"The Destiny Stone"

Disclaimer: I don't own Zelda or any characters, places, or events thereof, so there! Of the original characters, I came up with Timbre, Kat, Aka, Benz, Vulcan and some various bit characters here and there. Sond owns the rest. Thanks Sond! Rej is © FogFrontier!

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Happy Late Spring/Early Summer/Whenever this thing gets released! I greet you all, and hope that I'm not being too slow in updates! My exams are over at the moment, though I am not short on work — comes with the biology studies, y'know. I will be soon spending my days in a marsh, my afternoons in a laboratory, and my eveningsprobably plunking this out when I get inspired. Marshes inspire me a lot, y'know. Oh yeah, odd little report: The asterisks that I have been using as page markers and such will now be replaced with dashes, due to the new formatting of the website. Apparently asterisks don't work very well anymore. End of line.

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"The Destiny Stone" — Chapter 28: Hunters and Searchers

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Kotake stared downwards at the dark watery trail her broom left on the wavy surface of the ocean. When it was calm enough, she could admire her reflection, but at the moment it was too choppy for her to make out much more than a vague shadow. Pity.

The Ice Witch suddenly veered sharply off-course as Koume dived. The Fire Witch had to beat a hasty pull up to stop herself from crashing headlong into the ocean.

Kotake hissed, bringing herself around to hover next to where her sister had stopped. "What, in the name of the sssix hundred ssixty sssix planesss of the Abyssss wasss that about?"

Koume grumbled, making sure she hadn't lost any of her belongings in the dive. "Well, I asked you something, but all you did was ignore me."

The Ice Witch sighed. "The proper protocol, in that cassse, isss to tap me on the ssshoulder."

"I did!" Koume argued. "You were too busy checking out your ugly mug to listen!"

Still hovering in midair, the two took off in a flurry of cursing and insults that lasted several minutes, before Kotake calmed down enough to ask:

"Ssso what wasss it that you asssked me?"

"I wanted to know, dear sister, if you had any inspiration. What are we to do?"

The results of their astrological divinations ever since their rude exit from Ikana had been only one thing: the Sword. Both had been completely puzzled by this result, as no matter how hard they tried, no other answer would reveal itself.

In the end, they became worried, and deemed it wise to report to Ganondorf what the stars had told them. As of such, they had departed Termina as quickly as they'd arrived.

Kotake sighed at her sister's question. She knew full well that her sister wished to still inform Ganondorf of all the recent events concerning the Heroes of Time. "No," she answered. "I do not. But thisss may have nothing to do with the renegadesss. If there wasss ssssome reasssoning to that, would the ssstars not have ssshown them asss well?"

"The Sword can represent many things," Koume muttered, reading from Life's Little Constellation Symbolism Book, "War, danger, a knight, a duel-"

"Or maybe jussst a sssword in general, my dear."

"Yes, that too. Point iswith just that one symbol, we have nothing to go on. We have no"

"Context, my ssssissster?"

"Yeah, that. It could mean just about anything!" Koume snapped the book shut with a sigh. "And that," she added, "is very bothersome indeed."

"Indeed."

Their initial reaction to this problem had been to decide to abandon Termina as a frozen waste and relocate to an area of higher divinatory power — namely their desert recluse in the Haunted Wasteland — in hopes that in such a place, they would be able to fathom this mystery. However, seeing as that trip took quite a while and was a bit out of the way, both sisters had hoped that they would come to some answer or epiphany before they arrived, making the side-track unnecessary.

"There issss an ansssswer, sssomewhere," lisped the Ice Witch. "But if that ansssswer has to pertain to Ganondorf in any way"

"Knowing him, it does," said Koume. "Our son is everything, you know."

"Yessss, I know," murmured Kotake, slowly picking up speed again. Although she wasn't about to admit it to her sister, she was worried. Ever since that day when their silver sphere had demanded their audience and aroused them to the fact that the Parting of the Ways was slowly beginning to weaken, things had gonewrong.

At first it had been just two of them, and it seemed easy enough to dispose of them while they were still weak and disoriented. But either from a stroke of pure luck, or from unknown skill, the witches had been unable to destroy them. The assault in the Lost Woods had been nullified, by an incredible burst of magical strength. The monsters sent to kill then were themselves killed, and even their own grandson had failed to search them out. They'd slipped through the cracks at Castle Town, and then again out on the seas.

When they'd found the Heroes' location in Termina, and tried to collapse the cave network they were escaping through, the Heroes had suddenly and mysteriously disappeared again, somehow surviving the cave-in.

Every obstacle they'd tried to place in front of the protagonists, every attempt to destroy them — all had failed. It was beginning to draw a rather uneasy parallel to the ways things had been — when the Heroes had been mere children, and they already ancient.

And to add insult to injury, since then, more of the Heroes had awoken. How long before they all came to their senses?

