Author's note: Yeah...I took your advice Athena and removed that threat about not continuing the fic. I suppose that so long one person is reading it that's good enough. Anyway, I appreciate your help and yes it does rather scream "holy hell this fic is going to blow!". Lol, you probably saved my fic with your words, you know? And I definitely don't want this fic to be ruined all because of a threat! Well, I hope you'll keep on reading and reviewing for me? You Better, lol. So enjoy this next chapter. Or at least try to. If it's horrible, just drink alot of whiskey until it's as good as R.L. Tolkien book or whatever. Ciao.

The Legend of Zelda:

Hylian Wars

Chapter Two-

Beneath the Shadow of Peace

"Link?"

The male Hylian smiled happily at the sound of her voice, her tone so filled with confusion and surprise as her eyes connected with his own. She was as perfect as she had been in his memory, exactly the same as she was on that day of their departure seven years ago. Her eyes were beautiful, hair as lovely as before. A body flawless. Her body was perfection.

Link moved forward, slow, steady steps while Epona remained behind, occupied with sniffing the grass as she sought a meal. His gloved hand outstretched, fingers spread apart while his eyes never left Zelda's own. The distance between them closed slowly as the hero drew nearer, closer to touching her in almost a decade's time. But when he at last regained focus, no longer dazed by joy and disbelief, he froze and his face melted into utter confusion as he saw past her. Dozen's of soldiers stood behind in silence, weapons drawn though not in hostility with Link's presence. Or maybe it was Zelda's presence that kept them from charging him? Perhaps they were more wary than they were letting on.

The Queen's eyes cast upon the man before her, running over his build and appearance, somewhat startled to discover such a great many injuries upon him. An obvious sign he remained as adventurous as he had been in the days of his youth, as he had been so long ago.

"You," Zelda hesitated, breathing in deeply while deciding on how to respond. Her mind and heart was overcome with mixed emotions. "You've finally come back."

The Hero of Time nodded, the hand which stretched forth falling to his side, curling his open hand into a fist. "I have."

Another period of complete silence ensued with the end of Link's short sentence, again gazing into the each other's eyes as they had done moments ago. Link was taken back by how distant the two of them had become. Yet considering how long they had been apart, he supposed it was understandable, though not expected.

"Your are leaving?" Link was the first to speak, unable to bare the silence that was a result from the distance of their hearts.

"Under the circumstances, it is necessary that I do." Zelda responded with a barely visible smile, beginning to move forward. Wordlessly the guards followed, their steps in unison with each other as they marched in a straight line behind their Queen. "And you, Hero of Time? Why have you returned here?" She finished the sentence with a serious expression, devoid of emotion. Raising her hand while continuing on, the soldiers behind her stopped suddenly, obeying her wordless command.

"To see you." Link flushed slightly with his answer, quickly changing the subject. "And you leave because?"

Zelda's eyes narrowed sadly, turning her head off to the side while she folded her long, slender arms acorss her chest. Her answer did not came quickly. "It's been seven years Link, seven years since we brought peace to Hyrule." She could see, through the corner of her eyes, Link's face twisted in curiousity. "And for seven years, that peace has lasted. But now, something threatens to end it."

"Impossible," Link responded with the shake of his head. "The Great Deku Tree could see no such force to endager the peace we created!"

"And nor could I." Zelda's eyes fell to the stone she stood upon, depression clear on her face. "Despite my sagely powers, the darkness remained undetected to all. Although often a slight tingle of disturbance came to my attention, when I sought out the cause, it eluded me." She forced herself to look upon the hero once more. "For so long it remained in the shadows before finally presenting itself during my ceremony when I took to the throne as Queen."

"How could something escape your sight?"

"I don't know." In all honesty, the Hylian Queen herself could not determine why or how. "And I fear there is still much I have to learn about all this."

Immediately, Link was certain of her reasons for departing from the castle gates. "So you leave with the hope of acquiring more information?"

"I do believe her highness has answered enough of your questions." A startling voice sprang from behind the Hylian hero, causing him to turn around with his sword drawn in hosility. His nose came just inches apart from that of another's, coming face to face with a man rather aged by time. His back was bent, body weight supported by that of a wooden staff held in his right hand, bald with wrinkled skin upon the visible limbs and face. The black gown of a priest clothed his body. "Greetings young'en. Or perhaps you be favoring hero in times as these?"

"I fear we have not been introduce, "Link spoke while backing away, disgusted by the stench of the elderly man's breath that burned his nostriles like a flame. He bit his lip to contain a cough.

The man robed in black smiled, revealing few teeth, yellow and spotted with dark holes beneath his dry, cracked lips. "Aye, of course we haven't. But ye don't believe I have not heared the great many tales of the Hero of Time? He who conguered the Evil King and liberated Hyrule from darkness?"

"Link," Zelda began while taking a step forward. "His name is Naccerd Vergall. My Advisor and respected member of the Hylian Council." She finished explaining while a quick glance and smile in Naccerd's direction. "Through his wisdom, I have been successful in many things I could not have done on my own. It is his advice to me that I establish an alliance with the neighboring land of Gaiyahle. Together our forces would be great enough to stand against the darkness."

