Worlds Apart - Part II

by Miss Lydia

Ganondorf has free reign of Hyrule and is slowly destroying the land. To his surprise, seven years after he gained power, his sworn enemies reappear and strike back! Link and the sorcerers set out to save Hyrule! (Read Worlds Apart - Part I first!)

35. Chapter 32 FINAL

Heh, no, not dead yet. Just busy. ...Yeah, you guys already know the drill.

Well, here we go. After WAY too long, I now present you with the Finale of Part II. Enjoy.

Oh, first - an IMPORTANT NOTE TO READERS: There's a very important note for you at the bottom of this chapter. Make sure you read it. It's VERY IMPORTANT - I can't stress it enough. Just... make sure you don't scroll down early to see it. Major spoilers. You'll be sorry. Read through the chapter first, and THEN scroll down there and look for my notice.

Okay, now the chapter.

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Worlds Apart - Part II

By Goddess Rinoa aka Miss Lydia

Chapter 32

Maya rolled over and opened her eyes with a loud groan. The clock on the wall said it was already past nine, and yet Maya didn't feel rested at all. She had been plagued by weird nightmares ever since waking up in Malon's room the night before. Most of the dreams were of people she didn't even recognize. The setting seemed familiar, but everything else was different.

The air in the room was rather cold that morning, so it took Maya almost ten minutes to actually get out of the bed. As soon as her bare feet touched the freezing cold wood floor, she jumped right back under the covers again for another ten minutes. As she lay wrapped up in the warm blankets, she stared at the ceiling and tried to remember what had happened. How had she ended up at the ranch? Malon had said that she found her in the field... but Maya didn't even remember what she had been doing in the field in the first place, let alone what had happened there. She remembered everything else - who she was, about her past, who her friends were, who her family--

Suddenly, Maya remembered her younger brother Riku. He must be looking for her. He was surely worried, since she hadn't gone home last night.

Braving the cold once more, the girl planted her feet on the floor, stood up, and ran across the cold wood, practically jumping onto the warmer carpet under the vanity. She sat down on the stool, wrapping her dress around her more tightly, and looked into the dusty mirror. The person that looked back at her had rings under her eyes, and her long hair was a tangled mess, and she seemed to be in a bad mood, too.

Maya quickly borrowed Malon's brush and raked the tangles out of her hair, and did her best to make herself look like she hadn't been through something she didn't even remember.

After a quick search of the room, she found her shoes under the bed. After slipping them on, she grabbed her cloak off the chair by the wall and swiftly walked into the hallway. For some odd reason, it was warmer out here than the bedroom had been.

Malon must have heard her coming and was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. "Are you all right?" she asked, looking genuinely concerned.

Maya cleared her throat. "Not really, no," she replied. "...My head hurts like hell."

The farm girl with flaming red hair smiled brightly and declared, "Y'know what helps that? A nice, big breakfast!" She put her hands on Maya's back and pushed her over to the table. "Sit, sit. I'll get you something."

"Thanks," whispered Maya, lowering her head to the tabletop, letting her arms dangle limply at her sides. "And maybe an ale, too."

"Hah!" Malon laughed. "Not before noon. ...Actually, Daddy should be back soon with a new shipment of milk. That'll go nicely with breakfast."

Just as Malon was about to light the fire, Maya's Hylian ears picked up the sound of hoofbeats just outside the ranch, coming closer.

Malon must have heard it too. "Oh, that must be Daddy now," she said, putting down the wooden spoon. "...That's funny. He's rather early."

She quickly moved away from the stove and over to the window, pushing back the curtain. "...Oh, no, it's not Daddy. It's... ...Ooh, boy, he doesn't usually come by unless there's a problem." Malon slipped her cloak on and turned to Maya. "Excuse me for a minute." With that, she opened the door and slipped out into the morning air.

Maya listened quietly as the hoofbeats approached the house, then stopped. She heard Malon's voice, but couldn't make out what she was saying. A young male voice replied.

Maya recognized that voice. It was Riku's closest friend, who was actually closer to Maya's age than Riku's age. Riku must have recruited him to help look for her. The girl stood up, wrapped her cloak around her body tightly, and stepped outside.

She immediately caught sight of the boy, still sitting on his horse's back. His bright blond hair was long, and always tied back in a braid that hung almost to his waist while his full bangs hung down near his eyes. He usually wore a simple brown travelling outfit, but today was dressed a little more fancy than usual, in a nice-looking tunic of an elegant deep blue. A broadsword was strapped to his back, as it always was - he was a real warrior type. Even if he were dressed up for a special occasion, he still had his sword with him.

As soon as Maya saw him, her heart fluttered. ...It was very strange. Since this boy was close friends with her brother, she had run into him many times... but for some reason, when she saw him on this chilly morning, a flood of emotions welled up. The girl was surprised at herself. What was this weird feeling?

The boy continued to talk to Malon. Neither of them had noticed she had come outside.

"She's about your height," he said, and then put his hand down to his waist, "with brown hair about down to here."

Malon smiled. "Oh, you must mean--" she turned around, and saw Maya standing in the doorway. "Ah, there she is."

The boy on the horse looked at Maya and smiled. " i There /i you are."

Maya swallowed and tried to act natural. "Um.. Hi, Link," she replied, smiling back.

Link climbed down from the horse, which looked to be borrowed from the palace's herd, and walked toward her. "Where have you been?" he asked. "Your brother is worried sick!"

"...Yeah, I..."

"Oh, that reminds me." The boy turned around momentarily, raising his hand to his mouth, and whistled loudly. The sound echoed off the walls of the house and the barn.

Maya continued. "Actually, Link... I dont remember what happened."

He appeared even more concerned. "...You don't i remember /i ?" he repeated. "How far back i do /i you remember?"

The girl thought for a minute. "Uh... Yesterday morning. Breakfast." She lowered her head. "...But I don't remember what I ate."

Link rubbed the back of his neck and tried to hide the troubled look on his face.

"You know I'm--" Maya felt tears welling up. "You know I'm the type of person that likes to be in control... I don't know where I've been or what happened to me..." She took a breath and composed herself. "But, I think I'm okay." She smiled. "Maybe it was something I ate. I knew that beef tasted weird."

"Well, I doubt Riku would be as quick to accept that explaination. He worries like an old lady every time you get yourself into trouble."

"Are you saying I get into trouble a lot?"

"Yes."

"Hmm. Yeah, I guess I do."

Link put his hand on Maya's shoulder, his stunningly-blue eyes locked directly on her. "But you're really all right?"

The girl shrugged. "Yeah. Yeah. I don't remember how I ended up here, but I think I'm fine."

The sound of hoofbeats was heard again. Malon ran over the gate to meet whoever it was.

Link turned. "Ah, here he comes now."

Another horse came through the gate, this time carrying a younger boy. He had brown hair that hung down almost to his shoulders, but instead of hanging normally, it stood out quite a bit, bouncing every time the horse took a step. He caught sight of Maya and Link over by the house, and put his hand on his forehead.

"Do you take delight in raising my blood pressure?!" he called.

Maya scoffed. "Riku, you're thirteen! Blood pressure is i not /i an issue at this point in your life! ...Though, with enough effort, I could change that, if you want."

Riku hopped down from the horse, which Malon gently led away to feed and water briefly. He quickly walked up to his older sister and looked her right in the eye. Though he was four years younger, he was very close to being taller than his older sister. "...Okay," he said seriously, "I know I'm not your parent and I'm not your babysitter. I know you're older than me and more powerful than me and could 'squash my puny self in one shot' if you wanted to, as you always say. But where in the world were you last night? I thought something had happened."

"Um..."

Link interrupted her. "Oh, it was nothing. She met Malon in the field last night, they got to talking, and they both lost track of the time. They didn't realize how late it had gotten. No big deal."

Maya's eyes widened and she glanced at Link.

Her brother groaned. "You have to be more responsible! People like that creepy Ganondorf may still be out there. You know how much Ganondorf had it in for you. He saw you as a threat to his political power!"

"But he--"

"The rest of the Gerudos could be planning revenge or something!"

"Riku. Enough with the conspiracy theories. That damn fool got himself killed performing a dark-magic spell he couldn't handle. It was his own fault."

Riku sighed. "All right. All right. As long as you're okay. You can't really blame me for worrying, can you? ...You should come home soon though. You have to get ready for tonight's event."

Her mind blank, she stared for several seconds before she finally remembered. "O-Oh, yeah. Right, right." Maya couldn't believe she hadn't remembered. Tonight, there was going to be an event at Hyrule Castle to unveil the artifact that she and Riku had been working on for the royal family for months. Being two of the few magic-users in Hyrule with any talent at all, they had unquestionably been best suited for the job.

