"The Destiny Stone"

Disclaimer: This is me. This is me not owning any Zelda. Any questions?

Author's Note: I'm on a roll. Woot. Look at me go. Well, last time I left you with a rather evil kind of cliffhanger. I suppose I should apologize for that. No, honestly, I just wanted to make it exciting, or something. Anyhow, to make it up to all of youse, I'm gonna make this chapter very nice, and cliffhanger free! Howzat? Oh yeah, if you can, listen to the Riven soundtrack when reading the first part of this chapter, more specifically, the 4th track, 'Jungle Totem.' It fits the mood like you wouldn't believe.

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"The Destiny Stone" — Chapter 6: Tangents, Triforces, and Thieves

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The Master Sword, the Blade of Evil's Bane, lay before them.

It was broken.

No, check that. Not broken. Shattered.

Link stared down numbly at the hilt of the once magnificent weapon, shorn off four inches down the blade. The pommel was cracked, and the hilt looked scratched and beaten. Slivers of metal shards, the remains of the rest of the blade, lay on the floor in dozens of glittering pieces. The Hylian swallowed the feeling in his stomach, and felt completely empty.

"So that's it then," he heard Timbre murmuring slightly behind him. "It's...broken, just like that..."

Link sunk down to his knees, unaware of the cold stone floor. It was like he'd discovered the murdered body of an old dear friend. His fingers closed around the hilt, lifting the ruined sword easily. "But...how..." He'd never felt so solemn, yet still so helpless. "How could Ganondorf...do this?"

Timbre swallowed, and didn't say anything.

"Why?" Link choked, nearly crying. "Why does it have to be this way?" The Destiny Stone hung heavily around his neck, feeling more like a burden than ever before. It had turned from a lustrous clarity to a deep, inky, mournful black. Even it, apparently, hadn't been expecting this. The Hylian's hands were shaking slightly, and he had to stop himself from losing his hold on the hilt.

Timbre hadn't seen Link upset like this in a very long time. Then again, it seemed somehow appropriate at the moment. Therefore he hung back awkwardly, giving the Hylian time collect himself. Link lay still for several minutes, staring forwards blankly. The only sound that permeated the air was the sound of them drawing breath. It was like time had hung itself on a small silver string, suspending them again. Then suddenly, the blonde's head turned to the side, addressing Timbre.

"What do we do now?" Link's voice sounded heavy, and exhausted.

Timbre shrugged. "We'll think of something. There has to be an answer."

"But what if there isn't?" Link said, unable to hide the choke in his voice. His eyes turned back on the ruined shards. "What if this was our only hope? What if it's been smashed to pieces along with the sword?" The Hylian swallowed heavily. "We've let everyone down...the entire world!"

Timbre sighed angrily. "Wasn't it you who was trying to tell me a few days ago to be optimistic? You're being a hypocrite." Link looked slightly shocked at Timbre's angry tone of voice, but he wasn't finished yet. "We have to do something other than just sit here and weep. I know, I know, it's broken, it's horrible, and thinking clearly might be difficult at the moment, but you have to calm down. Being irrational won't help." Good grief, Tim thought to himself. He wasn't very good at making people cheer up. Heck, usually he was the one being dour. "Ask the Stone." He said, finally, his brows unknitting.

Something in what Timbre had said had shocked Link out of his emptiness. For one brief moment, the Hylian had wanted nothing more than to leap up and punch his friend. Although the surge of anger subsided almost immediately, it did allow him to move, relieving some of the numbness. Link slowly looked down at the pendant, wiping away a tear that had escaped his eye. "Stone," he croaked, "Is there hope?" The Destiny Stone, still black, began to slowly revolve. Link removed it from about his neck, and it flew out of his palms into the air, offering another rhyme:

With one alive; hope still remains,

Runs like lifeblood through one's veins,

As long as there is still one soul,

What's been shattered can be made whole.

Link hiccupped, and blinked. "It...it can be...reforged?" he choked, looking down with shining eyes at the shattered remains of the Master Sword. The Stone, still hovering in midair became an encouraging green.

Timbre smiled a little, the words coming from somewhere other than himself. "As long as there's still life in us, there's still hope. And as long as there's somebody to wield the Master Sword, it can be reforged." The Destiny Stone floated down, and Timbre caught it easily in one hand.

"But who could fix something as broken as this?" Link said, looking down helplessly at the shards of Evil's Bane. "I mean, this isn't just a small repair job. It's shattered."

"I can see that," Timbre said, sounding a little more sarcastic than he'd wanted to.

Link scowled. "Look, if you don't have anything productive or encouraging to say-"

"Well," Timbre said busily, removing his trenchcoat and lying it flat on the stone floor, "Might as well start looking around, eh?" They both collected all of the pieces of the sword in silence, laying them out carefully on the trenchcoat, making sure they didn't miss any. When they were done, Timbre folded in the edges of the coat, rolling it up like a sleeping bag. The pieces of the sword would remain safely bundled up within the cloth. If it meant losing his coat for a while, Timbre could live with that.

"I say we go visit Vulcan." He said suddenly

Link snapped his fingers. "Of course...if he's still around, that is," he murmured, taking the bundle and the Destiny Stone from Timbre. After a second thought, he glanced down at the Stone. "Is Vulcan still in business?" he asked it, and it flashed a warm green.

"Well," said Timbre, as he turned and exited the solemn chamber, "Here's hoping."

"Yeah," Link murmured, still shaken. He'd thought their path would be easy. He should have known though. When had their tasks ever been brief or easy? It was like these bumps were thrown at them for a reason. But then he reflected. Even if Evil's Bane had been whole, would the two of them been able to take on Ganondorf, just as they were? Could two of them possibly hope to simply storm his stronghold (if it was even where it had been last time, mind you), and manage to defeat the King in his lair?