Kotake worried the problem back and forth, until she felt weary from the effort. If they hadn't been able to defeat the children aswell, children, how were they supposed to defeat them now?

-----

"Mayor Dotour?"

Kafei's aged father still looked slightly dazed, after having suffered a toppling fall off of the roof. Fortunately, Rinku the Goron had been able to catch the poor man before he suffered impact, though of course he was still quite shaken up. His wife still clutched at him with white knuckles, as if she wasn't sure if he wouldn't suddenly drop dead from shock.

Mayor Dotour managed a shaky salute, to the relief of his son. Kafei's wounds were now being wrapped methodically in front of a warming fire by Pamela, who scowled as she applied spot soaks of red potion to the nasty-looking bites, especially the one on his leg. By the looks of it, he'd be off it for a little bit, at least until the potion closed the wound. Anju stood by, refusing to leave her husband's side.

"C-clock Townsecured?" The Mayor's voice quaked more than usual. The fireplace had been cleared of debris, and although the Mayor's Residence was still quite a mess, at least it was warm and bright inside.

"Aye," Jim said, kicking about the remains of the rubble barrier with a critical eye. "And it seems not a moment too soon, eh?"

Big Kafei laughed. "Leave it to the Bombers to make a last minute rescue. Though I can't say we were expecting a miracle."

"Nobody should ever expect miracles," said the Keaton, who had materialized soon after the battle. "Miracles come only to those who deserve them. And you are very deserving. Imaginestaying in a besieged town, purely out of loyalty."

"As this Town's administrator," Madame Aroma said haughtily, "there is no way we would abandon it, even if those littlefilthy beasts were crawling all over our town. This is more than a town; it is our home. I was not about to leave our home to the mercy of those-"

"Goriya." Dotour grunted quietly. "And to think just a few years ago, I w-would have said they were extinct," he finished.

Pamela pulled the last bandage tight, apologizing quietly as Kafei winced. "Sorry! Well, you don't have to worry, Mr. Mayor. Those creatures are gone for good. They're all being driven out, th' Gorons and Dekus will make sure of that."

Currently the rest of the Goron squad, led by the small but solid Deku Scrub Rhus, were taking a small tour' of the city's twilight walls, making sure that there were no more Goriya within the city's limits. Many saw them and fled immediately out one of the four gates. They were allowed to go, although sometimes an overly vicious one would needassistance.

The Keaton snorted as he heard a distinct Goriya howl from several streets down, only to witness from the dusklit window the silhouette of the corresponding monster suddenly sail over the Eastern wall. Gorons were immensely strong, and found tossing Goriya very simple to do should the need arise.

"But-" Mayor Dotour's voice was still quaky. "What a-about, did y-you s-seehim?"

"Hmm?" The rescuers looked puzzled.

The Mayor's voice lowered conspiratorially. "I meandid you see?"

Pamela swallowed. "No," she finally answered for all of them. "Not at all. Was hehere?"

This sobered many of the Bombers. "There's no telling if he's still around or not," murmured Jim.

"He may not be defeated," agreed the Keaton, "but I do not sense him anywhere near this place."

"If he were," Big Kafei grunted, "we would know."

"I agree," Sonia suddenly piped up, from her comfortable seat some ways away from the fire, which made her slightly nervous. "If he were —squeak- here, his retribution would have made —squeak- any rescue attempts or our mission rather impossible, I fear."

"He is not here, then," said the Keaton, "but that doesn't mean his influence is not. We must still be careful."

"Why did you come," Kafei suddenly asked, turning and looking at Pamela face-to-face. "Andwhy that message? And where is my son?" At the mention of Daray, Anju gave a quiet gasp, and squeezed at her husband's shoulder.

Pamela quailed at the intense expression on the older brother's face. "Your son is safe. He was found by two friends of ours-"

"Kaf," Anju murmured. "Wasn't one of them themessenger who came?"

At Pamela's questioning gaze, Big Kafei elaborated. "Dark hair, funny coat. Not" he shrugged, finding no tactful way to put it. "Not exactly human."

Pamela nodded in understanding. "Yes, he was one of them."

Anju cut in. "And the other, blonde, Hylian, green clothes?"

"Y-yes, but-"

"I knew that fellow looked familiar," Big Kafei muttered to himself.

"They were in Clock Town not too long ago, you see," Anju explained to Pamela. "They were at the Inn-"

"Continue the explanation, Pamela," the Keaton suddenly wheezed, as if it wanted to remain on-topic.

"Anyhow," Pamela murmured, "I found them with Daray in Termina Field a few days back. We brought him to our former base in Ikana Canyon, but when we had to evacuatehe came with us, down into Ikana-"

Anju swallowed heavily. "So is he still now-"

"And currently," Jim said, before Anju began to worry "he is under the wing of protection of the Gorons, Dekus, Pamela's father, and the rest of the Bombers, all down in Ikana to shelter from the blizzard. He is in safe hands, and as soon as we get word to the rest, he will be back here with his parents where he belongs."