"The party's at five o'clock sharp," Riku reminded her. "Try to be home in a couple of hours, all right?"

"Yes, sir," his sister replied with a cocky smile.

Riku started to turn... but looked back momentarily. "...I'm surprised you've never met Malon before. You need to get your nose out of those spellbooks and get out a little more. Let your skin darken a little bit."

"Remind me. Which one of us can recite the Dragon Slave incantation by heart?"

"Yeah, yeah," he dismissed her with a wave. "I'll see you at home."

With impeccable timing, Malon reappeared with Riku's horse just then.

"Won't you stay for breakfast?" the red-haired girl asked him.

Riku smiled at her and climbed up on his horse. "Love to, but can't. Today's our big day."

"Oh, right! I'll be there!" She glanced at Maya briefly, then back at Riku. "Say, why haven't I ever met your sister before?"

The boy shrugged. "She's a bookworm. What can I say? See you tonight, okay?" With that, he kicked the horse's sides and disappeared through the gates again.

Maya sighed, and looked up at Link, who had stayed silent since covering for her. "...Thanks."

Link tapped her arm with the back of his hand in a friendly gesture. "He's a good kid."

"Yeah, I know."

"Ever since Ganondorf went after you last year, he's been on his toes. Wants to protect his big sister."

Link started to walk away, toward where Malon was holding a bucket of oats up for his horse, then turned around again. "Say... can I give you a ride back?"

Maya smiled playfully. "I could just fly home, y'know."

"It'll give us some time to catch up. I haven't seen you in a while. And, hey, even though I think you drink too much, I'll treat you."

The girl's eye's brightened. "Sold."

Link approached Malon as Maya followed. Malon set the bucket of oats on the ground and turned to face him. "You won't be staying?" she asked.

"I'm going to take Maya home," he replied in a gentle voice.

The farm-girl smiled. "Okay, I understand." She leaned to one side and smiled at Maya, who smiled awkwardly back. "It was very nice to meet you! Come back and visit me sometime."

"Sure thing. ...And, you'll be at the palace tonight?"

"I don't think anyone's going to miss it. ...It's really great what you're doing for Hyrule."

"No big deal."

Link was already up on the horse, trying in vain to get it to leave the bucket of oats alone. "We should get going. It's a half-hour ride back to Kakariko, and it's almost lunchtime. Surely you have preparations."

"All right, all right, I'm coming." Maya grabbed hold of the saddle and lifted herself up behind him. Once settled, she gave Malon a little wave. "Thank you for all of your help."

Malon clasped her hands behind her back and smiled sweetly. "Thank you for giving me an excuse to not do my chores this morning."

Maya laughed loudly, then said, "See you tonight!"

Link kicked the horse's barrel chest, and within moments they had charged out into Hyrule Field. The sun was high and bright, and the sky was blue, laced with fluffy white clouds. Perfect weather. The wind was warm as it blew through Maya's long hair.

Keeping both hands at her sides, gripping the saddle for balance, she asked Link, "So... whose horse is this?"

"Oh, I borrowed him from the palace aides," he replied, glancing over his shoulder at her.

"Mmm. Thought so. It's coat is practically reflecting the sunlight. ...And that outfit?"

"Same thing."

"It looks nice."

"Thanks."

Link had been born in the servant house of the palace. Normally, the servants didn't have direct contact with the palace inhabitants, but Link had been a little boy with a powerful personality, and was so assertive that the people there couldn't help but notice him. Luckily for him, the young Princess Zelda had taken a particular interest in him. She always snuck him into the palace so that she'd have someone to play with. As a result, Link had pretty good knowledge of how things in the palace worked.

With Zelda's influence, Link was soon no longer viewed as a common servant, and was often sent out on errands. He visited places all over Hyrule carrying messages back and forth for the royal family. Along the way, he had learned how to use a sword - ever since then, carrying one at all times was a habit of his. He was even permitted to carry his weapon in the presense of the King himself, if that situation presented itself, which it rarely did. Today, he was a personal aide to royal family, which is a high, high honor for someone born in the servant house. He met the young Riku a few years ago in Hyrule Market, and they had become quick friends. Since Link was almost always out doing things for the royal family, he and Riku got together often. Riku would sometimes accompany him, eager to show off new spells he had learned.

Until then, Maya and Riku had been practicing magic somewhat privately. There was actually a magic guild in an undisclosed-to-outsiders location in Hyrule, but neither of them had much interest. They seemed to have an inate talent, and didn't really need the guild. Link was actually the one who had made their existance known to the royal family, and they ended up eventually joining the guild at their request, moving up the ranks at an unheard-of rate. A nice consequence of being in the guild was learning how to create magical artifacts. Maya had created a magical amplifier for herself, which she wore as a pendant around her neck. She had named it the Sorcerer's Rune. Nothing creative, but it would do. Recently, they had been asked to construct an artifact for the castle. It had taken almost a year to complete, and today was the day of the introduction ceremony. Even though Maya hated organized events and pretty much anything proper, she couldn't help but look forward to it. Just a little.

"You're pretty quiet back there."

Link's voice startled Maya, who had been lost in thought. Coming out of her daze, she noticed that they were crossing the bridge over Zora River - the gate to Kakariko was just ahead. They had sure made some good time.

"Sorry," Maya quietly replied as Link brought the horse to a stop inside the gates. "I just feel a bit out of it."

The boy climbed down from the large horse's back, then helped Maya down. He turned away and secured the horse's reins to one of the poles set up inside the gates for this purpose. When he turned around again, Maya had disappeared. A quick look around found her halfway to the Tavern already. Link straightened his tunic and quickly followed.

Maya quickly ducked into the dark Tavern, slowing down momentarily while her eyes adjusted to the darkness. As was to be expected in late morning, the Tavern was almost deserted, save for the bartender, who was concentrating on wiping down the tables. He looked up when Maya entered, then tucked the damp towel in his pocket.

"Here for lunch?" he asked her, drying his hands on his pants.

The girl said nothing, but swiftly walked right over to the bar, the bottom hems of her cloak gently dusting the floor as she passed over it. The bartender watched her silently as she moved, then quickly made tracks to his place behind the bar as Maya sat herself in one of the stools. She rested her chin on the bar and groaned, "Ale."

The bartender rested his elbows on the bar. "But, Miss Maya... it's not even noon."

"Ale."

He shrugged. "All right, it's your liver." He looked past her suddenly. "Ah, anything for you, sir?"

Momentarily confused, Maya looked aside and saw Link, who had suddenly appeared beside her. "Nothing for me, thanks," he said as he sat down next to her. "Put her drink on my tab, though, okay?" The bartender nodded and went to fetch Maya's ale.

The girl moaned and lay her head down on the bar again. "...What's wrong with me today?"

"I wouldn't worry so much," Link advised, finger-drumming on the bar.

"I can't seem to concentrate, and I have a lot of weird things on my mind, not to mention the whole thing about not being able to remember anything from yesterday."

"Do you i feel /i any different?"

"Nope..."

Link grunted and ran his fingers through his hair. He rested his arms on the table, and then looked at Maya as if he wanted to say something, but paused and looked away again.

"What?" Maya pressed.

"Er..." He seemed hesitant. "...I don't suppose you simply... drank too much that night...?"

A chill went up the boy's spine as he was met with a dark glare from Maya. With ironic timing, the bartender chose that moment to set a huge mug of ale in front of the girl, which she promptly grabbed and started to suck down. Link watched awkwardly as she downed half of the mug in a matter of seconds, then heavily set the drink down on the bar with a loud sigh.

She once again turned her eyes to him. "...Look, getting a little drunk and picking a fight with that idiot that works in the windmill is a bit different than waking up in a strange house."

"Right," Link sighed. "I'm sorry."

Maya took another large swig from the mug. "I mean, I know I have a reputation for drinking too much, but this is a little different." She lowered the mug again, and pounded on the bar a couple of times. "Another, please!" she called.

"Well, just be careful for a few days," the boy suggested, "and hope it was an isolated incident."

The second ale came quickly this time, and was downed just as fast. Maya called for a third, then smiled at Link. "I feel sorry for your wallet."

"I guess I brought this upon myself. Should've known better."

Maya waved her entire arm. "Ah, no problem. I'm sure Zelda can lend you some money." Her face suddenly changed to an expression of sly interest. "...Speaking of Zelda... Have you told her yet?"