Link shook off these doubts. But still, there had been eight of them last time. Eight. Now there were only two, three if they counted Sond. He bit his lip. No, he thought to himself. Timbe's right, I have to be optimistic.

"You coming?" Timbre said, looking over his shoulder.

"Yes," Link said vaguely, following the now trenchcoat-less Timbre out of the chamber, and back into the main sanctuary. But he couldn't help but let a few lingering doubts echo like specters in his head.

What could've Ganondorf done that could shatter the Master Sword?

-----

Vulcan's sharp ears picked up the sound of his shop door opening, even from one level down. The older man sighed, and stepped away from the blasting heat of the forge furnace. He swept a nearby rag off the table and mopped the sweat and perspiration from his brow, which was tanned black with soot. Clearing his throat, he turned his head towards the stairs.

"Be up in a minute!" he roared loudly.

"Alright!" answered an unfamiliar male voice.

Vulcan's brows furrowed, as he turned back to his work, sharpening a scimitar. So it's not one of the Gerudos for once, he thought to himself. Odd, that any of the other townspeople would decide to visit his store; the only reason he seemed to still be in business was to serve the Gerudo's need for weaponry. Vulcan shuddered. Ever since Ganondorf had taken over, he'd had calls for nothing but tools of war. He nodded, testing the edge of the weapon with a callused hand. He held the scimitar easily in one hand, and swung it slowly, noting its travel through the air. Then, satisfied with it, he carefully hung it on the wall.

Vulcan pulled himself up the stairs carefully, his lame left leg encased tightly in its metallic brace. This wasn't a new injury, the blacksmith had been born with a twist in his leg, but he was not about to go lugging his crutch up and down the stairs. He'd learned to live with his disability with a kind of quiet dignity. Although this disabled him from things that required a sound pair of legs, his lifestyle allowed him to focus more with his hands. A skilled craftsman, Vulcan had also been at one time a Knight of Hyrule under the old King. He could handle a sword very well, his dexterity overcoming his stiffened leg with a grace that surprised even him at times.

As the smith stepped forward and pushed through the canvas separating the stairway into the front end of his shop, he was mildly surprised to find himself face to face with two young men. He couldn't recall ever seeing the two youths in the town before. One of them, a blonde in a green tunic, stepped forward, a cloth bundle tucked carefully under on arm. Vulcan also noticed an odd stone pendant hanging about the youth's neck, like some kind of quartz charm.

"Hello, Sir Hephestus," the blonde said, staring at him intently with startlingly blue eyes.

How does he know my last name and my title? "Please, just call me Vulcan," the blacksmith groaned slightly as he allowed himself to lean against the counter. He ran a rough hand through his stringy brown hair, now flecked with tinges of gray. "Can't say I know who you are, though," he remarked, surprised.

"My name is Link," said the blonde, and he looked over at his companion. "And this would be T-"

"Timbre," the dark spiky-haired youth said, leveling a slightly annoyed glare at Link. This young man possessed dark green eyes, and a funny black mark over his left eye. He was wearing what Vulcan saw to be Volcanian dress; a black short tunic and bluish canvas trousers. Odd, Vulcan thought. That kid's clearly a foreigner, the rounded ears and all, but he's no Volcanian either.

"So, what can I do for you?" Vulcan said, glad to have someone other than the Gerudo to deal with for once.

The one named Link exchanged a hasty glance with Timbre before speaking. "I have a weapon that needs repairing."

"Oh?" Vulcan said, his eyes flickering over to where Link's temporary broadsword lay safely sheathed at his back.

"No, not that one," Link said, following the smith's gaze. He pointed towards the bundle. "It's in here."

Intrigued, Vulcan tapped the table. "Bring it over here then."

Link nodded, and the three of them stared down at the bundle Link placed on the wooden surface. Vulcan slowly and carefully unrolled it. His eyes widened a fraction in shock as he suddenly recognized the remains of the Master Sword, now lying in front of him in a dozen or so glittering metal shards.

"By Farore...boy...how did you?" Vulcan swallowed. But the Door of Time...its been sealed nigh these ten years..."But how...do you realize what this is?"

"It's the Master Sword," Link said, as if he were stating the weather. "I found it like this."

The blacksmith gaped. "But...how did you manage to get to it? The Door of Time's been sealed for a decade-"

In response, Link held up his left hand. If Vulcan had had a weak heart, he would have had to clutch his chest. As it were, the sturdy older blacksmith just stared. "The Triforce..."

"Courage," Link clarified for him, mildly amused at the reaction he was getting. "There's three parts, you know."

"Yes, yes...I'm quite aware of the legends," Vulcan said, his voice lowering. "But-"

"Wait a second," Timbre said suddenly, speaking for only the second time. "If you know the legends, maybe you could fill us in on a few things. Like how the Sword was broken."

Fill us in? Vulcan raised a grayed eyebrow. It wasn't often that Vulcan was this confused, he usually prided himself in being rather stoic. "What do you mean? Where are you from?"

"Er, you might say we've been away a while," Link said, leveling a glance at Timbre. "And we're completely in the dark. What the heck's happened to Castle Town? It used to be so prosperous..."

"Yes," Vulcan said, hard-pressed to keep the bitterness out of his voice. "Years ago. But then Ganondorf took over Hyrule, an-"

"Wait." Timbre blinked. "Ganondorf was trapped in the Sacred Realm. How did he escape?"

"That is something that is shrouded in mystery, boy. One day, some supporters, apparently vying to release him, infiltrated the town. They abducted young Princess Zelda, who had been among the townsfolk in disguise. The supporters dragged her forcefully to the Temple of Time before anybody could do anything to stop them."