Anju was prone to the emotional, and burst into happy tears.

"Buthow?" Kafei asked, dumbfounded. "How did you get here? The gates were locked, not to mention the snow-"

"Oh, we came in, alright," Jim smirked. "But not from above ground. We came in from," he gestured at the floor, ".underground. Right under those ruddy Goriya's noses. Gave em a right ruckus, too, when we popped out from the old Clock Tower's south door."

"You don't mean to say-" Mayor Dotour broke in, "That Ikana's tunnels runall the way here?"

"Wellwe're here, aren't we?" Jim gestured grandly.

"Yes, indeed," Big Kafei said. "I suppose there's only one other thing I wish to know right away." His red eyes riveted on Pamela once again, as intensely as they had when he'd asked after his son. "You mentionedmy younger brother."

Madame Aroma and Mayor Dotour, who hadn't been present at their older son's rescue, started at this.

This time, Pamela stared boldly back. "I did. He asked me to give you his message, which I did."

"Then" Madame Aroma stammered. "He's here? He's alive? Why didn't he return to Clock Town? Why didn't he tell us where he was all this time? What-"

Pamela managed not to flinch under the assault of questions. "Here, no. Alive, he was alive enough to send the message along. As for the others, well oh bothershould I explain this fully, Keaton?"

The fox shrugged and settled down. "Yes, do so. There are no ears present save those who should be hearing this."

"Alright then," Pamela said, also settling down for what would take a while to explain. With any luck, she would be able to get the story right. She hoped.

-----

Kafei's dreams had gone strange as of late, he found, as he suddenly jerked awake with the sensation of dampness that came only with a cold sweat. He stifled a groan, not knowing what time of day it was, thanks to the Gerudos' imprisonment. Their meals of rabbit and potatoes were never delivered regularly, much to his annoyance. He would have tried to keep a rough tally with scratches on the wall, but the female thieves had deprived him of his weapons, making even that impossible.

They've done this before, he thought to himself. Maybe not in a few years, but they know how to keep a prisoner in his cell, and how to distort his thoughtsafter too much of thisanything would look appealing

Or anyone

His strange dreams of recent had been rather disconcerting. Images of his parents and his brother had flown before him, and more than ever he felt like he'd been dragged away from what he was supposed to be, and turned into something that couldn't live. He suffered pangs of longing which in turn rose fluttery bile that made him feel sick to even breathe-

Kafei sighed. Being a shadow was a lonely business, even when surrounded by those he cared about. He felt as if at any moment, he was in danger of just fading away, never to be seen again-

Enough of that. The Keaton and the Great Fairies both told me to accompany Link, and that's what I'm going to do.

Even if Link seemed to be as clueless about their quest as he himself was.

Kafei straightened his bowed head as the world of wakefulness slowly opened up, and he realized he heard vague voices, murmuring.

Nick was asleep next to him, though the Volcanian's usually dark skin was a bit paler than Kafei remembered. The sailor had still refused any of the Gerudo's food except for the potatoes, and Kafei feared that it was starting to show. Hunger tended to make cellmates into liabilities, and Kafei didn't want to be on the receiving end of harsh words brought on by starvation.

Nick murmured something in Volcanian, then sank back into a deeper sleep. But the voices kept murmuring, and so Kafei dismissed the pirate and looked over at Link instead.

The Hylian was sitting, back to the door, and talking, though quietly.

Oh nohe hasn't cracked, I hope

"Sowas that really you, back at Castle Town?" Kafei heard Link say, with a sinking feeling. If he was talking sweet nothings to himself-

"Yes, that was me," said a second voice, female, from the other side of the door.

Kafei's eyes widened a fraction. Who is this?

"But" the female said, "There were two of you, then. Whathappened to the other?"

Kafei saw Link smirk broadly, as if he found this comment rather funny. He managed to wipe the smile as he replied, so that the snicker wouldn't carry in his voice. "He'saround. Why're you so interested in the welfare of a couple of lowly men, might I ask?"

"Because," came the voice, a little more challenging now, "it was orders." The voice didn't sound so sure, though.

"You sure about that?" teased Link.

"Y-yes," gritted the female. "Where is he?"

"SeriouslyI dunno." Link rolled his eyes heavenward. "And seriously, why do you care? Did Nabooru put you up to this?"

"no, she didn't. I justwanted to know, that's all. There's something weird about the both of you, you know."

"is that why you followed us afterwards?" Much to Kafei's amazement, Link's voice became suddenly gentle and mature, almost as if he was truly reading the thoughts of the other. As if he knew something about her. "What are you doing here, exactly? You're no born Gerudo"

"Birth has nothing to do with it!" the voice suddenly snapped venomously. "It is no concern of yours."

