AN: Well hello everyone. Me sorry for being so long to update. I seriously haven't had time or ideas. cuhrazy. but here is the second chappy, thanks to everybody for reviews. If you find errors or anything, feel free to say something in the review, because I haven't had extensive proofing on this chap. have fun reading it, and r&r.

huzzah.

Chapter 2

"Wait a second Glaibert...what's gone?" asked Helen, still a little confused.

"Everything! Everything we had in storage is gone. Gone!" The look of sadness left his face, and was replaced by a look of suicidal anguish.

"Now calm down, I'm sure there's been a mistake. I mean, somebody couldn't take all our supplies and have carried them away during the night. At least without a large multitude of people." She stopped to think for a split-second, and then her investigative instinct told her something. "It had to have been one of us. That's the only logical explanation! We had a guard last night, so nobody could have come through..."

Glaibert cut her off reluctantly and stammered, "Marm, the guard wasn't on last night. There was a mixup as to who was supposed to do it, and well, we figured that guard duty was mostly pointless anyways."

"Well there's not a moment to lose." Helen snapped. "Come on Glaibert, let's go round up the town. It's time to do some serious serarching."

When something of importance happened in Lakeland, the leader of the town, Ty, was supposed to take care of it or find a way to. However, what the people of Lakeland didn't know when they elected him leader was that he was one of the laziest people you'll ever meet. His father was a tremendous farmer and leader, and the townsfolk figured Ty would follow in the Jenkins footsteps. Not so.

The houses in the town were all faced towards a center area, with a makeshift gazebo in the center. This middle area was often used for town celebrations, or a meeting place if something needed to be debated or discussed. Ty initiated the meeting by waving his arms above his head and calling for silence. The clamor and murmuring died down to almost silence, and Helen took her spot next to Ty. The reason Helen accompanied Ty on almost all of his speeches was that Ty always would talk himself into a hole, and then not be able to get out. It would be very safe to say that Helen was indeed the head of this community, but the Lakelanders would not have a woman as the head.

"Lakelanders, last night something dreadful happened." Ty paused, making a stab at dramatic effect. "Everything that was in the storage shed was stolen."

There were whispers among the crowd, and they didn't seem to believe it. Helen stepped up alongside Ty and shouted, "It's true, I went this morning with Glaibert and inspected the shed, and the area around. Everything is gone."

The crowd, believing Helen, changed the subject of their whispers from doubt to worry. At this point, two figures emerged from the small crowd to speak to Ty and Helen. Annas and Saphra, the closest thing the community had to scholars. Annas had been the only one to salvage anything out of all the escapees. The only reason he was alive now was because of Saphra, his loyal pupil and basically adopted son. Saphra had seen Annas rushing back to get his books and maps, and ran after him, carrying the old man out.

From the establishment of Lakeland, the fifty-eight year old Annas had been against trying to survive. He lacked motivation to keep existing, just to die eventually with nothing accomplished. The twenty-five year old Saphra was always trying to come up with a new escape plan, but the seal of magic around the outside wall always decapitated his plans. Annas had eventually talked him out of trying to escape, because in his studies, he had learned something very important. The only thing that can counter magic is itself.

Saphra glared at Ty, seemingly blaming him for what had happened. Annas calmly spoke in his quiet way, and Ty had to motion for silence and ask the elderly man to repeat what he had said.

"Ty Jenkins, I do not place the blame for this unfortunate mistake on you, but I do think some of the security is your responsibility." Annas continued, in the same formal way he always did. "People of Lakeland, it is my belief that , at least from what I have heard, last night we were robbed by the very same group of villains that sealed us in this beautiful tomb"
There were nods of agreement from the people, at least the ones who had already pondered the issue. Helen immediately rose her hands and proclaimed to the group, "I mean no disrespect in rebuking you Annas, but I must" Clearly, she meant boundless disrespect, but Helen was a polite woman. "You all remember how our city was burned as we fled. The same enemy who could have eliminated us then would not be trying to eliminate us now. Besides, would they not have just burned everything as they have done in the past?"

The crowd leaned towards Helen's side of the argument now, and Ty had to stop this debate, and do something useful. He clapped sarcastically and said "Wonderful speeches, both of you. Now to the real problem. What do we do about it?"

Helen had the answer thought out before the words even left Ty's mouth. "It's clear where all the stores are. They are still somewhere in Lakeland." More murmurs and gasps from the people. "Now we all know that there was too much to hide in just one house, but I think that we should start with an investigation. You can all return to your homes now, and I'll be around this afternoon to ask you all a few questions. Thank you all for being cooperative."

With that, the small crowd dispersed, with Annas being pulled quickly by Saphra. Apparently, the young man had thought of something. When they got inside their house, for they shared a home, Saphra stated his opinion.