"Those two supporters...wouldn't have been two old witches, by any chance?" Timbre offered. Link looked confused. Timbre had neglected to tell him exactly what he'd learned from the Wolfos, so he found this to be a kind of non-sequitor.

"Yes. Twinrova." Vulcan practically spat out the name. "They forced Zelda to open the Door of Time with the sacred Ocarina-"

Link swore softly. "If I hadn't given it back to her so soon-" He glanced up as Vulcan stared at him strangely. "Sorry."

Vulcan raised an eyebrow, but otherwise continued. "She opened the Door of Time, revealing the Master Sword. Here's where the mystery comes in though. They somehow broke the Sword...the Sword is the key to the Sacred Realm, you see, and with it gone, it opened the way for Ganondorf's return. In breaking the Sword, they not only released him, but ensured his invulnerability. For the only thing strong enough to displace the Power now running in him was Evil's Bane. They resealed the Door of Time, leaving the ruined Master Sword in pieces."

"What happened to Zelda?" Link said quietly.

Vulcan shrugged. "Nobody knows. Nobody's seen that little girl since, in nearly ten years, of course she'd be grown by now..." The smith looked at the both of them strangely. "You two are odd, coming in here with the Blade of Evil's Bane, owning the Triforce of Courage, yet not having a clue as to the events from ten years before. Surely you've heard of the story, even if you've been away..."

"It's hard to explain," Timbre said. "And even if we did, you'd never believe us."

"Stranger and stranger," Vulcan murmured, lifting the hilt of the Master Sword with a kind of quiet reverence. "Why are you here?" He said finally, as if wanting to believe them.

"You're the finest blacksmith in Hyrule, at least you were when I last saw you," Link said, looking very serious.

"But I've never met you before!" Vulcan exclaimed.

"Trust me. We need a master weapon smith, and if you're available, we'd like you to help us."

Vulcan sighed, looking into the Hylian youth's honest face.

"We need you to reforge the Master Sword," Link said simply.

--

Vulcan allowed them to stay the night, as his forge also doubled as his home. Because of the forge below, his home was always rather warm, sometimes uncomfortably so, though tonight he left the windows closed. Something told his better instincts it would be better to lie low until he found some answers. He shared some supper with the two young men, who had proven to be positively famished. The smith was still in a bit of a state of shock, finding these two in his midst. It didn't help that they kept asking him the oddest of questions, things people would normally know, even if they weren't from Hyrule.

"Where is Ganondorf right now?" Link asked.

Vulcan shook his head. "Normally he rules from Hyrule Castle, but at the moment he is elsewhere. You see, he conquered Termina a few years back-" He wasn't too surprised to see both of them start in surprise. "Completely in the dark about that too, eh? Anyhow, since Termina's so far away, he's finding himself stretched, and had to pay a visit there. Apparently there have been constant uprisings." The smith's face twitched, as if he was grimly satisfied. "So he is not in Hyrule at the moment." He noted the two looks of relief that crossed their faces.

"He's got to be stopped," Link said.

"You're not the first to say that, boy." Vulcan remarked. "Many others have tried, and all have failed. Nobody can seem to defeat Ganondorf, he's become too powerful."

The two youths exchanged concerned glances. Link shrugged to his friend, looking defeated. Finally Timbre said simply, "What do you know about the Heroes of Time?"

"What?" Vulcan snorted. "That's a mere myth. There are no Heroes of Time. Sure, there was an old story once that said some Heroes would come when Hyrule was in greatest peril, and deliver them from the depths of disaster." The smith put down his cup with a grim look in his eye. "Mere children's stories...where were these 'Heroes' when we needed them the most? And how is it you don't know about that? Wherever you were before now, you can't have been very well informed."

"You could say that," Timbre said mysteriously.

Link, hit by sudden inspiration, spoke up. "How was Ganondorf trapped in the Sacred Realm to begin with, if the Heroes of Time weren't there?"

Vulcan shrugged. "Nobody really knows for sure. Some say he's been around since the world began. Others say he was a mere thief with too much ambition. All that is really known is that he murdered many, did countless terrible things while on his mad quest. He obsessed over having the Triforce as his own, and cared little towards the means he would have to take to get it, even if it meant genocide. Eventually, he somehow managed to enter the Realm through forceful means, and tried to take the Triforce, but it split, leaving him with only the third containing Power. Wisdom went to Princess Zelda."

"And Courage?" Link asked hopefully.

"Well, nobody knew where the third piece went," Vulcan said slowly, "so you can imagine it's a bit of a shock for me to suddenly find its bearer right here talking to me. Anyhow, Ganondorf might have taken the Triforce of Power, he discovered too late that his entrance into the Sacred Realm had been one-way. It is much easier to enter the Sacred Realm than it is to leave, you see. He was trapped in the Sacred Realm, unable to escape."

"I see," Timbre said quietly. "Kind of an ironic and fitting punishment. Having ultimate Power, but being powerless to use it where you wanted to."

"For a few clueless bumpkins, you two certainly have a certain grasp of things." Vulcan said. "If I were to ask you two exactly who you are, would I regret it?"

"Let's put it this way," Timbre said. "If we were to say we were two of the Heroes of Time that you say are a myth, how would you respond?"

Vulcan furrowed a brow. "Well, I'd say you two were a little crazy."

"Well, in some ways, we just might be," Link said. "But let's face it, we're this land's only hope, crazy or not." He grinned at Vulcan, who gave him an odd look.

"I don't know why, but I believe you. Maybe it's just my old rebellious self wanting to believe you...or maybe it's just because you two remind me in so many ways of my own son."

"Hate to be nosy but-"

"Don't blame yourself," Vulcan said to Link sadly. "It's just been so long since he died-"

"Sombre's...dead?" Timbre half-blurted.

Vulcan raised a slow eyebrow, then nodded slowly. "How did you-"

Timbre took a deep breath. "I knew him from a long time back, just a bit of a shock, sorry."