"Maybebut stillwhy? You must have come here at some pointbut why stay?"

"Becausethey are my family!"

"But you've been given your freedom, haven't you? You can pass the barrier"

"This is my home," said the other. "I will wait here."

"Wait? Waiting for what?" Link leaned forward suddenly, as if his interest had been sparked. His eyes were twinkling.

It's almost likehe knew she was going to say that, Kafei thought. Is he empathic? Or is he just manipulative? The Shadow Hylian was still puzzled as to why Link would be talking to their guard in this way. Unless

"II don't know," she said.

Link's expression became quite benign. "I once heard of someone, who waited all her life for something, although she didn't know whator maybe she just didn't remember. And then I thought to myself that there are some things that go beyond time and memory, things that cannot be forgotten, for they aren't things that can even be really remembered. They justare."

There was silence from beyond the door.

"I said you reminded me of someone I once knew," he said. "You seeshe was waiting too"

"Your lover?" the voice suddenly said, all previous venom suddenly absent.

"Oh no no," Link said, smiling a bit. "She was not for me. But I do believe she had feelings for someoneand so she waited"

A sudden disturbing thought hit Kafei. What is he doing?! Kafei thought incredulously. If he's not careful he's going to have Gerudos swarming all over him like a toy! Or is he just lost it, and is trying to gain favors for freedom?!

"Somehow," Link said finally, "I think you're the same wayam I right?"

"Maybe," said the voice.

Here it comes, Kafei thought wincingly. He'll declare that he's the one for her' or something equally sappy, and beg her to free him. Ugh. I thought he'd come up with a good escape attemptthis is justwrong. They might be Gerudos, but even I wouldn't do something thismanipulative.

But all Link did was smile and nod. "I hope that someday, you find what you seek."

Sudden footsteps down the corridor caused all further conversation to halt, and a second female voice, sounding rough and harsh after the whispers of the conversation.

"Lady Nabooru orders the prisoners to be fed."

The second female voice snapped to attention. "Right away!" And then the sound of quickly retreating footsteps put Link's little conversation to an end.

Link shrugged sadly to himself, as if he were disappointed.

"And you! Get away from the door!"

The green-clad Hylian obediently did so, and collapsed down on the other side of Kafei with a grunt. It was only then that he seemed to notice Kafei was awake.

"Well, hello then."

Kafei frowned. "You're disgusting."

"What?" Link sounded innocently puzzled.

"What? Talking to that Gerudo, that's what," Kafei said scathingly. "I may want to escape as badly as you do, but I'm not about to go sell myself out!"

Link still seemed completely clueless, and Kafei's angry eyes became slightly less angled as he read that honest puzzlement deep in his friend's eyes. "You don't think I was?"

"Well"

"Oh good heavens, no!" Link's eyes suddenly widened in realization. "No no, a thousand times no!" The Hylian grinned, looking suddenly somewhat embarrassed. "I recognized her from years back, that's all," he explained, still with a sheepish grin.

"Oh, so you only used to seduce her," Kafei said, half-joking.

Link frowned. "Look, I wasn'tdoing that, okay?" The Hylian leaned forward, listening for eavesdroppers. His voice lowered to a quiet whisper. "I'll tell you this, because you would know anyways. Ten years ago, we were all in Clock Town, your hometown, for the annual Spring Festival. Yes, I know, you're giving me that confused look, but bear with me a moment here."

Kafei nodded, and let his friend continue, above the steady breathing of Nick's sleep.

"Anyhow, during the course of the festival, we met this girl from an acting troupe. She wasn't exactly what she seemed, kind of like Timbre. Actually, scratch that. Exactly like Timbre." Link inclined his head.

"You mean she — that Gerudoshe's a-"

Link smirked. "Wolf, yes. You seewhen I crashed into the desertI didn't land right at the fortress here, but actually in the middle of the Wasteland. And she's the one who helped me get here. If it weren't for her I might — would — have died. So I owe her some note of thanks. And I might be able to repay her by helping her find what she's looking for."

Kafei raised a dubious eyebrow. "And I suppose you would know what that is."

"Well, I think so. I hope."

"And how is this possible?" came the skeptical reply.

"Because," Link murmured seriously. "I happen to know him by name."

-----

"Tim!"

"what?"

"You awake there?"

Timbre opened one bleary eye. "I am now," he grunted, allowing himself a brief stretch. He found himself wedged comfortably in the niche that the old abandoned milk crates made next to Impa's house. "You need something?"

Kat shrugged gently. "Impa needs to speak with you. We're all gathered at the forge."

This statement seemed to have some impact on the youth, as he yawned, and stood shakily. It took him a moment to reorient; even after being used to a human body for a while, he still sometimes had to focus on balancing upright. "Yeah, we'd better go."