Link seemed completely taken aback by her forward question, and stared at her awkwardly until she repeated it. "Tell Princess Zelda that... Hell, no, I haven't!"

"Ugh, why i not /i ? What's there to lose?"

"What's there to i lose /i ? There's at least three social classes separating us! A relationship between a princess and a servant is completely unheard of, and I would probably get run out of town!'

"Oh, please, you're exaggerating, and you know it!" The third ale was delivered, and Maya took a small sip from it before continuing. "Link, you're young, and you'll regret it if you don't tell her that you like her."

He rested his forehead in his hand, completely exhasperated. "It's a lot more complicated than that."

The girl shrugged. "But don't say I didn't warn you."

Maya finished the third ale, and was about to call out for yet another when Link sternly shook his head at her. "One of the biggest events in Hyrule's recent history is in five hours, and you're a big part of it, so I suggest you not drink anymore."

"Okay, okay."

Link stood up and pushed the stool back under the bar, gathering his cloak around him. "Speaking of which, I should be getting back. Lots of preparations to be made. i You /i need to go home and rest up a bit."

"Yes, Dad," she replied jokingly. "I'll see you tonight."

He started to turn around, stopping momentarily when Maya suddenly said, "Tell her!" He said nothing in response, and simply quickened his step as he weaved through the tables and chairs and disappeared back out into the afternoon sunlight.

Maya laughed and shook her head, turning back to the bar. "Young men in love," she said to herself. "They're so innocent." She looked up at the bartender, who was cleaning glasses. "Don't you think?"

The burly man shrugged. "Been a long time since I was young."

When he turned around and left the bar, ducking into the back kitchen, Maya suddenly had another weird feeling come over her. She felt deep regret for encouraging Link to confess his feelings to the princess. It was truly out of nowhere. He was nothing but a friend to her, and yet today she had repeatedly felt like she had special feelings for him. But she didn't - she really didn't - he was just a friend. He had always been just a good friend. She had been encouraging of his liking of Zelda from the very start. ...Why was today so different? ...It was like... there was now more than one person in her body, and one of them liked Link, and completely protested the fact that she was trying to get him to go to someone else.

She caught sight of the mug that still sat there on the bar, and she glared at it, momentarily blaming it for today's weird happenings. She hung around at the bar for a few more moments before getting up. She nodded a thank-you to the bartender, who had emerged from the kitchen again, then started toward the door, bumping into one of the chairs along the way.

Squinting into the bright sunlight, Maya quickly made tracks to the house that she and Riku shared, convieniently located right behind the Tavern. Before she could even reach the door, it swung open and Riku emerged.

"Took you long enough!" he said, quickly hurrying to her side. He started to pull her into the house. "We have to prepare the artifact for the reveal tonight."

Maya groaned, trying to keep her balance. "I'm comin', I'm comin'."

The inside of the house was rather dark, and Maya once again had to let her eyes adjust when Riku shut the thick door again. He had several spellbooks spread across the table, and in the center of them all was something small wrapped in brown rags.

"I think it's almost ready," her brother said, sitting down in one of the chairs. He gestured to the chair across from him.

Maya sighed and sat in the chair, opening the closest spellbook. The words on the page blurred in and out as her eyes lost focus. She tried to concentrate, but couldn't seem to make herself.

...Riku still didn't know what had happened to her. She looked up and saw him pouring over the thick book he was holding, occasionally breaking long enough to glance at the bundle of rags in the center before going back to the book. Maya gazed over at the beams of sunlight pouring in through the small window. Something about them was unsettling.

Something about everything was unsettling. Everything about everything felt wrong today, and Maya grew increasingly uneasy as time passed. Occasionally, she got the bad feeling that she was forgetting something important...

------

The trumpets blared, sending a chorus of fanfare all around the Great Hall. It was an enormous, luxurious room in the castle, draped with banners and heirlooms of the Hyrulean royal family. The large windows were dark - it was already nighttime.

The Great Hall was i packed /i with people. People of all social classes and races had been allowed into the castle for this rare event. The crowd was laced with Hylians, Gorons, some select Gerudo women, and even the Zoras had made the trip.

At the head of the rooms sat three thrones. They were occupied by the King and Queen, and their daughter Princess Zelda. Standing beside the King's throne was Link, looking absolutely dashing in his fancy tunic. He had his arms crossed in an official-looking way. It was obvious from the smug look on his face that he felt like hot stuff standing up there with the royalty.

And there stood Maya, with her brother Riku at her side, holding that brown bundle of rags that had been sitting on their table all afternoon. They had poured their hearts into making this item, and this was supposed to be a really big day for them. It was for Riku - he stood there absolutely beaming with pride. But Maya... she was so nervous and uneasy that she was shaking. Those feelings of worry she had felt earlier that afternoon had escalated in severity ten fold since then. With every hour that passed, she felt more and more like something was really, really wrong. She couldn't even think straight anymore.

The trumpets finished playing. The silence that fell over the Great Hall only served to make Maya even more nervous. She glanced back and forth as beads of sweat gathered on her forehead. Every shadow that fell over anything in the room felt like a potential threat - as if something would emerge from them any minute and attack her. Everything about her surroundings seem wrong. Something evil loomed in the very air.

She jumped when the King started to speak in a deep voice. She didn't even really pay attention to what he said as he made his speech about the history of Hyrule and family heirlooms and the importance of today's event. The girl hugged the bundle closer to her chest and closed her eyes tightly, trying to shut out everything around her - the noise, the coolness of the air, and even the light - she wanted it to all go away.

Riku nudged her. It seemed he finally noticed her unease, which had gotten so bad that it was starting to physically affect her. His sister looked at him as if about to cry.

The King suddenly stopped speaking. Maya stood there blankly until Riku nudged her again. Apparently, the King had finished the speech. Now, Maya was supposed to unwrap the bundle and hold it up for all to see. But she just stood there, shaking like a leaf.

Link, still standing beside the King, raised an eyebrow. When Riku leaned over and said something in his sister's ear, he knew something was wrong.

Maya swallowed hard. Riku had asked her if she was all right, but she couldn't muster any kind of response. Something about all this was upsetting her, and she decided right then that the best thing to do would be to finish this ceremony and get the hell out of there.

She gathered up everything she had, and took a few careful steps forward. Slowly, in a calculated way, she unwrapped the item she held, and dropped the brown cloth on the floor. In her hand she held a round object, painted a deep royal blue.

"Behold!" she managed to make herself shout, holding it up for all to see, as was rehearsed. "The Ocarina of Time!"

The crowd went nuts. The sounds of the cheering echoed off the stone walls.

The King's booming voice declared, "And now, my people, if the young Maya will allow it, may we all now hear the Song of Time, played by the new heirloom. May it forever protect the Master Sword and the Sacred Realm!'

Maya raised the Ocarina to her lips and played the song that she had rehearsed. The sound filled the room and calmed everyone in it. Everyone, that is, except Maya. As she finished the song, she felt herself begin to panic.

When the cheering began, something in Maya's mind finally snapped. A wave of images and emotions of someone else came over her suddenly and overwhelmed her. She saw things in her mind... Images of people she had never seen before, but somehow recognized. She saw events she had never experienced before, but somehow remembered. People, battles... A particular group stood out - three young people that appeared in all of the scenes she saw in that few split seconds. Link was one of them, except he was dressed differently than she had ever seen him, in the green clothes of the ageless Kokiri people. There were two others with him. ...She recognized one of them... She was...!

Maya suddenly realized that she was screaming. She had dropped the Ocarina on the carpeted floor, and was holding the sides of her head as she wailed. Riku had a grip on her arms, trying in vain to calm her down, or at least find out what was wrong. She looked at him for a split second before shoving him away form her so hard that he lost his balance and fell.

The most important thing in the world to her at that very moment was escaping.

With the aid of magic almost instantaneously cast, Maya shot toward the door, flying a few feet off the ground. She disappeared before anyone could move.

Riku lay on the floor in shock for several seconds before sitting up and carefully picking up the Ocarina, which was luckily unhurt.

All three of the royals jumped up from their thrones. Link held his arm out in front of the King, and said, "I'll handle this, your Highness." He glanced at Zelda momentarily, then took off across the room at a sprint, not even stopping to help Riku stand.

Meanwhile, Maya was already out into the courtyard. She could only make it that far before touching down again and ducking behind a wall. She curled up on the ground behind that wall as she continued to get assailed by images and memories. Her head felt like it was about to explode.