Vulcan smiled sadly. "See, that's just it...for a moment, when I heard you two this evening up in my store, it was like he'd finally returned home. Of course, it was a foolish thought...I saw him cut down by Gerudos with my own eyes, forced to watch as I was helpless to protect him..." Vulcan's eyes grew hard. "If only for his sake, I'll believe you." The smith had finished his dinner, and was currently trying to fit together the pieces of the Master Sword, like some kind of jigsaw puzzle.

Link, interested, stood and watched the blacksmith. "Will you be able to fix it?"

Vulcan stared intently at his work. "My skill should be sufficient enough, however, I see two problems arising in the near future."

"What are those?" Timbre asked, helping himself to the other half of Link's corned beef sandwich. After all, Link didn't seem too interested in it if he was going to turn his back on it.

"The first, and least of our problems," Vulcan said, "is secrecy. I daresay you two are about the only rays of hope this poor country had had in years. Don't get me wrong, I'll do anything to see the old days back, however, any work I do here will not go unnoticed. The only reason I can still afford to have my business open is because those Gerudo need someone to temper their blades now and again. Imagine if you will, for them to discover me forging the one weapon that could spell the downfall of their King."

"Right," Link said.

"Therefore, I may have to relocate. Luckily, I believe I can easily move to Kakariko for a few months...Ganondorf's control isn't so absolute in that village, I've been there before."

"Great," Link said. "What's the other problem?"

"That," said Vulcan, "Is where things get complicated. Take a look here." He gestured down at the shards, which had been arranged so that they more or less completed the shape of the entire blade. He pointed. "See that hole there?

Timbre swallowed a mouthful of corned beef. "There's a part missing, isn't there..."

"Yes," Vulcan breathed heavily. "I dare not reforge the Sword without it in its entirety. Who knows what I might do to it if it were incomplete? It might even become warped to the point where it will have no effect on Ganondorf's power."

Link swallowed. He recognized the missing part, he could almost see it in his head. It had borne the carved insignia of the Triforce, etched expertly into the blade. But where it should have been, there was a blank spot. "But, we made sure we had all the pieces..." The Hylian glanced over at Timbre, who had just finished off the corned beef.

Timbre nodded. "It must have been missing before we even opened the Door."

Link slumped. "One problem after another," he groaned. "I suppose we'll have to search it out, if it still even exists, that is..."

The Destiny Stone suddenly flared bright green. Vulcan stared, as Timbre smirked.

"Guess we know the answer to that one. Maybe it can point us in the right direction."

The older blacksmith was still staring at the Stone. He shook his head. "First the Master Sword, then the Triforce, now a magic stone. If I didn't know any better, I'd say I was going senile...I hope I'm not."

"Don't sweat it," Link smiled at the former knight. He removed the Stone from about his neck. "Alright, Stone. Where's the missing piece of the Master Sword?"

The Stone responded with a simple couplet; maybe it just couldn't think of an entire rhyme. Or maybe it just didn't need to.

Though of its location you are unaware,

Trust; and Courage will lead you there.

"What a fascinating device," Vulcan said, apparently over his initial surprise. "Speaks in riddles and rhymes. Just like all old relics, aggravatingly vague." Link nodded in agreement.

"But what does it mean?" Timbre said. "Couldn't give us a straight answer, could it?"

"Maybe not, but it did give us a clue." The smith said seriously. "Notice that it mentioned courage like a proper name, capitalized, see: Courage."

"Courage, as in, 'Triforce of,' perhaps?" Timbre was catching on.

"That must be it...the Master Sword, in legend, was very strongly in tune with the Triforce...almost a magnetic quality...thus the reason you two were able to get through the Door of Time...It wanted to be found."

"So what you're saying is-" Link still looked slightly confused.

Vulcan ran a hand through his hair. "I think that, given the chance, the Triforce and the Sword will most certainly insist on meeting...it would be like there was a strong bond between them. Hold out your left hand a moment."

Link did so.

The former knight nodded. "Now, close your eyes and concentrate on the Sword."

Link's closed eyelids flickered slightly as he tried to focus on the blade. He pictured it in his mind as he had first seen it, magnificently deadly, stood upright, point down in the pedestal behind the Door of Time, illuminated by the blue light from above.

It was very subtle at first, but he soon felt a peculiar tugging from his left hand, as if someone had tied a string to his middle finger, and was pulling on it gently. Vulcan and Timbre watched in astonishment as the hilt of the broken Master Sword quivered.

"I can feel it," Link said quietly..."It's hard to make out at first, but- aaack!"

The gentle tug had suddenly become a rather sharp yank, and Timbre watched humorously as Link suddenly fell face first on the floor, as if an invisible person had grabbed his arm and pulled him off balance. "Ow..." came a groan from the floor.

"Well, we now know that there's a connection," Vulcan admitted, and Timbre snickered.

"'Ey, quiet there, Timbe," Link muttered, pulling himself up onto his knees. He blinked, and with a jolt realized he was holding onto the hilt of the Master Sword. It had apparently flown to his hand during his fall. "Woah," he said, standing and putting it back with the other pieces. He felt that peculiar tug again, as if his hand really didn't want to part with it. He couldn't blame it in the least.

"Do you think..." Timbre said suddenly, "If he can feel the connection to these pieces..."

"He might be able to sense the missing shard," Vulcan said, finishing the thought. "It might work. Maybe that's what your clue is saying."

"Yeah," Timbre agreed. "Try it out, Link."