They hopped down the brief hill that the house was built on, and their heels turned as one towards the forge. Kat looked over questioningly at her friend. Ever since the other night, Timbre had seemed a little off-color. And not just pale or grumpy, it was as if he had something heavy on his mind. Whatever it was, it seemed awfully cloying, as Timbre was being even more closed than usual.

Secretly, she wondered just what it was he and Impa had been talking about earlier that day. Tim hadn't bothered to tell her, though she did want to know. Then again, it might have been none of her business.

Night noises abounded, and the stars winked above. The twilight silhouettes were upon them, lit only by the sparks of homes. The forge was dark and alien, compared to the fire that it had produced for the past week, mostly due to the reason that it was no longer lit and flaming, and the chimney no longer spewed a constant cloud of smoke. Timbre blinked and looked up, breathing deeply the night air, as if it held some secret message.

"Something on your mind?" Kat said, noticing his pensive mood wasn't fading.

Timbre just shrugged, seeming distracted. "Nothing much. Just nerves, that's all."

Before Kat could question her friend further, the forge door opened, revealing the glimmer of red eyes from Impa. The Sheikah nodded once at the male.

"Have you decided?"

Timbre nodded. "Yes." Without another word, Timbre changed form. The wolf shook himself, then padded towards and through the open door. Impa's hand withdrew, and the door creaked shut. The Sheikah was left looking over at her protogeé.

"You," said Impa, "are wondering now what is going on."

I'll say, Kat thought to herself, though outwardly she just nodded.

"Timbre will be leaving us soon," said the Sheikah, "for he is preparing for a journey."

"What?" Was Impa suddenly throwing her friend out, after saying that she wouldn't? "What do you mean? He hasn't done anything-"

Impa put up a hand to stop the words, then motioned towards the door. "He leaves of his own accord," she reassured the younger woman. "There are several reasons."

Kat nodded.

"The first reason is simple — as our village resources go, he feels his presence will be a burden on our siege. Now that his injuries have mostly healed, his body will wish to function as it should once again. From the story he's told, he hasn't stayed anywhere more than a few days without starting to feel uncomfortable." The Sheikah's brow furrowed slightly. "His kind isn't meant to stay put in such a small place for long. He'shungry."

Kat absorbed this information as she stared downwards. She could clearly see the pawtracks left by her friend only moments ago, and she suddenly realized that the tracks easily engulfed the span of her hand. The depressions left by the paws were deep and rather impressive. "You mean he's afraid he'll-"

"Not at all. But he's feeling the need to support himself, and unfortunately, this village cannot provide him that. Vegetables aren't going to cut it, as it were."

Kat felt slightly disappointed that her friend was leaving so soon after she'd finally seen him again, and sighed slightly.

"There is another reason for his departure, of course."

"Hmm?"

"He must find the wielder of the Master Sword, and soon. The secret of Vulcan's forge is no longer a secret, even to our enemies," the Sheikah finished. She opened the door, and entered, gesturing for Kat to follow.

She did so, and the night noises were suddenly swallowed up, making her voice seem hollow in the forge's antechamber. "T-they know?"

Impa stopped and looked at her. "Even as we speak, Chiron will be working to draw us out of the village for a confrontation. We must be ready to thwart him."

Kat blinked. "How do you-"

"Ah, Chiron is not the only person who has spies," Impa said, with the hint of a smile. Kat decided not to ask further.

"Butif Tim goes-"

"Ah, he will, but he will not be lured into a trap, as Chiron may think. Your friend is smarter than that. And," she added wryly, "he is not as alone as you think."

"Will anybody go with him? Could I-"

Impa didn't answer, she instead pushed into the main forge. The sulfuric smell of burning things hung in the air. Even though the forge itself was just a quiet lull, it was still stiflingly hot down there, especially with so many present. That being - including her and Impa — Sond, Timbre, Vulcan, and the fairies. Aka and Benz were noticeably absent, apparently it was their turn to guard. The Deku probably still felt rather nervous, anyway. The workbench lay in the center of the forge, with two objects upon it. One was the Destiny Stone, which lay on its side, clear facets twinkling reflective fireglows like fine glass. The second object was long, and wrapped carefully in a protective cloth.

No guesses needed as to what that cloth contains, thought Kat.

Timbre was back in his human form, standing in front of the table, arms spread as if he were trying to fly. Meanwhile, Vulcan stumped around him, leg brace and crutch clinking softly, as the smith tugged at and adjusted a strange leather harness-like device strapped about the youth's chest.

Timbre was making quiet faces, as if he wasn't too sure he liked what was going on. Kat couldn't exactly blame him, as the harness looked rather odd. It ran in an X pattern, crossing over his chest, and repeated a similar design on the back (as she saw as Tim turned around). However, on the back there were obvious clips, clasps and straps for securing something.