"Sir, I believe neither of the stories to be true. I have devised my own hypothesis. Do you remember when we dismissed the search of the forest, because all there was behind the woods was a wall, an impassable wall? Well, I believe there's something in that forest. Something, I believe, that has stolen our inventory."

At first listen, Annas dismissed this as another one of the immature Saphra's wild hopes. Then, as he pondered it, he came to a conclusion.

"You know my boy, it's worth a shot. Tomorrow we shall take on the task of exploring the forest."

You could almost feel the eagerness radiating off Saphra, as he exclaimed, "I look forward to it! After all, walking through a forest can't hurt us...we've been getting a little round anyways, some exercise will"
"It can't hurt us, you say?" An almost mischievous look came onto Annas' face, as he whispered, "The forest could be dangerous. After all, you never know. Why should we be the ones to do it. We don't have to mention this to the town, it would only put them in a fright. After all, mostly everyone in this town is a bumbling idiot, with the exception of Helen and her little girl."

At the mention of Miriam, Saphra said "Why don't we get her to do it?"

"Helen?"

"No, no, I'm talking about her girl, Miriam. She's curious to a fault, and I'm surprised she hasn't ventured in already. It would be simple for us to convince her to do it. Then, if harm comes to her, it's not a big deal. After all, she's only ten years old, and not very useful to a community."

"Saphra, you are coming around," said Annas with a smug look on his face.

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He stood atop a hill.

The enemies were coming at his from all directions.

He let out a yell, and sliced into the tide of darkness.

Slicing through this wave of evil, he caught a glimpse of a green-cloaked man, defending himself from the same foe.

The creatures around this man all shrieked as one, and leapt on top of him as one.

The man still stood atop the hill.

Still fighting with a vigor, he glimpses this man in green go down under a dark cloud of arms.

The man lets out a yell and turns to help out this green-cloaked man.

He turns and runs.

Thousands of tiny hands grasping at him, pulling him to the ground.

He cannot get there.

Given a second wind by some mystical force, he give it another try.

He cannot get there in time.

Letting out a cry, he is overwhelmed.

A voice cries out "You have let him die."

Repeating the same thing over and over again.

Steadily louder as the darkness closes in around him.

"Sire Mortimas!"

The King was still panting from his very realistic vision he had just been given. "Stolton," he said, with a dazed look on his face. He paused, then said calmly with a sincere look on his face. "Thank you."

"Sire?"

"Thank you Stolton. Thank you for waking me up. I was having the most terrible nightmare. Thank you for being there, and not hating me for all the things I've done.

"Not this again," Stolton thought to himself, but he let the king be, and didn't try to argue with him.

"My liege, I have good news. Your wife, the queen, is finally back from her escapade. Perhaps we shall learn what it was all about."

A sigh echoed inside the king's head. He knew the reason Zelda had left was because she hated him. At times in their marriage, it wasn't so bad, but they were a terrible couple. A marriage between the two was Zelda's mother's wish, that she wished with her last words. If they would have not married, they would have felt just as bad as they did now.

The king approached the entryway of the castle gate, expecting to see Zelda there, hoping for some odd reason that she would have found it in her heart to love him, then dismissing the thought completely. After 11 years of marriage, it wasn't bound to happen.

"Zelda, you have returned!" He exclaimed, straining his eyes to make her shape out against the sun. She cut a beautiful silhouette against the sunset. It was definitely Zelda.

"Hello my king Mortimas," She said with a touch of disappointment in her voice.

"How was your trip, my wife? May I inquire as to where you went, and whom you sought?"

"You may, but you aren't bound to get an answer out of me." She said with a smile and walked towards her chambers.

Still cold, still unloving. However, after yesterday's discussion with Stolton, he felt like he deserved it. Mortimas stood by the gate in the shadows thinking for a while. He thought about his dream, about the Hero of time, and wondered in the two were connected. Of course they were, how could they not be? He had let Link die, and his vision was a reenactment of that. He wasn't strong enough in any aspect of his body to save Link, or anybody.

Sitting in despair for another while longer, he almost drifted off to sleep, when an idea hit him square in the head. Actually it was a rock falling from the hill above, but it spurred a thought in the king's head. It was time to do something about this impending threat growing in the west. He knew it wouldn't ignore it. He had ignored everything, and paid for it. He couldn't wait any longer. It was time to attack the gargantuan fortress, as they had taken to calling it in Hyrule. It was time to make a stand against evil. It was time to be a hero.

Or die trying.

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AN: Aye, I hope he doesn't die. The next update will hopefully come soon, especially if people review and give helpful input. Cuz that's fun and easy. just like chia pets. well that's about all I have to say, so peace and out everybuddy.

huzzah.