"Alright," Link said vaguely. He closed his eyes again and held up his hand again, index finger pointing as if he were some sort of living compass. Unlike the first time, he didn't have a particular direction, as he didn't know where the shard was. So he slowly pivoted, outstretched finger and arm describing a wide circle. He was greatly aware now, of all the pieces that lay before him, he could feel the connection. His brow furrowed, as he tried to focus away from then, and on the part of the Master Sword that was absent. It was difficult, like reaching out with a butterfly net to grab a handful of fog, but the Hylian persisted stubbornly. He tried to visualize the missing piece, which actually wasn't that hard — after all, he'd wielded the blade once — he focused, seeing the Triforce insignia as if it were in front of him.

It was extremely faint at first, and he initially passed the feeling over several times. But as he turned back along his pivot, he suddenly felt the pull again. It was very weak, almost invisible. But it was there, he could sense it now, frail as it might be. His pivot halted as his finger pointed steadily outwards, towards a wall of Vulcan's store.

"Its somewhere...very faint...I can sense it...somewhere that way," he murmured, opening his eyes.

"Hmm," Vulcan said. "Eastward."

Link stared in surprise. "But we just came from that way? What else is east of Castle Town?"

"Well, Kakariko Village, for one," Vulcan said. "After that there's the Zora's River, and then after that..."

"The ocean." Timbre said. "And cross that, and you'll end up on the Western shores of Termina." He shrugged. "At least we've got a direction, Link."

"Yeah," Link said.

"Well, I can be ready to depart for Kakariko by tomorrow morning," Vulcan said busily. "Don't have much, I can travel light. Besides, with this leg of mine...it's just wise to start off as early as possible. Does anyone know you're here?"

"Here specifically? No." Link sighed, sitting down. "But, I do believe they know of us...probably the only ones who do," the Hylian muttered to himself.

The former knight smiled, a rarity for his solemn face. "I thought I'd given up hope years ago, thought all of it had been snuffed out of me by those Gerudo. Apparently I was wrong." Vulcan mused quietly. "Who would've thought two crazy kids could rekindle something in me that has been neglected for so long?"

Link grinned and shrugged, leaning back slightly. "We tend to have that kind of effect on people," he said nonchalantly. Unfortunately, his chair overbalanced slightly, sending him toppling backwards onto the floor with a dull thud.

Timbre laughed aloud. "Yeah, we should moonlight as our own comedy act," he snickered. "We'd probably make a bundle."

It was well past midnight before any of them got any sleep, for the two younger men it was just nerves. For Vulcan, it was slightly different. The older smith spent most of his time packing provisions, checking his shop for useful items. After some speculation, he found some thick felt to properly wrap the Master Sword's remains in, allowing Timbre to recover his trenchcoat. Then Vulcan himself went to sleep, sitting upright in a squashy armchair, warmed by his forge fires.

Timbre and Link were rather exhausted from their day's exploits, as they really hadn't had enough rest the night before either. Timbre, as usual, was the first to zonk out. Link stared at the stoneworked ceiling of the forge, singed a permanent shade of dusty sooty black. He wasn't sure how long he stared upwards, but eventually, his eyelids began to slowly droop.

Ten-year-old Link strained his enhanced hearing, then yelled to his friends. "Incoming!!"

Sond, Kafei, Kat, and Timbre, hearing the warning, threw themselves into various hiding places, as the entire cavern began to rumble ominously. Several large shards of rock, jagged and newly broken, crumbled forth, coating them all in a fine layer of dust. With a dull roar, a final boulder clattered noisily to the cavern's uneven floor.

Sond coughed thickly through the dust cloud. "Everyone alright?"

"Yeah," came Link's dusky grunt.

"Been better," Timbre grumbled.

"Okay here," Kafei piped up.

"I'm dusty, but still alive," Kat finished talking. They all extracted themselves from their impromptu stone shelters, all five of them coated in a thick grayish tan layer of rockdust. They all blinked heavily, their eyes raw from the irritating dust floating about them in clouds.

"Good grief," Link said in exasperation, shaking his head. "We had enough trouble from falling rocks just getting to this cavern...why do we have to have the same problems inside it?"

"Dunno," Kat said. "Maybe it was that Bomb Flower you used to blast the cave open...maybe it weakened the bedrock."

"Still," Kafei said, kicking at a newly fallen rock, "If that had weakened the cave, the whole place would have caved in almost immediately-"

"Burying the Goron Ruby forever," Link said huffily, as if he'd rather not think about it. "So what caused the rocks to fall, just now?"

"Um," Timbre muttered, nudging a particularly jagged rock with the toe of his right boot. Timbre still didn't talk that often, and nine times out of ten, whatever he said was unpleasant. However, they were fortunate enough to get something less rude this time. "This rock didn't break off naturally. It's been cut and loosened. See the straight-edged marks?" He nudged the rock, and pointed at several perfectly smooth areas, something the rock would never had done on its own.

"So-" Link started.

"Somebody wanted these rocks to fall," Timbre finished. "More appropriately, they wanted them to fall on us."

Sond blinked. "So someone's on to us." Even as she spoke, a small pebble fell from a ledge high above them, hitting the ground with a loud hollow clatter. Fearing another cave-in, the five would-be heroes flinched, ready to dive for cover again. After a moment where no rumble came, they looked up.

"Whomever it is, they're still up there," Timbre half-growled, eyes roving the ceiling. He often garnered odd looks when he growled like that, but he persisted in doing it anyway.

Link scowled. Drawing his sword with a metallic screech, he glared upwards. "Show yourself!"

There was no answer, save the boy's angry words, which echoed eerily back at them from dark crevices. However, another pebble fell, though this time it seemed almost as if on purpose.

"Show yourself!" Link repeated angrily. "Or are you too cowardly to face us as you are?"

This time, there was a reaction, and a caped figure materialized from the deepest shadows above. Leaping down, the stranger landed catlike on the ground, completely noiseless. As it-no, he-approached, his young but angrily twisted features came more into focus, lit dimly by the glow of the fairies.