"Alright," Vulcan was saying, "try changing again."

Timbre nodded, and dropped to the ground as a wolf. The harness stayed in its corresponding place, still strapped about the wolf's chest and shoulders. Kat didn't want to say anything, but at the moment her friend kind of looked like a trussed up sled dog. No wonder Timbre looked annoyed and uncomfortable, it wasn't too far from being a collar. What was this all for?

Vulcan's brow furrowed. "Breathe deeply, and let me know if the straps need adjusting. I don't want you to suffocate out there."

The wolf sat down and took several deep breaths. These of course came out as huge ragging pants, but the harness didn't seem to hinder him any. Vulcan then asked Timbre to do a number of things, such as flexing his shoulders, neck, and back. Timbre complied, though he still looked slightly displeased. Finally, Vulcan instructed the wolf to step outside and run a test lap around the forge. Kat and Sond poked their heads out to watch their friend.

He tore around the forge, skidded around the corner, and then lapped not only the forge, but the entire circumference of the village.

Sond clicked her tongue. "Antsy, isn't he?"

"Impa was right," Kat answered. "He's got a lot of steam building up. Still, I wish he weren't going, there's so few of us left as it is-"

Sond frowned slightly, and her eyes turned towards the dark shape of mountain peak that loomed slightly in the nightstarred distance. "Yeah"

Frowning as well, Kat followed her gaze. Although the dragon hadn't reappeared since the crash the night before, the entire village had felt that day the tremors that now occasionally built up from the roots of the mountain. They were tremors that hadn't been felt for many years. And the pained roars, faint at first, but slowly growing in strength.

"He's trying to get out," Sond murmured dully. "But he's trapped."

Kat nodded, although turned as she was, her friend probably couldn't see. Feeling slightly upset as well, Kat threw a reassuring hand over Sond's shoulder. "It'll all be alright. I don't know how or why, but it will-"

"Will it?" Sond's shoulders sagged. "Sometimes I don't knowI mean, we don't even know if Link's still al-" she stopped, not wanting to continue that idea. "I don't know what, but I just have this sinking feeling, that something terrible is going to happen, and I don't think there's anything we can do about it."

Kat's heart sunk at the thought. Her eyes continued to stare at the dark rumbling mountain, but she no longer was seeing it. "And KafeiSond, something happened to him, something Timbre won't tell me, even though I've asked him toI'm worried that he's- welland nowTim's gonna be leaving usI'm worried too."

Timbre suddenly appeared from the forge's far corner, paws skidding with two-foot long furrows as he let inertia take its effect. He halted suddenly in front of the two of them, tongue lolling out as he panted. The harness appeared unscathed and unloosened despite the exercise. The wolf blinked hazily up at the two of them, read their worried expressions, and twisted his head to one side.

Both of them suddenly descended upon him with a wail, hugging him tightly from either side. Kat felt soft fur and the hard weight of the harness that dug into her arms as sudden worried tears sprung up. Quiet sounds from the other side meant that Sond had similar sentiment.

At first Timbre twisted and growled in alarm, but then he relaxed. They held the pose for several moments, and then Kat found herself clasping his human self, who stared at her with deep troubled eyes. "Whatwhat's wrong?" he asked.

Sond and Kat disentangled themselves with small apologies. "Sorry, we're justso worried about you leaving, that's all," Sond spoke for the both of them. "I mean"

Vulcan appeared in the doorway, leaning on his crutch. "Everything good?"

Timbre nodded and stood up. "It's tight enough, I think. And sturdy," he noted quietly to himself. Despite two simultaneous crushing hugs, the harness was still intact.

"Good then. You ready to try the sword, now?"

Back in the forge, Sond and Kat exchanged furtive looks. Both minds currently had the same idea: if Timbre was leaving, maybe they could accompany him, and allay their feelings of helplessness.

Impa looked up at them both, and frowned slightly, as if she had read both their minds and disapproved of the thought. Sond still wasn't quite sure what the Sheikah race was entirely capable of, so the feeling made her nervous.

Impa nodded to the cloth bundle, then looked to Vulcan. "Please show them."

Vulcan nodded, and his careworn hands deftly untwisted the twine that held the cloth in place. Sond's breath caught in her throat as the wrapping slid off, and she saw the Master Sword, the light shining off of it seeming to almost come from the blade itself.

It looks wonderful, Sond thought. Just like I remembered it

Similar expressions of awe were on most of the other members in the forge, and the fairies hovered in low reverence, themselves squinting as the blade reflected their own auras back at them.

"This is it," Cyrus murmured. "You're repaired Evil's Bane to its full strength, Vulcan."

"If anything can defeat the King of Evil, it will be this," Dink breathed. Sond got the feeling the fairies knew more about the Sword than even they did, and it ended up that she was indeed right.