She heard the Song of Time again, as if it was echoing from when she had played it earlier. But this time, instead of further agitating her, a wave of calm washed over her. She heard a voice in her head. It was a voice she recognized, even though she had never spoken to its owner. It was Din - the Goddess of Power. Somehow, Maya just knew.

i Never forget who you are! /i , Din said softly.

Maya's head stopped hurting completely as Din repeated her warning.

i Never forget who you are! /i

And suddenly, as if a spell on her mind had been lifted, Maya remembered everything.

Her legs shook horribly, but the girl forced herself to stand, keeping her back to the wall as support. She heard footsteps as Link ran by. He noticed her there and stopped. In a careful rush, he ran up to her.

"What happened in there?!" he asked. "Are you all right?"

In a reaction he completely didn't expect, the girl suddenly seized his shoulders, digging her fingernails in, then swung him around and pushed his back hard into the stone wall. She held him there and looked him straight in the eye. Her gaze was serious and determined.

"...Maya...," he whispered. "What's happening to you?"

"Listen to me i very /i carefully," the girl replied harshly. "This is all going to sound crazy to you, but you have to believe in me. I am i not /i Maya. Maya died a long time ago! That boy in there isn't Riku, either!

"...Maya..."

"NO!" she screamed at him, pulling him an inch forward, then slamming him back on the wall again. "I am not Maya! Link, you i have /i to remember who I am! ...This isn't real!" She reached back and pulled all of her long hair out in front of her, gripping it tightly. " i This /i is not real!" She suddenly waved her arm behind her at the surrounding scenery. "None of this is real! We can't stay here anymore! We have a job to do in the i real /i world!"

Link silently stared at her, unsure of what to do.

The girl started to cry. "None of this is real! You, me... and that boy in there... we have an important mission! And the longer we stay here, the worse off we'll be! He's trying to trick us! He's trying to keep us out of his way by making us believe that this peaceful place is the real world! It's not! We have to get out of here!" Starting to feel that the whole thing was hopeless, the girl started to sob, burying her face in Link's shirt. "...You have to remember who I am! Please!"

Jostled by all the commotion, the Sorcerer's Rune fell out from the front of Maya's shirt. Instead of its usual shape, it had taken on the shape of a golden Triforce.

Link didn't know what to do. Maya was obviously having some sort of mental breakdown. "I... I'm sorry, I..."

Suddenly, an overwhelming feeling came over him. It was a feeling of unease. Something in his gut was giving him the feeling that something was indeed wrong...

The girl pushed away from him gently, and wiped the tears from her eyes. Unexpectedly, she looked at Link and smiled very sweetly. "Never mind," she said, on the verge of crying again. "No need to get you mixed up in this yet. ...After all..." A single tear dropped. "You've had it rough your whole life... May as well enjoy this peace as long as you can..."

Just then, Riku came running down the path, clutching the Ocarina of Time protectively against his chest. He caught sight of the two, still standing amongst the bushes, and ran to his sister's side. He didn't say anything, but looked at her with teary eyes of worry.

Maya smiled at him, as well, then patted him on the head as if he were a child. "Take a break," she said softly before starting to walk away. "We'll have to go back to work soon, so... rest for now."

With that, she disappeared around the corner, heading back in the direction of the Great Hall.

Neither Link nor Riku moved for several seconds. Riku eventually looked at his companion with tears in his eyes. He was usually a really strong person, the type that always took charge of situations, but his sister was his weak point. If anything bad were to happen to her, he would just fall apart. That was why he was so protective of her, no matter how much it got on her nerves.

"...What's wrong with her?" he asked with a broken voice.

With his back still against the cold stone wall, Link continued to stare at the spot where Maya had stood as she yelled at him about this world being fake. "...I don't know," he answered quietly, finally changing where his eyes gazed. "But something's wrong."

"I can't understand it!" the brown-haired boy cried through his clenched teeth. "She's not thinking straight! Maybe she hurt herself!"

"No," Link suddenly said.

"What?"

"No, I didn't mean that something was wrong with Maya. Something is wrong with... I don't know, but something isn't right."

"I'm not following you," Riku replied, carefully slipping the Ocarina of Time into a pocket of his fancy cloak.

"Before you came, Maya was saying something about how this world was fake. And that... she wasn't Maya at all."

Riku continued to stare.

"She wouldn't say who she i really /i was, but kept insisting that she wasn't Maya... She kept begging me to remember..."

The appearance of strength gone completely, Riku started to cry. "She's lost her mind!" he shouted. "That experience with Ganondorf back then was so tramatic for her... I've feared this ever since then! She's finally snapped! She-- she--"

Link pushed off the wall and kept his eyes glued intently on the place where Maya had disappeared around the corner.

"Then," he said with a deep, serious voice, "why do I get the feeling that she's telling the truth?"

His head snapping up mid-sob, Riku stared in shock at his friend. "...You're just going to believe everything she said? Link, she's obviously ill."

"We need to talk to her again. Get her to tell us more." Link started to walk, but Riku immediately seized his shirt sleeve and held him fast.

"Are you listening to yourself?!", Riku half-shouted. "This world, fake? Some kind of illusion? It's entirely--"

"--possible?"

Riku again stared in mild shock.

"Come on, Riku," Link pressed, his face turning stern. "You're a sorcerer, aren't you? Haven't you noticed anything strange?"

"...No, not really."

"...Well, I didn't either. But now that Maya pointed it out, indeed, something doesn't feel right about all this. It's not like the sky is the wrong color or anything, but... I can't really explain it."

"Link..."

"I know you're thinking I'm losing my mind, too, and maybe I am. But can't we at least talk to her again? Maybe she can tell us more."

Riku's eyes pierced into Link's, suddenly strong and serious. "...Link, I'm surprised how quick you are to believe all this. ...Does this have anything to do with your feelings for my sister?"

"My-- My what?!" Link took a step back.

The boy let go of Link's shirt and crossed his arms. "I'm your friend - you can't hide it from me."

"N-No, it's not like that. I... the princess.. Maya's just a good friend to me."

"...Yeah, you keep on lying to yourself. Link, put your feelings for Maya aside for a minute and think about this logically."

Starting to get visibly irritated, Link stood his ground. "I still think we need to talk to her again. I think there's something to all this."

Riku took a step back, surrendering for now. "What if you're wrong?"

Link raked his fingers through his blond hair. "If I'm wrong, we take your sister home and do our best to take care of her." He started to run after Maya, and Riku quickly fell into step behind him.

"But," he added, "I'm getting a stronger and stronger feeling that I'm i not /i wrong."

-------

Maya saw that the doors to the Great Hall were still wide open. If the power center was anywhere nearby, this would be a good place to start looking.

Maya was convinced that to keep a mind spell this powerful in effect on three people at once, there had to be a center of power radiating the energy. Otherwise, the one that put this spell on her and her companions would have to concentrate on the spell constantly. And if she was right about his plans, that wouldn't be good for business. After all, Maya supposed that the entire point of all this trouble was to keep the three of them out of the way, but not actually i kill /i them. Why kill them when he could display them like trophes? Then, he'd be free to wreak whatever havoc he wanted.

She had managed to free her own mind from the magic, but since she was still stuck in this world, and Link and Riku had no idea of what was really going on, the spell was still going strong. If she could find and destroy the power center, the spell would be broken.

But where was it? And, would she be i able /i to destroy it?

She stepped into the Hall, pausing long enough for her eyes to adjust to the bright lights. The crowd had broken into groups of people talking amongst themselves. None of them had seen her re-enter the room. The King and Queen were still by the thrones, talking to each other in hushed voices. Princess Zelda was pacing in front of them, wringing her hands with worry.

Still standing in the doorway, Maya closed her eyes, and sent her magic throughout the room. Though her eyes remained closed, she could still see the darkened forms of everyone in the room. The outlines of the people continued to talk to each other, unaware of her presence. That's all they were, though - outlines. She couldn't sense any kind of magic from them. ...Maybe the power center was somewhere else.

Just as she was about to open her eyes again, Maya suddenly saw one of the forms running to her from the other side of the room. It was Princess Zelda - it seems that she had been discovered. But something about Zelda's running form was different from everyone else in the room. Within the outline of the princess's body, she was nothing but magical energy. It was a strange magic - both dark and light at the same time. It chilled Maya to look at it. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized what it was she was looking at.

Maya's eyes snapped open and the spell ended. Everything came back into focus and regained its color as the worried princess reached Maya. She put her slender hands into Maya's hands. She was talking to her, her eyes laced with concern. She was talking, but Maya didn't hear her. She wasn't listening. One thing kept racing through her mind - Princess Zelda was the power center.

With a smirk and a low chuckle, Maya muttered, "Very smart."