"I am no coward," the stranger said simply, his voice young-sounding, yet still so full of spite.

Link seemed taken aback. This person clearly couldn't be any older than he or his friends. What did he think he was playing at, hindering their progress? And in such a dangerous manner...

Link's train of thought took longer to function than his mouth, so the only thing the Hylian blurted was, "Who are you?"

"My name," said the strange boy eyes flashing, "Is Chiron. I am an assassin."

"An assassin?" Kat repeated, confused.

"Yes," Chiron said with a grin that did not befit him. "I was sent here by the witches Koume and Kotake, who are my grandmothers. They sent me here, to kill the Heroes of Time!"

"GET UP!" Vulcan's voice hissed urgently in Link's face, waking him up from his dream. The youth yelped and sat bolt upright so quickly it startled the old smith. Vulcan motioned the Hylian to make no further noise. Straightening, the lamed man made his way stiffly over to where Timbre slept.

"Get up!" The former knight hissed again, nudging the sleeper with a note of urgency.

"Gah!" Timbre yelped in a very canine fashion as he jolted awake, only to find himself similarly silenced by Vulcan's stare.

"You two...have to leave...now...Gerudos searching the Town..." Vulcan breathed.

Link stared. "What?"

"Shhh! There are Gerudos all over the town, Ganondorf's special force...kind of a secret police if you will. They're searching for two young men, and frankly, you fit the descriptions to a tee. And they've just knocked on my door."

Timbre gulped. Vulcan sighed, and thrust a bundle into the shocked youth's arms.

"Take this, the Sword's not safe here. You're not safe in town, you need to get out as quickly as possible. Get your weapons and get out, meet me at Kakariko. there's a small window up there." Vulcan pointed. "It's a bit small, usually I keep it open only a crack to ventilate-but you'll fit through if you try."

Link stared as Vulcan continued. "You'll find yourself in an alleyway. I'm pretty sure they've barricaded the drawbridge, I didn't hear it go down this morning-but there is a secret passage, a tunnel, that leads out into Hyrule Field. It-"

"VULCAN!" A female voice roared from upstairs. Apparently the Gerudo had become impatient, and physically broken in.

"Get out of here, now!" Vulcan hissed urgently, then turned to scramble upstairs, his stiffened leg straining in its brace. He checked behind his shoulder once to see the two squeezing their way quietly out the window, then turned his face towards the main shop.

"May I help you?" he began, limping over to the main counter. He found his store completely occupied by women in exotic garb, each of them armed with sharp twin scimitars, and a dark, angry expression on their dark complexions. Lights sparkled off of the jewels they each wore on their foreheads, sparkling with the allure of forbidden treasure. Most of them were veiled, although a lone female figure in the back was heavily cloaked, effectively hiding her face. However, this was not what unnerved the former Hyrulian Knight.

A young man leaned casually against the doorjamb, the door's lock of which had been expertly dissected. The door now swung loosely, buoyed by outside wind and weather. From the looks of it, it was going to be rain today. The young man didn't seem to be paying much attention to the weather, however. Both of his dark eyes were fixed on Vulcan, an expression much like hunger crossing his face. The young man had shorter spiked hair as dark as his eyes. He wore a sweeping dark cape that swirled mysteriously around his tunic, which appeared to be iridescent. As the youth moved, the tunic actually appeared to change colors. Slung across his back was what seemed to be a finely carved guitar.

"Chiron," Vulcan said simply, in a dull sort of voice.

"Call me Chiron." The young man answered him, his voice cold and straightforward. "I hope you don't mind us...intruding." Chiron smirked, as if he found this funny.

Vulcan, used to this behavior, refused to let himself be baited. "Not at all...Chiron. How may I help you?"

"I'm here on official business from Twinrova," Chiron said, almost lazily. "You know, my grandmother."

The blacksmith nodded slowly, though he couldn't stop his brow from furrowing ever so slightly. Some said that Chiron was Ganondorf's adopted son, others said that they were related by true blood ties. Either way, Vulcan knew that in the current hierarchy, Chiron was third in line, only below the Twinrova sisters and Ganondorf himself. He was effectively now talking to the ruler de facto of Hyrule.

"Twinrova has informed me of a pair of criminals, that made their way into this very Town not too long ago. Eyewitness accounts from several townsmembers, and a gate guard." Chiron said.

How much did you have to bully them to get that information, I wonder? Vulcan thought furiously, though he held his tongue. The smith instead fumbled quietly behind the counter.

"They're rather dangerous...killed a very valuable servant of Grandmother, you see...and what's more, they appear to have been desecrating the holy Temple of Time."

Vulcan didn't reply, just continued staring levelly at the young man.

"You haven't seen them around, by any chance?" Chiron asked casually. "Would you now...Sir Vulcan?" He seemed to enjoy mocking the blacksmith, who would be powerless to defend himself should the Gerudo all decide to attack at once.

"I have not," Vulcan said quietly. "Now if you have no further business-"

"I don't believe you," Chiron said calmly, rising and walking slowly towards the blacksmith. "Twinrova really wants those criminals apprehended, you see...and any attempt to hide them would only incriminate those who tried such a foolish thing..."

"Look, do I have to tell you again, or-"

Quick as a flash, Chiron had pulled his right arm back, grabbing the handle of his guitar. With a metallic sheen, the katana blade hidden inside the instrument revealed itself, in the same moment striking down at Vulcan's exposed forehead.

CLANG!

Vulcan stared furiously into Chiron's eyes, now mere inches from his own, the broadsword he'd been holding behind the counter now blocking the katana blade that would have otherwise neatly cloven him in two. Sparks shot angrily from the point of contact as the two men glared.