"I'm sure most of you are familiar with the properties of the Master Sword?" Cyrus said. Like most fairies, Cyrus explained anyway. "The Sword is of course imbibed with the power to repel evil forces, most notably evil magic. However, this is of course a catch to it. The Master Sword chooses the one who will wield it, and that one must be a champion to thwart the forces that threaten the land. In this casethe Sword may have already chosen a wielder, however."

Timbre nodded, his eyes on the sword. Although he wasn't particularly skilled at the weapon type, he could still appreciate the power that emanated from the Sword. Its reflection even outshone the reflection the Destiny Stone, which seemed all the more dwarfed next to it. So dwarfed, in fact, that Timbre almost missed the four words that had suddenly appeared on the side of the Stone:

Pick up the Sword.

Timbre swallowed, and realized he'd said the words aloud, as now everyone's eyes were turned directly towards him. "Um," he stammered. "Sorrythe Stone just said-"

"Go on then," Impa said. "Pick it up."

The youth swallowed again. "But I'm not-"

Vulcan's brow furrowed. "I do not believe that the Sword will cause injury to anybody who does not deserve it," he started. "If your Stone says to try it, then try it."

Timbre looked at Kat and Sond, who both shrugged. The youth retrieved the Destiny Stone, and looped it back around his neck. "I hope you know what you are doing," he told it.

It turned green.

Encouraged slightly by this, Timbre raised his right hand, clothed in its black glove. He couldn't stop it from shaking slightly, and nerved himself with gritted teeth. He brought his hand down on the hilt of the Sword, and felt his fingers close around the hilt-

The next thing he knew, he was crumpled on the floor, and trembling like a leaf. He felt someone frantically shaking him, and opened his eyes to the hazy view of Sond, staring down at him with worried wet blue eyes.

"W-what just happened?"

"Tim! Tim! You're okay?! Are you okay?!"

Wincing, Timbre felt her shrill voice pierce his eardrums. Weakly, he raised his hand and put a finger to her lips. "Shh. Yeah, I think I'm okaythanks."

Kat's head swam into view. "By Din, don't you scare us like that!"

Timbre had to smile a little bit. "s'not like I try to," he whispered. "Butwhat th' heck just happened? Why'm I all-"

Sond frowned. "I dunnoyou just went all stiff and wide eyed, and you were staring off at nothingand you kept saying the same thing over and over again under your breath"

Timbre's head was still swimming, and he felt shaky, as if he'd just awoken from a fit of tears. "I waswhat?"

He turned his head and saw Vulcan kneel down beside him on his good leg. "You muttered, He's in the Desert,' over and over again, and then, you dropped into a dead faint. He offered Timbre a hand up. "I apologize," he said as he helped the youth to his shaky feet, looking to where the Master Sword still lay on the table, padded by the cloth bundle. "It never reacted like that when I held it, of course I always balanced it by the hiltIf I had known the Sword was going to do that-"

Other than feeling terribly shaken up, Timbre realized he wasn't really hurt. "Don't worry, it didn't really hurt me," he said with relief. "But I have a feeling I'm not the wielderjust as we thought."

"ButI think we know now where he is," Impa said. "You were muttering it yourself."

"Link's in the Desert?" Sond looked up at the Sheikah. "But why would he be there? He was coming back here."

"Maybe he was sidetracked," Impa said with a shrug. "Or perhaps he was taken there by force."

"The Warrior lies in prison boundquest proceeds his whim" Kat shook her head. "That was it! The rhyme the Stone gave after I woke up" She blinked. "It's coming backyes!"

The Warrior lies in prison bound,

His quest proceeds his whim,

He cannot come here on his own,

So bring the Sword to him!

In the Desert lies a key

In resplendent fair,

But ware to one who enters free,

Lest he be captured there.

Lone the lupine will depart,

But lone he'll not return,

What seems an end is but a start,

When ice like fire burns.

Timbre stared. "It said all that?"

Kat nodded. "I was half-asleep before, and things were still kind of fuzzyand I forgot all about it later, I was so worried about other thingsoh, Tim, you have to go all alone?"

Sond and Kat exchanged another look, this time a disappointed and upset one. "We wanted to help," Sond said, "Becausewell, he's our friend too, and we're a part of this."

"However," Impa pointed out, "do you think you can keep yourself up with a traveling wolf? He will cover long distances —:

"But Epona-"

"She is strong, but cannot carry two while keeping up such a pace. Besides-"

Sond and Kat said at the same time, "He doesn't like horses."

While they were talking, Vulcan carefully re-wrapped the Master Sword, and began securing it to the harness on Timbre's back. The youth grunted slightly as Vulcan pulled the straps tight, and then stumped backwards to survey his work. "How's it feel?"

