydia his thanks as well."

Saria's eyes trailed back to Link, and saw him smile. Then he looked at the tall girl. "Lyd, it seems you escaped Nabooru all right, but what happened after we left?"

Lydia shook her head bitterly. "I managed to weaken Ganondorf's magic with my own, but it didn't do much. All I managed to do this time was plant a seed of uncertainty in her mind about her 'Lord'. She ran off again before I could do anything further."

Link's only reply was a solemn nod.

Gordon cracked his knuckles. "I'm surprised you were even able to weaken the hold on her. Ganondorf's magic is quite powerful, after all."

Saria's face was bright. "Link, you have so many adventures to tell me about! It seems that you and your friends have been very busy!" She stood up suddenly and began to walk away. "But it will have to wait. I'm going to the Forest Temple now, like I planned." She stopped suddenly, and slowly walked backward until she was standing next to Link. "And since you're going there anyway, I'll come with you." She nodded at him, then started walking away again.

Quickly staggering to his feet, Link jumped in front of her and held his hands up. "Wait, Saria. I don't think that's a good idea. The Forest is in awful shape. I doubt the Meadow is any better. You won't be safe there."

The girl only eyeballed him. "Do you remember when we were both kids? You always went exploring and adventuring, and you never had a problem with taking me with you. Why should that change, now that you're grown up?"

"That was different. The Deku Tree was alive then."

Saria crossed her arms and her face twisted into the look of death.

Link remembered that look well. He'd gotten it many times as a kid. Saria always did that whenever he tried to exclude her from anything or when they argued. She always won with the look of death. "Um...well...," he stammered.

Saria nodded, mostly to herself. "Mm-hmm. Thought so. I'm coming with you."

"...Honestly..."

Gordon bent down and balanced on the balls of his feet. "Saria, you need to understand. It will be really dangerous. We've nearly gotten ourselves killed several times already. Ganondorf is involved in everything we do. The Forest Temple won't be different. We will go and see if anything can be done for Kokiri Forest, but you should stay here."

Look of death.

"Ach," Lydia scoffed as Gordon straightened up, defeated. "Just let her come with us. It's obvious that she's not going back." She bent down like her brother did and looked Saria in the eye. "You can come if you promise to be REALLY careful, and stay very close to us."

"Of course I will!"

Link sighed and shook his head. "You haven't changed at all."

Gordon cracked his knuckles. "If we're going, then let's go already. The Forest is only getting worse with time, not better."

Taking the lead again, Link moved on, and the other three fell into step behind him. He led them through a few more turns, changing direction seemingly without even thinking first. He was moving through the woods as if being here was second nature.

After a short time, Link lifted an arm and pointed to the tunnel ahead. "That's where the Sacred Meadow is. Beyond it is the Forest Temple. There will be more monsters there, no doubt. Keep your guards up." He turned his gaze to Saria. "Especially you."

Look of death.

"You should know better than anyone that I can take care of myself, Link," she shot back. Acting on impulse, she reached up and grabbed Gordon's hand. "Come on, Mr. Gordon," she said cockily. "We'll show Link that we're tough!" She yanked the sorcerer into the tunnel with surprising force for such a small person. All Gordon had time to do was glance back at Link and Lydia before disappearing into the darkness ahead.

Link shook his head helplessly, then started moving into the tunnel himself. Almost immediately, he noticed that Lydia had not followed him. He twisted around and saw her standing where she had stopped, with one of her fists up to her mouth.

"What's wrong, Lyd?" he asked, and walked back to her.

She shuddered visibly. "....I feel something horrible in there," she said very quietly, as if she wanted to keep a secret. She kept her eyes glued on the dark tunnel. "Something...different...is in there. I don't know how else to explain it. It's just...different. I don't know if we should—" She shook her head at herself. "No, we must go in. But....I can't shake this feeling....,"

"It's great that you're being so cautious," Link replied. "Perhaps you've learned a few lessons finally?"

The sorceress raised her eyes to meet his, but said nothing.

All Link could do was smile at her. She had changed. She was no longer the little girl he had met seven years before.

"Hey," he said warmly. "It'll be fine. We're all together, and together, we're unbeatable."

She was silent for a few more seconds, then nodded meekly. "Okay...if you're sure... Just promise me that you'll be careful. Something really bad is in there, I'm sure of it."

He smiled again. "I'm always careful. No need to worry."

"I'd sure like to think that."

Link slipped his hand into hers and pulled her along with him into the dark tunnel that led to the Forest Temple. He hadn't told her, but he was also a little on edge. Something different was in this temple, and he was fairly sure he wasn't going to like it.