The Hyrulian Knight's dark brown eyes stared deeply into Chiron's eyes. "They are not here," he said slowly and deliberately, his gaze becoming piercing. From long experience, Vulcan knew this was the only way to get Chiron to stand down.

The youth seemed to be hypnotized a moment, before he relaxed, returning his blade to its deceptive sheath. He smirked, a flicker of something that might be deemed respect in his expression. "I see you haven't lost your touch, old man."

"Neither have you," Vulcan replied in the same cold tone.

Chiron's eyes flickered, and his head turned a fraction as he addressed his Gerudo guard, who hadn't moved an inch during the entire encounter. "Search this place. Leave nothing unturned."

The Gerudos sprang into action, spreading into the blacksmith's home and store like living whirlwinds. Nothing was left untouched. Ceramics, blades, and other items alike were swept off of shelves, cupboards slashed open, and tables overturned as they brutally tore through the small building. Several of the women snaked their way down towards the forge, apparently unnerved by the heat. Sounds of various things being smashed, broken, and ruined echoed mournfully through the room. Through it all, Vulcan stood stone-faced, staring forwards. He still hadn't put away his sword.

Suddenly, one of the Gerudo's voices echoed upwards from the stairs. "Sir! The forge window's open, sir...it is large enough for one to squeeze through, if the need arose."

Chiron acknowledged this, and turned a furious condescending glare upon the former knight. He was so focused on his anger that he didn't notice the lone cloaked Gerudo behind him, who glanced around once, then backed silently out of the open front door. Chiron sneered at Vulcan. "Very good, old man. Very clever of you, to divert us long enough for them to escape..."

Vulcan's smile was equally sneering. "And if I did?" He challenged. "Will you kill me for this, Chiron?" His eyes showed no trace of fear.

Chiron seemed to ponder this for a moment, before smiling. "No," he said quietly. "If I killed you, who would I have to temper my sword for me? Would be such a waste of talent." He called his Gerudos back about him. "Search the city," he instructed them. "The gate's locked, they can't go far." He was the last to leave the ruined store, laughing coldly. "Hope your hands are up to fixing your home, Sir Vulcan. My thieves will be expecting you ready to sharpen their weapons come tomorrow."

With that, he left the former knight standing completely alone in the ruined building. Fool, Vulcan thought bitterly. Come tomorrow, I'll be gone from this place. Forever.

-----

Link looked around, pausing only to take the Master Sword from Timbre as his friend squeezed himself out of the small forge window. They'd found themselves, true to Vulcan's word, in a small narrow alley. It ran off around corners in both directions, almost maze-like. It was dimly lit, as the ambient overcast day filtered out most of the morning sunlight. Link sighed. He hated rainy days.

Timbre grunted, then tumbled onto the street ungracefully. "Alright," he said, even as he was standing up. "Where's the secret passageway he was telling us about?"

"He never got far enough to tell us," Link said desperately. "I suppose we'll have to find it ourselves...like the way we found the one leading into Hyrule Castle years ago." He was still dimly aware of that tugging, urging him gently eastward. Now that he'd called the bond to attention, it seemed more persistent to draw him to the missing shard.

"Which way?" Timbre said, looking to Link.

"Oh," Link said sarcastically. "Let me decide. Thanks a lot, Timbe..."

Timbre was about to reply with a very rude sentence when a sound behind them (they were currently facing southwards) caused them both to start, whirling around. Someone was standing behind them.

Timbre squinted in slight alarm at the tan cloaked figure standing before them, still as a mannequin. The person was clearly female, and to his horror, from the way she dressed, a Gerudo. The hood of the cloak was pulled up over the Gerudo's face, hiding most of her face. If he squinted, he could barely make out the shadowy form of a chin and mouth, which was locked in a neutral expression.

Link swallowed, then muttered to Timbre, "There's only one of her, and two of us," he remarked in an aside. "We could easily take her."

"Yeah, but don't you think we'll cause a commotion doing that...we'll have a lot more than one to deal with then..." Timbre muttered. "I think we should run for it. Our goal's to get out of this Town alive...not start fights."

"Run? From a girl?" Link said, one of his brows raising in an almost comical expression of outrage. "You've gotta be joking, Timbe..."

As in response to this, the Gerudo suddenly started moving. She advanced towards them slowly, but unhesitating, her footfalls making no sound. The cloak swirled about her, and suddenly she seemed very intimidating. Under the cloak, Link could see not just one, but two very dangerous looking scimitars.

Link swallowed. He was still holding the Master Sword, bundled up. Unless he wanted to fight without a shield( and clumsily at that), or put the bundle down...no...the back of his left hand ached suddenly. The Triforce didn't want him to let go of the Sword. This was understandable. All was lost unless they escaped with the blade pieces. That left only Timbre free to fight. With a sword. On second thought, Link sized up the situation, and he and Timbre exchanged nervous glances.

"Run away!" they both yelled at practically the same moment, pivoting quickly and taking off down the southern end of the alleyway as fast as they could. Behind them, the neutral expression of the cloaked assailant slowly twisted into what was perhaps a small smile.

They didn't stop until they'd flung themselves into another alleyway. I was very narrow and cramped, and rather grungy. It didn't smell very pleasant, either, Timbre thought, as he wrinkled his nose. The crevasse hardly even lent itself to be dubbed an 'alleyway,' 'hole in the wall' was more like it. Timbre and Link were barely able to stand shoulder to shoulder in it. Link panted heavily.

"We never, ever speak of this to anyone...running from a girl...so...undignified."

"What's so undignified about it?" Timbre asked seriously, looking up as a raindrop fell on his face. "Just because someone is female doesn't mean you can't respect her prowess as a fighter..." His voice lowered to a murmur. "You respect Sond, don't you? And Kat? Given half the chance, they'd probably wipe the floor with us."