Timbre was still slightly shaken up by his faint, but he rocked his center of balance back and forth a few times to test it, then repeated the action on four legs. As he stood upright again, he nodded. "It should work."

"With this," Impa explained to Sond and Kat, "he will be able to run while carrying the sword, and not sacrifice his natural weapons or speed."

This was the reason Timbre had ultimately accepted the harness; the incident with the boomerang carrying and the Wolfos attack was too fresh in his mind.

"So," he said. "Alone, then."

"Yes," Impa said. "However, Chiron learn otherwise"

By the look in her eyes, Kat and Sond suddenly realized that maybe they weren't going to be feeling so useless after all.

"Time to put that plan to action," Sond mumbled, with the first sign of a grin in days.

-----

High above them, in the fiery peak of Death Mountain, another plan was being executed. Ganondorf threw his head back and laughed, unfazed by the heat or tremors as the red dragon roared and flung itself against its prison for the thousandth time.

Ganondorf had counted those times ever since he had awoken his new pet. A brief and effortless scrying had contacted him with his Stronghold, where his thieves reported little out of the unusual. He did learn that Chiron was currently on a campaign around Kakariko, by order of Twinrova, however. Something about executing a traitorous blacksmith.

Normally this kind of behind-the-back governing would have bothered him, but at the moment he was in too much of a good mood to give it much thought. If the boy had orders to kill someone, then he would best get it done quickly, and report back to him.

The red dragon reared up again, and slammed its other shoulder against the rocky cave. The walls of the cauldron rumbled ominously, and small rivulets of pebbly stones rained down.

One-thousand and one.

The crater of course had a natural opening to the open sky, but a simple barrier attuned directly to the dragon denied him that sky, although the view of it remained just as clear, alluring and beautiful as always. Currently, the opening revealed a giant pool of stars, through which floated a wispy miasma of clouds. So close, and yet so far. The red dragon was bound here as securely as if the Kind had employed physical chains.

Ganondorf allowed a smirk to play across his features. Soon his pet would tire of injuring itself, and quiet itself. Or perhaps it would build itself up into so much of a rage as to cause the entire volcano to erupt, burying the town below in boiling lava.

It would save Chiron a job, anyway.

The Kind had been in such a good mood, in fact, that he'd all but lost that feeling of foreboding and frustration from his star dream. Even the slight drop-stomach feeling he felt from the town at the foot of the mountain seemed trivial —it would all be destroyed within a week by the dragon's tantrums, anyway. Or perhaps he would be able to destroy it himself, riding on the back of his newly broken pet.

"You know, you could always submit to me, and spare yourself this harsh and humiliating condition," he called to the dragon in a reasonable tone, activating the same communication spell Chiron had used on the Wolfos. "All I ask is for fair share of what you've taken from me. You devoured my steed, and so you shall now serve as its replacement."

The dragon stopped its howling, and stared down at him. The long spine rippled dangerously, and Ganondorf sprung away, chuckling as the dragon's tail slammed down on where he'd been sitting moments before, splitting the rock in two.

"Heheh. Such spirit. You will serve me well."

The dragon leveled a malicious gaze at him. "I will NEVER serve you," it screamed at him, and then it blasted a fireball at him. Ganondorf swept his hand in a mighty arc, bringing up his red shield. The flame struck the energy field and then displaced, melting rocks around the King but leaving him completely unscathed.

The King sneered, and tried a different ploy. "Hmph. Fine then, dash yourself against these walls all you like. Tire yourself out. Erupt the volcano and destroy the town below, keep those deaths on your head. You still will never get free."

"I care nothing for any town," said the dragon. "When I escape you are dead. Remember that."

"Dead?" Ganondorf chuckled"Speaking of the deadwhatever happened to your companionthe one I would've slain had you not ruined my fun? Did he die anyway? Or did you abandon him?"

He ducked a double claw-slash and blocked snapping teeth. The dragon had a serpent-like curve to its neck, and could strike with alarming speed. It was even more enraged now than it had been earlier. It spewed massive amounts of flame about, scoring the walls deeply, and causing the entire mountain to shake as it raged.

"I'll destroy you!" The dragon vowed with a bellowing roar.

"You will serve me." Ganondorf said evenly. "I could make your very body obey right now if I so wished, but I believe bending your will to my bit and bridle will be much more enjoyable-" Ganondorf held his right hand forward, and the dragon was slowly forced to the ground by the red aura, it's wings spread about its body like a delicate gown. The King tightened his grip.

"Just remember this, my pet - I am the Inevitable: sooner or later I always get what I want."

-----

Whew. Just so you know, I was trying a little bit of a new thing in this chapter, switching points of view mid-scene' as it were. I'm not exactly sure if I like it, so could I get people's opinions on it? I dunno, maybe it is just me having author's hindsight. Many thanks for everything!