"Hyrule's army is not enough?" Link turned to face the woman, ignoring Naccerd and sheathing his sword while keeping his eyes in contact with her own. Before given the opporunity to speak again, a sudden impact to the back of his skull sent Link stumbling forward in a daze, pain shooting through his head. He turned with eyes that flared of anger and hate to Vergall who showed no sign of being frightened.

"Ye be deaf of ears o'Hero." The aged Advisor let his arm fall to his side, pressing the bottom of his staff back against the ground with a barely audible sigh. "Regard her highness properly, or ye be recieiving a thwack in more places than ye noggin."

Zelda shook her head, sighing heavily . "Oh Niccard! Perhaps it is you who should show more respect? There is no need to treat Link in such a way after all he has done."

Coughing, the elderly man flashed a simple grin before placing himself at Zelda's side, smacking Link's right leg violently with his staff while doing so. He sized Link with innocent eyes when the Hylian Hero of Time turned to glare. Something about this elderly being the hero did not trust, disturbed by something unknown. Possibly, it was nothing more than his anger that spurred forth the distrust. Cautiously turning away, his eyes fell back to the woman who readied to speak.

"I will explain with what little time we have," the Queen smiled softly, shifting her cerluean orbs to the clear sky so far above. "Our peace, the peace you and I, along with the sages, created, blanketed the evil we thought erased from these lands. In our beliefs of an everlasting tranquility, we were blinded. And I blame myself." A look of sadness filled her eyes as she paused, hesitating for many moments before continuing. "Dai Kawn, was what the man called himself when he first arrived on the night of my ceremony. He is a sinister, heartless being who cares only for himself. He is willing, without a doubt, to sacrifice anything in order to gain greater power. Thus, he comes to us with the goal of obtaining the scroll of the Arts of Time."

"The Arts of Time?" Link regarded Zelda with a questioning look.

"Arts forbidden by the Goddesses," Naccerd spoke up with the wave of his right, fragile hand through the air.

Zelda went on, ignoring her old advisor. "Legend says that the Goddesses's themselves forged the scroll, including within it's text the answers of how Hyrule truly came to be, everything! Should the corrupt hands of another fall upon it, no doubt the knowledge it contained would be used for chaos."

Link crossed his arms, tilting his head slightly back without a word. Another threat had come to bring ruin. Why was it Hyrule was always the target of misfortune? Was peace something this beautiful land could never truly obtain? He sighed, still absorbing the information he had been given over the past few minutes. He had returned only to be pulled into another quest. Yet even though Zelda appeared to have no intention of asking him to join their fight, he knew it had to be done. It was his duty. It was his detiny.

Letting his arms fall to his side, a serious expression crossed his face as his head returned to it's normal positon. "Where can it be found? Protecting the scroll should be your top priority rather than forging an alliance with a nearby land.""

Through the corner of his eye, a frown crossed Naccerd's wrinkled face, a frown of full of many emotions. Anger, hate, annoyance. But when Link's eyes turned in his direction questioningly, the frown had been replaced by yet another decieving grin, a mask of innocence. The Hylian hero's distrust only grew with every moment in the advisor's presence.

"Your highness," Naccerd began before Zelda was given the opporunity to respond, never allowing that terrible smile to fade. "we should not disclose such valueable information to one such as he. Hero he be or not, we be not certain of where his loyalties lie. For all we know, he be of allegiance to Kawn himself." The man seemed pleased with how convincing he sounded, as though expecting Zelda to agree the same. In Link's eyes, he was attempting to manipulate her. "Perhaps he should come along with us, just to be certain of who he had aligned himself with. He be of assistance quite possibly. Rumor of the o'hero's swordplay and brilliance in battle be spread wildly, the man could be very helpful should he not be traitorous."

The Queen was not fond of the idea of Link joining the darkness. Impossible could it be that Link, the Hero of Time, would align himself with the forces he swore to defeat and protect all from! For the great many days she knew him during his adventures, she still saw the same man she saw seven years ago. He had not changed. Still the eyes so full of determination and light peered into her own, still his voice filled her with hope. No, Naccerd was wrong. Link was righteous, now more than ever.

"I do request that you accompany us Link," Zelda spoke while Naccerd grinned in satisfactory. "But my reasons for doing so are different from Naccerd's. Somewhere, deep within Hyrule castle, the scroll rests behind a door leading into a mystical place known as the Realm of Ages. Rauru has bestowed me with all the knowledge he had to offer, and with your assistance I'm sure we can find it. But at the moment, It is necessary that we combine the forces of Gaiyahle with our own. I shall leave, however, more guards behind to defend our castle from a surprise attack." With narrowed eyes, Zelda turned in her advisor's direction. "Agreed, Vergall?"

In defeat, Naccerd only mumbled. "Agreed."

Shortly after the conversation came to an end, Zelda mounted the white stallion given to her by guard instructed to stay behind. While Link took Epona's reigns in his grasp, a quick glance in the Queen's direction made him happy to be venturing on yet another quest. This time, they went together. Although this adventure would not be a pleasent one, as adventures seldomly were, his heart was undismayed by the thought of war and conflict. So long Zelda rode by his side, victory was something he could never fail to achieve.

"I look forward to our travels together," the Hylian hero stated with a soft smile so full of happiness. "My sword will protect you always."

Zelda giggled slightly at his words, and looked to him with a smile more beautiful than that of Link had ever known or ever would. "And I look forward to traveling with you, Hero of Time."