The princess stopped talking. "What?" she asked.

Maya's brilliantly-colored green eyes looked up right into Zelda's, and she said, "It was very smart of you to hide the power center of your little spell somewhere that would be the i least /i likely to be discovered, let alone i attacked /i by us."

"M-Miss Maya?" Zelda whispered.

"Don't pull that innocence act with me!" Maya shouted as electricity suddenly coursed through her entire body, knocking Zelda back several feet. The dust hadn't even settled before the crowd started to rush forward to come to their princess's aid.

"Stay away!!" Maya shrieked, pointing at the ground a ways off to her left side, and then sweeping her finger across the room in a half-circle. A wall of wind suddenly rose in a wide arc around her and the princess, acting as a barrier, keeping everyone else out.

The sorceress's eyes were dark as she glared at the crowd, as several of them attempted to cross the wind barrier, only to be thrown back. "None of you are real!", she shouted. "I will i not /i hesistate to attack you. Stay away." The girl turned back to Zelda, who was cowering on the floor in fear.

Zelda was in tears. "What's happening to you, Miss Maya?"

Link and Riku appeared in the doorway behind her just then.

Maya laughed loudly. "It's very convincing, but you're wasting your time on me! Your spell no longer affects my mind! I remember i everything /i !"

As soon as Zelda stood again, Maya lunged at her, her hands charged with magic, prepared to strike. Zelda was defenseless against her, but just before Maya reached her, Link grabbed her arm and used her own momentum from the charge to swing her around in a circle and throw her back toward the door, almost right into Riku.

Maya quickly regained her balance and turned back to face Link, who was standing protectively in front of Zelda. Maya heard Riku shouting at her from where he stood behind her, but she wasn't listening to him. She glared right back at Link. "Move!!" she yelled.

"I agree with you that something is amiss here," Link shouted back, "but what the i hell /i are you doing?!"

The sorceress pointed an accusing finger past his shoulder, at Zelda. "She's not the real princess, damn it! He's disguised the center of the spell in her form so it would be safe! If I can destroy it, we'll all be free from this fake world!"

Link didn't back down an inch. "This is too far, Maya! Calm down, and we'll go somewhere and talk about this! But I'm not going to allow you to hurt Zelda, no matter i what's /i going through your head!"

Maya yelled in anger and charged again. This time, with no magic. It was just a bare-hands attack, fueled by rage and frustration. Zelda cowered as Maya approached, but Link intercepted, grappling with her, refusing to let her pass. Riku continued to shout, begging his sister to stop.

The sorceress continued to punch and claw at the princess, determined to destroy the power center. Link managed to block every blow, continuingly pushing her back. At one point, she took at swing at him in anger, but he easily blocked it. All the while, Maya continue to shout at Link about them being in danger, angry at him for not seeing it himself. She was so upset that all logic was long gone, and her actions were fueled entirely by frustration.

Finally, Maya started to work up magic in her right hand to strike at Zelda with, knowing full well Link wouldn't be able to block it. Unable to see any other options, Link reared back his left arm and struck Maya across the face.

In shock from the blow, Maya stopped attacking and staggered back.

The room fell dead silent.

Maybe Riku was right, Link thought as he slowly lowered his arm again, letting it drop at his side. Maybe he i did /i have some feelings for Maya. Doing what he just did utterly broke his heart.

Maya straightened up again, her hair falling in front of her eyes. She held her sore cheek with one hand. After a few awkward moments, she gritted her teeth, threw her head to the side to get her hair out of her face, and yelled at Link again.

"Damn it, Long Ears, get out of the way!"

As soon as she called him that name, something flashed through Link's mind. That taunt sounded so familiar that it triggered something. First, a name, and then a stream of images came to him, accompanied by a wave of emotions and memories. It was as if a cloud had been lifted. The girl standing in front of him, shouting angrily, suddenly took on a whole new identity.

"Listen to me, please...," Maya continued, suddenly calming down considerably. "You i have /i to trust me. The only way for us to get out of this is--"

"Lydia?"

"--to destroy the power center, which he so cleverly disguised as..." She stopped and stared. "...Wait, what?"

Link was smiling. "I remembered your name just now."

He had said her name so suddenly that it didn't even register in her mind that it was her i real /i name that he had said. Tears flowing anew, Lydia smiled back with joy.

"Now we're getting somewhere," she said happily.

Zelda looked back and forth between them. She seemed... strangely nervous.

As Riku looked on, he was having second thoughts of his own. Something about the way Maya was acting ever since having that breakdown during the ceremony was really, really familiar. It was like she had taken on an entirely different personality... and it was somebody he knew very well. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew this person Maya had become.

His sister was turning around to look at him. Her smiling face calmed him somewhat, but not enough to be at ease with the current situation. Riku looked at her, a little nervously. "..Maya.. what's...?"

Her kind smile was her first response. "Don't worry, kid" she then said. "It'll all make sense soon."

With that, she turned to face Zelda. In turn, Link left Zelda's side and joined Lydia.

"Link?" Zelda called meekly.

Her inquiry was met with a bit of a glare from her servant. "Sorry," he said to her in a less-than-humble tone, "but we can't waste any more time in this place."

The princess looked at Link, then at Lydia, then back at Link. Suddenly, her look of helplessness changed into something threatening. Her lips curled into a smile, and her eyes began to glow red. Like an animal, she jumped back several feet. Her fingers curled, as if they were claws, and her hair swirled as magic rose up around her. The crowd that still looked on outside the wind barrier slowly faded from view, like smoke wafting through the air.

She spoke then - her voice had become the voice of a man they all knew very well by now. Ganondorf's voice.

"Why?!", he demanded. "I created the perfect world for you so that you wouldn't bother me anymore! Why must you insist on destroying this for yourselves?"

Riku remained in the doorway, staring in shock. What Maya had been saying was... true?

"You're right, this place i is /i nice," Lydia snapped back, "but it's not real! Living in a place that's not real isn't living!"

Link's mouth was curled into a cocky smirk. "Living without messing up all of your plans isn't living, either!"

The princess laughed loudly in Ganondorf's booming voice.

"Then, I have no choice!" he proclaimed. "I'll just have to beat you down and erase your minds again!"

"Like hell you will!" Lydia shouted. She already had a fireball worked up in her right hand, which she promptly heaved in the princess's direction as hard as she could. The magic exploded on impact, sending a shockwave through the room. When the smoke cleared, she still stood intact, laughing tauntingly at the sorceress.

"Won't work!" Ganondorf shouted. "I've protected the spell's center from your magic, but it's not flawless. Fortunately for me, the only thing that could possibly help you is not in your possession in this world! In fact, that nice little gadget you made is helping to keep it out of your hands! You're stuck here, whether you like it or not!"

Riku gritted his teeth and balled his hands into fists. What he was talking about must surely be... Riku didn't fully understand what was going on, but he was certain now that Maya had been telling the truth before. He i had /i to do something. Without saying a word, Riku backed out of the Great Hall and took off down the hallway as fast as he could run. If he could just get the keys, maybe they'd have a shot!

Back in the Hall, both Lydia and Link had also figured out what Ganondorf was referring to. Link glanced back at the plain broadsword in the sheath strapped to his back with no small amount of disgust. The newly-constructed Ocarina of Time was made to protect and control the newly-constructed seal to protect what they needed to destroy the spell's power center - the Master Sword.

The Ocarina! Riku still had it! If they could get it, then...! Lydia spun around to where her brother had been standing, and was shocked to realize that he had disappeared. Did he run away?!

Link was obviously thinking the same thing. "...What now?"

"I'll blast through that door if I have to! We have to try!" The sorceress spun around to face Zelda again, and placed her two index fingers together perpendicularly. " b Raphas Seed! /b "

A ring of glowing energy appeared around Zelda and tightened in an instant, pinning her arms down and holding her in place like chains. Then, in something completely new, Lydia threw her arms forward and quickly chanted something in a completely different language. There was a flash of light, and a brightly-growing magic circle appeared around Zelda. Lydia lowered her arms and smiled.

"...What was that?" Link asked. "I've never seen that before."

The girl smiled at him. "Maya knew a couple of tricks that I didn't, apparently. It's a magic seal. It'll keep her, er... i him /i quiet for a little while."

Zelda's red eyes glared at them, but she still had a smile on her face. "This won't hold me for long!" Ganondorf announced mockingly. "What, oh what will you be able to do between now and then, I wonder?"