Link pondered this a moment. "You'm right there," he said, thinking back to the Light Arrow pointed between his eyes, and even further back, to the pillar of Din's Fire that had erupted with Kat's temper.

There was nothing said for a moment, as they were both quite winded from their retreat. It was now raining more steadily, and the Hylian groaned in distaste. "But still..." Link groaned. "Female or not, she was just one person!"

"With a backup of several hundred," Timbre added. "Staying and fighting those sort of odds isn't courage, or bravery...it's just plain stupid. Part of the art of war is knowing your limits...even I know that," he added, feeling condescending.

Link grumbled, but he knew Timbre was right. Their main goal at the moment was to get out. Without them, there was no Master Sword, and with no Master Sword, Hyrule was doomed. "Right," he said after a moment. "We need to find this passage..."

"Funny though," Timbre mused as he and Link started carefully out of the 'alley.' "If she spotted us...how 'come she didn't yell for reinforcements right away? In fact, she didn't make a sound at all, just started after us..."

"I dunno, maybe she's a mute like Obol," Link said, shrugging. "Anyhow, back to this 'secret passage...'"

He didn't have time for more words, as suddenly a shadow fell across the entranceway to the alley. It was the cloaked Gerudo again, and her hidden face turned towards them as if magnetized, still hidden in shadow, unperturbed by the rain. This time, they couldn't read any expression on her face, it was too dim and far away.

Link swallowed. Had she brought reinforcements? It didn't seem that way, as they would probably be dead by now if that were the case. Even as it was, with just one person blocking their way, she could hold them here until help did arrive.

He felt Timbre give a start behind him as the cloaked figure closed in on them. Apparently he too was at a loss for ideas. "Looks like we might have to fight for it after all..." Timbre murmured, putting a hand to the sword hilt buckled at his side.

Before he could even draw his weapon, however, there was a slight movement from the cloaked figure. Next moment, a razor sharp scimitar was in her hand, and pointed directly at them, her arm fully outstretched. Timbre froze, and desisted.

This looks like the end, he thought, depressed. It was even a worse feeling than the time he'd been cornered in Clock Town...now that seemed so long ago and distant in his memory, then again, it was kind of hard to think about anything when you were being threatened at swordpoint-

Then again...was he being threatened? Their opponent hadn't made any other move since she'd drawn the scimitar. Her eyes and much of her face were still hidden, but she didn't seem to be otherwise hostile. The sword was pointed in their direction, though not so much at them as it was pointing...beyond them. Timbre's mind raced, and he turned to see what the scimitar was really pointing to.

"Timbe!" Link hissed, turning his head slightly. "What are you doing?!" It did seem rather odd, turning your back on someone who had a weapon pointed your way.

But Timbre was too busy prodding at the stone wall, his back turned to their assailant as if the scimitar wasn't really there. The trenchcoated youth's fingers pressed gently against the wall, tracing an odd crack in the masonry. It was odd, too even to be just a natural fault. In fact, the crack was uneven, one edge sticking out further than the other. Intrigued, and curious, Timbre dug his fingers into the crack. It jiggled slightly, but was very heavy. He put a hand along the other edge, and found cunningly hidden hinges.

"It's a door!" he hissed to Link, who turned around as well. "Come on, give me a hand here...I think this is the secret passage we've been looking for..."

Fingers jammed into the crack (Link could only spare the one hand, his other still clutching his bundle), both young men strained their arm muscles, pulling. Slowly, and with a ceramic rumble, an entire section of the wall slowly pulled away. It was a door, expertly carved to resemble a solid wall. Some roughly hewn steps led downwards.

Link peered. "That Gerudo...was pointing at this...she was trying to help us? Or maybe it's a trap." The Destiny Stone suddenly glowed red.

"See, it's not a trap," Timbre said, "And besides, it's our only option." He turned back towards the cloaked Gerudo, only to discover with a slight prickle up his spine that she was gone. Vanished without a trace, as if she'd been mere illusion.

"Weird," Link mumbled, looking from the now empty alleyway to the secret passage. "Just...weird. Who do you suppose she was?"

Timbre shrugged. "No clue. Come on, we have to get out of here."

Link nodded, holding the Master Sword close. "Looks like it's gonna be pitch dark in there," he remarked.

"Well, I'm not afraid of the dark," Timbre said. "Besides, if we need too, I still can find the way out. 'Follow your nose,' remember?" He grinned. "After you."

Link stepped into the small doorway, and gave a small cry of shock, looking down. The Destiny Stone was glowing gently, not as brightly as, say, one of Sond's Light Arrows, but light enough to make him feel slightly less ill at ease. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Let's go."

"Right," said Timbre, glancing once more over his shoulder at the abandoned alley. The mysterious Gerudo had not made a reappearance. Brow furrowed, Timbre stepped through the small doorway. On the other side of the door, he found a heavy iron ring set into the stone, apparently to aid pulling the door shut. Grasping it in both hands, he leaned back and pulled the heavy door shut. It scraped loudly, then closed with a dull thud, throwing them into semi-darkness. If the Destiny Stone hadn't lit up, it would have been complete darkness.

The stairwell ended, and they found themselves looking down a dark tunnel. Link cleared his throat.

"This tunnel leads south...it must go under the wall of Castle Town."

"Yeah," Timbre agreed, and wordlessly, they started walking. "Look on the bright side," he said after a while. "At least we get to stay out of the rain."

-----

And there's Chapter 6. So, you wanna know who that mysterious person is, eh? Do ya? I'll tell ya soon, when we get to that part. I need feedback, people...even if you can't stand this and wanna flame me, go ahead. Unfortunately, no new pictures up yet...been a busy week. I've been glazing stuff in ceramics, and it kind of takes up all my free time...at least all my free art time. Well, I'll catch you all next time...which should be a few days or so. Byee!!