Lydia was already on the move, pulling Link by the wrist. He/she was right - that rune wouldn't hold for very long, especially if her magic power was dulled in this reality. She took off down the hallway, back toward the courtyard. There was no time to look for Riku. They'd have to find a way to get through the Door of Time, by force, if need be.

Hyrule Market was always very quiet at night, save for the few guards that always wandered about. It was particularly quiet this night, since everyone was supposed to be up at the castle. Quickly running across the cobblestone walkways, Lydia and Link headed for the Temple of Time, standing magestically on the west side of town.

It felt a little strange running into an intact Temple of Time. Back in reality, the temple had been destroyed. Even so, it was a welcome feeling.

The two stopped in front of the altar at the base of the platform where the huge, thick Door of Time stood, acting as a barrier between the Master Sword and the rest of the world. Thet stood at the altar, staring down at the three hollows, both having the same realization.

Link looked at Lydia and muttered, "...Even if we had the Ocarina with us, we don't have the Spiritual Stones..."

Lydia pulled at her hair in frustration. "We never catch a break!"

They were suddenly distracted from their plight by explosions outside. They were coming closer with every second. Only thinking of one thing it could possibly be, the two ran back to the large doorway and back outside.

Sure enough, the Ganondorf-ized Princess Zelda was sailing through the air, almost insanely angry, which was a drastic change from the cocky attitude from before. She was endlessly throwing magic in front of her. Lydia's stomach dropped when she saw that it was Riku flying just ahead of the princess, changing direction repeatedly to avoid the magical attacks. From the looks of him, he must have taken a few hits already, but somehow had managed to stay in the air.

Springing into an action like a team that had been fighting together for years, Link began by sending a sacred Light Arrow in the princess's direction. She had to swerve to miss it, and only barely avoided it, and wasn't able to regain her bearings before Lydia had finished chanting in that other language from before. A magic circle just like the last one flew i through /i the air, and hit the princess head on, surrounding her and knocking her out of the sky.

Riku flew low and landed somewhat awkwardly near them. He was quickly pulled into the temple and out of sight of the enraged princess.

Lydia checked him over for injuries quickly, saying, "You got out of there before the fighting started! Why was he coming after i you /i ?!"

Unexpectedly, her question was first answered by Riku's triumphant smile. "I found something that he didn't know was kept in the castle, and he was pretty angry at me for it. I barely got away." He reached into a sack tied to his belt and produced three stones, one red, one blue, and one green.

Link stared at them, amazed. "Since when have the Spiritual Stones been kept in the castle?!"

Riku smirked. "Since I secretly gathered them in case we would need them for making the Ocarina." He reached into his cloak pocket and pulled the Ocarina of Time out, and handed it to his sister. "We'll have to move fast. That seal won't hold."

Lydia smiled. "Well well, Riku, I guess you i are /i useful for something."

The boy looked at her. "Come on, now, you know my real name, don't you? You can stop calling me Riku."

"Eh?"

"I guess it was i my /i turn to remember some things. ...Really, when you think about it, this mind spell is somewhat pathetic. To think it would almost crumble completely when one person made a crack in it. Good job with that, by the way."

Lydia laughed and wrapped her arms around her brother's neck. "Thanks, Gordon."

"Uh," Link suddenly cut in, "I'd like to take this opportunity to remind you both that we've on a i very /i tight schedule here."

"Right," Lydia nodded. "Let's finish this quickly."

Gordon ran forward first, quickly placing the three Spiritual Stones in their hollows. Lydia was right behind him, and began to play the Song of Time as soon as the final stone was in place. The Triforce design above the Door lit up, and with a loud creak of complaint, the stone began to part and open. Link ran ahead and disappeared through the Door before it was even fully open.

There was another explosion outside, and before either of the sorcerers could move, Zelda/Ganondorf was in the doorway. Magic rose up from around her as she glared at them. She noticed the open Door, and growled at them loudly. "...Why?" Ganondorf's voice demanded. "I thought a peaceful Hyrule was what you people i wanted /i ."

Lydia raised an eyebrow. "Didn't we go through this already?"

The magic in the room grew stronger. "I don't understand you! Why do you put yourselves through such danger, when your efforts will most likely be in vain?! I'm going to kill you all anyway! Why do you struggle so? This world is corrupt and I simply want to start it over. I want to i save /i this world, you see? The people you fight for are selfish and corrupt! Why do you defy me so, quite possibly at the cost of your own lives?!"

Gordon took a step forward and shouted, "People in this world may indeed have selfish tendencies, but they have good hearts! We fight for the goodness in the people of this world!"

"At the risk of sounding clichéd," Lydia added, "we fight for truth and justice, something the likes of you will never understand!"

With truly cinematic timing, Link emerged from the darkness behind the open Door of Time just then at a sprint. Held off to his left side was the gleaming Master Sword. The Hylian leapt over the alter and charged the fake Princess Zelda. "And we have to get back to the world we love." He held the sword high. " i You're in our way! /i "

The Master Sword slid through the fake princess like butter, glowing brilliantly as it passed through. Ganondorf's voice screamed in anger as the form before them writhed, and slowly turned to smoke and evaporated.

From the place where the power center stood exploded a bright light. Lydia closed her eyes to it. Everything around them went white and disappeared.

After several quiet moments, Lydia worked up the courage to open her eyes again. The scenery had changed. It was dark and gloomy, and it smelled really dank in this room she found herself in. It was moist and there was mold everywhere. Her eyes focused eventually, and recognized this place to be a dungeon of some kind. She realized just then that she was sitting on the cold floor with her back to the wall. Her arms were uncomfortably chained to the wall just above her head.

The girl glanced to her right and saw Link, back the way she had always remembered him, in the green tunic, with the Master Sword strapped to his back. He was next to her, his arms chained in a similar way. Just past him was Gordon. Both of them were starting to wake up as well.

Once all three of them were awake and aware of where they were, smiling at one another, Lydia said, "Are we awesome or what?"

"Good call on your part," her brother said, smiling.

"Can you get those chains off yourself?"

"Of course." With that, he started to expel some magic from his hands, slowly burning through the shackles that held his wrists. "Say, how did you see through the spell?"

"Hmm," Lydia hummed as she started to burn through her shackles in a similar way. "I suppose having Ganondorf's nasty magic in my head for a while helped me build up a little immunity to it. As you said, once I put a dent in the spell by breaking free of it like that, the whole thing started to come apart."

"Pretty sloppy job."

"He must have whipped it up in a hurry. His To-Do list must be pretty long."

"Why not just kill us? Why bother with this whole mind spell thing?"

"Remember, Ganondorf is one sick dude. He probably thought it'd be cooler to put us on display instead."

Link hadn't said anything since coming to. Lydia lowered her head and tried to look him in the eye. "You okay?" she asked.

He looked up at her and smiled a little bit. "Yes, I'm fine."

Lydia's shackles finally fell, clanging loudly on the floor. She turned and started to burn through the ones that held Link on the wall. "Don't move, now," she warned. "Wouldn't want me to accidentally take your hand off or anything."

Link's eyes were to the floor. "...I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Hmm? For what?"

"...For hitting you. Back then."

The girl's eyes softened, and she stopped the magic for a moment. She leaned down and kissed Link softly on the cheek. "Forget it," she said before going back to burning through the shackles.

"Still..."

"I said forget it. It couldn't be helped. I i was /i kinda going out of my mind. ...Besides, we've got more important stuff to worry about now. Ganondorf is surely on his way here right now to attack us. I don't know how long we've been in his dungeon, but I'm feeling pretty weak. We need to get out of here and regroup."

Gordon's shackles clanged to the floor, and he stood immediately. There was a window in the far corner of the room, and the sorcerer immediately went over and looked outside. The clouds were black, the wind howled, and the heat from what was unmistakably the pool of magma radiated from somewhere below. "Sure enough," he called back to his companions, "we're in Ganon's Tower."

Once Link's arms were free, he stood as well, momentarily using the moist wall for support. He almost lost his balance and fell again, but Lydia grabbed his arm and helped him stand up straight. He was so weak! Both she and Gordon were able to stand on their own, but Link couldn't seem to. When he suddenly clutched his chest in pain, she worriedly whispered his name.

"You're right, Lyd," he replied in a strained voice. "He's coming."

The Triforce of Courage. Of course. Link was the only one of the three of them that still had a piece of the Triforce. It must have been reacting to Ganondorf's presense coming closer. Not only that, Ganondorf now had i two /i pieces... No wonder Link couldn't seem to pull himself together.

Gordon joined up with them quickly and took hold of Link's other arm, swinging it around his own shoulders. "Even if we can get out of here in time," he asked urgently, "where are we going to be able to hide long enough to recover? He'll be after us constantly! We're not going to just be left alone after this!"

"We'll worry about that later," Lydia pressed, leaving Link to Gordon and moving ahead. "First things first."

The group made quick work of the basement they were held in. There were a few locked doors blocking their path, but Lydia was more than happy to blast through them. It was several frustrating minutes before they found the stairs up to the main floor, but they were again delayed when Link had another attack of pain and had to stop. While waiting for Link to recover enough to keep moving, Lydia scouted ahead a little ways, trying to find the way out of that place. All the while, the forboding feeling in her gut continued to strengthen. Before even expecting to, Lydia came upon a familiar hallway. She had been in this place before, while under the influence of Ganondorf's magic. This was the main hallway of the ground floor that led to the exit.

Thankful for her good luck, Lydia led the way as soon as the two boys caught up. As they started to head for the large open doorway, the walls of the Tower started to shake, and a rumbling could be heard in the distance, like rolling thunder. Link again grabbed his chest and winced in pain, but refused to allow himself to slow down.

"Hang in there, Long Ears!" Lydia shouted back. "We're almost out."

'Almost' was indeed the correct word, it turned out. As soon as they emerged from the Tower and out into the open air, they immediately had to stop again. They found themselves looking down upon the lake of magma, and there was no way across. No bridge or anything. The path they had been running on just ended abruptly, as if there had been a bridge there previously, but it had been destroyed.

"We'll have to fly over," Gordon stated.

Lydia motioned with her hand for him to not move. "That anti-magic field is still up!"

"Then, we're i stuck /i here?!" Link groaned loudly. "What are we supposed to--"

He suddenly stopped speaking midsentence, and stared up at the sky above them, as if he had suddenly seen something. Lydia and Gordon followed suit, expecting to see Ganondorf there, but there was nothing. Just dark, nasty clouds.

"Uh.. Link?" Lydia asked, nudging his arm softly. "What's wrong?"

"Ssh," was his short reply.

The two sorcerers looked at each other and shrugged. They watched Link as he stared at the sky for another few moments. Finally, he smiled and took his eyes back down, away from the clouds.

"We're getting a little help," he announced.

Right then, the sky lit up with little balls of light in six different colors. They descended somewhat slowly at first, but then there was a flood of them, falling from the sky and collecting in the space above the lava pit where a bridge would normally be. Finally, there was a bright flash of light.

Standing before them now was a bridge made of rainbow-colored light, which would allow them to safely get across the pit.

Lydia edged forward and checked the glowing bridge with her foot to make sure it was actually solid. She spun around and looked Link in the eye. "What i was /i that?"

"The six sages," the Hylian replied.

The sorceress paused for a moment, then flashed an excited thumbs-up. "Awesome!" she shouted with a wide smile.

"Let's not waste any more time!" Gordon advised urgently. "Otherwise, he'll find us!'

The three quickly ran across the bridge and started to sprint toward Hyrule Market. The Market was, as always, littered with ReDeads. The sorcerers each took a side, and used various spells to cut completely through the crowd. None slowed down even a bit as they headed for Hyrule Field. After jumping across the moat, Link had another attack and stumbled, almost losing his balance. But he managed to pull himself together quickly, and they continued to run. Even though they were well beyond the boundries of the anti-magic field, they were too intent on getting away to stop running, even though they had no idea what their destination was.

Suddenly, a bolt of black lighting broke through the clouds and struck the ground almost on top of them. All three went flying in different directions, rolling several feet. Lydia and Gordon jumped up immediately. It took Link a few moments longer to stand again.

Standing where the lighting had struck was a very pissed-off Ganondorf. His body radiated with energy from the Triforces of Power and Wisdom. The Gerudo's head turned to look at Link, and his entire body suddenly churned with that energy even more powerfully. Link howled in pain and dropped to his knees as the Triforce of Courage reacted.

"Stay down," his dark, ominous voice commanded. He then turned to gaze intently at the two sorcerers, who were on the opposite side of him from where Link had landed after that blast. "You've bothered me enough. No more games."

The man jumped back almost fifty feet in one bound, aided by his own powers. He crossed his arms over his head, and then threw them down at his sides as red magic suddenly coursed through his body, lighting up the entire area. He yelled in anger as the magic surrounded him. His body began to change as the Triforces of Power and Wisdon did as they were commanded.

Link writhed in pain on the ground the whole time. The energy output from the other two Triforce pieces being used for evil was making the Triforce of Courage go absolutely berserk.

Ganondorf's body continued to course with magic and grow in size. When it was all over, he stood at least six time as tall as he had before. He had taken on a completely different shape. From what the sorcerers could tell in the darkness of the surrounding night, it looked like he had taken the form a giant Moblin. The hooves, horns, and snout of a Moblin were obvious, even in the darkness. In his hands, he held two large, very threatening-looking sais. It looked like a direct hit from one of those blades could slice a person right in half.

When the transformation was complete, Ganon threw his ugly head back and roared.

Gordon nervously touched his sister's arm. "Eh... Any ideas?"

"This is serious," Lydia replied, stating the obvious. "...I think now's the time for the big reveal of my secret weapon."

He had almost forgotten about it. Ever since being thrown back to their own world several years before, Lydia had been working on a spell in secret, and had only recently finished it.

The girl looked at her brother and gently pushed him away. "Take care of Link. Both of you guys back off. I'll need space."

Gordon was hesitant, and almost refused to leave, but decided that his sister knew what he was doing. He ran off, keeping one eye on the mutated monstrosity that now loomed nearby. When he reached Link, the Hylian was starting to attempt to stand again. Gordon grabbed his arm and started to pull him away.

Ganon watched them for a moment, then decided to let them go. He was far more interested in the girl that still stood before him, defying him. She glared at him with a rare kind of hatred.

"Well," the enormous pig's booming voice taunted, "what are you going to do now? Fight me?"

Lydia smirked. "I've got a little surprise I've been saving just for you."

"Really. Interesting. I am invincible now, so you don't even threaten me with your cocky taunt." Ganon stuck his chin out, and pointed right at it with the blade of one of his weapons. "Give me your best shot. Right here."

Taking cover behind one of the low brick walls that lay around Hyrule Field, Link was starting to regain his bearings and was standing on his own. He saw Ganon's giant form looming over the much smaller Lydia, but she wasn't backing down at all. He started to run out from behind the wall, but Gordon grabbed him and pulled him back.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Link shouted angrily.

Gordon's eyes hadn't left the scene, even for a moment. "She's okay."

"We all know the Dragon Slave doesn't hurt him anymore! What's she going to do out there by herself?! I'm going!" He tried to run out again, but was yet again dragged back by the sorcerer.

"She's going to try her secret weapon!" Gordon explained in an urgent voice.

Link looked at him, a bit bewildered. "...You mean that thing from all that time ago?"

"It's a spell she worked on for years. Even I don't know what it is. But we're about to find out. It must really pack a punch, for her to have kept it secret all this time."

Even so, Link stood on the balls of his feet, ready to run out and fight if anything went wrong.

Ganon continued to wait, his monstrous chin still stuck out mockingly. "Anytime, witch. I'll even stand nice and still for you."

Lydia smiled at him sweetly. "Aw, thanks." The smile faded to a determined frown, and the sorceress closed her eyes. "Prepare to die." She held her hands out to her sides, turned her face up toward the sky, and started to chant a spell.

b "Bird of purity, reborn from flames,

against whom no evil could ever stand..." /b

Little pieces of white magic began to swirl around her like fireflies.

b "In the name of justice and the forces of nature,

I summon thee from the depths of time itself!" /b

More white magic began to gather at the edges of Hyrule Field. As soon as it took form, it rushed inward like a great wind toward where Lydia stood and began to swirl around her body.

b "Have no pity on the evil that stands in my way!

Enfuse me with power! Let your strength become mine!" /b

"Wh-what is this?!" Ganon said, suddenly nervous.

Lydia's body was almost completely covered with white magic. She held her hands high above her head, and magic started to gather there, as well.

b "To wipe it from the face of this Earth,

to deliver unto it the ultimate fate!!" /b

The sorceress threw her arms out to her sides, like wings, and screamed at the top of her lungs.

b i "PHOENIX FLARE!!" /i /b

In an explosion of white light, something emerged from behind where she stood, and flew up into the sky, taking the form of a giant bird. Its tail alone was as long as its body, and the wingspan was incredible. It beat its great wings as it sailed up into the sky, sounding a loud call as it entered the battle.

"A bird?!" Link shouted.

"A phoenix!!" Gordon replied excitedly, his eyes dancing with amazement. "T-that's pure white magic! I thought she couldn't use white magic well enough to produce something like this! How could she possibly--"

"Look!" Link pointed to where Lydia stood, on the ground beneath where the great bird flew, and Gordon looked, trying to see through the swirling white magic.

Lydia remained planted on the spot, her arms held in front of her, her teeth gritted with the effort of keeping the spell under control. But what Link had noticed was that it wasn't just Lydia standing there anymore. Somebody was standing right behind her, holding Lydia's arms steady, helping her to control the spell, while at the same time channeling their own magical energy through the sorceress. It looked like Lydia was taking that second person's energy and was channeling it into the spell.

Link and Gordon recognized the person immediately but were hesitant to believe what they were seeing.

It was Maya.

"B-But," Link stammered in shock, "...how?!"

Gordon smiled. "The phoenix is the bird of rebirth... The spell must have summoned Maya's spirit into this world."

"...From the looks of things... It looks more like Maya just wanted to help, and came on her own."

"It doesn't really matter how. With Maya's help, Lydia's able to keep the spell going. That's what matters." He looked back up at the great white phoenix in the sky, just in time to see it beat its huge wings once and start a dive.

Ganon didn't even have a chance to move before the phoenix hit the ground where he stood at an incredible speed. On impact, the bird exploded, and white magic expanded in a great dome, spreading across the entire Field. Even with their arms held up in front of their tightly-closed eyes, Gordon and Link were still blinded by the brilliant light that surrounded them. In the midst of the dome of pure white magic, Gordon started to feel strong again. Any lingering pain Link still felt was washed away. The power of the spell was so great that all sound was blown away like dust - all they could hear was the sound of wind rushing through their ears.

Eventually, the dome receeded - slowly at first, then quickly as it got smaller. Link and Gordon reappeared, still crouched behind the low brick wall. The dome continued to recede, and Lydia came back into view. Once again, she was alone, as if she had been the entire time. She dropped to her knees in exhaustion.

The dome continued to shrink until it was only the size of its target. It then dispersed in a quiet puff of magic, leaving behind a thick fog.

They strained their eyes to see through the fog that continued to hide the spot where Ganon had stood. Had he finally been destroyed?

Lydia raised her head as the fog slowly dispersed. It quickly thinned out enough to see... and the sorceress's heart dropped.

The monstrous Ganon still stood. He was breathing heavily, and his muscles twitched, as if prepared to strike.

"No...," Lydia moaned weakly as tears streamed down her face. "...How...?"

Link broke away from Gordon and started to run before the sorcerer could stop him again.

Ganon raised one of his weapons and laughed loudly. "That hurt, little lady! You gave me quite a scare! I'm going to have to i punish you /i !"

Lydia stood quickly, staring in fear at the giant weapon poised above Ganon's head. There was no way she'd be quick enough to get out of its way!

"You've troubled me long enough, wench!" Ganon screamed angrily. "DIE!" He swung the weapon down in a horizontal arc.

" i No!! /i "

Lydia was suddenly shoved hard as Link threw himself into her, knocking her out of Ganon's reach.

As she flew through the air, Lydia watched the whole thing unfold in horror. It all seemed to happen in slow motion, even though it happened so quickly. Link was hit with the full force of the weapon's strike, and flew through the air off to Ganon's side as he followed through with the blow. The Hylian hit the ground and rolled several feet before finally coming to a stop. He didn't move at all.

The sorceress remained where she had landed, rooted to the ground, shaking like a leaf.

Gordon was the same. He had followed Link after he ran out from behind the brick wall, but the Hylian was much faster on foot than he. Now the sorcerer stood where he had stopped running, his entire body numb with the shock of what he had just watched. His brain shut down - he couldn't think straight. He kept watching Link's limp frorm, silently begging him to get up - to at least i move /i ...

Lydia stood on shaky legs. Now that she was standing, she could see Link better. He was face-down on the ground, lying in a pool of his own blood, which was expanding with each passing second.

She knew the truth, but didn't want to believe it. She refused to! ...But several more seconds passed with no change, and Lydia's mind finally registered it.

Link was dead.

The girl started screaming, completely losing her mind with crippling grief. Her legs gave out, and she hopelessly clawed at the dirt beneath her. She didn't even notice when her brother charged Ganon, screaming with rage, preparing to unload some kind of magic into him. She didn't notice Ganon swinging his weapon, slamming the blunt side of it into Gordon's torso, sending him flying into a tree trunk. She didn't notice as Ganon concentrated magic around him, and started to shrink back down to his normal size and take on his original Gerudo form again.

Quietly sobbing, Lydia slowly lifted her forehead out of the dirt. Ganondorf was approaching Link's fallen form, chucking to himself. The girl pushed herself up into a sitting position as Ganondorf bent down and started rummaging through Link's blood-stained clothes, looking for something. When he straightened up, he held the Ocarina of Time in his hand.

The Gerudo walked away from Link a few paces, toward where Lydia still sat, her face and shirt front soaked with tears. The Sorcerer's Rune had fallen out from inside her shirt, but reflected no light. It seemed dull.

Ganondorf smirked at her. "...So this is what happens. So much for that justice you claim to fight for. Where is it now, eh? Where's your beloved justice?!"

Lydia sobbed, unable to say anything.

The Evil King continued. "I must admit, that was very noble of him. I wouldn't have expected him to go that far. I'm impressed." He smiled at Lydia. "In his honor, I will allow you to live. ...Live on, with the knowledge that this--" He swung his arm around and pointed toward where Link lay. "--is i your /i fault!"

Feeling like she had just been kicked in the stomach, the sorceress stared back at the Gerudo man. ...He was right... A wave of grief, now mixed with guilt, washed over her, and she sobbed anew.

Ganondorf held the Ocarina of Time out at arms' length and bellowed with laughter. "Live on with your guilt!"

As he continued to laugh, he tightened his grip on the Ocarina. After a few seconds, the Ocarina shattered to pieces.

There was a blast of magic from the broken Ocarina that hit Lydia like a brick wall. Everything went white, and the ground dropped out from beneath her. She felt like she was flying, and started to lose consciousness. All she heard was Ganondorf's trumphant laughter, slowly fading away into nothingness.

------

When she opened her eyes, she was right away poked in the eye by a blade of grass, and sat up with a start. Her head throbbed, and her body ached. Lydia looked around. Where was this? This wasn't Hyrule Field...

New tears flowed down her cheeks as she recognized where she was. It was her front yard. ...Back in her own world. Her house... her parents' car... the neighbors' dog that barked constantly...

The Ocarina of Time... was destroyed. It was the Ocarina that had taken them to and had kept them in Hyrule. When it was destroyed... the magic keeping them in Hyrule was destroyed, too.

She saw her brother, lying unconscious by the bushes. She weakly crawled over to him, and touched him where Ganon had struck him. He groaned in pain at her touch. He was alive. His glasses were broken, and he was bruised all over... maybe a couple broken ribs... but he was alive.

The same couldn't be said for...

She cried. She didn't try to stand up. She didn't try to move. She didn't try to think. ...She cried.

It was all over. Everything... Everything was over.

She cried.

b END OF PART II /b

---

ATTENTION READERS!!!

Because I'm such a nice person, I've already written the first chapter of Part III. You'd think I'd leave you with a cliffhanger like THIS? That would be just cruel and unusual. However, you won't see the next chapter at Fanfiction dot net.

Yeah, I'm finally giving up on this site.

The formatting is too messed up and HTML doesn't work. I LIKE my italics and my bolded text. I LIKE having paragraphs where they're SUPPOSED to be.

From now on, WA will be hosted ONLY at my website, Zelda Infinite, under the name Goddess Rinoa.
The address is www dot zelda-infinite dot com. (I can't write out the actual URL because this site automatically formats it out. I outsmarted you this time, FF! The day is mine!)

I know some of you have it set so that e-mails you when I put up something new. Well, ZI doesn't have that feature, so you have two options.

1. Get into the habit of checking the site every once in a while.

2. E-mail me - I can put your name on a mailing list of people I will send a mass-email to when I finish a new chapter. The address is lydiasan at gmail dot com.

So, I know you're eager to read the next chapter. You'll find it in the "Fan Stuff" section of the site, under "Fan Fiction".

Note that you can also find me anytime at ZI's message boards - I'm the head administrator, so naturally, I'm around a lot. The name I use is Goddess Rinoa.

Happy trails, see you there, and such. I hope you continue to enjoy WA.

See you over at ZI.

Miss Lydia